Why Do Adults Skip Breakfast? The #1 Reason, and What to Do About It
If you’ve ever stood at the kitchen counter with one shoe on and your keys between your teeth, staring at a box of cereal like it’s a problem you’ll solve later, you already knew this. Now there’s data to back you up.
What the research says
When a poll of 2,000 adults asked breakfast skippers why, the biggest single answer was time. 34 per cent of those who skip breakfast do so because they don’t have enough time in the morning, well ahead of saving up for a big lunch or finding nothing in the cupboard.¹
It isn’t a one-off finding either. A US poll of 2,000 adults found the same reason at the top,² and studies with university students and hospital nurses keep putting lack of time first.³ ⁴ Closer to home, researchers at UKZN found that barriers to breakfast among students included a lack of time and a lack of appetite.⁵
The line from that UK poll that stuck with us was this one: 57 per cent have woken up intending to have breakfast but fail to do so.¹
Read that again. More than half of us mean to eat breakfast. Wanting to isn’t the problem.
Your morning has a queue
Breakfast sits at the back of a very long line. For you it might be mornings that start at 5:00am, an 8am lecture on the other side of campus, a shift that starts before the sun is up, or lunchboxes and the school run. Add the email that can’t wait and the meeting someone moved to first thing - no wonder breakfast is the first to go.
This is a logistics problem. It says nothing about how much you care about your nutiriton.
What happens when breakfast gets skipped
By the time you wake up, your body has gone the whole night without food. Your brain relies on a steady supply of glucose to work properly, and it doesn’t draw on stored glucose to keep things running for long.
As blood sugar keeps falling, cortisol rises as part of the body’s response to bring it back up. You’ll recognise this version of yourself around 10am: shorter fuse, foggier head, and a sudden strong interest in the vending machine.
Decision-making pulls from the same depleted resources, which is why that mid-morning reply sometimes reads a little sharper than you intended.
There’s a nutrient side too. Breakfast is estimated to cover 25 to 30% of daily nutritional needs.⁶ Skip it and that share has to be found later in the day, and the kind of day that cost you breakfast is rarely the kind that leaves room to make it up.
This doesn't include intermittent fasting. We’re talking about meals that get missed by accident.
Winning back a few minutes
If time is the reason, the fix is making breakfast faster than whatever is ahead of it in the queue.
Great options are: overnight oats, a batch of boiled eggs on Sunday, yoghurt and fruit at eye level in the fridge so it’s the first thing you see. Real food, ready before you need it.
But we know there'll be the mornings when even that doesn’t happen. That’s where MaxiMeal comes in.
Where MaxiMeal fits
MaxiMeal is a complete meal in seconds. One serving from the pouch at home or a sachet you packed in for on the go - A quick shake - And you’re out the door with breakfast in your hand.
In every 60 g serving you get 14 g of protein from milk, which naturally contains both whey and casein. Then 28 g of low-GI carbohydrates for steadier energy, healthy fats from Coconut MCTs, and 5 g of Fibersol-2 prebiotic fibre. LactoSpore probiotics and DigeZyme digestive enzymes support your gut, and 23 vitamins and minerals round it out.
No maltodextrin, no sucralose, no Ace-K, and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. It’s sweetened with stevia.
Keep a pouch on the kitchen counter for the days you’re home, and a few sachets in your bag, desk drawer or locker for the ones you’re not. With different flavours, nobody has to settle.
MaxiMeal fills the gap when a real meal isn’t possible. When you do get a proper breakfast, have it and enjoy it. On the mornings you don’t, you’re still starting the day with a delicious and nutritious shake, and lunch is still lunch.
If you’re the “I’m just not hungry in the morning” one
You came out on top in at least one survey,⁷ and you’re far from alone. A plate of food at 6:30am can feel like a lot. A smooth, cold shake is often easier to get down, and it means your body still gets something to work with until your appetite catches up.
Find your flavour
Not sure where to start? Build a Trial Box and try every flavour.
Because how you feel starts with what you eat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do adults skip breakfast?
In a poll of 2,000 UK adults, lack of time in the morning was the most common reason, ahead of preferring a bigger lunch and having nothing in the cupboard. Not feeling hungry is another common reason.
What happens to your body when you skip breakfast?
After a night without food, blood sugar keeps dropping and cortisol rises as part of the body’s response. That can show up as low focus, irritability and a stronger pull towards quick snacks mid-morning.
Can MaxiMeal be breakfast?
MaxiMeal fills the gap when a real meal isn’t possible, which makes it a good fit for rushed mornings. Each serving gives you protein, low-GI carbs, healthy fats from Coconut MCTs, prebiotic fibre, probiotics, digestive enzymes and 23 vitamins and minerals.
How long does MaxiMeal take to make?
Make MaxiMeal in seconds. A serving from the pouch or a sachet, a quick shake, and go.
Sources
- OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by McDonald’s UK. Reported in “A quarter of Brits skip breakfast most days, largely due to a lack of time,” Yorkshire Evening Post. https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/read-this/a-quarter-of-brits-skip-breakfast-most-days-5172480
- “Study: 1 in 8 American adults rarely eat breakfast,” OnePoll survey of 2,000 US adults, CBS News Minnesota. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/study-1-in-8-american-adults-never-eat-breakfast
- Thamarai Selvi M. “Breakfast consumption and skipping pattern among college students.” PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. https://ir.psgcas.ac.in/id/eprint/1703
- “Practice of Skipping Breakfast and Associated Factors among Nursing Officers.” International Journal of KIU, 2021. DOI: 10.37966/ijkiu2021022018. https://ij.kiu.ac.lk/article/download/28
- “Breakfast consumption and its relationship to socio-demographic and lifestyle factors of undergraduate students.” University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2017. https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/items/db1b03ad-4683-4521-a172-da24de53eb23/full
- “Breakfast habits and knowledge: Study involving participants from Brazil and Portugal.” Open Agriculture, De Gruyter, 2023. DOI: 10.1515/opag-2022-0150. https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2022-0150
- Canadean UK breakfast survey, reported in “No time for breakfast: Convenience is king,” Bakery and Snacks, 2013. https://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Article/2013/08/26/Brits-too-busy-for-breakfast/
