Is it ever OK to skip a meal?

A new survey suggests that the average Briton skips hundreds of meals every year.

The average Briton skips 260 meals a year, according to a new survey from innovative food manufacturer Huel, which has developed a powdered food product to replace your normal intake. 

And with 156 of those skipped meals being breakfast, it seems we have little time in the morning to even get through a bowl of cereal before heading off.

Does it matter?

According to Huel’s figures, an average person is skipping around 40% of their breakfasts every year. The NHS warns that skipping meals can result in tiredness and poor nutrition, and also warns that people who dodge a meal will be more likely to snack on high-fat and high-sugar foods.

So the habit could not only affect your concentration, but mean you’re likely to indulge in unhealthy treats to fill you up later on.

Respondents to the survey who missed at least one meal a week were asked to reveal the reasons why. From the results, you can see there were several contributing factors that often combine to cause us to miss a meal.

I’m a little sad to see that over half the respondents thought they weren’t good enough at cooking or preparing their own food. If you’re a little unsure in the kitchen, check out our tips and tricks section to help you hone your skills.

For those who simply don’t have time, our healthy and quick midweek meals might inspire you to get in the kitchen.

Which meals do you skip?

Do you ever skip meals? If so, which would you be most likely to skip? Let us know in the poll below, and detail your opinions in the Comments below.

Guilty as charged!

I have to confess that I rarely eat breakfast. I sometimes eat an apple or a slice of toast when I get into work, but never ever eat breakfast at home during the week. Though there is time for a really quick bite to eat, I tend to wait until lunch to have a proper meal.

Even at the weekends, I tend to eat a brunch at around 11.30 to 12 rather than have two separate meals. Though the occasional fry-up keeps me well greased. I wonder if it's less an aversion to breakfast, and more of a distate for washing up.

Do you regularly skip meals? Do you think it's particularly bad to miss out on breakfast? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.

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