If you have to miss one meal a day , which meal will cause the fewest health problems if you don’t eat it? Most people will choose to skip breakfast. However , many experts in the field of health consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day. If we eat a good breakfast , they say , we will have the energy and nutrients we need to begin our working day with strength and hopefully with good feelings. However , many people skip breakfast or substitute a donut ( 油饼 ) and a cup of cof - ­fee for a well-balanced meal. What happens if we ignore the importance of breakfast? One recent study conducted in the United States tested a large number of people. Participants included both males and females who ranged in age from 12 to 83. During the experiment , these people were given a variety of breakfasts , and sometimes , they had to skip breakfast completely. Special tests , including blood tests and endurance tests , were set up to yze how well the participants’ bodies functioned ( 运作 ) when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results showed that if a person eats a normal breakfast , he or she will work more efficiently and more pro - ­ductively than if he or she skips breakfast or eats a very poor breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person’s work involves mental activity. The study showed that if school children eat fruit , eggs , bread , and drink milk before going to school , they will learn more quickly and will be able to concentrate on their lessons for a longer period of time than if their breakfast diet is not enough. The study also showed that , contrary to ( 与...恰恰相反) what many people believe , if you skip breakfast , you will not lose weight This is because people become so hungry if they skip breakfast that they eat too much for lunch and end up gaining weight instead of losing weight. So remember , if you are on a diet , skipping breakfast will not help you. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.