MEET Meenu, a 28-year-old executive with a fast-rising advertising firm. Breakfast competes with her tight schedule, so she simply skips it.

Her logic: "I'll reach work early and get more done before lunch. Then, I can use the afternoon hour to go for a jog, and grab a healthy veggie sandwich on my way back to office."

Surprise.  A month later, Meenu feels heavier and duller than she did before her no-breakfast routine. Dr Ritika Samaddar, Chief dietician at Delhi's Max Hospital, explains why. "Over a period of time, going without breakfast drives you to binge during the day.

The result: your weight goes up and your energy levels come down. Worse, an empty stomach hampers clear thinking, making you less productive and creative," she says.

Dr Nalini Karunakaran, Mumbai-based vaidya, agrees with Samaddar. "Your body is like a steam engine," she says.

"It needs adequate fuel to start chugging in the morning. Otherwise, it is forced to run on the morning's momentum. And we worsen matters by throwing buckets of coal (a big dinner) into its dying fire at night. Overheated but stationary, the engine creaks and groans, giving you a restless night and a dull, tired morning."

Photographs: Stock Xchange

The photographs are for representative purpose only.