Advancing age does not automatically mean weight gain, though muscle mass tends to decrease with age, lowering your energy use.

Without adjusting food intake and activity levels accordingly, weight can indeed increase over time.

Eating oversized portions

A high-energy breakfast can cause your total daily calorie intake to exceed your body’s needs, especially when physical activity levels decline compared to the past.

Bread, sticky rice, pho, noodle soups, or cereals can all be part of a healthy diet if the portion size is appropriate. The issue usually lies in the portion size, high-fat side dishes, and sugary drinks that come along with them.

Consuming too much sugar

Pastries, sugary cereals, sweet bread, and sweetened beverages provide plenty of refined carbohydrates but lack fiber and protein.

Simple sugars are digested quickly and can cause hunger to return sooner, leading to more mid-morning snacking. Replacing high-sugar items with protein- and fiber-rich foods can help you stay full longer after breakfast.

The NIA also recommends prioritizing foods low in added sugars, and eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, proteins, and nutrient-dense food groups as you get older.

Not getting enough protein

Eating only bread, porridge, or a serving of cereal can make breakfast deficient in protein. Meanwhile, protein helps build and repair tissues while contributing to the maintenance of muscle mass.

Older adults should incorporate various nutrient-rich protein sources such as eggs, fish, lean poultry, beans, nuts, seeds, and soy into their breakfast.

A balanced breakfast could combine eggs with whole-wheat bread and vegetables, unsweetened yogurt with oatmeal and fruit, and beans with a serving of whole grains. This combination diversifies the meal instead of focusing solely on carbohydrates.

Having too little fiber

Fiber promotes a feeling of fullness and is typically found in vegetables, fruits, beans, seeds, and whole grains.

On the other hand, pastries and many refined cereals generally contain little fiber.

According to the U.S. health information website Harvard Health, older adults can focus on high-fiber foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and seeds. A balanced breakfast can include protein, whole grains, and fruit, while boosting fiber by adding fruit to yogurt or oatmeal, or using whole-wheat bread instead of white bread.

Skipping breakfast too often

Skipping breakfast does not necessarily help control your weight better. The key factor is still the total calorie intake and the quality of food consumed throughout the day.

According to nutritionists, skipping breakfast can lead to an unbalanced diet, and if you do eat breakfast, you should choose moderate portions rich in protein and fiber.

However, this does not mean that everyone is strictly required to eat breakfast to lose weight. Breakfast needs vary depending on daily routines, feelings of hunger, and overall diet.