Things Byron ate five weeks ago - Part Three: What's for breakfast?

Coffee alone is not breakfast.
We learn from childhood that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet I see so many adults (including Byron... and B.) come up with a myriad of excuses to justify the fact that they either not eat it at all, or have something that really doesn't measure up to being part of the most important meal of the day. So first, I'm going to take you back to elementary school to remind you why breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then I will refute some of the more common excuses.

We all know breakfast is named as such because you are breaking the "fast" between your last meal/snack of the day and your first meal/snack the next day. Eating something in the morning is important for several reasons:

1) It keeps your hunger from building up so much during the day that when you finally eat your first meal at around lunch time, you eat more food than is necessary much faster than is necessary. You will also be more likely to crave unhealthier options that are high in fat and sugar.

2) It keeps your metabolism going - when there is an extra-long period between meals, our body will slow down our metabolism as a survival mechanism; it goes back to the caveman days when food was scarce and our body adapted to that by keeping us from wasting away before more food became available.

3) It provides you with fuel for your day - we associate "activity" with physical activity so much that we forget that our mental/brain activity requires energy and nutrients as well. Skipping breakfast can make you feel physically tired, but it can also affect your mood, memory and ability to concentrate as well. These can all impact your performance at work and how well your day goes in general.

4) Last, but certainly not least, it provides you with an opportunity to get the nutrients you need! While most of us seem to have no trouble at all meeting or exceeding our calorie needs, we are doing it with foods that are not particularly nutrient dense. As in, we are not getting all the vitamins and minerals we need. Eating a healthy, balanced breakfast (I always say you want to aim for at least 3 out of the 4 food groups per meal) gives you an opportunity to fill up on foods that are good sources of vitamins and minerals, so that when lunch time rolls around you aren't craving those nutritionally empty foods and ready for another healthy, balanced meal.

And now, for some of your favourite excuses...

"I'm not hungry in the morning."
While our bodies are very complex and sophisticated machines, sometimes they're not very good at telling us what we need because, ironically, it can get in the way of survival. Think about it - back when food was scarce, how effective of a hunter/gatherer would you be if your stomach was growling and you felt lightheaded every time your intake dipped below what your body needed? You'd be laying in bed feeling sick instead of going out there and spearing gazelles! Fast forward to modern times, for those who haven't eaten breakfast in years, (some since childhood - yikes!) your body has entered into this "starvation" mode and your metabolism has slowed, allowing you to not feel hungry even though your body needs food. So, even if you're not hungry, start with something small in the morning, like a piece of fruit, a container of yogurt or a slice of toast, and eventually, your body will recognize that food isn't scarce and you will wake up hungry enough to eat all of those things at once.

"I don't have time for breakfast."
Ahh, the things that we will sacrifice just for those extra few minutes of sleep. What are you doing with all your time anyway? Although I know some of us can't help with our work commitments, I'm sure more than a few of us are just staying up late and reading blogs. *cough*Vincci*cough* But isn't it funny how we have time for lunch and for supper when breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Maybe you might need to rethink your priorities - shut off the computer a little earlier, leave your assignment (if time permits) until you've gotten some sleep and your head is clear and/or don't spend so much time on your hair/makeup in the morning (the messy look is in!) and make some time for breakfast instead.

I'm not one of those anal people who believe that you need to eat your breakfast within 30-60 minutes after waking. While that would be optimal, if you're someone who doesn't eat breakfast at all, eating something at a reasonable time before lunch (i.e. a snack 30 minutes before lunch is not breakfast) is fine. If you are someone who is rushing out the door in the morning, you might want to have a piece of fruit on your way out, and then round out the meal when you're more settled in at work. And if you have time to stop for a Grande Caramel Macchiato, you have time to get food as well. Swap your grande for a tall (or a short) to make room (both calorie-wise and stomach-wise) and get some solid food to eat (more on that in the next entry) Of course, Starbucks doesn't have all the best choices, but there are a few diamonds in the rough - their Perfect Oatmeal is good, and you can top it with dried fruit and/or nuts (skip the brown sugar though), their snack plates aren't bad (though high in sodium - don't use the salt and skip out on a few slices of cheese) either. I hesitate to recommend their yogurt parfaits though, because they're loaded with sugar (32-39 g per cup? I know some of it is lactose, but there's got to be at least 2 tbsp of added sugar in there).

"I don't like breakfast food."
It wasn't until university when I finally started falling in love with foods like toast, eggs, yogurt and milk. (I also went through a ridiculous instant oatmeal phase in first year - still have trouble with the real stuff though.) Growing up, I ate a lot of leftovers for breakfast (now I save them for lunch) and sometimes soup or noodles. The point is, you don't have to eat "breakfast food" for breakfast, and some people find it helps them make better choices too (leftovers from a balanced supper instead of sugary cereal). The most important thing is to eat something (!) especially if you've been in the habit of not eating anything - talking about the specific food choices (like squeezing in at least 3 of the 4 food groups) can come after.