All About Breakfast

Why is breakfast so important?

One of the top contenders for “worst nutrition cliché” has got to be: “Always eat breakfast.” Lame.

If someone takes the aforementioned advice and stockpiles donuts, sausage biscuits, Go-Gurts, and/or Pop-Tarts for breakfast – they’re way off. They’d probably be better off passing on meal #1 and hoping the PN fairy grants them good sense by the time lunch rolls around.

However, when we venture to the land of “nutritious breakfasts” – over time, we might notice:

Less body fat
Less chronic, non-communicable disease
Improved learning/retention
Improved mood
Better food choices later in the day
Improved energy
Muscle preservation
Increased strength
Lower cholesterol
Improved bowel movements
Balanced blood sugars

Translation: A nutritious breakfast is probably a good idea.

Step 1: Eat Go-Gurt; Step 2: Put on 3-D glasses; Step 3: Watch body get fat and unhealthy. You can really see that belly coming right out of the mirror at you!

What you should know about breakfast

But what are healthy people eating for breakfast? Isn’t that the type of meal we should be mimicking? Well, certainly they’re not noshing the Denny’s Grand Slam or mom’s timeless scrapple recipe.

Breakfast is a near disaster in North America as many people base their selection on convenience and stimulation rather than nutrition and how they feel afterwards.

In America, the average adult spends 32 minutes each day on food prep and clean up. Divide that by 3 meals, and it means about 10.7 minutes are dedicated to breakfast. Worse yet, the average college male will dedicate less than 7 minutes to the first meal of the day. (And it’s often cold pizza from a box he found on the beer-bottle-littered floor.) That’s barely enough time to microwave a “Bagel-ful.”

If you only have 3 minutes to heat up a Bagel-ful, and can’t quite squeeze in 4 minutes to make a Super Shake from Gourmet Nutrition, you might need to clear your schedule.

Gourmet Nutrition Super Shake

You’ll find that most of the meals healthy people are eating require more than a few minutes (unless it’s prepared ahead of time). Accept it.

If you’re too busy to eat a nutritious breakfast, you’re too busy to be lean and healthy. And while some people intentionally skip breakfast to drop body fat, it doesn’t seem to work in the long run, as those who skip are up to 5 times more likely to be obese than those who make it a daily habit.

Nearly 90% of Americans acknowledge that breakfast is a good idea, still, about half don’t eat it.

And of those eating it, what are they choosing? When I last checked, sales for the fast-food breakfast market reached about $31 billion in 2005, so I’m guessing that people aren’t choosing healthy stuff.

When people eat breakfast at home, the most popular items include:

Ready to eat cereals
Cow’s milk
Coffee

When people eat breakfast away from home, the most popular items include:

Eggs
Bacon
Sausage
Pastries
Coffee
Bagels

Who usually skips meal #1 altogether in North America?

Those between the ages of 12 and 29
African Americans
Low income families

What are healthy people eating for breakfast?

At PN we’ve long encouraged “thinking outside of the donut box” for breakfast. You’ll see that the healthiest nations do too. Developing breakfast habits might be critical, as nearly half of the people that eat breakfast each day claim that their choice is driven by routine.

We’ll highlight some of the healthiest nations and what they choose for breakfast. Among them are the leanest, longest lived, least depressed, lowest cancer rates, lowest heart disease rates and best digestive health. As you read thorough the options, notice similarities and differences, then consider how your choices compare.

Keep in mind that some of the breakfast meals we outline below would be slightly different depending on the region of the country, income, traditions, etc. Still, it gives you an idea what people are eating in other, healthier parts of the world for breakfast.

Okinawa

Longest life expectancy on the planet
Low levels of various chronic diseases
Active into old age

Typical breakfast selections:

Steamed rice, rice porridge, rice cakes
Seaweed & sea vegetables
Green tea
Miso & noodle soup
Veggie stir-fry
Tofu
Broiled/grilled fish
Eggs

Udon miso noodle soup

Iceland

Low levels of depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder and post-partum depression despite long winters and little sunlight.

Typical breakfast selections:

Whole grains (focusing on rye and oatmeal)
Skyr/yogurt
Bilberries and other fruits
Meats
Cheese
Fish
Eggs

Rye crispbread with salmon

Greece

Low levels of cardiovascular disease

Typical breakfast selections:

Toast/whole grain breads
Jam
Yogurt with honey
Greek coffee
Eggs
Olives/olive oil
Feta cheese

Horta scramble

Copper Canyon Mexica (Tarahumara Indians)

Low levels of type-2 diabetes

Typical breakfast selections:

Corn, corn meal, corn tortillas
Beans
Squash
Eggs
Chiles
Herbs/spices

Huevos – eggs, salsa, beans, corn tortillas

North America

70% overweight/obese
1 of every 2 deaths from heart disease or cancer

Typical breakfast selections:

Coffee
Donuts/pastries
Bagels
Eggs
Sausage
Bacon
Cold cereal
Cow’s milk

Cream cheese and white flour bagel

China

Low BMI

Typical breakfast selections:

Steamed breads (plain or with meat/veggie fillings)
Tea
Soy milk
Tofu
Hard boiled eggs
Rice porridge
Flour/rice noodles – cooked with tomato, vegetables or eggs

Plain rice congee (porridge)

Africa

Low levels of cancer
Optimal digestive health

Typical breakfast selections:

Millet
Matoke (like a banana)
Fruits
Nuts

Millet porridge with fruit

Summary and recommendations

Consider how the breakfast selections of these countries differ from North America. And consider the differing health outcomes.

Some ideas to consider when putting together breakfast:

Take your time and pace yourself when eating, if you don’t want to allow time in the morning, prepare food ahead of time
Include some protein dense food
Eat enough food
Eat real, unprocessed food
Don’t be afraid of vegetables, or eating “dinner food” (like chicken and salad, or turkey/vegetarian chili) for breakfast
Try whole grains (real whole grains like oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, sprouted grains, etc.)
Establish a routine that you can stick with

Extra credit

What about AM exercise – should you do it before or after breakfast?

Remember that body composition depends on overall energy balance. The difference between fasted and non-fasted exercise is likely small, assuming nutrition is dialed in the remainder of the day. Focus on exercising when you feel the best and will have the most productive workout.