The amount of conflicting information I have seen about eating breakfast is insane, and I am convinced that it is the most controversial meal that you can eat. I have seen the full spectrum of opinions, from people saying it is the most important meal of the day, to people saying that it is totally unnecessary and just makes you eat more. It is frequently the first meal to get kicked to the curb when you start a diet, or at least, relegated to a protein shake or other drinkable meal. This negative breakfast rhetoric, combined with the fact that it is in the morning when many people are just trying to get out the door, leads to a lot of people not eating breakfast, myself included. That is, until recently.
I have struggled with negative eating habits in the past, and with some recent resurgence of those habits, I have started making a conscious effort to start eating breakfast again. It’s nothing too major, just an egg and some toast, a bowl of oatmeal or a cereal bar before I head out in the mornings. I really did not think anything of it, I just figured it was a good way to fit some extra food in the day, but it really did have an effect on my well-being in general.
First off, it naturally started me on an internal alarm clock. After about a week of eating at around the same time in the morning, my body began waking me up every morning at around 8 a.m. I don’t even need to set my alarm anymore, it is that consistent. This consistent wake-up time, paired with breakfast, has also given me more time to myself. If you eat breakfast, you’re inevitably going to have to take at least some extra time to prepare it and eat it, even if it is only ten minutes. I have found this time incredibly helpful in setting my tone for the day and taking a little bit of time for myself during my hectic mornings.
I feel like eating breakfast has also improved my overall mood in the mornings. A lot of people associate food with comfort and fullness. Because I get those feelings from the food I eat in the morning, I feel those comforting feelings resonating with me throughout my entire day, and it’s a nice way to set the tone for a good day.
Adding a meal to my morning routine has shown me that breakfast gets a bad rep for all the wrong reasons. Diet and “wellness” culture has done everything in its power to rob the nurturing feelings and mindfulness out of meals. Our society tries to convince us that we should treat food solely as sustenance and that less is always best. Although, this is not always true. Food is meant to nurture our bodies and is one of the few ways many people can take time out of their busy days to connect themselves and their bodies. We can use breakfast as a tool to prepare our minds and our bodies for our day before we enter the world.
I am not going to try and tell you that eating breakfast is going to change your life. However, I would encourage you to stop looking at food as a cumbersome task to avoid as much as possible and more as an opportunity to nourish every part of who you are. Enjoy your breakfast, or any other meal you have, today and every day.