When did breakfast foods become part of our daily routine, and what should you really eat?

If you’re reading this over breakfast, take a moment to consider your choice.

Are you eating what the Western world considers a “typical” morning meal?

Bacon and eggs. Cereal. Porridge. Pancakes. These dishes are often considered appropriate in the morning, but unusual at any other time.

So how did this happen? Do “breakfast foods” serve a unique purpose, or is the distinction arbitrary?

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Although people have been breaking their fast for as long as humans have existed, the timing of that first meal has varied throughout history.

The ancient Romans were big fans of breakfast, enjoying bread, cheese and some wine under water at dawn.

So were the ancient Egyptians, who only ate breakfast and dinner. It was also common for workers to start their day with beer.

But in Medieval Europe, the first meal was often not until mid to late morning. The Catholic Church — namely the theologian Thomas Aquinas — considered eating too soon to be a form of gluttony.

It was capitalism that brought consistency.

The Industrial Revolution, from 1750 to 1860, put more people in offices and factories.

As they had fewer opportunities to eat during the working day, a morning meal was essential.

Many who were sitting most of the day had a lighter breakfast to avoid indigestion.

Still, the type of food people ate was driven by convenience: what was easy, cheap and available.

How cereal became a breakfast staple

While the Industrial Revolution was progressing in Britain, another revolution was taking place in the US.

A doctor, John Harvey Kellogg, was searching for a pre-prepared nutritious meal for patients at the sanatorium he ran in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Dr. Kellogg created the now famous Corn Flakes, intending the bland food to ease digestion … and curb the lot.

He believed that masturbation led to a number of health issues, including memory loss, impaired vision, heart disease, epilepsy and insanity.

It was his brother, WK Kellogg, who went on to mass produce and market Corn Flakes, never mind his brother’s anti-masturbation. campaign. He also added sugar.

Because of its prepackaged convenience, cereal in the United States has seen a meteoric rise, going from a digestive aid to a staple morning meal.

The rise in popularity of Cereals in the first half of the 20th century contributed to the idea that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”.

But the slogan, thought to have emerged from a cereal campaign in the 1940s, was in print decades earlier, including in an 1880 volume of Good Housekeeping.

So there is breakfast Seriously the most important meal of the day?

Research tells a different story.

A 2016 study, led by the Bath Breakfast Project, investigated what we call “breakfast” and what we define as “important”.

The authors say that breakfast is “undoubtedly” important if you wake up hungry, but it’s impossible to detect long-term health outcomes from a single meal.

Many studies are still underway looking at the effects of breakfast on our health. Some people suggest that skipping the morning meal may lead to weight gain. Others fail to find a link.

Several studies suggest that breakfast contributes to improved cardiometabolic health. Others call for more research and better research.

The conclusion from the Bath Breakfast Project?

“Breakfast may or may not be the most important meal of the day, but it is certainly an important meal to investigate further.”

Bacon, eggs and a side of PR

The cereal campaign is just one side of the marketing blitz behind the Western world’s breakfast beliefs.

One of the most successful public relations campaigns in modern history came from the mind of one man: Edward Bernays.

In the 1920s, with more people opting for a lighter and more digestible breakfast (perhaps a bowl of cereal), Bacon sales fell.

Bernays, sometimes called the father of PR, was brought in to change things.

In his book, Bernays wrote that bacon sales fell “because people had reduced their breakfast to a piece of toast, orange juice and a cup of coffee”.

So, he asked, could a heartier breakfast be healthier?

Bernays put the question to 5,000 doctors and 4,500 responded in agreement: Americans should eat a protein-rich breakfast of bacon and eggs.

He shared the results with newspapers and magazines, and bacon sales increased.

In fact, the World Health Organization considers that there is enough evidence to say that processed meat is carcinogenic to humans, like smoking, which Bernays also suggested.

The Cancer Council recommends cutting out processed meats from your diet altogether, or keeping them to a minimum.

What should we eat for breakfast?

It’s no secret that what we eat is shaped through marketing. Although that influence has begun to appear in print, the focus is on recent studies on how social media affects our food choices.

But marketing aside, what should what are we having for breakfast?

According to dietitian Jemma O’Hanlon, the answer is simple: a balance of complex carbohydrates, protein and unsaturated fats.

“For example, some natural muesli with some Greek yogurt, some fresh berries and some toasted nuts,” she says.

“You’ve got whole grains from your muesli, you’ve got protein from your yoghurt, you’ve got healthy fats with your toasted nuts and you’ve got fresh berries, a source of fruit.”

But there are plenty of variations on a healthy breakfast – especially when you stray from the western morning meal.

In Japan, it is common to have a mixture of rice, eggs and veggies.

In North Africa and the Middle East, shakshuka is popular – a dish of poached eggs in a tomato mixture, often with a side of bread.

And those meals, while some might not consider them “breakfast foods”, tick all the right boxes. They contain complex carbs, protein and unsaturated fats.

“I think it’s helpful to have that as a basis to guide us,” says Ms O’Hanlon.

As for the debate about whether or not to skip your morning meal, Ms O’Hanlon says you should eat if you’re hungry.

“Our brains are very smart,” she says.

“We know how many calories we are consuming. We know if we are getting the right nutrients to fill us up, and give our bodies what they need.

“If we don’t put that food in, we’re going to crave it later in the day. So we’re definitely going to have a healthy breakfast.”

Hear Dr Norman Swan and Tegan Taylor discuss breakfast foods on What’s That Rash? And subscribe to the podcast for more.