When I was growing up, eating breakfast was the most important meal of the day. We usually had a big bowl of cereal with skim milk, pancakes, waffles, or French toast smothered with syrup, topped off with a big glass of orange juice. Eggs were seldom served, as it was believed that they were not good for our hearts or arteries, raising our cholesterol.
Today we are eating more concentrated carbohydrates than ever; many grab a donut, bagel, or sweet roll and call that breakfast. Others start out with cereal and in the middle of the morning have to have a coffee break of a donut or other pastry along with coffee. It is not uncommon to hear people say they are hungry several hours after eating breakfast because of a drop in blood sugar.
Doctors and dietitians still believe today that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I was trained on this philosophy. Diabetic and weight loss diets written for hospital patients are based on the pyramid or standard American diet often referred to as (SAD). Calories and plenty of carbohydrates are usually divided into three equal meals per day. The belief is that we fast 12 hours or more all night and that we need to break the fast and stabilize our metabolism early in the day. It is claimed that this will even control our weight, but has not proven to be true. Many weight loss groups even promote 6 smaller meals per day. Often we have heard it said that we should “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.” What happens when we postpone breakfast, eating it a little later in the day?
