An Ode to Breakfast.

To eat or not to eat at the crack of dawn? A brief history of breakfast, points on intermittent fasting and my love for that early morning meal.

Ah, breakfast. 

You bring me joy, you give me life. 

You energize me at dawn and nourish me just right. 

I seek you when I'm still half-asleep, you help more than the caffeine addiction I can't seem to beat. 

But how to serve you, and how to plate?

A meal so early when I'm always so late?

Listen, even the birds are begging I stand and wake. 

But breakfast, I'm just too tired to even stand up straight!

You glorious meal, I’d love to have time for a feast. 

But I’ll grab a toast, and an egg or two,

And know I’ll stand ‘til lunch, this just might do! 

It’s my favorite meal of the day, well on weekends brunch trumps breakfast... 

But seriously I love having breakfast! It can be savory, it can be sweet. It gives me time to pause before I rush into work, and enough energy to stop me from being ravenously hungry at 10 A.M. It helps me focus and stops my belly from rumbling during sessions with patients. Breakfast, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

Some of you might have grown up hearing “But it’s the most important meal of the day!” and now find yourselves saying “Sorry, I’m doing the 16:8 fasting method.” 

So, what’s up with breakfast, and what’s up with intermittent fasting? How did we get here? Let’s start with my favorite topic, b r e a k f a s t !

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Breakfast:

Breakfast, the name literally implies it - breaking the fast. It’s the first meal of the day after you’ve gone to bed and fasted during sleep. It wasn’t always this way though…In her book Breakfast: A History (The Meal Series), Heather Arndt Anderson explores the origins of the early morning meal. She notes that during the Middle Ages eating at waking hours was shunned and associated with gluttony. Only the elderly, the sick, and children were allowed to praepropere-or "eat too soon,” as first seen in Dominican priest Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica in the 13th century, the text that led to the popularization of the idea that breakfast is “sinful”. 

In the 15th century, Francis I of France declared it proper to “rise at 5, dine at 9, sup at 5, and couch at 9.” In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth incorporated a light meal early in the morning, and breakfast became it. And the story goes on and on, and now we fast-forward to the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840). The rise of technology and transportation made the import and export of foods much easier, diversifying the breakfast table. With everyone hustling and bustling, and housewives trying to maintain a perfect home, convenience foods became the go-to. 

By the end of the 19th century breakfast cereal had been invented and convenience was the final factor that pushed the breakfast staple’s success. Cereal started as dried graham flour dough that was dried and broken into shapes. The pieces were so hard they needed to be soaked in milk overnight, they called it granula. John Harvey Kelloggs (a surgeon who ran a health spa) made a similar version and called it granola. Kelloggs and his brother later made a flaky cereal and called it Corn Flakes in the early 1900s. His younger brother added a tad bit of sugar and prizes in the boxes and began mass-marketing them. Fast forward to the 1950s with the baby boom post World War II, sugary cereals became a huge selling point, and voila Corn Flakes became Frosted Flakes and we got Tony the Tiger with many other phased-out cartoons. 

But breakfast tends to divide the world into 2: those who skip and those who don’t. But skipping because you aren’t hungry isn’t the same as deferring it to a later time. Many attribute a lack of hunger, a lack of time, or a lack of habit towards not eating breakfast. An early meal can help avoid overeating later on during the day, improve mood and concentration, stabilize blood sugars, and help you meet nutritional needs such as that of fiber/vitamins/minerals.

What you choose for breakfast is also important. Going back to Kellogg’s innovative breakfast cereal-that doesn’t seem to be too filling, does it? Cereal and milk will likely lead you to be hungry in an hour or two. Opting for a higher-fiber breakfast with some protein and healthy fats will help you stay satisfied for longer (some examples in the end *wink, wink*).

“But I’m not hungry!” I hear just about everyone say. 

That’s okay, do what works for you, babe. Many things can affect our appetite in the morning, did you eat a late or heavy dinner? Did you have a poor night’s sleep? Do you regularly skip breakfast and has it become a habit for you? Are you able to recognize your hunger cues? Do you drink coffee before breakfast?

There’s a specific type of hunger called practical hunger. This isn’t necessarily a hunger we feel, it’s very similar to going to the bathroom right before you leave on a road trip because you don’t know when there will be another bathroom available. Practical hunger is planning for a need you know will later rise.

For example, if I know I have a meeting at 8 A.M. and can’t eat breakfast at that time like I usually do, I might have breakfast earlier even though I’m not hungry to avoid being hangry at around 10 A.M. 

Eating when you aren’t hungry because you’re being practical is okay, it will stop you from being overly hungry when you do get hungry and don’t have access to food. Being hungry and not being able to eat affects our mood, focus, and energy, and leaves us at a greater risk of bingeing/grazing/eating past comfortable fullness. For those who need to follow a meal plan due to medical conditions (for example, people with eating disorders, or people with diabetes) solely relying on hunger cues may do more harm than good; for example, patients may not be able to meet their energy needs, or blood sugars may drop and then spike when they are eating. 

How to put practical hunger into practice?

If you know you won’t have access to food in the next 1-3 hours, try having a complete snack with a mix of carbs, protein, and fat. 

• Greek yogurt, high-fiber cereal, fruit

• Apple and peanut butter

• Trail mix with some chocolate & nuts

• Sandwich with avocado, cheese, and turkey meat

If you anticipate you won’t have access in 3+ hours, try having a meal depending on when your last meal was. Meals should also be a mix of carbs, protein, and fat, in a larger portion. 

Intermittent Fasting (IF):

Intermittent fasting seems to still be making its rounds, it’s all my dad seems to want to talk about anyway. When we take a closer look, many populations have been fasting for years due to religious reasons (Jatima Tova to those who celebrate Yom Kippur, may you have an easy fast!) so all in all it’s not a new concept. What is new is the application of fasting to greater demographics for non-religious reasons. 

There are many patterns, 3 of the most popular being Time Restricted Eating (TRE), Alternate-Day Fasting (ADF), and the 5:2 method also known as Modified IF. 

• Time Restricted Eating: 20:4 method, 16:8 method, 10:14 method

  An individual will fast for a certain number of hours and have a “window” where they can eat. 16:8 meaning you fast for 16 hours, and eat in a “window” of 8 hours a day, for example, your last meal being at 8 P.M. and fasting until noon the next day. Because these patterns can be modified to an individual’s lifestyle/needs, participants usually opt for the main portion of fasting to be during the night and then decide whether to extend the fast in the morning or at nighttime.

• Alternate-Day Fasting: This method involves fasting days in which no energy or little-to-no energy is consumed, followed by non-fasting days where there are no eating restrictions. Guidelines are conflicting as some propose a no-energy fast (0 calories that day), whereas other guidelines propose an intake of up to 25% of energy needs (for example, ~500 calories for a standard 2,000-calorie diet). So, you will eat every other day and fast in between, regardless of the amount of calories you choose. 

• 5:2 method or Modified IF: The 5 and the 2 now represent the number of days of the week, not the hours you are allowed to eat. 5 being the days you eat without restrictions, and 2 being the days where you fast. These days do not have to be consecutive, but the same concept stands as seen in ADF, and 0-25% of energy needs are to be consumed. 

IF is a way of rearranging meals, and not necessarily skipping meals; it is a pattern that dictates when you eat and when you don’t. IF does not take into account what or how much to eat (that is, on non-fasting days), and neither do many of the studies conducted. Most studies compare IF to Continuous Calorie Restriction (CCR) or a fancy way of saying you are in a caloric deficit or cut back on your calories daily. 

Studies on IF have been mainly done in rats, more and more research is being done on humans, but more long-term studies are needed. IF has been tooted to be great for metabolic health, improved insulin sensitivity, improved cardiometabolic markers, and longevity, with a proposed mechanism of the stress induced from fasting leading to cellular repair and metabolic changes. When compared to caloric restriction alone no significant differences are found, and again, studies are short-term and there is a lot of variability from study to study. 

We are left with many unanswered questions, say there are therapeutic benefits to following IF, how long does one need to follow the method of choice? What are the long-term effects and are they significantly different from other diets? What about hormonal changes and the impact of fasting on women’s health? We know people who are pregnant/breastfeeding, have a history of eating disorders, are insulin-dependent, or <18 years old should veer away from IF.

The practice might be old, but the science is still considered new. If you do decide to give it a try, ask yourself, what’s the intention behind said choice? What are my expectations? Does this seem feasible for me to follow and for how long? How will IF impact my lifestyle? What other aspects of my life have to change for me to follow IF? How will it impact my nutrition and dietary choices? How will it impact my relationship to food and my body? Baby steps towards following any method can look like eating an earlier dinner than usual - remember, we all fast when we sleep…

Some concerns include not meeting nutrient requirements and long-term nutrient deficiencies, sustainability and compliance, and side effects such as irritability/gas/bloating/low energy, and overeating/bingeing. There is no real consensus as to which “method is best” and there are no long-term studies to answer all our unanswered questions, only time will tell.

If limiting your intake for long periods feels neutral to you, no problem, our bodies are resourceful and can withstand some time without fuel. However, if IF feels charged and changes your relationship with food and body, and does not seem sustainable (which it likely won’t be), take a step back. Use your judgment, and may all your choices focus on seeking well-being.

Breakfast Success for Breakfast Lovers Like Me:

Try to have 3-4 food groups to make a complete breakfast, mixing high-fiber carbs, proteins, healthy fats, and fruits/vegetables will help keep you satiated and satisfied.

1. Nutritious smoothie:

   1-2 cups liquid base + 2 cups leafy greens + 1-2 cups fruit + 1-2 tbsp nuts/seeds/nut butter + 1 scoop protein powder = nutritious smoothie!

2. Yogurt parfait:

   Opt for yogurt with >12g of protein, add nuts/seeds for extra protein and healthy fats, high-fiber cereal, and some berries of choice. Honey and cinnamon can give some extra flavor!

3. Egg bites:

   Blend cottage cheese with eggs, add toppings of choice, and bake at 300°F for 25 minutes, this recipe by Jenn Segal is superb! Pair with some whole grain English muffin and some avocado if you’d like for a more filling meal.

4. Quick on-the-go options: *Remember, pairing food groups will make a more complete breakfast!

   

Keep chewin’! :)