Experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that you should never skip it. Both nutritionists and dieticians recommend that you devour like a monarch in the morning, eat like a peasant at noontime, and munch like a beggar in the evening.
The thing is, to most people, consuming large amounts of food upon waking up in the morning is like a workload being forced upon their appetites. For them, it is more acceptable to just drink a cup of coffee, chocolate, or milk. At the most, if they do eat something solid, it would be something light and easy to swallow. Yet, even if they are the majority in the society, the few who see themselves as “breakfast people” condemn the former as slaves of an unhealthy eating habit. Even though the “non-breakfast” people are fit and healthy, their behavior is (still) abhorrent to self-righteous fitness buffs.
Whether you belong to either of those 2 factions who treat breakfast differently, judging people based on their breakfast habits is not going to help – you can admonish but not condemn. While eating a heavy breakfast is indeed commendable, it is still yet to be proven that people, who devour the morning meals like there is no tomorrow, live longer than those who do not.
Given the vast number of people who find it more appetizing to eat breakfast lightly, you may have to wonder why is that so. If experts say that a heavy breakfast is good for your body, why do you prefer to consume a light meal in the morning and eat more during the latter part of the day, and more so at the end of the day's work?
Our primitive ancestors were hunters. Albeit some chose to be tillers of the soil and pickers of fruits, most humans (especially the males) were going out to the forests and wilderness to find their prey. Hunting was a whole day's work – it entailed traveling, trailing, tracking, flexible planning, and if they hunted as a team it also required coordination with the rest of the members. Once they succeeded in pounding their prey, they would return to their community to partake and savor the delicious meat at dinner time – not breakfast.
So you see, even our ancestors would just bring some light meals with them to munch during breaks between the course of their day's toil. The end of the day was the time when they would gather with their families to break bread, slice the meat, and enjoy the sharing and partaking of the food – the reward for their work and arduous hunting.
The only days when most people can eat a much prepared breakfast are weekends and holidays. These are the days when you can wake up with no worries, think about what to cook for your first meal of the day, and eat your hearty breakfast while taking the time to read the morning paper – no rush necessary.
In normal days, the scene is a different matter all together. Morning is the part of the day when almost everyone wants to be a speedster, like The Flash (or Quicksilver if you prefer Marvel over DC Comics). Your goal is to beat the time and finish all your usual morning rituals as quickly as possible, so you would not be late for work or school. An easy and quick munch is preferable if your aim is not to be defeated by the morning rush.
Just like our ancestors, our tired bodies desire a reward after the day's work. Fatigue heightens the sensation of hunger and thirst. So what do you do? You look for something edible to gorge upon. You will not stop until your craving is satisfied. The longer you wait the stronger your appetite becomes.
Food is much tastier and irresistible to a human being whose body was lambasted by a hard day's toil. You cannot deny that.
Are celebrations – like family reunions, alumni homecomings, and birthday parties – organized to commence early in the morning when people are waking up? Have you attended one like that, even once in your lifetime? If you have, oh please, tell us about it – write your story in the comment section below.
Dinner is the meal when most (if not all) social gatherings occur. If it is not dinner, the earliest they can happen is lunch at noontime. You do not organize a social event or party without preparing the food for your guests. In a way, you are encouraging them to eat (and drink) heartily when you invite them to your party.
Society itself, with its norms of how to be prim and proper and how to bring people together, promotes eating and enjoying food at the later part of the day. Surely, if you are one of the guests, it would be rude to shun away from consuming what is prepared for you at the table. You would not tell the host that you prefer to eat heartily during breakfast than doing so at dinner time.
Precious relationships such as those with family and close friends are often glued and strengthened during meals when food and stories are shared and partaken. To fitness buffs, however, the sad reality is that most of us engage in this bonding time during dinner – when all work is done and when loved ones come home to rest and savor the fellowship of family and friends while feasting at the table.
My wish is that we can do this too at breakfast – without the threat of the early morning rush and without disturbing those who are still asleep.
The thing is, to most people, consuming large amounts of food upon waking up in the morning is like a workload being forced upon their appetites. For them, it is more acceptable to just drink a cup of coffee, chocolate, or milk. At the most, if they do eat something solid, it would be something light and easy to swallow. Yet, even if they are the majority in the society, the few who see themselves as “breakfast people” condemn the former as slaves of an unhealthy eating habit. Even though the “non-breakfast” people are fit and healthy, their behavior is (still) abhorrent to self-righteous fitness buffs.
Whether you belong to either of those 2 factions who treat breakfast differently, judging people based on their breakfast habits is not going to help – you can admonish but not condemn. While eating a heavy breakfast is indeed commendable, it is still yet to be proven that people, who devour the morning meals like there is no tomorrow, live longer than those who do not.
Given the vast number of people who find it more appetizing to eat breakfast lightly, you may have to wonder why is that so. If experts say that a heavy breakfast is good for your body, why do you prefer to consume a light meal in the morning and eat more during the latter part of the day, and more so at the end of the day's work?
1. It is ingrained in our genes
Our primitive ancestors were hunters. Albeit some chose to be tillers of the soil and pickers of fruits, most humans (especially the males) were going out to the forests and wilderness to find their prey. Hunting was a whole day's work – it entailed traveling, trailing, tracking, flexible planning, and if they hunted as a team it also required coordination with the rest of the members. Once they succeeded in pounding their prey, they would return to their community to partake and savor the delicious meat at dinner time – not breakfast.
So you see, even our ancestors would just bring some light meals with them to munch during breaks between the course of their day's toil. The end of the day was the time when they would gather with their families to break bread, slice the meat, and enjoy the sharing and partaking of the food – the reward for their work and arduous hunting.
2. Rush is a ritual in the morning
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| The Flash played by Grant Gustin |
In normal days, the scene is a different matter all together. Morning is the part of the day when almost everyone wants to be a speedster, like The Flash (or Quicksilver if you prefer Marvel over DC Comics). Your goal is to beat the time and finish all your usual morning rituals as quickly as possible, so you would not be late for work or school. An easy and quick munch is preferable if your aim is not to be defeated by the morning rush.
3. “End of day” fatigue makes us eat more
Just like our ancestors, our tired bodies desire a reward after the day's work. Fatigue heightens the sensation of hunger and thirst. So what do you do? You look for something edible to gorge upon. You will not stop until your craving is satisfied. The longer you wait the stronger your appetite becomes.
Food is much tastier and irresistible to a human being whose body was lambasted by a hard day's toil. You cannot deny that.
4. Social gatherings do not happen upon waking up
Are celebrations – like family reunions, alumni homecomings, and birthday parties – organized to commence early in the morning when people are waking up? Have you attended one like that, even once in your lifetime? If you have, oh please, tell us about it – write your story in the comment section below.
Dinner is the meal when most (if not all) social gatherings occur. If it is not dinner, the earliest they can happen is lunch at noontime. You do not organize a social event or party without preparing the food for your guests. In a way, you are encouraging them to eat (and drink) heartily when you invite them to your party.
Society itself, with its norms of how to be prim and proper and how to bring people together, promotes eating and enjoying food at the later part of the day. Surely, if you are one of the guests, it would be rude to shun away from consuming what is prepared for you at the table. You would not tell the host that you prefer to eat heartily during breakfast than doing so at dinner time.
Lastly…
Precious relationships such as those with family and close friends are often glued and strengthened during meals when food and stories are shared and partaken. To fitness buffs, however, the sad reality is that most of us engage in this bonding time during dinner – when all work is done and when loved ones come home to rest and savor the fellowship of family and friends while feasting at the table.
My wish is that we can do this too at breakfast – without the threat of the early morning rush and without disturbing those who are still asleep.
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This is great, but only because I condemn fitness buffs.
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