5 Ways to Bring Back the Real Meaning of Breakfast

Odds are that future generations will only hear stories about the times when the word "breakfast" didn't have "on the go" tacked to the end of it. As life gets faster and as our priorities become increasingly warped, the morning meal is quickly falling by the wayside, in favor of a foil-wrapped, junky sugar bar in the car on the way to work.

It's tragic, really, given how important breakfast is. Obviously, you don't eat when you sleep, so what you're doing in the morning is genuinely "breaking a fast." You're restoring depleted nutrients and getting blood sugar back to livable levels. Doing this with "fake food," as author Michael Pollan refers to it in his book, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, just doesn't work.

Processing depletes food of nutrients. True, the food industry tries to "fortify" those nutrients back in, but it just doesn't work. Referring to a 2003 study from the University of Minnesota, Pollan points out, "Food science can add back only a small handful of nutrients . . . As the whole-grain food synergy study suggests, science doesn't know nearly enough to compensate for everything that processing does to whole foods."

"But, but, but," you mutter, "I'm busy!" Well that's not good enough! No sir! The morning meal matters, so I'm going to help you reclaim it in two simple ways. First, I'm going to suggest five extremely simple breakfasts that'll take you no more than 10 minutes to prepare and consume. Then I'm going to show you how to find that 10 minutes.

Part One: Five Simple Breakfasts

Bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk

For all you sweet teeth, I'll do this one with Kashi GoLean Crunch. There are "better" cereals out there, but this one has a nice balance of nutrition and yumminess. If the nutrition label reads between 20 grams (g) and 40 g total carbs and between 5 g and 10 g total fiber, you're in good shape.

One cup Kashi GoLean Crunch
Half cup 1% milk

Fresh fruit and plain, low-fat yogurt

If your yogurt comes with added fruit, it probably also comes with added sugars or added artificial sweeteners. You're much better off chopping up your own fruit. If you just can't cope with the taste of real yogurt, add a teaspoon of honey.

One cup plain, low-fat yogurt
Six strawberries

Fresh fruit and low-fat cottage cheese

If you still can't deal with the taste of yogurt, try this one. Cottage cheese is the unsung hero of the protein world. It's loaded.

One cup plain, low-fat cottage cheese
One banana

Whole-grain or wheat toast, peanut butter, and fresh fruit

It's easy to eat toast and an apple in a car. This is as on-the-go as you can get.

One piece of whole-grain toast
One tablespoon natural peanut butter
One apple

Scrambled egg on toast

It's like your own, personal "Egg McMuffin." Scramble one whole egg and one egg white. Microwave them for one minute. Stir them up. Microwave them for another minute. Cooking time may vary depending on your microwave.

One whole egg and one egg white
Half tablespoon vegetable oil-based spread
One piece of whole-grain toast

Part Two: Finding the Time

Still can't find the 10 minutes to enjoy a decent breakfast? Behold the miracle of time management:

• Watch 10 minutes less television the night before. Go to bed 10 minutes sooner. Wake up ten minutes earlier. Ta dah!
  
• Save 5 minutes by laying out your clothes the night before. Save 5 more minutes by taking a shorter shower. Ta dah!
  

The point is, it's just 10 minutes. If you can find 30 to 90 minutes to workout, you can find another 10 to give your body the fuel it needs to get through the day, so take back your mornings, brothers and sisters! Peace out!

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