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How Breakfast Became a Thing

priceonomics.com

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Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#41

Post by secstate »

biswaroop wrote: post #37

This may be an argument against breakfast for the sedentary, but athletes on extended training programs usually need to eat in the morning. You're much more likely to hit the wall on an empty stomach, a few hours into your training.

That's totally true, but I would argue the second half of your statement covers approximately 5% of the U.S. population, while the first half covers the other 95%.

I'd also add that I am an amateur long-distance runner and just completed a medium distance run after fasting all day and performed fine. Had it been a race, probably less so. But the myths of caloric necessities have been greatly exaggerated.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#42

Post by tracker1 »

usaphp wrote: post #22

I dont know why but if I skip breakfast I will 100% get a headache later during the day. Not sure why it's happening...

I get the same thing if I don't eat something mid afternoon... usually try to have a few apples at my desk and have one around 10am, and another at 3:30, having lunch around 1... I can skip any given meal, but if I don't have something in the afternoon, I really loose it later in the day.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#43

Post by steadicat »

usaphp wrote: post #22

I dont know why but if I skip breakfast I will 100% get a headache later during the day. Not sure why it's happening...

Do you eat a lot of sugar? I used to have pastries or cereal and sugar with my coffee at breakfast and sometimes throughout the day. Like for you, a skipped meal or snack meant headaches. I've since weaned off sugar and I can easily go many hours without eating or snacking. I no longer eat breakfast.

I suspect that the blood sugar spikes were addictive, i.e. my body desensitized and needed me to frequently consume sugar to keep my blood sugar level high.

Try gradually reducing the amount of sugar that you consume, and/or the total amount that you eat at breakfast, as well as the frequency of your snacks throughout the day. Eventually you should be able to do fine on two good meals a day and nothing else.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#44

Post by epimetheus »

HorizonXP wrote: post #19
kilroy123 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also losing weight. I just cut my breakfast way down, to a breakfast bar, and coffee.

I've done the opposite actually. My breakfast is my single largest meal, with every other meal throughout the day being small. For me, my body prefers to have energy throughout the day, and doesn't like having food in my stomach when I sleep. Sometimes I go to bed "hungry" but at least I don't get indigestion or heartburn.

I tried the "breakfast as the largest meal" before, but I couldn't get by not eating much for dinner. A large breakfast made me hungry by mid-day, and so I'd eat more, by the time dinner came around, it was a light salad or some other low calorie food, which affected my insomnia. I can't sleep hungry, I'll stay awake, and miserable all night.

On the other hand, I found being hungry in the morning is short term, and once I got into a project at work or something, I just forgot about it. A light, later lunch (up at 4am, lunch at noon), and a big dinner, and It's not hard at all.

I think this just illustrates that there are actual differences between people. Maybe the primary difference for me is my insomnia. Some people don't have crashes several hours after eating a big breakfast, and they stay satiated longer.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#45

Post by jmarinez »

I've dropped breakfast for about a month now and I feel so much better. I'm eating a heavy lunch and then dinner. Lost weight and it wasn't on purpose. As a result I've been questioning a lot of our norms. Not only when we eat, but what we eat and why. Loved the article.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#46

Post by barrkel »

epimetheus wrote: post #44
HorizonXP wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done the opposite actually. My breakfast is my single largest meal, with every other meal throughout the day being small. For me, my body prefers to have energy throughout the day, and doesn't like having food in my stomach when I sleep. Sometimes I go to bed "hungry" but at least I don't get indigestion or heartburn.

I tried the "breakfast as the largest meal" before, but I couldn't get by not eating much for dinner. A large breakfast made me hungry by mid-day, and so I'd eat more, by the time dinner came around, it was a light salad or some other low calorie food, which affected my insomnia. I can't sleep hungry, I'll stay awake, and miserable all night. On the other hand, I found being hungry in the morning is short term, and o…

I've found that sticking to a regular schedule causes your body to adapt. You get hungry when you expect food.

Personally, if I don't eat in the evening, I get tired and want to go to sleep, so I'll turn in at 9pm or so and then I'll get up at 2am and won't be able to sleep until 5am. Whereas if I eat, I'll stay up to 1am or so, and then sleep until 8am. Food primarily affects how much energy I have. More food, more energy.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#47

Post by bluthru »

alatkins wrote: post #12
dpweb wrote: post #9

Obesity problem as well. I know some people don't like to hear it, but breakfasts can easily go 800 calories and up. You are starting off the day in surplus.

> You are starting off the day in surplus. Generally breakfast comes after a 10-12 hour fast for most people, so I don't think this is the way to think of it.

I would be shocked if most people in our obese country don't eat after dinner.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#48

Post by cperciva »

hasenj wrote: post #34

Misleading title. Many cultures have a concept of a morning breakfast meal. Title should be: How cereal became a thing in America . Where I grew up, breakfast was just eggs, bread, and tea (or milk-tea).

It does address the question of when and why people started eating breakfast. It just concentrates mostly on the foods eaten by Americans for breakfast.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#49

Post by pgwhalen »

hyperpallium wrote: post #15

When I was multiday camping and bicycle touring over mountainous terrain, I tried skipping breakfast once (it takes extra time), and it left me strikingly weak. Very different energy demands from office work.

I had the exact same experience. I was totally outmatched. Interestingly though, in my typical life as a guy with an office job, I average about 1 breakfast per month and have no problems with energy in the morning.

Re: How Breakfast Became a Thing

#50

Post by glangdale »

jmarinez wrote: post #45

I've dropped breakfast for about a month now and I feel so much better. I'm eating a heavy lunch and then dinner. Lost weight and it wasn't on purpose. As a result I've been questioning a lot of our norms. Not only when we eat, but what we eat and why. Loved the article.

This was my conscious weight loss strategy. Stop eating at 7-8pm in the evening and hold off eating any food until noon or so, which gets a 16+ hour fast. I ate whatever I wanted (not crazy, but not spartan) and lost about 70g per day over a long period (110kg -> 95kg). This was in conjunction with exercising but I was exercising before without losing much weight. Not a very original idea but I was amazed at how easy it was (relative to 5:2, which gave me two workdays a week of 'thinking about food way too much').
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