Breakfast: The most important meal of the day

I recall a time when I’d wake up and be lifted off my bed, and float toward the lingering smells of the breakfast being prepared in the kitchen. Not to criticize the mess food, but it’s hardly reason enough to wake up in the morning. Breakfast is the one meal of the day that must never be skipped, but unfortunately it seems to be the only meal that people skip, especially in college.

Maybe I’m a little biased toward breakfast food but generally, the food that we get for breakfast is incomparable. Omelets, cheese sandwiches, almond croissants, French toast, scrambled eggs, eggs sunny side up, fresh waffles with whipped cream on top – guess what they’ve all got in common besides being some of the most delightfully delicious dishes in existence? They’re all breakfast food. Even the mess is at its best during breakfast. That’s when we get Parathas, Pongal-vada and Chole bhatura. You get the idea. I love breakfast.

As Leslie from the TV show Parks and Rec would say, “Why would anyone eat anything but breakfast food?” Breakfast food also possesses the flexibility of being consumed at any time of the day. You can eat parathas in the morning, for lunch, or for dinner. But you can’t really eat something like rice or a salad in the morning.

Onto the more significant reasons as to why breakfast is important. Firstly, nutrition. Breakfast raises our body glucose levels back to normal after an overnight fast. In addition it keeps us primed both physically and mentally for the rest of the day. It’s also been proven to help with weight control. People who skip breakfast tend to eat more during the other meals. Research shows that people who eat breakfast regularly tend to be in their ideal weight ranges. It’s also shown to improve cognitive function, and has been linked to better grades.

Breakfast can also be a chance for the family to interact with each other at the start of the day, before everyone leaves off for work or school. The act of preparing breakfast is always associated with caring for or being cared for. The same can’t be said for dinner which always feels like more of a formal affair. Weekend breakfasts are the best, when the whole family sits together and unwinds, reminiscing about the past week. Also moms tend to save their best, most elaborate dishes for the weekend.

Breakfast, in addition to being such an incredible experience for your taste buds, is also great for your health. Needless to say, there is such thing as a bad breakfast, which can be just as harmful as not having breakfast. The key is to opt for a well-balanced meal for instance, traditional Indian breakfasts are known to be exceptionally nutritious. So set your alarms a little earlier, and don’t skip the most vital meal of the day. Might do you some good.

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Anantha Venkataram