There has certainly been a huge push in marketing tactics to elevate traditional breakfast to incredibly high standards in the past couple of decades. However, is this just a hot take? How important is breakfast for concentration, health, and fitness? Is it more important to eat well than eat something? Today, Atlanta kids weigh in on this important question: is breakfast the most important meal of the day?
What Is Breakfast?
Well, as one Atlanta kid accurately puts it, breakfast is the time when we break our “fast.”
“… after a fast, it gives them that energy that they need for the day after they finish their fast. As the name suggests, that is why it is called Break-Fast.”
A fast is typically just a period of intentionally not eating that extends for more than a few hours. We all naturally fast overnight – most of us don’t wake up in the middle of the night to make a sandwich! So, naturally, we break our fast in the morning. But not everyone does this; sometimes, people break their fasts closer to noon.
When Is Breakfast?
Generally speaking, breakfast refers to the first large meal of the day that happens before ten o’clock. Meals after this are usually referred to as “brunch.” However, if brunch is the meal that breaks your fast, technically it’s also your breakfast.
If this wasn’t confusing enough, consider individuals who work different schedules and wake up later. If their “morning” starts at noon, isn’t their lunch technically a “breakfast?”
The Psychology of Breakfast
One Atlanta kid smartly cites the primacy effect: “if someone is exposed to positive energy, and then experiences a day of mixed energy, they will be more likely to remember the positive energy from the beginning of the day.” This Atlanta resident cites that, due to breakfast being the first real event of the day, this meal can have a major impact on how well the rest of the day goes.
And, science tends to back this up. As long as we don’t eat a meal heavy in simple sugars and white carbs, breakfast can be a huge mental and physical energy boost to start our day.
The Proponents of Fasting
There’s also a growing movement that supports intermittent fasting, where you might intentionally eat only two meals per day. Some sources suggest that (for some bodies) this is better for heart health and can even help stave off type two diabetes. However, proper intermittent fasting requires that you don’t overeat during your eating window. It’s certainly an interesting take that goes against everything we’ve been taught growing up. What do you think?
So, What Do Atlanta Kids Think About Breakfast?
As we might expect, Atlanta kids think that eating breakfast is important, and a great way to start your day.
We think that this Atlanta kid summed it up nicely: “Breakfast’s importance really does vary depending on who you’re asking. If you’re asking someone who regularly eats breakfast, then it’s important for them. If you ask someone who doesn’t eat breakfast regularly, then it’s not as important as the other meals, to them.”
When it comes to favorite breakfast foods, Atlanta kids vary on what their favorites are. One kid cites toast as their go-to, while another says french toast is their favorite!
So, is breakfast important to you? What’s your favorite way to start your day?