HISTORY OF BREAKFAST

       Breakfast began whenever people got their hands on food. It was a survival tactic that was used just to get your first meal to get through the day. During the early years in America, breakfast stayed the same. It has always been eggs, pancakes, and pastries for that first meal of the day. Although it wasn´t as routine for people until cereal was invented.  

       As time went on the slogan “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” came from advertising during the late 1800s according to Priceonomics. The man that created it was Dr. John Harvey Kellog. He proposed the idea that cereal was healthy for you. Their campaign for the product was on radios, and pamphlets were handed out at grocery stores discussing that beginning the day with good nutrients made you healthier.

       The phrase “breakfast” comes from the term “break the fast”, from not having food in your system during the whole night, “As we sleep, chemicals in our bodies are at work digesting food from the previous night. By morning, we are ready to ‘break the fast’ after a stretch of not eating, according to health.harvardedu.”

HEALTH BENEFITS

       There has been a debate on whether or not skipping breakfast makes you gain weight. Well this is not entirely true according to Time. The truth is people who skip breakfast may just tend to eat more snacks during the day, which can add to the calorie count for the overall day. 

       “Literally breaking the fast, when you eat breakfast it wakes up the body and brain. This also speeds up your metabolism for the rest of the day, which could be important for people trying to lose weight.” said Culinary teacher Rachel Pangu. 

       Starting your day with a nutritious and protein-filled breakfast can be beneficial to your diet. This can provide you with energy and lead to eating fewer midday snacks that are unhealthy. Fruit, eggs, and whole-grain cereal is a good way to begin your day correctly because this provides fiber vitamins and minerals. 

       When asked students what they had for breakfast they answered, ¨eggs¨ -Senior Caden Ondek, “Bacon egg and cheese¨-Patrick Rescsanski, ¨cereal¨- Erik Johnson, ¨Bacon egg and cheese¨- Colby Kmetz. Majority of students eat eggs during the morning which could be good if made right.  

HOW TO MAKE EGGS

       There are several ways to make eggs to start your morning with a filling meal. The options include fried, omelet, scrambled, over easy or a sandwich. 

       A good fried egg can be made with butter or olive oil, salt, and pepper. The first is to put the pan on a low heat setting so you do not burn the egg or the butter. Put one teaspoon on the pan and let it start melting as you spread it around with your spatula. Once the butter is melted and evenly spread, crack the egg and put it in the pan.  Then, gently touch the yolk with the spatula so it begins to spread around a little. Also at this point a pinch of salt and pepper to add some flavor.

       Depending on how hot the pan gets, let the egg cook on each side for around 2-3 minutes then flip. When the egg is slightly brown or just before this happens, it is ready to be served. This can be complemented with toast or put on a sandwich with toppings of your choice.

       Scrambled eggs are a quick way to make a larger meal. Start by cracking 2-4 eggs into a bowl and whisk them with a fork until they have small bubbles to add fluffiness. While mixing, adding a pinch of red pepper and salt gives it some spiciness. To prepare the pan use a tablespoon of butter to spread around. Pour the eggs in and start moving them around with your spatula. While they are cooking in a pan add two more tablespoons of butter and mix around. After about 3-4 minutes they will be cooked and ready to consume.

       An omelet is made with 2-3 eggs and put in a bowl to be whisked. Again, whisk until small bubbles form and pour into a pan with 1 ½ tablespoon of butter. While in the pan add cut up and add pieces of Canadian bacon, salt, red pepper and two slices of American cheese. Fold the omelet in half and let it cook for two minutes on each slide. Flip, then it is ready to be served. So let’s talk about the most important meal of the day and your options.

HOW TO MAKE PANCAKES

       Start with 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour through a strainer, with 3 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of white sugar. Then make a hole in the center of all these ingredients and pour in 1 ¼ cups of milk, one egg, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix ingredients thoroughly until there is a batter. Heat up a large pan with medium heat and spread the butter until melted. Pour batter onto the pan with the desired amount of batter, flip when there are tiny bubbles and browning on each side. 

       Top this off with some maple syrup along with a stack of pancakes and there is a hot meal ready to be served.

HEALTHIER CHOICES 

       If you aren’t an egg or pancake person, there are some other popular options like smoothies and cereal. The top-ranked cereal by nutritionists according to HuffPost are Honey Nut Cheerios, Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oats and Frosted flakes. These are all whole grain options which is a healthy choice to start your day.

       Some ingredients to add to a smoothie could be any of these superfoods, you can put whichever ones you desire in. Some of the choices are kale, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon, banana, ginger, and chia or flax seeds. Any of these mixed together can create good healthy smoothies that could be enjoyable for your morning start. 

       These were some breakfast options depending on what type of foods you enjoy eating, some that are healthier and others less so. These were several different ways you can start your day with the most important meal of the day.