A Healthy Reason To Get Away: Breakfast

One great way to change up your routine breakfast is to take a vacation and experience firsthand another culture's cuisine.  Not an immediate option? Well, take a look below at how other cultures fuel up for a typical day vs. a routine North American diet.  I pulled these examples from an insightful website that I frequent -  PrecisionNutrition (blog written by Ryan Andrews).

“It is apparent that humans are viewed not as beings to be nourished but suckers to be sold.”
– Robert F. Choat

Greece

Low levels of cardiovascular disease

Typical breakfast selections:

• Toast/whole grain breads
• Jam
• Yogurt with honey
• Greek coffee
• Eggs
• Olives/olive oil
• Feta cheese

Examples:

Horta scramble (eggs, greens, onions, olive oil, garlic, olives, feta, lemon juice)

Barley Rusk Rolls (whole grain bread – eaten with tomato, feta, olive oil; beer is optional)

Africa

• Low levels of cancer
• Optimal digestive health

Typical breakfast selections:

• Millet
• Matoke (like a banana)
• Fruits
• Nuts

Millet porridge with fruit

Toasted millet with plantains

 North America

• 70% overweight/obese
• 1 of every 2 deaths from heart disease or cancer

Typical breakfast selections:

• Coffee
• Donuts/pastries
• Bagels
• Eggs
• Sausage

• Bacon
• Cold cereal
• Cow’s milk

Pastries and coffee with cow's milk/cream	Bacon, eggs, and French toast slathered in syrup and butter
Cream cheese and white flour bagel	Chemically coloured sugar-Os

When we venture to the land of “nutritious breakfasts” – over time, we might notice:

• Less body fat
• Less chronic, non-communicable disease
• Improved learning/retention
• Improved mood
• Better food choices later in the day
• Improved energy
• Muscle preservation
• Increased strength
• Lower cholesterol
• Improved bowel movements
• Balanced blood sugars

Translation: A nutritious breakfast is probably a good idea.

Summary and recommendations

Consider how the breakfast selections of these countries differ from North America. And consider the differing health outcomes.

Some ideas to consider when putting together breakfast:

1. Take your time and pace yourself when eating, if you don’t want to allow time in the morning, prepare food ahead of time
2. Include some protein dense food
3. Eat enough food
4. Eat real, unprocessed food
5. Don’t be afraid of vegetables, or eating “dinner food” (like chicken and salad, or turkey/vegetarian chili) for breakfast
6. Try whole grains (real whole grains like oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, sprouted grains, etc.)
7. Establish a routine that you can stick with