At first bite
To breakfast, or not to breakfast; grain fest, full-fat or bacon and fags? Stanley Borg toasts the big breakfast comeback and says that breakfast should not be a mourning after but rather, a healthy lift-off.
As Orwell would have probably put it, breakfasting is good, but some breakfasts are more fattening than others. But then, no one is less qualified to air an opinion on breakfasts than the undersigned, simply because I do not indulge in early morning frying of eggs or sprinkling of cereals. I just stumble out of bed at half past five, looking like an insomnia commercial. Then I slowly grind to morning lift-off by lighting up a fag and snaring up a system-starting caffeine boost, before I take out the dog while psychologically bracing myself for a day at the office. Then it is back to the kitchen for a slower cup of coffee and another fag, guilty pleasures that offset the pain and frothing anger of a man who has had to wake up at an ungodly hour for as long as he can remember.
The only time I pile on my breakfast plate with an Atkins-book worth of sausages and a Nigella-pile of muffins is while on holiday, when I allow myself the luxury of slipping out of dreams at six to savour the luxury of digging in a spread prepared by some poor sod who woke up at half past five.
Yet despite being breakfast-challenged, I could not help noticing how suddenly, breakfast is back. After years of having the presence of a coffee stain on an old, chipped mug hidden at the back of the top shelf, which no one can reach anyway, breakfasts are hugging the glossy headlines, touted as the miracle cure for slimming down and upping up your IQ count.
According to research by the Maryland Medical Research Institute, the most efficient way to shed belly inches is to eat breakfast every day. Researchers tracked the eating habits and weight of more than 2,000 girls throughout their adolescence and over a 10-year period. The findings show how teenage girls who ate cereal for breakfast three times a week were more likely to stay slim. A supporting study published by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that such positive figures were due to the fact that cereal is usually eaten with healthy liquids such as milk and juice. For those who skipped breakfast, the risk of being overweight increased by 13 per cent, since they were more likely to break off for elevenses, snack impulsively or overeat during lunch.
Other studies point out how eating breakfast improves children's learning ability. A series of studies from the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School show a link between taking part in the National School Breakfast Programme and improved academic performance and psychosocial behaviour in children. The study also confirms that skipping breakfast resulted in behaviour problems, such as fighting, stealing and having difficulties with teachers.
Not all studies, however, agree on the benefits of a morning grub glory. When it comes to studies on how breakfast improves academic performance, the findings are largely positive, as are those that link the morning meal to staying lean and mean. However, findings are inconsistent for more specific studies.
Also, whether or not people eat breakfast may be less important than what they actually eat. Nutritionists claim that a lot of breakfast meals from fast food outlets are anything but healthy: toasted mega-sandwiches have more calories than a burger; scones and croissants are more dessert than breakfast; muffins are essentially flour and sugar; while cereal bars should rightly belong to the pastries counter.
When it comes to breakfast content, there are two main rivals: carbohydrates and fats. The first group is of the informed opinion that breakfast-cereal eaters get more vitamins, minerals, fibre and less fat. This gives them a great start to their day while making them less stressed and smarter than people who skip breakfast or who go for fry-ups.
On one hand, this makes sense given that most breakfast cereals are high in fibre, low in saturated fat and fortified with vitamins and minerals. A cold cereal also provides a healthy amount of iron and folate. Yet what chips at the credibility of such studies is that most of them are funded by the cereal industry. Also, it only takes a walk down the cereal aisle at the supermarket to confirm that, despite their healthy image, most cereals, especially those marketed for kids, contain too much salt and sugar. In fact, according to the consumer watchdog Which?, out of 275 different types of processed cereals, more than 75 per cent have high levels of sugar. 88 per cent of cereals targeted at children contain high levels of sugar, salt and fat. Also, the more refined the grain, the less likely that it retains the benefits contained in the original grain.
At the other end of the breakfast spectrum is the breakfast fry-up, or English breakfast. Of course, it is not the English breakfast as narrated by Kaori O'Connor in her study, The English Breakfast, which historically traces the English breakfast to a Victorian morning feast of fish, game, sausages, eggs and breads with marmalade and jams. Nor is it the English breakfast, including the underdone egg and the overdone bacon that shatters your teeth at first bite, as served by some dubious locals catering for their stereotypical idea of the British tourist (burnt skin, eats anything served with lager and lime). Both cases are a crime against food, and against early-morning hungry humanity.
Rather, it is the English fry-up in its simplest splendour, a meal so seemingly foolproof yet so difficult to get right. And it is healthy, as the various modern variations of the Atkins diet claim. In fact, in the latest studies published in the UK, it is breakfasts high in good fats that score top marks. These include omelettes, sausage, bacon, berries and the traditional German breakfast of ham and cheese accompanied by wholegrain bread.
According to scientists, the German breakfast has a very low GI, or glycaemic index, which measures the rate at which food releases glucose into the blood stream. The lower the GI, the slower the release, which therefore reduces hunger and the temptations to snack.
On the contrary, foods with a high GI, such as sugary cereals, syrups and carbohydrates release glucose at a fast rate, leading to mid-morning slumps and a grumbling stomach. Moreover, when a relative study was conducted on students, it was found that those on a low GI diet spent 26 per cent of their time doing their homework, compared to 18 per cent scored by students on a high GI diet. The latter students were also more restless and disruptive.
As with everything that smells of Atkins and that challenges the traditional food pyramid, which puts pasta and bread on the bottom and fats on top, not all nutritionists agree. Some say that cheese and ham contain too much salt and protein, which is not a good idea first thing in the morning. Others insist that there is not enough evidence to support the high-fat, low GI approach to breakfast.
But then, food always generates conflicting thoughts and opinions. As it should because like oil, it is the fuel that keeps us going. The trick, as always, is to personalise one's diet, and eat everything in moderation, especially for breakfast, which should always be the most important meal as it prepares us for our daily helping of bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.
The only time I pile on my breakfast plate with an Atkins-book worth of sausages and a Nigella-pile of muffins is while on holiday, when I allow myself the luxury of slipping out of dreams at six to savour the luxury of digging in a spread prepared by some poor sod who woke up at half past five.
Yet despite being breakfast-challenged, I could not help noticing how suddenly, breakfast is back. After years of having the presence of a coffee stain on an old, chipped mug hidden at the back of the top shelf, which no one can reach anyway, breakfasts are hugging the glossy headlines, touted as the miracle cure for slimming down and upping up your IQ count.
According to research by the Maryland Medical Research Institute, the most efficient way to shed belly inches is to eat breakfast every day. Researchers tracked the eating habits and weight of more than 2,000 girls throughout their adolescence and over a 10-year period. The findings show how teenage girls who ate cereal for breakfast three times a week were more likely to stay slim. A supporting study published by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that such positive figures were due to the fact that cereal is usually eaten with healthy liquids such as milk and juice. For those who skipped breakfast, the risk of being overweight increased by 13 per cent, since they were more likely to break off for elevenses, snack impulsively or overeat during lunch.
Other studies point out how eating breakfast improves children's learning ability. A series of studies from the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School show a link between taking part in the National School Breakfast Programme and improved academic performance and psychosocial behaviour in children. The study also confirms that skipping breakfast resulted in behaviour problems, such as fighting, stealing and having difficulties with teachers.
Not all studies, however, agree on the benefits of a morning grub glory. When it comes to studies on how breakfast improves academic performance, the findings are largely positive, as are those that link the morning meal to staying lean and mean. However, findings are inconsistent for more specific studies.
Also, whether or not people eat breakfast may be less important than what they actually eat. Nutritionists claim that a lot of breakfast meals from fast food outlets are anything but healthy: toasted mega-sandwiches have more calories than a burger; scones and croissants are more dessert than breakfast; muffins are essentially flour and sugar; while cereal bars should rightly belong to the pastries counter.
When it comes to breakfast content, there are two main rivals: carbohydrates and fats. The first group is of the informed opinion that breakfast-cereal eaters get more vitamins, minerals, fibre and less fat. This gives them a great start to their day while making them less stressed and smarter than people who skip breakfast or who go for fry-ups.
On one hand, this makes sense given that most breakfast cereals are high in fibre, low in saturated fat and fortified with vitamins and minerals. A cold cereal also provides a healthy amount of iron and folate. Yet what chips at the credibility of such studies is that most of them are funded by the cereal industry. Also, it only takes a walk down the cereal aisle at the supermarket to confirm that, despite their healthy image, most cereals, especially those marketed for kids, contain too much salt and sugar. In fact, according to the consumer watchdog Which?, out of 275 different types of processed cereals, more than 75 per cent have high levels of sugar. 88 per cent of cereals targeted at children contain high levels of sugar, salt and fat. Also, the more refined the grain, the less likely that it retains the benefits contained in the original grain.
At the other end of the breakfast spectrum is the breakfast fry-up, or English breakfast. Of course, it is not the English breakfast as narrated by Kaori O'Connor in her study, The English Breakfast, which historically traces the English breakfast to a Victorian morning feast of fish, game, sausages, eggs and breads with marmalade and jams. Nor is it the English breakfast, including the underdone egg and the overdone bacon that shatters your teeth at first bite, as served by some dubious locals catering for their stereotypical idea of the British tourist (burnt skin, eats anything served with lager and lime). Both cases are a crime against food, and against early-morning hungry humanity.
Rather, it is the English fry-up in its simplest splendour, a meal so seemingly foolproof yet so difficult to get right. And it is healthy, as the various modern variations of the Atkins diet claim. In fact, in the latest studies published in the UK, it is breakfasts high in good fats that score top marks. These include omelettes, sausage, bacon, berries and the traditional German breakfast of ham and cheese accompanied by wholegrain bread.
According to scientists, the German breakfast has a very low GI, or glycaemic index, which measures the rate at which food releases glucose into the blood stream. The lower the GI, the slower the release, which therefore reduces hunger and the temptations to snack.
On the contrary, foods with a high GI, such as sugary cereals, syrups and carbohydrates release glucose at a fast rate, leading to mid-morning slumps and a grumbling stomach. Moreover, when a relative study was conducted on students, it was found that those on a low GI diet spent 26 per cent of their time doing their homework, compared to 18 per cent scored by students on a high GI diet. The latter students were also more restless and disruptive.
As with everything that smells of Atkins and that challenges the traditional food pyramid, which puts pasta and bread on the bottom and fats on top, not all nutritionists agree. Some say that cheese and ham contain too much salt and protein, which is not a good idea first thing in the morning. Others insist that there is not enough evidence to support the high-fat, low GI approach to breakfast.
But then, food always generates conflicting thoughts and opinions. As it should because like oil, it is the fuel that keeps us going. The trick, as always, is to personalise one's diet, and eat everything in moderation, especially for breakfast, which should always be the most important meal as it prepares us for our daily helping of bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.