A Short History of Breakfast, and Why You Don't Need It.
- Cheryl Lowry
- Jul 21, 2020
- 2 min read
Our local physiotherapist, Peter Mitchell, is more than your average physio. He reads, thinks and writes a lot about good health and healthy lifestyle. Years ago Peter and his father (also a physio) came up with a novel therapy for treating reflux and resulting unexplained chest pain. It worked for us and our friends who struggled with this problem for years, taking powerful drugs to suppress the pain. (Note: this is not advice to not consult to your doctor if you have chest pain). Peter is not a believer in eating breakfast on the basis that your body is still working through a digestive cycle related to your circadian rhythms.
American personal trainer, Adam Lonergon, explains it this way, "Breakfast is not “the most important meal of the day.” It never has been. For most of human history, grocery stores did not exist. We had to hunt and gather our own food. We evolved to be able to function without food for extended periods of time. If we had to eat every morning or “three square a day,” we would have gone extinct a long time ago."
He goes on to say, "This modern eating pattern came from advertising and the industrial revolution — not necessity. That old saying came from Kellogg’s cereal in 1917 as part of a marketing campaign to sell corn flakes. With its success, other food companies followed suit and here we are today".
Well, that led me to go digging and I found this fascinating short history of breakfast - How lobbyists made breakfast 'the most important meal of the day' Sure enough, the hearty breakfast was promoted by breakfast cereal manufacturers and diet lobbyists.
So if you or your children are not "breakfast people" don't worry about it - they are probably healthier for it.
And don’t believe everything you hear in advertising (or what your parents tell you) . • Kellogg’s “Good Health” Magazine, Jan. 1917
Big hug,
Until next time,
Cheryl.
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