Growing up, my father always only and only emphasised on breakfast. The fact that it is the king’s meal, that it is our first bite after a long fast and that there are endless ways to make it a better meal!
Breakfast, for me, holds a deep meaning, an importance that other meals don’t match up to, as much. It is the one meal that decides and sets the tone for how my day should proceed. How my mood will be all day, and how I will enjoy my day. It is a meal that can be enjoyed with variations, with cuisines, with mix & match and countless ingredients. It is a bottomless adventure!
To be honest, my favourite way to enjoy breakfast is with a spread. A multitude of items, from various cuisines. A bite from every part of the world, is what I like to call it. And what better way to start my mornings? But to be honest, there are days when all I want is a hot cup of coffee and a wholesome muffin, or a bowl of cereal and greek yogurt. What can I say? I am a sucker for every kind of breakfast; big or small, hearty or healthy, wholesome or carry-along, hot or cold and spicy or cheesy!
I will list down why I feel breakfast is the most important meal of the day:
- It sets the tone for your day & its progress.
- It is the first meal we consume after a night-long fast.
- Lower risk of heart disease? Hell yes!
- It can be your fiberfill of the day (and protein too!).
- The obviousness of balancing nutrients first thing in the morning.
- It makes me HAPPY!
I have had a lifelong relationship with food that I never get bored of. There are days when all I want is to be in my kitchen, playing with ingredients, to create something fun to eat, or feed. And then there are days where I want to step out and see what freshness is available in the markets. A happy meal is one that we create with our own hands, with fresh ingredients. The first crunch and munch, and we are good to go!
I tend to love my mornings. I wake up to look out at lovely trees from my window, I take my time to enjoy my coffee; brimming about what I will cook for us to enjoy as our first meal in the morning. I am a morning person, without a shame. I love to make the most of my mornings. However, not everyone is like me. Some people are better in the second half. The mornings for them are rushed; wake up, bathe, dress up, hustle to work and forget to feed themselves in the bargain. Can’t really call it a bargain if we make it to work on time without having fed ourselves, now, can we?
So why not take 10 minutes out of your morning, or the night before, to prepare a quick take-to-work breakfast? A smart jar of chia seeds, fruits, yogurt. Or simply oatmeal in a jar. I do enjoy my oatmeal with some fresh cut fruits of the season. Sometimes, when the savoury craving hits, all we want is a quick roll, bowl of poha or upma to go. How long does it take to cook poha in a pan? It takes all of 15 minutes!
So while I could give you ideas and ideas galore about how to make breakfast fun, I am sure you have your own ways. Ingredients are not the same in all our homes, but a craving is a feeling we are not strangers to. There is always a way to make something fun out of even just three elements; just like painting. The primary colours are just three; but they make a host of shades. So why not apply the same understanding to food?
When practiced for a short amount of time, eating in the morning tends to become a habit. You wake up, and all you will be thinking about is breakfast and what you want to feed yourself that exact morning. The possibilities are endless, the variations are countless and our palate is always looking for something new. 10 minutes of a morning effort will reward you with:
- A good mood
- A good metabolism
- A happy heart
- No overeating during the day
- A charged up day
- A nutritious punch to your day
Why not take the 15-minute effort, for a good mood and nourishing life in the bargain? There is a line that I often remind myself of by Ron Swanson ‘There is never a sadness that cannot be cured with breakfast food’. And I practice this daily. A happy day, arises out of a happy breakfast!
Written By Gouri Gupta
Week 46, November ’20
