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Why Do We Eat Dessert for Breakfast?

August 6, 2017   12 Comments

I live in the land of Dunkin’ Donuts. The place is synonymous with New England because there seems to be one every 2.5 miles.

Why Do We Eat Dessert for Breakfast?

I used to LOVE donuts for breakfast. When I was younger, they seemed like the perfect choice – full of sugar and gooey deliciousness. I didn’t really think about health as I was too busy enjoying these confections.

But how are the donuts above any different than what is in the next case at my local baker?

A vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting runs about 400 calories and includes 34 grams of sugar. A S’Mores donut at Dunkin’ is 420 calories and 25 grams of sugar.

Either way, that is a ton of sugar for breakfast which cannot be a great start to the day (as we all know that the The Smoking Gun is Sugar).

Why we eat this is cultural. Our breakfast foods are the product of our ancestors and our global corporations and we get told that this is a special morning treat (so we buy it!).

I have been lucky enough to visit a few other countries as a traveler and I found out something about breakfast. Some cultures eat the same food all day long. Noodles, cucumbers, tomatoes, rice, scallions, spinach – for breakfast! These cultures serve their cakes (and deep fried confections) for dessert.

Lately, I have been eating my leftovers from dinner for breakfast. This morning, for example, I ate fish curry with a little rice for breakfast with my coffee. I have been doing this for a while now and I really like it. I feel like I am getting a great start to my day and it only takes a minute or two to heat up my food in the microwave.

I challenge you to question what is for breakfast and ask yourself if it makes sense. Why do you choose to eat what you do? What would it feel like to eat a kale salad first thing in the morning?

Next time you buy donuts - serve them for dessert. Doesn’t that make so much more sense?

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12 Comments:

Thought provoking. When my kids were small, I'd make grilled cheese or pb and j for breakfast because they didn't like typical breakfast food. It hasn't occurred to me in years to change up my breakfast. I usually eat oatmeal but am starved by mid-morning, especially after exercise class. Eating leftovers or salad for breakfast might be the answer for me.

i think a breakfast change is a great idea. nothing like a nice tomato sandwich with a big juicy tomato from a farm stand or sauteed yellow squash mushrooms and onions.

Judy

Beth, I usually have oatmeal for breakfast too. I soak the oats (old fashioned, not steel cut) with a TBS chia seeds overnight, usually about 1/8 cup in boiling water. When it's time to sit & enjoy breakfast, I add a little milk on the oatmeal/chia seed mixture & add chopped strawberries & a handful of blueberries on the top. Delicious. Really keeps me feeling full as well.

I'm not a big breakfast person, so I usually do bite size pieces of watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries which I share with POPEYE my African grey parrot...

I have been eating lentil soup for breakfast! So good and filling.

I cannot handle sugary foods in the mornings at all!

I have always been a big breakfast person. I make it my main meal of the day and my meals get smaller and smaller through out the day. I eat the same thing everyday. A breakfast sanwich on 2 slices of Ezekiel flax bread, a poached egg, I slice of 40 calorie cheese and a slice of Morningstar farms soy bacon. I have acup of coffee with it at 8 am and than no food until 1 in the afternoon and I am never hungry. The trick is no sugar because the more you eat the more you want. I don't miss it at all .......except maybe the holiday goodies.

I agree! I've been eating savory leftovers for breakfast too. For years, I was conditioned to think of eggs and bacon or sausage for breakfast with a donut or cinnamon roll as an occasional treat. Since going vegan three years ago I've been way more likely to have my leftover curries or soups etc. for breakfast. With tofu scrambles on a weekend day sometimes or overnight oats as an easy bring to work meal. I'm liking these savory breakfasts more and more and I love borrowing from other cultures.

Maria - Sounds so good! I'll give your suggestion a try. Thank you!

I like soup for breakfast: broth and any veggies, I have left in the fridge. I add slices of scrambled egg or tofu, and on the side add a glass of milk, fruit, avocado toast or whatever else sounds good. Warms me up, fills me up, and cleans out the fridge. And it's fast!

I do like eggs for breakfast but I like to have them with herbs and veggies with tomato or fruit on the side. I don't like to have sweet things for breakfast at all.

I tried something different today and I really like it. One egg stirred and then fried slightly as if doing an omelet, add a heaping Tbsp.blue cheese and a handful of spinach, fold over and let the heat finish cooking the egg and melt the cheese. I forgot, sprinkle the raw eggs with turmeric and black pepper before cooking.

I have always chosen leftovers for breakfast. It's fast and easy. And as I tell friends when they look at me in surprise, "My stomach doesn't know what time it is."

Sweets are for treats and dessert.

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