I just returned from vacation in Japan. While I was there, something about breakfast caught my attention: breakfast does not look appreciably different than lunch or dinner. That’s a little diet trick that could be useful for weight control.
No Big Difference Between Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner
My first night in Japan, my wife and I dined out at a local restaurant. I was eager, like the typical tourist, to see what sushi was like at the source. I had a meal that consisted of fish, rice, pickles, miso soup, and a few small vegetable garnishes which I ordered by pointing at the picture and then ate fumblingly with chop-sticks.
The next morning, we had the option of a western breakfast or an Asian breakfast. Ever the adventurous travelers, we chose the Asian. A few minutes later, a platter appeared consisting of eggs, rice, pickles, miso soup, and a few small vegetable garnishes. The only difference between breakfast that morning and the dinner the night before was the substitution of eggs for fish.
Breakfast Needn’t Be High In Calories Or Sugar
As an American it feels very strange to be eating things like rice, soup, and pickles for breakfast. But from a nutritional standpoint, it shouldn’t. Nutritious foods like vegetables, pickles, and healthy carbs and proteins are always good for us and, especially in the USA, we tend not to eat enough of them. If one of three daily meals does not include them and instead contains high sugar or high calorie foods, then we are doing quite a lot of damage to our diets.
Why do we make the first meal of the day so different from the others, anyway? It’s really a cultural/historical development. In a nutshell, the industrial revolution shifted the way Americans work. Instead of being mostly farmers who would get up early and engage in manual labor, we became factory workers and urban professionals. This changed the way we do meals. We made dinner—the after work meal—the most important while breakfast and lunch became ones to be eaten quickly and efficiently. Early food entrepreneurs like Sylvester Graham, John Kellogg, and Charles Post saw an opportunity there to fill a demand for breakfast foods that could be quick, easy, and tasty. Welcome to the world of the breakfast cereal. After that, particularly post-World War II, it was an easy transition to pop-tarts, waffles, muffins, and the rest.1
Looking To Control Weight? Breakfast Is An Area Of Opportunity
In light of this, if you are looking to control your weight, one place to consider making changes could be breakfast. What do you tend to eat? Is it pastries, cereal, muffins, juices or smoothies, i.e. convenience foods low in nutritional value and high in pleasure? If so, consider adding some of the things we more readily associate with other meals. Maybe you have some eggs with a side of mixed vegetables. Maybe you even have a simple soup instead of cereal. It would take some getting used to but, just like eating with chop-sticks, a little practice can make it second nature.
Related: Trying A Diet? Remember Food Comes With Context