Why Breakfast Should be the Biggest Meal of the Day
My mother studied dietetics in college. She used it a couple of times in her life, once when she was just out of college, helping young, illiterate, white mothers learn how and what to cook for healthier families during the Great Depression, and many years later as a senior citizen volunteer at a hospital teaching the same things to semi-literate black mothers. For those cases, where the learner has no clue about a balanced diet I can see the value of dietetics. But having lived with my mother, I know that a lot of what she learned in college is just warmed over wives' tales. That article is just evidence that nothing fundamental has changed in dietetics in 80 odd years. That doesn't mean dietetics will steer you wrong. But it does mean that what a dietitian will solemnly tell you as what you must do to eat properly is frequently just overkill and wishful thinking.
How many times did I get up in the morning as a kid when there was something big and exciting going on that day? How many times did I tell my mother I didn't want any breakfast on those days and every time I was overruled and had to eat any way? There is no way I could ever convince her that being half sick to my stomach with excitement, I wasn't digesting anything. It's not like I needed the extra energy. I could have handily made up for any shortage by eating afterward, when both my mind and stomach were calm. But no, thou shalt eat breakfast! I was lucky and always kept it down. But how many times did I see kids physically ill from eating before running or some other strenuous activity? It doesn't matter if you are a kid or a world class athlete if you are throwing it up, it isn't giving you any extra energy.
The idea that one should eat the biggest meal at breakfast seems to have come from the days when most adults were farmers or farm wives, who discovered they didn't need a big meal in the evening if they had a big meal at breakfast and/or noon. But as you point out, times have changed and working in an office isn't the same as working in the fields all day. Eating a big meal in the middle of the day is often a mistake for an office worker or student and eating a big meal at breakfast often just isn't practical when you have a set schedule. If you are retired, like me, eating big meals is probably not a great idea morning, noon or night. ;o)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2018-03-04 09:00 pm (UTC)My mother studied dietetics in college. She used it a couple of times in her life, once when she was just out of college, helping young, illiterate, white mothers learn how and what to cook for healthier families during the Great Depression, and many years later as a senior citizen volunteer at a hospital teaching the same things to semi-literate black mothers. For those cases, where the learner has no clue about a balanced diet I can see the value of dietetics. But having lived with my mother, I know that a lot of what she learned in college is just warmed over wives' tales. That article is just evidence that nothing fundamental has changed in dietetics in 80 odd years. That doesn't mean dietetics will steer you wrong. But it does mean that what a dietitian will solemnly tell you as what you must do to eat properly is frequently just overkill and wishful thinking.
How many times did I get up in the morning as a kid when there was something big and exciting going on that day? How many times did I tell my mother I didn't want any breakfast on those days and every time I was overruled and had to eat any way? There is no way I could ever convince her that being half sick to my stomach with excitement, I wasn't digesting anything. It's not like I needed the extra energy. I could have handily made up for any shortage by eating afterward, when both my mind and stomach were calm. But no, thou shalt eat breakfast! I was lucky and always kept it down. But how many times did I see kids physically ill from eating before running or some other strenuous activity? It doesn't matter if you are a kid or a world class athlete if you are throwing it up, it isn't giving you any extra energy.
The idea that one should eat the biggest meal at breakfast seems to have come from the days when most adults were farmers or farm wives, who discovered they didn't need a big meal in the evening if they had a big meal at breakfast and/or noon. But as you point out, times have changed and working in an office isn't the same as working in the fields all day. Eating a big meal in the middle of the day is often a mistake for an office worker or student and eating a big meal at breakfast often just isn't practical when you have a set schedule. If you are retired, like me, eating big meals is probably not a great idea morning, noon or night. ;o)