Breakfast, to most, is seen as the most important meal of the day.
The Morning Fresh perspective on the benefits of breakfast are;
• It gives an energy boost to start the day well
• It helps focus the mind on the task in hand until lunch
• It gives your metabolism a boost allowing you to burn calories early in the day (this is also helpful if you’re trying to lose weight – not least because a healthy breakfast will likely prevent you snacking on junk later in the day!)
• Even a small meal prevents your body going into starvation mode, when it automatically stores calories creating fat
• Provides a nutritious and delicious start to the day (depending on what you eat!)
A recently posed question online of what the average Nigerian considered a suitable breakfast, proposing that tea and bread was the most popular breakfast combination. Many agreed but some of the responses were, pardon the pun, “food” for thought.
A counter-argument quickly developed that the ideal breakfast combination should be based solely on taste and popularity for example: Rice and stew, Akara and Pap or Instant Noodles.
However, a divide quickly developed over what the purpose and nature of breakfast should actually be. Whether it should be a thing of taste or whether a more pragmatic approach should be taken towards the first meal of the day.
For example, some argued that breakfast, by its very definition, should be a light meal that’s quick to eat and easy to digest making a straightforward meal like bread and tea the ideal combination. A mother furthered this point by discussing the merits of having a “fast food” type of breakfast that would make it easier to feed her family quickly and get her kids out to school.
Others, however, looked at breakfast as more of a reflection of our current economic climate. With many of our people sadly in a poor financial situation, the heartiness of a breakfast meal became a crucial necessity with heavier food items like Eba and soup being seen as something that could sustain their families for the longest period of time especially their children till closing time in school.
This sentiment was reflected in the words of another respondent who stated that “these days, people make due with whatever they can lay their hands on”.
Agreeing that breakfast should be heavy and hearty, many workers, due to the toll their jobs took on them and never really knowing when they would get a chance to eat again, supported the motion that Eba and soup was the way to go.
What was highlighted in this discussion was the challenge many Nigerians face in preparing a breakfast that is both tasty and pragmatic but also healthy especially during these tough financial times.
We hope to help create a world where it’s possible to have the best of everything whether you’re a parent trying to hurriedly get your kids ready for school or a worker trying to eat something that will hold you till your next meal.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts with us, leave a comment below or a post on our Facebook page.