Don't Leave Home Without It

There are reasons it's said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Thanks to my mom, I formed the breakfast habit early in life. I have no problem skipping a meal as long as that meal isn't breakfast. If I don't get that first meal of the day within half and hour of rising, watch out! I'm not nice to be around.

Breakfast is sacred to my well-being. My routines and rituals about the beginning of the day are directly tied to that first meal. It's usually pretty simple. A bowl of cereal, or oatmeal, a banana, and a cup of black coffee. Simply going through the motions of preparing to eat are important... to me and my cat. The cat always eats first, otherwise he becomes a tripping hazard in my bleary-eyed, waking up world.

Breakfast gets my day off to a good start. I don't rush to make it, and I don't rush to eat it. It helps me wake up, and I can feel my energy rising shortly after I'm done. I begin feeling more alert, the ideas start flowing, and if I have a project to work on I can get to it with a clear head.

I think breakfast plays an important role in weight control. When I'm not famished, I make better food choices throughout the day.

As I've been contemplating food over the past few days I've been thinking about the order of importance for meals. There's a connection between cost and importance.  I like that breakfast is the most important yet least expensive meal of the day. Lunch is second, then dinner.  The cost also follows along the same line with lunch being less expensive than dinner.

Why am I thinking about this? If I'm going to maintain my health and commitment to eating well this month on a food stamp budget then I'm going to change how I'm eating and spending in order to meet the goals I've set. It doesn't mean skipping meals, it just means changing meal priorities to reflect my objectives.

It's getting late, so I'll let this rest for the night. After breakfast tomorrow I'll give these thoughts the attention they deserve.