I woke up one sunny Friday morning as exhilarated as a child in a candy store. The delightful smell of freshly fried falafel and potatoes came streaming though my bedroom door. It was just as I anticipated for the morning of my 16th birthday. It’s been a ritual every year for my cousin to come over my house and prepare me my favorite array of breakfast foods. Not only is she my best friend, but she’s an amazing cook and knows how to make my day extra special with her delicious, traditional Middle Eastern breakfast. I sprawled out of bed and ran downstairs to greet her. Waiting for me on the kitchen table was a lovely set up of pita bread, falafel, hummus, meat pies, fried cheese and potatoes. I sat down and poured myself a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice and began to dig into my meal. I picked up a loaf of warm pita bread and stuffed my face with every single item on that table in front of me. When I finished my first plate, I noticed my cousin walking towards me gleamingly with a plate of blueberry pancakes and turkey bacon. I looked at her excitedly and didn’t even hesitate to have seconds. About half hour later when I finished devouring my birthday breakfast feast, I sat on the couch overcome with a feeling of sickness. The overload of fried food and carbs was having a negative effect on me and there was nothing I can do about it. I sat there for what felt like an eternity waiting for the awful feeling to subside, but it didn’t. I went about the rest of my day feeling completely sluggish and regretful from eating that unhealthy food.
From that day on, my outlook on food totally changed. I realized no matter how good your breakfast tastes, the most important factor of a “good” breakfast is the nutrients in your meal. In the end, my birthday breakfast turned out to be not as enjoyable as it began because not only did I eat too much, but the excess amount of oil and carbohydrates was too much for me to handle. Since breakfast is the first meal of the day, having a healthy, nutritious meal is essential. A “good” breakfast shouldn’t make you feel sick and lethargic after eating it, but it should give you the good energy to go about your day.
Ever wonder why you sometimes get that early morning slump when you get to work? Well it probably has to do with the lack of nutrients your breakfast is providing you with. According to Vickiilene author of the article “Consequences of Not Eating a Healthy Breakfast”, the consequences of not eating a healthy breakfast don't just affect you during the morning hours before lunch. It is proven that they have an impact on you all day long. Some of these negative consequences are inability to focus, less memory capacity and likelihood of experiencing fatigue early in the day. They even suffer a greater chance of weight gain and a higher risk of diabetes! After hearing these facts, it is mind boggling why