How to Start Eating Breakfast

on April 21, 2010
in All Posts

I love breakfast. 

IMG_3731

Especially delicious bowls of oatmeal!

IMG_3733

My oatmeal contained:

 

  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup hemp milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • Toppings: blackberries, strawberries, pecans, cinnamon

 

This was my first time trying Hemp Milk.  I normally use Almond Milk.

IMG_3729

The nutritionals:

IMG_3730

I bought Hemp Milk because the Husband claims not to like the taste of Almond Milk in his smoothies (he uses cow’s).  I really cannot taste the difference with milk subs in smoothies or oatmeal, but I told him I’d buy him some Hemp to try. 

 

Advantages of Hemp over Almond:

 

  • Twice the calcium
  • Twice the protein
  • Less sodium

 

Advantages of Almond over Hemp:

 

  • No sugar (compared the the Hemp’s 6 grams – there’s brown rice syrup in it).

 

For me, it’s a toss up.  I couldn’t really taste the difference in my oatmeal.  But I hope the Husband likes it!

 

How to Start Eating Breakfast

 

I wasn’t always a breakfast girl.  I used to believe that skipping breakfast was good for my “diet” because I was “saving calories.”  I wasn’t actually hungry for breakfast, anyway, so it didn’t matter,

 

About 8 years ago, I started to try to eat breakfast after I read an article about the numerous health benefits of breakfast.  People who eat breakfast actually LIVE LONGER (although that might be compounded by other factors, of course)!  And they have a healthier weight overall, because eating breakfast helps stabilize your metabolism and keeps you from overeating at lunch. 

 

To get myself use to breakfast, I started off with one slice of toast and a smear of peanut butter.  Sometimes, I had to force down the toast because my body truly was not used to eating breakfast at 6 AM.  But after a week or so, my body started to crave food in the morning.  Because I ate a more regular diet during the day, I didn’t stuff myself at dinner and actually woke up feeling a little hungry and ready for food.

 

I also noticed how much more ENERGY I had when I ate breakfast.  Over time, I began to crave bigger breakfasts with more variety, and now I typically eat 400 to 500 calories within 30 minutes of waking up!

 

Three cheers for breakfast!

DSCN5046

(The Husband in 2007, eating a wonderful breakfast at a hotel in St. Augustine.  This was the weekend we got engaged!)

 

Do you eat breakfast? Did you always eat breakfast?  How did you get used to breakfast?  And what’s your FAVORITE breakfast?

{ 125 comments }

 

  • Freya @ Brit Chick Runs April 21, 2010, 9:32 am

    Yes! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – we can’t seriously expect our bodies to go about 16hrs (dinner to lunch) without food – that’s stupid!!
    When I was little, like 6yrs old, I used to eat 6 weetabix for breakfast (then nothing all day cos I was so full :P). I always make time for it now though, no matter how hungry or not I am. I can’t function without it 🙂
    Have a good day!

  • Diana (Mymarblerye) April 21, 2010, 9:33 am

    In middle school I never ate breakfast cause I would go to bed at 2 or 3 (HELLO AOL) and wake up right before school started. But since I’ve always had an animal like appetite I can’t go without breakfast now…what gets me going in the morning is the promise of breakfast!!!

    • Caitlin April 21, 2010, 9:35 am

      haha oh, AOL.

  • Fit Chick in the City April 21, 2010, 9:33 am

    I cannot function without breakfast. I also use to go without as I thought it was a good way to save some calories. I don’t know how I survived. I started out by just having a small bowl of cereal with fruit. I forced it, but it didn’t take long for it to become a habit and now 10 years later I’m a huge fan of breakfast.

  • Jessica @ How Sweet April 21, 2010, 9:34 am

    I have always ate breakfast! I can’t remember a time I didn’t. I am currently loving millet bread with goat cheese, figs, and honey! It is SO GOOD.

  • Allie (Live Laugh Eat) April 21, 2010, 9:35 am

    I get almond BECAUSE I like the taste!! So creamy and slightly nutty. Mmm Mmm.

    I didn’t used to eat breakfast until about 2 years ago. I would go through 4 hours of classes on a bottle or orange juice! However, with regular exercise, you just have to plan eat energy intake or else…

  • Emmanuelle April 21, 2010, 9:36 am

    I love breakfast too, I can’t leave the house without breakfast (yeah it happens when I am really in a rush or traveling early, but it’s not very often).

    My mum was always adamant my brother and I were properly fuelled to go to school, so I have always been used to eating breakfast, and I wake up hungry. I think breakfast is my favourite meal actually!

  • Evan Thomas April 21, 2010, 9:37 am

    I couldn’t live without breakfast–it’s the best! I think over time the amount of food I eat for breakfast hasn’t changed, but the quality has. I remember in high school grabbing 3-4 breakfast bars, making sure the calories added up to enough to keep me energized until lunch(400-500 then). But all they were were sugar and a few whole grains. Nowadays I need to eat real breakfasts, with oatmeal, fats, and protein to make me feel good.

  • Whitney@Whitinspired April 21, 2010, 9:37 am

    I eat breakfast every morning and have since I started working…which is about 4 years. I got to the point that I was feeling nauseous if I didn’t put something in my stomach. I had to start out small too, with a piece of toast or honey nut cheerios. Now I have a big ‘ole bowl of oatmeal.

  • megan April 21, 2010, 9:37 am

    I’ve always eaten breakfast. Now I’m in the routine of having a smoothie as a first breakfast, and something else later as a second breakfast. on special occasions i love pancakes, eggs, waffles, french toast, bacon, sausage, etc. but those things are just too much work for so early in the morning

  • Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin April 21, 2010, 9:38 am

    I always eat breakfast now, but I didn’t used to. I never really had to choke it down, but typically I am up for 1-2 hours before I eat breakfast. I prefer to wait a little bit before having breakfast, but now I typically have 300-500 calories every day in the morning. It definitely helps me feel more energetic and satisfied throughout the day.

  • Shawna @ Balancing Me April 21, 2010, 9:38 am

    I’ve always eaten breakfast; however, I’ve started eating more for breakfast in recent months. I find it curbs my hunger later in the day.

    I’m lovin’ the Vegan Overnight Oats I’ve been having lately. That’s my favorite at the moment.

  • Christine @ Grub, Sweat and Cheers April 21, 2010, 9:41 am

    You do not want to see me without breakfast. I always eat it – I love it, probably my fave meal of the day.

    Most weekdays I do a slow cook oatmeal mix of some kind – this can include quinoa/flax/steel cut/nuts/fruit/maple syrup/almond milk etc. I make a big pot beginning of the week and bring a portion with whatever topping I choose that day to work.

    On weekends, when I have time in the morning, I love eggs on toast or french toast.

    As for almond vs hemp, I think I prefer the taste of almond, but hemp is ok.

  • Jenna April 21, 2010, 9:43 am

    I have always been a breakfast girl. My mom jokes that it is because she ate French Toast all of the time when she was pregnant with me. It is still my favorite too!

  • Neely April 21, 2010, 9:43 am

    Breakfast is the best. I have never been able to skip it.

    I am not an almond milk fan. To me it tastes like water with almond spit in it. I generally use soy still.

  • Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman April 21, 2010, 9:44 am

    I’ve always been a breakfast eater, but my husband hasn’t. Since it’s so much healthier to eat breakfast, he’s tried incorporating it in. At first he wasn’t hungry, but after eating just a piece of toast with peanut butter or a cereal bar for a week, he started getting hungry in the morning. Now he eats heavier foods like oats. It’s just training your body!

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing April 21, 2010, 9:45 am

    I always always eat breakfast, for as long as I can remember. But the quality has changed over time. When I was little, I would always eat instant oats or instant grits (I think the grits are a Southern thing). And then I hit high school and my disordered eating. I would still eat breakfast but it was always under 200 calories, either Kashi Go Lean or Special K Low carb cereal. At least I was eating but those two things are so connected to my past ED that I can hardly stomach them now. But NOW, I eat oatmeal almost every day and it’s my absolute favorite breakfast food! It took me a while to realize that eating a normal sized breakfast would be good for me but I’ve never looked back! I love my oats!

  • Stephanie April 21, 2010, 9:50 am

    I guess I’m the odd ball here. I am not a morning person at all. Even though I wake up at 630AM every day, and have been in the working world for years (I’m 29), I still can’t even think about breakfast until 10AM or so. I usually drink a gigantic coffee around 8AM which seems to help me function, and then breakfast is instant oatmeal at my desk. The kitchen in my NYC apartment consist of a mini fridge and a 2 burner stove so anything more than instant oatmeal seems like too much work LOL.

  • Sana April 21, 2010, 9:50 am

    I have always eaten breakfast in the mornings. My mom was a stay at home mom and refused to let us leave the house without breakfast!!

  • Rachel (Suburban Yogini) April 21, 2010, 9:51 am

    Mum wouldn’t let us out of the house without breakfast as kids, and it’s stuck! I wake up starving every morning and ready for oats or green monsters or toast and PB and honey 😀

    My favourite breakfast is eggs florentine (poached eggs with spinach on w/w muffin with hollandaise sauce)… om nom nom!

  • Midgetkeeper April 21, 2010, 9:57 am

    I would eat breakfast off and on for a while but now I eat it every day.

    My favorite breakfast. Eggs, toast and bacon. Yum!

  • Rachel April 21, 2010, 10:01 am

    I love breakfast – but when I met my current fiance, he didn’t eat any! So I slowly got him into the habit (using, of course, lots of the health-benefit persuasion… as if that helped 😉

  • Nicci April 21, 2010, 10:01 am

    I’ve found that during the week, I like a cold breakfast of yogurt & healthy cereals. On the weekends, I prefer a warm breakfast…I think it’s very weird, but that’s how I roll.

  • Therese April 21, 2010, 10:03 am

    Mmm…breakfast is my favourite food topic! I used to skip breakfast all the time and then overeat either at lunch or dinner (or both). I also started reading about the benefits of eating breakfast and do believe it’s helped with my weight loss! Now I crave breakfast and sometimes actually go to bed EXCITED for my yummy bowl of oats in the morning!

  • Laura@FindingAHealthyBalance....after a 100+ Pound weight loss!!! April 21, 2010, 10:14 am

    I have ALWAYS been a breakfast eater, thank mainly to my Mom who always had one waiting for me every morning before school……….which was either a huge bowl of oatmeal, cream of wheat or raisin bran (yes, you heard correctly no “sugary” cereals), along with melon (both kinds, which I love) and juice of course!!!

    Through the years I have changed up my breakfast options, as I love eggs and started to eat them a lot, but I still love the favorites of my childhood and now give my own daughter the same. =)

  • Bethany (@ NotUnlessI'mBeingChased) April 21, 2010, 10:15 am

    I ALWAYS eat breakfast and always have. I can’t imagine starting a day on an empty stomach — it boggles my mind!
    My favorite breakfast?
    Breakfast in bed, of course :). Anything tastes better served that way.

  • Mama Pea April 21, 2010, 10:16 am

    Yeah, I think they totally misnamed that “Tempt” milk. It should be called “It Kind of Tastes Like Funky Dirt But Drink It Because It’s Good For You” milk.

    I too used to be a breakfast skipper. Now I can’t wait to eat!

    • caitlin April 21, 2010, 12:31 pm

      major LOLs

  • Camille April 21, 2010, 10:17 am

    I never used to eat breakfast but now I LOVE it! Not only is it the only meal it seems where sweet foods are acceptable, but it actually gives me a reason to want to wake up.
    3 cheers for breakfast!
    Plus, the not overeating a lunch thing is a fact!

  • Danielle (Coffee Run) April 21, 2010, 10:17 am

    Living Harvest makes unsweetened hemp milk too! I guess you have to search around for it though

    I wasn’t always a bfast girl either…but now it’s essential 😀

    • caitlin April 21, 2010, 12:24 pm

      i will have to keep an eye out for unsweet!!

  • brandi April 21, 2010, 10:19 am

    I was the same way! In high school, my breakfast during the week was maybe a glass of chocolate milk or some cereal. Or I would wait and eat something out of the vending machine at school – not so smart.

    Once I was halfway through college, I got hooked on the Food Network and became interested in cooking, so I started having small bowls of oatmeal with fruit.

    Now I HAVE to have a big breakfast. It starts my day off right, and I feel so much better having a healthy and filling meal each morning.

  • Tracey @ TropicalHappiness April 21, 2010, 10:19 am

    I love breakfast. I love it so much I often have breakfast for dinner! LOL! My hubby never used to eat breakfast- he was too busy in the morning, and he also thought the same thing about “saving” calories. I also explained to him that your metabolism actually slows down over night, and it speeds back up when you eat. So if you don’t eat breakfast, your metabolism might slow down around 11 pm (as an example), and not speed back up until you eat lunch at 12 or 1 pm the next day. But if you eat breakfast, it slows down at 11 pm, and then speeds back up at 6 or 7 am when you eat breakfast.

  • Katie April 21, 2010, 10:19 am

    I’ve been struggling with eating breakfast for almost my whole life. I wake up and I’m not hungry. I don’t get hungry until around 10 am. I’ll have a cup of coffee, sometimes two cups and I’m good for the morning.

    I made some changes in January and part of that was eating breakfast. It’s been hard. I’m still not hungry when I wake up. I have to eat breakfast now because of stomach troubles that keep me from enjoying coffee on an empty stomach.

    I’m hoping this turns around.

  • emptynutjar April 21, 2010, 10:20 am

    I always eat a huge breakfast. I never am hungry for it…I eat it anyway. Trying all kinds of things lately…lots of combos or this or that.
    I buy Manitoba Harvest Hemp Milk sometimes.It has about in 1 cup: 120 cals, 5 g protein, …so its diffrent than the kind you have…it varies depending on the flavor chosen also. I interchange with different ones. Hemp milk is more expensive than almond -a lot more, so not so much a frequent buy.

  • Marianne April 21, 2010, 10:21 am

    I do love breakfast, but unfortunately I just don’t seem to give it enough priority.

    For a while I used to just have a slice of toast with a soft-boiled egg and salt and pepper – sooo good and sooo quick. I think I just need to stop making excuses for staying in bed those crucial 15 minutes which leave me in a permanent rush!

  • The Hot and Fit April 21, 2010, 10:23 am

    EVERY DAY. I never skip it. Mine was a similar case – a few years back I read about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast and instead of having a cup of coffee with a bunch of chocolate biscuits I started having porridge, protein pancakes, cereals with fruit etc.
    My favourite meal of the day!

  • emptynutjar April 21, 2010, 10:23 am

    oh, and when i was growing up…my parents would not let us leave the house to catch the school bus if we didn’t have breakfast…i missed morning classes one day in elementary school..
    try explaining to your classmates why you missed school that morning..not cool mom and dad…not cool.
    i applaud them tho…even if it was corn flakes or oatmeal or cream of wheat, something had to be eaten…nowadays breakfast is far bigger and extensive.

  • Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat) April 21, 2010, 10:27 am

    I *just* wrote a post on this yesterday, funny enough (http://traveleatrepeat.com/2010/04/20/whats-for-breakfast/).

    I never ate breakfast growing up because, like you, I wasn’t hungry and wanted to “save calories.” Once I started eating breakfast, though, my energy levels spiked and I actually wanted to get out of bed in the morning. Now if I don’t eat within 30 minutes of waking up, I’m a cranky girl.

    Oats are the fave but I love making pancakes, French toast, eggs and sometimes just cereal. Yum! 😀

  • Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg April 21, 2010, 10:28 am

    I like almond and hemp milk both, but to me, almond milk is better! I like the creaminess of it…plus, hemp milk is REALLY expensive around here, and has added sugar!

  • Sarah @ See Sarah Eat April 21, 2010, 10:29 am

    I love breakfast, by far my favorite meal of the day. When I was unhealthy, I either didn’t eat it at all or went for Pop Tarts or donuts when I got to work. Now I take the time out in the morning to prepare a delicious, nutritious meal and start my day off on the right foot. My favorite breakfast is oatmeal, but I love making pancakes/waffles and tofu scrambles 🙂

  • eatdrinkandbemerrynyc April 21, 2010, 10:30 am

    Definitely ALWAYS need breakfast! If I skip it I am a zero energy crankpants 🙂
    Sara
    http://eatmanhattan.wordpress.com

  • Kellie@obsessivelyhealthy April 21, 2010, 10:32 am

    Breakfast is my favorite meal. I usually eat 400-500 calorie breakfast too. I go to bed the night before looking forward to what I am going to have for breakfast the next morning.

  • Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday April 21, 2010, 10:32 am

    Almond milk is also cheaper than hemp

  • Ashley April 21, 2010, 10:36 am

    Up until last year I hardly ate breakfast unless it just happened to be there. But then I saw how important it was. It keeps me full for 4-5 hours and helps me eat a light but satisfying lunch. At one point I also thought it was a waste of calories and that skipping a meal would actually help keep me slim. In the end, it just caused me to over eat!

  • Jacquie April 21, 2010, 10:36 am

    When I was younger, my mom wouldn’t let my dad or I out of the house if we didn’t have breakfast so I grew up having it. It wasn’t always healthy (since I loved Entenmann’s chocolate doughnuts), but it was still there. When I went to college, that changed a little at the beginning because I would “save” calories too, but even when I was sick I ate breakfast (because I had seen the research too), it just wasn’t a lot. I had liked oatmeal in the past but the last 2 years, I’ve eaten it almost everyday now and have bowls with all kinds of fabulous toppings thanks to the bloggie world 🙂

  • Lindsay @ The Ketchup Diaries April 21, 2010, 10:38 am

    LOVE eating breakfast! I used to eat it as a kid, but then stopped eating it in high school in lieu of an iced coffee. How foolish!!! Now, I’m officially obsessed with oatmeal and eggs…just not at the same time 🙂

  • Lauren April 21, 2010, 10:38 am

    I have always been a huge breakfast lover. Give me biscuits gravy, scrambled eggs, and country ham and I am in heaven. Although these days I’m not sure I would still be up for the country ham.

    For the longest time (talking elementary school through high school) I ate chocolate covered sweet sixteen donuts dipped in chocolate milk. Healthy much? Need to kick my mom in the booty for allowing that kind of nonsense!

    These days is protein packed green monsters for this girl!

    • caitlin April 21, 2010, 12:33 pm

      oh man… but those donuts are really yummy. as a snack, not breakfast LOL

      • Carolyn @ lovinlosing April 21, 2010, 1:34 pm

        I say “EW” to the chocolate covered one, it tastest like wax to me. BUT…the powdered one…SWOON!

  • Cyclist Kate April 21, 2010, 10:38 am

    Haha, I think I’ve skipped breakfast *maybe* two or three times in my life, so YES I am a breakfast eater! My favorite breakfast lately has been Dreena Burton’s baked beans (from Vive la Vegan!), a piece of sourdough toast with Earth Balance, and mandarin oranges with tea. But it varies so much–I go through tofu scramble phases, toast with peanut butter, scrambled eggs, granola and yogurt…I like to mix it up. I’ve also been trying out Fitnessista’s breakfast cookies…yummm.

    This morning I’m having an oat-bean waffle with peanut butter, a little maple syrup, and a soysage. I was eating the waffle and thought “oh my god! I have to tell Caitlin about this recipe!” knowing your love of waffles. They’re sooo easy (I just blended up a batch and am keeping it in the fridge for this week’s breakfasts) and uber healthy. A little different from traditional waffles, but give them a try anyway! Hopefully the link works:

    http://www.nutritionmd.org/recipes/view.html?recipe_id=1109

  • Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter April 21, 2010, 10:39 am

    I’ve always absolutely have to eat breakfast. For early morning flights, at 3AM, I could only have dry toast and some kind of fruit to get my blood sugar levels up. But the fruit will take me about an hour to eat cause it’s so hard for me to get things in my body that early.

    I wake up pretty early and am always ready for food. I get up so easily cause I know that faster I’m ready to go, the faster I will get food. Such motivation 😉

  • Valerie April 21, 2010, 10:43 am

    See…I’m the complete opposite…I have never not eaten breakfast! Even if it’s just a breakfast bar or a banana..I have to purposely suppress my hunger/appetite to not eat right away in the morning. I had roomates that would be “oh I just forgot…” but I don’t understand how you can forget?!! lol wow…lol I’m such a foodie.

    I love almond milk too. It’s all i ever drink 🙂 I recently got my boyfriend to drink it too, but he buys “silk’s” (the brand) almondbreeze. he says it taste better so maybe you can try it for your husband 🙂

  • Erin April 21, 2010, 10:44 am

    My story is similar to yours…I’ve been skipping breakfast since middle school (why didn’t my mom make me eat breakfast?!) and a few years ago, I made myself start with peanut butter toast, like you! That was at about the same time I gave up fast food and between those two changes, I dropped 10 pounds in the matter of a few months. Eating breakfast is so important to health and weight management and I’ll never skip it again!

  • Wei-Wei April 21, 2010, 10:44 am

    I hate how I always have to tie in my eating disorder to answer your questions and comment… But here goes!

    During my eating disorder, I didn’t eat breakfast. My mom would pack it for me, and then I would eat it for lunch. Eventually… I found liberation and started throwing it away, so I didn’t eat breakfast OR lunch. Needless to say I’ve stopped doing that now, and I’m proud to say I eat a full, energizing breakfast AND lunch. 😀

    My favourite breakfast would a big, non-greasy omelette filled with mushrooms and marinara sauce. Oh, and oatmeal too of course! 😉

  • Lisa of Lisa at Home April 21, 2010, 10:47 am

    I definitely didn’t always eat breakfast… In highschool I thought an apple was a breakfast. Yeah, right. Then in college when I started to ‘watch my weight’… I started having oatmeal with a banana from the dining hall every day… now the sky is the limit for breakfast! Even during weightloss

  • Lauren (Health on the Run) April 21, 2010, 10:48 am

    Thanks for the review of Hemp Milk — I’ve never tried it (a little too scared, I guess!) but I’ve wondered how it tastes compared to other types.

    I’ve always been a breakfast person!! I never skip it and always try to eat within an hour of waking up (I sometimes eat 2 breakfasts in the morning if I’m going out to a late brunch because I just can’t wait that long to eat!!)

    However, my breakfasts have definitely changed over time. I used to go to bed at night looking forward to my morning bowl of cereal, but I’ve started replacing that with a big bowl of oats. Although the size of my breakfast has gotten a lot larger, it keeps me full longer and I find less likely to snack all morning. (case in point…this morning I was in a hurry and just had cereal…I was hungry like 2 hours later. :-/)

  • Katie @ Two Lives, One Lifestyle April 21, 2010, 10:49 am

    My mom and babysitter growing up used always encourage us to eat breakfast so I never considered skipping it! Until college… when like you, I figured it was a great way to “save” calories. Since I grew up having that energy in the AM though, it didn’t take me long to start eating breakfasts again. Though my breakfasts have gone from cereal based, to fruit based (skinny bitch), to egg based (low carb), to either eggs full of veggies, oatmeal, or yogurt messes.

  • Nicole, RD April 21, 2010, 10:49 am

    Breakfast always! Breakfast is sometimes my biggest meal of the day! I love an egg & Egg Beater omlet with 2% cheese and veggies and hash browns along side a piece of whole wheat toast with a smear of jam. Wouldn’t that be nice every morning? 🙂 I’ve always loved breakfast, so it’s hard for me to relate to those that don’t (i.e. my husband), but I will say, probably 50% of my patients DON’T eat breakfast 🙁

  • Erin @ Cooking and the City April 21, 2010, 10:53 am

    Thanks to food blogs (especially yours!), I am now a serious breakfast eater. Up until about a year go, I would go for a packet of instant oatmeal or a granola bar – pretty nutritionally void and not filling. That was when I was counting calories was eating breakfasts that were less than 200 cals!

    When I started avidly reading food blogs, I realized there are all these healthy women out there eating big bowls of oatmeal covered with fruit and nut butters…why can’t I do that?? Now when I wake up in the morning, my tummy is craving a bowl of oats – I really believe eating breakfast has helped me maintain a healthy weight and sets a precedent for healthy eating for the rest of the day. My other faves are smoothies and granola/fruit/yogurt bowls!

  • Steph-exercise physiologist and artist! April 21, 2010, 10:58 am

    Hi Caitlin!
    Long time no talk 🙂
    I have heard that Hemp milk is so good. I only drink almond milk right now (love that they came out with the gallon version!)but I have been wanting to try hemp.

    Looked at your engagement weekend photos. so cute!! I love that you guys got your bands from the Zales outlet. I went there when I was engaged (WAS not anymore) and I was so impressed with the selection and the prices.
    Anyway- hope you have a great day!

    • caitlin April 21, 2010, 12:33 pm

      zales outlet ruled!

  • Megan April 21, 2010, 11:02 am

    You wouldn’t believe it, but this oatmeal girl wasn’t always a breakfast girl! I started being consistent about breakfast when I started dieting and lost the 80 pounds! At that time, though, I was commuting over 50 miles to work everyday, so how I managed it was by eating breakfast bars that were high in protein and then having some fruit mid-morning to tide me until lunch. This was a complete change from high school and college, where I would be lucky if I ate a poptart or a bowl of cereal!

    Now, my favorite breakfast is probably steel cut oatmeal with a nanner or almond butter. But I also just love some plain old oats with a good dose of cinnamon 🙂

  • Astrid April 21, 2010, 11:05 am

    My dad would make me breakfast every single morning. There was no choice. I had to have breakfast before I went to school! It was usually something like a waffle with strawberry preserves and whipped cream, or toaster streudals, or cereal. Now I make myself a big bowl of oats or cream of wheat. My breakfasts are much more wholesome now, and I definitely can’t go one morning without them.
    My boyfriend has a very hard time with eating breakfast. He doesn’t believe that his body needs anything besides a Dr. Pepper in the morning. Sometimes I just want to scream at that man!!!

  • Lisa April 21, 2010, 11:06 am

    I always eat breakfast. I wake up hungry and coffee just doesn’t do it for me!

  • Retta @ RunRettaRun April 21, 2010, 11:07 am

    I cannot skip breakfast (ummm or any meal really)! My fave would be pancakes. I rarely have time to make them so Sundays are pancakes days in our family.

    I cannot taste the difference between rice or almond milk. However soy milk is bleck. It makes my throat itch!

  • Amy @ Second City Randomness April 21, 2010, 11:08 am

    Breakfast is probably my favorite and biggest meal of the day. I know that’s a little weird, but it works for me…

  • Heather (runningwithsass.com) April 21, 2010, 11:11 am

    I was like you. in HS I never ate breakfast, but sometimes would grab an iced coffee. in college i started eating like a gronal bar and that’s it. about a year ago I started making myself. I am like you, just not hungry in the morning. I have really started to try to force myself to eat more and I am getting there. i can’t do 500 calories just yeat, i average between 3 and 400 on a good day though! (I also eat a snack about 9:00)

  • Marina April 21, 2010, 11:13 am

    Breakfast is my favorite part of the day 🙂
    When I was little, I hated it, now, I can’t imagine not eating it. I would faint without my brekafast

  • Abby April 21, 2010, 11:14 am

    I used to not eat breakfast because my stomach just couldn’t take it. Now I HAVE to.. but I take it to work with me to give my belly some time to wake up!

  • Angharad April 21, 2010, 11:20 am

    I used to be EXACTLY the same about breakfast. Couldn’t stomach it! I wasn’t avoiding it but I just felt nauseous in the morning til about 10am. Now I literally cannot leave the house without eating (unless I am en route to a big brunch!)
    My favourites are: oatmeal; almond butter, banana and jam on toast; eggs on toast with bacon; turkey and cheese bagels (yes, for breakfast!)

  • Marci April 21, 2010, 11:21 am

    I started yoga with Baron Baptiste style. It is the best! I have read one of his books too. Hard, sweaty, exhausting, makes you feel great. I am on a yoga hiatus to try more strength training with weights (and master crow and handstand and better push ups), but I do think yoga is a great cross training method for running or any cardio that puts a toll on your body.

  • Megan @ Healthy Hoggin' April 21, 2010, 11:22 am

    When I made the switch from cow’s milk, I remember not liking any milk I tried at first! I switched to soy milk first, which took some adjusting, then I made the transition to almond milk, which also took a bit for me to get used to. Now I LOVE almond milk and can’t imagine using anything else!! Hopefully your husband will begin to love it eventually, too. 😀

    I worked as a waitress at a breakfast restaurant all through college, so I do LOVE breakfast! I never eat it at a certain time, though– I try to wait until I feel hungry, because I wake up really early for work, and my body is just not ready for food then! Whenever my appetite shows up, I typically have a big green juice or green smoothie! Usually if I start my day with something green, it sets a good tone for the rest of my day.

  • Heather C April 21, 2010, 11:32 am

    alwyays have been and always will be a breakfast eater! i tried to skip in in Highschool when I wasn’t hungry, but my Dad (physician) wasn’t havin’ that 😉 Luckily for me!

    As a Dietitian now, I could never skip it. 🙂 Plus, omg, love me some oatmeal! mmmhm

  • Hedda April 21, 2010, 11:35 am

    You are so right- breakfast is important and fundamental.

    No matter how far down I was in my anorexic universe I never skipped breakfast. I could not, I have always eaten it, and probably always will. If I don’t get food in a period of 30 minutes after I leave bed I feel weak and dizzy.
    Of course I did not eat a lot, but I can not remember ever have skipped it.

    These days I eat a massive breakfast which was such a shock in the beginning, but now I notice that my body needs it desperately. If I try to eat a smaller breakfast I have so little energy and my thoughts go into restricting-mode for the rest of the day.
    So, breakfast is truely the most important meal- almost like my defining moment of the day, haha 🙂

    I love oatmeal, toasts, youghurt…bagels with salmon and philadelphia cheese or egg. Hum.
    And always with two glasses of milk. Here in Norway we have a nationwide motto when it comes to milk : Gotta have it, just gotta have it. We are a milk-loving country!

  • Heather @ Side of Sneakers April 21, 2010, 11:37 am

    There’s unsweetened hemp milk that has 0 sugar!

    I’ve always been a breakfast person. I used to get up early before school when I was a kid so I’d have time to eat like 3 bowls of cereal haha. Now my favorite breakfast is oatmeal, for sure. I pretty much like any kind of carbs for breakfast though 🙂

  • Cynthia (It All Changes) April 21, 2010, 11:47 am

    I never ate breakfast as a kid or young adult. I woke up too late and was never hungry. Besides I figured I would get to eat more later in the day.

    Then when I started getting healthy I remembered how my mom harped on me about breakfast and tried it. I started small and now I have to eat something or I feel nauseous.

  • Larissa April 21, 2010, 11:48 am

    ohh i love st auggie! been there a few times 🙂

  • runnerforever April 21, 2010, 11:52 am

    Great post! It is so true that breakfast is so important yet often neglected.

  • Ashley April 21, 2010, 11:56 am

    i’ve ALWAYS been a breakfast eater. If i don’t get something in my belly within the first 30 mins of waking up i’ll be absolutely starving. if I skipped breakfast i’d probably pass out!

  • Clare April 21, 2010, 11:59 am

    I don’t understand people who don’t eat breakfast. I would be a crazy psycho bitch if I didn’t eat in the a.m. In high school I would get up, shower, pull my hair back in a wet gross ponytail (I went to an all girls high school) and sit and eat a bowl of cereal before school while reading the sports section. that’s weird, huh? Now I watch sportscenter in the morning. I haven’t changed that much I suppose.
    FYI, Food Inc is on PBS at 9 in NYC tonight. I’m excited, as I’ve never seen it!

  • Noelle April 21, 2010, 12:02 pm

    I’ve always been a breakfast person… except mine used to be pitifully small. We’re talkin’ like 150 calories. Now I must have at least 400. I used to think I was “saving” calories for later… now I realize the error of my ways! A big delicious breakfast with oats and nut butter is probably the high light of my day :-).

  • Julie April 21, 2010, 12:08 pm

    I alwasy eat breakfast and always have 🙂 It’s not alwasy been healthy though…I remember in high school having pepsi with breakfast. Gross.
    My all time favorite breakfast is a breakfast brunch! Hello inner fat kid, would you like to come out and gorge on a feast of french toast, cinnamon rolls, greasy home fries and more pastires than you can shake a stick at? Yes? Okay.

  • Cassie @ A Very Busy Mind April 21, 2010, 12:09 pm

    I think I’ve pretty much always eaten breakfast, but I didn’t get into my big 500-600 cal, nutrient-packed breakfasts until I started reading blogs. These days a small breakfast just won’t cut it for me. And it’s my favorite meal of the day!

    Oh, and oatmeal is def my fav breakfast.

  • Dynamics April 21, 2010, 12:11 pm

    You should make your own almond milk. It is so easy. Also you can make cashew milk.

    • caitlin April 21, 2010, 12:25 pm

      ooo something fun to try!

      • Laura April 21, 2010, 7:50 pm

        But it doesn’t have all the vitamin supplementation that the bought versions do- thats always been my hang-up with them- nice on occasion, but you’ve got to look after your bones, nerves and muscles…

  • Kelly April 21, 2010, 12:12 pm

    I never ate breakfast until I started working. I always managed to make it until lunch time in high school and college, but once the full time job started I needed something to hold me over. Now I eat cereal around 8 am.

  • Amanda April 21, 2010, 12:23 pm

    I have always loved breakfast…I am always famished right when I wake up. People think I am nuts that I must eat right away.
    I love cereal with almond milk and some fiber filled pancakes.

  • Heather (Heather's Dish) April 21, 2010, 12:31 pm

    i love eating breakfast, but i wasn’t always that way…i just figured i didn’t have enough time. it’s just fun to mix it up in the morning and have great food even right after i wake up 🙂

  • Amber K @ sparkpeople April 21, 2010, 12:40 pm

    I always eat breakfast, I would be starving if I didn’t! Although it is always a small one. I have found that a large breakfast only makes me want a large lunch, large dinner, large snacks…etc.

    I have never tried hemp milk, but I am not a fan of milk in general. While it does have less sodium, it also doesn’t list any potassium.

  • Caitlin April 21, 2010, 12:58 pm

    I like breakfast, because I usually wake up hungry, but I’ve always had a problem balancing it with my workouts. I like to workout in the morning, usually not long after I wake up. And my stomach can NOT handle any sort of food in it when I work out!

    I wonder if I’m getting any of the breakfast benefits–aka living longer (:– if I eat my breakfast at least two hours after I wake up!

  • Bethany Herrington April 21, 2010, 1:02 pm

    My typical breakfast is a green monster (thanks to you)! My 5 year old loves them as much as I do…and he asks for them every morning. I use vanilla yogurt (not a Greek yogurt fan – at all), banana, peanut butter, milk and spinach. Sometimes I leave out the peanut butter and add strawberries…but I like the protein pb gives and it just tastes better.

  • Carolyn @ lovinlosing April 21, 2010, 1:32 pm

    I’ve never been one of those people who didn’t eat breakfast. I always wake up hungry! Food is the first thing I think of in the morning. During the week I usually eat breakfast at my desk. It’s never the same oatmeal, grekk yogurt with fruit, green monster…today it was two pieces of WW bread with a piece of Havarti, an egg cooked in the mircowave, a piece of canadian bacon and a little jam. VERY filling. I was good for 4 hours!

  • Matt April 21, 2010, 1:35 pm

    I ALWAYS eat breakfast! It is my favorite meal of the day! I used to eat poptarts or skip it, but now I am a solid breakfast eater every morning. It really helps my energy levels throughout the day.

  • Katie April 21, 2010, 1:45 pm

    I wish I was better at eating breakfast. I love breakfast on the weekends but on the weekdays I just never get up early enough and it usually ends up being breakfast on the run. This is one thing I would really love to change.

  • Diana @ frontyardfoodie April 21, 2010, 1:54 pm

    I go through stages. I’m still not to the point where I wake up even remotely hungry but I do try to make myself eat breakfast. Right now being pregnant and having morning (all day) sickness it makes eating breakfast really hard. I’m re-inspired though!

  • Sammi April 21, 2010, 2:00 pm

    I cannot imagine not eating breakfast! It is the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning.. because my stomach begs for it the second I wake up! I actually experimented with Multigrain cheerios with 1 banana for the past 2 weeks and while it filled me up in the morning.. by evening time I was ravenous and couldn’t stop shoveling the food in. So I am back to a big bowl of oatmeal in the morning and it is much better 🙂

  • Sarah April 21, 2010, 2:50 pm

    Basically I can’t function unless I eat 400 or 500 calories at breakfast. My absolute favorites are a bowl of oats with pb, coconut shreds, craisins, cinnamon, chia seeds and a little granola on top or a nice big green monster with pb, banana, strawberries, extra spinach, milk, ice, and cinnamon. I love it so much I think its starting to become my favorite meal.

  • Susan April 21, 2010, 3:18 pm

    I’ve never been able to understand people who say they get sick when they eat in the morning! Often my growling belly is what has me up before my alarm! Ever since I was a kid, the kitchen was the first place I’d visit after waking up, and I’d be able to devour giant-sized portions first thing in the morning. I always joke that my stomach doesn’t sleep while the rest of me does. I usually have to eat a snack right before bed so I don’t wake up at 4am staaaaarving!

  • Tay April 21, 2010, 3:25 pm

    HUGE breakfast person over here!! I used to wake up completely eating my own stomach when I was running. Now I have a cup or 2 of coffee, and eat breakfast within an hour. And it’s always BIG!! Unless I’m working out right after. I never could understand how people can go hours and almost all day before eating! Crazy folks. Fave is definitely pancakes or french toast. Or yogurt messes.

  • Jenny @ JennyLikesToRun. A teenager with a healthy twist on life :) April 21, 2010, 3:27 pm

    I love this! Breakfast is the best meal of the day. I try to encourage so many people to make sure they eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast each day.
    However, I wasn’t always a breakfast eater myself. I use to get this terrible problem of feeling sick in the mornings. It happened all the time so I never ever ate breakfast. However, I knew I did need to eat breakfast and Mum used to get so mad that I didn’t, so to get my body used to it, she bought me Up & Go, the breakfast drink. I’d have 1 cup of that each morning until I began to adjust and could progress to bigger, more sustaining meals.
    Now, I eat HEAPS for breakfast and feel so much better! I could not function without it. I always wake up hungry too haha.

  • Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run] April 21, 2010, 3:29 pm

    YES – I eat breakfast!

    I have ALWAYS eaten breakfast!

    Childhood brex = Eggos, Cheerios, and then homemade goodies on the weekends.

    FAVORITE = oats and waffles and everything in between – breakfast is my favorite meal of the day!

    Three cheers for morning food!

  • Helen April 21, 2010, 3:53 pm

    Breakfast is my FAVOURITE meal of the day! Like you I used to skip it thinking; oh I can save some calories there’ but I was alwas sluggish and more inclined to binge on bad food. Since I met my bf he persuaded me to try cereal again (I used to hate it with milk) and now it’s one of my favourite breakasts!! I love cereal and cold milk, muesli, porridge, even waffles + bacon sandwiches. YUM!

  • Anna April 21, 2010, 4:15 pm

    I can confidently say that I have eaten breakfast every single day of my life except one (the day after I got home from Kenya and was so disoriented that I literally forgot to eat until mid-day). I always wake up hungry and generally prefer to front-load my calories anyways. I eat big breakfasts and lunches, then small dinners.

  • Vaala April 21, 2010, 4:35 pm

    I’ve always eaten breakfast…couldn’t function without it! It’s also always been my favourite meal of the day. In fact on the mornings I don’t train first thing I am craving breakfast so bad that I can’t even sleep in very long (sometimes I have to get up, eat breakfast, and go back to bed)!

  • Rebecca @ How the Cookie's Crumble April 21, 2010, 5:26 pm

    I wasn’t a breakfast eater for a long time! I had the same thought, I wasn’t hungry so it was better to save the calories for later. I still don’t “always” eat breakfast but I usually try. Lots of times when I’m traveling for work the mornings will just go by and it will be lunch time and I have not eaten anything, but on normal days I make sure to eat something.

  • Amanda (Amanda "runs") April 21, 2010, 5:41 pm

    I eat breakfast everyday, wether it’s a chocolate chip muffin or 3 pita chips, I HAVE to eat breakfast, or I pass out! (not fun when it’s swim team picture day and everyone’s yelling at you for walking out) 🙁
    When I was a baby I wouldn’t eat much either, I’d get extra midnight feedings.
    My favorite breakfast was todays! I had chocolate chip muffins from a box my mom made. We went on a retreat for school, and we gave some to two of my teachers! (they loved them!!)

  • Lily @ Lily's Health Pad April 21, 2010, 5:51 pm

    Pretty much my whole life I’ve eaten breakfast. The past few years, I’ve chosen heartier more caloric things. For some reason I used to think that one serving of cereal was all I needed. No wonder I was always so hungry for lunch!

  • Caroline April 21, 2010, 6:06 pm

    I never used to eat breakfast as a kid during the weekdays; i did on the weekends bc i was not rushing to…elementary/jr hs; i was never hungry for it either. I also started eating breakfast for more energy in school but would get massive stomach pains- so I would actually skip my first class. After 1 month or more, i began getting used to breakfast and am glad i transitioned to a breakfast eating girl!

  • Laura April 21, 2010, 7:59 pm

    The only times I haven’t eaten breakfast were 1. With hangovers. I just. can’t. do it. but then I guess I’ve still got some ethanol pumping round my body, fueling it anyhow and b. When I used to work night shifts at a hospital- then breakfast time was actually ‘dinner time’ for me. It seriously messed up my body clock, I’m not looking forward to my 72 hour long shifts in a few years time ;( A heads up for you: I really, really do not recommend the Manotiba Harvest hemp milk- it tasted like cod liver oil/rancid flax oil- and I was so happy to find it- the only one I can get in the U.K.(I paid £4.50 for it?!!!) More fool me he he. I’m listening to a radio show currently discussing runner’s prep+experiences of the London Marathon- somebody just said ‘the worst point in the race wasn’t hitting the ‘wall’- it was being overtaken by a giant squirrel’ Mad English 😉

  • Di April 21, 2010, 8:41 pm

    Yes! I love breakfast! One of my most favorite meals of the day!!! I usually opt for soymilk on my cereal but thinking about switching to almond milk since trying it in smoothies!

  • maria @ Chasing the Now April 21, 2010, 9:31 pm

    My mom instilled eating breakfast before school at an early age. I can’t imagine waking up and not eating before starting my day!!!

  • jenna April 21, 2010, 9:44 pm

    i am sucha breaky girl!

  • Cindi April 21, 2010, 11:14 pm

    I am a huge breakfast advocate! However, my bfast habits used to not be so safe. Yes, unsafe bfast! I used to pour a bowl of cereal / milk and eat while driving! SOOOOOO stupid! I did that for years! Anyway, now I’m much safer – thanks to you introducing me to green monsters. Or sometimes I’ll have a greek yogurt and some fruit. I get sick (and really pissy) if I don’t eat within 1 hour of waking up – my poor fiance had to learn that the hard way while we were traveling abroad…..haha!

    • caitlin April 21, 2010, 11:21 pm

      hahah did you ever spill it on yourself?

      • Cindi April 21, 2010, 11:23 pm

        Yes! But the worst was the time I set the bowl of cereal on my dashboard and it fell off and ran all down my stereo and into my A/C! I had to replace the faceplate on my radio and my car always smelled of milky blueberry cereal…..it was horrible on hot days!

  • Ashley April 21, 2010, 11:44 pm

    I always *hated* breakfast as a child. My mom would do anything she could to help me to eat in the morning – I even remember her once letting me have cherry pie for breakfast just so I had something in my system!!

    I started eating breakfast a few years ago and now I can no longer function without it. It is such an important part of my day!

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) April 21, 2010, 11:55 pm

    I hated breakfast for as long as I can remember, and would choke down toast, cereal, etc. and hate every minute of it. I started eating things like pizza or rice for breakfast because I could not stomach breakfast foods in the morning.

    I started reading your blog, and then some others and then this past summer I started my own blog. Once I started it I miraculously got excited about breakfast and started thinking up all these wonderful things I could have. I even started to love oatmeal (something I thought could NEVER happen!!)

    Now my favorite breakfast during the week is a lovely, loaded bowl of oats. On the weekend I like something hearty with eggs, bacon etc..

  • Julia @ British Bride April 22, 2010, 5:50 am

    I dont – I need to start!! 🙁

  • Di April 22, 2010, 7:54 am

    I’ve always been scared of almond milk but maybe I’ll check it or hemp milk out. 🙂

    I never ate breakfast in high school, but then again I also ate a soft pretzel with the processed nacho cheese for lunch so that’s not saying much. But once I started losing weight I started eating breakfast. And I LOVE breakfast food so I don’t know why I ever skipped it! Now that I go to the gym at 5:30am, I have a quick snack in the morning and then breakfast after I’m showered and ready for work.

  • kat April 22, 2010, 10:00 am

    I used to not eat breakfast for a really long time. I just had no appetite in the morning. Now I have to eat breakfast! It did take some getting used to but I think its one of the best changes I ever made health-wise. I love weekend breakfast- pancakes any way they can come & huevos rancheros! Mmmm!

  • Tara April 22, 2010, 9:52 pm

    I am way behind in my google reader so I’m just getting around to this, but I just HAD to comment because at my wedding we had Breakfast for Dinner!! I LOVE breakfast food – unpretentious, simple to make, and such a comfort! Plus after working for an upscale caterer for a year and being behind the scenes at hugely expensive weddings, i was kind of over the food anyway. It would take a LOT to impress me, so I just went for what I knew was awesome and unique – Breakfast for Dinner!!

Previous post:

Next post:

Search The Blog

Read by Month:

Read by Topic:

Healthy Tipping Point