EE2: Draft

Bill Schaff

Professor Leake

Writ 1133

May 21, 2013

Eaters Manifesto

            I love food and when I think of food values that I have, there is only one that comes to mind: breakfast. Other than actually eating, breakfast is the only real food value that I have. Growing up, my parents emphasized the importance of breakfast. Saying that, and I quote my father, “Everything that you can do in your day is a result of eating breakfast.” Whether he was right or wrong does not matter because eating breakfast was engrained into me, it is the one thing I do with food on a regular basis.

            Food values are a funny thing though, while yes they are your own, they are really your parent’s. Think about it, what your parents instilled onto you as a child, for the most part, is what you put the most value on. This is especially true for me. Growing up, my family was extremely traditional in how we ate. We would sit down and breakfast and dinner together, no one could eat until the hostess lifted her fork, you could not eat with your mouth open, and you had to cut your food with the knife in your right hand and then also eat the food eat with the fork in your right hand. These are values that my family places very high, especially when we are with our grand parents. One of the main values that was instilled on me is the benefits associated with eating breakfast, specifically the fact that eating a complete and full breakfast would give me “More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity” (Zelman). Playing three sports my whole life, lacrosse, tennis and skiing, I really did need the energy to last all day. There was rarely a day where I would not play at least two sports and not to mention staying awake through seven straight hours of riveting school classes. Without eating breakfast everyday, I believed as a kid that I would not have the energy to last all day with all of the activities that I had to do.

Getting the energy I needed to last an entire day was not solely due to eating breakfast but specifically eating a healthy breakfast. This was another value that my parents have engraved into me. They always emphasized that eating a breakfast is important but eating a well-balanced breakfast is the most important. My parents are not the only ones who think this way either. Katherine Zeratsky who is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota, the American Dietetic Association, and has been working for the Mayo Clinic since 1999 notes, “When you eat a healthy breakfast, you tend to eat a healthier overall diet, one that is more nutritious and lower in fat. When you skip breakfast, you're more likely to skip fruits and vegetables the rest of the day, too.” Just starting my day out right with a proper breakfast sets me up for the entire day to eat healthy. Throughout all of high school and middle school, my parents would go out of their way to make sure that I had a proper breakfast most mornings. They would make me a verity of fruits, scrambled eggs, French toast, or if I was running late they would make a breakfast sandwich which was a golden-brown toasted bagel on top and bottom with a fresh egg fried, extra thick-crispy bacon and a slice of American cheese. What I would give to have that every morning again.

Now that I am living on my own I have strayed away from this value that I have but I still know the importance of eating a regular-balanced breakfast. Even now in college I notice the effects of not eating breakfast. I currently have an 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, not thrilled about it, and regularly I find myself skipping breakfast on these days. With out my parents making sure that I have eaten something before I leave the house, I tend to not eat breakfast on these days because waking up that early is no easy task. What I have found is that not only do I struggle staying awake when I do not eat breakfast but I even struggle paying attention. In an article done by NPR, they found, “Evidence suggests that eating breakfast really does help kids learn. After fasting all night, a developing body (and brain) needs a fresh supply of glucose — or blood sugar. That's the brain's basic fuel.” By not eating breakfast I am setting myself up for failure. I am not providing myself with the resources that I need to succeed in school. If my brain does not have “brain fuel” than how am I supposed to learn anything from what is being taught.

In finding out that eating breakfast gives me “brain fuel” so that I can learn at my highest potential, I wanted to find an easy item to eat for breakfast. Something that is not day-old pizza, as tasty and efficient as it is, I cannot imagine that eating day-old pizza is really going to prepare me for the day. Because I do not give myself much time in the morning to eat I wanted to find a healthy option that would give me a sufficient-quick breakfast. Sacramento State University published an article for their student and all students of healthy ways to “Start Your Engine Right” (Health). They give a few tips of what to eat:

“Super fast grab-n-go breakfast ideas:

• Small whole-wheat bagel with light cream cheese and banana

• Whole grain toaster waffle with peanut butter and all fruit jam

• Meal replacement bar and fruit

• Hard-boiled egg (boil the night before), whole grain toast and grapes

• String cheese, apple and low fat granola bar”

With these tips I can fulfill all of the values that I place on breakfast. Even though I might find myself not eating breakfast as often because I have very little time in the morning, I still know and want to practice eating breakfast because of all the positive benefits that come from it.

            For me, the highest value that I put on eating breakfast is the health benefits that will come from it. Looking into the health side of breakfast, one thing that took me by surprise is cereal. I eat cereal on a regular basis, it has become a staple of my diet and one that I thought was not all that healthy. But according to the New York Daily News online it is quite the contrary, “Kids who ate more cereal got more vitamin D, B-3, B-12, riboflavin, calcium, iron, zinc and potassium in their diets than kids who ate less cereal or none at all.” Eating a bowl of cereal can provide us with nutrients that we. This article goes on to say that kids who ate cereal on a regular basis were more likely to loose weight and after freshman year that is needed. There is no disputing the overwhelming amount of research and data on how a well-balanced breakfast will help you with you day and your life. A 16-year study from Harvard shows that “of nearly 30,000 subjects found that men who skip breakfast are 21% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who eat breakfast daily”. A study from the Sussex Innovation Centre shows that “61% of test subjects showed improvements in English and mathematics tests after eating breakfast” According to a Georgia Centenarian Study, “The 21-year study of older Americans suggests that regularly eating breakfast may lead to a longer-than-average life span”

(mrbreakfast). If all it takes for me to have a longer, healthier, more engaged life is to eat breakfast once a day than I see no reason to skip breakfast. It is not a hard meal to eat, personally it’s my favorite, if we are gaining so much from it.

Eating breakfast is a food value that I place very high in my life but in recent years have strayed away from. With the whole excitement of living on my own and being in college there has been many other things on my mind instead of eating breakfast. This quarter specifically I have been trying to change that, to revert back to my old eating habits. I have especially noticed that when I eat a healthy breakfast before class, my next meal tends to be healthier as well. It may be a salad instead of pizza, or fruit instead of Captain Crunch Berries. This also has a huge effect on my productivity and energy throughout my day. I feel like I can get more done and have more of a motivation to do it. People say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but have you ever stopped to wonder why? You hear this phrase almost everyday but do you actually know what benefits eating breakfast will have for you?

Works Cited

Aubrey, Allison. National Public Radio. 4 Sept. 2006. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5738848>.

Health Center, Sacramento State. Sacramento State University. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.csus.edu/hlth/Health%20Ed/Why%20Eat%20Breakfast.pdf>.

Loiselle, Daniel. Daily News. 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/kids-eat-breakfast-cereal-bmi-study-article-1.1312860>.

Mr Breakfast. 2013. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.mrbreakfast.com/glossary_term.asp?glossaryID=152>.

Zelman, Kathleen M. WebMD. Aug. 2007. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/many-benefits-breakfast>.

Zeratsky, Katherine. Mayo Clinic. 23 July 2011. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119>.