Where Did The Phrase 'Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day' Come From?

If you grew up in the United States, you've likely heard the phrase "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" thousands of times in your life. It makes sense that breakfast is important, being the first meal you eat after waking up and setting the standard for the rest of the day. Even Alton Brown has said so, and the celebrity chef eats a nutrient-dense morning meal to get the day started right. But who decided that breakfast is more important than all other meals?

Surprise: It wasn't someone's grandma who first said it. This phrase was actually first used as a marketing slogan from Kellogg's in 1917 to encourage people to eat more cereal for breakfast. The founder of Kellogg's cereal, John Harvey Kellogg, was a physician and Seventh-Day Adventist, and he strongly believed in the connection between healthy eating and religious morality. His idea was that creating a simple, bland food like cornflakes would encourage abstinence from sex and a clean, pure lifestyle. Kellogg pushed this slogan to encourage more people to eat a plain cereal breakfast to support these values. 

Some people choose to skip breakfast as a part of intermittent fasting, others get nauseous even at the thought of eating early, while many turn into hungry monsters without food first thing in the morning. The importance of breakfast varies from person to person, and the key is to pay attention to your hunger cues. If you normally eat breakfast, skipping the meal will have noticeable negative effects, like feeling tired, unfocused, and low-energy. This is why it can certainly feel like the most important meal, especially if we have a long, busy day ahead.

Breakfast is a good opportunity to fuel your body with satiating nutrients like fiber, protein, and healthy fats before you walk out the door and head to work, school, or the gym. A healthy, balanced breakfast can provide energy and keep us feeling full and focused for longer. Overall, what you eat over an entire day matters the most, and one meal is not necessarily more important than the others. Despite what Kellogg believed, cereal is not the most balanced breakfast on its own — but you could consider adding some protein and fruit to round the meal out. Whether you're team sweet or team savory, there are plenty of breakfast recipes that guarantee you're starting the day off right.