Consumer research group, NPD, recently reported that 31 million Americans skip breakfast each morning.  It’s not for lack of food choices – have you seen the breakfast cereal aisle lately? 

Whether it’s the crazy morning rush or the desire to reduce daily calories, breakfast shouldn’t be skipped.  It’s not a myth; breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day.  By starting your day with a healthy breakfast, you will give your metabolism a jump-start, recharge your brain and your body, and give your spirits a lift. 

Building a better breakfast starts with whole grains and includes fruits, vegetables and a little protein to make it stick.  With more fiber and often with a lower glycemic index than their refined counterparts, whole grains provide energy and satiety well into the lunch hour. 

Wondering what I eat?  I wake up hungry, so I can’t get much of anything done until I eat my breakfast.  Most of the time, it’s a bowl of cereal topped with fruit and soymilk, but I also love my poached egg on a slice of multigrain toast or a steaming bowl of oatmeal with dried cranberries and almonds.  On the super-rushed mornings, I make a peanut butter sandwich out of multigrain waffles.  But on the weekends I slow it down and take my time mixing up batches of my daughter’s favorite whole wheat pancakes.  As you can see, I like to change it up.

I asked the team here at Oldways to share their go-to breakfast or their favorite breakfast, in hopes it would serve to inspire you to mix up your morning meal.  Here’s what they said:

Joan:
Usual breakfast is shredded wheat with chopped dates and pecans, but her favorite is her cornmeal pancakes with fresh strawberries.

Abby:
Typical breakfast is either oatmeal with raisins or figs, or a cup of Greek yogurt with cereal mixed in.  Her favorite weekend breakfast is egg whites with whole grain toast and peanut butter.

Mallory:
A typical breakfast is also her favorite: a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries.

Rachel:
Go-to weekday breakfast includes either a whole wheat bagel thin or whole wheat English muffin with a spread of crunchy peanut butter, a couple of raisins and a sprinkle of raw oats.

Kelly:
Favorite weekend breakfast is an egg white omelet with spinach, scallions and crumbled goat cheese along with a slice of whole grain toast.  

Sarah:
Most days it’s a smoothie for Sarah, but the days she needs more substance, she toasts whole grain rye or sunflower seed bread and tops it with peanut or almond butter and a squirt of maple syrup, served up with a cup of black coffee. And when the kid in her craves the crunch of cereal, she has a bowl of granola with coconut milk, nuts, and chopped peaches or mango.

Georgia:
We saved the best for last, from Georgia, our resident food guru.  Illustrating her unbeatable knack for taking the stress out of cooking and entertaining, Georgia shared her solution to the ever-changing needs of her boys, her husband, and their frequent houseguests. 

“We have a standing breakfast buffet that allows for lots of mixing and matching, according to whim.”   Here’s her list of what to stock for this DIY breakfast:

On the standing buffet:

• Raw quick-cooking oats
• Crispy brown rice cereal
• Shredded wheat cereal
• Bran flakes
• Puffed millet
• Homemade granola
• Chopped walnuts
• Raw cashews
• Golden raisins
• Raisins
• Diced dried figs
• Ground flaxseed
• Chia seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Seaweed flakes

In the freezer, to be microwaved for 3 minutes:

• Cooked steel cut oats
• Cooked kamut
• Cooked freekeh

To the breakfast buffet, she’ll also add a selection of fresh cut citrus and melon, along with berries and bananas and an almond or hemp milk.  Everyone grabs a bowl, fills it with the hot or cold cereal of their choice, and tops it with lots of goodies from the buffet.  “No breakfast is ever the same…and I find I’m rarely hungry before 1 pm.” 

There you have it.  Hot or cold, sweet or savory, there are endless varieties, preparation methods and combinations to satisfy even the most finicky eater.  Who says your breakfast has to be boring?  Once you become familiar with different grains–how they cook and how they taste–you’ll have endless opportunities to explore as you build your next breakfast. (Karen)