Breakfast is, in many ways, one of the most restrictive meals of the day , as it should be eaten before 11 a.m. to avoid eating when noon arrives. It is important that it is complete enough and that it gives the necessary energy to start the day , whether it is to exercise, go to work or some other task.
There are also certain foods that, at least without logical reason, seem, at least in Western culture, to be considered universally inappropriate for breakfast: we can have salmon but not a tuna steak, we eat bread with butter and jam but not spaghetti a the carbonara, and while the fruit is perfectly acceptable, a salad would seem odd.
Is it better for our body to have a sweet or salty breakfast?
The key between the different breakfasts we enjoy is the fact that they can be sweet or savory. For those more interested in desserts, being able to prepare a full meal around sugar is their dream, while those who wake up with a salty craving try to start the day with some well-rounded toast. Although there are people who have a sweet or savory breakfast depending on the day, most of us tend to always have the same thing in the morning.
Part of this is cultural, in America breakfasts tend to be sweeter. This can be traced to the proliferation of boxed cereals during the baby boom as an uncomplicated breakfast that was widely marketed to give to children. By the time these kids were grown up and ready to become parents, many switched to a healthier alternative like muesli or oatmeal, but the sweet element was still present in their breakfast routine.
In many Asian countries, breakfast is not particularly differentiated from other foods , and salty noodle broth bowls are common in the morning, but even in countries like Korea or Japan, supermarkets have aisles full of boxes with many cereal options. sweet. Europe also pushes its children towards sweet breakfasts in the morning, but they generally opt for pastries or toasts with different types of sweet preserves, such as jam or cocoa cream.
But possibly the most important reason we choose a sweet or savory breakfast comes from what we ate the night before. We eat breakfast in the morning to kick start our metabolism and avoid hunger throughout the day. When we eat a dinner rich in refined carbohydrates , blood sugar levels rise, which means that the body demands something sweet to balance it . If we have eaten a plate full of pasta just before going to bed, it is much more likely that we will not wake up wanting some muffins or a cake.
The main reason for craving salty foods is a lack of sodium , which is usually caused by dehydration. If we have wine or beer with dinner instead of water, or if we exercise and do not rehydrate adequately at night, we may wake up wanting saltier food , when in reality what we need is a large glass of water .
So what is more beneficial, a sweet or savory breakfast? Well, it will depend on the nutrients we need. If we want to make sure we get enough protein in the morning, we can have eggs, turkey slices or yogurt with nuts. At the same time, if we want to avoid processed foods, such as pastries or cereals, the ideal is to eat healthy fats and sugars such as fruit or avocado , instead of simple carbohydrates. As long as we comply with the rules of food and have a good control of macronutrients, it does not matter if the main flavor is sweeter or salty .
