Fast Food Breakfast and Why It’s so Popular
The facts are indisputable: while fast-food sales in general are going down, breakfast menus and sales are growing in numbers. According to one recent Los Angeles Times article, where once breakfast meals made up only a small percentage of the sales, as of last year, they produced $34.5 billion making up 25 percent of the 45 billion fast-food customers world-wide.
Fast breakfast is booming and it’s no surprise. People are working harder, working earlier, working more in general. The American people don’t sit down at the breakfast table anymore and take their times to eat. Mostly because they don’t have the time.
The Reason For Increased Fast Food Breakfast Sales:
Why this increase in fast-food breakfast meals? There’s only one word that comes to mind: convenience. In a world of microwave meals, snooze buttons and digital devices to check emails, text and other means of present day communication, people are just too hurried to stop and eat that vitally important meal.(1)
A quick drive through a drive-in window at fast-food eateries for that morning coffee, chocolate glazed doughnut and/or Danish pastry has virtually eliminated the time needed for preparing that hearty breakfast at home.
How To Break The Fast-Food Breakfast Habit
Let’s begin by saying that it won’t be easy. A bad habit that’s been done for years is not going to vacate the premises without a struggle. Howbeit, it is not impossible, and there are means to break those nasty bad breakfast fast-food habits–now!
Take Inventory And Get Serious
Do you want to eat at home for breakfast, or take it to work with you? Either way, you’ll have to plan ahead. To start off, what are the foods and beverages you can part with, and what are those you can’t do without–for now?
Plan Ahead
Making an impromptu breakfast meal the night before may be your best plan for this meal. Making your own one-handed breakfast food the night or week before and keeping it in the freezer for a quick microwave nuking session is one good way to go.
You could also put some yogurt and fruit into plastic or glass containers, and grab them in the morning along with your own rendition of Egg McMuffin–minus all the trans fats, salt and Lord knows what else.
Know Thyself And Keep A Journal
One article published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine recommended keeping a journal.(2) This really needs discipline, but keep a piece of paper handy and mark down every item that goes into your mouth. Make note of the time you ate it, how you felt after eating it 20 minutes after the meal and/or 2 hours later. Learn to listen to your body.
Now, review your diary at the end of the week. Check your eating pattern while eating, and decide what you can drop from your menu. Even if it’s a small item, like one tiny Dunkin Donut Munchkin donut–drop it!
Slow And Easy
While some nutritionists feel one should go cold turkey with nutritional changes, others feel it is best to gradually change the habits as you taper off. Don’t overwhelm yourself with wanting to shift gears too quickly; moreover, your mind and body will try to revert back to its former eating habits.
Never Skip Breakfast
Eat something within the first 30 minutes after waking up. Always try to include some food that is high in protein such as bacon, sausage links or a cheese/egg omelet.
Avoiding that mid-morning cup of coffee will help regulate your blood glucose level and lessen the cravings for more high-starch carbs and high-sugary meals at the fast-food restaurant come lunchtime.
Don’t Judge Yourself Too Harshly
No two body types are the same. What is right for one person is not necessarily the best diet for another. Experience and listening to your body may be the only true gauge we can go by in regulating our bodies to its proper nutritional type.
Tweak Yourself
Let’s say you start off your new breakfast regimen and find it hard to adjust. If this is the case, then eat several small portions of nutritious foods every two or three hours. A protein shake, a spoonful of non-fat cottage cheese or a hard-boiled egg are all excellent choices.
In a nutshell, that’s how we can all break the fast-food breakfast habits, save money and live longer starting–tomorrow morning.
Reference Sources:
(1) http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-breakfast-wars-20150421-story.html
(2) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000349.htm
