We’ve all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and considering that Americans eat approximately 102 billion breakfast meals a year, it appears that we actually believe that’s true. It might surprise you to learn that breakfast hasn’t always been such a talked-about meal. Prior to the 17th century, it was actually socially and morally frowned upon to eat breakfast. It was Queen Elizabeth’s fondness for the meal that helped boost its popularity among Europeans. So, what got Americans believing that eating a bowl of Wheaties and drinking OJ in the morning was so important? “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is nothing more than a marketing slogan developed in 1917 by Kellogg’s to get people to eat more cereal. There is no scientific evidence that breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day. Fast-forward to the present day and cereal is still a part of our daily morning meal, and the proof is in Kellogg’s profits. The food giant makes an average $1.4 billion in profit off its cereals and breakfast foods. Although today we enjoy bacon and eggs, avocado toast, pancakes, yogurt and granola, it confirms our love of breakfast — or maybe just how well brainwashed we really are.
