The New Power Breakfast

Do you eat breakfast? If you don't then you may be hurdling your way toward obesity, if you are not already there, or worse. It's true.

People who eat breakfast are significantly less likely to be obese and diabetic than those who usually don’t, researchers have reported at the American Heart Association’s 43rd Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

In their study, researchers found that obesity and insulin resistance syndrome rates were 35 percent to 50 percent lower among people who ate breakfast every day compared to those who frequently skipped it.

“Our results suggest that breakfast may really be the most important meal of the day,” says Mark A. Pereira, Ph.D., a research associate at Children’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. “It appears that breakfast may play an important role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

Most readers of this blog who love to travel as I do know that breakfast is the meal most likely to be eaten at the hotel. I love breakfast and pile it on lavishly and I've never been overweight or dieted once in my life. Nothing beats those huge platters of food at the Irish B&B's, the "full English"in London or the thousands of perfect layers in a fresh croissant in Paris whilst sipping a cafe au lait. Yet, the new power breakfast (as with the "new" everything) hardly resembles the old menu of eggs Benedict, laden with heavy sauce, and perhaps even a bloody mary, or two! Hotels seem to be going healthy even for breakfast.

The Omni Hotel chain recently introduced the "Art of Breakfast" service which features not only hibiscus frappes but organic foods, shade grown coffees and pork raised at a farm using certified humane methods. The egg white omelet is popular at the Westin Waltham-Boston. The muffins are whole grain and the coffee quality roasted.


The Omni Hotel and The Art of Breakfast

The New York Times recently ran a story in its Business Traveler section saying that the breakfast meeting is now more popular than the old lunch meeting. Ms. Sue Morgan, vice-president for food and beverage services for InterContinental Hotels Group says: "With this busy schedule, I am much more hesitant to schedule a lunch. Breakfast is more flexible. I can schedule something at 7 instead of 7:30 if we need more time."

So what do you think? Is breakfast the new lunch?


The Foodie at Adare Manor in Adare, Ireland. After breakfast!