There is no country in the world that does not recognize the supreme significance of breakfast. Every nation believes it is the most important meal of the day. An ancient culture immortalized this widely accepted truth with these words of wisdom:
“Eat Breakfast Like a King, Lunch Like a Prince, and Dinner Like a Pauper”
Present-day scientists added “to stay healthy”. This truism is believed to be best way to keeping one’s well-being. Some go as far as claiming it is the secret to losing weight. They profess it is keeping the calories down late at night that is the secret to combating obesity.
Our body’s circadian rhythms do not want to be confused. Confusion occurs when we eat late at night or at irregular intervals. They believe that the most worrisome about this habit is it hinders digestion.
These proponents assert that “people who eat the most in the morning experience greater weight loss and improve blood sugar levels even when consuming the same amount of calories overall.“
While most of our metabolic processes, such as appetite, digestion and the metabolism of fat, cholesterol and glucose, follow a circadian pattern, there are studies that claim that it is “what”, and not “when,” we eat that is important. In short, we must focus on what we put in our bodies.
We must consume only nutritious foods. But this should not diminish the importance of having breakfast.
A newspaper article claims that Dr Gerda Pot, a visiting lecturer in the Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division at King’s College London believes that “there seems to be some truth in the saying “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”.
Studies have shown that eating a healthy breakfast is the key. It is the nutrients that these foods we eat for breakfast that matter. Most national dietary guidelines encourage us to focus on what we eat in terms of nutrients. This goes without saying that your sugary doughnut and sweet coffee do not make for a healthy breakfast.
It is crucial that we do not skip breakfast but it is even more so to be conscious that it provides us the nutrients our body needs to be active and energetic the whole day.
As one famous athlete once quipped, “Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated. It goes back to the lessons you learned as a kid. Start with a real breakfast; don’t ever skip that.”
Deborah Enos, a certified nutritionist and a published writer, claims that people who eat breakfast tend to have a lower risk of certain health conditions.
Here are some of her research works on breakfast and nutrition yielded, which we would like to inform you that most of our research works agree, on the possible benefits of breakfast:
Diabetes:
Skipping breakfast may increase a woman’s diabetes risk, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Women who ate breakfast an average of zero to six times per week were at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women who ate breakfast every day.
Heart Disease:
Eating breakfast was associated with a lower incidence of heart disease in men between ages 45 and 82, according to a July study in the journal Circulation. The study also found that skipping breakfast was associated with hypertension, insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels.
Memory:
A 2005 Journal of the American Dietetic Association review of 47 breakfast-related studies found that eating breakfast is likely to improve cognitive function related to memory and test grades.
All this underscores what we have been trying to tell you: Eating breakfast is a smart move!
And you, our Malian friends, should rejoice because we have created a breakfast fit for a king (and the members of his royal family). It is has all the essentials your bodies need and we call it — what else? — The Special Malian Breakfast.
What makes this so special? Let us count the ways. Or rather exclaim the ingredients.
Eggs!
Milk!
And your favorite bread! (Note: We need to know the name, if there is, of this bread.)
Need we say more? By this time you must know by heart why moringa is considered as one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. As to the last one, there must be reason why it is the most popular bread in Mali. You have been having it for so long you know it does not only taste great, it also beneficial to your body.
Now let us get prepared together. Oh, there is no need to do that. Just look at these photos and let them guide you on how to make this special breakfast.
We intentionally did not mention oil earlier because you need only dash, enough to heat the pan. You do not need an oily breakfast. If you prefer your fried bread a bit sweet, add sugar or honey before serving. Remember that moderation is the key when it comes to sugar.
The best part of this breakfast is, you may drink the liquid mixture that you have soaked your bread on before dipping on the scrambled eggs. Warm it and this goes well with the bread. And always share this combination with your loved ones because is there anything nicer you can do than preparing breakfast for them?
Is there anything better we can do to start a day right than sharing a breakfast with the people we love the most?
Find more delicious recipes in the fantastic cookbook The Malian Kitchen: Recipes inspired by moringa and the nutritious, delicious foods that grow abundantly in Mali, West Africa