By Alexandra Pasanen
Awakened Member, Food Studies Student
Plain cheerios in a zip-lock bag. No milk. No spoon. And don’t ask me how I’m doing because I’m 12 and there aren’t words strong enough to answer that question.
This was generally what breakfast looked like for me during my adolescence and early 20’s. When I had my first job out of college in Boston, I swapped the cheerios and most of the attitude for oatmeal, for an everything bagel toasted with butter when I moved to New York City, and for a Starbucks egg white wrap when those jobs finally meant I could spend a little on healthier items.
I didn’t really care about breakfast, and I certainly never thought about what would fuel me through the day. Then something happened. Remember those commercials where an anonymous employee in an unnamed metropolis has sugary cereal for breakfast, which leads to half a donut at the office, which leads to pizza for lunch and a burrito for dinner? Then in a split screen an alternate reality plays out where she chooses eggs for breakfast, which leads to an apple as a snack, which leads to a salad for lunch and poached salmon and veggies for dinner? The whole thing is supposed to demonstrate how one good choice can lead to a better, healthier, more nutritionally valuable life. Well that commercial didn’t change my life, but when I started working with Ashley, I started to see my life between the lines of those two scenarios. I wasn’t totally in the donut snack realm, but I did know in the back of my mind that a healthy breakfast would probably serve me better than something pre-packaged and previously frozen.
We started with what I knew I liked and what already fit into my life: eggs. They were easy, fast, and when I put them on a piece of Ezekiel sprouted grain toast they covered 2 food groups at once. Bonus points for me in my nutritional journey, and extra points because I liked them and they kept me full until lunch.
Overtime, I started to allow more time for my newfound breakfast ritual. I sat down to have my eggs on a plate rather than taking it on a paper towel as I rushed to the subway. I cut down from one egg to two because when I started to pay attention to how full I was feeling while I ate (nice to meet you, mindfulness), I realized that I was satisfied after one egg. Once I rediscovered the joy of watching The Today Show before work, a practice that 12 year old me would have silently endured but secretly enjoyed along with my dry Cheerios, I had enough time to even have a scoop of yogurt alongside my egg and toast. 3 food groups! Then came the berries on top of the yogurt, a homage to a breakfast I had on a boat in Greece with my family at 15. The memory was so strong that I could still feel the blueberries bursting in my mouth, the honey coating my tongue in a silky sweetness. If I couldn’t move to the Mediterranean, at least I could eat like I did.
By the time I moved to Mexico in March of 2019 and had access to the freshest avocados and jalapenos, I had added greens to my breakfast and therefore hit the nutritional holy grail: all 5 major food groups at once. I had a quick and easy balanced breakfast that I loved, cherished, and made work for me no matter where I was in the world. Some days I make do with what’s available, like the green smoothie with almond butter that I had this morning, or the yogurt and mango I had yesterday while still recovering from a mysterious stomach bug. Whatever it looks like, breakfast has become my habit – a good one – and has anchored my eating behaviors and my mindfulness journey. If you pay attention, play around, you can find what works for you too, and maybe for your moody 12 year old.
*Make it seasonal! The transition from August to September leaves us dripping in sweet tomatoes, juicy peaches, and the crippling sadness that Summer is behind us. But the official end of Summer isn’t until September 22nd, so keep the spirit alive by continuing to choose what is in-season and fresh at your grocery store or local farmers market. Look for peaches, plums, pears, apples, zucchini, and add what satisfies you to your breakfast! Click Here to get a list of What’s In-Season sent to your inbox!
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