Starting the day right with a hearty, healthy breakfast

Moms are right: Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day, or so Live Science says. Citing studies, the site states that skipping breakfast can put people at a greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other ailments.

LiveScience adds that eating breakfast can help in weight loss. One study showed that people whose largest meal of the day is breakfast lost nearly 18 pounds in three months.

Fact or fiction?

While most Google entries insist that breakfast is the most essential meal of the day, a certain Huffington Post article demands more evidence.

“In analyzing dozens of individual papers—called a meta-analysis—the researchers concluded that the link between breakfast and body weight is only presumed true,” the article says.

“In other words, the idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is more of a shared belief than a research proven conclusion,” it adds.

Meanwhile, an article in “Scientific American” magazine says those who had large breakfast lost more inches off their waist than those who ate skimpy breakfasts and big dinners.

“Those who ate the big breakfasts also had better insulin control, and improved glucose and triglyceride levels for the rest of the day than those who ate more of their calories late,” the article said.

While the debate on the importance of breakfast rages on, I will continue to enjoy hearty and healthy breakfasts.

Quick breakfast fixes

For those who have to go to work early in the morning, fixing breakfast can be too cumbersome. The solution is to prepare meals the night before or keep easy-to-cook food at hand.


The site WebMD said some familiar breakfast foods have anti-aging properties and are good for the skin. For example, oats prevent skin damage and soothe skin irritation. Oranges hydrate your skin and keep your skin supple.

Breakfast liempo – Health buffs might frown on this but I like having liempo (pork belly) with lots of fresh tomatoes for breakfast.

As someone who prefers small but frequent meals, I like small-sliced meats. Even pork belly, I slice into bite-sized portions before frying. But before that, I marinate the pork in naturally-brewed soy sauce with calamansi, and a dash of salt and pepper. It only takes about 10 minutes to brown the pork belly in hot olive oil.

Adobo – Adobo is something you can prepare the night before and just heat in the microwave in the morning. Friends and family usually remember one dish of ours: our adobo. It’s just anyone’s regular adobo with soy sauce and vinegar but years ago, I thought of adding oyster sauce and sesame oil and it tasted great. That’s been our recipe ever since.

Sometimes I mix it up, using cherry brandy instead of vinegar or adding a can of liver spread. It all depends on your mood for the day. If you’re craving for something spicy, try adding a dash of chilli garlic sauce. I’ve tried it and it was good.


Experiment a little with food, but be prudent. You wouldn’t want to end up in the hospital with a stomach ache.

If you’re diet- and health-conscious, it would be good to consider the calorie counts of common breakfast foods.

The website caloriecount.com, provides nutritional information about foods such as:

• Banana – 105 calories
• Coffee – 2 calories
• Oats (one cup) – 166 calories
• Large hardboiled egg – 78 calories
• Scrambled egg – 199 calories
• Fat-free light yogurt (170 grams) – 100 calories
• Semi-skimmed milk (30 grams) – 15 calories

Favorite breakfast places


Living in Pasay City, our favorite breakfast places are in the Mall of Asia and nearby Makati. If you're too much in a hurry to make your own meal in the mornings, any of these places are good alternatives.

Coffee and Saints Cafe (Saint John Bosco Parish Church, Makati City) – Coffee and Saints Café serves mainly Filipino dishes: Bango (Bangus/Monggo), P95; Bicol Express, P75; King David’s Chicken, P100; Malunggay Citrus, P50, Malunggay Coffee, P50, among others.

Millie’s Restaurant (Microtel Hotel, Mall of Asia) – We discovered that even though we live just five to 10 minutes away from Microtel Hotel, staying there for a short vacation isn’t such a bad idea, especially as each overnight stay—P4,200 and up—comes with a free breakfast for two at the hotel’s Millie's Restaurant. The buffet breakfast is fabulous with a wide variety of breads, pasta, seafood, chicken, pork, and other dishes.

Cafe Maxims (Resorts World Manila) – I don’t even know a single card game except computer Solitaire, but Resorts World, a tourist destination known for its casino, offers a good breakfast deal: All day breakfast at P280 per head at Café Maxims.

Riviera Café (Heritage Hotel Manila) – Not all hotels serve good food. Thankfully, Riviera Café at Heritage Hotel in Pasay City, does. The café serves Malay, Singaporean, Filipino, Japanese, French, Italian, European food seven days a week. It is also known for its Halal food. The price for a breakfast buffet is is P877 each for adults and P493 each for children.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast (Mall of Asia, Pasay City) – If you’re looking for an authentic Singaporean breakfast, Ya Kun Kaya Toast restaurant near the grocery at the Mall of Asia is worth a try. Kaya toast with butter is P80; kopi, P75, and two pieces soft-boiled eggs, P50.

Not too many people eat here so it’s perfect if you want to laze around after a good meal. Most people can be found at the nearby McDonalds store, which of course, serves one of the best coffees in the world. However, Ya Yun Kaya’s coffee isn’t bad. You’ll be amazed too at how they prepare it the Singapore way.

Subway – My favorite gym is Gold's at Glorietta in Makati, as there are so many places where we can eat before and after an intense workout. Subway is where I like having breakfast before going to Gold's. I like the fresh greens they put in the sandwich and the newly-baked bread they use. The price is very affordable too, around P100 for a BLT or ham sandwich. — VC, GMA News