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In Defence of the 3,000 Calorie Breakfast
Well, not really. In the Times of London, Giles Cohen attacks the Brits' "national dish": its 3,000 calorie breakfast featuring eggs, various sorts of meat, and all sorts of grease:
We're drunk, we're underslept, we smell, we can't walk straight, it hurts to talk and all we want is something to make the blood rush to our stomach, and away from our brains.
He means this as a bad thing. Read "Why the Great English Breakfast is a Killer."
Hat tip: Alan Vanneman.
|4.21.08 @ 9:57AM|#
Something like a "Fry-up" used to be my father's favorite dish.
Bacon, sausage, eggs and english muffins all cooked together in a
pan until it was almost black then covered in salt and
pepper.
It's amazing that he is still alive, he is under doctor's orders
not to eat like that anymore.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 10:02AM|#
You see, it's complex (or "slow-release") carbohydrates you
want in the morning. They keep you going till lunchtime, don't set
off crazy blood-sugar "spikes", and lay down no fat.
Oh my, when I got here it cemented the obvious fact that this guy
is a moron.
Carbohydrates are exactly what sets off blood sugar spikes. How is
this guy taken seriously?
If I have a carb breakfast I'm starving in 2 hours. If I have
protein and some fat I'm good until lunch.
People like this guy are beyond stupid. Let's see: 4 pieces of
bacon are approximately...150-200 calories. 2 eggs...150. Together,
that's 300-350 calories.
A stack of pancakes with syrup? 600-1000 calories, depending on
size.
I'll take my bacon and eggs, thanks. Keep the carbs.
JimmyChanga|4.21.08 @ 10:20AM|#
Abdul | April 21, 2008, 10:04am |
It is no(w) inevitable for some nerd to reference Python's spam sketch.
Yes. That would be you.
|4.21.08 @ 10:32AM|#
You know, now that I have described the meal that nearly killed
my father, I am starting to get really hungry.
Everything mixed together in a bucket please.
Bronwyn|4.21.08 @ 10:34AM|#
The best part of any English breakfast (imho) is the fried
toast. Ooh! And the grilled tomato!
Follow that up with a Cornish pastie for lunch, scones and clotted
cream at tea-time, and Beef Wellington for supper.
And don't forget the beer!
Oh, I miss England! Well, the non-nanny bits, anyway.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 10:36AM|#
More abject stupidity:
If anything proves the dunderheaded wrongness of the fried
British breakfast it's the fact that we crave one most when we've
got a hangover. Sure, the fat and salt will exacerbate the
dehydration that is causing the problem
A side product of fat metabolism is...water. This is why a fatty
breakfast is good for a hangover. Also, when you piss a
lot while drinking you are losing salts. Restoring them also
helps.
Bingo|4.21.08 @ 10:36AM|#
Epi: Or a 3 egg omelette with ham and peppers and onions, yum! Usually about 400 calories and full of good stuff. Pancakes are only good if you plan on running a marathon in the next 6 hours.
|4.21.08 @ 10:36AM|#
Oh my, when I got here it cemented the obvious fact that
this guy is a moron.
Carbohydrates are exactly what sets off blood sugar spikes. How is
this guy taken seriously?
No, he's not a moron. Simple carbohydrates set off sugar
spikes. Complex carbohydrates do not.
Carbohydrates,
Sugar, and Your Child
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 10:43AM|#
MP (from your link):
The carbohydrates in some foods (mostly those that contain
simple sugars and highly refined grains, such as white flour and
white rice) are easily broken down and cause your child's blood
sugar level to rise quickly.
Most bread is made from...highly refined white grains. As is pasta.
As are pancakes.
On top of it, there are complex carbohydrates--real ones--in the
article's breakfast in the form of beans, yet this idiot still puts
them down as bad.
The writer is a grade-A nimrod.
|4.21.08 @ 10:51AM|#
Oh, I miss England! Well, the non-nanny bits,
anyway.
English nannies are hot. I'd miss them.
|4.21.08 @ 10:52AM|#
Has anyone tried that egg/bacon/hashbrown/smoky cheese sauce wrap at Burger King yet? I thought about endulging on the way to work one morning.
|4.21.08 @ 11:03AM|#
in the article's breakfast in the form of beans
Although beans themselves are a good product, baked beans are not
simply "beans". As produced for Britain, they are
extremely high in salt. American baked beans also have a lot of
added sugar. And besides, the immune biologist quoted in the
article was clearly distinguishing between beans and "tinned baked
beans".
"Porridge, water, a little salt", as the article's author points
out, is a fine, filling breakfast. A heck of a lot better than the
standard British heart clogger.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 11:08AM|#
"Porridge, water, a little salt", as the article's author
points out, is a fine, filling breakfast.
Umm...no, not for everyone. If I have that I will be starving in no
time. You see, different people have different genetics. Attempting
to advise people about nutrition and then using one guideline for
all is idiotic.
Why can't people eat what they want for breakfast, rather than what
you or this writer think they should eat?
|4.21.08 @ 11:09AM|#
How does the typical English breackfast compare nutritionally with Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs?
Bingo|4.21.08 @ 11:17AM|#
Thought it looked pretty good sage, although anything with "cheese" sauce makes me a little leery. Has anyone else noticed the trend to make everything into a wrap? It appears, with the sandwichification of menus nearly complete, that the wrap is the new trend for fast food.
|4.21.08 @ 11:24AM|#
Episiarch,
you are kind of right and kind of wrong. Yes, some people have
unique genetics that change the change the way they metabolize
complex carbohydrates, but for most people, a complex carbohydrate
will be digested more slowly and therefore not cause the insulin
response that straight glucose, fructose, or sucrose will.
BUT
In another shockingly confusing complex twist, sometimes the
insulin sugar response is a great thing, because insulin shuttles
nutrients like amino acids to muscle tissue. Hence bodybuilders
buying black market insulin to shoot after a post-workout meal.
|4.21.08 @ 11:27AM|#
Why can't people eat what they want for breakfast, rather
than what you or this writer think they should eat?
Because uneducated food selection more often than not a recipe for
long term health issues. For the average person, a 3,000 calorie
breakfast low in complex carbs is a terrible choice. A 500-1,000
calorie breakfast high in complex carbs with low to moderate
amounts of fat and protein is an excellent choice for the average
person.
The problem is of course that few people are interested in
educating themselves about food choices. And determining an
individual's optimal diet isn't easy. Even trying to figure out the
right overall calorie intake can be a challenge. And then, of
course, there's changing mindsets to move from eating a few large
meals to multiple small meals. There's a lot of work involved in
eating right, and most aren't interested in making the
effort.
Of course, one can also ignore the science of nutrition and call
everyone who is contrary to their position an idiot without
providing any supporting evidence.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 11:34AM|#
So are you going to force people to eat the way you think they
should? Are you going to force them to become "educated" about food
selection?
On top of all that, the idea that you know the end all and be all
of proper eating is flat-out laughable. "Science of nutrition"?
Please. It's a guessing game with contrary information coming out
every week. Fats bad? Good? Wine bad? Good? Coffee bad? Good? Carbs
bad? Good?
I assume you change your mind as soon as the next article comes
out.
|4.21.08 @ 11:44AM|#
So are you going to force people to eat the way you think
they should? Are you going to force them to become "educated" about
food selection?
Yeah, my posts have been littered with "Fat Tax" advocations and
calls for legislation.
Believe it or not, one can debate the merits of nutrition analysis
without believing that those in disagreement need to be forced to
concur.
And if you want to play the skeptics role, go ahead. Just stop
sitting on your all knowing high horse while being completely
unable to present supporting evidence, resorting to simple
"contrary information coming out every week" useless rhetoric and
calling everyone else an idiot.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 11:57AM|#
Well, MP, I never called you an idiot--just the writer--so spare
me the repeated "call everyone an idiot" smears.
1. A complex-carb-rich diet works for some people. For many it does
not. The popularity and success of the Atkins diet is an indicator
of this. (For the record, I do not subscribe to that diet or do it
myself.) So please stop acting like your link to a "feed your kids
right" website is "supporting evidence".
2. So the fact that researchers are endlessly contradicting each
other's findings is irrelevant? What do you believe? Do
you believe a study until it is contradicted? Do you believe
something else? I'm honestly curious, because you either believe
what the latest studies say or you are also a "skeptic".
|4.21.08 @ 12:17PM|#
A complex-carb-rich diet works for some people.
He's not calling for a complex-carb-rich diet. He's calling for a
complex-carb-rich breakfast. A world of difference.
So the fact that researchers are endlessly contradicting each
other's findings is irrelevant? What do you believe?
I believe that there's indisputable evidence that a calorie intake
too high for an individual will lead to weight gain. I believe that
excess weight gain will almost certain lead to poor health
conditions (the problem currently is in defining excess). And I
believe that there is incredibly strong evidence that there is a
time and place for complex carbs and a time and place for simple
carbs.
And I believe that nothing in the article contradicts any of those
beliefs.
And I believe that you've presented nothing, not even the most
minute argument, to make me believe otherwise.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 12:22PM|#
Seeing as I didn't talk--at all--about obesity or related poor
health conditions, you seem to be arguing with the Episiarch in
your head.
I will reiterate what I said in my first post: some bacon and eggs
is less calories than an average carb breakfast of oatmeal,
pancakes, muffins, etc.
So you say:
I believe that there's indisputable evidence that a calorie
intake too high for an individual will lead to weight
gain.
So bacon and eggs is therefore better, right?
Rhywun|4.21.08 @ 12:32PM|#
And I believe that nothing in the article contradicts any of
those beliefs.
Do you believe the breakfast described in the article is "3000
calories"? I don't. Nor do I believe anything more than a tiny
fraction of people actually eat like this every day. For starters,
it's bloody expensive.
|4.21.08 @ 12:40PM|#
The Brits and their tabloid nanny-journalism are a little much.
I once read an article that made it sound like Eminem was dying
because of his addiction, not to drugs, but to "fatty steaks and
takeout."
I'll eat fatty steaks all day long over porridge and blood
pudding.
|4.21.08 @ 12:53PM|#
I will reiterate what I said in my first post: some bacon
and eggs is less calories than an average carb breakfast of
oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, etc.
And in your first post you were also arguing with the article
writer in your head. How does advocating a breakfast of porridge
(as the article's author does) equate to a pancake stack with
syrup? It doesn't. You make a false comparison to start with by
creating simple carb based breakfasts, which is quite clearly not
what the author is advocating, and comparing them to a breakfast of
2 eggs and 4 strips of bacon, which is also not what the author is
railing on. Breakfasts loaded with simple carbs are not good. No
one is saying they are.
The author points to one specific breakfast:
two rashers of crisp backbacon, British outdoor-reared pork
sausage, two griddled eggs, whole-cup mushrooms, crispy sauté
potatoes, fresh griddled tomato, Heinz baked beans and toasted or
fried extra-thick bloomer bread
And yes, I do believe Rhywun that this can be a 3,000 calorie
breakfast. As for if £7.25 is expensive, I'll leave that to you to
tell me.
Arho|4.21.08 @ 12:58PM|#
hehe I sat down having a salad for dinner, having read this I
guess the salad has just become an appetizer for a more substantial
meal.
Anyway, I guess the article is some sort of weird British humor,
given there's a list of the best places for a fry-up at the
end.
An adam|4.21.08 @ 12:59PM|#
They can have my spotted dick when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
|4.21.08 @ 1:04PM|#
I guess when an ordinary London hotel charges you like $400 per night, they have to make the free "full English breakfast" see like getting your money's worth. Whatever happended to the trimmed cucumber sandwiches?
|4.21.08 @ 1:12PM|#
I had a banana and two pieces of whole wheat toast for breakfast. It was three hundred calories. If I had eaten three scrambled eggs for breakfast it would have been about the same. Maybe it's not what you eat for breakfast, but the amount you eat that determines how much of a fat ass you are. Or maybe it's just genetics. All I know is that nobody better take away my greasy fried food. Because I love me some greasy fried food (in moderation).
Rhywun|4.21.08 @ 1:21PM|#
As for if £7.25 is expensive, I'll leave that to you to tell
me.
It's over $14. So yes, I don't think very many people are spending
that much on breakfast every day. Because the only way
such a diet is harmful is if you eat it every day.
In any event, I believe that only I and my loved ones have any say
whatsoever in how I choose to feed myself. If I forgo a couple
crappy end-of-life years in order to enjoy tasty breakfasts, that's
my right.
|4.21.08 @ 1:31PM|#
I found this bit from the article over the top:
You never see a person with a degree eating a fry-up, do you?
Certainly not someone with a 2:1 or better in a humanities subject
from a university founded before the invention of the iPod. That's
because they are smart enough to know better.
Unfortunately, my PhD from Cornell University is in mathematics,
not the humanities, so I'm not smart enough to never have
a full breakfast.
In my experience, most Brits don't eat a full breakfast everyday
any more than most Americans do. It's a Sunday thing, or a "spent
the night at a hotel/B&B" thing. (I'm also kind of amused at
the suggestions that somehow the pancakes and hash browns in an
American full breakfast would be amazingly more healthful than the
tomatoes, baked bean, and mushrooms in an English one, but there
you go.)
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 1:31PM|#
The author points to one specific breakfast
And then he goes on to criticize every individual part of the meal,
even parts that conform to his requirements. The beans, though
complex carbs, are canned, so they're bad. I guess the same applies
to the mushrooms and tomato.
He wanted to whine about the proles' breakfast, not make a
substantive point. I feel oh so very bad for calling him on it.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 1:38PM|#
Hey Rhywun, this is for you:
SELECT PRICE_BUCKET, ROUND(SUM(EXTENDED_PRICE * (QUANTITY /
ABS(QUANTITY))), 2) AS TOTAL_PRICE, SUM(CAST(QUANTITY AS INTEGER))
AS QUANTITY, ROUND(25.14 - PRICE_BUCKET, 2) AS ALLOW, ROUND((25.14
- PRICE_BUCKET) * SUM(CAST(QUANTITY AS INTEGER)), 2) AS BILLBACK
FROM R37MODSDTA.V_BILLBACK_RA WHERE (ITEM_DIVISION = 'EA') AND
(QUANTITY < 0) AND PRICE_BUCKET < 25.14 And INVOICE_DATE =
20080419 AND LEFT(CUST_SHIP_NO, 6) NOT IN ('592000', '592005',
'628500', '926255', '926259') AND TRANS_TYPE IN ('R', 'S') GROUP BY
PRICE_BUCKET, ITEM_DIVISION ORDER BY ITEM_DIVISION,
PRICE_BUCKET
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 2:15PM|#
It's a library name on an IBM AS400. Same as saying
"Northwind.Employees" in Access or SQL Server.
And I aliased all the field names to make them readable--you should
see the originals. "J6PL01" is an unacceptable field name in my
opinion but I didn't design this table.
Another Phil|4.21.08 @ 2:23PM|#
At least put some line breaks in your SQL so the ADD'ers among us can follow, please. Otherwise, I'll have to force feed you porridge like a fois gras goose.
Rhywun|4.21.08 @ 2:23PM|#
I find ALL_CAPS_AND_UNDERSCORES equally offensive. There is no reason for it other than territorial DBAs wanting their shit to look all database-y.
Episiarch|4.21.08 @ 2:30PM|#
It's code-generated; no line breaks. I do wish I could work with SQL Server, though. The AS400 is super stable and quite powerful but their GUI tools suck, suck, suck.
|4.21.08 @ 3:10PM|#
two rashers of crisp backbacon, British outdoor-reared pork
sausage, two griddled eggs, whole-cup mushrooms, crispy sauté
potatoes, fresh griddled tomato, Heinz baked beans and toasted or
fried extra-thick bloomer bread
Damn. Now I am hungry. Although I'd probably pass on the
mushrooms. And only two eggs? Lightweights.
|4.21.08 @ 3:16PM|#
Eating a huge breakfast like that every day is bad news for your
health unless you're doing heavy manual labor every day.
Every now and then having a fry-up with friends, though -- live a
little, yeah?
NoStar|4.21.08 @ 6:05PM|#
My full breakfast is Eggs Benedict, hashbrowns fried crispy
brown if you please, bacon, coffee, and a large Orange juice.
The acid in the OJ helps cut the grease.
You'll not convince me that ain't healthy.
I make it with real hollandaise sauce too and I fry the hashbrowns
in bacon grease.
GILMORE|4.22.08 @ 12:26AM|#
We're drunk, we're underslept, we smell, we can't walk
straight, it hurts to talk and all we want is ...
Hey, that seems familiar.
The end of the sentence for me though is, "a cold beer for
breakfast, and a later a bagel & butter to settle the
stomach".
I worked for the brits for 10yrs. I was in london for a while and
taught the local luncheonette (they dont know what the fuck a
'diner' is in europe) to make me bacon/egg/cheese sandwiches for
breakfast, and years later I returned, and they'd put it on the
menu and renamed it "the New Yorker".
I am proud i have left some small legacy
Secondly, my grandparents ate shit that made british breakfast look
like vegan soy wheatgrass yoga diet food. They lived into their mid
90s.
Rhywun|4.22.08 @ 12:40AM|#
I make it with real hollandaise sauce too
Nice. I was just looking for that stuff in the crappy market near
me in Brooklyn but couldn't find it. I happened to have some Caesar
salad dressing--that's... sort of similar.
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