One of America's Favorites - Breakfast

Western breakfast foods

Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work. Among English speakers, "breakfast" can be used to refer to this meal or to refer to a meal composed of traditional breakfast foods (such as eggs, oatmeal and sausage) served at any time of day. The word literally refers to breaking the fasting period of the prior night.

Breakfast foods vary widely from place to place, but often include a carbohydrate such as grains or cereals, fruit and/or vegetables, a protein food such as eggs, meat or fish, and a beverage such as tea, coffee, milk or fruit juice. Coffee, milk, tea, juice, breakfast cereals, pancakes, sausages, French toast, bacon, sweet breads, fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, muffins, crumpets and toast with butter or margarine and/or jam or marmalade are common examples of breakfast foods, though a large range of preparations and ingredients are associated with breakfast globally.

Nutritional experts have referred to breakfast as the most important meal of the day, citing studies that find that people who skip breakfast are disproportionately likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism, weight, and cardiac health. The nutritionist Monica Reinagel has argued the metabolic benefits have been exaggerated, noting the improvement in cognition has been found among children, but is much less significant among adults. Reinagel also explains that the link between skipping breakfast and increased weight is likely behavioral—compensating with snacks and/or eating more later—and therefore not inevitable.

An example of a country breakfast in U.S. 

Breakfast will often consist of either a cereal-based dish or an egg-based dish. Coffee is the most common breakfast beverage amongst adults, but is not popular with children. Tea is also widely consumed in Canada during breakfast. Orange juice and, to a lesser extent, pineapple or apple juice, are consumed by people of all ages. In the United States, 65% of coffee is drunk during breakfast hours.

The way in which breakfast eggs are prepared ranges from the simple, such as scrambled or fried, to the slightly more complex, such as eggs benedict. Breakfast omelettes are also very popular, especially the Western or Denver omelette, which contains ham, peppers, and onions. Steak is a popular accompaniment to eggs outside of the northeast, where it is relatively rare. Bacon, hash browns, toast, and sausage links are all very commonly served alongside eggs.

Grain-based dishes include waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes in Canada, and cereal with milk. Porridge, such as Red River Cereal is quite popular in Canada, and may be consumed with maple syrup, nuts, dried fruit, or brown sugar.

In both Canada and the United States, the traditional full breakfast is popular, though is more commonly eaten on weekends and holidays. During the week, a smaller breakfast is commonly eaten, often immediately before or while commuting to work or school.

In Canada, and somewhat less commonly the United States, maple syrup may be served with most breakfast dishes including oatmeal, French toast, waffles, pancakes, and even ham.
In the Southeastern United States, grits are popularly eaten at breakfast.
Foods typically considered to be breakfast foods are often available all day at diners, leading to them being consumed at novel times, which is likely responsible for the term "breakfast for dinner" or "brinner."