Dark History - 176: Who Invented Breakfast? The Breakfast Industry’s Dirty Little Secrets

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! The other day I woke up starving — like, hangry. So I wandered into the kitchen and stood there, just… staring. Eggs? Too much work. Pancakes? Ehhh Toast? Meh. I mean why is choosing breakfast this complicated? It’s supposed to be “the most important meal of the day,” right? At least that’s what we’ve all been told. But who decided that? Who made the rules on what we should eat first thing in the morning? So I started digging — and what I found is, breakfast has never been just about food. It’s been a battlefield. A PR stunt. A marketing goldmine. And sometimes… even a political weapon. From early doctors who thought bland breakfasts could stop “sinful urges”… to the government pushing a food pyramid on America… to movements that fought for kids to actually have access to breakfast …it’s messy. Like spilled coffee on your white shirt messy.  So let’s dive into it. Today we are talking about the Dark History of Breakfast.  I appreciate you for coming by, and tune in next week for more Dark History. I sometimes talk about my Good Reads in the show. So here's the link if you want to check it out. IDK. lol: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/139701263-bailey ________ FOLLOW ME AROUND Tik Tok: https://bit.ly/3e3jL9v Instagram: http://bit.ly/2nbO4PR Facebook: http://bit.ly/2mdZtK6 Twitter: http://bit.ly/2yT4BLV Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2mVpXnY Youtube: http://bit.ly/1HGw3Og Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3cC0V9d Discord: https://discord.gg/BaileySarian* RECOMMEND A STORY HERE: [e-mail] Business Related Emails: [e-mail] Business Related Mail: Bailey Sarian 4400 W. Riverside Dr., Ste 110-300 Burbank, CA 91505 ________ This podcast is Executive Produced by: Bailey Sarian & Kevin Grosch and Joey Scavuzzo from Made In Network Head Writer: Allyson Philobos Writer: Katie Burris Additional Writing: Jessica Charles Research provided by: Coleen Smith Special thank you to our Historical Consultant: Heather Arnt Anderson, author of “Breakfast: A History” Director: Brian Jaggers Additional Editing: Julien Perez and Maria Norris Post Supervisor: Kelly Hardin  Production Management: Ross Woodruff Hair: Angel Gonzalez Makeup: Bailey Sarian ________ Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://www.zocdoc.com/DARKHISTORY to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. New members can try Audible now free for 30 days and dive into a world of new thrills. Visit https://www.audible.com/DARKHISTORY or text DARKHISTORY to 500-500.  What are you waiting for? Give your cat the food they deserve. For a limited time only, because you are a DARK HISTORY listener, you can get 60% off your first Smalls order PLUS free shipping when you head to https://www.smalls.com/DARKHISTORY.  During the time of this spot, another FOURTEEN-HUNDRED packages were shipped with the help of ShipStation! Upgrade to a smoother shipping experience. Go to https://www.shipstation.com/DARKHISTORY to sign up for your free trial. No credit card or contract required and you can cancel anytime. 

The other day I woke up starving. Like I was hangry. So I wandered into the kitchen and I stood there just kind of like staring. You know eggs? Nah, too much work. Pancakes? Ehh. Toast? Ehh. It's just like nothing sounded good, you know? And I was like damn why is choosing breakfast this complicated? Just eat something. I mean it's supposed to be the most important meal of the day, right? At least that's what we've been told. But who decided that? Who made the rules on what we should eat first thing in the morning?

So I started digging. And what I found is breakfast has never been just about food. Nay, nay, it's been a battlefield, a PR stunt, a marketing goldmine, and sometimes even a political weapon. From early doctors who thought bland breakfasts could stop sinful urges, to the government pushing a food pyramid on America, all the way to movements that fought for kids to actually have access to breakfast.

I mean, it's messy. Like spilled coffee on your white shirt messy. So today, let's dive into it. We are talking about the dark history of breakfast. Hi friends. I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe history does not have to be boring.

It might be tragic, sometimes it's happy, but either way it's our dark history. Before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe. I'm always posting new content and let me know what you think down below in the comments section because at the end I read comments. Now let's get into breakfast. Okay, everyone stop talking. You're talking too much. So you know how most people say like,

oh, breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Well, that is fake, okay? And it's actually a pretty new concept. For most of history, only certain people actually ate breakfast. For example, in ancient Egypt, only the working class, aka the lower classes, ate breakfast. And guess what they started their day with? A fresh cup of beer! Yeah, they had beer, they had a hearty piece of bread and a big old onion.

I don't know, sounds good. I love onions. I mean, it's pretty hearty, it's pretty good, but hey, it worked for them, obviously. They did great things, so it worked for them, okay? But drinking beer in the morning was supposed to give you enough calories to help you make it through the work day.

By the Middle Ages, most people, even the working class, was supposed to give you enough calories to help you like make it through the workday. By the Middle Ages, most people, even the working class, they were skipping breakfast. Now that's because of religion. A lot of people back then believed that restricting what they ate proved how godly they were. Like if you ate more than one meal, it was considered gluttony, which was a major sin back then. Thomas Aquinas, a famous priest at the time, was always writing about the sins of eating. Thomas thought people who immediately woke up

and ate breakfast were disgusting. They were kind of disgusting pigs. And if you could resist eating a meal, you would show like how much self-control you had. They were fasting. By not eating this was like the ultimate way you could prove that you were close to God. You weren't focusing on food, uh food and more food instead it was prayer, God's word, being close to God, you know what I'm saying? Most of the upper class would skip breakfast for religious reasons too, but like they found a loophole.

The rich were known to eat these very long, luxurious, fattening lunches that would go on for hours, like hometown buffet, you know? And by the time they were done eating, they definitely didn't want dinner and they were still like kind of full the next morning. So it was like, yeah, we don't have to eat. So skipping breakfast wasn't a big deal for them because they ate a humongous lunch. Now Thomas he kind of took notice of

like how exhausted and run-down working-class laborers were so eventually he caved and gave permission for them to have a small breakfast made up of bread or cheese and some beer to wash it down for energy only. Breakfast was like a touchy subject and most people just learned to live without it until something irresistible came along. Something you'd risk your soul for. I'm talking about caffeine. Paul, Joan, be honest with me. When was the last time you actually scheduled and made it to a doctor's appointment?

Yes, that dentist appointment for your annual or biannual cleaning that's now like three years overdue or that dermatologist visit for that mole you've been meaning to have checked out. And no, look, I'm not here to judge. You know, it's hard. I get it. And Paul, you're dead. So I get that too. But here's the good news for you, my listeners. ZocDoc is here to solve all of our doctor procrastination drama. Oh, I love ZocDoc. I love ZocDoc. If you don't know, ZocDoc is a free app and website

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We'll see if I show up. But I did it with Zoc, I love ZocDoc. Anywho, stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to zocdoc.com slash dark history to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's zocdoc, Z-O-C-D-O-C, dot com slash dark history, ZocDoc dot com slash dark history. By the late 1600s, trade was taking off.

So people in Europe, they were now getting access to like exciting foods and spices from around the world that they just never had before. Now in that trade included things like coffee and tea and people were just loving caffeine. Maybe a little too much, but don't we all? So they were starting to get like addicted to it to the point where they wanted it every single morning.

But the people, they were having a little bit of a religious crisis. They didn't want to break their fast because then that would mean that they weren't godly enough. And then another little treat came around that pushed them over the edge, chocolate. So there was options, coffee, tea, and now hot chocolate. These were options in the morning

and people just could not resist. Isn't there something called the Boston Tea Party? Well that was about tea, but that was caffeine. That's caffeine. So at this point the people of England were ready to sacrifice their souls for it. So the Catholic Church was paying attention and he seemed that like they're all putting their faith on the line for breakfast. So they decide they need to intervene or maybe the priests were like having coffee.

I don't know. But they decide to create a loophole in the whole like fasting at breakfast rule. In 1662, Cardinal Francis Maria Brancacho let everyone know that quote, liquid does not break the fast. Whoa, sorry, I just had a light bulb moment because breakfast, the fast. Whoa, sorry, I just had a light bulb moment

because breakfast, break fast. I literally never thought of that. What, what? I'm done. That's all I needed to know today. They're essentially saying like liquid in the morning is okay, like you can have your hot chocolate, you can have your tea or coffee, whatever, fine. That's fine. And people were like kind of happy

to get permission from the church to do so. So people like started getting creative and they were making drinkable breakfast, okay? So they would like kind of just mix a bunch of stuff together and as long as it was liquid it was fine. So they made this one kind of like porridge drink and it was oats, honey and beer. I don't know about you, but I was like, that sounds kind of good. That sounds kind of good. It was thick, it was wet, and they just take like sips of it throughout the morning until they could have, you know, a proper meal later in the day. I'd be interested in trying.

I don't know why beer was OK, but okay, you know, all right. But it wasn't until the 18th and 19th centuries that breakfast became more of like what it is today. And that's because of one place that loved breakfast, the American colonies. Yeah, America, woo. So building the colonies took a lot of physical labor. So they need energy right? And usually workers and businessmen were too busy to eat lunch in the middle of

the day and coffee for breakfast just like wasn't, it wasn't doing it. So then everyone just started eating breakfast and then doctors they started recommending that people have a healthy breakfast at the start of the day. So doctors were recommending like healthy breakfast, which would include, it was a very long list, oatmeal, porridge, fish, buttered bread, dry toast, ham, bacon, marmalade, a poached egg served with more ham or bacon. And then of course tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.

That's a big breakfast. I know it sounds like a Denny's Grand Slam. It sounds good. It's a lot of food, right? But like this was just the working class breakfast. For the rich, they ate more decadent things on top of the list I just read you. They would have like sage infused pork sausages, pancakes, coffee with milk and sugar. They were just doing the most. Whether you were rich or just a regular person, breakfast became known as a sacred practice.

I mean, it was like the only chance for a family to be together before everyone started their days, you know? So houses at this time actually would have like an entire room that was built just for breakfast. It was called like a breakfast room. That way families could take time to be with each other, you know, before they separated for the day. Now people have like breakfast nooks

or like a formal dining room. Kind of changed or nothing at all, I don't know. As America's population grew, so did different breakfast options. The rich started eating more beef and pork, and then the working class started eating more corn. And I know what you might be thinking, like corn for breakfast?

What'd you eat? Huh? Like corn on the cob? Yeah, okay. Well, there was like, I guess a lot of corn around, so much corn that people just didn't know what to do with it. So they were coming up with creative ways to use it before it went bad.

This would eventually lead to the creation of cornflakes. And let me tell you, interesting man. Dr. Kellogg, very interesting man. I'm working on a whole episode about Dr. Kellogg. So stay tuned for that. But yeah, so don't get mad if I don't go too much into this man, okay? He needs his own episode.

Regardless of what people ate, breakfast became an important part of every American's life, especially affordable breakfast, like cereal. And by the 1920s, it wasn't just about breakfast anymore, it was about survival. It's summertime, and you know what laying outside in the sun always has me craving? I want to sink my teeth into a hot, steamy, juicy, no Joan, not a hot dog. A story. Okay, a thrilling adventure or mystery that keeps me glued to my seat. Or a romance, if I'm in the mood. And you know where I found

all of that? Audible. Oh yes, Audible is an audio platform and app that offers a huge selection of audiobooks, podcasts, exclusive original content, comedy, guided wellness programs, and theatrical performances. All designed for listening anytime, anywhere. They have every thrill you could possibly desire right at your fingertips. From electrifying suspense, chilling horror stories, my personal faith obviously, and spicy romance stories. I mean it's all right there. Recently I've been listening to Stephen King's latest Never Flinch and let me tell you I have jumped more than once. With Audible you will never be bored on your beach blanket again. Start listening and discover what's beyond the edge of your seat or towel or beanbag.

New members can try Audible now free for 30 days and dive into a world of new thrills. Visit audible.com slash dark history or text dark history to 500 500. That's audible.com slash dark history or text dark history to 500 500. By the 1920s and 30s, Americans needed affordable foods like more than ever because of the Great Depression. So this automatically made cereal really popular because you could buy a box for cheap and like eat it at home and then you needed nothing extra except for milk. So other companies were taking notice that like cereal was becoming very popular during the great depression that people really wanted a quick breakfast that was easy and inexpensive. So other companies started to make quick breakfast options

like Quaker Oats, Fiskwick, other things. Now the average American like could actually afford to make a decent breakfast without breaking the bank. Now even after the Great Depression ended, many people kept eating these foods in order to just save money. I mean, not long after the Great Depression was World War II, so things started to get rationed,

like meat and eggs. Now at first, like cereal was like the number one go-to meal in the morning, but as you know, other companies came out, they kind of bumped down. And cereal companies were realizing they really needed to step it up if they wanted to get housewives to buy their product over others. So companies like Kellogg's added something new to their cereals.

They put prizes for children in the cereal. These started as like pins you could wear on your clothes and then eventually they started putting in mini toys. Just little doodabs. So of course like kids love them. And even after the war ended, cereal with prizes in the box were still like a staple in homes across America. By the 1960s, breakfast was ready for a new innovation.

At this point, a lot of women were getting jobs outside of the home, so breakfast needed to be taken on the go. So that's when we got like instant oatmeal and then carnations, chocolate, instant breakfast. It was like a chocolate shake for breakfast. It became very popular. So companies are kind of fighting

for like the number one spot. And cereal was like, hey, we need to give people what they want, sugar. Put sugar in there. So by the 1960s, more sugary cereals started to be introduced into the market, like Froot Loops, Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms. And it was fun and it was colorful and there's cartoons and it was like, oh. And this sparked competition with other companies looking to get in on like,

the breakfast market. So executives, they were taking notes. They were like, look, breakfast needs to be cheap, fast, portable, and now sugary, really sugary. So Kellogg's developed a new product. It was a square. It was kind of flaky,

and it was a sugary treat that could be eaten hot or cold and then taken on the go. It was called Pop Tarts. Mm, I love a Pop Tart. Ooh, brown sugar? Mm-hmm, yep, that's where you'll find me. Now, technically Kellogg's, they fully stole this idea, the Pop Tart idea from post-cereal, but again, that's another episode. So pop tarts were like the McNuggets of the breakfast world.

I mean they were a big hit. Not just for working adults, but kids loved them. And soon company after company was trying to replicate the pop tart magic. The breakfast industry was booming and it just like could not be stopped. That is until people started growing concerned about all of like these easy to eat options. Today I feel like we're more educated that like pre-packaged food usually comes with a laundry list of preservatives and they're not really like the healthiest option but back then like people just kind of you didn't question it you just trusted the labels without any second thought especially when it came to sugar by the 60s sugar was in a lot of food okay everyone was eating it

especially in America and it was in a lot of breakfast food and there was like a rise in sugar related illnesses and people just kind of wanted someone to blame. Who are we mad at? Tell me who I'm mad at. Who am I mad at? So that's when they're like, women, we're mad at women. Why? A lot of journalists, they wrote about like the current state of American food and then they blamed women for the rise in ready to make meal options.

They're like, yeah, it's their fault because according to them, women were working. Okay, so they were working more and they were no longer able to like cook at home and they had to rely on like these quick and easy foods to provide for their family's breakfast because like, you know, dad couldn't pick up a spatula and scramble some eggs, it was the mom's fault. And then Betty Friedan, feminist rights activist and author decided to add her own two cents into the whole breakfast discussion.

She said that cooking adds to the oppression of women because it would keep them trapped in the kitchen all day. And honestly, they shouldn't have to like do it if they don't want to. Just like, if they don't wanna do it, don't let them do it. Well, this made everyone upset. So now it was feminism's fault

that the kids were eating things like frozen waffles and sugary cereal. So at this point, breakfast was so much more than just like the first meal of the day. It now represented the struggles of women in the workplace and also, hey, isn't all the sugary food bad and maybe kids like shouldn't be eating it? You know? Period.

Great. And by the end of the 60s, people started talking less about like what to eat for breakfast and more about who has access to breakfast. While everyone was fighting about fruit loops and pop tarts, some kids didn't even have the privilege of eating breakfast at all. And this is when breakfast goes political. I have a friend. Yeah I do, shut up. I have a friend. We're gonna call her Shmesika and her cat is always having tummy troubles. Tummy troubles, very cute cat, but not a cute situation. She's always telling me about it.

She's talking about like constant messes around the apartment. Poor cat, you know, I'm like, I don't know. Anyway, so I decided enough is enough. Let's help Shmesheka and her cat and save her poor carpet at the same time. So I did some research. That's when I told her about Smalls Cat Food. Yes, Smalls. Smalls is a cat food company doing big things by making

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Again, that's Smalls.com slash dark history. Meow. So by the 60s, most of breakfast consumed in America was meant for like the on-the-go family. But with that came, you know, crappy food. Like Pop-Tarts had tons of sugar and preservatives in them and people started blaming working moms for feeding their families such unhealthy breakfast. Meanwhile, there were people struggling to get access to any breakfast food at all.

And that's where the Black Panther Party comes in. I know it feels random, kind of like out of nowhere, but just like follow me because it's pretty wild. So the Black Panther Party was a political group who fought for civil rights in the United States. They fought against police brutality and the unfair treatment of black Americans. Many families didn't have means or access to food, especially like breakfast, and a lot of kids in lower income neighborhoods would go to school without eating anything. So this like affected how they did in school. I mean they didn't have enough energy to make it through the day.

So what do you do? Well the Black Panther Party stepped up and they tried to help do something about it. They got donations and used the money to purchase food for kids from local grocery stores and not just like any food. The party members got help from nutritionists to make sure that they were serving healthy food. Members of the Black Panthers would even prepare the food themselves and serve it to the kids in the community completely free of charge. And they were giving kids like full meals, eggs, grits, fruit toast, sausage, serve it with some milk. It was great. And immediately it had a positive result. School principals talked about how much better the kids were doing in school now that they had a full stomach.

The program started in Oakland, California, but it was so successful that the Black Panthers were able to take it nationwide. They ended up with 45 different programs across the country providing free breakfast for kids. And that should be like the end to a feel good story, you would hope, but of course not. It's so frustrating. The Black Panther Party was running the breakfast program on their own, just based on volunteers and local donations.

And still they became a target of the US government and the media. The head of the US government and the media. The head of the FBI at the time, J. Edgar Hoover, gets involved. I know this season I feel like he's been showing up a lot. Hoover? The vacuum? Uh... Shown up a lot lately. Um, but you know, he came and sucked.

Pfft. Essentially, Hoover would rather jump off a building than see the Black Panther Party get like good PR, just good recognition. He had plans to take down the group, so he just couldn't risk them having a soft image in any way. So he vowed to destroy their breakfast programs

all across the country, and he used Americans' tax dollars to do it. J. Edgar Hoover had FBI agents go door to door in communities that had free breakfast programs and tell the parents that the Black Panthers were radicalizing kids with ideas about racism in America. And then they took it a step further. The government agents straight up lied and told families that the food being served at the breakfast programs were infected with sexually transmitted diseases. Like it didn't even make sense. But that's what they were telling everyone. And yeah, the FBI

would perform violent raids while kids were lined up to get breakfast from the Black Panthers. I mean children were terrified and photographed by the police. You know the FBI did this so they could make these kids think that they did something wrong by showing up for a free breakfast and like shaming them and making them feel bad. It was just a shitty move. In 1969, there was one incident in Chicago when the FBI broke into one of the Black Panthers like breakfast centers. So they broke in and then they destroyed

all the breakfast food that they saw. They even peed on the food. Oh my God, what the fuck is wrong with them? It's like nothing, nothing could be used. Not only was it a waste of food, it's a waste of tax dollars, and it's just fucking cruel. So Hoover made it his job to tell the media that these breakfast programs were corrupt

and disease-ridden, just completely ruining their good name. Within just a short period of time, almost all the Black Panther breakfast programs had shut down, just like Hoover wanted. Now that was a real tragedy. Well there's a lot of tragedies we talk about here, but like, you know, that is nasty. Just nasty. But thanks to the Black Panthers, I mean society was reminded how important it is for kids

to have a good breakfast. So the public now believe that it was important to keep the kids fed and it really gave them energy to like take on the school day. I mean it seems like a no-brainer but it was very radical at the time. In 1975 after the public demanded the government do more to like help kids, the school breakfast program officially started. The school breakfast program provides breakfast to children all across the country. And to this day, it still continues for now, feeding over 14.5 million kids before school.

And breakfast officially went from like optional and sugary to essential and healthy-ish. You know, it's progress, but still. Americans were left thinking, what actually makes a healthy breakfast? And is it like really the most important meal of the day? Have you ever thought about how online shopping makes it feel like your packages just magically appear at your doorstep? Do you even think about it? You kind of don't, huh? It's like you click a button and tada! Your order has arrived.

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and you can cancel anytime. That's shipstation.com slash dark history. Now, if you grew up around the 1990s, you'll probably remember the food pyramid. It was actually inspired by something called the Basic 7. This was created around World War II because everyone was forced to ration food. And in it, it listed seven different categories

of food people should be eating. It wasn't like based off of like being healthy or whatever. It was based on like what they had available at the time because food was being rationed. And it was like, hey, we got a shit ton of bread. So bread, eat a lot of that. And it was like, protein. We don't have a lot of that.

You don't really need it. It was like favoring certain foods that was like heavily available. Not necessarily like the best nutritional food for you. Does that make sense? People took it very seriously, especially during wartime, because if you were not participating in like rationing and all that stuff, you were seen as un-American, god damn it. So they

were like, you better follow these rules. And like the impact lasted. The basic seven was a circle in the beginning and they listed everything out. And then by 1992, the food pyramid was created. It really just changed shapes. It went from a circle to a triangle. So the food pyramid was meant to show everyone what makes the ideal diet. Originally the food pyramid was based off of the basic seven,

which was all about rationing during the war. It was not based off of like what the everyday diet should be. Like science backed. It was like, here's what we have available, eat this. So when they made the food pyramid, it was the same thing. So the science behind it is like a little iffy, to say the least. So food is classified into different categories

like meat and poultry, fruits, vegetables, so on. The bottom level was the biggest part of the pyramid. At the bottom, it listed carbs like bread, fruits, vegetables, so on. The bottom level was the biggest part of the pyramid. At the bottom, it listed carbs, like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. So the pyramid showed that a person should have six to 11 portions of these every day. That's a lot. The amount of servings for the other food pyramid

like categories were a lot smaller. So what people mainly ate for breakfast was like whatever was at the bottom of that pyramid, cereal, oatmeal, bread, carbs. And that's how things like cereal remains such an obvious choice for breakfast, despite the fact that like it was sugary and not really the best.

But since the nineties, the science behind healthy food options has changed and a lot of people have become critical of the way that the pyramid simplified like food groups. Like people are picking it apart. You know like um at the bottom of the pyramid it's all carbs but we know now that not all carbs are created equal. For example something like rice contains protein and not just carbs or carbohydrates. Plus well at the top of the pyramid is fat, meaning you should eat less of it, which yes,

but like we know now that there are different types of fat, some that are like better than others. So what does this mean? It just means people didn't like the pyramid. Today, according to Johns Hopkins, a good breakfast is quote, one that supplies plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Together, healthy foods energize the body and ensure you can start your day without being distracted by hunger, end quote. So annoying, just tell me what to eat. Just tell us what to eat. Why I gotta make it so complicated? Tell us what to eat. Tell us what to eat.

Because some people swear like, bacon's good, no it's not. Sausage good, no it's not. Tell us what to eat. Tell us what to eat. Because some people swear like bacon's good. No, it's not. Sausage good. No, it's not. Pancakes, not good. Yeah, it is. It's just like, tell me what to eat.

Would you just tell me? Well, despite all this, in a recent study of 30,000 people, 15% admitted to skipping breakfast regularly. And those are just the people who participated in the study and admitted it. You know, people still skip breakfast to this day because the health benefits aren't as widely known as they should be. Also, it's just kind of expensive. Maybe you don't have the food,

the resources, whatever. Like, there's many reasons as to why people could skip breakfast. And again, if you just told us what to eat, just tell us what to eat and don't say cereal. Okay it's also confusing. But eating breakfast is actually really great. I don't know is it though because like you look at like the Egyptians beer and onions. Is that what I should eat? I don't know. Yeah it's all very confusing huh? And you've seen those Instagram videos where it's like hey guys I just want to show you like what my breakfast routine is and then they get like a fork and a knife and they're like first I have a little piece of bread and then I have a venti iced latte that I make at home and I just like do it all myself and I like mix and like and and I do stuff. And then sometimes they just have like protein shakes.

And it's like, is that good? I don't know. Don't show me your breakfast routine. I don't care. Like no one's that interesting in the morning. Okay. No one wants to see your breakfast routine. Sorry.

I said it. I don't care. Unless it's like the most incredible thing I've ever seen, but rarely is it the most incredible thing you've ever seen. It's just people being like, this is the most incredible thing I've ever seen, but rarely is it the most incredible thing you've ever seen. It's just people being like, this is my breakfast routine. First I have air, and then I have an ice cube, not to eat.

It's for under my eyes because I'm puffy. Then I go down to Arowan and I get the ice coffee that costs 25.99. And then I walk in my stretchy pants, And then I go home and I stretch. And it's like, give me a fucking break. Give me a break. Give me a fucking break. Kit Kat bar is what I'm thinking. Give me a break. My brain is not working. Okay, anyways, I don't care about your breakfast routine. Sorry, that was just sometimes. You're not that interesting.

I'm not that interesting. No one's that interesting. Still, according to experts, healthier people eat breakfast more regularly. That's because they are also practicing other healthy habits like putting on their stretchy pants and walking to the store to get their $25.99 coffee. For example, if you're good about eating breakfast, then you might naturally be mindful

about like exercising and taking care of yourself. Allegedly. I don't know, I've seen some people eat a big breakfast and drink monsters all day, do drugs, so I don't know, but okay. I mean, it doesn't mean eating breakfast makes you like automatically a healthier person, but eating breakfast is good for your brain. People who skip breakfast like experience other health issues

you might not think about. For example, if you skip breakfast, you might have bigger spikes in blood sugar. Also skipping breakfast can disrupt natural circadian rhythms. What's that? Well, it's the system within our bodies that help us sleep. Eating breakfast helps, I guess,

your internal clock stay on time. Depending on who you ask, breakfast might not be the most important meal of the day, but it is probably better to eat breakfast than to skip it. But as we learned today, having access to breakfast is actually like, it's a privilege.

So if you can't eat a healthy breakfast, why not do it? You can't eat onions and drink beer just because the ancient Egyptians did it, you know? Well, actually you can, let me know how it goes. I'm interested because at this point, I don't know what to eat for breakfast. Just tell me what to eat, right? I know. Anyways, turns out eating breakfast has been a representation of a lot of things over the centuries from your wealth, place in society, religious convictions, political affiliations,

and even your health. Breakfast says a lot about who we are. But let me just say this, if the government is trying to shut down a free breakfast program for kids, ask yourself why? Why wouldn't you wanna feed kids who don't have access to like food in the morning? If you go to feedingamerica.org, you can look into a free breakfast program near you

or find a way to even volunteer. Thank you for listening to todayamerica.org, you can look into a free breakfast program near you or find a way to even volunteer. Thank you for listening to today's episode. Please let me know what to eat for breakfast. What do I eat? Let me know. What do you eat for breakfast? Don't say a monster or like Red Bull or something. Don't do that to me.

Do you guys want to see my breakfast routine? Let me know down below. I'll post it. First, I wake up. Then I take a big fat shit. I'm on the toilet like morning routine. Just kidding. But let me know if you want to see that. What an episode, huh? Highs and lows, food, no food, alcohol, beer, pour it, like what a mess. What a mess. Let's move on, huh? These days I feel like there's a supplement for everything. You want to sleep better? Well, have a little sleepy gummy. You want a boner? Well, here's

like a boner pill. You want to be more fertile? Well, take some mucinex. Yeah, it's a trend I saw on social media actually, it's real. But it seems like people will try anything when it comes to fertility and upping their chances of having a baby. But this got me thinking in ancient times, what was their version of mucinex? What were they doing to try and conceive? What kind of tricks were up their sleeves? Join us next week when we talk about the dark history of fertility. Now I'd love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story, so make sure to leave a

comment down below so I can see what you guys are saying. What are you eating for breakfast? Let me know. Now let's read a couple of comments you guys have left me. Shelby W1199 left us a comment on our tattoo episode saying, fun fact, having tattoos makes kidnappers less likely to abduct you because you're too easily identifiable. Okay, I mean, I could see that.

Yeah, but I feel like a killer is a killer. You know what I'm saying? If a killer wants to kill you, he's gonna kill you. You know what I'm saying? But I like that outlook. It's very positive. So get all the tattoos you want. You know what I heard the other day

that I thought was kind of genius and I've never heard of this? If someone is following you or chasing you or you feel like if something bad is happening to you, if you're in a building or near a building, try and find the fire, the fire pole thing. The fire alarm, that's what it's called. Try and find the fire alarm

because then if you pull that shit, it'll bring everyone out. I know that has nothing to do with anything you just said, but I heard that yesterday and I was like, I'd never thought of that. That's actually really smart. Now let's hope if we ever get kidnapped, you're near a fire alarm. But thank you for watching and I hope you never get kidnapped. Get more tattoos.

Taylor13 left us a comment on our energy drinks episode saying, I just know one day in the future I'm going to hear if you or a loved one drink Four Loko, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Four Loco really had us in a choke hold. You know, it was wild. Our kids really aren't drinking these days, huh? It's okay, don't drink kids.

Don't do drugs, stay in school, stop huffing. Okay, stop. But I agree, we might have that. I hope you have a good day. Thank you for leaving a that. I hope you have a good day. Thank you for leaving a comment. I appreciate it. Four locos, don't bring them back.

Jade Robert 7722 gave us an episode suggestion. Hey Bailey, I had an idea for a dark history episode. Go on. What about the dark history of roller coasters and amusement parks? Jade, did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon? That game was so fun. I downloaded it on my Nintendo Switch,

but man, I was obsessed with that game. I would make theme parks and then purposely like make a roller coaster with unfinished tracks and like watch people blow up. But yeah, I like that idea. Where should we start? Like, should we talk about, okay, let me think about this, but I think you're onto something.

Thank you so much for the suggestion and I'll let you know when it goes up. It's a good idea. Someone with the username Pigeon, great username, commented on our vampires episode and they have some tea for us. Pigeon said, Mary Shelley mentioned, I heard she had freaky sex or lost her virginity

on a relative's grave, not sure who. Pigeon, pigeon, pigeon, pigeon. I mean, I'm not judging. Who am I to judge? Let her do her thing. If that's true, let her have that. It hurt none of us. None of us. None of us were hurt by that. But great username. I love it. According to the internet, I guess Mary

lost her virginity in the graveyard where her mom was buried. Again, no one was hurt. None of our business. None. Let her have that. Love that for her. Go for her. Thank you, pigeon. Fly away. Anyways, I love you guys for watching and I appreciate you so much for commenting and engaging. Keep on commenting because maybe you will be featured in a future episode. Also, did you know you can join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also catch my Myra Mystery in Makeup. And don't forget to subscribe.

And hey, if you don't know, Dark History is an audio boom original. A special thank you to our expert, Heather Arndt Anderson, author of Breakfast, A History. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day, you make good choices, and I'll

be talking to you later. Goodbye!