Cereal, Sex and Morning Routines ☕️

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Ever wonder why breakfast got crowned the “most important meal of the day”?

Spoiler: it had less to do with science… and more to do with factories, virtue, and a guy who thought cornflakes could stop people from thinking about sex.

Breakfast wasn’t always a done thing

Before the Industrial Revolution, breakfast wasn’t really a thing. Some people ate early, some didn’t. But once factory life took over, everything changed.

Hungry workers made more mistakes by mid-morning, so employers started pushing the idea of an early meal to keep production steady.

Think of this as the first wave of corporate wellness — but less yoga and more Oliver Twist–style gruel.

Then came the Victorians. They took breakfast beyond fuel and turned it into a virtue. Early rising and orderly meals became symbols of discipline and good character. Eating breakfast meant you were morally upright and industrious.

From “moral fuel” to marketing myth

Fast-forward a few decades and cereal makers spotted a golden opportunity. The Kelloggs and Posts of the world turned breakfast into both a health crusade and a marketing masterstroke.

That familiar line — “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” — wasn’t born in a lab; it came from an ad.

And fun note: John Harvey Kellogg, one of the early cereal pioneers, originally designed cornflakes as a bland, virtuous meal meant to dampen impure thoughts. Ironically, his brother Will had the marketing brain — added sugar, launched the Kellogg’s brand, and gave us the first generation of sugar-bomb cereals.

To be fair, those early high-carb breakfasts — porridge, bread, cereal — did their job. They were cheap, easy, and got people through long, physical workdays. Not so much on the anti-sex campaign, but otherwise, mission accomplished.

What we know now — and one simple win

Modern research still shows that breakfast can help with focus, energy, and learning — especially in kids. But the make up of that breakfast matters too.

High-carb meals (like porridge or toast) give quick energy but can lead to mid-morning crashes. Protein-rich, moderate-fat meals (think eggs, Greek yogurt, overnight oats with protein powder, or a protein smoothie) create slower digestion, steadier blood sugar, and better focus.

That’s why I often start clients with one small but powerful habit:

👉 Eat a protein-based breakfast.

It’s an easy win that improves focus, supports those gym gains, and helps close the daily protein gap most people miss. And in a funny way, it still carries that Victorian spirit — a morning ritual that sets the tone for the day. Only now, instead of proving your moral worth to your factory boss, you’re just giving your body a better start.

So next time someone says breakfast is overrated (or sacred), remember — it’s just a tool.

Breakfast doesn’t need to be moralised or demonised. It just needs to work for you.

A protein-rich start to your day is one simple, high-impact habit you can adopt — a small thing that sets up a win before 9 a.m.

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P.S. If you enjoyed this week's Thursday Three, please share it with a friend.

Thanks,

Jamie