

Sweet or salty breakfast? For many years I could not even conceive the idea of a salty breakfast. A boiled egg was the quirkiest variation to the high-in-sugars morning meal that my mum could think of. If you ever visited Italy you know what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about different habits. A quick cornetto (a fluffy croissant, less buttery than the French one) with cappuccino is the choice of Italian adults, who seem to be always in a rush at the beginning of the day, with no time left for a proper meal (truth is that Italians are late, not in a rush).

Italian kids, protected by the excesses of the maternal instinct, are overfed with biscuits, jam, chocolate drinks, processed cereals and nutella. Seriously, Italian breakfast is not something balanced and healthy so, despite my sweet tooth, I will not advocate it.

Although I disregard the choice of ready-made confectionery, the “time factor” is still an issue every morning and time to cook a decent breakfast is never enough. Who doesn’t love to indulge few minutes more under cover after the wake up call? Clearly, those minutes would be better spent in the kitchen. At least they would keep our stomachs away from a killing Starbuck’s muffin.

Porridge and oatmeal are a great invention. Reduced cooking time and healthy ingredients make them my favourite breakfast choice.

All in all it’s about milk, cereals and all the fresh/dried fruits I wish to add to top it off with vitamins and taste. I never estimated the amount of calories of this meal, however its caloric content is good enough to keep me satiated with no sense of heaviness till the lunch break.

What about the salty breakfast? Provided that time is enough I consider it as a good alternative. On weekends I can take time to boil eggs, mushrooms and sweet potatoes, to cut tomatoes and a good slice of dark bread. I wish my morning laziness would allow me to go further.