Top Breakfast Trends

Are People being smart with the most important meal of the day? Somewhat.

Its Top Ten Breakfast Trends for 2011. There are some trends like chocolate for breakfast and fast food restaurants offering more and more breakfast items that aren’t so impressive. But, there are a few things on the list that show peoples making some smart choices.

Oatmeal. The whole grain hot cereal came in at number one. Chain restaurants like  and McDonalds Starbucks have it on the menu. I had a fabulous oatmeal last week at Le Pain Quotidien  in New York City the other day – organic steal cut oats, milk, granola, and stone fruit, and I chose that over their to-die-for pastries. Guess I’m trendy for once.

Coffee. Another trend that’s good is coffee made at home. Making your own coffee will certainly save you a ton of money, and it’s also usually more environmentally friendly to brew your own. There’s much less waste – no disposable cups, stir sticks, creamer containers or sugar packets, and you can chose Fair Trade, organic coffee.

Second breakfast. This isn’t so smart if you’re eating two Denny’s Grand Slams in the morning, but the trend is to have something small first thing in the morning, perhaps coffee and a banana. Around mid-morning people are eating again choosing power bars, yogurt, granola, and possibly a second coffee. If done smartly, second breakfast can make the most of those mid-morning munchies.

Eggs. The Food Channel sees eggs making a comeback from last year’s recall. My favorite way to eat an egg in the morning is about as simple as it gets. I crack it in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, snip some fresh chives in it, then pour it into a hot pan and scramble it up. Served with fresh fruit on the side, it’s a quick, satisfying, healthy breakfast.