After having some Mini-Wheats for breakfast, I went out and grabbed a coffee and donut right before work about an hour later. I had a proper lunch, but then dinner was a mix of Toaster Strudels and rice crackers, plus some juice somewhere in there. Finally, I had leftovers from dinner the night before as a snack. So, overall I guess I ate two decent meals and a bunch of snacks.
It always made me curious though what is considered appropriate for a meal. Cereal with milk is okay, but isn't cereal just bite-sized cookies? Just because they don't have a lot of fat doesn't mean it isn't a lot of carbs. Other breakfasts sometimes include waffles, fruit, syrup, pancakes, muffins, and a variety of other sweets, most of which could probably be served as dessert.
Now, lunch. It seems to be actually quite decent as a meal. Most people grab a sandwich, or soup and salad. At least something with some sort of vegetables and meat with a bread item. Other lunches may be burgers and fries with a pop. It's pretty rare to hear of someone having sweets for lunch though.
Dinner is usually reserved for the real food. The main meal. Meat, veggies, grains, the whole plate piled high and the family, supposedly, sitting comfortably in a circle. Is it wrong to eat something from a toaster? What if it was a bagel with some butter, a small salad, and a side of soup? I've eaten my fair share of subs for dinner, and probably some burger combos in my lifetime made a quick meal. Does pop count as a dessert? How about a chocolate bar?
In people's heads all around the world, certain types of food are considered appropriate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But why? Do they have anything in common with one another? I remember learning that lunch is the largest meal in Latin countries. In Asia, I'm pretty sure they don't have cereals and milk, or waffles and pancakes. I'm not even really sure what a traditional breakfast in, say, Japan or Korea would be. How about India? In the end, does it really matter?
Food is food. It provides energy and resources for our bodies to function. As long as we fulfill those requirements, I'm not entirely convinced that the order matters. There is the matter of blood sugar spikes and dips though, so maybe the size of the meal or the composition affects something. But if you had the time available to snack through the day to compensate for those highs and lows, would it really matter? Snacking for meals probably isn't a big deal. Things like tapas and dim sum probably prove that. The thing that bothers me, however, is snacking AND meals. That's where we get into some trouble.
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