Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you have a good breakfast, there is a chance that your whole day will go by smoothly because you will have the energy to start your day right. Among the masses, we often see the presidents as having one of the most important jobs because they make important decisions and ensure that the entire country is running smoothly.
Among the many presidents, one president that stands out in terms of breakfast is President Roosevelt. He was quite particular in what he ate.
Among the many presidents that have served the US, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States had a pretty simple diet. He liked his food pretty simple, yet, he liked a lot of it. It is famous that Theodore Roosevelt consumed a shocking amount of food throughout the day. Yet, his food was mostly plain and not very exciting. He did, however, have a formidable appetite for chicken. The food served during his era did not have any frills or tasty dishes, and it was not as exciting as one may think, but it was to his liking.
Let us take a look at what President Roosevelt normally ate for breakfast which helped him sustain himself in the morning.
His General Breakfast
Teddy Roosevelt kept his diet pretty plain and simple. According to sources, he liked to be seated formally at a dining table where he ate his favorite breakfast foods. It is reported that Roosevelt wanted hard-boiled eggs as well as freshly baked rolls. Not only that, but he also drank a lot of coffee. His coffee intake did not stop at breakfast, but in fact, he kept drinking it throughout the day. The Roosevelts were affluent families who lived comfortably and could afford to eat what they liked. What they liked was simple food in large amounts. As is obvious through Teddy Roosevelt’s breakfast menu.
Other than indulging in eggs, the president also enjoyed having a big bowl of hominy with a side of salt and butter. In addition to his breakfast, the amount of coffee that President Roosevelt consumed, was more than what normal people would indulge in. Many reported that coffee was an all-day affair for him, and he would drink it in high volumes.
In addition to his limited breakfast menu, he was very particular about how his food was prepared. He liked his eggs to be hard-boiled. To him, medium or soft-boiled eggs were not good enough, and they had to be solid all the way through. Additionally, he liked his rolls to be freshly baked. This meant that they had to be made every morning. The first kitchen was, therefore, very busy in the morning.
His alternate, hominy is produced using dried maize kernels. To make this, field corn is used. After being picked, it is dried and then treated through soaking and cooking the corn in a dilute solution of lye.
Hominy is usually consumed in intact kernel form, and some also grind it down to form grit or flour.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs were one of the breakfast items that were served to President Roosevelt when he became the president of the United States. Even though he came from an affluent family, he usually did not indulge in fancy food and kept his diet simple such as eating hard-boiled eggs for breakfast.
There are many benefits of eating eggs for breakfast. They are extremely nutritious and pack in many important vitamins and minerals that the body needs to function. One large boiled egg has many vitamins such as vitamin A, B5, B12, D, E, K, and B6. It also has minerals such as Folate, Phosphorous, Selenium, Calcium, and Zinc. Eggs also have around six grams of protein as well as five whole grams of healthy fats.
Eggs also have choline which is essentially a water-soluble vitamin. It is very useful as it helps build cell membranes and produce signaling molecules in the brain. An egg is found to have 147mg of choline. This is 27% of the daily recommendations set by The US FDA.
Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are helpful antioxidants that help maintain your eyesight. They help reduce the risk of eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
Apart from all that, eggs are very filling, and they reduce the need to eat between meals. This is very important for people who are always on the go and do not have time to snack in between meals. People did not want to feel hungry, and eggs are great in that aspect. This feature is usually attributed to the high amount of protein in eggs. Therefore President Roosevelt’s breakfast consisted of hard-boiled eggs, which were quite filling and nutritious at the same time.
Although eating eggs has many benefits, eating too many eggs can also be extremely harmful when consumed in large quantities. Theodore Roosevelt was known for eating around 12 eggs every day, which is definitely more than anyone should eat. When one consumes so many eggs, they are at risk of their body cholesterol rising. The ideal limit is one egg per day, but when one consumes more, the healthy fat in eggs turns not so healthy and can cause cholesterol build-up, which can later cause other issues such as cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, large amounts of eggs can also cause bloating as well as stomach cramps. Insulin resistance is another side effect that can occur when one consumes more than 4 eggs a day.
Thus, it is advised to stick with the recommended serving size of 1 egg per day and not exceed it as Teddy Roosevelt did.
Coffee
Teddy Roosevelt was pretty well known for his coffee intake. Where most people drink 1-3 cups per day, he was known to drink coffee ‘more in the nature of a bathtub’ as his son liked to say. He claimed that coffee-fueled him and enabled him to work at his best. Additionally, he liked his coffee strong, and the caffeine levels were enough to explode an animal’s heart.
Teddy Roosevelt liked his breakfast coffee to be half coffee and half milk. Additionally, he did not drink his coffee alone. Rather President Roosevelt enjoyed it with everyone and poured them a cup too. Each cup of coffee he drank had around five to seven lumps of sugar, which made it extremely sweet. There are eyewitnesses who claim that they once saw President Roosevelt drink 40 cups of coffee in a single day. That is around two and a half gallons.
Drinking the amount of coffee that Teddy Roosevelt did does not come without any harmful effects. It is found that drinking too much coffee can cause restlessness along with insomnia and headaches. Due to the high amount of caffeine, one may also experience dizziness, fast heart rate, and the risk of dehydration. Caffeine is also highly addicting, so you may experience dependency and may feel withdrawal symptoms if you lower your intake or stop completely.
Importance of Breakfast
Throughout the world, the breakfast that people eat varies widely. If you check out the histories of these breakfast items, such as the history of waffles or the history of hard-boiled eggs, you will find that these items originated someplace and became popular in another. This shows how prevalent and uniting the concept of breakfast is.
There are many benefits to eating a healthy breakfast first thing in the morning. First and foremost is the brain-boosting powers that breakfast has. Without eating something, your blood lacks glucose that gives your body fuel to move and do what it must. A good breakfast gives you the cognitive strength to go about your day effectively.
Secondly, breakfast helps you avoid metabolic syndrome. If you start your day off with a good breakfast, chances are that you will not suffer from any disorders such as obesity and insulin resistance. Thirdly, breakfast helps enhance your skin as it helps preserve its elasticity and protects it from free radicle damage.
Hence, we can conclude that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should not be skipped.
Conclusion
Teddy Roosevelt was a simple man when it came to food, and that is obvious when we see what his favorite breakfast was. He liked a simple start to the day with eggs, bread rolls, and coffee. However, he did eat a lot of them. With 12 eggs and a large number of bread rolls, it is safe to assume that not everyone can match his appetite. Along with this breakfast, he was also super fond of coffee that he had multiple times a day. Although modest, his breakfast was definitely enough to feed a large party.