HOW TO MAKE A GOOD BREAKFAST (AND YOGHURT)

In his bestselling book, In Defense of Food, American author Michael Pollan argues that much of the western world now finds itself in that historical particularity in which large sections of its populations are both obese and malnourished.

Pollan is perhaps best known for appearing in Food, Inc, the Oscar-nominated documentary exposing the industrial production and processing methods of US agribusiness, and for his other bestselling books on food and eating, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Food Rules.

The Knight Professor of Journalism at Berkeley, Pollan writes with an idiosyncratic mix of biting wit, lucidity, and enormous persuasiveness, about how an unhappy combination of changes in the 1970s to US government policy on food, and ruthless cost-and-corner-cutting by agribusiness, has led to the modern plague of diabetes, heart problems and cancer among increasingly unhealthy and ever more obese western populations.

Labelling the last three decades "The Age of Nutritionism", Pollan exposes the carbohydrate-laden "lo-fat" hi-fad diet as little more than a tragic government mistake and a corporate sham, positing that saturated fats are nowhere near as dangerous as recently considered, and that the real culprits in obesity and dietary problems are the so-called "trans-fats", hydrogenated vegetable oils used in the cooking of fast foods, and pre-packaged commercial foods.

He argues that while the food corporations de-nature food, and then try to "add back in" manufactured versions of what was taken out, there appears to be a synergy operating between the molecular components of real, whole foods, which cannot be replicated by food chemists merely joining the constituents back together again in the laboratory.

His advice is to eat organic wholefoods, his maxim: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

The first meal that dictum addresses is, of course, breakfast. 

Breakfast is our least explored, least considered meal of the day. For many people, breakfast is a piece of white bread toast smeared with margarine, and/or a gulped cup of coffee - in other words, virtually a nutrition-free zone. This is despite the fact that throughout our lives, we are warned that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and informed of the benefits of eating a good breakfast.

I've never been a "let's do breakfast" person. To me, eating breakfast out is a trial. Who wants to make conversation - much less talk work or business - first thing in the day while trying to eat breakfast at the same time, in a noisy cafe with people  at the nearby tables all trying to shout above the coffee grinder? There is often loud music playing too: the whole thing is an assault on the senses.

To me breakfast should be eaten at home, in pleasant quiet, taking as much time as is available, in as gentle as possible start to the day. For some people it may seem impossible to make the time. But the benefits are great, and the time needed not.

Here's the recipe to my daily breakfast, and I highly recommend it. It only takes about ten minutes to prepare, cook and serve. Please note that all ingredients are organic or biodynamic (with the possible exception of the Benedictine).

INGREDIENTS

Rolled oats

quinoa flakes

oatbran

goji berries

dates

sea salt

banana

papaya

guava (and/or other fruits in season)

brazil nuts

almonds

chocolate (dark 70% Fairtrade)

yoghurt (home made, see below) *

full cream milk

Benedictine

METHOD

Pour cold, filtered water into a saucepan and add rolled oats, 1 cup per person. Add a tablespoon of quinoa flakes, a tablespoon of oatbran, and a pinch of salt. Add a few goji berries, and one or two dates per person. The water should cover the contents well:  the porridge is best if soaked overnight, though it is fine too if it's not.

Bring the porridge to the boil. If it gets too thick, just add a bit more water. It will be cooked after a few minutes of gentle boiling. Serve into bowls. Top with almonds and brazil nuts, sliced banana, papaya and guava, and shavings of chocolate. Feeling festive, add a dash of Benedictine. Serve with milk and a tablespoon or so of yoghurt.

It's a healthy, delicious warm breakfast you can eat all year round, and will keep you satisfied until lunchtime.

*How To Make Your Own Yoghurt

It's very easy. You don't need yoghurt mix, yoghurt machines, any of it. You just need milk, yoghurt culture, a saucepan and glass jars.

Pour 2 litres of full cream milk into a saucepan. Heat it strongly until the milk begins to bubble, then take off the heat and leave.

After a few minutes, pour the hot milk into clean glass jars. Allow to cool a little further, until the milk is between hot and warm. (The optimum temperature is learnt by trial and error).

Stir in a tablespoon of your own last batch of yoghurt - or, if making it for the first time, of your favourite plain organic or biodynamic yoghurt.

Cap the jars, and put them in a small cardboard box filled with cornstarch packing material, or, failing that, rags or shredded newspaper. Close the top of the box and put it into a small cupboard and don't disturb for 8-10 hours. When you open the box you will have jars of delicious yoghurt.

Practice will make perfect.

Refrigerate. Enjoy.