My Search for a Reliable Breakfast

I used to be like this, treating food as a mere annoyance to get out of the way as quick as possible so that I could move on to actually important things.

Then as the years went by, I started picking up cooking techniques, learning about nutrition, and became less worried about being "on" all the time.

We're humans, not machines. Time at rest actually does us good, as does time away from tasks. I find that my overall performance has massively improved simply by stepping away from a problem and coming back to it later.

Food preparation and eating is one of those "stepping away" times. Once you have a repertoire of recipes that you can do on automatic, plus a few more ambitious meals for when you feel like it, food becomes an enjoyable experience in its own right, as you slow down to prepare it, and slow down to eat and enjoy the good quality food you have prepared.

On the other side of the coin, the only way to reliably avoid highly processed foods (which cause a whole host of health problems) is to prepare food yourself from primary ingredients. And even these kinds of meals can be brought down to 10 minutes of prep time in some cases, or in cases where they're not, you could prepare large batches to keep in the freezer and reheat for those times you just don't feel like cooking.

All you really need to get started is a basic 12-16 piece spice set, a few simple recipes, and some basic tools like ladles, spatulas, a mixing bowl, measuring cups/spoons, a good quality chef's knife + sharpener (Victorinox is plenty good and inexpensive), some pots, a frying pan, a hand mixer, a microwave oven, an air fryer, and maybe an instant pot.

Take the time to learn how to prepare good quality food. It will pay back in dividends for the rest of your life.

Seeking fast food is a fools errand: The ritual of preparing food is quite important IMO. Psychologically and for satiation.

Fry some eggs and add some salad on the side takes 3 minutes (like em soft!). It is a side project as I do the main thing: make a latte! I keep the pan as-is for later use.