OK, I don't really, but I've always liked that immortal line muttered by Lt. Colonel Kilgore in Apocolypse Now.

What I love is the smell of freshly brewed coffee and cinammon buns.

The Western diet has somehow evolved into a carb, lactose and sugar fest in the morning. Milky lattes, sugar drenched cereal, greasy donuts, toast with jam and so on. Our blood sugar spikes through the ceiling only to plummet back down to earth with a bump about two hours later.

In the East the taste is for savoury flavours which generally includes some protein. For instance in India the day starts with items such as lentil curry or tomato omelette with chapatis. In Japan rice with egg and miso soup. [The picture above depicts a typical Japanese breakfast]. Yum! I'd be very happy with that.

What is clear is that in Eastern culture breakfast is mix of carbs and protein. This sustains the body until lunch without blood sugar levels dipping. Sustained sugar levels means more immediate energy and less of an urge to reach for biscuits, crisps or cakes as a mid-morning snack.

Click here to find out what is traditionally eaten for breakfast around the world.

I would imagine that a combination of lack of time and the perceived healthiness of cereals, as opposed to a cooked breakfast, has led to the demise of breakfast protein in the average U.K breakfast.

If you can't find the time, or bear the thought, of giving up cereal for breakfast then one way to include some protein would be to sprinkle some seeds and nuts on your cereal. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds spring to mind, as do brazil and pecan nuts. Add some low fat yoghurt and substitute soya milk for half your milk intake and your protein intake has doubled without too much effort.

Check out this interesting article plus yummy recipes in Yoga Journal