The British Army Is Going To Start Eating A More American Breakfast, And The Reason Why Is Shocking

There are three things that make up a stereotypical British morning ritual: tea, commentary on the weather, and a full English breakfast. For the uninitiated, that last one involves the largest plate you can find crammed with bacon, sausages, fried mushrooms for the vegetarians, toast, fried eggs, black pudding if you’re a traditionalist, hash browns if you’re not, fries (AKA chips) or fried potatoes, and of course, baked beans. Preferably, this is all washed down with a mug of strong breakfast tea made with milk and sugar.

To be clear, this is something of a stereotype. Even though Britain is tiny — you can fit Scotland, England, and Wales into Texas three times — it is home to people from many different backgrounds who have their own breakfast preferences that don’t necessarily include the full English. And most people in England are not starting every day with this feast. It’s mainly a Sunday morning/afternoon hangover cure, or the equivalent of brunch. And what a cure it is. Here’s one example of what to expect if you find yourself breakfasting in Britain:

That said, it has become a staple breakfast for one group of especially hungry Brits: those on British Army bases.

It goes way back. Here’s how it got its nickname, the Full Monty.

Even when the Army is deployed, a hearty breakfast is one home comfort they can rely on:

Fancy a fry up?

These British Army chefs will make one for you, if you happen to be in the Omani desert for #SaifSareea3 pic.twitter.com/2FCDomvYMs

— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) November 3, 2018

And when they’re back home, a fry-up is one small way restaurants try to say thanks:

Many Thanks to the @tobycarvery for my free breakfast this morning! It certainly went down a treat!#SaluteOurForces #ArmedForcesDay@DefenceHQ @BritishArmy @RoyalNavy @RoyalAirForce @ArmedForcesDay @RFAHeadquarters pic.twitter.com/W9SCgaOW9z

— Luke Oldham (@1luke84) June 29, 2019

However, that could all be about to change, thanks to a new plan that’s hoping to get troops back into fighting shape. That’s right, even soldiers can’t escape the current health trend!

Although British soldiers are expected to follow a pretty grueling exercise regime, Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Watts, commanding officer of cavalry regiment the Royal Dragoon Guards, recently said that he believed a lack of fitness was causing a “national security issue.” Watts’s comments were based on research that found that 57 percent of soldiers had BMIs classified as overweight, and 12 percent were obese.

However, as Insider pointed out, it should be noted that BMI is an imperfect measure of health, partly because it doesn’t take into account how much of a person’s weight comes from muscle, something that is especially relevant to soldiers.

.@ArmySgtMajor dismisses British Army obesity story - under BMI "A huge majority of the England rugby team would be 'obese'. I'd be 'obese', yet I’ve operated in Afghanistan and Iraq". pic.twitter.com/BU8ZZ1NQIN

— Henry Jones (@hthjones) November 17, 2018

Even though not everyone necessarily agrees on the state of the British Army’s health, we can probably all agree that a full English is not the healthiest start to the day. In light of this, the Army is trying out a new menu with the 4th Infantry Brigade at Catterick in North Yorkshire. The HQ Regional Command worked with defense contractor Aramark to create the “warrior breakfast.” Before a workout, the soldiers will be able to choose from healthy smoothies, yogurts and fruit. That means going from this…

To something like this:

And this:

Surely a better pre-workout meal than beans?

Ombre effect optional.

Insider notes that there is one more new dish that’s being added to the menu, one that’s already made headlines:

That’s right! The meal that’s come to define the millennial generation has invaded the centuries-old institution that is the British Army. Another old British institution, the BBC, had thoughts on the matter.

Here you go... #LCHF army.

As the army goes avocado. With me on the @BBCBreakfast talking about breakfasts and how the army are changing their diet and how perhaps we should too.

Notice I manage to bash both toast and Rice Krispies as neither are a healthy start to the day 🙂 pic.twitter.com/9i3TJLoumI

— Be Free Of #Type2Diabetes (@BeFreeOfT2D) July 8, 2019

They aren’t the only ones who are up in arms — although, hopefully it won’t come to that. The British Army has strong feelings about their food.

Of course, THIS is a British Army staple. God help the cook house C in C if there were no chips at breakfast. There’s two things always worry me about the full English, a) plate not big enough and b) no chips.

— Col South #Toriesout🇬🇧🇺🇦#FBPE 🇪🇺 (@OrangeTed2) June 30, 2019

It can even be used to help remind soldiers of their rank:

In the British army the midday meal for other ranks is 'dinner', the evening meal is 'tea'.

Officers eat 'lunch' at midday and 'dinner' in the evening...

I knew my place! 😆🤣😜🤪

— Paz DLXV (@paz565) April 22, 2019

Or to sustain troops through difficult times:

Pitfood

A British Army term for a sustaining high protein meal that is almost mentally drawn upon hours or even days after being eaten and mobilised for a long march or battle. From the phrasing "still in the pit of your stomach".

🇬🇧⚔️

— Vincent Mooney (@VincentMooney11) June 26, 2019

Given soldiers’ attachment to their full English, and the morale it provides, Insider reported that some sources are wary of how the switch from fry-up to fruit will go down. One of their sources also pointed out that the set amount soldiers pay for breakfast includes six options, so they can either get a bowl of cereal by itself, or add filling (and delicious) extras like beans, a fried egg, and a sausage, for the same amount of money.

With cost and flavor on one side, and health on the other, we’ll have to wait to see if the warrior breakfast will win the battle of the bulge or end up at stalemate.