Eat THIS, not THAT for Breakfast

Part 1 in a 3 part series featuring Holistic Nutrition Byte’s guide to what to eat in 2009.

For breakfast, instead of:
-cereal with soy milk (and yes, even your organic Kashi Go Lean, which has soy protein isolate and processed grains. Soy milk is high in plant estrogens and can adversely affect hormone levels and thyroid function)
-bran muffins (high in sugar, calories, and fat, low in protein)
-coffee (makes the body acidic, leaches minerals from bones, spikes blood sugar, taxes adrenals)
-orange juice (high in sugar)
-waffles, pancakes (made with processed flours, sugar, low in protein)

try:
-a smoothie made with coconut milk, spirulina, flaxseeds, seasonal fruit, and whey or rice protein (contains antioxidants, good fats, minerals from the spirulina, and good protein source)
-chicken sausage stir-fried in coconut or olive oil with greens like kale or chard (protein + greens + healthy fats = the ultimate breakfast to stabilize blood sugar and give you energy)
-gluten-free hot cereals like quinoa flakes, buckwheat, or brown rice congee with cinnamon and stewed fruit (unrefined, non-gluten grains are good fiber sources to scrub your colon clean, and cinnamon has been shown to reduce blood sugar and cholesterol)
-dinner leftovers with cultured vegetables (krauts make a wonderful complement to meals and are high in probiotics, aiding in digestion).
-omelet scrambled with veggies and nitrate-free turkey bacon

Breakfast is the most important meal. I write a lot about it and clients are always asking me for suggestions. Our cultural norms are sweet comfort food breakfasts: coffee cake, french toast, muffins, pastries… with coffee. These high sugar, refined breakfasts are low in protein, antioxidants, and minerals, all of which your body needs in the morning to get you going for the day. Coffee and sugar = massive crash around noon to 3pm, causing fatigue, brain fog, worse sugar cravings. These foods are also acidic, and we want alkalinizing foods to maintain health.

Try breaking out of the breakfast rut and add protein to keep blood sugar stable and some fruit or greens for antioxidants. Remove the refined grains in the AMs and find yourself working and thinking and feeling better. Add a green food powder containing chlorella and spirulina for extra minerals and an added boost. Also try green tea for its superior health benefits.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts: What to have for lunch. And dinner!

Power breakfast recipe:
*Brown rice bread toast bread covered with 1 tbsp hummus
2 poached or soft-boiled organic eggs over the toast
sprinkle with sea salt (optional)
side of 1 cup steamed greens such as chard, spinach, kale, or mix (top with garlic, sesame or olive oil, spices)
green tea

Power Smoothie recipe:
1 part fresh fruit: banana, mango, pineapple, berries, pear, or citrus
1 part frozen fruit (berries work well)
protein powder: rice, whey, or hemp protein NOT soy
spirulina powder
ground flaxseeds or flax oil
coconut milk or unsweetened cranberry juice
Blend and enjoy. Sip throughout the morning.