Healthy Breakfasts
By Susan Mosley
“All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast”-John Gunther-1959
The typical American breakfast is full of fat, white flour, and calories. Did you know that the Sigmund Freud’s nephew invented the traditional bacon and sausage breakfast? He was hired by the pork industry to increase sales. In one of the first cases of shady mass marketing, he polled doctors to see if they thought a hearty breakfast was important for good health. When they overwhelmingly agreed, he used those results to imply that they thought pork was a good idea. Well, those processed meats, and biscuits are major contributors to heart disease, diabetes, cancer (from nitrates), and obesity.
We all know how breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day. Why is that anyway? Well, after 8-12 hours of fasting, you need to replenish glucose levels, to fuel the muscles and for peak brain function. People who eat high fiber, low fat breakfasts are less likely to snack later in the day, less likely to gain weight, and have more energy throughout the day.
So what do I eat?
I’m not going to complain about one of the most maligned foods, eggs. You need protein in the morning to give you energy, and curb your appetite. Eggs are ideal little protein packets; just be sure to get hormone free eggs from vegetarian fed chickens. Use no more than one a day. You can use the egg replacement recipe below for cooking.
Packaged cereals are getting a bit healthier too, since General Mills’ conversion to whole grains, with more nutrients and fiber. But you can still smell the sugar when you walk down the cereal aisle! Oatmeal will not cure high cholesterol unless you use the old fashioned long cooking style; instant oatmeal won’t do the trick. Dried apples, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or other dried fruits are great to mix into your cereal. Add flaxseed or wheat germ for a nutritional boost in your cereal or smoothie.
Who says you gotta eat traditional breakfast foods?
Try rice with grilled vegetables or chopped apples, nuts and cinnamon instead of cereal
What about Elvis’ favorite, a banana and peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread, (just not fried in butter!)
Other ideas:
Burritos or pitas with eggs, rice, beans, salsa, and cheese.
Homemade pizzas
Blended smoothies
Ham sandwich with vegetable juice and fruit
Top bagels with hummus, sliced meats, cheese, or tomatoes
How about yogurt? Be careful, fruit yogurts have as much as 7 teaspoons sugar per cup!
Want to drink your breakfast? Try this fruit smoothie:
1/3 cup orange juice
1-cup cantaloupe cut into small squares
1 cup raspberries
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
1-cup mandarin orange pieces
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 medium banana cut up
1-cup ice cubes
Layer ingredients in blender in the order listed. Blend 30-40 seconds until smooth. Freeze leftovers for the next day!
How about these homemade granola bars? Add your favorite ingredients to the basic recipe and have a portable breakfast handy for weeks! make your own breakfast bars so you can control the amounts of sugar and preservatives.
10 cups old fashioned oats (you can substitute rice crispies or grape nuts cereal for part of the oats)
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 lb. shredded coconut
2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1-cup sesame seeds
3 cups chopped almonds, pecans, and/or walnuts
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
3 tbsp. vanilla
You can also add raisins, dried apricots, dried apples, dates, figs, carob chips, or peanut butter as desired.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses, cinnamon and vanilla in saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves, not to boiling. Mix the other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour syrup over the dry ingredients, stir until coated throughout. Makes 5 13 X 9 pans full! Bake 20-30 minutes for softer bars; add 15 more minutes for drier bars. Cool and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.
Raisin squares:
From Annemarie Colbin’s The Natural Gourmet
Filling:
3 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup kuzu or arrowroot
Crust:
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1-cup maple syrup or barley malt
Preheat oven to 350. Oil 9 X 14 cake pan.
Combine raisins, water, cinnamon, and lemon juice in saucepan; cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick, Puree the raisin mixture and return to saucepan, add dissolved kuzu or arrowroot to pan, cook over high heat, until thickened and clear. Set aside.
Combine oats, flour and salt. Cut in pieces of butter one by one in bowl or food processor until thoroughly mixed. Add in syrup or barley malt to flour mixture, until soft dough is formed. Place 1/2 the dough in bottom of cake pan, fit to edges. Spread filling evenly over the crust. Crumble the rest of the dough in small pieces on top of the raisin filling. Bake 35-40 minutes.
Here’s the egg replacement idea: 1 tbsp. omega hi lignan nutri flax powder, plus 3tbsp water, mix together in small bowl, allow thickening for 2-3 minutes before use.
For more information call:
Susan Mosley, LAC, Dipl. C.H.
Four Seasons Wellness
6245 Vance Road, Suite B
Chattanooga TN 37421
423-596-9024
www.fourseasonswellness.com
This article was posted by susan mosley
