When you think about breakfast your mind quickly pictures the kinds of foods that you usually eat in the morning. It seldom pictures the word itself, “break – fast”, which means exactly what it implies, to break a ‘fast’, which is what you did when you went to sleep last night. Your digestive tract has been relatively clear of digestive duties for some time now and is ready to get back into action… or not?
When waking up some of us get up hungry and can’t wait to eat something. Others don’t get hungry for an hour or more but usually find themselves famished, at which time they normally seek out quick calories in the form of sugar and salted fried food such as chips because subconsciously they want to get nutrients into their bloodstream and cells as fast as possible. The key is still calories, but it’s what kind of calorie that counts.
If you are a young active adult then you should consume 2500-5000 calories a day, depending on your size. The rule of thumb is that if you eat the wrong food then you can end up eating too many calories and if you eat the right food then it is hard to get enough in a day. Finding both the individual foods high in protein and food combinations that can provide nutritive balance is the key to reaching this goal.
Whether you want to get all your morning calories into one meal or you can afford to graze on tidbits until lunch, try to make sure that you are balancing your nutrients and not just filling up on sugar. From doughnuts to cereal to pancakes, breakfast foods and food vendors are heavily reliant on sugariness to wake you up in the morning. Besides sugars, most of these foods are also high in heavily processed starch carbs, the combination of which may actually make you sluggish instead of energized.
When it comes to feeling good or bad it’s usually the right amount, not more or less, that makes you feel good and anything else makes you feel relatively bad. This right amount is our optimum and should be the goal of consumption for every meal period.
That optimum should be the right combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and enzymes that replenish depleted stores as a result of fasting through the night while sleeping. If you eat a good balanced breakfast and take your supplements at the same time you will ‘fill up’ your body with good things before you have the chance to do the opposite. This way, at least, you have a fighting chance dealing with the inevitable indulgences of the ensuing day.
Trying to achieve this optimum for each meal period will steer you away from eating junk food in between meals because you will feel satiated instead of hungry or tired. You will find yourself wanting a cup of tea or something other than food and other than junk food. Repeating this pattern for weeks into months will help restore you body back to its natural form and put you back in control of your life.
Here is an example of a good hearty breakfast that I like to eat nearly every morning. As a vegan, I rely on some of these products such as tofu the same way other Americans rely on the availability of eggs. I try to stay away from as much sugar and sweets as I can so I don’t do the customary pancakes with maple syrup. The tofu and textured soy and wheat provide the protein, while the potatoes give me the carbo-starches I need for energy. I use non-hydrogenated natural margarine and olive oil for fats. The tofu is a blood alkalinizer. The nutritional yeast provides me with a high dose of B vitamins and amino acids and the turmeric is a proven immune booster. I take a multi vitamin at this time and may add other supplements during the course of the day.
Tofu Scrambler
Ingredients
1/2 block Tofu, soft or firm
2 level Tbsp Nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp Sea salt
1 Tbsp Margarine
1/4 cup Vegetable stock
Process
Hand crumble the tofu with clean hands into a bowl. Add the other ingredients except for the margarine and vegetable stock. Heat a skillet and add the margarine. Add in the seasoned tofu and fry this for several minutes. The longer you fry tofu without stirring it, the browner it will become, so, depending on whether you like you 'eggs' dry or fluffy you can control this. Once you are satisfied with the right amount of browning add in the vegetable stock. Keep the heat high and stir tofu while the liquid cooks away. This process melds the flavors and infuses more flavor through reduction. When the liquid is completely absorbed, the scrambler is ready. Bon Appetite!
No comments:
Post a Comment