Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Day 12: Breakfast, really?
Mom's all over the world say this is the most important meal of the day and probably nutritionist as well. Like any kind of eating just be sure your eating for the right reason. Emotions tend to affect my eating habits more than anything else. Unlike most skinny people I eat when I am upset. Not more often, I just maximize my portion size when I'm sad. I also will choose foods that will ultimately make me more depressed instead of foods that will keep me feeling lite.
So I decided to reboot my breakfast choices today asking these 2 questions each morning:
1. Am I hungry?
2. What is going to make me feel the best?
I say if your not hungry then you don't need to eat and this is not just an emotional question. It's a body question. Do you wake up and need some fuel? Are you feeling lathargic this morning? Did you stay up and watch your dreams like tv all night? Or ate late the night before and thus not hungry?
I would typically just answer this question on an emional level which would leave my body craving something later and I have noticed as I emerge from my depressed state that anything that "swings the pendulum" invites more reactive responses. It is better to stablize and smooth out the edges since everything is already pretty sharpe feeling when your in that depressed state. When there isn't any cushiony saratonin being released any and all thoughts are cutting thru your being like a razor blade.
So if your like me and you answer yes to the first question and I did because my body felt like wasn't getting enough energy as well as I was just slightly emotionally hungry.... then what do you eat? Studies will tell you to have the following for the following reasons:
Carbs for energy that can get in quick and fiber to wake up your digestive track
Proteins to sustain the energy level and last longer, plus you will have all day to burn off the fattier foods
Veg and Fruits for nutrients
Honestly, I think you have to eat something that both tastes good and gets you what you need. I choose Manna bread with coconut butter spread and a Triple Green Tea Latte w/o Milk (So fun requesting this at Starbucks). The Manna bread is sprounted moist full of both fiber and protein because of the grains is only sweetened by fruit so its not too sugary. The coconut butter isn't probably necessary but who eats dry toast for breakfast except my mother?
Warning the next paragraph might be TMI (bowel analysising):
I have noticed since I tend to run pretty dry that coconut butter and good fats help keep my bowels moist and flowing w/o as much effort. The manna bread has the fiber that you need to scrub your intenstines and start your day off to a nice light and empty feeling after you empty of course.
The Starbucks treat:
Listen I know I don't need this but it purges the emotional needs of the morning. Something warm, comforting, stimulating and makes me happy. Green Tea is my all time happy feeling beverage. Some love the coffee I love the Matcha! Though I now Starbucks has some sweetner in the green tea powder I request no additional sweetner and it tastes great but I love that bitter taste. Probably simplier to coffee drinkers and their bitter coffee, well unless they douse it with sugar.
In sumation, breakfast is great! Especially when you feed your body and mind what it really needs. Decerning what the minimal needs are and adding only one treat maybe per day. So if today green tea was my treat then on a day when I don't need to stimulant I'll order the bacon. Stay tuned for the day I talk about food combining. I am waiting for a week of this diet to reflect on my experience.
So I decided to reboot my breakfast choices today asking these 2 questions each morning:
1. Am I hungry?
2. What is going to make me feel the best?
I say if your not hungry then you don't need to eat and this is not just an emotional question. It's a body question. Do you wake up and need some fuel? Are you feeling lathargic this morning? Did you stay up and watch your dreams like tv all night? Or ate late the night before and thus not hungry?
I would typically just answer this question on an emional level which would leave my body craving something later and I have noticed as I emerge from my depressed state that anything that "swings the pendulum" invites more reactive responses. It is better to stablize and smooth out the edges since everything is already pretty sharpe feeling when your in that depressed state. When there isn't any cushiony saratonin being released any and all thoughts are cutting thru your being like a razor blade.
So if your like me and you answer yes to the first question and I did because my body felt like wasn't getting enough energy as well as I was just slightly emotionally hungry.... then what do you eat? Studies will tell you to have the following for the following reasons:
Carbs for energy that can get in quick and fiber to wake up your digestive track
Proteins to sustain the energy level and last longer, plus you will have all day to burn off the fattier foods
Veg and Fruits for nutrients
Honestly, I think you have to eat something that both tastes good and gets you what you need. I choose Manna bread with coconut butter spread and a Triple Green Tea Latte w/o Milk (So fun requesting this at Starbucks). The Manna bread is sprounted moist full of both fiber and protein because of the grains is only sweetened by fruit so its not too sugary. The coconut butter isn't probably necessary but who eats dry toast for breakfast except my mother?
Warning the next paragraph might be TMI (bowel analysising):
I have noticed since I tend to run pretty dry that coconut butter and good fats help keep my bowels moist and flowing w/o as much effort. The manna bread has the fiber that you need to scrub your intenstines and start your day off to a nice light and empty feeling after you empty of course.
The Starbucks treat:
Listen I know I don't need this but it purges the emotional needs of the morning. Something warm, comforting, stimulating and makes me happy. Green Tea is my all time happy feeling beverage. Some love the coffee I love the Matcha! Though I now Starbucks has some sweetner in the green tea powder I request no additional sweetner and it tastes great but I love that bitter taste. Probably simplier to coffee drinkers and their bitter coffee, well unless they douse it with sugar.
In sumation, breakfast is great! Especially when you feed your body and mind what it really needs. Decerning what the minimal needs are and adding only one treat maybe per day. So if today green tea was my treat then on a day when I don't need to stimulant I'll order the bacon. Stay tuned for the day I talk about food combining. I am waiting for a week of this diet to reflect on my experience.
Song of the day (actually woke up with this belting in my head this morning): "Dull Life" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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