More Fast Food Ideas:   Swtcherooo your lunch and breakfast

 Want some good ideas for fast and tasty foods — with the emphasis on taste and ease of preparation?  Considering the pace at which most of us live and work, here are some ideas.

 First, eat lunch for breakfast. Yep. The single most important “change” I suggest concerns what you eat for breakfast.  Breakfast is essential, especially for children.  It supplies the fuel for the day’s activities – the energy to accomplish what we want to do.  If you combine carbohydrates and proteins, your energy level should be more level and longer lasting than munching just carbs.  Kids love it and adapt easily.  Adults get it eventually….

Almost all the conventional breakfast choices, (fruits, cereals, eggs, coffee, juice, breads, bacon, sausage, etc.), are acidic and make your body acidic.  Many of these contain large amounts of sugars and simple carbs that acidify the blood and create the environment that promotes “microform overgrowth”.  This means that bacteria, viruses and other forms of nasty little critters can invade your system and make you feel rotten.  The dense sources of protein (and usually fat) such as bacon and other breakfast meats, may be high in parasitic activity and are low in water content.  This may lead to constipation.  And no, coffee is not the best source of water that helps your body matter move.  As a diuretic it helps you eliminate water, along with vitamins and other nutrients you want in your system.

 First thing to drink is a glass of water. It cleans out the stuff from the night before.  Then have a liter of something green, or a green smoothie.  It alkalizes the body, gives you energy and cleanses the system at the same time – does “triple duty” first thing in the morning. I recommend Super Greens in powder form mixed with a liter of water.  Add some fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey and you’ll have a lemonade breakfast drink. Mix and take the green drink, in a stainless steel bottle, with you to drink during the day.

 Second, follow the greens with a big plate of steamed broccoli or kale, a bowl of rice, millet or buckwheat with avocado and lemon or lime juice and drizzle a bit of olive oil on it.  Consider having a bowl of soup, in the Japanese tradition, a veggie wrap or salad.  Savor a plate of cucumbers and tomatoes, celery or zucchini topped with a bit of Bragg’s Aminos and a sprinkle of olive or flax oil.  Chewing juicy vegetables full of water, low in carbs and high in fiber, is a delicious healthy way to start your day.  

 Ok, so your mom fed you OJ, cereal, toast and eggs and that’s what you want…or as one person told me, “that’s backwards! Maybe I can do that for lunch”.  Well, if you can, you’re way ahead of the crowd.  Now try it for breakfast and see what your energy level is like from the morning on! Since I changed my breakfasts (in the past several years) my energy level soared and I actually lost weight – and I wasn’t even trying! How about that for incentive?

 Another hint for boosting your energy is to make vegetables the major stars at each meal. The ratio, which is visual, is about 80/20 or 70/30.  Where protein (meat) and carbs (pasta) may have been the “main” food, now picture your plate with 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 meat or pasta. If that still seems radical, well, just try it and let me know how you’re doing. I’m happy to coach you through the first couple of days so when your body tells you how good it feels, you’ll continue and reap the benefits galore. 

Beginning with Sea Salt, a favorite staple in the diet, spices have been used for centuries.  Wars were fought over spices and the right to produce and sell them!

Spices like cinnamon and cloves were used only by the aristocracy due to their cost and difficulty in transporting from the orient or islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans.  Ships and caravans of spice traders were often attacked by pirates or ambushed due to their precious cargo.

Into the kitchen & how commonly used spices & herbs help you:

• Allspice; chills, diarrhea & as a digestive aid & natural antioxidant
• Basil; headaches, colds, aids digestion and is calming
• Cayenne; helps circulation,arthritis and respiratory congestion
• Cloves; for indigestion & gas, freshens breath, is a topical anesthetic
• Garlic; helps high blood pressure, sinus congestion, coughs,anti-parasitic
• Ginger; nausea, chills, poor circulation, gas, stomach distress, lungs
• Oregano; diuretic, headaches, nausea, asthma, colic, rheumatism
• Parsley; freshens breath, benefits eyes, kidney, liver, decreases breast milk
• Spearmint; benefits colic, gas, indigestion, nausea, colds and fresh breath
• Thyme; antifungal, antibacterial, good for respiratory & digestive problems
• Turmeric; natural antioxidant, improves liver function, reduces inflammation

Amazing how food, spices and herbs help you take charge of your health!!  And you can grow your own for convenient use in pots -  And there’s no gluten or dairy in any of them to effect a gluten intolerant person.  Also adds to the seductive look of your patio dining.

Suggested Reading:    Empty Harvest, Mark Anderson

Omnivore’s Delight & In Defense  of Food, Michel Pollan