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. 

 TO EAT IS HUMAN; TO DIGEST DIVINE” Can you relate?

Have you ever eaten a raw potato? Irish peasants called their potatoes “bog apples” and ate them raw.  Besides saving lives through the years of famine, potatoes “help keep the doctor away” just like apples.

Eaten raw, pound for pound, a potato furnishes about 1/3 less calories than bread.   Its superior digestibility and food value as a source of protein, vitamins and minerals make it ideal for reducing caloric intake without losing many essential food factors.

One medium-sized raw potato contains about 100 calories  – much less than a serving of spaghetti, pie or cake.  It’s easy to digest.  A potato has very little sugar or fat and is high in potassium, (which helps regulate your heart beat), phosphorus and calcium, as well as protein.

Potato skins (my favorite part) are not very thick, but contain about 9% of the protein. Close under the skin is where you find the most solid portion of the potato.  Cooking and eating potatoes with the skin on, conserves most of the vitamins and minerals –

About 25 % of the vitamins are lost in cooking, especially Vitamin C.  Thus the recommendation to eat ‘em raw.  Try the “fingerling” potatoes raw-thinly sliced.  Dip them in salt & butter or a salad dressing - the “crunch” is great.  And chewing helps digestion. Cooking in salted water conserves Vit. C and drop them carefully into boiling water, not cold.

For anyone with gluten intolerance, potatoes are far better than pasta.  also try spaghetti squash in place of pasta – lots more vitamins, minerals and less fattening!!

Fact: Depletion or deficiencies of certain vitamins or minerals can lead to a variety of general health problems and specific nutritional disorders, among which depression and other psychological challenges are listed. If it’s potatoes vs Prozac for relaxing then potatoes win in my book: Food makes the difference