My fabulous, long-time friend Leah recently sent me a comprehensive list (copied below) of New Year’s goals.  I was immediately drawn to the list since it started with “drink plenty of water.”  Simple, yet undeniably important.  However, it’s #2 on the list that I feel deserves our attention (#3 is even more important, but that’s for another post as I really want to talk about oatmeal today).

#2: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

This goal makes all the sense in the world, but it’s the complete opposite of how we function, for the most part, as Americans.  If you’re anything like me, waking up in the morning is an ongoing challenge.  I’m lucky since my fiance sets the alarm for 6 am.  Otherwise, I’d sleep past 8 every morning…or 9…and I’ve certainly spent years of my life sleeping past 1o.  My late-morning slumber leads me to forgo a big breakfast in exchange for a small bowl of cereal or a piece of fruit.  I always thought this was a commendable start to the day.  Many, after all, rush out of the house with little more than an apple or perhaps a manufactured “breakfast bar.”  I know – I ‘ve been in that camp in the past too.

Neglecting the fact that our bodies have literally been fasting for the previous ten or so hours since last night’s dinner, we’re forgetting the fact that we need nourishment to get us through the morning.  What’s worse is that we tend to eat huge meals at dinner time, a meal that is often eaten way too late in the day to even have the slightest chance of being worked off.

I don’t blame these meal routines on the way I was raised or the society I live in.  There’s no one really to blame – that’s not the point.  But, somewhere along the line I feel as if we’ve not been properly told how to function as healthy human beings.  After all, we buy into diets that are manufactured by major business models (Weight Watchers, for example) that teach us nothing about nutrition and sell us foods that hinder our understanding of the relationships needed between our bodies and food.  Or, we invest our time into ploys like the South Beach Diet that literally rob our bodies of carbohydrates, energy-producing foods that can be instrumental in our body’s ability to function in a healthy manner when eaten in their whole state (i.e. brown rice, vegetables, beans).

Before my rant turns out of control, I must focus back on the mission here: breakfast.  So, let’s eat it.  I highly recommend Tosca Reno’s “Eat Clean Diet Cookbook,” which has an entire section devoted to breakfast foods.  However, here’s a recipe that’s in her “Eat Clean Diet” book for a fabulous breakfast porridge.  If you don’t have time to make this hot meal in the morning, make it the night before and warm up left-overs.  I did this the other day, adding a bit of rice milk to the pot, topping the warmed-up breakfast with bananas and just a bit of agave nectar and it was fantastic.

Clean-Eating Porridge (Thanks to Tosca)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup each: rolled oats, oat bran, rye flakes, barley flakes, and ground flaxseed (buy these in the bulk section of a health-food store or Whole Foods so you don’t have to blow your food budget)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds (this gives you the protein you need for the morning, but you could also add some protein powder for an extra boost)
  • 1 medium grated apple

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan.  Cover and place over moderate heat.  When mixture comes to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring continuously.  when porridge is smooth and cooked through, remove from heat and serve.

HANDBOOK 2010 (Thanks to Leah)

Health:
1.       Drink plenty of water.
2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4.       Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5.       Make time to pray.
6.       Play more games
7.       Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
10.    Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11.    Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12.    Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.    Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14.    Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15.    Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.    Dream more while you are awake
17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18.    Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20.    Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.    Smile and laugh more.
24.    You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree…

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