Each of has have certain core values or beliefs about food. We may not even know we have them, but deep within us we have strong feelings, emotions, and beliefs about food. These can come from events associated with foods, they can come from the way we were raised with food (for example, the demand from our parents that we finish everything on our plates), or they can come from feelings/moods that are altered by what we eat.
In this country we have strong core values about what we eat for breakfast. It would generally be absurd to eat a tuna sandwich for breakfast, or a burger and fries for example. Deep within us we believe that some things are meant for breakfast and some things simply aren’t. Bacon and eggs are accepted for breakfast, but wouldn’t ordinarily be a lunch menu. When families choose to have cereal in the evening, it is usually with the exclamation “We’re having breakfast for dinner!”
My reason in pointing this out is to show that the way we THINK about food is a VERY powerful connection to what and when we eat the foods we do. When we make a commitment to eat healthier, like so many of us do this time of the season, we really need to re-evaluate the way that we THINK and feel about food. Let me give you a quick example. For years in our home a dinner meal was not complete without some sort of meat. It wouldn’t matter how much food was on the plate, if there wasn’t some sort of meat on the plate then the meal was incomplete. This had nothing to do with feeling full, or with the amount of nutrients consumed. This was simply a strong core belief that ‘something was missing’. It took some time, but when we were able to alter our thinking, we were able to alter our diets.
So my challenge to you is to try to alter a few of your thoughts or beliefs about food. A great place to start is the thought of having vegetables for breakfast (I hope you are not gagging just thinking about it!). Vegetables are a wonderful source of nutrients AND ENERGY for the body. Because the body can easily digest vegetables, they allow the body to use it’s energy for other things (like clarity of thought).
So here is a great way to have a nutrient-packed breakfast.
1 small sweet potato, peeled, chopped and cooked*
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
2 TBS of mango salsa
salt and pepper
Saute the sweet potato on a non-stick pan until slightly browned. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach with wilted. Top with mango salsa and seasonings and serve immediately. Enjoy every bite and begin to change the way you think about breakfast!
*I generally boil up large batches of sweet potatoes and keep them in my fridge for about a week. This makes this breakfast super quick and easy when all I have to do is open a container in my fridge. Another easy way is to wrap 3 or 4 of them in tinfoil and cook them in the oven for a little over an hour at 350. Then just let then cool and keep them in the fridge for your next recipe. You can easily throw them into just about anything from soups to stir-frys.
Source: WFM 1-10