New Years Day....Berries for Breakfast:
FRENCH TOAST & BERRIES1 Cup Berries (Fresh or frozen, organic preferred) on top of a high-fiber French toast made with whole wheat bread (3-5 g Fiber per slice), whole eggs or egg whites, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla. Another option is to top with low-fat ricotta cheese.
YOGURT & BERRIES
1 Cup Berries (Fresh or frozen, organic preferred) on top of low-fat or nonfat yogurt (Greek style preferred for higher protein content and less milk sugar that raises the carbohydrate content….not that carbohydrates are bad or that you should avoid them, but I prefer to use the fruit in this case as my source of carbohydrate). Also, could add a high-fiber cereal or granola to this, or chop up some nuts of your choice (almonds, pecans, walnuts), rolled oats, or ground flax seed.
BERRY SHAKES1 Cup Berries (Fresh or frozen, organic preferred) in a blender with nonfat milk or soy milk. Try adding any of the following: other fruits (such as mango, banana, pear), vanilla, cinnamon, oats, flax seed, nuts of your choice (almonds, pecans, walnuts), or peanut butter or almond butter, yogurt. Before you sweeten, taste it, you may find you don’t need it to be any sweeter. To sweeten, use a small amount of sugar, honey, or 100% fruit juice.
SUGAR TANGENT Remember that sugar, is sugar, is sugar…for the sake of how your body has to break it down, once it is in your blood it doesn’t matter where it came from. Sugar, honey or 100% fruit juice may have some other small health benefits, but in the amount we are talking about using here, it is probably not gonna make much of a difference. And brown sugar is processed exactly the same as white sugar, they just add back some of the molasses at the end of the process which gives it the color and flavor.
As far as sweeteners go, use a variety, use whichever you prefer and most importantly use them in moderation. If you choose a non-caloric sweetener, it should also be used in moderation. While not yet fully understood, some studies have shown that non-caloric sweeteners may still trigger hormonal or chemical responses that can affect a person’s satiety and weight. Stevia is a natural non-caloric sweetener, as opposed to the artificially made splenda or sweet-n-low. However, remember individuality will determine what affect these sweeteners have on you, if any at all. What is good for one person may not work so well for someone else.
The challenge for the next few months is to eat more fruits and vegetables. How will you get at least 5 handfuls a day? With every meal or snack, ask yourself, ’Where is my fruit or my vegetable?’ One or the other or both should be there! What are you waiting for? Shop and chop, so there are no excuses that you didn't have time. Plan for success!
Berry Happy 2010!
