Simple Breakfast

By now everyone should know the importance of breakfast. The first meal of the day, it sets the foundation for the rest of the day. What you choose to eat at this meal will determine your energy level for the rest of the day. You can either stabilize your blood sugar and increase you metabolism or spike your blood sugar and spend the rest of the day eating sugary foods to keep your energy up.

Eating a balanced breakfast of whole grains and protein is the best way to start your day. Not only will this increase your energy for the day, it will also control your appetite for the day. You will eat less and will be more apt to make better eating choices because you won't feel starved from spikes and drops in your blood sugar levels.

I have found the best way to stick to a whole foods lifestyle throughout the day is to begin each day with a great breakfast. Starting the day with a bowl of oatmeal is a great foundation. Though the rolled oats used to make oatmeal are slightly processed, the processing is minimal as rolled oats are simply oats that are steamed, flattened and then slightly toasted. The longer the cooking time, the more whole the oat. Quick cooking oatmeal is made from oats that are rolled thinner and instant oatmeal is precooked and is also presweetened.

The composition and content of oatmeal is such that it can adhere to the bad cholesterol and eliminate it. That alone is a pretty amazing fact: oatmeal keeps the good cholesterol and gets rid of the bad. It is also packed with nutrients. It contains calcium and iron, A and B vitamins and is full of fiber which is great for digestion and heart health.

These nutrients, as a result help with weight loss by regulating hunger. This in turns lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Once you determine the way you like your oatmeal, it becomes one of the quickest, easiest, healthiest dishes you can make. The recipe presented here is one I've developed for myself. It tastes great and fills you up for hours.

• Read the instructions for your oatmeal to determine how much water you need to boil.
• While the water is boiling add: Bragg's Liquid Aminos (salty), honey, cinamon and non hydrogenated margarine to taste.

(As a side note, I've started using agave nectar as a sweetener. It is just as sweet, if not a little sweeter than honey and does not raise your blood sugar. Check it out!)

• While you are waiting for the water to boil, chop up a nice fresh apple or more, depending on how many you are feeding.
• Put the chopped apple in the bottom of the bowls you will be serving your oatmeal in and save some for a fruit salad.
• When the water comes to a boil add the correct amount of oatmeal.
• Turn the heat off and allow the oatmeal to absorb the water mixture.
• At this point stirring in soy protein powder and ground flax seed will turn your oatmeal into a nutritional, energizing powerhouse.
• Spoon the oatmeal over the chopped apples.

Add a fruit salad and some herbal tea and you are ready for a hearty, healthy breakfast that will be one of the best things you do for yourself all day!