Over the years our food menus have dramatically changed. Today, most families eat differently than our grandparent’s generation did. With both parents working, mothers no longer have time to spend in the kitchen preparing homemade nourishing meals. Instead of homemade meals, fast or packaged foods have become the norm.
At breakfast time, mom and dad rush out the door with a cup of coffee, to get to work on time. Children are often fed cereals, which studies have shown are high in refined carbs and sugar and very deficient in nutrients. Cereals alone do not provide a child with the proper nourishment needed to grow properly or function well in school. It is no wonder that they many of them have mental and emotional problems.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it determines how well your blood sugar will maintain throughout the day. It also provides the energy that will sustain you throughout the day. Therefore, it is important to have a high quality protein (eggs, meat, fish, nuts, seeds, pollen) and beneficial fat (eggs, nuts, nut butters, seeds, unrefined oils, butter/ghee), complex carbs (nuts, fruits/berries, vegetables) for breakfast. Nuts, seeds, fruits/berries, and vegetables are also high in fiber, which prevents insulin spikes and weight gain.
Berries, either fresh or frozen, are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and nutrients. Added into a smoothie or in a bowl of fruit, nuts, and seeds make a healthy breakfast choice.
Poached or soft boiled eggs with greens are another good choice for a quick nourishing breakfast.
Cooked cereal on its own does not maintain the body’s blood sugar for very long. Thus, proteins such as nuts, seeds (chia, flax, pumpkin, etc.) need to be added.
For an after school snack have a variety of nuts (walnut, almonds, macadamia, or pecans). But, make sure the nuts are not rancid (keep refrigerated) and organic. Avoid nuts preserved with vegetable oil. If using dried fruits, make sure they are also organic and not treated with vegetable oils.
Packaged foods, soft drinks, and juices contain high amounts of refined sugars, carbs, and damaged fats and oils, and artificial sweeteners. Avoid them. Read the ingredients section of all labels. Ignore the hype on the front of labels.
To learn more about sugar, read “Sweet Treat Addiction: The Scourge of Sugar-parts 1-3” in Masters of Health December 2017, January 2018, and this issue (February 2018).
For a quick high protein afternoon snack, enjoy almond or macadamia butter on a rice crackers that are free of sugar and oil. Or, humus on celery.
Creativity is the key to keeping your family excited about their meal plans.
For lunch and dinner, a protein such as fish, meat, nuts, seeds, or beans and rice, suitable for your blood type, along with steamed vegetables.
Making a big pot of homemade soups, and then reheating it again means you have a ready made meal for several nights. Soup can be served with baked root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro) or rice.
Stir fries with vegetables and rice noodles or rice. But, do not use damaged fats or oils.
An easy way to bring more vegetables onto the dinner plate is by roasting. Choose a variety of colors for your blood type, such as zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, and sweet potatoes. Slice the vegetable into circles or strips and place in the pan when cooking a roast meat or chicken. Add water to the natural fat and juices of the roast. Sea salt, herbs, and spices can be added to enhance the flavor. They can also be sauteed in a fry pan with water and butter/ghee.
Salads of all kinds with unrefined flax seed oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and herbs are excellent food choices served with various proteins, for lunch and/or dinner. My dinner is sometimes a large salad with a can of either sardines or salmon (in brine), and I enjoy adding the roast vegetables to the salad bowl.
For a delicious drink choose mineral waters and add two ounces of natural fruit juice with sliced lemon or lime. Add fresh mint to unsweetened pineapple juice or herbal tea.
On a different topic:
Through the years we were told we were told an urban myth, once food drops on the kitchen floor there is a 5-second rule allowing us to pick it up and eat it before germs get to it. New research suggests when food hits the floor, it must be trashed. Food specialist and researcher Donald Schaffner from Rutgers University, has discovered foods begin attracting germs from the moment they hit the floor. The surfaces had been contaminated within one to five seconds of falling to the floor.