Rethinking breakfast
I know where Mark Bittman is coming from when he says, “THERE are many reasons to rethink breakfast.”
I know in our house we have been trying to change our beloved habit of getting up and out and down to the local coffee shop for a coffee and a bad bagel as soon as we can in the morning. Although I love this ritual, reading the local paper, being a part of the waking up of our little town, I have to say, deep down, I know the bagel thing is not a good choice. I wont get into coffee in this posting, I am not even close to giving that one up!
But it is true, what you start your day with has a huge effect on how you feel the rest of the day. Since it has been snowy and cold, the shift from going out and getting our bagel on to staying in and making a bowl of warm, creamy oatmeal has been easy…….start the oatmeal, jump in the shower and re-enter the kitchen to warm oats! It also helps, I have found to add lots of good butter and HAZELNUT syrup to the hot oatmeal! And you can get creative, almost anything sweet and buttery goes well with oatmeal.
I have to say, creating a new morning ritual to look forward to has really helped us in giving up, (not forever though) our bad bagel habit.
Try it yourself!
Maybe you’re trying to get more whole grains into your life, figuring they’re more beneficial (and cheaper) than the alternatives, or that they’ll help you lose weight or postpone hunger. Or you’re sick of sweet breakfasts. Trying to cut down on eggs. Looking for something new.
All of those were reasons for me when, a year or two ago, I started eating things at breakfast that you would more likely associate with dinner: black olives, quinoa, miso, dried tomatoes, sesame oil, bok choy, wheat berries, roasted carrots. The foundation of most of these breakfasts has been whole grains, and making them a morning staple has done me nothing but good. I’m eating more of them, I’ve lost weight, the morning meal “lasts” longer before I’m hungry again.
To see full article.
Written by Mark Bittman for the New York Times.
Ackkk…. bad bagel, good butter, happy hazelnuts.
It sounds like you are making some value judgements on which foods are good to eat and which aren’t. Aren’t you just reintroducing the badness you hoped to escape when you start dousing your oatmeal with sugar? I think your oatmeal would be a lot healthier if you added nuts and fruits/berries to it instead. The fat profile in the nuts is much healthier, and the fruit doesn’t bombard you system with sugar the same way refined syrup does. I sometimes eat my oatmeal with eggs, and am thinking of trying it with some bits of sausage.