Eat Meat for Breakfast!
Seriously!
Over the past week I've changed my eating habits again--mostly because I got really tired of feeling awful after eating my usual breakfast of cereal and fruit...
Which leads me to think "who were the geniuses who decided that we should start our mornings with grain?" Because, for me, I think a breakfat of all grain and fruit is just not good.
So, sometime last week I decided that I needed protein in the morning. What kind of protein? The thought of a steak just didn't sit all that well with me. Too heavy. So I decided on chicken breast and turkey cutlets.
I still start with a cup of coffee. But I've been able to feel satisfied with low-fat milk and two teaspoons (measured) of sugar....
Here's how I prepare the chicken and turkey: chicken has to be "tenderized" with a mallet on a cuttng board so that it's a cutlet vs. a blocky hunk of breastmeat. The turkey's already tender. I use olive oil and a combination of herbs to season. No garlic or pepper--too strong for the a.m. Rosemary and sage give both turkey and chicken a kind of "sausage" flavor (sage is a big seasoning in sausage) I've also made them "moroccan" style with cinnamon and onion powder with olive oil (not bad but not my favorite--got it from Weight Watchers.) This a.m. I used tarragon and lemon juice. Mixed feelings on that one, probably because the tarragon's kind of old, and I'm not sure I really like tarragon all that much. But there's also marinades that aren't made with soy oil, and other seasoning recepies I can try. Just as long as I stay away from pepper and garlic in the a.m., everything tastes pretty good. I use a George Foreman grill, and things cook up quickly.
Since eating different, I've noticed my stomach is not as bloated and my moods are more balanced. I can feel those "core" muscles in my abdomen, that now have no problem contracting. I drink less coffee, feel less like I want to go back to bed, and am generally mellow. My a.m. anxiety attacks (which were getting to be commonplace) aren't there and I can get stuff done vs. assiduously avoiding whatever it is I need to get done.
Maybe the whole cereal-for-breakfast thing is fine for kids--but maybe as we age, as we get more muscle, and maybe stomach enzymes change, maybe more of us need to listen to our bodies and eat like the carnivores that we are. Maybe all the dieting advice that's out there is for kids, not for mature folks. And, let's face it, our bodies change. If our bodies change, doesn't it stand to reason that our diets might need to change too??
So, it will be interesting to see if this new eating strategy will help me drop a few pounds. If it does something to reduce insulin, boost my metabolism, and give my gastrointestinal tract a break from bloating, then, hey, I'll just keep doing it. It might be hard to keep up when I travel--lord knows the "complimentary continental breakfast" doesn't necessarily include chicken. and turkey-bacon's really something of an abomination. The travel eathing thing, then, will have to be played by ear.
But while I'm home, let's see what happens. Let's see if I can get lean and mean...or at least be pretty healthy...
Over the past week I've changed my eating habits again--mostly because I got really tired of feeling awful after eating my usual breakfast of cereal and fruit...
Which leads me to think "who were the geniuses who decided that we should start our mornings with grain?" Because, for me, I think a breakfat of all grain and fruit is just not good.
So, sometime last week I decided that I needed protein in the morning. What kind of protein? The thought of a steak just didn't sit all that well with me. Too heavy. So I decided on chicken breast and turkey cutlets.
I still start with a cup of coffee. But I've been able to feel satisfied with low-fat milk and two teaspoons (measured) of sugar....
Here's how I prepare the chicken and turkey: chicken has to be "tenderized" with a mallet on a cuttng board so that it's a cutlet vs. a blocky hunk of breastmeat. The turkey's already tender. I use olive oil and a combination of herbs to season. No garlic or pepper--too strong for the a.m. Rosemary and sage give both turkey and chicken a kind of "sausage" flavor (sage is a big seasoning in sausage) I've also made them "moroccan" style with cinnamon and onion powder with olive oil (not bad but not my favorite--got it from Weight Watchers.) This a.m. I used tarragon and lemon juice. Mixed feelings on that one, probably because the tarragon's kind of old, and I'm not sure I really like tarragon all that much. But there's also marinades that aren't made with soy oil, and other seasoning recepies I can try. Just as long as I stay away from pepper and garlic in the a.m., everything tastes pretty good. I use a George Foreman grill, and things cook up quickly.
Since eating different, I've noticed my stomach is not as bloated and my moods are more balanced. I can feel those "core" muscles in my abdomen, that now have no problem contracting. I drink less coffee, feel less like I want to go back to bed, and am generally mellow. My a.m. anxiety attacks (which were getting to be commonplace) aren't there and I can get stuff done vs. assiduously avoiding whatever it is I need to get done.
Maybe the whole cereal-for-breakfast thing is fine for kids--but maybe as we age, as we get more muscle, and maybe stomach enzymes change, maybe more of us need to listen to our bodies and eat like the carnivores that we are. Maybe all the dieting advice that's out there is for kids, not for mature folks. And, let's face it, our bodies change. If our bodies change, doesn't it stand to reason that our diets might need to change too??
So, it will be interesting to see if this new eating strategy will help me drop a few pounds. If it does something to reduce insulin, boost my metabolism, and give my gastrointestinal tract a break from bloating, then, hey, I'll just keep doing it. It might be hard to keep up when I travel--lord knows the "complimentary continental breakfast" doesn't necessarily include chicken. and turkey-bacon's really something of an abomination. The travel eathing thing, then, will have to be played by ear.
But while I'm home, let's see what happens. Let's see if I can get lean and mean...or at least be pretty healthy...
posted by Tish Grier at 8:49 AM
5 Comments:
You can thank Mr. Kellogg for the grain for breakfast idea. Before that, it was bacon and eggs.
eggs! I'm all about the eggs. And the bacon :D Or the ham.
I can't stand really sweet things in the morning either, so pastry or sugary cereal are all VERY not good.
But I just signed up today for local milk, eggs, baked goods, and organic produce to be delivered to my door step! Woot! Makes me happy. I can get sausage and bacon delivered too.
oh, that rotten Mr. Kellogg!
I've been thinking a bit about how/why we got away from the old "farmer" breakfast--lots of people screaming about saturated fats and cholesterol and, for most of us, a predominantly sedentary lifestyle.
but nobody said we couldn't eat chicken and turkey (and even poached fish) in the a.m. it just sounds weird because we're conditioned to think of sweets for breakfast.
ugh! my blood sugar!
oh, Mim...I've been getting the organic chicken and turkey-- it tastes better and is way more tender than the big commerical brands. I'm willing to pay the extra money for it because it tastes so much better!
Shalom Y'all,
Yeah, Kellogg started the whole breakfast cereal thing. But Bacon and Eggs was the very first marketing effort started by the granddaddy of marketing in the '20s.
Breakfast was more likely to be bread and maybe stew/soup/beans.
The Japanese eat fish for breakfast. I do a hard-boiled egg while I'm writing for that protein bump.
I also like beef curry for breakfast.
American breakfast foods -- think IHOP fare -- are deadly energy killers first thing in the morning.
B'shalom,
Jeff
Hi Jeff...
your comment reminds me of marketing--how there's so much darned marketing of breakfast cereals. Heck, right now, there's even a Spider Man sugary cereal to go along with the movie!
When I think about it, I don't think we're doing kids any good raising them on sugary cereal. I've even known some adults who couldn't break the sugary cereal habit.
and if I wasn't allergic to eggs, I'd definitely eat them. But they're just not good for me! I'm lovin' the turkey though. that's turning out to be the best.
:-)
T.
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