Digestion is by far the body's most labor-intensive process. Think about a typical evening meal, which might include a meat entree, a starch, a side dish and maybe a dessert. Now imagine the amount of energy required to break that dinneror any meal for that matterdown. The food must first be "sorted out" so it can be dismantled, and its components have to be converted into usable fuel as well as into the building blocks for tissue and hair growth, brain energy, and so on. Then, to complete the process, the digestive system must eliminate unused materialno small feat, if you care to think about it!

It takes the human body at least two to three hours to process a light meal of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables that has been chewed well and eaten without stress. It will take the body much longer to digest a "junky" array of food or a larger, more complicated repast. Meals that contain animal products can take up to 24 hours or more to get through the system. Many people eat well into the evening, and that is precisely why some folks have a hard time getting up in the morning. Instead of repairing tissue and resting, the body is working overtime to process the late-evening meal.  

Thus delaying breakfast will allow the average person time to get caught up on the previous night's transgressions. Try this: Pick three days in a row and stop eating absolutely everything at least four hours before you retire for the evening. So a 10:00 p.m. bedtime means no food after 6:00 p.m. (nonalcoholic beverages are OK). I can practically guarantee you'll have much better rest and an easier time getting up.  (Just resist the temptation to eat at 6:00 p.m. as though it's your last meal!) Often, people who say they are not morning people are staying up too late at night. Go to bed at a reasonable hourwith your digestion mostly completedand you'll begin to embrace the morning hours.

Most people rush into the day with a "fast break" rather than a "break fast." Coffee and a donut, processed, chemical-laden cereal, protein shakes made with pasteurized ingredients: these are not fodder for energy, especially for a body that has barely had time to wake up from its last challenge. Additionally, some of usme includedactually tend to get hungrier during the days that an early breakfast is consumed. (I liken it to the phenomenon of "breaking the seal:" that first trip to the bathroom when you're drinking a few beers with friends. Once you go, now you have to go every half hour!)

Please remember, I didn't say, "Don't ever eat breakfast." I'm also not advocating that children eat the same way as adults.  I'm suggesting that most adults delay breakfast as long as possible or skip it entirely if they're not truly hungry. Whenever breakfast is eaten, it shouldlike all mealsbe eaten in a relaxed and enjoyable manner. (This precludes eating while driving, by the way.)

The above advice holds true for all meals. In fact, I promote these general guidelines for eating:

1. Eat simply. Try to avoid consuming complex and elaborate dishes and meals on a regular basis.  
2. Simply eat. Eat and do nothing else (no driving, writing e-mails, watching TV...). Just enjoy your food without distraction.
3. Eat only when you're hungry. Forget that the clock says it's time for lunch. Disregard that those around you are still grazing. Stop when you're full. If you follow Guideline No. 2, above, you'll be able to hear the voice inside say "I've had enough." 

A final note: In February 2007, The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine announced the launch of the Breakfast Research Institute.  The scientific-sounding group was created to "bridge the breakfast gap." The group's founders? Quaker and Tropicana. Who is really behind us believing that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? It's worth considering...   

MARCH 

Unplug & Recharge: A Detox Program

What would it be like to start spring feeling like a whole new you? There are two versions of the online Unplug & Recharge program. Choose the level of cleansing that feels right for you. 

Start your 10-day Unplug & Recharge program on friday, March 9 OR Friday, April 13 2012. Pick which date fits better in your schedule. For more information and to register, visit http://www.meetup.com/RawFoodDSM,  email info@fork-road.com or call (515) 249-2992  $79

Fast Food Redefined

Monday, March 26, 6:00 p.m.

West Des Moines Community Education   

Want to prepare healthy and delicious "fast food" in less time than it takes to order a pizza? The recipes in this class are nutritious and take less than 20 minutes to prepare.   

To Register: (515) 633-5007 or go to www.wdmcs.org/district/commed/index.php 

Natural Living Expo

Saturday, March 31, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 1, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Veterans Memorial Auditorium 833 Fifth Avenue, Des Moines   

Admission: $5 for adults   

Please join us for Iowa's largest Natural Living Expo brought to you by passionate local community builders. Visit over 100 exhibitors including Fork in the Road, offering green, natural, healthy, organic, holistic, renewable, reusable goods and services. 

 APRIL   

Cakes and Pies That Won't Go To Your Thighs

Saturday, April 7, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Bolton + Hay, 2701 Delaware Avenue, Des Moines  

Unlike the sugar plum fairy, pastries that are good for you actually DO exist. Whether your sweet tooth craves decadent chocolate or juicy fruits, you'll never have to skip dessert again. 

To Register: meetup.com/RawFoodDSM/   $60 

Take Five! Five-minute Healthy Lunches

Saturday, April 21, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Bolton + Hay, 2701 Delaware Avenue, Des Moines  

In this class, holistic nutrition coach and chef Sheree Clark will help you learn how to whip up a week's worth of tasty and healthy lunches in a hurry-to eat at home, at work or on-the-go.   

To Register: meetup.com/RawFoodDSM/   $60   

 MAY   

Yoga Nature Retreat

Friday, May 18 - Sunday, May 20, 2012

Honey Creek Resort, 12633 Resort Drive, Moravia, Iowa  

Space is limited: Please register early

Retreat Cost: $50 

Questions: Call (877) 677-3344   

Please join us for what promises to be a fabulous weekend of yoga and educational presentations. Sheree will be doing a talk on Saturday.