Before I tell you about my favorite breakfast dishes let me tell you the importance of doing a 5 day liver cleanse with me this summer. It's not just to lose weight. 

 

 

You are exposed to environmental toxins all the time. Unfortunately children are now born with them since they easily cross the placenta and transmit through the breast milk.  These environmental toxins come from herbicides, pesticide, food additives like artificial colors and flavors, altered fats, synthetic hormones, plastic bottles, heavy metals, chemicals in carpets and shower curtains, drugs medicinal and recreational, excess sugar which can lead to non alcoholic fatty liver disease, radiation and chemo therapy.  Basically they are everywhere!

 

Many toxins are fat soluble and accumulate in the fatty parts of the body where they remain for years.   

 

The brain and endocrine glands are fatty organs and commonly a place for fat soluble toxins to accumulate.  This toxic residue in the body and brain can result in hormone imbalances, exhausted adrenal glands, brain dysfunction and even premature aging. The toxic residue also results in fat storage.   

 

The toxins may be keeping you fat!

 

Sometimes your fat is actually protecting you. What it is protecting you from is an onslaught of toxins. If your liver is overloaded with too many toxins or it isn't working optimally, your body is then storing toxins as a fat, protecting you from a toxic overload.

 

It is important to note since toxins wrap themselves in fat for storage, we accumulate that extra fat to buffer us.  We also experience low energy to protect ourselves from the toxins that have accumulated in the fat. We don't want to burn the fat because it will release the toxins into our body.  

 

When we give our digestive system a rest from its normal load of processing chemicals the liver can go back and find stored toxins to eliminate.

 

This is why we cleanse. 

 

Reducing the toxic load for the liver means reducing  fat intake.  In the Nourishing Foods Summer Cleanse - Restore Your Liver we also increase the intake of food with nutrients that are readily available to support your liver. The protocol for this cleanse has been designed to give you the nutrition you need to cleanse your liver and digestive system so your liver can clean up those toxins stored in your fat cells, thereby releasing the fat.   

 

For those of you who know me, you know I am a huge fan of good fat but for a week of cleansing our liver it is highly beneficial to reduce our fat intake. 

 

Sign up for this cleanse to get rid of the toxins so you can get rid of the fat surrounding them.  By supporting your liver you will help your body release all those pollutants instead of storing them in your fat cells. 

 

Sign up for the cleanse to give yourself an opportunity to release the fat.  You will feel great and look really good in your bathing suit this summer!

 

Nourishing Foods Summer Cleanse - Restore Your Liver

An Easy 5 Day Cleanse 

 July 15-19 - Monday - Friday

 

 

Benefits of Eating Breakfast

We hear over and over that it's important to eat breakfast, but what's the big deal about the morning meal?

 

 

 

Starting the day off with a meal might seem like a waste of calories, especially if you're trying to shed some weight. Many people aren't that hungry in the morning so it is easy to just skip it. But eating breakfast actually helps rev up your metabolism, so you burn more calories throughout the day. Your body has been fasting for at least eight hours by the time you wake up.  Breakfast not only gives you the fuel to have a productive morning but tells your brain that you don't need to switch down into starvation mode.  

 

 

 

Weight Control

Going without breakfast means you likely will eat more throughout the day. People who eat breakfast, on the other hand, get their metabolism humming and tend not to consume as many calories during the entire day, so they wind up weighing less than those who don't get the benefits of eating breakfast.

 

 

Helps Keep Blood Sugar Balanced

A study presented in 2003 at the American Heart Association's annual conference showed that you are more likely to have good blood sugar levels jeopardizing your long-term health. The same University of Nottingham study found that those who skipped breakfast were more resistant to insulin. Insulin resis­tance increases the risk of developing diabetes.

 

Feel More Energized

Eating a healthy breakfast could help you feel less tired throughout the day, according to a 1999 study in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.First, there's the energy factor. Your brain needs glucose from food - especially good carbs - in order to work well. No breakfast means a brain-energy slump by mid-morning. High sugar breakfasts may also cause you to get tired by mid-morning when you get a rapid rise and then drop in blood sugar.

 

Better Cholesterol Levels

According to a study by researchers at the University of Nottingham in England showed that breakfast-skippers are more likely to have worse cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity than breakfast-eaters. Skipping the benefits of breakfast can lead to an increase in LDL ("bad" cholesterol) levels.

  

Better Memory

Eating high-energy foods for breakfast could help to boost short-term memory, according to a study of 319 teens (between ages 13 and 20) in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Researchers also found that eating a breakfast of highly processed foods actually seemed to hinder concentration.

 

Sleep Better

According to Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, the author of Tired But Wired "...it is crucial that you eat breakfast first thing in the morning, in what I call a 'metabolic window'. It's a time frame in which you can give your body an important message. It tells it that in your world there is an adequate supply of food, it can relax, and that it can fall into sleep mode when it needs to."

 

 

I have been focusing recently on finding breakfast options that are super filling.  Many of my clients need a breakfast which will hold them from 8 am to 2 pm, often with a workout squeezed in.  Sometimes my smoothies no matter how voluminous or full of fat and protein, tend not to satisfy me entirely. I often hear this from my clients.  Maybe it is a texture thing, not enough chewing to feel full. So I have been looking for other breakfast options.   These are my favorites (link to recipes are in blue):

 

Eggs are a near perfect food. Eggs provide a vital source of protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, folic acid, phosphorus, sulfur, and the adrenal-building minerals: choline, sodium, and potassium.  For more information read my article on eggs.  Eggs are also great for keeping you full longer, and studies have linked egg consumption to higher rates of weight loss. If you eat organic, free range fresh eggs the cholesterol is not a problem.  

 

Mini Spinach and Mushroom Frittata - These are a perfect grab and go breakfast. Make up a batch on Sunday and you have breakfast for the week.

 

Eggs Sautéed In Coconut Oil With Water Sautéed Spinach with Garlic It is best to sauté them "over easy" (a soft runny yolk)  to get the maximum nutrition.

 

Chia Pudding -  A big chia pudding can be very satisfying in the morning, make it the night before and you are ready to go. Strawberry Chia Pudding and

 

Toasted Almond Quinoa Bake - The texture of this breakfast dish  is great-someplace in between porridge and a whole grain cake. (picture above from Choosing Raw)

 

Low Glycemic Grain Porridge - I like to eat millet and quinoa because they are gluten free and do not feed the yeast in your body.  They are high in fiber and help stop cravings for carbs like breads and pastries. The nut milks provide good protein and healthy fat. Coconut Millet Porridge and Quinoa Breakfast Porridge

 

 

Overnight Oatmeal in a Jar - Prepare this at night and have breakfast waiting for you when you wake up! I use gluten free oats because I am sensitive to gluten.  I save my gluten eating for something fabulous like fresh sourdough bread dipped in olive oil.  Steel cut oats will work fine too.

 

Avocado toast - I like Ezekiel Sprouted Bread which is easy to digest. Spread some almond butter on the bread for protein and slice a 1/4 to 1/2 of a Haas avocado to start your day off with some healthy carbs, fats and protein!

 

- Some people are allergic to eggs. I can only eat them once a week as I am sensitive to them. This dish is a great alternative. It is made with garbanzo bean flour which is high in protein.   It can be a little tricky the first time you make it.  Be sure your pan is hot and well seasoned. Stay with it if it doesn't come out perfectly the first time, as it is delicious. Here is a video to show you how. 

 

 

Green Smoothie - my go to breakfast, I love green smoothies. A green smoothie combines all the deliciousness of a smoothie with the power of raw greens. Need some green smoothie help? Here are some of my favorites. Blueberry Coconut Green Smoothie,Easy Strawberry Green Smoothie, 

 

I hope these recipes encourage you to enjoy breakfast.