Rise and Shine

The starting point for your healthier lifestyle can be your breakfast. Your brain and body need healthy fuel to function efficiently. Eating a healthy breakfast has many benefits, such as increased energy and concentration.

Naturally, as the sun rises in the morning, so do you. Eating foods that contribute to that fresh, uplifting, energized time of day are the most beneficial. In contrast, loading your body with heavy, greasy, salty, and dry foods common in the Standard American Diet can create sluggishness and mental fogginess, as well as hunger and cravings as your body attempts to balance these extremes.

Enjoying warm, whole grain cereals made from tasty grains such as millet, brown rice, quinoa, or oatmeal, and a variety of lightly blanched or steamed vegetables in the morning, will start your day off right!

When I started eating vegetables in the morning, and stopped eating granola with soymilk, I was less hungry throughout the day, lost weight, and decreased symptoms such as bloating and gas (ICK!). Those were wonderful unexpected improvements in my own health.

On weekends, (especially in the fall) I enjoy a heartier breakfast, such as a tofu scramble and some kind of muffin recipe. The smell of muffins baking is so cozy.

Here is my recipe for the scramble:

Tofu Scramble

1 package firm tofu
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup organic corn
1/2 cup mushrooms
1 tsp sesame oil
shoyu
scallions, as garnish

Heat a frying pan and saute the vegetables in the following order: onion, carrot, mushroom, celery, corn. Crumble the tofu into the pan, add shoyu, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Take off the lid and toss in some chopped scallions. If you'd like fresh scallions, sprinkle on top.

Vegetables can be varied according to your personal taste, and you might also want to top it with some kind of roasted seeds or nuts.