Discovery Fit & Health : Sara Novak

04/16/2012

For Americans cereal is often the go-to breakfast of choice. Milk, cereal, and maybe some fruit on top and you're set, right? Not so fast. Breakfast cereals are for the most part overly processed and often the furthest thing from a whole food. They also have a lot of added sugars, preservatives, and calories.

Last week the Wellness Warrior wrote about what’s in some of our favorite so-called healthy cereals. It's scary stuff. So instead of reaching for your favorite bowl of breakfast cereal, why not consider a healthy alternative?

1. Plain Yogurt with Raw Honey, Nuts, and Fruit

It’s really important that if you’re going to eat yogurt that you choose the right yogurt. Yogurt can include tons of additives like high fructose corn syrup, loads of sugar, sweeteners, stabilizers, thickeners, and preservatives. While the commercial variety does have a lot of added junk, by choosing organic or artisanal varieties, you can easily avoid it. The key is to read labels. Choose plain, organic yogurt with tons of probiotics. Top with raw nuts that still have all their nutrients intact because they haven’t been cooked, along with organic fruit. Instead of eating foods with added sugars, control the sweeteners in your foods by adding your own honey. Honey is truly nature's sweetener. And if you purchase it in the raw variety you can enjoy some truly significant health benefits. It depends on the floral variety of honey that you eat but it may include niacin, riboflavin, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and it's known for its antioxidant value.

2. Sara Snow’s Power Bars

If you're on the go, it's always key to have some homemade power bars in the freezer, ready to go. I love Sara Snow's Energy Sustaining Breakfast Bars--they're simple to make and include super healthy ingredients like spirulina and flax seeds. Make these at the beginning of the week and you can grab n' go all week long. Spirulina is 60-70 percent protein by weight and contains a rich source of vitamin B12, vitamin A, and iron. It's also particularly useful for those with poor digestion and assimilation, poor vitality and anemia, those who are overweight or obese, and those with active, high energy life styles.

3. Local Egg Atop Sprouted Bread

Choose high quality, local eggs from chickens that are free of antibiotics, hormones, and fed organic feed free of pesticide residue. Cook until still partially runny (or to your liking) and then place atop a slice of sprouted grain bread. Sprouted grain breads have more nutrient density because they aren’t milled the way that enriched wheat or white breads are. When the flour is milled, it’s striped of its nutrients. That’s why breads are often “enriched” with vitamins and minerals like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, folic acid, and calcium.

4. Hemp Granola with Coconut Milk and Fruit

Making your own granola isn’t that difficult at all especially when you make it on the weekend and enjoy it throughout the week. I introduced hemp seeds to my diet for a number of reasons. With more protein than milk or eggs, it’s easier to digest than both of them. It has all 10 essential amino acids, 5 grams of protein, 46 percent RDA of calcium, no cholesterol, no sodium, and iron. For some, hemp is supposedly a bit easier to digest than soy protein because unlike soy, it contains no oligosaccharides, complex sugars that can cause flatulence. Pair with your favorite milk substitute like coconut milk.

5. Morning Smoothies

In the heat of summer, nothing beats a morning smoothie and it’s a great way to pack a high nutrient punch. Here’s one of favorites: The Kiwi Mint Smoothie. I used an heirloom organic orange, coconut milk, kiwi, and mint; but smoothies are basically about what you have on hand. I like to spice mine up with the addition of ginger or turmeric.

Photo: Thinkstock

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