Day 10
Cleanse Day 1
For the past 9 days you have armed yourself with a LOT of knowledge about healthy nutrition. Today you officially begin your 2 week nutritional cleanse, and take a look at the topic of healthy breakfasts along with recipe ideas to support that.
Today’s Topic: Healthy Breakfasts
Eating a nutritious breakfast sets the tone for the day and promotes weight maintenance and weight loss by maintaining blood glucose levels and jump starting your metabolism.
My nutrition teacher always said that the best breakfast is leftovers from dinner the night before. My chicken soup makes a great breakfast or an veggie omelet with some grain or potatoes (no cheese but avocado is delicious!) is also a good choice. A freshly blended smoothie is another quick, easy, delicious, and energizing breakfast IF made with healthy and nutritionally balanced organic ingredients.
SMOOTHIES:
What I love about smoothies for breakfast is that they are quick and simple to make (without a lot of cleanup), taste yummy, are easy to digest, and it feels great to know that I’m starting the day with balanced, power-packed nutrition.
Components for a healthy and balanced smoothie include a base liquid, fruit, veggies, healthy fat, protein, and perhaps some dates or stevia to sweeten if needed. Be creative and change it up regularly so that you are consuming a variety of foods rather than the same things every day. And don’t forget the “greens”. I especially like to stuff my smoothie container with various leafy greens, whether it’s spinach one day or romaine or power greens the next. That way I’m getting a wide variety of amino acids, minerals, and phytonutrients – which always makes for the best nutrition.
(I’ve already shared my blog about Healthy Smoothies on Day 7, but you can click on the link in the recipe section below if you’d like to see it again.)
A WORD ABOUT EGGS:
“Not only have studies shown that eggs do not significantly affect cholesterol levels in most individuals, but the latest research suggest that eating whole eggs may actually result in significant improvement in one’s blood cholesterol profile. Nutritional experts have determined that people can eat 1-2 eggs a day without measurable changes in their cholesterol levels. They are whole foods that are excellent sources of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and micronutrients, that, like a seed growing into a tree, contain everything to “grow” a chick – a powerful “egg-ceptional food!” ~ Ed Bauman, M.Ed., Ph.D., Eating for Health
Eggs have been given a “bad rap” – being linked to contributing to high cholesterol levels, but it just ain’t so! They are a great source of protein that is easily digested and assimilated and adding a variety of vegetables and a starch (like potatoes or cooked grains) adds extra flavor and nutrition for a delicious, balanced meal.
The source of your eggs is really important, and it’s definitely worth spending the extra money on locally sourced, pastured eggs from humanely treated chickens.
HERE IS A LINK IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION:
Please note: Eggs are one of the 8 most common food allergies/sensitivities. If you are experiencing any significant health challenges or just don’t feel good when you eat eggs, consider eliminating them for awhile and then reintroducing. Pay attention to how you feel throughout the process. If eggs exacerbate your symptoms, consider eliminating them long term. While some people may not be able to tolerate eggs, others benefit greatly from the nutrition they provide.
Recipes
(Click on the photos below to view recipes.)
Check-in: How are you doing?
While you certainly can do the cleanse program successfully with just simple meals like smoothies, scrambles, salads, and soups, it’s a lot more fun, interesting, and nutritious to add more variety to your diet. Remember that each meal should include a small portion of protein, a small portion of starch, a larger portion of vegetables and fruit, and 1-2 servings of good fat. If the recipes you choose don’t already provide all of those components, you need to adjust your meal accordingly.
By this point in the program, I’ve usually cleaned out my fridge and pantry, stocked up on food, made a pot of soup, and am so ready for the cleanse! Here’s what a typical day’s schedule looks like for me:
6:00 a.m. – hydrate with warm water and the juice of 1/4 lemon
6:15 a.m. – yoga stretching & meditation
7:00 a.m. – BREAKFAST
8:00 a.m. – dry skin brushing & shower
9:00 a.m. – walk 2-3 miles (weather permitting), or aerobic dancing.
12:00 p.m. – LUNCH
3:00 p.m. – SNACK
6:00 p.m. – DINNER
9:00 p.m. – electronics off, make a plan for the next day, gratitude journal, and end of day stretching
10:00 p.m. – lights out!
I know that’s a lot to do on top of “life”. Take is easy these next few days and be sure to allow yourself plenty of self-care and downtime. Your body is doing some big work!
Here’s a sample of a daily food “plan”:
Breakfast: Healthy Smoothie
Lunch: Chicken Soup & an orange
Snack: small handful of raw cashews and raisins
Dinner: Baked Wild Salmon (protein), Garlic Roasted Butternut Squash (starch), Roasted Asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and fresh mango.
YUM! Easy, delicious, and nutritious!
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I SEE THIS DAY AS A POSITIVE NEW BEGINNING!
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the importance of consuming raw vegetables and fruits as part of our healthy diet.
Feel free to email me or post a comment below to ask questions or share your thoughts and experiences ~ I’d love to hear from you!
Blessings, JoAnn