Happy Fall Ya’ll!
These early days of October have been a clear seasonal shift. There is a crispness in the morning air and autumn has arrived.
This is a powerful time of year when all of the potential energy of the year bursts forth for one spectacular finale of the harvest.
You will see it in farmer’s markets, pumpkin patches, and in the bushels of apple crops that surge into the stores.
Having just returned from the Orange county office, it dawned on me that one of the hardest things for me during travel is getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables.
Typically, I carry all the food I need for day one with me and have some left over for day two. The longer the trip, the harder it is to nourish myself with fresh foods.
Today I am so grateful to wake up in my own bed and prepare food the way my body requires, in my own kitchen.
This morning I was craving vegetables. I think it is my body’s way of making up for not having as many during my travels.
You might be tired of the “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day speech.” But this is actually one of the statements about health that mainstream America has gotten right. (and they are few and far between)
Breakfast should be eaten and it should be eaten well. What I mean by that is it shouldn’t be eaten on the go, and it shouldn’t be an after-thought, and it shouldn’t be coffee, toast, or cereal.
Breakfast should be a celebration of a new day, a high octane offering to your one incredible body. Breakfast should be the opening act to an epic performance of a day in your life.
Breakfast should be eaten like the King or Queen that you are. It should be robust, nutritious, and colorful. If you are not a “breakfast person” I suggest starting out with something nutritious yet small, like a smoothie.
When It comes to breakfast you really need to start thinking outside the box. The standard eggs, bacon, cereal, bagels are not going to cut it if you are looking to get on a path to wellness.
Your daily goal is to consume no less than five servings of fruits and vegetables. If you don’t have any fruits and vegetables with breakfast it becomes difficult to meet that requirement as the day goes on.
Re-defining breakfast
Here is a picture of my breakfast plate.
You will see three servings of fruits and vegetables on it. This gives me a jump start to not only meet my five servings but exceed them.
Fruits and vegetables are provided by mother nature to nourish your body with essential nutrients and detoxify it at the same time.
There are no other food items that will do this. (Fats and proteins and dairy will nourish but not detoxify.)
Your body requires detoxification. In fact, your body is detoxifying itself all the time. When you eat less fruits and vegetables it makes the detoxification process more difficult and it requires more energy from your body.
Standard American Diet (S-A-D)
S-A-D diet = S-A-D health
According to the latest review the average American eats 402 servings of vegetable each year and 201 servings of fruit.
There are 365 days in the year.
When you break that down it comes out to 1.1 servings of vegetable per day and less than one serving of fruit.
Based on those numbers there are 168 days per year that the average American consumes no fruit at all!
If you have health challenges…If you do not feel as well as you would like right now…you can turn it around. Your body has an ability to heal. It must be given the proper building blocks to repair itself.
You can start with breakfast. Breakfast fuels the engine and sets a strong foundation for the rest of your day.
Here is a deeper look at the nutrition on my breakfast plate…
*Steamed Asparagus – Prep & cook time 5-7min
Asparagus Highlight: Detoxifying, Anti-cancer, nerve support, adrenal support, thyroid support. Provides B-vitamins, trace minerals, and is alkalizing.
*Dressed Salad (leftover from dinner the night before) – Prep time 0min
Leafy greens Highlight: Support digestion, cleanses lymph, eliminates bad digestive bacteria, anti-viral. Provides mineral salts, Vitamin A, folic acid, protein, and are alkalizing.
*Sweet potato hash (boiled sweet potato in fridge), chopped cilantro, chopped onion, sea salt – Prep & cook time 10min
Sweet potato Highlight: Promote healthy digestive bacteria and hair growth, reduce digestive inflammation, enhances sleep and Vitamin B12 production, eliminates toxic estrogens, anti-cancer. Provides high potency anti-oxidants.
Cilantro Highlight: Detoxifies heavy metals, supports nerves and adrenal glands, cleanses liver, anti-viral and anti-bacterial.
-Be Happy, Healthy, and Holistic
Dr. Purcell
