Studies show that sugar makes you stupid!It has been shown to actually impede learning so how about if we NOT give it to our kids before they go to school! (Duh!) Man-made sugars like high fructose corn syrup are the worst culprits and show up in breakfast foods such as cereal, waffles, breads, frozen breakfasts and pretty much all processed food like "pop" tarts. Even the seemingly healthy yogurts, breakfast bars and protein bars are packed with sugar (and other undesireable ingredients like soy and gluten). The "sugar free" ones are no better. Adding toxic chemical sweeteners to food to make them taste sweet that can cause major side effects is not the answer.
"A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning — and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology publishes the findings in its May 15 edition." That doesn't mean you should eat a bunch of junk food and then take omega-3's to counteract it! It just show how bad this stuff is for you and that you should also be adding healthy fats into your diet to enhance your memory and learning ability.
A couple of years ago an great article came out in the New York Times asking "Is Sugar Toxic?" The answer? Emphatically yes. Sugar is also more addictive than cocaine. It is hard to avoid altogether but staying away from foods with added sugar is in your family's best interest. Especially with all of the juvenile diabetes and obesity we are seeing.
Here are some great morning ideas for your kids that are well balanced with lots of healthy protein. (and yourself). Make a menu and let your kids help you the night before by selecting what they want the next day.
My house is pretty much gluten free and has been for many years with the exception of the Ezekiel line of breads. They are sprouted grain and your body doesn't use them like an unsprouted grain, they contain more protein and don't cause blood sugar spikes. The other breads I like are Paleo Bread (are expensive though) and Deland's bakery makes a great line of millet based breads. They aren't spouted, however they have only a few ingredients and no sugar added (agave, tapioca or any other sugary syrup are still sugars that are commonly added to breads to act like glue which is usually achieved by adding gluten)
Jewish NEW Yorker: gluten free
Deland millet bagel (onion/garlic is the best one) - best lightly toasted
3 oz Smoked Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon - can be high in sugar so read label carefully or smoke your own (watch out for preservatives)
Nancy's Cultured Cream Cheese or Kite Hill nondairy almond cheese 2 tbsp
Organic Tomato Slice
Optional red onion, capers or whatever you like on a bagel and lox
If your family is paleo or grain free try this option instead it's like a sushi roll:
1 small organic cucumber, peeled and sliced down the middle., scoop out the seeds to make a tunnel to put the sandwich fixings in. (use 1/2 of an english cuc)
2 tablespoons cream cheese - 1 tbsp for each half and spread it into each cucumber half
1 strip of nori
3-4 oz Smoked Alaskan Sockeye Salmon to fill sandwich
Avocado slices
Onion or chives (optional)
Dairy free option: Use Kite Hill Almond cream cheese. Very tasty alternative cream cheese not made with soy. The chive one is delicious
Be creative! You can stuff cucumbers with anything such as hummus, egg salad or tuna and whatever fixings you like.
Power smoothie:
Any plant based, non soy non GMO powder (I love Vega One, Vega Sport, Vega Smoothie or Purium LOVE)
Almond milk - unsweetened organic (While foods brand is great doesn't contain carrageenan)
Stevia to taste
1 tbsp flax oil
1/2 tsp chlorella
1/2 tsp spirulina
Hand full of kale or spinach (optional)
You can substitute water for almond milk to reduce calories and all ice if not using frozen fruit.
Frozen strawberries, blueberries, bananas or whatever you like
Vanilla powders are best with berries and or banana
Chocolate powders are yummiest will banana and/or nut butters or cherries
I freeze bananas each week and we always stock frozen organic blueberries and strawberries in the freezer.
Add avocado for extra healthy fat
Purple Murple Smoothie
Vanilla Vega One
1 c frozen organic blueberries
stevia to taste
almond milk 10 oz
Flax oil 1 tsp
Probiotics (open up a capsule and dump it in)
Banana Bread Smoothie - I got this one from Vega's recipe blog which has a ton of great recipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk (increase to 1 1/2 cup for a thinner smoothie)
- 1 frozen banana
- 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp allspice, pinch (or two) of sea salt)
- 1 serving Vega One French Vanilla or Vega Protein & Greens Vanilla
- Optional: top with more chopped walnuts
Preparation Blend, sip, enjoy!
Egg Muffin Sandwich
Finely chop up your kid's favorite veggies anything from broccoli to pumpkin
grease a muffin tin with coconut oil and fill each cup with veggies.
Beat 8 eggs or use organic whites right out of the container and poor into each muffin cup
You can add cheese shreds as an option
Bake for 10-15 min at 375 - watch closely so they don't burn!
serve by themselves or on an Ezekiel English muffin with ghee. I use Westbrae no sugar ketchup for dipping, pesto is really good with these too. You can add basil and other herbs in with your veggies to make different flavors. (mushroom pizza would be oregano tomato onion mushroom with garlic powder and mozzarella shreds)
You can serve these egg muffins as a snack on their own. You can also vary this by adding organic feta, goat cheese.
Waffle Sandwich - treat day
A product I really like is Pamela's Pancake Mix. You can make waffles ahead of time and freeze them and then toast them and make an almond butter or peanut butter and all fruit spread sandwich out of it for a quicker meal use Van's Gluten free non GMO blueberry waffles. They only have 3 g of sugar in 2 waffles as compared to Stonyfield organic greek blueberry yogurt which has 15 g of sugar or Stonyfield Yokids which has 14 g.
Rocky Mountain French Toast
Ezekiel or gluten free bread
Organic eggs
Organic raw butter or ghee
1/2-1 cups of frozen mixed berries (strawberries raspberries and blueberries work best)
Basically you are making french toast using Ezekiel bread.
One beaten egg per slice of bread.
Soak the bread until soggy in the egg.
Put a teaspoon of organic raw butter or ghee in the frying pan on medium to high heat.
Once it melts add the soggy bread.
Lower the heat to medium.
Flip it when the bottom starts browning and then place 1/2 or more of frozen mixed berries around the bread in the pan. After 1-2 minutes move the bread on top of the berries until they cook all the way. Place the bread on a dish and pour the cooked berries on top.
Optional: Add a tbsp of maple syrup.
Egg in a Frame
Ezekiel, Paleo or Deland's Bread 2 slices
2 organic eggs
Organic butter or ghee
Herbamare seasoned sea salt
Make a hole the size of an egg yolk in the middle of both slices of bread.
Add butter to the pan and heat on medium/high
Add the bread
Crack an egg over the pan so that one yolk lands in each hole and the white overflow onto the bread
Lower heat to medium
When the bottom browns carefully flip them slices over so as not to break the yolk.
Cook for about 2 more minutes but no too long that the yolk cooks through. You want the yolk gooey but the whites cooked.
Place on plate, sprinkle with Herbamare
May also be served with Westbrae no sugar added Ketchup
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/this-is-your-brain-on-sugar-ucla-233992
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=0
