We no longer eat breakfast in my house

@abelnutrition

That's right. I've eliminated "breakfast" from my vocabulary. 

Yes, it's an appropriately named term for "breaking the (overnight) fast" but it's also implicitly linked to "breakfast foods" like cereals, muffins, donuts, yogurt and granola parfaits, bacon and eggs, pancakes, waffles, toast, and bagels.

Why is it that we must eat "breakfast" for breakfast?This allegiance doesn't make sense to me. I mean, we've all had "breakfast" for dinner, right? A bowl of cereal when it's too late to eat. Or pancakes for the kids because they love them. Or eggs because they're so quick and easy.

Well, then, I ask you: 

Why can't we have dinner for breakfast? 
Chili. Salmon and veggies. A salad. 

I'm here to tell you: "You can eat whatever you want for your first meal of the day." 

@abelnutrition

I will suggest that the food manufacturing companies have brainwashed us. We think breakfast fits squarely in a square box. Wrong. That's why I've stopped calling it "breakfast" and started calling it "the first meal."

Some people think their stomach is too sensitive to handle a big breakfast (which suggests some other underlying digestive concerns that I would like to speak with you about). Some people just think the suggestion is so crazy. They could never imagine eating soup and salad for breakfast. The other problem is that current "breakfast foods" are conveniently packaged in grab-and-go style to help you deal with the morning chaos. I get it. Yes, it takes time to make your own food. 

I propose a solution to "time" excuse: make an extra serving the next time you cook. Put it in a container and put it in the fridge. The next day take it with you for breakfast or better yet, eat it at your table  before leaving. Observe how you feel. Nourished? Weird? Oddly satisfied? 

You have nothing to lose with this experiment but everything to gain. You may say "I'm going to eat what I want when I want." I encourage you to vote with your fork. Stop supporting food manufacturers who destroy your health. They continue to profit at your literal and physical expense. 

I challenge you to throw caution to the wind and dare to do your first meal of the day differently than you've ever done. 

Please share what you ate, how you felt, and if you are going to do it again! 
If you want some inspiration, check out my pinterest boards, not just the one l
abeled "better breakfasts"

Why I will never buy chicken breasts again

I was interviewing a potential client about his heath goals. He gave me the following example: "I know I should choose the chicken breasts but I chose the thighs. I know that was a bad decision." Lovingly, I say "wrong."  Wait. What? Chicken thighs are better than chicken breasts? Nope. Wrong, again.

Instead, I propose that you purchase an entire chicken. They come in a variety of sizes. Big enough to feed a ravenous family or small enough to feed one or two people with just a little for leftovers. 

Why? 

Typically, when you buy an entire chicken you get three valuable, sometimes four, elements. 

1. The whole bird represents a variety of meat - white and dark. It includes the skin, too. The skin may not be appropriate for everyone but if you don't eat a lot of processed food, the fat in the chicken skin isn't much to worry about it. It's actually the only way I enjoy eating a chicken breast. (I find them way too boring otherwise.) Variety is important. And I actually like to eat food that tastes good. Chicken legs included.

2. Look for a chicken that also includes the organs - heart, liver, kidneys. Some people believe this is an acquired taste. I enjoy making a pate out of these with mushrooms and brandy. Or you could grind and mix with a turkey meatloaf and no one would be the wiser. These organs are so very healthy for you. Full of vitamins and minerals. Truly unparalleled to many other foods. 

3. Now you have cooked and devoured this wonderful bird. Don't throw away the bones. Instead put them in water and proceed to make bone broth. Here's easy instruction! Bone broth is particularly helpful for gut health. Most of us who have eaten more than our fair share of processed foods over our lifetime will benefit from gut support. (Don't worry: a future post about leaky gut is in the works.) I even give bone broth to my dog. He loves it. You can drink bone broth like a tea or make soups with it or cook with it. And trust me, the comparison of home-made broth to store-bought versions is like apples to oranges. You just can't compare them. 

The fourth element is two-fold. It combines choosing food with as little processing as possible and as little carbon footprint as possible. Frankly, a whole chicken that has been made easy for you to cook has less manufacturing behind it than the package of 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a styrofoam package. And, chances are good that you can find a whole chicken from a local farmer and therefore, transit costs and associated carbon footprint just from emissions alone are lower. 

I recognize that the idea of cooking a whole bird may be intimidating. We typically save this fanfare for Thanksgiving only. Just imagine the same process (stuffing and sides not necessary), but on a smaller scale. I encourage you to find a farm market to purchase a chicken. Ask the farmer how to prepare it. In my house, my husband is the better chicken cooker. He simply massages some olive oil into the bird and adds a mix of dried herbs and salt. (My brother-in-law concocted an amazing rub and gave it as a gift to us, but you could make your own so it's always ready to use.) Put it in the oven at 350 F degrees until it's done. It is that easy. Try it. Share your experience in the comments or a fav recipe or family tradition. This will be a super easy dish to add to your repertoire! 

Want to learn more about chickens? This blog post was inspired by NPR's This American Life. I was listening to reruns. The life of a chicken farmer isn't easy. The life of a chicken isn't easy. Opt for sustainability. Want to learn more about sustainable practices? Check out these resources: Polyface farms, Omnivore's Dilemma. 

Tom Brady's "diet": Pointing fingers

Last month there was a lot of press about Tom Brady's "diet," and I've seen the commentary from many about how unhinged it is. Let me tell you what I find puzzling about the commentary, independent of the "diet" itself. (Don't worry I will get to that later.) 

This is what is puzzling: more times than I can count, I hear, "my neighbor/co-worker/sister did x and it worked for her; I think I will try that." People are constantly grasping at straws to lose weight, improve vitality, sleep better, or reduce other unwanted symptoms. Yet, the Bradys appear to be healthy, beautiful people. (Granted, I actually know nothing about their health status.) It would not be unexpected to infer what they are doing IS working for them. So why isn't anyone saying, "if it worked for them, I think I will try it." Why is that? 

As Americans we tend to get our health information from people and organizations who profit from our mis-health. Think about the "food" that we purchase and consume. We believe we've found the best new breakfast or the hottest new superfood. But much of what we buy has a glossy label and an ad agency behind it. Notice how the food outlined by Brady's chef is simply food? It's real food. There are no name brands. Yet, the simplicity of it all seems ludicrous, undelicious, unsatisfying, unreasonable or something else. (I would love for you to write in the comment section any words you think describe the diet.) 

The Brady household chooses to eliminate some foods. And the rationale for these choices can be scientifically backed. But forget scientific evidence. No one really cares about that anyway. (If we all did we wouldn't be mocking Tom Brady's diet). Instead, let me tell you about what happened to your officemate/brother/friend. Let's call him Joe. Joe was a Crossfit athlete with whom I worked. After working together for a month, he had a nearly perfect home-cooked diet but still complained of joint pain (though all of his other complaints were gone!). He painstakingly took me through his diet, every spice, every ingredient, every supplement. And ding-ding-ding: he was putting hot peppers on his side salad every day at lunch. We took those out of his diet and within 4 days the pain was gone.Yep, that's right. Did you know hot peppers are nightshades, just like tomatoes? And so is the "superfood" goji berries? As well as potatoes, bell peppers and eggplant? 

Now, I'm not suggesting that all Italians and tomato lovers everywhere stop eating tomatoes. Tomatoes have a lot of really wonderful properties. But I am suggesting that when something works for you, it works for YOU. Learn to treat your body as a human experiment. How do you feel when you eat cooked tomatoes? Or raw tomatoes? You can test this with any food. You might need to consume a double serving of tomatoes for a few days in row to see if they affect you. 

Be aware of when you dismiss "crazy" diets like this one. I will tell you that the Brady's diet is way more sane than a lot of the diets currently on the market. I will refrain from listing them here. But, if you'd like my two cents on a diet, just call it out in the comments. Be sure to include what you think about it, or what your experience has been with it.  

Good luck and have fun! 

It's January 12. How are those New Year Resolutions working out for you?

It's true. I don't make resolutions any more. Haven't for years. Why? Because my resolutions always sounded like "I will lose those final 10 pounds" or "I will go to the gym 5 days a week" or "I won't eat cake." And inevitably those sounded like all miserable things to do. They sounded like things other people were telling me I should (or shouldn't) do. But I didn't really want to do any of it. 

Those resolutions would probably have been more accurate if I had said "I will TRY to go to the gym 5 days a week" or "I will TRY not to eat cake." Have you noticed how many times you use the word "TRY"? I noticed the other day. I was late to class (again) and I said to the teacher, "Sorry to be late; I'll try to be on time next class." But guess what? I was late again the following week. I thought to myself, "did I try not to be late"? The answer was NO.

I didn't try. I mean I thought about it. I thought about "trying not to be late" at least a half-dozen times that day. I thought about "trying not being late" when I probably should have left my house, but instead decided to do one more thing before I got in the car and rushed over. 

I said I would "try not to be late" because that's what you are supposed to do. I would "try to go to the gym" 5 times a week because that's what you are supposed to do. I would "try to not eat cake" because that's what you are supposed to do.

Forget it all. Stop living someone else's "should do's." Start living what is important to you. I have since decided that I am either going to be on time for class or I'm not. I'm not going to "try" anymore. I will either do or not do. Join me in this radical movement. Break out of these expectations others hold of you. Decide what you expect for yourself!