Eat This, Not That Breakfast Edition

The word "diet" in our society is pejorative. But, a successful diet, this is my trying to reappropriate, is a change in lifestyle. People can have a poor or healthy (not to think in dichotomies, but it works) diet. A "diet" should not be strictly changing in a day, or taking out the joys of eating. Restrictions and strict changes are what make "diet" pejorative. I'd like to think of a diet as a way of living. Food should still be delicious and if you have a poor diet, gradually change or it is likely that you'll probably be unsuccessful. This is something I've learned. A great start is to cut out soda in you're life, if you're a soda drinker. It's easier to take baby steps than one giant leap. Here are some interesting ways to change your ideas on breakfast:

As I was researching breakfast ideas I found these foods under the 20 Worst Breakfasts:

Dunkin’ Donuts Plain Bagel with Reduced Fat Cream Cheese

430 calories
11 g fat (5.5 g saturated)
76 g carbohydrates

The reduced fat cream cheese will save you 50 calories over the regular stuff, but it won’t cut any of the refined carbs—and those are to blame for the high calorie count and the denigrated reputation of the bagel in this book series. A pile of chocolate doughnut holes is better for you than a bagel with light cream cheese in almost every major nutritional category. Still, don’t let your kids make a habit of it, since they are really just a glorified dessert.

They suggest swapping the bagel for:

Glazed Chocolate Cake Munchkins (4)

240 calories
12 g fat (6 g saturated)
32 g carbohydrates

Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Muffin

650 calories
29 g fat (5 g saturated)
520 mg sodium
91 g carbohydrates

Despite the healthy-sounding names—banana-walnut, blueberry, cran-orange—muffins are little more than glorified cake. Case in point: This one has more sugar than 3 ice cream sandwiches. With nearly half the calories and total fat and more than double the protein, the bacon-laced breakfast sandwich emerges as the surprising—and resounding—victor.

Swap this and choose:

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on an English Muffin

Quaker Natural Granola Oats & Honey & Raisins

420 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
30 g sugars
6 g fiber

Thought the sweetest cereal in America would be one with a leprechaun or a rabbit on the box? Think again. Honey and brown sugar team up to cover these clusters with more sugar than you’d find in 3 Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts. Granola is basically dessert for breakfast. Sure, there’s a splash of fiber, but sugar accounts for more than a third of the calories in this bowl, and unfortunately, Quaker’s is the rule, not the exception. The only acceptable use for granola is to crumble a small handful into plain yogurt. Save your bowls for a cereal more wholesome.

Swap This for:
Post Shredded Wheat
170 calories
1 g fat
0 g sugars
6 g fiber

It's interesting how some foods seem okay, but upon closer examination they are not great. I also found this super interesting article about the 18 supermarket lies revealed. This article includes Healthy Choice brand, Tofutti, and Nutri Grain bars! Super interesting stuff. A really cool book and segment in Women's Health and Men's Health Magazine is "Eat This, Not That." It details what a person may traditionally eat, and shows the healthier option. It's a cool way to think about diet. Again, if we just change the way we eat the things we like, then diet is no longer pejorative.

Today is:

NATIONAL RUNNING DAY.

I found this awesome organization called Soles4Souls. As those of you who are runners know, running shoes do not go a long way. I have several pairs of running shoes that I can't run in because after awhile the shoes do not absorb shock and they start to negative effect hips, knees, and the list goes on. Well, I'm going to donate my old running shoes to this company, and I'm thinking about doing a shoe drive. This is such a great organization!

Anyway on with today's recipes:

When I was a kid, I loved when my mother made egg salad. So for breakfast, I had egg salad on a whole wheat roll.

For lunch, I had a veggie patty with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and a teeny bit of ranch dressing from subway. Not all subway's have the veggie patty option, but mine does and it's delicious. Next time you are there, I highly recommend eating it. I felt really full after.

Today, I made three dinner options because I like to do that when I know I have free time, and not so much free time later in the week. I made Turkey Gorgonzola Burgers. Brad said these were delicious. For my second dinner dish, I used the same recipe, but added breadcrumbs and a bit of sun dried tomato hummus to make meatballs. Lastly, I made Asian Salmon Sliders. These were beyond delicious. It is very important to use low sodium soy sauce in this recipe because it's very salty.

Happy Eating :)