The Breakfast Lie and Modern Life

Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day.  Is one meal more important than another?  If that was so, then you could skip meals all the time.  You can miss lunch altogether because it's not important.  Does that sound absurd?  That's like saying my electric bill is unimportant during certain months.  Skip the payment.

Breakfast as the most important meal of the day was created by advertisers to boost their products.  I was learning this on a radio program and my initial guess was the Kellogg brothers had schemed it up but it was actually the pork industry.  It needed to drive up sales so the breakfast slogan was introduced in doctors offices by shiny brochures created by the pork sellers.  Everyone needed to eat ham with their eggs in the morning.

Now, if you ask your grandparents they ate a very small meal at dawn and went to work on the land.  Lunch was a huge spread at noon and then another light meal was prepared at night.

Most people instinctively know they shouldn't fill their stomachs first thing in the morning.  People are not hungry.  They don't feel hunger pangs until 2-3 hours after waking.  So, why do we rush to swallow a lot of protein, carbs, and fat as soon as we put our feet inside our slippers?

My theory is we have to run off to work and school.  There is no breakfast time alotted at the workplace or school.  Most folks feel pretty good first thing in the morning and don't get hungry until they've forged about three hours into their day.

But, with our modern work life with assembly line shifts and feeling as if you are being policed every minute of your day, there is not the flexibility needed to promote your own body's health.  Are you allowed to eat a meal when your body actually needs it?  No, most people are told when to eat.  They are told when to use the bathroom and to hold it (too bad) because you're must stay on duty until someone else tells you otherwise.

Part of health is recognizing your body's needs and tending to them.  This does not mean ignore your body.  I'm not going to go down all the occupations and make exceptions.  People do work long hours that runs into overtime.  Medical staff have to perform double shifts.  I get it.  But common sense tells us our health must be a priority or there's nothing left of you for anyone, on or off the job.

So, if you can be more flexible with your meals and snacks while working, please do so.

And dare I say.....If you don't have the flexibility to attend to your health....it's time to make a change in your job/career.

Living live vacation means you are productive and healthy.  It is a partnership, otherwise it is not productive, it is destructive.

More to come.. .

What You've Been Waiting For.................Radical Health Makeover

So, I said a month or so back that I was going to write about the health aspects of living like vacation and specifically, diet.

When you're starting out on the Live Like Vacation challenge, mind-set, goals, whatever you want to call it, you have to get a handle on sleep and diet.

I haven't added anything yet in the steps about diet, but now it is probably time.  If you get steps 1-5 under your belt and feel good about your progress, diet can be approached with a not-too-scary anticipation.

Time needs to be rearranged in the schedule, (you've worked on this already) in order to avoid excessive eating out and changing to eating more meals made in the home.  The time rearrangement will help you be better prepared for this.

I know when it's the end of the day and I'm tired by the time I am home, I am not in my best frame of mind to think about nutrition.  This part of the day my will is pretty weak, so I will crave chocolate and anything I can eat quickly.  Not a good idea.  That's why you want to feel organized and efficient throughout the day, so the evening is not a crash and burn session lying on the couch zoned out as if your brain left the planet.

Lunches are difficult, too.  When you don't have something packed it's time for the mad dash to some fast food place that will give you a flour and water concoction wrapped up in wax paper that will make you sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.

Breakfast is also a perilous time of the day because I am about to tell you that all the traditional favorites have to be given up.........

Oh Boo!  I've ruined all your taste bud fun!

Let's get right to the crux of the matter.  There are foods you will have to give up.  Yep, it's going to be sad.  It's like sending that big bowl of pasta on a space ship to Mars.  Farewell, old buddy.  Hope you make it, because you're never seeing earth again.

Terrified?   No, you're not.  You already made a commitment to the Live Like Vacation mind-set, so this is a piece of cake.   Oh, Sorry.

Let's take the baby steps here.  Can you give up the junk food, soda, and  reduce the coffee and eat more at home?  You will feel a difference in energy level.

Once you do that we can talk more about diet.

There is one issue here that needs discussing.  Eating better foods is not enough.  The body has to heal from the trauma induced by years of damaging foods.  If this damage is not healed, the body can't absorb the good stuff, so poor health will continue due to malabsorption.

Once folks experience some small benefits, the radical health transformation is not impossible.    Keep looking forward.

You Do Not Have to Feel Ruffled All Day Long

Have you ever had that ruffled feeling?  You could feel overwhelmed, rushed, and easily agitated.  You can feel like you are unproductive, spinning your wheels and putting out fires.

It's a long day when you feel that way.

 photo courtesy of Redwall Cookbook

What makes it worse is the desire to find comfort in food.  Eating on the run is an example.  Who doesn't dash over to the snack machine in search of a tasty pleasure to help you feel better about the day? The sad part is that you don't feel better, you feel worse.  This just spirals in a negative manner.

Just getting through the day seems to be a major goal with mugs and mugs of hot coffee or endless caffeinated soft drinks.  And the carby comfort foods...Oh boy.

I noticed with an authentically restful sleeping routine, (ARSR) I don't have food cravings.  Actually the midday hunger is easy to appease and then I go right back to my work.

This is just one of the hidden rollover benefits of good sleep.

The Domino Effect begins with good sleep!

Keep the Vacation-Feel......