Good Good Breakfast

Eating breakfast is an important start to my day. If I skip it, I become grumpy and impatient. My blood sugar takes a dangerous dive causing headaches and shakiness. Also, if I skip breakfast, I annihilate lunch. I eat it so fast I barely taste it, and sticking within my calorie restriction gets difficult.

Just as important as that I eat, is what I eat. And to be more specific, what kind of food and where it comes from. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that all the chemicals we put on foods and the things we feed our animals is affecting our physical well being. I am kind of crunchy and try to reduce my carbon footprint by buying local and organic as well.

I started to look at the all important first meal of the day and see what I can do to be nicer to my body and to the planet!

Coffee

- Buy organic and free trade. The farmers are treated fairly by the buyers, and less chemical farming is better for the growers, the consumer and the planet.

* Reality check -- organic coffee is expensive. Folger's coffee is about $4/lb VS Organic sold in bulk for $9/lb. Do what you can. Try buying organic once a month.

Milk

- Buy local and rBGH free. rBGH is a hormone, which began use in 1994, that farmers give to cows to help them produce more milk. I'm okay with more milk! But studies have linked this hormone to younger onset of puberty in our children, yikes. Buying local is good to keep your money close to home, and reduces costs to transport long distances. *Local* = within a 200mi radius of home

Sweetener

- I put it in my coffee and sprinkle a little on my bran flakes. Being calorie conscious, I used to use Pink/Blue/Yellow sweetener. I'm not going to tell you how to think - but I will suggest that you do some research into the link between chronic conditions like Fibromyalgia and these lab created sweeteners. You might start with THIS documentary and go from there. I now use a product called PureVia, which is Stevia crystals, (available at the grocery store) for coffee and cereal. I've tried other Stevia products and found them a little bitter. If you can handle some baking, try WheyLow as a low calorie, all natural substitute.

Starting my day be eating breakfast is nice to my body. Starting my day with as much natural and chemical free food as possible is loving my body and my planet!