Breakfast Ideas which truly satisfy morning hunger

As part of managing weight its essential to balance blood sugar through the day.  This helps avoid blood sugar drops which then trigger those crazy cravings for sweets and/or caffeine and/or whatever else you can get your hands on!  Try one of the following breakfast ideas - they all combine high nutrient foods with high fiber and protein to ensure a long lasting "full" feeling that should carry you and your blood sugar through to late morning or lunch:

• Steel cut oats or cooked quinoa, add some nuts, 2 tbsp ground flax seed, fresh or frozen berries plus organic dairy/soy/almond milk
•  2 free range, organic eggs soft boiled with lots of sliced vegetables on the side
• Sliced avocado (be generous!) on 2 pieces of whole grain toast, sprinkled with garlic powder or seasoning of choice
• Whole grain french toast made with almond milk &  egg, topped w/ ground flax seed & apple sauce
• Plain organic yogurt w/ added berries & ground flax seed
   

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By Dr. Sarah Goulding, ND

There are many reasons why it's important to maintain a healthy weight. Besides feeling more comfortable in your body, there are health effects that correlate directly with weight loss:

• Losing 5-10% of body weight drops blood pressure by 10 points for every 20 lbs
• Losing 5-10% of initial body weight reduces incidence of diabetes by 58%
• Increased life expectancy
• Balanced blood lipids (lower cholesterol and triglycerides)

The best way to achieve a healthy and steady reduction in fat tissue is to be completely informed about your body and what you're putting into it. A first step I often ask my patients to do is to access an online database (I use www.fitday.com ), where you can input the specific types of food you consume in a day, as well as the average amount of activity you do. This will give us a general idea about whether there is an major discrepancy between what you take in, and what you burn off. Sometimes patients end up having a pretty good energy balance, meaning that the amount of calories that they take in matches the amount of calories burned in a day. If this is the case, then we usually have to investigate the hormonal system as it plays an crucial role in fat accumulation.

General guidelines for healthy weight loss:

1. Your plate should be 50% veggies at any meal. Not only do veggies lack bad fats, but they also carry important nutrients that your body requires to increase its metabolic rate.
2. Keep in mind you should be getting around 1g of protein per kg of body weight.
3. Your height and weight can be used to calculate your BMI (body mass index) - this should be between 20 and 25 in order to maintain appropriate health.
4. If you are interested in losing weight, cutting 500 calories from your diet per day will help achieve a healthy weight loss of 1-2 lbs per week, as 1 lb of fat is equal to 3500 calories. Anything greater than 1-2 lbs of loss per week is difficult for your body to withstand and difficult for you to maintain over a long period of time.
5. Remember, it is critical to include daily exercise to maintain the weight loss. Not only are you burning fat, but you are also gaining muscle, which increases the amount of calories your body burns even at rest! A goal of 30 minutes per day at 60% of your maximum heart rate is ideal. (You can do a rough estimation of your maximum heart rate by taking 220-your age).
6. Planning is a very important part of a weight loss regime as getting stuck without the ideal foods might force you to eat foods counter to your goals.
7. Reading labels is essential for understanding what you're putting into your body. Even if things market themselves as healthy, it's often not the case. Make informed decisions!
8. One important note - you should never have less than 1200 calories per day in women and 1800 calories per day in men. The body needs nutrition to sustain various biochemical reactions and to keep you going!
9. It's always helpful to do a weight loss program with the supervision of a Naturopathic Doctor. Often times people struggle for years to reach their ideal weight, without realizing that there is a medical obstacle making their efforts futile. An ND can identify that obstacle, help to remove it, and you can get on with your weight loss goals.

When trying to shed those extra pounds, there are so many things to consider — activity level, nutrient intake, diet, lifestyle. But one thing we often forget about is our energy system, and how it is completely interconnected with our physical body and health. We recognize that weight loss requires physical support and attention (e.g. exercise, diet changes) and even emotional support, but how often do we really think about our body's energetic needs and health?

There are lots of different ways to support our body energetically as major physical changes are going on. Reiki is one technique where a reiki practitioner facilitates energy flow and balancing, helping the client's body channel energy to where it is needed. Another terrific technique is yoga.  Yoga helps to open various energy centres (or chakras) in the body while also toning and stretching the physical muscles and joints. Both techniques help the body regain healthy energy flow and vitality. With regular practice or sessions you will likely  experience improved energy, better sleeping habits - just an overall sense of being more balanced, centered and focused.

So for anyone on the path of weight loss or even just healthy weight management, remember to consider your body's energetic health. Take some time out in order to "check in" with your body and how it is feeling. If your sense is one of being "stuck" or "blocked", consider some energy work to get things moving again - you will be amazed at the improved sense of wellbeing & purpose it can bring you.