Cereals

source

 
Remember the days when a bowl of Frosted Flakes or Cocoa Puffs would cover your basic child needs? Those are now the days long gone as we look to better our lifestyles, and work to fill our bodies with a satisfying breakfast that can power us through our busy schedules. Although breakfast is my favorite meal, sometimes all I want is a bowl of cereal, and I'm sure I'm not alone on this! Today we are going to look at what makes a "good" bowl of cereal.

1. Fiber. Yes a nice fibrous will help to keep you full and therefore focused throughout the day. But here is the thing, most cereals don't have the real kind of fiber our bodies need. So instead of looking for the word fiber, which could lead to fake fiber, search for a cereal that has whole grains and is low in sugar. It's safe to say that if the word 'whole' proceeds the grain, then it isn't refined. However, if whole does not proceed the grain, you can assumed its been refined.

2. Ignore bogus claims. Fake fruits. Yes the box says there are REAL strawberries floating in your cereal, but lets be honest. Those strawberries that have been sitting in the box on a shelf for who knows how long can't possibly be fresh. More than likely those strawberries, or any fruit, is gelatin filled and a mixture of food dyes. If you desire fruit in your cereal I suggest purchasing the fruit and adding as you go.

3. Sugar. Be wary of the sugar in that small bowl. When deciding if a cereal is too sugary, checking the label is best. For example, if the cereal has 10 grams of sugar and the serving size is 30 grams, well then the cereal is 1/3 sugar. Yikes! But if you're eating something such as Raisin Bran, then the sugars are natural.

By reading the label and knowing what you are in search of, choosing a cereal can become quite simple. Now, here are some cereals that file under "a good breakfast."

Kashi GOLEAN

Whole Foods 365 Organic Raisin Bran

General Mills Fiber One

Post Bran Flakes

Kellog's Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites

The Incredible Egg

Today lets talk about eggs. Yes, eggs. The incredible egg in fact. Now we've all seen the commercials for the incredible egg but do you actually know how good they are for you? While eggs are full of vitamins and minerals, they also are less than 15 cents per egg, have approximately 70 calories, and are an all natural resource. Plus with all the nutrients, eggs can play a vital role in pregnancy, muscle strength, weight management, eye health, and brain function! Not only can eggs do all that, but eggs are of the highest quality of protein.  How do eggs play a part in all of the areas mentioned above?

Pregnancy: Eggs are an excellent source of choline which is an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects.

Muscle Strength: Due to eggs having the highest quality of protein, this helps active adults build and maintain their muscle strength.

Weight Management: Not only does the protein in eggs help build muscle strength, but will keep you full and energized longer throughout the day. And that's exactly what you should be looking for in a breakfast item, staying full and energized.

Eye Health: There are two antioxidants in eggs that help prevent macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of age-related blindness, lutein and zeaxanthin. And according to this article, although the amounts lutein in eggs is small, eggs have been found to be a more bio available resource than other food sources. 

Brain Function: Choline, which is vital for fetal brain development continues to work in adult brains as well. Choline aids the brain function that maintains important structures that are a key component of the neurotransmitter that relays messages from the brain to the muscles in our bodies.

Wow! I can't believe just a simple egg can do all of that!! My favorite way of incorporating eggs into my breakfast meal is with an omelet. Eggs are great vehicles for adding other ingredients, and bonus they only take a few minutes to whip up!

The Spinach Ham & Cheese Omelet

prep: 5 minutes

cook time: 5 minutes

servings: 1 to 2

ingredients

2 eggs

2 tbsp water

1 tsp butter

salt & pepper

1/4 cup of shredded Italian cheese blend (1 oz)

1/4 cup baby spinach

1/4 cup finely chopped ham

1. Beat eggs and water in small bowl until blended.
2. Heat butter in 7 to 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Tilt pan to coat bottom. Pour in egg mixture. Mixture should set immediately at edges.
3. Gently push cooked portions from edges toward the center with inverted turner so that uncooked eggs can reach the hot pan surface. Continue cooking, tilting pan and gently moving cooked portions as needed.
4. When top surface of eggs is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, season with salt and pepper. Place cheese on one side of omelet; top with spinach and ham. Fold omelet in half with turner. With a quick flip of the wrist, turn pan and invert or slide omelet onto plate. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

calories: 299
total fat: 20g
saturated fat: 9g
cholesterol: 418mg
sodium: 642mg
carbohydrates: 2g
protein: 25g
vitamin A: 1,262.3IU
vitamin D: 91.9IU
folate: 47.4mcg
calcium: 264.9mg
iron: 2.2mg
choline: 274.2mg

I can't wait to try out more omelets now knowing how wonderful they are for my body! 

Sources:

incredibleegg.org

Journal of Nutrition 
www.sxc.hu

Breakfast series: On the run!

Today we will be looking at a few options for breakfast while on the run! As a college student I understand breakfast while on the run, literally on the run out the door. Here are a few tips on how to squeeze in that oh so beneficial breakfast!

1. Make breakfast the night before! Preparing a simple casserole the night before that takes just a few minutes to heat up can really speed up a morning! What about dicing those fruits the night before? The secret to keeping fruits fresh? Pineapple juice! The juice will help to keep the fruit fresh and moist, and from turning that awful brown color.

2. Plan ahead. Work have a refrigerator? Take a thermos of milk with you to pour over that fibrous cereal. This will also help cut down on expenses spent buying milk en route to work and time! Shop for convenient breakfast food that can travel with you. I'm a big fan of granola bars, muffins, and portable fruit, like bananas.

3. Set the alarm 10 minutes earlier. You'd be surprised what you can do with that extra 10 minutes. A majority of breakfast items take no longer than 10 minutes which means you could be sitting down to an omelet!

4. Stock up on breakfast essentials for your office/backpack. If you can't eat en route or prior to leaving your home, eat when you reach your destination. You'll be less likely to hit up the vending machine later in the day if you already have a healthy option on hand. Students, taking a granola bar or muffin with you in your backpack and eating at your desk is acceptable! More than likely your classmates will envy your focus and full stomach.

www.sxc.hu

5. Be flexible!! Maybe your day starts with an early morning workout or office meeting, that's ok! Whats not okay, a grumbly tummy hours before lunchtime. Try to squeeze in a quick meal during your morning. Having that desk or backpack stocked will make having breakfast a bit easier.

Breakfast Series : Take One

As most of us know breakfast is the most important meal of our days, and yet a majority of people still don't fit breakfast into their routines. Breakfast just happens to be my favorite meal of the day! Over the next week I will answer some questions on why breakfast is so important and introduce some healthy options.

Why is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

When you first wake up in the morning, about 8 to 12 hours has passed since your last meal. By now your body has gone into fast mode. Science has proven that the brain sends signals at intervals to your body on when to use the calories and when to store them as fat, this is the starvation mode. This is why eating when you first awake is best. Eating upon waking will break the fast, hence breakfast, and fire up that metabolism. Not only does eating breakfast jump start your metabolism, its also a jump start to consuming those 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables!!

Still not convinced to eat breakfast? Not to worry, I'll be sprinkling some more great reasons throughout the week!!

1. Breakfast boosts mental performance.

A study done by Harvard showed that student's math scores increased by 40 percent, and resulted in a decreased rate in tardiness, absences, and hyperactivity. The study also found a decrease in depression and anxiety among the students. Although this study was done on children, its assumed the results relate to adults as well.

Check back tomorrow for a healthy breakfast on the run!

 A great article to check out : Learn to Love Breakfast

HELLO!!!

Hello!!

It's been a while since things have been happening here on the Healthy Vols & that is because some changes are taking place. First off, let me introduce myself, I'm Kelly. I am the newest writer here behind the blog and I look forward to the adventures this blog is going to bring!  


You're probably wondering a bit about me, so here are some facts about Kelly

• I am  Senior starting this fall but will graduate 2014
• Born and raised in east Tennessee
• I love to be organized, its almost OCD
• I love color. And lots of it!
• This May I studied abroad in London for a month
• I now miss London, especially with the Olympics going on
• I love that a healthy nutritious diet can go a long ways
• But I still love a good cheeseburger :)
• I currently lifeguard at the YMCA & love it so much! I've met incredible people here.
•  I've been blogging since August 2010 on my personal blog.
• Reading is one of my favorite pastimes.
• And lastly, I dream of being an intensive care unit nurse someday.

And there you have it! Over these next few months I look forward to writing on some healthy recipes, fun workouts, and busting some misconstrued information. I'm always taking suggestions, so if there is something you'd like to see on the blog, email me at UNSAblog {at} gmail {dot} com