Yet, this past week’s grind has been particularly interesting. I was the lucky lady leading the display for Tuft’s National Nutrition Month (NNM). WooT-WooT! Our theme was fluid and fiber—two of my absolute favorite topics. Now—I can see why you’d think this may not be uber exciting, but go on … keep reading because what is super interesting are the tasks along the way to an awesome fluid and fiber display! And just a note to you all—don’t indulge in a bowl of oats with a dash of All-Bran Bran Buds before a fiber friendly food extravaganza. Water aka fluid in this case is a GOOD idea, but you may want to watch it on the fiber-filled goodies. You gotta take it one fiber-filled step at a time folks. Just some words of wisdom

Now…

Interesting Item #1 The Bread

I had to buy 15 loaves of bread for our bread taste test. We had ladies and gents see if they could tell which bread had more fiber (whole wheat V wheat; white V whole wheat white; Fiber  One whole wheat V multigrain). FYI the whole wheat Fiber One bread is delish and EVERYONE—all 100 plus booth attendees loved it, even kids—so you may want to give it a whirl!

Anywho—another FYI, if you plan on leaving a store with 15 loaves of bread for one person prepare for some strange looks and some random statements. By far my favorite was:

“G-I-R-L I think you gotta a B-R-E-A-D problem … in a BIG way! That’s a lotta bread for a lil’ person!”

I tried to explain that it was for a NNM display and taste test … yadda, yadda … and all I got was, “Uh-huh, whatever. It’s none of my business. You do what you gotta do and if it’s eat ALL THAT bread—fine by me.”

Oh man—this had me laughing down the aisle … by myself … with 15 loaves of bread. Yea—looks like I have a bread problem–ha-ha!

Interesting Item #2 The Balloons

There’s nothing much to say here except look at these FABULOUS BALLOONS! When was the last time or was there ever a time you saw a smiling pear, carrot or pineapple?!? Love them!

Now, some nutrition time …

Breakfast 101—again.

Amidst my particularly crazy busy schedule these past few weeks, taking time to have a proper breakfast has been harder. I wake up, stare at my to-do list and get set—go! Then, 45 or so minutes later and in 1 case two hours later (I know—horrible!)  I realize WhoopS—where’s my bowl of oats? … Then I eat. Granted, I’m still eating breakfast, but the fact that we all have jam-packed to-do lists and it’s getting to that time of year—where everyone seems a tad crazed with whatever’s going on—made me once again come back to the basics! BREAKFAST!

Why you ask? Because a healthy breakfast is SUPER DUPER important to becoming a lean, green, mean, disease-fighting machine! And, if you don’t believe me, perhaps you’ll take the word of the American Dietetic Association’s Evidence Analysis Library aka legit data:

“Cross-sectional studies and epidemiological data from the USDA Nationwide Food Consumption Survey, NHANES III and the SEASONS study report that the prevalence of breakfast skipping ranges between 3.6 and 25%. Skipping breakfast is associated with a higher BMI and increased obesity risk, despite lower reported daily energy intakes. Two randomized controlled trials show that breakfast eaters had a greater reduction in impulsive snacking and ate less at later meals.

Normal weight subjects and people maintaining weight loss tend to eat breakfast regularly and generally consume a breakfast consisting of high-fiber cereal that contributes approximately 20% of daily energy intake. However, breakfasts that are very high in energy have also been associated with higher BMI.”

Breakfast AND Healthy Meals

Now that we’ve got breakfast down pat, don’t forgot to still eat! Your body—that lean, green,  mean, disease-fighting machine (notice the word machine)—needs fuel to run efficiently about every 4 hours. No machine can run on empty OR run well on junk fuel. And if you overfuel or underfuel you may notice some problems too—maybe the machine is too stuffed to move well or doesn’t go as far as you thought it would.

Basically, if 1 was “starving, lightheaded, dizzy” and 10 was “Thanksgiving full or uncomfortably full,” you’d want to NOT TRAVEL to either end.  And if you were to eat only breakfast or nothing all day, I betcha that when you hit home, you’d go from a 1 to a 10 rather shortly, which is probably not the best idea.

So ladies and gents, we can avoid the “1 to 10” by noshing on breakfast and eating healthful meals throughout the day with protein packed foods like beans, chicken,  fish, and turkey; fruit; whole grains and lots of veggies! For example, a “gourmet” sandwich meal could have all healthifying components: whole wheat bread (whole grain), turkey or veggie burger (protein); lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and sprouts (veggies!) with an apple (fruit). Likewise, you could amp up half a dinner plate with broccoli and salad, add a small sweet potato, and satiate that hunger with grilled chicken or veggie “meatballs.”

And if you were inching up to a 10 inbetween meals, listen to your body and those internal hunger cues and have a snack! Personally, I dig apples and all natural peanut butter, fruit, or veggie sticks with hummus, but it’s all up to you! Options are endless. Just Google healthy snacks! After all, you must keep your machine finely tuned. No running on empty here.

Notes to leave by:

• If you go to the store solo and buy 15 loaves of bread, expect strange glances, interesting commentary, and disbelief of whatever reason you’re engaging in the massive bread buying.
• Don’t dig into All-Bran before any fiber tasting event. Eat more fiber, but do so gradually to minimize any sort of gastric distress.
• People ADORE fruit and veggie balloons.
• Eat breakfast every day.
• Stop any and all “1 to 10” experiences by eating well balanced meals throughout the day.
• Don’t go longer than 5 hours without food.

Happy Healthifying!

Have you ever bought 15 or more loaves of bread? If yes, I’m dying to hear your experience!!!

What’s your go-to breakfast or snack?