Branch Out your Breakfast!

Breakfast is such an interesting meal.  The more I learn about international cuisine, the more I realize how uniquely American, the American breakfast is (Check out this hilarious video of American Kids trying foreign breakfast).  Very few other countries pack quite the amount of sodium, animal products, fat and sugar into breakfast the way we do.  The standard American breakfast is also severely lacking any form of greens or vegetables and the fruits it does contain, are only the high sugar, “tasty fruits” like grapefruit, oranges, apples, and maybe a pear.   

Recently when I was traveling in Israel, I was reminded of how important it is to consume a balanced, nutritious diet throughout the day.  The traditional Israeli cucumber/tomato salad is a staple for breakfast, as are sliced bell peppers and your standard leafy green salad.  The traditional breakfast also includes Shakshuka (middle eastern egg poached in rich tomato sauce with peppers, onions, and local spices) which is clearly not vegan, but you can make it with Tofu, as we all know, it’s not about the base…it’s about the sauce and spices.

My standard plant-powered breakfast of oatmeal or whole grain cereal, berries and fruit is not complete without at least one vegetable every morning.  I choose bell peppers or cucumbers because of how easy they are to eat.  I prefer cucumbers uncut and raw, and peppers I quickly slice strips.  If I have more time, I’ll throw together a salad too.  I find it gives me a little more clean burning energy.

 

Also, did you know bell peppers have tons of vitamin C in addition to all the other nutrients Green bell peppers have 159% of the total daily value, while only having 2 grams of sugar (nutrition facts)?!?  For comparison, a Florida Orange has 139% of total Vitamin C while packing 17 grams of sugar (nutrition facts)!  Who knew?  I sure didn’t!

Basically, our point here is, as always, think about what you’re putting in your bodies, all the time, and question EVERYTHING you thought you knew about diet and nutrition.  Branch out and try something different like salad or a vegetable for breakfast sometime, you might actually like it.