Healthy eating is not about what foods you’re NOT eating.
It’s about what foods you ARE eating.
Just because you’re NOT eating candy bars, it doesn’t mean that you ARE eating enough vegetables.
Just because you’re NOT eating gluten, it doesn’t mean that you ARE eating an anti-inflammatory diet.
And just to extend that logic: just because you ARE buying ORGANIC foods, like organic breakfast cereals, organic cereal bars, organic snacks — it doesn’t mean that you ARE eating a nutrient rich diet that is serving your health.
ORGANIC DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL HEALTHY
And nowhere is this more true than in the breakfast cereal food category.
But for a lot of families, breakfast cereal is a non-negotiable in the diet. So don’t give it up - TRADE IT UP!
Get the most nutritional bang for yor buck with this breakfast cereal recipe, which is rich in healthy fats, in protein, fibre and essential minerals like magnesium.
INGREDIENTS
2 heaped tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tspn cinnamon
1/4 tspn sea salt
1/2 cup chopped raw almonds
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup rolled oats (not instant; can substitute for gluten free. I myself used sprouted gluten free oats)
1/2 cup coconut flakes (shredded coconut gets toasted too quickly so that’s why I use flakes)
Optional extras:
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts that you might like
2 tbsp raisins or other dried fruit, e.g. apricots
1 tspn maple syrup
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
Whisk the coconut oil with the cinnamon, salt & maple syrup. I recommend using maple syrup and perhaps some raisins when transitioning from a sweet breakfast cereal because it’s too difficult to change your taste buds cold turkey. You can work towards eliminating these ingredients.
In a large pan spread out and mix all the other ingredients. Pour the coconut oil mix over the nuts, seed, oat mix and make sure the coconut oil evenly coats the ingredients.
Put in oven for 10min. Give it a mix after 5min so as not to overly toast/burn the coconut and nuts.
Serve with your favourite fruit.
Strore in an airtight container.
Now look, I’m going to be straight up with you and say that this breakfast cereal carries a bigger $$ upfront cost than the ones at the store. But as you all know, there’s no such thing as a free lunch (or breakfast in this case).
Breakfast cereal is cheap because it has no nutritional value and because it reflects a cheap, agricultural process and production cycle.
In fact, you’re better off not having anything for breakfast if cereal is your go-to.
Breakfast cereals - including oatmeal - are generally high in sugar, they carry a high Glycemic Load and are laden with toxic pesticides, like glyphosate, used in farming to produce grains on a large scale. So you might not be paying a lot of money for these cereals upfront, but you are paying for it in other ways: increased toxicity, increased blood sugar which results in increased inflammation, lower concentration and lower immunity.
COVID is going to be with us for a long time. Those people most at risk from suffering and dying from COVID are those with high levels of inflammation in the body. Do we want to eat in a way that contributes to our toxicity and inflammation? Or do we want to make every bite count towards supporting our immunity?
If cereal is one of your comfort foods - or one of the foods that you or someone in your family eats daily - think about how you can TRADE UP the ingredients that go into that cereal bowl. Maybe you can’t afford to eat the above cereal on a daily basis, but maybe you can mix a tablespoon or two of it in with your Cheerios.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
TRADE UP with the resources you have available.
Need help figuring out how? Contact me.