Natural Remedy article

goji berry plantDepression & Breakfast: Is Cereal for Breakfast Keeping You Depressed?

Not so long ago, on advice from a naturopath, I tried a low GI muesli with almond milk for breakfast. Supposedly healthy right? For the next few hours I felt like I was fighting to stop from drowning. My emotions dived to their darkest depths they had in many years. Had I not been aware of what I was normally like in the morning (when not having cereal for breakfast) I would have been ready to crawl into bed to hide for days, or worse... Thankfully the feeling passed by midday and I was back to my normal self.

When I have cereal for breakfast it makes me depressed. How come the Doctor doesn't know to tell me that? I haven't had cereal for breakfast for over 6 years. Not porridge, not low GI muesli, not flakes, biscuits or bubbles. Only 3 generations ago there was no such thing as a breakfast cereal but now most people can't imagine what you would have for breakfast if you couldn't have something in a bowl with a white liquid on it.

I am not suggesting that everyone skips cereal for breakfast (although I could probably justify it). The important thing is to find out what works for you. Some people do better starting the day with protein, some with carbohydrates. Try something different for a few days and see if your depression lifts.

You may notice the difference immediately and never want to go back. Make a note to check in with yourself through out the morning. Make an appointment in your calendar or set the alarm on your watch to remind you to see how your doing. Also, ask people who you spend time with in the morning to notice if you seem different as well.

So what can you eat instead of cereal for breakfast? Many cultures around the world do not have cereal for breakfast. Instead they have something to eat that would eat at any other time of the day. For example, left overs from the night before, baked beans, steamed broccoli, tuna salad, tofu and leafy greens, even an omelette that includes vegetables. And no, two pieces of raison toast or a blueberry muffin are not good substitutes. We're aiming for good protein sources.

What about asking friends for ideas? Do you know anyone from non-western backgrounds? If so, ask them what they have for breakfast � many cultures around the world don't have breakfast out of a box so there must be answers out there.

But what about the time it takes to prepare something other than cereal for breakfast? For the 9-5 lifestyle, being able to throw something in a bowl put white liquid on it and then bolt out the door saves time in the mornings. My question is: How important is your health to you? Ok I'll stop preaching from on high. Time is a consideration in the mornings and I imagine that having to come up for something for children as well only adds to the pressure. What about a large pan of scrambled eggs, a saucepan of beans, or a large salad with left over sausages?

What about the additional cost? Cereal is cheap but you get what you pay for. Are you currently paying for depression medication? If you can reduce or eliminate your medication by changing what you eat for breakfast then you will have freed up some money to buy quality food instead.

If you have a protein breakfast, what about calcium from milk? So, the dairy industry has you convinced that you can't get enough calcium from other sources, eh? If you want to try the experiment of not having cereal for breakfast for a few days, have it for you last meal of the day instead. I know it might feel like your back in college and have nothing else to eat but if you do well with higher protein in the mornings you will probably also do well with higher carbs at night. Try it and see � the kids will love the novelty.

Remember, its about finding out what works for you. We all have different metabolic types that require different ratios of proteins and carbohydrates at different times of the day. By varying our diet and noticing the difference in how we feel we can work out what is just right for each of us.

Rod Sherwin is an EFT Practitioner and runs Tap4Health in Melbourne, Australia. Rod has over 6 years of studying advanced health technologies such as Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT), Metabolic Typing, and NLP. He has worked with Anthony Robbins in a leadership capacity all over the world and enjoys building the fires that people walk on to transform fear into power. Click here to see a recent television interview with Rod.

Tap4Health is unique if that we offer a Success Guarantee to clients. If you do not feel you have received significant results from treatment you receive your money back! It's that simple. For more information see Tap4Health.

Losing It My Way!

Diets! We all have been on one from time to time and some of us never get off trying different diets in hopes of shedding the excess pounds. We often talk about the perfect diet for ourselves and the best way to keep our energy up when we workout (workout nutrition). After reading many opinions on this subject I have come to a conclusion that there is a difference between the perfect regimen and the perfect regimen for YOU!

I am not talking about the diet that creates the best physical response. We all can agree on that some dietary practices are very close to perfect, but either people don�t stick to them because these diets are too strict or remove the foods that you love to eat from the diet.

We all have heard the phrase "The best diet is the one that you will stick with." But yet most do not follow this simple rule that is needed to keep off the pounds for life.

Pick out a diet book/program and try to follow it to the letter and I guarantee you that within a week you�ll either have quit the program or moved on to another program. You will only last so long doing a diet just as it is, everyone must take a diet and make it their own.

Over the past two years I have been on a journey to designing a diet that both I can stick with and a diet that my body absolutely loves and gives me the needed energy to do my workouts and see the results I desire out of my daily efforts.

• I rely on chicken, turkey, beef, tuna and eggs as my main protein sources with small amounts of whey protein around my workouts and evening snack. I could do better in variety of course but this is what works for me and it�s easier to meal plan.

• One thing that I have learned over these two years is if the food tastes too good I will overeat it! One of my strategies is to not make my meals too tasty but keep them edible this prevents me from overeating and keep me accountable to my goals better.

• Most of the time I eat the exact same foods every day, I know not too tasty and its boring but its edible, easier to prepare, I can cook in bulk and this saves me time for the more important things in life such as caring for my parents.

• Since my carbohydrate tolerance is very low I do need to watch how many grams I consume of carbohydrates each day this ensures that my performance does not decline and my body is a happy camper. I also need to limit my fruit intake as this triggers my body to pack on the body fat.

• When I travel I either take almonds or a protein bar with me, this has saved me money and has kept me accountable to my goals and most importantly my love for fast foods has been diminished and that�s a very good thing!

That's my top 5 things that I do to make a diet my own. Curious what you all do make your diet your own.

Conclusions?

I believe that a person needs to establish the amount of calories he/she needs to eat to maintain there weight and fuel up workouts this will make it easier for the person to shed the pounds more effectively after all it�s the energy balance equation we are looking for, eat too many calories then what your body burns and you will gain body fat burn more calories then what you consume and you will lose body fat it is simple but most people don�t use the energy balance theory.

Some people can eat many things, many people can only eat some things, a few people can eat anything, any people can eat a few things and all people have to figure out for themselves what things they can and can't eat. I can't tell you what will work for you and personally I'm not listening to anyone else but my own good judgment for myself and what my body tells me. It's worked pretty well for me going on two years now.

Nelson Roque is a Fitness/Body Mind Weight Loss Mentor who has lost 75 lbs; he is also a sports nutritionist who focuses on total body well-being.

For more information please visit the following website for daily inspiration and motivation to get your journey of a healthy active lifestyle started.

http://www.theweightingroom.com

If you have any questions, concerns or need help with getting motivated / inspired you may contact me at nelson@theweightingroom.com