I'm not a big breakfast-foods eater, never have been. I'd rather have lunch and dinner foods for breakfast. This always caused a problem with my mom come breakfast time. As a result I ate unhealthy breakfasts for much of my childhood because the only "breakfast" foods that I wanted to eat were pop-tarts, toaster-strudels, donuts, frozen microwavable sausage and bacon. Somehow these foods were deemed acceptable for breakfast yet a sandwich would have been out of the question. When I was probably 12 I asked my doctor during a check-up if having sandwiches for breakfast was ok, he said it was fine. My mom was standing right next to me and I think she was embarrassed that I asked the question. That was the end of the breakfast foods argument.
I didn't feel like granola this morning and made myself a sandwich and was reminded of all of this. As I put together the sandwich I thought of all the pop-tarts I had eaten because a sandwich wasn't a breakfast food unless it had eggs, ketchup, sausage and bacon, a side of toast or a pop-tart and hash browns. This is crazy. It seems that marketing and the media have gotten the better side of many people's rationale and has rendered many people unable to think for themselves anymore when it comes to foods. It's this idea of "this is what we're suppose to eat at this time of day," with no thought whatsoever as to what you are actually eating.
This morning's breakfast:
whole wheat bread
fage (used as a spread, at 120 calories per cup a table spoon of this is a great alternative to mayonnaise. It has no fat, no cholesterol, low in sodium and high in protein.)
tomatoes
green onions (which I grew myself at home)
arugula
sliced chicken (Deli chicken is fine, but you'll appreciate it more if you cook it yourself, even for a simple sandwich) *I get free-range organic meats. These animals aren't treated with hormones and aren't fed the remains of other animals and are given an organic diet.
Sprinkling of sunflower seeds (great source of Vitamin E, linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid), amino acids and minerals) Sunflower seeds have also been linked to reducing cholesterol due to their concentration of phytosterols and dietary fiber. Minerals also included are zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
I had a side of pineapple, strawberries, and some chopped walnuts. Sometimes I cut pineapple into small pieces and put it on my sandwich for flavor (also try pomegranate seeds). Bread-type is key for this though because if the bread is too flimsy the wetness of the pineapple and pomegranate will seep through and make it soggy. These are also great ways to add color to your meal.
*If you need to salt something, sea salt, always. Check the back label to make sure it includes trace minerals.

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