Start the Day Off Right

What we choose to put into our bodies in the morning is one of the most important decisions of the day. Sleeping gives our bodies a much needed rest from the day's activities and digestive processes. When we sleep, the liver has a chance to complete the metabolic and detoxification processes (that is, if we haven't eaten too close to bedtime). This in turn allows us to wake up feeling rejuvenated and nourished at a cellular level.

The first things we put into our bodies will either assist

this natural flow of the metabolic cycle, or stifle it, leading to sluggish elimination, a feeling of fatigue and cloudiness....etc.

What is something you can put into your body that will flow with your body's needs?

I always start the day with hydration. A glass of pure spring water, water with trace minerals in it, or water with lemon, is a great way to facilitate the awakening of the body. Let this settle for at least 10 minutes before consuming anything else. Eating food or drinking a shake first thing in the morning can be a shock to the system. Remember you are breaking a fast! Even juice is a shock first thing in the morning, as it has too much sugar. You are asking the body to produce tons of insulin before you've even fully woken up, and this is just plain stressful. Some people like to mix half coconut water with spring water. This is great for people who don't feel hydrated from drinking regular water. It is a lower sugar alternative to coconut water that contains just enough electrolytes to enhance hydration.

Trace minerals in water not only aid in giving the body some much needed minerals, but also aids in the entry of H20 into the cells. Lemon in water is cleansing to the liver and stimulates hydrochloric acid production, which prepares the stomach for food. This also helps to encourage a healthy morning bowel movement.

Next, I like to consume some sort of "super tonic". This changes from day to day. My super tonic could be a nourishing infusion of nettles (which I have instructions for in a previous blog), it could be a combination of wheat grass, reishi mushroom, and maca combined in half water and half coconut milk, or it could be something like Amazing Grass's Super Green formula, which is a powder you put into water. But you get the idea. Something that's cleansing yet fortifying. Something that is super packed with vitamins, minerals, chlorophyl, adaptogenic herbs....etc. This is essential to my day. I personally don't feel deeply nourished unless I do some sort of super tonic in the morning. So play around with this. This is the fun part. You could experiment with acai, chlorella, spirulina, herbal infusions of alfalfa, comfrey, nettles....etc. But the idea here is: nutrient dense, ease to digest, pure fuel for the body.

For some people, the thought of consuming anything in the morning turns their stomach. This is likely to be caused by a congested liver, not having fully detoxified the body or cleared out heavy fats, OR long standing, sluggish elimination. If eating in the morning makes you feel nauseous, starting the day with lemon juice and incorporating bitters into your day could make a world of difference. The goal here would be to thin out the bile, cleanse the liver and gallbladder, and increase bowel movements.

If you are a fruit eater, this is the next step. After 10 minutes or so of consuming your super tonic, have your fruit. A mango, some pineapple, some strawberries....whatever is in season and speaking to you. Fruit is a great gentle way to break your fast. It is cleansing and full of vitamins, fiber, and enzymes. Fruit can be very soothing to the digestive tract, when consumed alone. (If you're on a candida diet, you can skip this step). When eaten alone, it is quickly digested and progresses down thru the intestinal tract and enhances elimination. If eaten with other heavier foods, it sits in the gut for too long causing fermentation, gas, feeding candida, ....etc. If eating fruit in the morning makes you feel depleted and tired, that means it is either not constitutionally right for you, or there is candida present in the digestive tract.

Allow your fruit to digest for at least 15 minutes before continuing with your breakfast. Whatever you have after that is up to you, but let it be whole foods. Please, this is not the time to go out for Dunkin' Donuts. People that run on Dunkin' are consuming a false, acidic stimulant (coffee), and then follow with a white flour product and perhaps some cream cheese- both which muck up the digestive tract. In my morning breakfast, there is always some sort of protein, some whole grains ( I skip the wheat), and healthy fats like organic pasture butter, coconut oil, flax oil....etc. Note: If you are cooking your fruit, it can be consumed with the rest of your breakfast. For example: cooked goji berries and blueberries in oatmeal with walnuts.

Recently a friend was at a loss about how to start her day off right. She got so confused about how to make good food decisions in the morning. So here is my attempt to inspire you. This is the way I've been doing breakfast for years, and I have to say, I feel completely fueled by these choices. Many people might think that they don't have the time to take all of these steps, but when you want to feel your best, I can guarantee that you'll find a way. If it means taking your nettle infusion in a mug to work, so be it.

May you be deeply nourished on all levels of your being,

~Melanie Rose