Let's have a bowl of controversy for Breaky .....

Just finished reading a great book.  Here 'tis:

It's verified, qualified, certified and totally emphasised my belief that:  Breakfast ain't no good for ya!

"What?  No Breakfast?  That's ridiculous:  Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day.  All the experts say so!"

I get this reaction almost everytime I mention this to people.  And that's OK.  It's a hard thing to swallow because it is the message we get fed from every nutritionist, health expert, diet plan, and weight loss guru around.  It's been ingrained into us that if we don't have a good, filling breaky, we will lose all self control and pig out for the rest of the day, stack on weight and be seriously much worse off.  If we don't eat breakfast, chances are slim of us becoming slim.

I do need to qualify my statement slightly:  Breakfast ain't no good for ya, if it's not JUST FRUIT! So, no, you don't have to feel like you're starving yourself, you can actually eat as much fruit as you want all morning, up until midday.  It's called detoxing!  And it can (and should) happen for you DAILY!  It's the body's Natural way of helping us get rid of all the junk in our bodies and cleansing it, readying it for when it is the right time to take in food and utilize it.  I've mentioned it before, but here are the body's natural cycles:

noon to 8pm - Appropriation (eating and digestion)
8pm to 4am - Assimilation (absorption and use)
4am to noon - Elimination (of body wastes and food debris)

Now, when we are sposed to be having breaky, our body is actually trying to eliminate all the waste and residues in our bodies. Instead, the first  thing we tend to do when we get up is chug-a-lug some whole grain porridge, a couple of slices of wholemeal bread, a big bowl of porridge, some yoghurt or (heaven-help-you) a lumberjack's breaky of bacon, eggs, sausage & toast.  In the scheme of things, there is essentially nothing wrong with any of these choices (unless you're grain-free like me) it's just they're being eaten at the wrong time of day.  Do you know what these foods require to be digested:  energy, and heaps of it.  Your body, however, needs that precious energy to finish it's eliminating job properly, otherwise the toxic residue that remains from improper digestion does not get eliminated, and there is going to be a buildup of the excess.  That translates as overweight.

"In other words, we have been taking food in (at a record pace!), we have been using what we need from that food, but we have NOT been getting rid of what we can't use.  Since so many Americans eat a hearty breadfast, a hearty lunch, and a hearty dinner, far more time is spent appropriating than eliminating.  Is it any wonder that so many of us are carrying around so much excess weight?"  ("Fit for Life" p 22)

So, why eat just fruit?

Our bodies are 70% percent water, so ideally our diet should consist of 70% water so it can be replenished on a regular basis.  Your body is craving this essential of life, but even though drinking water on it's own is helpful, we also need high-water-content food that will nourish and cleanse our  bodies at the same time.  All our nutritional requirements (vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, carbs, & fatty acids) are to be found in fruits and veges (*) and the nutrients are carried by the water in those f & v into your intestines, where ALL is absorbed.  Because of it's high water content, it takes barely any energy or time for these f & v to be digested, so it does not hinder the eliminating process at all, in fact it can help in moving it all along.     Also, when eaten on an empty stomach, fresh fruit can have only a positive effect;  it accelerates weight loss (**).

And this, dear readers, is where my personal experience is testament to that.  I lost 20 kgs over a year and I always wondered why this time, my work had actually paid off and why I've never felt it a struggle to keep it off.  I may not have understood this principle completely at the time, but the fasting or "fruiting" until noon was something that resonated in me as soon as I heard it (a year ago), and as soon as I tried it.  However, that doesn't mean I compulsively stick to this day in and day out, but if I  do fall off  the wagon for a couple of days, it is actually the easiest thing to reinstate straight away.  I can tell you, though, that sometimes, that fruit detox first time round can certainly bring about some feelings of uncomfortability (read:  diarrhoea, some headaches, tummy pains) for the first couple of days.  But, that's only because it's getting rid of that toxic residue. 

I am not saying that people cannot lose weight and keep it off through other means (***).  This "Natural Hygiene" approach just seems to make so much sense to me as being the safest and most common sense approach.  Believing in a God who created us all so intricately and wonderfully, always made  me wonder why we always struggle to lose weight, stay healthy & live a vibrant life.  I believe health is our birthright, and having read this book, I now realise that God did create our bodies to always strive for health and that it achieves this by continuously cleansing itself of deleterious waste material.   

So how does this work for me?  I start the day with a Blender juice - very refreshing!  Then I drop the kids at school, and if I am heading anywhere I take something easy with me like a banana or apple.  Sometimes I'll make a nice thick smoothee later on in the morning to share with the kids with avocado or banana, sweetened with frozen berries (very filling).  If you are really struggling there is nothing to stop you scooping out half an avo for a snack with a squeeze of lemon juice on it, having a few bananas or mixing up a colourful fruit salad.  If you're craving a hot drink - some warm water with lemon squeezed in it can actually become quite pleasant.

For my kids and hubby, it's a bit harder as they are quite set in their ways already.  However, I have made a few adjustments to the morning routine:  1.  As soon as I get up or when I return from gym I cut up some fruit for all the kids & hubby to share (normally around 6:30am)  2.  After waiting 1/2 hr for it to digest, I let them have some toast or porridge as this is what they are used to.  3.  They always pack fruit for their brain food snack at school/kindy which is around 10 - 10:30 which is perfectly in line with the waiting 3 hrs to have an empty stomach again.  This is not perfect, but nothing much ever is.  However, I know that they get at least 2 good doses of fruit in the morning on an empty stomach, and that's good enough for now.

Well, I'm always interested in your comments and I hope some of you give it a go - please let me know! :-) 








*  All other foods are concentrated foods as they contain little or no water - that includes all processed foods, grains, meat, dairy and even tinned fruit and veg.

**  To ensure an empty stomach when eating fruit, eat only 3 hrs after any type of concentrated food, and then wait 30 mins after eating fruit before eating anything else.  I think its just easier to start the day with fruit and eat it all morning and then not really think about it for the rest of the day. 

***  I'm also not saying that excercise is not integral to the weight loss process, because IT IS!  Also, do not assume that you can eat what ever you want for the rest of the day - don't overload your poor body and make wise food combinations.