Autumn Breakfast

Fall is here.  Leaves are changing, mornings are cool enough to wear arm warmers at 5:30 AM, and the sun isn’t making its debut until 7 AM.  Hot cereal sounds lovely on these mornings, and I had a serious craving for a big bowl of it after my track workout at the local high school today.

Eating is one of my favorite pastimes.  In previous posts I’ve alluded to the fact that I have some digestive issues, and that I struggle with finding foods that are easy on my tummy.  I have a wonderful issue called “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. My intestines have become permeable over the years, either due to antibiotic use as a child (I had a lot of bronchitis infections), undiagnosed food sensitivities that gradually broke down the intestinal lining, stress, or a combination of any/all of the above.  Regardless of how it started, large particles of food pass through the intestinal lining into the blood stream, creating significant bloating, cramping, intestinal inflammation, digestive issues, pain, lowered immunity, adrenal deficiency, mild hyperthyroidism, etc.  If left untreated, there’s a high probability of developing a chronic disease due to the compromised immunity of the body.

SO.  Where does this leave me?  Well, I’ve changed my diet to include only things that are easily digested.  Rice, quinoa (keen-wa), buckwheat, fish, eggs, well-cooked veggies, nuts, unsweetened almond milk, and just a dash of fruit.  Maybe a little bit of meat occasionally, though meat is notoriously hard to digest, so I generally steer clear of meat.  Things that I absolutely don’t eat: gluten, dairy, soy, corn, sugar, yeast, dried fruit, alcohol, coffee.

Brutal, isn’t it?  Here’s the thing; I’m starting to feel better.  In addition to the dietary changes I swallow a pharmacy of pills to kill the bacteria that’s taken up residence in my gut, as well as stuff to combat the permeability and soothe the inflammation.  My days are measured and I have to be super-aware of what and when I will be eating, to make sure I get the nutrients I need and the supplements that will ultimately heal me.

Let’s go back to the eating part, because eating is something I enjoy very much.  As an athlete I burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time, and I need recovery fuel.  What’s a girl with Leaky Gut Syndrome who’s training for a marathon to eat when she gets home from a track workout at 7:30 in the morning?

A big bowl of Quinoa Flakes hot cereal was on the menu for today.  It cooks up in about 90 seconds, so there’s not a lot of waiting.  On its own, it’s a little bland, but doctored with all the yummies you might find at an oatmeal bar, it’s a fantastic base.

Because I love a little crunch (I’m a nutty kind of woman), I added a small handful of pistachios.  Sometimes I put chopped walnuts or pecans in, but I shelled a few cups of pistachios last night and stored them in away for just this sort of occasion.

I thought about raisins or currents, but those are on my no-no list (dried fruit has a higher amount of sugar in it due to the drying process).  Coconut is okay though, so I figured a handful of coconut flakes would add a touch of natural sweetness.

Yesterday I bought a new brand of jam at Vitamin Cottage; St. Dalfour Royal Fig Preserves, (made in France).  These are the ingredients: Figs, concentrated grape juice, fruit pectin and lemon juice.  That’s right; no sugar added.  I almost did a happy dance right there in the store.  I tried it on a brown rice cake as a snack yesterday and gobbled it up.  So it was definitely on the list of toppings for the day.

This is what it all looked like, with calories and protein for those of us who wonder about these things:

1 cup quinoa flake cereal- 131 cal., 4.3 G protein

1 handful of pistachios (about an ounce) – 160 cal., 6 G. protein

1 tablespoon of unsweetened coconut – 140 cal., 2 G protein

1 generous tablespoon of St. Dalfour Royal Fig Preserves – 50 cal., 0 protein.

Grand Total: 481 calories, and a whopping 12.3g of protein!

This is a decadent breakfast due to the high caloric nature of the pistachios.  It’s also just the thing for a chilly fall day after a high-intensity track workout and a great recovery meal.  It’s easy on the tummy, and coupled with a cup (or two) of my favorite Numi’s Chinese Breakfast tea and a dash of Unsweetened Almond Milk, the tummy and body are happy to see what the day has in store.

Happy eating!