We’ve all heard the saying, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” so why do so many of us skip breakfast on a regular basis? The most frequent response to that question: time. Morning is one of the most hectic parts of the day. You’ve got to get the kids to school, yourself to work, maybe you’re trying to fit a workout in as well. After feeding everyone else, many people just don’t take the time to feed themselves, and that’s a mistake. Breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day. It gives you energy after a long night of not eating, it fuels you until lunch so you can think and work at your best level. And do you know what happens to lots of people who skip breakfast? They end up eating large lunches to make up for it, and usually, large dinners as well. Studies show that people who eat breakfast are generally thinner than those who don’t. Do you know why? People who let themselves get really hungry tend to make bad food choices because they push themselves so far that they’ll eat anything quick. Look at these statistics: Those who skip breakfast generally consume 40% more sweets, 55% more soft drinks, 45% fewer vegetables and 30% less fruit.  Ouch.

So, now that we’ve got your attention, how about trying some of these healthy breakfast options?

Oatmeal: There’s a reason that your oatmeal has a little heart on the package. Oatmeal is heart healthy and helps to reduce cholesterol. It’s also rich in omega 3’s, folate and potassium. Steel cut oats are the powerhouses of oatmeal because they contain more fiber than your average oatmeal, but they take 15 minutes to cook, so if you’re in a big hurry, you may need to go with the instant variety. Instant oatmeal is still good, but watch out for flavored oatmeals because they can be loaded with sugar. Try adding honey, fruit or milk to your oatmeal instead.

Greek Yogurt: The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest in the world, and Greek yogurt is no exception. Greek yogurt differs from regular yogurt in the way that it’s made. Greek yogurt is strained of its whey which makes it thicker and richer than your run-of-the-mill yogurt. It has twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt and usually half the sugar. If you really need to sweeten yours up, honey does the trick; or try boosting the nutrition factor while you sweeten by adding granola and/or fresh fruit.

Eggs: It used to be that eggs got a big skull and crossbones, but not anymore. Eggs are back and you should be eating them! Eggs are a great way to start your day because they are a complete protein, meaning they contain the 9 essential amino acids, and that’s not always easy to come by. They’re also a great source of vitamin D. If you’re limiting your diet to lean proteins and not loading up on fats and cholesterol, there’s no reason not to have an egg or two. For an even better breakfast, toss some veggies in, like peppers and tomatoes, maybe some mushrooms or spinach (the possibilities are endless), when you cook them up. Eggs are also great to go and easy to transport when boiled, and you can make them the night before and save some precious morning minutes.

Smoothies: Just blend them and go! Smoothies are a great choice for people on the go. You can pack in nutrients by including some leafy greens along with your favorite fruits, then add a protein punch with almonds or other nuts, almond milk or low-fat/non-fat milk, or protein powders, and even get your grains in with a dash of wheat germ, granola or flaxseed. Easy peezy!

Almond Butter: If you don’t do dairy or eggs and need an alternative to your smoothie every once in a while, give almond butter a try. Spread it on whole grain toast with bananas, or put it between two slices of apple with some granola tossed in for a new kind of breakfast sandwich. Almond butter is more or less equivalent to peanut butter calorie wise, but it contains slightly less saturated fat (and that’s always a good thing.)

At Brown Bag, our brand of cuisine-on-the-fly includes healthy breakfasts. We have omelets and breakfast sandwiches, as well as yogurt and fresh fruit. Think you don’t have the time or energy to put breakfast together for yourself every morning? Come see us. We’ll start your day off right and keep you energized ’til lunchtime. And if you’re looking to have breakfast meetings catered, we’re your answer. Healthy for the whole office–with a dose of morning caffeine courtesy of Swing’s coffee! We do hot and cold catering, so give us a call with any questions. In the meantime, have some breakfast.:)

Kale seems to be all the rage these days.  People are eating it in smoothies, juicing it, adding it to soups, steaming it, eating it in salads, even adding it to brownies.  Honestly, the creative ways that people use kale in meals for every time of day just keep growing and they continue to inspire us.  Of course, kale has been around forever, and people in the healthy-food know, have been loyal to it for years, but in just the last couple of years, kale’s popularity has taken a boost.  Why?  Because, as the country increasingly turns toward more healthy foods (organics, natural products instead of artificial sweeteners and preservatives, etc.), people have also looked to get more out of every meal, and when you add kale to any meal, you get a powerhouse of nutrition.

Kale truly is a super food.  We all know we should be eating more dark green veggies,  but even among it’s dark green brethren, kale stands above the crowd.  Kale is currently being studied in relation to cancer because it contains antioxidant nutrients, anti-inflammatory nutrients and anti-cancer nutrients (glucosinolates)–all important in fighting cancers.  In all, 45 different antioxidant flavonoids can be found and measured in kale, and it’s anti-inflammatory qualities are off the charts.  Need another plus?  Kale contains omega-3s (good for your heart and an anti-inflammatory) in great quantities.  In fact, just 100 calories of kale provides over 350 milligrams of the most basic omega-3s (ALA).  It also has boatloads of vitamin K and a type of vitamin E that is heart healthy, and it’s been shown to lower cholesterol.  As if that wasn’t enough, kale contains fiber and aids in digestion, AND can help the body detox naturally.

So far as its anti-cancer claims-to-fame, it contains a nutrient (indole-3- carbinol) that scientists believe plays a role in the way estrogen is metabolized in the body and thus may play a protective role against breast cancer.  A recent study also found that kale extract inhibits the production of existing colon cancer cells.  Kale just keeps getting better.

Even though kale is a garden gift that keeps on giving, there are a couple of drawbacks to be aware of, especially people with specific medical conditions.  If you take blood thinners, for example, you’ll need to watch your kale intake because of its high concentration of vitamin K, which can promote clotting in the blood.  Also, it contains oxalates, which in some tests, have been associated with kidney stones and gall stones.  Kale also contains a compound that can suppress thyroid function in some people (though the risk is low http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-it ), but only if eaten raw.  Some dieticians recommend eating kale raw (or in juices and smoothies) only once or twice a week.  Apparently, this is not an issue if you cook your kale, so if that’s your preferred method of kale consumption, please continue.:)  One last downside: Kale is on the Dirty Dozen list, so if you buy it, buy organic.  The pesticide residue on leafy greens, like kale, is very high.

If you’re wondering about the best way to eat kale, opinions vary.  Some people swear by cooking it only, as some of its bitterness is lost and it gets sweeter; while others sing the praises of raw kale and kale chips.  So far as health benefits go, it’s a mixed bag.  For cancer-fighting nutrients, eat your kale raw.  Studies show that it’s health qualities are more beneficial in this capacity.  If you’re looking to lower your cholesterol, studies point to steamed kale as your best alternative so far as cooking.  Whatever you do, try not to overcook your kale; it loses nutrients and enzymes when you cook it too long or with too much water or broth.  If you do go overboard with your cook time, try to sip up that broth and save what you lost.

Brown Bag is all about getting the most of out of your food–both in flavor and nutrition–so how about giving kale a try?  You might be surprised by what a little extra green can do for you.

If you’re trying to eat healthy and looking at your choices between, say, natural sweeteners or types of whole grains, you may not know which one is really more beneficial; and if you’re going to the trouble of really eating healthy, isn’t it worth it to know what’s best?  We think so, too!  So, we thought of a few of the biggies; you know, foods that people eat often, and we did a little research to find out which one’s better.  Enjoy!

Brown Rice or Quinoa:  The clear winner here is quinoa.  While brown rice is a much better choice than white rice, if you’re really looking to get the most out of your whole grain, grab some quinoa.  While both brown rice and quinoa are loaded with fiber (and that’s a great thing!), quinoa is also packing a protein punch.  In fact, you can get 8 grams of protein in one cup of quinoa—and that’s nothing to sneeze at!  And it’s a complete protein, which means it contains 9 essential amino acids to help your body repair cells, etc.  Normally, you’d have to grill up a piece of chicken, cook an egg or otherwise consume some sort of meat product to get that kind of protein, making quinoa especially attractive for our vegetarian friends out there!

Agave or Honey:  There’s a push away from the processed sugar we all grew up with and a turn toward natural sweeteners these days, and we couldn’t be happier.  Not only do processed sugars (and processed foods) burn up more quickly, leaving you with the highs and lows of unstable blood glucose levels, but there’s evidence mounting that the way your body responds to them mimics the body’s response to street drugs.  So, what to do?  Give some natural sweeteners a try!  Honey and agave nectar are two popular alternatives, and they are actually fairly equivalent in terms of which is better.  The difference: Agave nectar contains a higher percentage of fructose to glucose so your body burns it up more slowly, making you feel full longer and avoiding the highs and lows of simple sugars.  The key to any sweetener lies in you, though; practice moderation.

Turkey Burgers or Veggie Burgers:  If you’re firing up the grill for a night of turkey burgers instead of your usual ground beef—kudos!  But know that there is an even better alternative.  While ground turkey has less fat than ground beef and is a great source of lean protein, veggie burgers go a step further.  Turkey burgers can have up to 5 times the amount of fat and 20 times the amount of cholesterol as their veggie counterparts (because they are usually a combo of both light and dark turkey meat).  Veggie burgers also have half the calories and 4 grams of fiber—score!

Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes:  Potatoes are not the devil.  Even though they’ve been getting a bad rep for a few years, there is a lot of nutritional value in potatoes.  Potatoes are a low-calorie (sans, sour cream and butter!), high-fiber food rich in potassium, B6, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus and phytonutrients.  That being said, sweet potatoes are still the better choice.  They have fewer calories and a cartload of vitamin A (potatoes have zilch).  In fact, they have 439 percent of your daily recommended value of vitamin A.  They also have more vitamin C and a host of other vitamins and minerals, AND antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients and blood-sugar lowering nutrients.  Long story short, sweet potatoes are tops!

We’re all about serving up healthy food choices here at Brown Bag—and we make them taste great!  Healthy cuisine of the fly is what we do!  Bring your need for speed (and speedy, healthy food!) to us during your busy work week, and we promise to fill your belly with all the nutrients you need to get you through your day—no option weighing required.  We can also bring our brand of healthy right to you! Call us to set up any corporate catering event–we offer full-service catering and enough menu options to please the whole office!

We’ve all been there: waking in the morning with little to no energy.  Sure, sometimes you stayed up too late, etc. but if this happens to you on a regular basis, it may be more than just a few late nights that are bringing you down.  Maybe you’ve been feeling a little shaky or jittery even before your morning shot of caffeine?  We say take a look at what’s been on your plate (literally) lately.  Are you eating foods that support a healthy body and lifestyle or eating on the run, grabbing and going without much thought to what’s going in your mouth?  Take a minute to read and contemplate your food choices.

1.  Eat more iron.  Iron deficiency can really sap a person’s energy and make you feel tired all day—even after a good night’s sleep.  So, think about tracking what you’ve been eating with an eye to iron.  Have you been getting enough?  If not, consider adding more red meats, fish and poultry to your diet, some of the best sources of iron (animal-based).  If you don’t eat anything without leaves, you can still get your iron on naturally; try adding more soybeans, lentils, spinach and fortified cereals to your diet.  Tip: Adding a little vitamin C to your diet will help with iron absorbtion.

2.  Hungry for an afternoon snack? Put the cookies down!  Refined sugars may be making you jittery because they cause a sudden rise in blood sugar (enter the antsy, jittery feeling) and large amounts of insulin to be secreted by the pancreas.  Eventually, that extra insulin will make your blood sugar plummet, making you feel tired and/or lightheaded and sweaty, but especially—really hungry.  So, what do you do?  Go grab something to eat quickly and usually without thinking.  The best way to stave off the highs and lows left by foods high in refined sugars is to skip them and instead focus on eating snacks that have a balance of lean proteins, healthy fats and unrefined carbohydrates.  Some examples include, fruits, veggies, beans, whole wheat pastas and breads, brown rice, quinoa, etc.

3.  Feeling a little puffy around the middle?  Bloating is common but do you know what it is in your diet that’s causing it?  A few suspects: carbonated drinks (including soda and seltzer), certain vegetables (beans, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage) or even a lack of sleep.  To fight this particular bulge, try replacing your favorite soda or seltzer water with flat water and see what happens.  Not only should you see your bloat begin to dissipate but you may see some relief from constipation as well.  If your favorite veggies are causing the problem, try cutting the amounts you eat in half for a week and replace them with other fruits and vegetables.  Another good idea: probiotics.

4.  If you’re feeling a little forgetful, you might be slipping into the low zone on your levels of vitamin B-12 and Omega 3 fatty acids.  To add them into your diet and boost your levels, consider adding some Omega-3s into your meal plan with foods like salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna and herring, as well as some B-boosters like liver, yogurt, cheese, eggs, fortified cereals, salmon and trout, etc.  A vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause fatigue, confusion, and numbness, so load your plate and free your mind.

5.  Hopefully, working out and/or exercising regularly is a part of your everyday life.  If it is, you may be familiar with muscle cramps.  To cut those cramps, you need to add some potassium and magnesium to your meals.  Try potassium-rich foods like bananas, baked potatoes, prunes and orange juice.  Get nutty to soak up more magnesium—almonds and other nuts make great snacks on the go, or add them to your morning breakfast shake for a quick shot of protein (and magnesium).  Other sources include unrefined grains, spinach and bran flakes.

A well-planned and thoughtful meal should give your body all it needs to thrive, so spend a little time and pay attention to what goes onto your plate and into your mouth.  Studies show that eating lots of refined sugars makes you actually crave more refined sugars, so keep them to a minimum and try to fill your belly with natural sweets like fruits, if possible.  Don’t have time during your hectic work week to think about healthy breakfasts and lunches?  Luckily for you, we do.  Come see us at Brown Bag for well-rounded meals, meals that are balanced and full of healthy food that will get you through your day.  We put of lot of time and consideration into each of our menu selections, and we think you’ll find our brand of cuisine on the fly fits your busy work-week lifestyle, as well as your nutritional needs.  See you soon!