Food is fuel.
Like gas for your car, food is fuel for your body. But many of us choose premium fuel for our cars and put low-grade 'fuel' in our bodies. It's time to treat your body like a luxury vehicle and only put the best premium fuel in it. Okay, enough with the car analogy; let me make it plain.
What is premium food fuel for your body?
Clean: Food that's as natural as possible, free from chemicals, dyes, added sugar, or prepared in ways that decrease its nutritional value (over-boiled or fried).
Complete: It has at least two macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) and abundant micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals.
Compatible: Your body has its own unique needs, so the food you eat has to work for your body. Listen to your body.
Can Last A While: Make sure your meals are satisfying, not just empty calories. Also, choose to eat in a way you can maintain rather than jumping from diet to diet.
Contributing: Adding superfoods and probiotic foods to your eating plan can help improve your gut health, reduce inflammation, and longevity.
Why do I care?
I started my food fuel journey almost 9 years ago when I embarked on my personal Embrace You Weight & Wellness Journey. Changing my relationship with food was essential, as food and I had a love-hate, or rather, 'love-restrict' relationship. I’ll explain. As a first-generation Liberian-American born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia (#GradyBaby) to a foodie father and restaurateur parents, I grew up immersed in food culture from the South, West Africa, and the globe. Unfortunately, dieting was also a significant part of growing up in the 90s and 2000s. I bounced between loving food and fearing 'fat' in food or on my body (sad but true). The hidden message was that healthy food is good but doesn’t taste good. Delicious food is unhealthy. This negative mindset led to a negative relationship with food.
It took years of deprogramming, but transforming this negative mindset has helped me stay consistent on my weight and wellness journey. I no longer fear foods or label them as good or bad. I broke free from dieting on my Embrace You Weight & Wellness. I want you to experience the same food freedom and enjoyment.
Where to Start?
Please know making food your fuel doesn’t happen overnight. As Kendrick Lamar would say, 'There’s levels to this.' You may not be ready to eat completely clean, or you don’t feel adventurous enough to try superfoods. But you can start to make small changes. Choose one way you want to 'premiumitize' your foods to start and gradually keep making small changes over time.
Figuring out what premium fuel foods to make can be tricky in the beginning. So I'm sharing 5 of my favorite 'Premium Fuel' Breakfasts toasts to help you get started. All Premium Fuel Food Breakfasts are flavorful, filling, and fast (<15 mins to make).
Five Fast, Filling, Flavorful Breakfast Ideas
1. Hot Hemp Seed Berry Bowl
(10 mins prep). - This remix to the classic oatmeal bowl allows you to decrease the carbs by switching oats for hemp seed, a superfood.If you’re not ready to ditch the oats, an alternative is to cook 1 cup steel-cut oatmeal, add 1 tbsp Hemp seed, and ½ cup berries.
2. Grown Folks Cereal Bowl
(7 minutes prep)-” When I was a kid, I ate like a kid. When I became grown, my food grew up too” -Dr. Sylvia. It’s time to release sugary sweet cereals that don’t fill you up or cause you to have a sugar crash. Instead, swap your sugary cereal for low-sugar granola (homemade or store-bought) and top with nutrient berries. Remember to pay attention to portion size as it’s easy to overdo it with too much cereal.
3. No Cheese Please Breakfast Sandwich
(15 mins prep) - Lactose intolerance is a common issue among adults, with approximately 15% of adult Caucasians and 85% of adult African Americans in the United States affected, according to the American Gastroenterology Association. Personally, I fall into that group, so I prefer to avoid dairy in the morning. Instead, I opt for alternatives like egg whites or avocado, and I love adding greens to my breakfast for an extra crunch and boost.
4. Grown Folks PB with No J
(5 mins or less prep)- I loved PB & J growing up, all the way through college. But I decided to break up with jams and jelly due to the high sugar levels which left me feeling tired after the sugar crash. Instead, I top my favorite sprouted wheat English muffins with natural peanut butter, hemp seeds, and golden raisins or fresh fruit.
5. Cacaocolicious Chia Pudding
( 10 mins prep, 4+ hours to set). Homemade chia seed pudding is so easy to make and super satisfying. For this creamy chocolatey version I add cacao powder, a touch of maple syrup, and hemp milk to the chia seeds. Top with your favorite fruit.
P.S. Bananas and apples bring out the cacao flavor.
Road to Consistency
So, which of these recipes are you going to embrace? Start by making a SMARTER goal to make your food Premium fuel. Fill out the form below for your SMARTER goal handout.
Remember in whatever you do Always Embrace You.
💜Dr. Sylvia
Resources
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