Mistake 1: You aren’t drinking plain hot water 30 minutes before your breakfast.
One of the best things you can do for your overall health is to move your lymphatic system by drinking plain hot water first thing in the morning. No tea, no lemon, no honey. Nada.
By drinking plain hot water, you stimulate your lymphatic system without waking up your digestive system. This way you help your body clean house before it spends energy on anything else. Simply boil 16 to 32 ounces of plain water, pour into a cup and drink as you would drink coffee or tea. This easy technique can also help you go to the bathroom without any caffeine stimulation. You can start your main breakfast 30 to 40 minutes after you finish your water.
Mistake 2: You’re having a one-course breakfast instead of two.
The word breakfast has two meanings – an action of breaking a fast and a type of food. This is why I recommend making your first meal a two-course ritual.
The first course of your breakfast should be about breaking the fast. This is the time when your digestive track is empty and your system can focus on absorbing nutrients. I suggest beginning you breakfast with something that will provide your body with a plethora of vitamins and enzymes as well as stimulate your liver to gently detox. For your first course, try:
Green juice – rich in liver-loving nutrients and blood-purifying chlorophyll
Shot of powdered greens with water – full of essential nutrients and rich in chlorophyll
Beet and lemon juice – great for liver health
Chia and lemon water – helps to gently detox the liver and cleanse the colon
Green apple – rich in fiber and pectin
Bowl of watermelon – stimulates lymph system and cleanses the colon (I suggest waiting 30 minutes after the watermelon to eat your second course).
Once your digestive system is turned on, wait a little bit and ask yourself what you’re craving that will give you prolonged energy. For your second course, I suggest focusing on stimulating foods. One day it may be a green smoothie or a big fruit salad. Another morning you may find oatmeal or pasture-raised eggs most satisfying and energizing. The key here is to listen to your body and choose foods that it’s asking for.
Mistake 3: Your breakfast is the smallest meal of your day.
By having a small breakfast and trying to “save” calories, you can actually deprive yourself from much-needed energy and end up having strong sugar cravings later in the afternoon. Remember the good old’ saying: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper?” It holds a lot of truth. Your digestive system is stronger in the morning because it has rested through the night, so it can process and assimilate nutrients more efficiently than when it has been working all day.
When you indulge in a big breakfast, you not only nourish your body with long-lasting energy. You acknowledge that you deserve to eat food that your very smart body craves. You take your power back. When you say “Yes!” to yourself and nourish each and every cell with high-quality nutrition, you are setting yourself up for a day of energy, abundance and health!
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About Alina Z.
Alina Z., aka “The Green Goddess,” is a certified holistic health coach, detox specialist and raw-food chef (she conducts occasional classes at Whole Foods in Boca). Prior to moving to Florida, Alina hosted her own TV show in Maryland—“Entertaining A to Z”—for people who didn’t have time to cook but wanted to eat healthy. Catch one of her web episodes at eHow.com, visit Alina’s website at alinaz.com, or follow her on Facebook (facebook.com/CoutureFood) or Twitter (@CoutureFood). The Green Goddess blog runs every other Wednesday at bocamag.com.
