Day 2

Seeing as I just started this venture, my pantry isn’t stocked adequately yet. I was worried this morning I wouldn’t have anything to eat for breakfast. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been defaulting on brown sugar cinnamon poptarts for the last three mornings in a row. Quick, easy, delicious. I seriously heart poptarts. But no! Processed foods = evil! Focus!

I knew I had a box of malt-o-meal in there somewhere. That’s whole grain, isn’t it? I was almost afraid to look at the ingredients label… (because, by the way, the number one rule when eating real food is to always check the label. Even if it’s “all natural” or “organic” -- that doesn’t mean anything. The less ingredients the better, and if there’s something on there you can’t even pronounce, it’s probably not good for you).

So upon reading the label, I learn that Malt-O-Meal contains: Wheat farina, malted barley, calcium carbonate, ferric orthophosphate (iron), niacin, vitamins B6, B1, B2, and folic acid. It doesn’t sound too shabby, right? Certainly better than a poptart. BUT - is that 100% whole grain wheat? No, it‘s “enriched” wheat farina. In case you don’t know yet, “enriched” is a misleading and red-flag word on products. Enriching flour actually strips it of nutrients, then they add a few back in. Here’s the nutritional math: Whole Grain Wheat - 11 nutrients + 5 nutrients = “Enriched.” The nutrients are destroyed during the processing and then they are difficult to digest. Studies even show that extruded whole grain preparations can have even more adverse effects on the blood sugar than refined white flour! Yikes. :(

Below the ingredients it says “Wheat used in this product contains traces of soybeans.” -- another ugh.

Moving on, I find a giant can of Quaker’s Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. I look on the label and there is only 1 ingredient: 100% whole grain old fashioned rolled oats! Okay, so they’re not steel cut oats, which are the whole raw oats cut into smaller chunks, but this is probably my most natural option for this moment.

So I prepare a serving and top it with beautiful fresh blueberries. A little bland because I don’t have any honey or 100% maple syrup to flavor it with, but the blueberries help.

Meanwhile, I also squish a couple oranges on the juicer. I’m not into pulp, so I strain it. Admittedly, this is my first time ever using a juicer to squeeze juice out of an orange - not from concentrate, no additives. It was delicious! Why would orange juice ever need anything else added to it? Stupid food companies.

My 4-year-old son, by the way, ate 2 scrambled eggs and some peanuts for breakfast. :)  It's going to be hard to get him off processed food completely, it will be a long weaning process, but we'll get there!