Okay as the new year has come and gone, we have worked on setting goals, and then clearing out our cupboards. Now I’m going to hit everyone where I think it might hurt. Remember, I may be moving at a gradual pace…I haven’t given you an intense workout plan or an intense eating plan…because I want you to last longer than 6 weeks. If you go for another plan that’s intense and crazy…come on over when you get burnt out and feel free to start at the “Slow and Steady” forum. My life is forever changed because of small things adding up to the end result. I want this for you. We could change your life in a year. One Year. But you have to trust me. Six week weight loss plans (unless you already live a healthy lifestyle and eat well and workout) should be thrown in the trash. They’re only going to lead you to failure and cause another blip of distrust between you and your discipline. Ahhh, let’s not allow ourselves more sadness. Let’s start out with goals, and then look through your cupboards and throw things out that you know are not okay!
Well, cereal…it seems to be a staple for nearly everyone in this world. How many people have cereal at 3:00PM or for a midnight snack? Most people think, well it’s not highly caloric. No, you’re right…if you are eating the right amount. Serving size is hugely important when it comes to cereal, but most important are the sugars and carbohydrates that lay in a bowl in front of your face. So as you are cleaning out your cupboards, toss the cereal. Don’t hold on to it…because you might just be tempted when hunger strikes.
I was eating way too much of cereal…even the “healthy kind”. Regardless of how “healthy” it seems to be, if you are not making it from scratch then you are not getting the best for your body. Here are some reasons to stay away from cereal:1. You can’t stop eating it. Serving sizes are usually a quarter of what you think it is.
2. If it comes in a box, it has gone through processing. There are still hidden sugars in everything. I’ve never been able to find a cereal made from purely natural sources. Below are some bad ingredients to many healthy cereals from Osteoporosis Nutrition:
BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene): this common additive used to prevent oxidation in a wide variety of foods and cosmetics is listed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in 2005 as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” on the basis of experimental findings in animals. It is also used in jet fuels, rubber petroleum products, transformer oil and embalming fluid. As if this were not enough, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) warns that BHT should not be allowed to enter the environment, can cause liver damage, and is harmful to aquatic organisms.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Loaded with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules, studies have shown that the reactive carbonyl molecules can cause tissue damage that may lead to obesity, diabetes, and also heart disease. So much for this “Strong Heart Antioxidants” cereal recipe! HFCS is made from genetically modified corn and processed with genetically modified enzymes. To make matters worse, studies have recently revealed that nearly half of tested samples of HFCS contained mercury.
Yellow #5: Almost all colorants approved for use in food are derived from coal tar and may contain up tp 10ppm of lead and arsenic. Also, and not surprisingly, most coal tar colors could potentially cause cancer.
You are probably wondering why I have chosen cereal to talk about when all you want is a workout plan and eating plan to follow religiously. Well, I told you. Watch how important this information is to you. Watch and see how prevalent cereal is in your life. Watch how you now pay attentions to ingredients of not just cereal, but other processed items. Little by little the mindset will change and you will begin to find the substitutes.
So speaking of substitutes. I’m not just going to say stay away from cereal and leave you with an empty space in your heart. To break my love of cereal, I finally found a recipe through my cousin-in-law that I love and will make it for a long time to come. My cousins have a blog called Cooking to taste. It is at http://cookingtotaste.com. I love hearing about the way they make things from scratch.
I will give you their original recipe, the recipe that my mother-in-law made it into, and then the recipe that I follow. All are recipes based on the different things that our individual stomachs can handle. That’s the great part about making things from scratch. You can follow your own tastes and needs. Then when you eat it, you feel so healthy and natural. You realize that you’re doing something amazing for your body. What I love about this recipe is that I can make a large batch of it and keep it in the freezer. It lasts two weeks!!
ORIGINAL RECIPE
Ingredients
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered raw organic almonds
• 1 cup raw organic pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup raw organic sunflower seeds
• ¾- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup raw organic honey
• 1/4 cup Grade A maple syrup
• 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (A good extra virgin oil makes a huge difference vs. regular coconut oil)
• 1- ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons or so of cinnamon (Depends on your taste how much)
• 1 cup raisins or cranberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Heat up coconut oil in small pan on low to melt it. Add the vanilla to the oil and set aside to cool a bit.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the oil mixture and cranberries/raisins.
Pour oil into the large bowl with ingredients and combine both mixtures well and pour onto sheet pan/s (I use two when I double the recipe). Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and add raisins or cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.
HERE IS THE WAY MY MOTHER-IN-LAW TWEAKED IT!
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup Slivered Almonds
1 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup (Depending on how much you make) Coconut Oil (should be extra virgin and organic)
1 1/2 t. Vanilla
2 t. Cinnamon
Stevia
Heat oil in pan to melt. Add vanilla after it is melted. Stir the cinnamon. Pour over other ingredients in a bowl.
Cook at 250 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 15 minutes until browned. Add Stevia at the end to taste.
Because I can’t handle too many nuts, I decided to change it up for me. Mine is VERY simple and plain compaired to the others, but it still tastes great.
6-7 cups Rolled oats.
1 Cup Sunflowers seeds.
1/4 Coconut Oil
1 1/2 t. Vanilla
2 t. Cinnamon
Stevia
Heat oil in pan to melt. Add vanilla after it is melted. Stir the cinnamon. Pour over other ingredients in a bowl.
Cook at 250 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 15 minutes until browned. Add Stevia at the end to taste.
Okay, so the next step is to try substituting new and healthy things into your life. Cut out the processed cereals! Grab the next best thing. Your body will thank you. I know what you are thinking…I don’t make things from scratch. TRY THIS ONCE. You will realize how simple it is. Just Do It!
And remember to chant as the year moves on…Minute by Minute. Remember your minute by minute goals.
XO,
Tessa
Since I have dropped cereal and substituted this granola with cereal, I have lost weight. It’s the only thing I changed…So there must be something to this…right?!
P.S. New Teeny Tiny Waist Video today! It will be up by tonight.
2 Responses to Are You Cereal?
This blog is right on!! The one thing I feel compelled to add, however, is that BHA and TBHQ are also petroleum-based preservatives. But good luck finding any of the three (BHA, BHT or TBHQ) on a label! The FDA allows them to be added without listing them! And with cereal, you get a triple whammy because they not only put it IN the cereal, but they also treat the box and plastic packaging with it! Even the healthiest of cereals!
Thank you so much Nicole! Isn’t it sad that we can know so little about the food we are eating???!!!!!