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Which Cheerios is Healthier?

This shouldn’t be a trick question. But sadly, it is.

As your children are well aware, there are many many many varieties of Cheerios (Honey Nut, Chocolate, Apple Cinnamon, Peanut Butter, and so on) and when we’re all racing through the store in our eight minutes of allotted time to pick up groceries, reading SIDE labels may sound like a waste of time. Especially when there’s all that information right on the front of the box. But skipping over the side label would be a big mistake. Here’s why.

Which of these would you think is healthier based on the FRONT LABEL (aka the part you actually read?)

Cheerios Side By Side

Multi-Grain of course, right? I mean just look at those healthy grain colors…and the big words MULTI and GRAIN. Must be the better choice.

But if you looked closely at the side labels, here’s what you’d find.This is the label for plain old Cheerios. One grain. Oats.

Cheerios Original Label

This is label for Multi-Grain Cheerios, which does indeed have MULTIPLE GRAINS (corn, wheat, oats, barley, rice) – and THAT’S where it gets the name.

Cheerios MG label

However, what this healthy sounding variety doesn’t include is any more fiber than Original Cheerios. None. Baffling when you realize that’s what you think you’re getting with all those grains!

Instead, it has considerably more SUGAR. The purple box weighs in at 6g sugar per serving while Original has <1. (Don’t even get me started on Honey Nut or Chocolate which each have 9 grams!)

So, is it a disaster to buy Multi-Grain Cheerios? Certainly not. But with no more fiber and 5 extra grams of sugar, I’d stick with the big yellow box if you’re buying this brand!

Morning Rituals for Wellness

How did your morning unfold today? Did it go the way you planned? If not…why not? Perhaps because we often do mornings on autopilot, using rituals and patterns we established when our lives looked quite different than they might today.  We forget that when our lives change, our rituals need to change too.

When was the last time you consciously assessed your morning routine to see if it was serving you and your well-being?

I’m exploring this question in my own life right now. I’ve discovered that what happens first thing in the morning sets the tone for the whole day. If I establish a plan, a series of rituals, and follow that plan, I start my day in a way that makes me feel healthy, calm, productive and accomplished. And that seems to enable me to stay in that zone throughout the day.

On the other hand, if I fumble my way through the morning – skipping a workout, changing clothes three times, scrambling to make lunches or unearth a matching pair of shoes, dashing out the door late for a meeting – well, that sets the day on a very different course.

First of all, if I’m being honest, my ideal morning would unfold with me landing in this photo.

morningritual

Or this one.

run along water

Or maybe this one.

 volcanos-view-villas-breakfast

Hey, a girl can dream! But since that’s not exactly my daily life, I’m focused for now on identifying the elements that separate a bad morning from a good one…and a good one from a great one. And as you might imagine, I’m prioritizing the things that feed my well-being as I craft my morning rituals.

Here’s what I’ve discovered so far:

– A good morning starts the night before. If I get myself to bed on time and wake up rested, I’m 80% of the way there before I even start.

– After waking, I drink a glass of water before I do anything else. I’ve made this non-negotiable. I was really struggling with dehydration for a bit and this is helping immensely. Starting the day with water seems to remind me to drink water throughout the day, too.

– Five whole minutes of quiet. I’m not sure I can even call this meditation, but the fact remains that my tendency is to swing into action immediately after I open my eyes. So instead, I’m forcing myself into stillness for just 5 minutes (I use an alarm so I’m not checking the clock constantly). Quiet. Listening. Clearing the mental decks. Often, my biggest ideas surface during or immediately following these few minutes.

– I’m experimenting with adding 10 minutes of journaling here to capture those ideas. Not always happening though…

– Brush and floss, ice cold water on my face, contacts in. I am fully awake at this point. Does flossing not wake you up? I mean, really! Plus, super healthy. Look it up. (PS – I really want to do these steps before the quiet time above but somehow the quiet time works better if I’m not fully awake. Still tweaking this part because unbrushed teeth in the morning = gross…even for 5 minutes.)

– Into workout clothes and out the door (or down the stairs). Even if I only do 10 minutes of yoga and some strength work, I’m making this a daily practice. On the best days it’s a full workout but I’ve discovered that for me something is better than nothing. Moving reconnects me with my body and gets the energy flowing.

– Shower – ideally with no children awake yet! I invested in an Aveda shampoo and conditioner because the smell makes me SO happy. I’m serious about this morning stuff right now!

– Wake kids – begin the dance of getting the three of them dressed for their day and me dressed for mine. In our house, this works best if they take baths at night and ALL of our clothes (including mine) are chosen and laid out. Choices in the morning = delays, tears, and frustration. Not good for my well-being.

– Doublecheck that kids and I have hair done, teeth brushed, and all clothing parts on. Avoiding public embarrassment apparently feeds my well-being. Go figure.

– Make all 4 beds and put away anything in the bedrooms that is creating clutter. I really, really, really hate clutter and being surrounded by it in the morning can throw my day off balance. On the other hand, creating order gives me a feeling of peace that is astonishing. Plus, we’re building good habits for the kiddos here.

– Breakfast. A healthy one with protein and some kind of produce and some fiber. And more water. This meal sets the stage for the day – healthy choices beget healthy choices. Coffee comes into the picture later in the morning for me because I don’t enjoy it unless I can sit with that cup and savor it.

– Out the door, ideally 5 minutes earlier than necessary (which almost NEVER happens), because I’ve noticed I’m chronically running late and I hate it. It’s a side effect of trying to cram in one more thing before I leave. I need to kick this habit. Work in progress.

Please notice what’s not happening – email, Facebook, TV, newspapers. I’m trying to keep these things OUT of my morning (not always successfully). I mention this because what you take out of your morning may be as important as what you put in. If I come downstairs and start checking email or Facebook I may as well kiss my morning wellness rituals goodbye. The news can wait.

I’m going to continue to experiment with this set of morning rituals and I’d love to learn from you as I do so! What’s key to a wellness-filled morning for you? Please share!

Lemon Cream with Fresh Blackberries

School’s out for summer! And now I’m ready to glide into the easy, breezy days of summer entertaining. I have visions of myself  hosting dinner al fresco for eight or ten friends and serving lovely little nibbles. And then I remember that while I used to be a frequent hostess of those kids of summer soirees, I now have three (amazing, well-loved, totally worth it) children who render my dinner parties infrequent occasions.

Nonetheless, if you’re dining at my house this summer, you just may be eating this for dessert. All natural, vegetarian, fresh and delicious. Plus it has blackberries which are decidedly one of the best fruits on the planet. You can, of course, substitute other berries or even some diced kiwi or mango if you’d prefer. But I’m a blackberry kind of girl, especially when there are no little fingers at the table to squish them into stains on sundresses and seersucker shorts.

 

Lemon Cream with Fresh Blackberries

adapted from Whole Living

serves 4


Ingredients

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup honey (or agave nectar if you want to keep this vegan)
1 package (12 ounces) silken tofu, drained
1 cup fresh blackberries
Mint leaves to garnish

Directions

1. Puree 2 1/2 teaspoons of the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, and tofu in a food processor or blender till smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. You can use an immersion blender for this step, too.

2. Divide lemon cream evenly among four small ramekins or serving glasses. Garnish each portion with blackberries, reserved lemon zest, and mint leaves. Serve immediately or refrigerate.