Before I hit the pillow each night, I look forward to my breakfast with great anticipation. Occasionally I find myself awakening, wishing I was able to speed the world’s clock up. I can’t wait to throw my robe on, march downstairs and crack open my eggs – six to eight of them, depending on my hunger and activity level for the day. The eggs alone are worth my early rise, but they have companionship in mushrooms, elevating my meal from a 9 to a 10. You know how I feel about avoiding over the counter medicine in favor of… I’m often asked what food should be eaten prior to competition for fuel, consumed prior to bed to burn fat or to assist in getting a good night’s sleep. While there are certainly individual choices that are better than others, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Synergy is defined as the interaction of multiple elements in a system to produce an effect different from or greater than the sum of their individual effects. Our food isn’t immune to these effects. Many believe carbs for breakfast are helpful for brain function, and that may be true. However,… Ask most Americans to describe a salad and they will craft a picture of a lettuce heavy base, a few pieces of broccoli, some shredded carrots and perhaps a few slices of chicken breast. They’ll top it all off with some crunchy croutons and a creamy dressing poured out of a bottle or squeezed from a package. Better choice than cereal? Of course. Nutritionally dense? Eh. It’s a decent start. When I construct a salad, I begin with a foundation of every type of dark leafy green I can find. I’ll feature spicy arugula, mild spinach, crunchy chard, a… European sailors en route to the New World used avocados in place of butter. I’m guessing those seamen were all about flavor and consistency. They knew they were ingesting a true super food, newfangled ideas about cholesterol and heart health be damned. There is nothing quite like scooping out a bite of creamy green heaven. From Medical News Today: “Apart from being an excellent source of fiber and vitamins, research suggests that there may be a number of other benefits associated with the fruit, including: lowering cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of diabetes, promoting lower body weight, and preventing cancer.” From personal… All sugars are not created equal. The sugar in an apple pie from McDonald’s is not even a distant cousin of the sugar in a crisp, organic apple. I’ve preached time and time again on this blog – fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar does. You may have noticed, however, that I advocate apples, blueberries, and Japanese yams. All of these items contain sugars. I even use them to curb any sweet cravings I experience. Runts candies may be shaped like fruit and contain fructose and glucose like fruit, but that’s where the similarities end. Grab Comstock’s “More Fruit”… Dark meat has taken an unreasonable fall from grace over the years. It’s scrumptious, so block the noise of those folks who speak of its unsavory implications. At your next shopping excursion, choose dark meat over white meat; its health benefits are numerous and as an ancillary benefit, cheaper, too. I remember Thanksgiving with my grandfather, who turns 100 in June. He’d skip right over the white meat for the dark, one out of his wide array of very opinionated actions. If you reached for the white, he’d roll his eyes. “Soft,” his countenance suggested. I went through the… If you’ve been reading my blog for a bit, you know my mantra: fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar makes you fat. However, the health benefits of dark chocolate make it a worthwhile indulgence. Valentine’s Day is my least favorite holiday. Do we really need an appointment on the calendar to express love to another human being? C’mon, that should be our daily practice.  Now, there is a competitor for most ridiculous day of the year – February 15, “Half Price Chocolate Day.” I don’t need an excuse to indulge in the occasional delicacy of high quality chocolate. The…