Funky Breakfast

I woke up with a serious (and seriously weird) craving this morning...black olives. Ever since going vegan about 2 months ago I have odd cravings for the most random things. I think because my diet is extremely low fat outside of tofu and peanut butter- that I crave the monounsaturated heart healthy fats in olives. I believe it is very important to listen to our bodies because they truly are built to tell us exactly what we need. So this was my breakfast...

On the plate:

• Edamame
• Corn (Raw cut from the cob)
• Extra Firm Tofu (raw)
• Black olives
• A sprinkle of sunflower seeds

I put everything in a tupperware container and added some olive oil and shook it up! Between the olives, olive oil, tofu and sunflower seeds I think I got my serving of heart healthy fats for the day. I'm well aware of how weird I am by the way. But, if you think about it- this would be a completely normal breakfast meal if it was all scrambled up with some eggs or in an omelet.

Yesterday evening, I watched a really great documentary on Netflix called "Forks Over Knives".

This movie perfectly portrays America and the ever rising epidemic of obesity related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. The idea scientists and doctors are trying to show is that we can not only avoid these diseases by consuming a plant-based diet but actually REVERSE these diseases. It's really quite amazing. The movie highlighted several studies that showed how animal protein (including that found in dairy, cheese, eggs etc) actually cause cancer cells to grow, and when plant protein was introduced instead- cancer cells actually decreased! Amazing. I know a lot of you don't want to hear this but Veganism really is the future. Even if you aren't interested in giving up your animal products, the more fruits and veggies you eat, the better off you will be.

With that being said, another huge point to take home was the fact that food really is the strongest form of medicine we have. The movie featured two non traditional doctors, who instead of prescribing medicine, prescribed a plant based diet. They actually went shopping with their patients and went into their homes and taught them how to prepare healthy meals based on plants only. Incredible.

How important are fruits and veggies to you? How many servings do you try to incorporate into your diet daily?