Breakfast!

I may not have a perfect diet but I'm great about eating breakfast. I eat a very healthy breakfast every day. I never miss it. Most days I have oatmeal with some fruit thrown in, and some walnuts thrown in, and then maybe some turkey sausage and maybe some whole wheat toast. I'm usually really full and it lasts me for many hours. I like starting my day the high fiber way.

Interestingly, I had to do a 'cultural report' for one of my classes (I am taking classes in nutrition) and I was drawn to Switzerland. I don't know why. For some reason the voice of Heidi came to me and said, "Pick me, pick me!" So I did. Right off, you know there's Swiss cheese and Swiss chocolate. There's Swiss Fondue. There's Swiss steak. But what interests me most about Swiss food is....muesli. It started in Switzerland. Who knew?

A guy named Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, who was a Swiss physician was way ahead of his time (he died in 1939). He believed that instead of eating lots of meat, which was popular at the time, his patients should eat a diet of raw fruits and vegetables. He came up with a breakfast meal that consisted of a little bit of oats, a little bit of honey, and a lot of fruit. As Wikipedia tells it, "Bircher-Benner changed the eating habits of the late 19th century. Instead of much meat and white bread, he postulated eating fruit, vegetables and nuts. His ideas included not only controlled nutrition, but also spartan physical discipline. At his Zurich sanatorium off Bircher-Benner-Platz, the patients had to follow a somewhat monastic daily schedule including early bedtime, physical training, and active gardening work. His theory of life was based on harmony between people and nature. Some of his ideas originate from observing the daily life of shepherds in the Swiss Alps, who lived a simple and healthy life."

What a cool guy! "Bircher muesli." It's just fun to say.

Enjoy your breakfast!