Breakfast

aysiasobresema
CultureHealth

You know that moment during a meal when everyone is pleasantly full after finishing their entree, just before someone reluctantly reminds the table the restaurant is closing soon so it’s time to sign the check? That soul-warming instant when conversation flows effortlessly? This moment has a name. Sobremesa (n.) is a Spanish word meaning, “the time spent around the table after dinner, talking to the people you shared the meal with; time to digest and savor both food and friendship.” This word is the essence of why in an over stimulated, hectic world, it’s so important to make time to gather around a table for meals.

While I admit my love for the sobremesa is partially because I am a certified foodie, it’s even more so because the Sobremesa is a time for true conversation, an art seemingly dwindling in our generation. We are so used to texting and Facebook messaging entire conversations, that it’s easy to forget how beneficial face-to-face conversation is. While you might feel you know someone well, a deeper realm of connection opens upon seeing facial expressions, gestures, and all the multifaceted characteristics of speaking in real life.

There have been numerous studies detailing the benefits of “table time” in families and in any type of relationship. According to Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology and countless other sources, table time strengthens solidarity in relationships (families, friends, sports teams, roommates, and so on), alleviates stress, improves conversation skills, encourages healthier eating, and broadens intellectual horizons by sharing and listening to different perspectives. All this while possibly exploring new cuisines!

At least once a month, my roommates and I plan a “roomie dinner” where we each pitch in to help; someone purchases ingredients, another provides his/her cooking skills, and another roommate sets the table and helps clean. We gather around the table, leaving all school and life-related stresses at our desks for a few hours to simply enjoy each other’s company. Most dinners, we will choose a meal theme - anything from Mexican to Italian cuisine. Here are a couple of our favorite dishes:

In college, it is easy to get used to eating quick meals while watching Hulu between classes or meetings. I challenge you, however, to take a break. Carve out a few hours of your time and experience just how restorative and forever calming a dinner and its Sobremesa are for the soul.

Image: FoodiesFeed

smoothie
HealthRecipesWellness

Busy people have a lot of breakfast criteria: it needs to be nutritious and filling, give us lasting energy, and be quick and easy to prepare. Sometimes taste falls by the wayside in our attempts to make something fast and get out the door.

Smoothies generally fit the “filling, nutritious and quick” criteria, but it can be hard to hit the right mark. Sometimes they’re too liquid-y and not filling enough. Other times they just taste like nastiness in a cup. It’s hard to make a good one, and I’m not going to drop $5-10 every morning for someone to make me one.

For these reasons, I’ve never been a smoothie person. Something about this smoothie, though, makes me excited to get up and eat breakfast! You can throw it in a bowl or to-go cup. It is pretty thick, though, so I recommend a spoon.

Here’s what you’ll need:

5 strawberries, fresh
1 banana, frozen
1 tbsp. almond butter
½ cup Greek yogurt or light yogurt (any flavor, although strawberry or vanilla work best in my opinion)
¼ cup oats
¼ cup spinach or kale (or both!)

To make it, simply combine all ingredients into a blender and pulse on high until your smoothie reaches a consistency you like. Then, pour it into a cup or a bowl and sprinkle a handful of oats on top. It’s that easy.

Tip: if you want a thinner consistency, try replacing the yogurt with coconut milk.

Tip: cut the strawberries in halves or quarters, and break the banana into quarters before or after freezing. This makes things easier on the blender.

This smoothie makes an awesome immune-booster, too. I drink it whenever I’m sick and it soothes a sore throat and lessens cold symptoms.

What breakfast foods get you through your day?

Image: elana’s pantry

eat
Health

Life gets in the way of a million things: plans, expectations, and more importantly, meals. Maybe you were already seven minutes late for that meeting and the idea of breakfast was pushed aside onto your mental list of irrelevant things you should do but don’t, such as wearing your retainer six months before your next dental appointment. But what if I tell you that skipping a meal translates to skipping out on a million ideas, brain connections, and memory collections. If you’re getting a clue at where I’m going with this, meals are not meant to be a burden, but more so, a fundamental supporter. They provide for the building blocks of your body. If you are having trouble keeping up with your meals, try out different things and explore a little change. And by this, I mean take more control of your days. Meals should be consistent and here are a few reasons why:

  1. Sugar roller coasters are not theme park-fun

In other words, eating lunch at 12pm and then at 4pm interchangeably between days calls for chaos in your system. When you have not eaten for a while, your blood sugar drops drastically and the next time you do eat, it sky rockets. In turn, you are setting yourself up for a diabetic lifestyle due to the constant insulin blasts. Doctors say that eating as many as five to seven small meals a day is a healthy way to keep your blood levels at a more-or-less steady level for most people. Take control of your schedule. If you are in the middle of work or class when you should be taking a lunch break, take the time to pack a meal in some tupperware or bag up a sandwich to squeeze in a chance to refuel your body during that busy time of day. It is essential that your body collects the appropriate vitamins and minerals in order for it to function properly. This also brings into consideration the content of your meals and snacks. Refined sugar will drastically spike blood levels unlike whole natural foods which, in turn, slowly and steadily raise your sugar levels. Sugar rushes not only cause disorder in the body but they also cause blood sugar to suddenly drop and this causes hunger shortly after. We all know that this isn’t exactly the most convenient of cravings when keeping an eye on health and weight.

  1. Your metabolism is like a muscle

People skip meals because a) they are incredibly busy or b) they are trying to lose weight. Either way, your muscles will weaken if they are not worked and likewise, your metabolism will get slower when it is not put to use. Each time you eat and digest food, your metabolism is making use of itself, as it should. A great portion is transformed into energy for daily necessities and a small portion, depending on the food of course, is turned into lipids. Skipping meals, on the other hand, halts this ongoing process and essentially affects your metabolic process. The next time you do eat, much of what you put into your system will not be as quickly broken down as it once was. Another way to view your metabolism is by thinking of it as a computer. If you turn it off, you must wait a while for it to start up again. Promoting its regularity is vital.

  1. Untimely meals translates into formless days

When a person lacks the discipline of eating on time, it only leads to a sense of disorientation. Putting off meals creates an entire shift when it comes to eating regularly. If breakfast is belated, your lunch will be too. If lunch is skipped, dinner will become your lunch and a late night snack will undoubtedly creep into your nocturnal endeavors. The cycle is eternal and one way of avoiding this is by making sure that you get something in your body shortly after you wake. Be it some yogurt and chia, toast with hummus, or even a vine of grapes, breakfast is the turning key to your engine. When outlining or scheduling your day, make it so your meals become your bullet points and your daily activities become your sub-points.

Eating on time is fundamentally important. It allows for a poised body ready to be productive. Living by a healthy meal routine will only help you conquer each day through a balanced system, a clear mind, and better access to the well of information your brain houses.

Fly
SkillsTravel

The jet lag struggle is real. Jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder that occurs when you cross two or more time zones. When we travel quickly and go from one time zone to another in a short time frame, the rhythm of our biological clock is thrown off. Jet lag can be overwhelming, exhausting, and frustrating, especially when all you want to do is get out and explore new cities and sights. Instead of sitting around in a hazy state of mind, use these tips to prevent and get over jet lag during your travels. This is the time to seize your youth and explore new cultures, landmarks, languages, and to meet new people. You’ve come this far and traveled great distances; you want to make the most of your time traveling. Don’t let your valuable time be monopolized by jet lag.

Pre-Trip Prep

Make Small Adjustments

Figure out what time it is in the country you will be traveling to. A week before you leave for your trip, start slowly adjusting to that time zone. Go to sleep earlier or wake up earlier and schedule your meals for later or earlier in the evening. Small adjustments like this will get your body used to doing things a bit differently, so when you are all of a sudden functioning to a new clock you won’t experience as much shock. When you advance or delay your body clock ahead of time, studies show that you will adjust faster and can reduce the effect of jet lag.

Hydrate

This is just good advice for every day of your life. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. While you can’t bring liquids through security, as soon as you make it to the other side, purchase a big bottle of water or fill your water bottle up. Planes can be very dehydrating, and you don’t want to have to wait for the drink cart to roll past to get your fill of H20.

Use Plane Time Wisely

If you are traveling somewhere far away, use this long plane ride to catch up with the time zone you are flying into. As soon as you sit down in your seat, set your watch. If where you’re going is midnight, sleep on the plane so when you arrive in the morning you feel fresh and awake. Use a sleep mask and earplugs if the light and noise bothers you.

If you need to sleep on the plane, avoid caffeine and sugar as best you can. If it’s the daytime, even if you are tired, try your best to stay awake and keep yourself busy. Get up and walk up and down the aisles and stretch. You can sleep when you arrive, since it will then be nighttime.

During the Trip

Make Wise Food Choices

During the first couple of days of your trip, make wise food choices. Your body will already be trying to catch up with a different time zone and won’t be metabolizing as efficiently, so go easy on spicy foods and large meals in the evening.

Prepare Your Room

Before you drift off to sleep, prepare your hotel, hostel, guest room in a way that will be conducive to a great night’s rest. Shut down your electronics and television an hour before bedtime, close the curtains or blinds, dim the lights, turn the temperature down if you can, wash up and get ready for sleep, and get cozy in bed with a book, magazine, or your gratitude journal.

Schedule Activities

When you are exhausted and feeling jet lagged on a trip, it is unbelievably tempting to just sleep until you feel awake and ready to explore. However, this temptation might get the best of you, one hour turns into five, and then all of a sudden your day of exploring is gone. If you purposely schedule activities at times you want to try to stay awake, you can mentally adjust faster than if you know you have the entire day free. Scheduled activities are a great way to keep you going because you are held accountable for paying and showing up.

Get Moving

Try to exercise as much as you can when you travel. By keeping your body active, you’ll feel much more alert and ready for the day. Exercise first thing in the morning or when you feel sluggishness coming on midday. It can be as simple as walking the block a few extra times, slipping a jump rope into your suitcase, or doing some push-ups and crunches on the floor. Anything to get your heart rate up will be sufficient.

Enjoy a Breakfast of Champions

Start your day with a breakfast of champions. Water, protein, and fruit are great breakfast staples. Don’t forget to try some of the local food if you’re abroad. Just because you’re not hungry now (maybe back home it’s the middle of the night), try to get something in your system so you can start the day on an energetic note. Live by the rules of the time zone you are in.

How do you prevent and overcome jet lag?

Image: Picjumbo