Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Daylight-Savings Remedies

Hello All!

I don't know about you, but Monday morning certainly hit me hard. I'm not the biggest fan of spring Daylight-Savings time, as it effectively steals an hour from me. Normally, I have to get up at 6-ish to make it to school on-time... which meant that Monday morning had me protesting a 5-ish wake-up.

To help me function, I use a couple of fool-proof solutions to get me on my feet.

1) The classic caffeine always jump-starts your day. I recommend a blend of jasmine and ceylon tea, or a simple darjeeling with a dash of milk and sugar.



3) If you're a coffee person, try an Ethiopian coffee blend. Ethiopia is known to be the origin of the coffee plant, and around 12 million people depend the Ethiopian coffee industry. See if you can find fair trade coffee... lots of organizations are registered fair trade org.s and that way you can support the farmers, too!


4) A cool smoothie is consistently a solid way to start the day. Blend any frozen fruit that you have in your freezer, along with a ripe (close to overly ripe) banana, some ice cubes, and a dollop of yogurt. In one drink you've managed to get 2 food groups and the freezing quality will jolt you awake (or give you brain-freeze).

5) Music with an upbeat rhythm like The Noisettes... not strictly foodie, but the french word of this same spelling also has been known to boost energy levels throughout the day. Sprinkle some pecans on you cereal, or pack a snack of dried cranberries and almonds for the day. A nice morning treat is toast with almond/peanut butter and honey.

6) Lots of foods have scientific perks:

>Oatmeal gives a boost in serotonin (the same chemical that's released when you eat dark chocolate). Plus, it's high in fibre-- which, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association, lowers cholesterol (improves heart health).

>Raisins can top anything, from oatmeal and cereal to "Ants on a Log", a piece of celery filled with peanut butter and topped with a line of raisins. Raisins are high in iron, which can improve energy... people who don't eat a lot of iron generally are slightly more tired.

>One of my favorite savory fruits (it has a seed), avocados, share something in common with bananas. They both have potassium! Potassium deficiency can cause tiredness. Try eating avocados dressed in lemon juice (thought to fight scurvy!), or in guacamole.

>Tired and sick is not a good combination. An orange a day keeps up Vitamin C levels, which are known to boost your immune system.

Eat well!

--Sophia
Thanks to M. Matsuda, for her information on food with scientific perks, and the Ethiopian Coffee Network for their picture.

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