Abstainer or Moderator? The One Square of Chocolate a Day Test

What I should have had instead of wine and chocolate!

So I went down the pub.  Had a glass of red wine.  So far, so not so bad.  Cos, see, the Viva Mayr regime doesn't exclude the odd glass of wine.  However, of course, I didn't stop at the one.  I had another.  And then I went home and, before I knew it, I was sitting watching Poldark with my paw in the bag of mini eggs I'd bought for James.  Okay, let's step back there - I had metered out a small bowl of them, saving the majority for James but, well, you know how it goes...
Or do you?
According to a book I read lately for research, we all tend to fall into one of two camps - we're moderators or abstainers.
Gretchen Rubin, author of Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives says, 'We're often told, ‘Be moderate. Don’t indulge every day, but don’t deny yourself altogether because, if you do, you’ll fall even further off the wagon.’

You know the deal - it's behind the whole 80:20 eating idea - if you eat healthily 80 percent of the time, it's fine to indulge for the other 20 percent.  Except...it just doesn't work for everyone.  It certainly doesn't work for me.  I'm an all or nothing person.  I've tried moderation - again and again - and I come up short every time.

I actually find it much easier to give up something altogether than to just dabble in it.  I'd rather fast than diet; I'd rather wreck myself with four hours exercise a day than do a sensible hour three times a week. Maybe that's part and parcel of having an addictive personality?
Anyhow, with Gretchen, I found a kindred spirit.  'I realized that one way to deprive myself without creating a feeling of deprivation is to deprive myself totally,' she says.   'Weirdly, when I deprive myself altogether, I feel as though I haven’t deprived myself at all.'  And I nodded in total agreement.

Remember back when I stopped drinking alcohol altogether?  I didn't miss it at all.  Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.  Now I drink it occasionally, I find that I really can't just drink the one glass, I'll scarf the bottle (and then look winningly at a second).  So that makes me one of life's Abstainers apparently.   'When we Abstainers deprive ourselves totally, we conserve energy and will-power,' says Gretchen. 'Because there are no decisions to make and no self-control to muster.'

According to her research, we fall into either the Abstainer camp - those who do better when they follow all-or-nothing habits - or the Moderator camp - those who do better when they indulge - yup, moderately.

How to tell?  Could you put a large bar of chocolate in your fridge and eat one square every day?  Or have one glass of wine and pop the cork back in the bottle without the barest urge to neck the lot? (feel free to substitute your favourite temptation here).  This is the point at which the Moderators shrug and go, 'Duh!  Of course I could. Who couldn't?'  This is also the point at which the Abstainers snort with laughter and go, 'Duh! Don't be an effing numpty!'

Gretchen reckons that the less we indulge in something, the less we want it.  'When we believe that a craving will remain unsatisfied, it may diminish; cravings are more provoked by possibility than by denial,' she says, and then quotes William James:  ‘It is surprising how soon a desire will die of inanition if it be never fed.’

inanition

[in′ənish′ən]

Etymology: L, inanis, empty

1 an exhausted condition resulting from lack of food and water or a defect in assimilation; starvation.

2 a state of lethargy characterized by a loss of vitality or vigor in all aspects of social, moral, and intellectual life.

And then she quotes Samael Johnson:  ‘I can’t drink a little, child; therefore I never touch it. Abstinence is as easy to me, as temperance would be difficult’.

Have I wrecked my Viva Mayr Cure?  Probably not, but I know myself well enough to realise that I've probably sewn the seeds for last week's good foundations slipping away.  For what?  For a glass of wine and a bag of sugar?  Pretty dumb, huh?

Anyway, the book is great - a real eye-opener.  If you are interested in what makes you tick, and why you find it nigh-on impossible to make healthy habits, or to ditch the unhealthy ones, I'd highly recommend it.  Click on the cover below to check it out.

Lose weight and get healthy this August

Want to lose weight? Want to give your health a kickstart?  August is the perfect month to start a new healthy regime. 

In my book The Natural Year I give suggestions (nothing more) about how you might adjust your diet and lifestyle to live a little more in tune with the seasons.  Generally this is pure common sense – making use of seasonal foods; adapting the amount and type of food you eat according to the weather.

So, how about August?  Well, this is a time to eat light and cool. Soft fruits are plentiful now so make the most of them (but aim for organic if you can – pesticide use is heavy on soft fruits). Think about super salads and check the recipes from Exmoor House for summer barbecues and picnics.  Middle Eastern food is adapted for hot weather – I am still missing the heavenly vegetarian food of Israel from my trip last year.

If you want to lose weight, this is an ideal time of year to do it gently, naturally and easily.  Your body doesn’t need so many calories to keep warm and you naturally feel less hungry when it’s hot.  If you really want to kickstart weight loss, try juicing. 

I’ve talked about juicing before but, if you haven’t already discovered the wonder of fresh juicing, August is a good month to begin. Not only are they delicious but they are a great way to get lots of vitamins (particularly those essential anti-oxidants) without having to chomp your way through pounds of steamed veg.  They also have individual health-giving properties of their own.

Many naturopaths say that a day a week on a diet of vegetable juices will be beneficial to anyone.  They usually recommend you have between 500-700 ml up to a litre.  Take the juice in sips throughout the day, don't just gulp it down.  Make sure in addition you drink plenty of water - you could also supplement the juice with weak rose hip tea to help elimination through the kidneys.

So why is vegetable juice so wonderful?  In general vegetables are highly alkaline in their nature and have the ability to bind acids and eliminate them through the kidneys and urine.  So it's not surprising that alkaline vegetable juice can be so useful for people who suffer from rheumatism and arthritis.

As far as weight loss goes, a few days on a juice fast will shrink your stomach and make it much easier to carry on with a light diet.  Obviously, if you have any health issues then check with a health practitioner before any kind of fast.

Anyhow, a quick run-down of some super-juices to try…

THE SUPER-JUICES

CARROT:   The essential oils in carrots have an effect on the mucous membranes of the body and stimulate the circulation of blood in the stomach and intestinal tissues.  Because of this balancing action carrot juice is also good for constipation and diarrhoea and all sorts of digestive problems. 

Often when the digestion is sorted out, other problems disappear - many people find their headaches, eczema and bad skin all vanish when the digestion is functioning properly. If you suffer from frequent coughs and colds remember carrot juice - it is refreshing and soothing and helps battle against infectious diseases. 

Packed full of anti-oxidant vitamins it is a feisty fighter against the free radicals that cause disease and ageing.  And its rich supplies of carotene (provitamin A) improves the eyesight and stimulates the production of rhodopsin (visual purple) the lack of which causes night-blindness. 

As if all that were not enough, carrot juice is said to help balance your weight and to give a beautiful complexion - certainly worth trying. 

BEETROOT:  This dark purple juice is my absolute favourite (and now you can get beetroot in all shades - including white). Beetroot contains betaine which stimulates the function of the liver cells, protecting the liver and bile ducts.  100mg of beetroot juice contains 5mg of iron in addition to trace elements which encourage the absorption of iron in the blood.  Everyone can benefit from beetroot juice but it is particularly recommended in the first two years of life, during puberty, during pregnancy, when breast-feeding and during menopause.    Children from six months to two years need only a teaspoon of juice before meals.

CELERY:  Celery is alkaline and encourages elimination and so it is recommended for any diseases or problems connected with an accumulation of wastes and toxins - ie rheumatic and arthritic ailments.  It also regulates the water balance in our bodies and is superb for elderly people.  Personally I don't like it solo -  so mix it in with other juices (but it's a question of taste).  

TOMATO:  Tomato juice is highly acidic so not recommended for arthritic or rheumatic conditions.  In addition, quite a large number of people find they are intolerant of tomato.  However it has interesting properties.  The old herbals say it can help with overtiredness and combat unpleasant body odour.  They also suggest it is a protection against premature ageing.  It is a lovely refreshing juice which cleanses the body. Bloody Mary?  Hmm, not quite the mix I had in mind. :-)

Of course, you can experiment with a wide variety of juices.  Naturopaths will often recommend particular combinations and Polarity Therapy, a therapy that combines elements of naturopathy, ayurveda and other Eastern influences strongly advocates the use of fresh natural fruit and vegetable juices to aid healing and general health.  The following are recommended by the founder of Polarity Therapy, Randolph Stone:

FOR CONSTIPATION:  cabbage, spinach, celery and lemon juice.

FOR SKIN CONDITIONS:  carrot, beetroot and celery juice.

FOR ARTHRITIS:  carrot, celery and cabbage juice.

FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE:  celery, beetroot and carrot juice.

FOR LOW BLOOD PRESSURE:  carrot, beetroot and dandelion juice.

FOR ASTHMA AND CATARRHAL CONDITIONS:  carrot and radish juice.

TO OPEN UP SINUSES AND AIR PASSAGES - horseradish and lemon juice (4oz of horseradish and 2oz of lemon juice, combined with one teaspoon of garlic juice and a tablespoon of honey - take a teaspoon four times daily.)

TO HELP YOU SLEEP:  celery juice.

TO SOOTHE THE NERVES: lemon and lime juice.

FOR SORE THROATS AND COLDS:  lemon, lime and pineapple juice.

Adapted from my book The Natural Year – a seasonal guideto holistic health and beauty, in which I talk about my belief that we can all live more balanced, healthier lives if we work with the forces of nature, rather than pitting ourselves against them.  Now updated and available for Kindle at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk 

In which Kellogg's take me to Champneys to eat biscuits

Anyhow.  Yesterday was…curious.  I got up at 5am and drove to the station after about three hours of sleep in a sort of fugue state to catch the early train to London.  It was pretty well empty – hardly surprising when I clocked that the ticket I’d been sent had cost £240 – and no, I wasn’t in first class.  How bonkers is that?  My plane ticket for Greece cost way less than that.

I was going to Champneys, the smart spa in Tring, courtesy of Kellogg’s.  I love Kellogg’s – I seriously do.  Not just because they produce Special K (my total guilty pleasure) – yes, I know, it’s not exactly a cream donut but when you scoff the stuff in industrial qualities it probably ends up amounting to much the same thing. And certainly not because they produce Krave (my son’s total addiction) – hey, even the guys at Kellogg’s have the grace to look a bit abashed about that one. You ever tried it?  Basically chocolates masquerading as breakfast cereal.  

'And so?' says James.

'Whatever,' says I.

Interesting aside – they don’t put MSG in it but apparently Pringles (which are, let’s be honest, stupidly moreish, do contain the stuff – so there you go, that’s why you can’t ever eat just one). Food for thought, huh?  

Be very grateful this is blank...

But no, more than all that, by far, I love Kellogg's because they invite me to lovely pamper days.  The irony is not lost. I am so broke I can’t even afford to get my hair cut.  I can’t even afford to get my disaster of a bush sorted out so now I’m getting ingrown pubic hairs which are threatening to turn septic. Yeah, okay, so that was way too much information. Sorry.  But Kellogg’s, lovely lovely Kellogg’s, plonk me on a killer expensive train and then usher me into a kick-ass Mercedes taxi and then deposit me at this vast pile to be pampered for the day. 

And yeah, I know, you’re muttering into your beards that they hardly do it out of the goodness of their hearts; that they don’t sit there up in Manchester thinking, ‘Poor old Jane. She’s having a seriously crap time right now (and boy, those ingrown hairs are a bugger); let’s organise a pampering press day to cheer up the miserable old cow. How about it, guys?’  Nah.  

For sure, they hope that I’ll write good things about their stuff, that I’ll spread the word through social media and, in my small way, raise brand awareness.  But, as anyone who reads this blog knows; it could backfire horribly.  Let’s just briefly stop a moment and remember the dog food that (allegedly, according to Adrian) nearly killed the SP and ended up costing me an arm, a leg and a perfectly nice sofa. The PR, bless his cottons, had the grace to laugh but did say that it was one he ‘wouldn’t be showing to the client.’

But...whatever...I was very grateful for the invite. Cos not only did they cheer me up with champagne and lunch and steam rooms and massages (of which more anon), but they very thoughtfully arranged for two of my dearest old muckers to be there too.  Alice and Becky were two of the Disney 7, the mad crew with whom I went to Florida back in 2009. Lovely, lovely people. I’d seen Alice at a few odd occasions (hmm, mainly Kellogg’s dos, come to think of it) but I hadn’t seen Becky since we waved goodbye (still cackling) at Gatwick.  And so yesterday we spent a good couple of hours talking – in fact we talked so hard we clean forgot we were in the outdoor Jacuzzi and our whole bodies, not just our fingers, went all weird.  So we cackled a bit in the steam room and then we had smoothies in the café and really, it was lovely.  Cos she’s one of those people that I just feel easy with and, yes, even manage to talk a bit of truth with… (sorry, too many whoms were threatening to overwhom me). 

Anyhow. Somewhere in the middle of all this niceness the Kellogg’s bunch gave us their presentation which was, actually, rather good.  They were launching their first biscuit – aimed at people who are trying to lose weight but keep falling head first into the cookie tin and not emerging until they have munched their way through a whole packet of Hobnobs or whatever and then proceeded to hurl themselves into a broiling cauldron of self-loathing. I’m not big on biscuits so it’s not my particular ‘issue’ but hey… each to their own and this is a smart idea.  These things don’t come in chunking great packets – they come in little self-sealed jobbies that contain two sweet offerings – at 99 calories for the pair. Theory being, having consumed the whole packet, your psyche says ‘job done’ without having scarfed twice your daily calorific load. They’re also designed to be filling – and to taste good.  And yeah, you might think that goes without saying but, seriously, have you tried some of the stuff that's out there?

Okay, so let’s take a look. Biscuit Moments?  Uggghhh!!!!  REVOLTING name. How can you have a biscuit ‘moment’? But, as they pointed out, it’s a helluva lot better than Fibre Plus.  

Hate the packaging – it just screams ‘DIET!!!!!’ (though, come to think of it, that’s probably the point). They look weird – kind of like an anaemic Garibaldi with icing drizzled over.  Let’s take a taste.  Way too sweet for me – there’s a jam filling (strawberry or blueberry) that makes your teeth sing. But, fair play, they are seriously filling – and if you have a sweet tooth, they might be right up your street.  I tested them out on James who absolutely loved them (blithely ignoring the packaging or maybe not realizing it was shouting ‘diet food aimed staunchly at women’). 

His preference was for the blueberry and announced they were ‘just the ticket’ for a mid-cycle snack. In fact, I had to double-check that they really don’t have MSG tucked away in there cos, since writing this, he has eaten his way through three packets (ummm, there’s that theory of mine blown away).  He’s just looked over my shoulder as I was downloading this picture of them and started licking the screen.    

So, thirteen-year old boys love ‘em.  And I suspect a lot of people will. 

‘Couldn’t you do them with chocolate?’ I asked wistfully (and, the words unspoken, ‘And have another launch at another fabby spa?’).

Kellogg’s Sarah tapped her nose.  

‘How about coffee flavoured?’ I sighed hopefully.  Even though I don’t drink coffee (only decaf) I adore anything coffee-flavoured.

‘Oh, I wish,’ she said. ‘But apparently it’s too niche.’

‘Almond?’

‘Ditto.’

Oh come on!  Let’s sex up these damn biscuits!  Lobby Kellogg’s for funkier packaging and some seductive fillings for the blighters! Let’s make ‘em gorgeous – how about vivid pink or neon orange biscuit for  a bit of contrast to those dark chocolate or caramel coffee fillings? How about drizzling a clashing colour of icing over the top?  Make them totally square rather than that boring old brick shape. Put ‘em in silver or gold shiny pouches with DECADENT or TREAT or DROOL stamped on the outside. 

Sorry, just got a bit carried away there.  But really, why not make it all a bit more fun? 

Anyhow, back in the real world, Kellogg’s Special K do this website that aims to help anyone wanting to lose weight. I reviewed it before and still think it’s pretty good.  Check it out here.  Oh, and try (oh GOD that name!!) Biscuit Moments and tell me what you reckon. 

Biscuit Moments available from August 2012 - £1.99 for a pack of five sachets (each containing two biscuits).

Kazuo Ishiguro's walk-on role in my big fat weight-loss

No I don't...don't even eat it. Just like the slogan.

Right. Where were we?  Ah yes, how could I forget?  How I stopped killing myself slowly with food.  How I lost weight after battling with food most of my life. J  Once again, remember I’m just saying it like it is for me. I recognise that this whole weight issue is striking very deep chords for a helluva lot of people and I really welcome your comments.  Sharing insights and links is great – and who knows if the missing piece of the jigsaw for you might just be lurking in the comments. So do drop back and see how the debate shapes up.

See, the weight loss thing happened pretty much by the by for me, when I was looking elsewhere. I think that is possibly a key to it – and I’ll go into that a bit more later on.  When I look back, it was only when I was able to put food in a – for me – healthier place (as in something that simply sustained me, rather than something that controlled and obsessed me) that I was free to focus on other stuff.

Are you blinkered by food?

Anyway. Back on the forum, back on the Labyrinth thread (which, frustratingly, was deleted so I was never able to go back and pinpoint exactly what kicked it all off) this question of what one eats or doesn’t eat came up.  Marek mentioned, in passing really, possibly chatting to Tee (but maybe not) about how he became vegetarian and it just chimed. It's in his books too. It wasn’t actually anything new for me. I’ve been vegetarian on and off throughout my life and have always felt better when I don’t eat animal protein. When I think back, I only ever started eating meat and fish to fit in with other people.  I’m not going to preach about it because, like all of this, what you do is entirely your choice. And one thing I really really hate is when people get preachy. In fact I kinda wince at saying ‘I’m a vegetarian’. I really loathe the phrase ‘veggie’.  Why? Because it just seems that often it’s synonymous with smug and judgmental.

Why don’t I eat meat? Well, I guess the reasons go like this.

I am not happy about what gets pumped into a lot (not all) of livestock by way of antibiotics, hormones etc. 

I’m not comfortable with the environmental impact of large-scale lifestock farming/fishing.

Animal welfare issues bother me and,  if you’re gonna eat meat, I’d say do your homework and check that  the animals involved have been raised and slaughtered humanely. I know a whole bunch of farmers personally and they do a damn good job of looking after livestock – but not all do. Also check your facts are current - for example, people shun veal but 'pink' veal is no more barbaric than any other meat.

But I gotta come clean cos I’ve promised myself I will be honest here, as far as possible (and without letting the total truth get in the way of a good story of course!). 

I’m queasy about eating dead flesh.  

Live flesh on the other hand… ;)

Never personalise your supper.

But seriously, it just doesn’t feel good in my mouth or in my stomach. As I get older I also become more squeamish about living creatures being farmed for meat. Did you ever read the book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (there’s a film too but I haven’t seen that; the book was enough)?  It’s about children who are clones, kept for organ harvesting by their ‘originals’ when they become old or sick. It stayed with me that book, haunted me. I couldn’t get it out of my head. And the uneasy thought stayed with me that, effectively, we do the same with animals. Sentimental claptrap? Maybe. But it’s just how I feel.  It’s why, when I did eat meat, I felt a darn sight more comfortable with a haunch of wild venison or a brace of pheasants than with a plastic tray of anonymous flesh from the supermarket.  Yes, there are a whole bunch of other issues there and I’m not going into the whole hunting/shooting/fishing thing right now – I just find it funny that people who gripe about the cruelty of game will happily eat a factory farmed chicken burger.

SP for supper?Let's get really emotive!

Yes, I know, we evolved as omnivores. A highly effective evolutionary knack – to be able to eat most things. In the past we had no choice – we ate what we could to survive. And that still goes in some parts of the world.  Yet now, it seems to me, we have the luxury (in the West at any rate) of choosing what we eat – and we should make our choices with care and consideration.  Let’s not get into this issue of ‘I can’t afford to eat expensive vegetarian food’ here. I am cheap to feed.  I don’t eat processed vegetarian meals. I eat vegetables, fruit (not all kinds), nuts, seeds, pulses, grains. I have a slight tofu addiction.  Yes I have a weird *thing* about muesli. I do eat some cheese and eggs – but I wonder about dumping those too. About the only thing that stops me is that if there is one thing that can be more smug than a ‘veggie’, it’s a ‘vegan’. Apart from the Naked Vegans who make me laugh a lot. Please, nobody mention Morrissey.  Come to think of it, I think Morrissey was what stopped me going back to being vegetarian for years on end.  And Linda McCartney. And...okay, you get the point. Smug. 

There are all kinds of theories about who should eat what – looking at everything from your blood type (Blood Type Diet) to the ayurvedic tradition which holds that each bodymind type (there are three) should follow a different diet (it's interesting – I wrote a whole book on ayurveda back in the day and wanted to do one on its weight loss attributes called The 5,000 Year Old Diet but nobody was interested).

I don’t think you really need that kind of analysis though.  All you really need is to start listening to your body, learning how it reacts to different foods.  Ashen said yesterday that she shed two stone when she discovered she was intolerant of wheat.  Cait mentioned the high protein diet that she went on for a medical condition – she also dropped weight.  What fuel does your body want?  What does it need?  And that’s gonna be different for everyone, according to their body type, the demands they put on their body, how their body reacts to different kinds of food.  Meat and I, we just don’t really get on. It makes me feel sluggish.  It raises my heart-rate and drops my bowels into crawl mode. I packed up fish as well because I really can’t stand it when people say ‘I’m a vegetarian’ and, in the next breath, go ‘I’ll have the scampi.’ Vegetarian? There’s a clue in the name, right?  If you eat fish, then you’re not a vegetarian. Again, no problem – just let’s keep it clear eh?

What else? Well, wheat ain’t good for me either – it bloats me and, not to put too fine a point on it, gives me atrocious wind. Fructose isn’t brilliant either – it’s not common knowledge but not all fruit is created equal and some people just don’t handle some kinds of fruit well. 

Okay, so now I’m sounding like this paragon of pure eating. Feck no!  I’ll eat rubbish every so often. I’ll overdose on coffee cheesecake or have a bit of a sour pastilles binge.  But I don’t beat myself up about it.  I just shrug, feel a bit nauseous and go back to balance.

And so, that was one major change I made.  Can you be a fat vegetarian? Of course you can.  You have to make sure you balance your blood sugar so you’re not reaching for the sugary snacks all the time. One of the largest temptations when you can't eat half the stuff on offer is to load up on pudding afterwards out of sheer relief that you're not looking like the awkward squad. Conversely, can you lose weight on a diet that includes meat and fish? Of course you can.  

But, remember, I wasn’t going on a diet. I hadn’t really even intended to lose weight.  It just happened. What made it easy? I’ll tell ya… I will. I promise. but I think that’s enough for one day.  

Breakfast Nirvana

I wake before the sun rises and slowly become aware of my body. I stretch and give thanks for the new day ahead of me.  I drink a glass of room temperature water, wash my face, scrape my tongue and have a good crap. Next up I oil my entire body and then shower, all the time mindful of how I feel, how I think, how I breathe, how the water feels on my skin.  

Time for exercise, so I run through several rounds of the Salute to the Sun, as the sun itself starts to cast its cool golden rays on my stretching limbs.  From here, it’s natural to spend some time in pranayama, conscious breathing, and around twenty minutes of meditation.

Aaah.  Breakfast.  Fresh juice (thank you Oscar) and warm quinoa porridge with nuts, seeds and yoghurt.  We eat mindfully but peacefully as a family, all together at the breakfast table, fresh flowers scenting the room.  Then we walk, calmly, mindfully, down through town to drop James at the bus, smiling and waving at our neighbours, before taking the SP for a beautiful walk in nature.

Are your jaws on the floor yet?  Are you chewing at my jugular?  Relax. This is the moment where, were this a film, there would be a screeching noise and someone would yell “CUT!”.  Is that my morning routine?  Is it heck!  That is how the ayurvedic sages say I should start my day – and, oh my, how I wish I could. 

But the ayurvedic sages don’t have to juggle family and work, do they?  Complacent bastards.  Shall we take a look at what really happened this morning?

6am and Adrian’s revolting phone ring-tone drags me out of sleep.  Yes, it’s still dark but, as I become aware of my body, I realise it is tired, verging on exhausted. Am I feeling grateful? Nope, I’m feeling close to murderous.

‘Sleep well?’

I resist the urge to fling a punch and grit my teeth. ‘Not really.’ 

He looks puzzled.  ‘Did I snore?’

No, dear, but you did a good impersonation of a large pugnacious brewery throughout the night – thrashing around, holding surreal conversations with nobody in particular and exuding enough fumes to set fire to a small conurbation. But there’s no time to go into that as we have to run around like the Keystone Kops cooking breakfast, making industrial strength coffee, trying to make space on the breakfast table to put a plate, trying to find the lost scrum-cap, the mislaid compass, the god knows what else.  Meanwhile James has his laptop out and is typing and swearing.

‘You’re not on Facebook? For pity’s sake, not now?’ I say, glaring unayurvedically.

‘No, actually. I’m doing my homework, alright?’ He says, in a very snippy pitta-ish fashion.

What?  ‘But you were up until 10pm doing it last night!’  Me, flying off the handle vata-fashion.

‘I forgot this bit.’

Aaaghh. 

Even putting aside the fecking ayurvedic sages, I have this dream of a calm family breakfast, the kind you see on the adverts, the kind (come to think of it) we have when we go to stay with my MIL in Wales. The table is set, with a tablecloth and bowls and plates and things. There’s a toast rack and marmalade and jam.  Radio 4 is playing in the background and a cooked breakfast is sizzling in the pan (even though I don't eat it). Proper breakfast.

We talked about this, when I went up to London earlier this week for a presentation by Kellogg’s – about how so few children actually have any kind of breakfast at all, let alone with toast racks and table cloths. 

* One in seven children don’t eat breakfast and, by the time they get to secondary school, one in five don’t eat it.

* One in four girls say they skip breakfast because they’re dieting.

* Children in the UK spend £650 million buying food on the way to school and that food tends to be crisps, chocolate and, bleeugh, burgers – yup, if they’re eating breakfast, they’re eating junk food breakfast.  Great eh?

* Of those who don’t eat breakfast, a third won’t eat or drink anything until lunchtime.

Now, I’m not the best of example of sensible eating but I do know that children need fuelling if they are going to learn.  Kellogg’s had some research on this too (and yeah, yeah, I know they sell breakfast cereals for a living but the statistics behind this seem as firm as statistics ever can be)…

Children who skip breakfast are:

-          * More likely to be obese

-         *  Less likely to enjoy school

-         *  Less likely to perform well in work or play

-          * More likely to snack during the day

At the presentation we talked about breakfast clubs, something (I’ll be honest) I hadn’t really given much thought.  Because Adrian and I work from home, we’ve never needed to use one.  But it seems they do have benefits.  According to the Kellogg's research they:

•         Improve  attendance and punctuality

•         Improve concentration in class

•          Improve behaviour in class

•          Improve relationships between teachers and pupils

•          Improve educational attainment

•          Provide breakfast for those children that don’t get it at home

•          Provide essential and affordable childcare for working parents.

Since the cuts, many schools have been struggling to keep clubs going and Kellogg’s are fronting a campaign called Help Give a Child a Breakfast in which, for every box of Cornflakes you buy, they donate to a Breakfast Club Trust.  Schools can apply for grants (it’s a one-page application) - check out this page. 

Now I’ve always been a bit sniffy about Cornflakes and commercial breakfast cereals in general but it seems I may need to eat my words, or at least chew them a little.  But, hey, I’m not in the mood for eating humble pie right now so let’s talk about that another time, alright?

For now, let’s just say our breakfasts aren’t exactly calm and peaceful; they certainly aren’t remotely ayurvedic but at least James has a breakfast.  Do you make sure your children have a decent breakfast?  Do you know a school that could benefit from having a breakfast club? If so, maybe nudge them in the direction of the website – and urge them to set up a club.