For women over 40, heart health is important.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in North America, but there is a misconception that this is a male problem.
As we pass through peri-menopause we experience a down grade in the amount of estrogen in the body. This is important because for all of our lives the hormone estrogen has been protective to our heart. We have an opportunity here to take heart protective foods seriously and upgrade the love we show our heart through the food we eat.
To keep your cardiovascular system healthy you need a diet rich in fibre, healthy fats and antioxidants and this breakfast bowl deliciously provides us with everything we need. If you want to read more about why breakfast is the most important meal of the day for the peri-menopausal midlife woman, click here to download my FREE Breakfast Essentials booklet.
Fibres can support us in lowering our cholesterol level, healthy fats help us to maintain a healthy lipid profile with high levels of healthy High density lipoproteins and low levels of the dangerous low density lipoproteins. Anti-oxidants scour our bloodstream for free radicals and help to prevent and repair damage to our cell walls that result in plaques being formed as the body pairs itself.
You can make this bowl with oats or buckwheat, but buckwheat is rich in the plant lignan, rutin, which supports the strength and elasticity in the walls of our veins and arteries. If you have varicose veins, then this food should be in your rotation.
I added the queen of fibres for the midlife women, ground flax, another fibre that is rich in lignan’s.
The lignans, which are a type of phytoestrogen in flaxseed, can change estrogen metabolism. In postmenopausal women, lignans can cause the body to produce less active forms of estrogen to balance hormones and protect against breast cancer. Ground flax is also rich in omega 3 fatty acids and should be stored in the refrigerator.
By adding raw cacao for a chocolaty rich flavour we are adding more antioxidants to our breakfast bowl coupled with a dose of Magnesium, our relaxation mineral that helps to reduce blood pressure. Magnesium is important in heart health as when we are deficient in this mineral in relation to calcium we are more at risk of calcium precipitating out of our bloodstream to form calcified plaques when there is damage to the cell wall of our veins and arteries. In this way a daily green smoothie is heart healthy also! I love a pinch of sea salt and a tablespoon of maple syrup every time to bring out the chocolate flavour.
I tablespoon of coconut oil gives a richness to this dish supports balanced blood sugar levels and helps to fire up our metabolism in the morning. Lady, coconut oil is going to give you the energy you need to get through your morning and supports your very best brain health.
Once we have the basics of our bowl, we can just play!
I added pumpkins seeds and walnuts as they are rich in vitamin E. Vitamin E impacts the cell wall of our red blood cells causing them to stay smooth and slippy so that blood slides more easily around our tubes. I also love Brazil nuts in this bowl as they are selenium rich, so supportive of my thyroid gland and again support my metabolism in the morning; the antidote to midlife weight gain!
Lastly, top your bowl with antioxidant rich berries and cherries. Packed with fibre, natural sugar and that beautiful dark red and purple colour that indicates that they are heart supportive and rich in antioxidants2
Berries are also loading the bowl with vitamin C
If you need a head start in the morning you can soak your grains overnight or better yet get all of the ingredients assembled and ready to go with your berries defrosted if they are out of season and everything to hand. Lady, food prep, even if it is just assembling what you will need the night before, is some of the best love you can show your heart!
Enjoy this chocolaty goodness!
1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24013641
2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26501271
Ingredients
1/4 cup Buckwheat porridge or grits
1 cup water brought to the boil in a small pan
1 tbsp ground flax
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp raw cacao
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 pinch sea salt
1/2 cup of mixed raw nuts and seeds of your choice. Walnuts, Brazil Nuts Pumpkins Seeds, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pistachios
1 cup fresh or frozen berries and cherries.
Instructions
Add the buckwheat to the boiling water in a small pan and cook for 5-6 minutes
Remove from the heat and put into a bowl
Stir in the coconut oil, cacao, maple syrup and sea salt
Add the ground flax, nuts and seeds and berries
Enjoy!