Breaking the Fast

Also known as breakfast. What a clever name huh?

Eggs, seasoned with some salt, pepper, sweet basil, on wheat toast with a touch of ketchup for class. Oh and let's not forget our one a day vitamin "insurance" pill.

I scarfed it down because... well my body had been fasting for 15+ hours and I was hungry.

I'm a messy eater. No wonder my mom never took us out to eat when I was a youngin'. Yeah it looks nasty. Looks like a bird doo doo-ed on my shirt. No worries. It's an old shirt from when I used to work at the Bean.

Because I have to study for my nutrition final next week, let's break down my breakfast. Maybe I'll end up teaching you something about nutrition you never knew!

Let's start with the egg. Packed full of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and of course fat and cholesterol. The yolk contains the majority of the proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It also contains most of the fat and cholesterol. Some people will only eat egg whites. I eat the whole thing. Egg whites contain trace amounts of vitamins and minerals. I'll take the whole nutritional package and work off the fat later.

Interesting fact: raw egg whites can be harmful to the body. It contains a protein called avidin. Avidin binds to biotin, aka vitamin B7. It forms one of the strongest non-covalent bonds. So basically, when you eat raw egg whites, like Rocky, the egg whites are robbing your body of the B7s it needs. B7 plays a variety of roles in metabolism, including the Kreb's cycle (aerobic respiration) and metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids. It also helps your body maintain a steady blood-sugar level.

B7 deficiency is pretty rare since the body doesn't require a large daily dose of it. B7 can be found in many foods and the bacteria in your GI tract actually makes it. However, the symptoms are pretty gross. They include, brittle hair, hair loss (alopecia), cracked lips, dry skin, rashes and fungal infections.

Next up: our friend sodium chloride... aka salt. High levels of salt can cause an increase in blood pressure (water follows electrolytes, so if you have a lot of salt in your blood, it draws more water into circulation, increasing blood pressure.) But, inadequate intake of salt in a person who drinks too much water can cause water toxicity. Yes, you can get poisoned by water. You body needs to have balance. Also, sodium is one of the four main electrolytes in the body. I can go into it, but I'll end up ranting on and on and boring everyone about the role of sodium in action potential conduction, muscle contractions, kidney function, etc etc. I could write a whole research paper on our buddy Na+.

Interestingly, pepper comes from the fruit of the piper nigrum. When the fruit is dried, it is known as peppercorn. Way back in the day, the peppercorn was used for medicinal purposes including heart disease, lung diseases, insomnia, dental problems, and a bunch more. People who have just had abdominal surgery are advised to avoid pepper because it could irritate the GI tract.

Sweet basil is usually found in Italian cooking. I toss it on whatever I think will go well with it to make sure I get some of its health benefits. So far I haven't made any bad food combo choices. The oils in basil are anti-oxidant. They help the body fight against aging, cancer, and viral infections. Interestingly, there was a study that oils found in some herbs contain estragole. Estragole was shown to be carcinogenic and cause birth defects in rodents. Whether or not it has the same effects in humans is unknown. If Splenda doesn't cause cancer, I'm sure a sprinkle of basil isn't going to hurt anyone.

One-a-day vitamin pill. Thanks to Heber, I call it my insurance pill. I take one just in case I don't get the daily recommended intake of nutrients. It's a good way to make sure your body gets what it needs. I'm still working on the large bottle I bought and I see it as a cheap investment for my health. When I'm 70 years old, I still want to be able to use my legs and go surfing. Nothing is more hilarious than seeing a grandma whoop her grand kid's ass at sports. I should start taking better care of my body.