SmarterFitter

I've been so tired these past couple of days. Downright pooped. I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with my recent intake of caffeine. After my month or so of going caffeine-free, I've let the stuff slowly creep back into my life again. This isn't all bad - I do love a good cup of tea. But I am also feeling sluggish and I know my sleep hasn't been as good as it's been. Part of this may also relate to my recent nighttime reading: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. If you've read it, then you know how harrowing it is. Not exactly good happy thoughts to go to sleep on.

So in my Saturday lethargy, I was very happy when our friend Rory invited us over for breakfast. Herein lies the problem with being an early riser - I'm ready for lunch when everyone else is ready for breakfast. Rory was making scrambled eggs, but I was just getting ready for a big veggie lunch. Not wanting to miss out on good company (and good bread, coffee and carrot juice), I took along some greens and an avocado and had some awesome toast slathered with loads of avocado. Now here comes the tip...

Food tip #7: Avocado on toast is one of life's simple pleasures.

This is one of my quick go-to lunches when I'm craving something fresh and simple. There's nothing like rich, creamy avocado smeared on a nice bit of whole grain bread, sprinkled lightly with salt and pepper. It's extremely satisfying, and healthy too. Check out some of these amazingly great things about avocado:

• Avocado, like olive oil, is high in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that may help to lower cholesterol.


• Avocados have more of the carotenoid lutein than any other commonly consumed fruit. (Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts.)


• Avocados are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure.


• One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate.


• Avocados are rich in beta-sitosterol, a natural substance shown to significantly lower blood cholesterol levels.

Of course, you also can treat avocado on toast as a base for a delicious sandwich. This is especially good if you're looking for alternatives to butter or mayo. Here are a few things I like with avocado on toast:

• Scrambled tofu


• Scrambled or poached eggs


• Tomato, salt and pepper


• Tempeh reuben sandwich


• Veggie burger


• Tempeh sloppy joe


• Tomato, cucumber and sprouts

Saturday Food Diary

• Lemon and honey tea.


• Yoga


• Breakfast: Bircher muesli with rooibos tea.


• Cycle. ~2 miles to Rory's


• Lunch: Good food and drink @ Rory's. Coffee, carrot juice, toast, veggies, avocado. Happy.


• Cycle. ~2 miles home from Rory's


• Snack: Leftover tagine. Mind the blurry photo!


• Dinner: Home-cooked Indian extravaganza. Leftover cumin-spiked tofu, grilled peppers and onion, dal, basmati rice, savoy cabbage thoran. And a grapefruit!