Description

Muriel and I have never been ones to skip breakfast (nor any meal for that matter). Of course, there is an abundance of science that tells us breakfast may well be the most important meal of the day - setting the pattern for our day. In other words, whether we seek wellness or weight-loss, breakfast is important. In fact, just from a common sense standpoint, when we sit down for breakfast, we have been asleep and effectively "fasting" for at least 10 to 12 hours. How could we possibly expect to start the day effectively, if we continue to "starve" ourselves? Whether at home or on-the-go, there are a multitude of breakfast options; however, those that seem healthy are not always as they appear. Many commercially-prepared breakfast foods can be high in calories, sugars and contain all sorts of hidden ingredients and additives. Many of these foods leave us feeling worse than if we ate nothing, which is why so many of us just skip breakfast entirely. For Muriel and I, we keep it simple and easy to prepare with breakfasts that are generally a fruit smoothie with our whey protein powder or our new Ultimate Oatmeal. Muriel and I have always enjoyed oatmeal and oat bran in the morning, but it was not until Muriel's usually great cholesterol numbers were a bit higher than in past years that we discovered how perfectly CholestaCare works with oats. Oats have been long established as Mother Nature's #1 cholesterol-lowering food while also being an exceptionally versatile, satisfying, nutrient-rich ingredient. With that in mind, Muriel and I began combining oats with CholestaCare every morning for breakfast. We also started using our oats with CholestaCare to make granola, food bars and many recipes from turkey loaf to turkey meatballs. A few months later when Muriel had her levels retested, they were the best in her life and among the best numbers our doctor had ever seen. In fact, her HDL (good cholesterol) was now even higher than her LDL (her bad cholesterol) and her ratio of Total to HDL cholesterol was less than 2 to 1. Truly amazing numbers! What I realized is that as good as oats and CholestaCare are individually, the combination of these two natural ingredients created a cholesterollowering powerhouse. Since the cholesterol-lowering power of plant sterols (CholestaCare) was discovered, food manufacturers have been adding them to foods, but unfortunately, they generally add them to less than healthy, high calorie foods that we try to eat less of like margarine and mayonnaise. I never understood that. Why not combine the natural cholesterol-lowering benefits of plant sterols with other healthy foods to create even greater benefits or far lower cholesterol levels? Muriel's first impression of oatmeal was not good. She grew up in France and her grandma, Simone, was not a big fan of oatmeal, since, as a teenager, Simone went to England for a few months to learn English and live with an English family. She liked many things about England, but she always disliked their breakfast, especially their porridge! In France, their typical breakfast was a baguette, croissant or other bread or pastry with butter and jam along with cafe au lait or hot chocolate. Simone could not understand why people would eat this colorless, slimy, hot cereal every day. Muriel heard this story so often that she never ate oatmeal until she moved to Australia in her 20s. Her first bowl was with brown sugar and berries. It was love at first taste! It was so delicious and comforting that she had it every morning for months and even sometimes for lunch - given her tight budget. It is ironic that the porridge her grandma disliked is the oatmeal that Muriel came to love. For a few weeks now, Muriel and I have been eating a variety of oatmeal recipes several times per day and because it is so versatile, we still love it. We know you will too. Muriel and I experimented with different recipes and found that oats are so adaptable that they can be combined with a variety of ingredients, flavors and textures. This cookbook shares many of Muriel and my favorite oatmeal recipes, which will make it easier to eat healthy, not just for breakfast, but throughout the day. You will, of course, find a variety of delicious breakfasts, but also recipes that allow you to enjoy our healthy oats for snacks, lunch and dinner. Although we make the world's finest vitamin supplements, I have always said that our best health starts with the quality of what we put in our body. I developed Ultimate Oatmeal to share with you the very best of what Mother Nature offers for cholesterol reduction. Best of all, our oats are uniquely organic and gluten-free! If your goal is lower cholesterol, then simply starting each day with a delicious cup of our Ultimate Oatmeal will deliver better numbers and with those numbers, better heart health. It does so with complete peace of mind, since you achieve these healthier numbers without risk or side effect...just great benefits to enjoy. Bon Appétit! Andrew and Muriel