WHAT IS THE ONLY GRAIN NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA?

Did you know that wild rice is actually the only grain native to North America? And guess what! It is actually a grass. Here is a bit of info on wild rice. Originally, unculivated wild rice grew in the wetlands and was hand-harvested by canoe in the Great Lakes regions of the United States and Canada. There are certain places where it still grows unculivated. But it is now cultivated in Oregon and California. The cultivated isn't quite as good as the wild but it still quite tasty.

It takes longer to cook wild rice than it does other types as the wild rice contains the bran, endosperm, and germ. Even after cooking it remains chewy and has a nutty taste. To cook wild rice, cook for 45 minutes to an hour in lots of boiling water. One cup raw makes about 3 1/2 cups when cooked. Wild rice tastes best when combined with brown rice and I like mushrooms in mine.

Why not make wild rice one of the grains you add to your diet (if you aren't already doing so)?

WHY IS BREAKFAST IMPORTANT?

For many people the temptation is to hurry out the door in the morning and to skip breakfast in the process. This is one of the worst ways to start your day. You don't have to eat an elaborate breakfast but you do need to eat a healthy one. If you want to lose weight, keep your blood sugar under control, or just feel better throughout the day you need to eat breakfast.  Here is one of the main reasons why eating a healthy breakfast is important to your day and to your health. You need a good breakfast to get your metabolism going after a night's sleep. As Denice Furko-Adams, MPH, R.D., LDN, coordinator of the MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education at Villanova University in Villanova, PA so simply stated, "Skipping breakfast is like a car running on empty. You need a high-quality breakfast to fuel up."