Cynthia Stadd is here to answer your questions about the world's best breakfast food, as well as how to recover from the post-Thanksgiving food blues.

We know you're a huge fan of oatmeal for these increasingly blustery mornings. What's the difference between old-fashioned Quaker oats, steel cut oats (the Irish kind?) and microwavable instant oatmeal? Any nutritional difference? What are some various healthy add-ins for morning oatmeal?

Yes, there is nothing better than some gooooood creamy oatmeal on a cold morning.  And yes, there are many varieties. Here are the basics about oatmeal:

Steel Cut, Irish Oats, or Oat Groats:

This is oatmeal in it’s most unprocessed form. It is rougher and grittier, takes longer to cook and is definitely the most nutritious as it retains most of its fiber and minerals before processing. Try it if you never have before! It cooks up with a great nutty flavor and is very filling, so you probably need less than other types of oatmeal. If you get the real oat groats, try soaking them overnight and then they will cook faster in the morning. Another great option is to get Bob’s Red Mill brand—my favorite and found in all major health food stores. The Steel Cut Oats cook in 12 minutes on the stovetop, no soaking required.  For extra creaminess, try adding a touch of almond milk at the end of cooking.

Rolled or Instant Oats:

Basic Quaker oats, oats you get out of the bulk bin, or instant. These oats are a bit more processed from the original oat groat, so they cook faster. They are still nutritious, but not quite as power packed as the original groat.   On rushed mornings, the good news is that you can easily pour some boiling water right over the instant brands and voila...breakfast.

To make even more tasty, try some of these ideas in your oatmeal (or any hot grain cereal):

Cinnamon and/or nutmeg
Dark Agave nectar
Sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, almond slivers or walnuts
A few chopped dates or prunes
Fresh apple bits
Tbsp. of granola for crunch
Tbsp. of almond butter mixed right in

Holiday party season is upon us. After your 20 percent splurge meals, do you notice a difference in the way you feel physically? Do you ever feel physically (or emotionally) poor based on food and drink decisions? What's the best way to bounce back and feel physically well again?

Well, let me recap for you my evening a few nights ago. It involved a very decadent dinner at the restaurant Pure Food and Wine in New York City. Don’t be fooled by this being a raw restaurant. Although healthy, the dishes are incredibly rich with nuts and creamy sauces and I got so excited looking at the menu, I found myself eating 2 appetizers, my dinner, my date’s dinner and two desserts. To say I was bloated would be a gross understatement. My date just kept asking me how I can pack so much in! (Slightly embarrassing as this was a first date, and he wasn’t kidding.) Then let’s top that off with a carafe of smooth as silk sake that went down so easily I forgot I was getting drunk. So now I am stumbling out of this nice restaurant holding on to his arm for dear life, pants not fully zipped up and trying very hard to hold in the gas! It was a scene, and yes, I paid for it the next day.

Now I know sometimes people are a bit surprised to hear that I don’t eat so stellar all the time, but I don’t because I walk my talk. I don’t suggest 100 percent perfection with diet—ever. It is what you do MOST of the time that counts. Living in the moment is just as important as trying to be on food patrol.  And if I didn’t overeat sometimes I wouldn’t have any good stories for clients!

So that night, and the next day, I felt really out of sorts both physically and mentally. To help myself get back on track as fast as possible, I ate mostly vegetables the next day, drank a 16 oz. green juice with lemon and ginger to break up the excess mucus from all the food, and drank green tea. In general, you can never go wrong with a “day after” of a mono-diet with only fruit and raw or steamed veggies throughout the day. It is probably the quickest way to alkalize your system and help clear out the toxins from whatever you did the night before.