SuperFoods: Avocados

 image by eblaser

Today I'm having a large salad with avocados and veggies for lunch. I love avocados, and adore guacamole. here are some quick facts on this amazing fruit (that's right, it's a fruit and not a vegetable).

Avocados  are fabulous on salads, desserts, pureed. They contain some protein and starch, plenty of potassium, and vitamins A,B,C, and E. Those of you avoiding fats in fear that you will gain weight, please educate yourself on the different types of fat. Avocados have heart-protective mono-saturated fat which is easy to digest, and perfect for children. They also have high content of oleic acid, which makes them a powerful antioxidant.

Avocados are ideal food for anyone recovering from illness or surgery. Women who are planning conception or are having fertility problems benefit from the Vitamin E in avocados. The vitamin B6  relieves PMS pains; women suffering from endometrioisis or heavy periods should consume avocados regularly ten days before their next period.

Produce Exchange

I got a great tip today from Vital Juice.

A relatively new site Veggie Trader lets you turn in your abundant produce, let's say you have too much mint growing – like my bf does, for someone else's produce. It is like a food swap. You can swap your locally grown produce for your neighbor's, that way you don't end up eating the same thing every night.

Don't see anything you like? No problem. You can trade in for cold hard cash. Don't have a garden? No worries. Browse local produce by entering your zip code. It's that easy. Don't take my word for it, check it out yourself.

Also, make sure you visit  Vital Juice for more  great tips on living healthy and happy.

Kom-bu-cha

Sound familiar?

If you haven't already caught on to the new trend wave of Kombucha, what are you waiting for? This isn't another fad diet trend, this is an ancient folklore concoction with tons of benefits.

Kombucha originated around 220 B.C. – this recipe is older than Jesus.

Basically, Kombucha it is cultured beneficial yeast and bacteria floating atop of tea and sugar. Now before you get all weirded out, remember that Beer is made of yeast too; unlike beer, Kombucha doesn't cloud your judgment and give you a beer belly.

The fermented mixture is high in B-vitamins as well as an assortment of pro-biotics – essential for raw foodists and vegans.

The benefits of Kombucha include the detoxifying the liver and gall bladder, aiding the digestive system, increasing the metabolism, cleansing the blood, raising energy levels and focus, and enhancing the immune system.


Cheers!

Healthy Bites

Even with the economy down the hole, like most people, I refuse to let go of my weekly dinners out with my boyfriend.

I love how I don't have to worry about grocery shopping, preparing, and then cleaning up afterwards. I like the feeling of being pampered and attended to by the servers. I love that I can actually have time to enjoy my company. What I don't love is how annoying and time consuming it is to find a healthy restaurant with vegetarian, or raw, meals.

It's not that bad in the city, since I'm very familiar with the area and it's healthy choices. But what about if I have to travel somewhere? Where would I find a vegetarian restaurant in the middle of nowhere? Lucky me, I found Good Food Near You. This nifty site tracks you down (when you provide the zipcode of your location) then tracks down the most nutritious "good food near you". You can even customize your selections by lowest calories, lowest fat, distance, and more. Each pick comes a recommended menu dish along with its nutritional facts. The database boasts nutrition information for more than 220,000 U.S. restaurant locations.

Check out Good Food Near You for yourself. And next time you find yourself in an unknown territory, you won't have any excuses not to eat healthy.

First Day of Fall

Happy First Day of Fall!!! And what a wonderful day it is: the sun is shining, it's warm and pleasant, and the air smells of season changing.

Fall is  the best time for farmer's market produce. Organic and local fruits and vegetables are at their ripest, full of essential nutrients to feed our body and prepare it for the cold winter. Local foods are by far the freshest than at any supermarket you can find. So, instead of hibernating like most of us do as soon as a cool breeze rolls in, plan on taking advantage of your local farmer's market and prepare delicious dinners from best quality ingredients. This is the time to experiment and try food you were hesitant about before.

To find a local farmer's market near you, check out Local Harvest for locations as well as upcoming events, news, and nutrition facts. Support your local farms and your health.

image by DGMiller777