10 Superfoods for Your Autumn Grocery List

3 out of the 10 superfoods in this photo

Often, when we think of
“superfoods” we think of special little bags of exotic seeds or
berries, always priced over $20-something for a few ounces. Because we are
conditioned in our Western culture to look at nutrition in separate
pieces, instead of the whole picture, many of us would typically purchase a
little bag of super food exotic something, sprinkle it over whatever, add
sugar, and voila- kind of like taking a pill for the indigestion caused by
the dinner we just ate.

“A lot of people have unrealistic expectations about these (super)
foods, thinking they’ll be protected from chronic diseases and health
problems,” Kris-Etherton
told Heart.org
. “They may eat one or two of these nutrient-dense
foods on top of a poor diet.” In order to avoid falling into this pattern,
you need to look past the super marketing and cool packaging of the
superfoods trend, and learn how to incorporate seasonal, everyday super foods
into your everyday lifestyle.

10 Superfoods for
Your Autumn Grocery List

The fact is, many of the most common fruits and vegetables
that we all grew up eating can be Read More


Edible Flowers You Can Find In Your Garden

edible flowers

When we think about foods for
Spring, we often just think about the root, leaf, or stalk of the food. But
there’s a lot of nutritional and medicinal value being overlooked in many
varieties of edible flowers. Some flowers can be eaten, others can be mixed
in with the herb they are attached to, and then there are others that work
better as a tea or tonic.

This expands the argument for organic gardening. When you raise
your garden using GMO free, heritage, or heirloom seeds, and free from
chemical pesticides, you open up a whole new benefit from your typical flower
garden. Not only can you enjoy looking at your garden, but you can enjoy
eating and getting some nutrition form your flowers as well. Here is a list
of some edible flowers that you may not be aware are perfectly safe to eat,
along with some of their nutritional qualities.

Nutritious Edible
Flowers Sitting Right Under Your Nose

Nasturtium

Where I live in Southern California, nasturtiums grow wild and
sometimes occupy entire hillsides. Although foraging for wild edible flowers
can seem exciting, it’s best to only forage from private yards or remote
areas where you know for sure the flowers haven’t been contaminated by
pesticides, car Read More


5 Delicious, Bioavailable Uses for Turmeric

bioavailable-uses-for-turmeric

Turmeric is one of the latest
whole food “wonder-ingredients” trending in the media. You have
probably read or heard about medicinal and therapeutic uses for turmeric. If
you do a little research you will find a plethora of articles and videos
touting turmeric’s health benefits. According to this blog
article
written by Dr. Josh Axe, turmeric can provide many health
benefits, and based on research, might even outperform some common medical
procedures and medications.

You can do some easy research to decide if turmeric  is
something you would like to add to your personal wellness protocol.
If you do, you will need to figure out how to get it into your
daily, or at least weekly routine. The easiest way would be to find a high
quality turmeric supplement. But incorporating dried turmeric root and even
fresh turmeric root into your diet can be not only easy but a fun culinary
adventure. I put together 5 delicious and practical culinary uses for
turmeric that you can start incorporating into your healthy
lifestyle.

Before you start using turmeric in your kitchen, there is a
caveat. You want to make sure you take Read More


Vegan Protein Sources To Eat By

vegan-protein-sources

Vegan diets are becoming more and more popular lately. People are learning, understanding, and choosing to
eat less animal based foods, both for the health of their bodies, and the
planet. But there are common questions and concerns that a vegan diet may not
provide enough complete protein. Those who work out regularly may be
concerned about getting enough vegan protein sources to keep up with the muscle building
and recovery that comes with rigorous exercise. And, many of us are just
stuck in the mindset that we must consume meat and dairy in order to get
enough protein. The fact is that animal products aren’t the only source of quality protein. Read More


Nutrition Trends to Watch For in 2018

My email inbox is constantly
exploding with nutrition information. Some of it is more focused on product
marketing, while other emails are from doctors, researchers, and experts
devoted to advancing the cause of clinical nutrition, holistic health, and
other preventative forms of wellness. There are usually some common
denominators in this information that allows us to connect the dots and those
connections usually show up as new emerging nutrition trends.

Here are some of the top nutrition trends I see taking front stage
this year:

5
Nutrition Trends Coming This Year in
2018

Read More


Gluten Free Pasta Alternatives to Try Today!

gluten-free-pasta

Guess what? Not all gluten free
pasta is created equal. And, just because something says, “gluten
free” does not mean it’s necessarily any good for you. Pasta can be made
from a variety of foods free of gluten: beans, grains, vegetables, and more,
and each one offers something unique in providing your DV of needed
nutrients. In fact, the most popular go-to gluten free pasta made of quinoa
and-or brown rice is just a fraction more nutritious than the traditional
pastas made with semolina or wheat flour.

What happens with most gluten free diets is that people run to the
first substitute they can find that looks and tastes as close to the real
gluten filled product as possible. Take gluten free bread for example. How
many gluten free breads are really that great tasting? Not many, from my
experience. But, when you forget about the old product altogether, and give
yourself a chance to explore an entirely new context of enjoying pasta and
other gluten free alternatives, that is when a whole new world of superior
nutrition and great flavor comes to life. So, here are some of my favorite
pastas Read More


High Alkaline Foods For Everyday Diets

high-alkaline-foods-for-everyday-diets

Alkalizing has become a well
known word in the nutrition world. If you do a little research, you will
soon discover that there are many different versions of theories as to why a
person might want to add more high alkaline foods to their diet. So what’s
the deal with alkalizing? Is it just another fad, or is there some good
science behind it?

If you want the simplified answer, here it is: Yes the
general consensus is that putting more high alkaline foods into your diet is
a good idea, if for no other reason than the fact that most high alkaline
foods are very nutritious and efficient for your body to digest and to use,
and generally free from any controversy of being allergenic, hard to digest,
or cause for any major health concerns.

But there is more to alkalizing than that. Having balanced
pH, a pH reading of 7.365, is essential Read More


A Superfoods List for Your February Grocery Shopping

superfoods-list

I love following seasonal foods.
And, I try to fit a seasonal food article into the mix before each season
passes. Being it February, there are plenty of nutritionally wealthy fresh
foods that you can add to your February superfoods list the next time you
head to the store.

The key to incorporating a good balance of superfoods into your
diet is not to go crazy buying tons of trendy seeds and exotic juices with
flashy packaging, but to learn how to tap into natures own virtual
nutrition “power plant.” Yes, that is a pun, to make the point that
there are dozens of nutritionally awesome plant based foods out there that
you might already be eating every day, or that are sitting right under your
nose at the market.

A Superfoods List of Some Easy To Find Winter
Foods

The word “superfood” is actually a marketing word, and
not really scientific at all when it comes to nutrition, as explained in this
Wikipedia
link
. So why do I use the word? For one thing, to get you to read
this article. Ha! See I am even on the wagon. But seriously, I understand
what you are really looking for when you pay attention to the word
“superfood.” So, my goal is to teach you how to actually get all
those outstanding nutrients, instead of being taken for a ride by some food
manufacturer. The key is to shift your thinking from “I need a
specific product because it’s a superfood”
to
“I get plenty of super foods in my natural, delicious,
seasonal diet every day.”

The fact is, many of the most common fruits and vegetables
that we all grew up eating can be  Read More


6 Must-Do Weekend Tasks to Eat Healthy All Week

Meal Planning Healthy Eating

Do you ever get home from work on a busy weekday, at 8:00 or even 9:00, and realize you haven’t planned
anything for dinner? I know that feeling, the “I don’t feel like making
dinner, let’s order pizza” feeling that we all experience from time to
time.  Let’s focus on some meal planning that involves healthy
eating.

You can do some basic things every weekend to insure this doesn’t
happen to you. Use some time on Saturday or Sunday to shop, prep, cook, and
enjoy a great sit-down dinner together with your friends or family — all the
while getting your fridge ready for the week. When you wake up Monday
morning, you will feel better about the week to come, and you will really
thank yourself when it comes time for dinner.

1) Plan the Exact Number of Meals Needed
You may not need to plan every meal. Some meals will come easily to you, some meals you may eat out, and some meals may be already prepared for you. So, it’s more efficient to only focus on meals that you usually struggle to get right, and put your time and effort into those. Figure out how many meals you will prepare at home, and then
plan them out. Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated. Just thumb through
some favorite recipes, create a shopping list, and prepare ahead what you
can. Meal planning gives you an opportunity to control exactly what kind of
nutrition you will be getting in your meals, since you get to decide ahead of
time. Many recipes on line now have nutritional data, and even shopping
lists. Read More