4 Superfoods You Should Definitely Be Eating

When you hear the word superfoods, your mind probably goes right to kale and blueberries, right? Well it’s time for some other “new” superfoods to make it to your Instagram feed. I recently shared four of my faves with Rachael Ray, and you may want to add them to your repertoire of nutritional superheros in place of your old worn out go-tos. Because let’s face it, you can never have enough superfoods on your plate! 4 Superfoods You Should Definitely Be Eating Matcha: Use this bright green powder to replace your morning coffee. Matcha is made from whole tea leaves that are ground into powder form. Since you’re consuming the whole tea leaf (versus steeping and dumping a tea bag) matcha provides you with a super dose of antioxidants  – 10 times the amount of traditional green tea. The high levels of both ECGC (a type of catechin) and polyphenols will provide you with anti inflammatory benefits, may improve your blood pressure and play a role in cardiovascular health. Matcha contains caffeine as well the amino acid known as l-theanine. This combination will help to improve your mental alertness and help you focus without the 3:00 p.m. crash you usually get from downing your daily dose of java. Add this powder to warm almond milk to replace your morning latte, blend with Greek yogurt, add to smoothies or even sprinkle on popcorn. Ghee: Use this to replace traditional butter. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that you’re definitely going to want to add to your grocery list. This creamy spread has more short and medium chain fatty acids than traditional butter. What does this mean for your bod? The calories from these fats are burned faster so the energy the ghee provides is more quickly utilized. These healthy fats also benefit your gastrointestinal health and ghee also has more vitamin A, D, and E than the traditional stuff, meaning it can help repair damaged skin, improve your vision, and even help balance your hormones. Use ghee anywhere you would typically use butter. Swipe a teaspoon on a slice of Ezekial toast in the morning, or drizzle a tablespoon over veggies before roasting. The higher smoke point makes it safe to cook at high temps, too. Black Rice: Toss the white stuff, and go for this instead. Slightly lower in calories and higher in protein, white rice pales in nutritional value (and color) compared to its darker rice counterpart. It’s packed with antioxidants called anthocyanins (this is what gives it the dark color) that have been shown to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and can improve cognitive function and mental decline. Use black rice to replace white or brown rice. Top a cup of black rice with beans, diced tomatoes, roasted corn, avocado, and grilled peppers to make a super fast and nutrient-packed burrito bowl. Chickpea Flour: This flour could be the new whole wheat. Made of nothing more than simply ground chickpeas, this flour is versatile, wheat free, gluten-free, high in protein, and a wallet friendly option compared to other gluten free flours (I’m looking at you, almond flour). So you can try chickpea flour if gluten makes your stomach turn, or even simply to keep you fuller longer after meals, thanks to its high protein content. Commonly known as ‘socca,’ this chickpea flour crepe recipe is simple, healthy and delicious and the perfect vehicle to be topped with veggies and enjoyed (or try it sweet by adding a little vanilla and cinnamon to your batter).

No Fail Ways to Become a Green Juice Pro

So many people assume green juice is not for them. They claim they don’t like vegetables. They fear it won’t be yummy. The color is off-putting. Sipping something you normally use a fork for is just…weird. And die hard green juicers seem nutritionally elite, right? Willing to compromise their taste buds in the name of super fuel, they’re like the Ironmen of healthy eating, and casual joggers feel, well, inadequate. But here’s the real deal. You don’t need to be an Ironman. You can simply have a cute pair of running shoes in your closet that you break out for a slow walk on a sunny day, and the nutrition community will love you all the same.   So yes, while there is definitely a continuum of green—from beginner to advanced—there is a place for you on the spectrum. No Fail Ways to Become a Green Juice Pro 1. You do need a juicer to make a green juice, but you do not need to buy the fanciest one out there. A blender can work for some recipes, but cannot separate the pulp from the juice, making it thick and less juicy and technically a smoothie. 2. Even if you don’t care for cooked broccoli, kale, collards or cucumbers, for example, you may like them in a raw juice—many times the flavors are more mild raw and combined with other ingredients. 3. Choose produce that is fresh and healthy in appearance. 4. Try to juice immediately prior to drinking. Once the juice is made, it starts losing its nutritional powers. Green juices are sensitive to time (how long from when they are made until consumed), temperature (heat can diminish some of the vitamin potency) and storage (air and clear glass containers can also make the juice less potent). 5. You can find commercially prepared juices in stores nationwide. But beware: to preserve their integrity on the shelf, there is often added sugar, usually in the form of juice, so choose selectively. The key here is to find a bottle with greens in it—not a green bottle with sugar in it. 6. A juice can be a great break from salad boredom but shouldn’t replace chewing your veggies. Try one in place of a snack with a handful of nuts. Or, if you’re not much of a breakfast person, a green juice and an ounce of cheese can be a great start to the day. 3 Green Juice Recipes Beginner Green Juice ½  head of romaine lettuce ½ cucumber 6 spinach leaves 1 green apple Clean all produce well. Toss in the juicer in order and drink immediately. Intermediate Green Juice (while the ingredients may seem intimidating, the flavor is mild) 2 celery stalks 1 cup kale or spinach ½ cucumber 1 cup wheat grass ½ lemon, peeled Clean all produce well. Toss in the juicer in order and drink immediately. Advanced Green Juice ½ cup broccoli 3 celery stalks 1 handful fresh parsley 1 handful fresh spinach ½ cucumber ½ inch fresh peeled ginger 1 teaspoon spirulina 1 lemon, peeled Clean all produce well. Toss in the juicer in order and drink immediately.

Edible Sunscreen You Need to Know About

I have one of those love hate relationships with the sun: love being outdoors for play and exercise and adore a tanned hue but hate those damn fine (and sometimes not so fine) lines and knowing what much bigger damage I may be doing by soaking up my vitamin D. If you’ve been looking forward to some time in the sun like me, you’re going to need more than a double digit SPF to protect your glow. You need food. Yes, your favorite sport, eating, can come in handy to protect and repair your skin, and yes, it is basically edible sunscreen. Phytonutrients and micronutrients, found in some of your favorite, delicious, colorful, satisfying foods, support the work of your Coppertone by protecting your skin cells from UV damage and repairing fragile cells with nutrients. Research reveals that certain plant chemicals serve and protect your skin from damage and cancer similar to how omega-3’s protect your heart from disease. But it’s all about quality here, friends. Sorry, cheese fries don’t offer the nutrition your body needs — you can toss ‘em out with those old school sun reflectors that get the thumbs down too. The complicated words I’m about to tell you about are nutrients that chemically protect delicate skin cells from torching UV rays by strengthening them and making them harder to damage. You can think of these nutrients as a little army defending the destruction of the temple of your healthy skin cells. They also act like the Red Cross and speed recovery to damaged cells when you were expecting rain and the day was bright and sunny. One of the best things about living a truly Nutritious Life is all the cumulative benefits. Huh? Stick with me here.  When you eat healthy, exercise, manage stress etc. consistently (notice I didn’t say perfectly or always!) you reap all sorts of benefits. When eating healthy is your norm, that conscious indulgence of a S’more at the fire pit won’t set you back.  Your strength doesn’t disappear because you miss you a few kettle bell workouts.  And, guess what all those antioxidants that you’ve been eating, protect you from… You guessed it… the sun! 4 of the best edible sunscreens to protect your skin: Chow down on these edible sunscreen eats under your umbrella, slathered in SPF, and you’ll be finer than any fine line. The ingredients for these recipes for fabulous skin and sun protection may already be in your home. Pack them up alongside that trashy novel you’re bringing to the beach. Your skin will be grateful. 1. Foods with carotenoids Carrot Kale Salad Carotenoids are pigments found in orange and dark green foods like kale and carrots. They protect the skin from sun damage by decreasing sensitivity to UV light and are best absorbed with fat, so don’t even consider ditching the olive oil in this recipe. 2. Foods with sulforaphane Sauteed Shiitake, Ginger and Watercress A compound found in cruciferous vegetables and watercress, sulforaphane contains anticancer properties which protect skin from sun damage by upping the production of protective enzymes.  These enzymes help the body fight against skin damage from sun exposure. 3. Food with Omega-3 fatty acids Broiled Salmon with Spinach Omega-3 fatty acids, like the kind found in salmon, are skin superheroes. They help strengthen your skin’s natural barrier, lock in moisture, and calm inflammation caused by sun exposure. These healthy fats also protect against collagen breakdown, which means fewer fine lines and a more radiant glow. So yes—your salmon dinner is basically skincare on a plate! 4. Foods with alkaloids Iced Almond Matcha Latte This recipe is full of alkaloids, which are found in caffeine and have been shown to eliminate UV-damaged skin cells and reduce skin roughness. Studies show that the caffeine in your daily coffee or tea helps prevents the formation of skin cancer. Green tea also contains polyphenols, antioxidants shown to prevent cancer cell growth due to UV light damage. Bottom Line Here’s the deal: sun protection isn’t just about slathering on SPF (though yes, still do that!). It’s also about what you’re putting on your plate. When you fill up on nutrient-rich, skin-loving foods, you’re giving your body the tools it needs to defend and repair from the inside out. So, pack that healthy picnic, grab your favorite sunhat, and enjoy the sunshine with a side of science-backed glow. Your skin—and your taste buds—will thank you!