Crazy Celery

Benefits

Do you reach for those sports drinks thinking your doing the best thing for you after working out? Better choice is celery! With no calories, no chemical and tons of vitamin C, celery can add a crazy amount of hydration and vitamins to your diet. It's most important benefits lower inflammation, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol. It is a great snack and wonderful addition to so many dishes. It is just so crazy how many amazing ways you can add celery. 

How to Choose and Keep

It is best to buy organic, as celery holds in lots of pesticides. Pick a bunch that is tight together and not splayed apart. It should look crisp and break off easily. Store in the fridge in a plastic bag or paper towel. If you are storing it cut make sure it is completely dry, as water depletes the nutrients. Make sure to wash each stalk at a time under water.

Preparation

Add celery to a homemade tuna salad, to your favorite soups, and in substitution of crackers to dip in your favorite dip or hummus. BEST is to eat a few stalks after workouts or throughout the day to stay hydrated. It is WAY better than any of those sports drinks that have chemicals in them.

Nutrients

Vitamin K, Folate, Vitamin A, Potassium, Molybdenum, Fiber, Vitamin C, Manganese, Calcium, Vitamin B2, Tryptophan, Magnesium, Vitamin B5 

Actions Steps

1. Find a nice fresh organic bulk of celery.

2. Use half the bulk and cut up to rehydrate. Eat 2 stalks after a workout for a better hydration.

3. Find a wonderful soup like Chicken Barley. Add celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper, onion and carrots to water and chicken stock. Throw into a crock-pot and let it cook for 8 hours. 

 (Resources: http://www.whfoods.com)

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Beautiful Bell Peppers

Benefits

The color can be green, red, yellow, orange, but all fantastically delicious. Red, yellow, and orange peppers all come from different seeds and are different cultivars of pepper. Red peppers are simply ripened green peppers. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow or orange peppers, with red bell peppers being the sweetest.

Compared to green peppers, red peppers have more vitamins and nutrients and contain the antioxidant lycopene. The level of carotene like lycopene is nine times higher in red peppers. Red peppers have twice the vitamin C content of green peppers. Also, one large red bell pepper contains 209 mg of vitamin C, which is three times the 70 mg of an average orange. Vitamin C is wonderful for your Adrenals!

How to Choose and Keep

Any color you choose it should be firm and vibrant. It should also feel nice and have no bumps. You can keep unwashed peppers in the fridge for about 1 week. You can also wrap in a moist paper towel to keep even fresher.
--> F.Y.I 
If you have issues with arthritis limit your consumption of peppers, as they are a nightshade vegetable. Nightshades sometimes create more symptoms.

Preparation
It is best to use to entire pepper once it is cut. You should only remove the stem right upon use. Rinse and rub under cool water to clean.

Marinated Peppers: Slice up variety of peppers and a red onion. Throw into a Ziploc bag or container and squirt your favorite marinade all over. Mix up and let marinade at least 3 hours (over night is best). When grilling your favorite food throw the mixture onto the grill with a grill basket or foil. Use as a topping for your favorite grilling items.

Stuffed Peppers: Take a pepper and cut out the middle.  Marinade over night or at least 3 hours. Brown your favorite protein or cook you favorite beans. Wrap your peppers in foil and put on the grill for about 10 minutes, consistently flipping. Add your stuffing and sprinkle on some garlic pepper and salt.

Nutrients

Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Folate, Fiber, Vitamin E, Molybdenum, Vitamin K, Potassium, Manganese, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B1, Tryptophan, Vitamin B5, and Magnesium.

 Actions Steps 

1. Try a recipe
2. Enjoy red peppers 2x during the week and get vitamin c!

(Resources: www.whfoods.com)

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Pretty Parsley

Benefits

What is it not good for ;) Parsley has so many benefits, but I feel the most important is its ability to boost your immune system and keep your ph level in your body. If that isn’t enough parsley has a huge amount of antioxidants, Folic Acid and many other vitamins to help support your heart health, protect the body against arthritis, and reduce the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes and asthma!

 

          Curly Parsley                                  Italian Parsley

How to Choose and Keep

It is always best to choose parsley fresh rather than dried. I do keep dried handy in case I run out of the fresh kind. Italian parsley has a stronger flavor than curly parsley.

Make sure when choosing fresh that the leaves are bright green and looks fresh with no wilted leaves.

Store in the fridge wrapped in a wet paper towel and loose plastic bag. It will last for about 8 days.

Preparation

Parsley is a fragile plant and should be gently washed right before it is used. I love to use fresh on top of salads. It is also amazing in Italian dishes, or even in smoothies. I also enjoy it in soups and sautés.

Nutrients

Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Folate, and Iron

Action Steps

1. Choose 1 kind of fresh parsley.

2. Use half in cooking and other half raw in salads or on sandwiches.

(Resources: www.whfoods.com)

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Terrific Tomatoes

Benefits

When you think of tomatoes, most people think of lycopene. The pigmentation of the tomatoes is what provides so much of this powerful antioxidant. Lycopene is beneficial to heart health, bone health, and lowering cholesterol. Tomatoes come is many varieties of size, texture and taste. Vary the type of tomatoes you consume and you will get to know how many amazing different choices each type of tomato offers. 

How to Choose and Keep

Always pick the tomatoes that have the richest color, no cracks, no wrinkles and no soft spots. Ripe tomatoes often give off a sweet smell. When you buy canned tomatoes try to choose from those from the United States, to reduce the amount of lead in the container. Store tomatoes at room temperature and out of the sun. Usually tomatoes keep for a week. To speed up the ripening put the tomatoes in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple.  If you notice the tomatoes begin to become overripe place in the fridge for up to 2 days. 

Preparation

Always wash before serving tomatoes in anyway. Try to prepare with the seeds as much as you can, as there are lots of nutrients in the seeds. Try to cook tomatoes on cookware that is NOT aluminum as the acid interacts with the metal. 

Nutrients

Vitamin C 38.1%, Vitamin A 29.9%, Vitamin K 17.7% Potassium 12.1%, Molybdenum 12%, Manganese 10.5%, Fiber 8.6%, Vitamin B6 7%, Folate 6.7%, Copper 5.5%, Vitamin B3 5.3%, Magnesium 4.9%, Vitamin E 4.8%, Vitamin B1 4.6%, Phosphorus 4.3%, Protein 3.1%, Tryptophan 3.1%, Choline 2.8%, Iron 2.7%

Action Steps

1. Enjoy raw cherry tomatoes as a wonderful sweet snack

2. Make your own salsa. My favorite salsa is with tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, salt, lime, salt, jalapeno, apple cider vinegar, and green pepper.

3. Layer w pan with slices of zucchini, yellow squash, and tomato slices. Sprinkle on your favorite spices and bake at 350 in the oven at least 30 minutes.

(Resources:  http://www.whfoods.com)


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Cool Cucumbers

 

The Versatile Cucumber

Got sun burnt?

Need to cool down on a hot day?

Bags under the eyes?

Want a light snack?

One amazing vegetable to the rescue!

Benefits:

Cucumbers contain antioxidants and have the ability to ward off free-radical damage. Cucumbers also cool down body temperature. With the antioxidants and heat reducing qualities of cucumbers they are also wonderful for puffiness of the skin, especially under the eyes. On top of that cucumbers can help balance your ph making your more alkaline and healthier!

Here are some tips for the skin:

Sunburn: Cut a few slices of fresh cucumber and gently pat affected skin. You can also puree and place the paste on the sunburn skin to remove the sting.

Hot Day beverage: Fill a pitcher of ice water. Add 1 sliced cucumber to the water and enjoy the cooling refreshment all day.

Baggy eyes: You’ve seen those spa pictures. Do just like that. Take 2 slices of cucumbers and apply to the eyes. Put on some relaxing music and relax for about 15 minutes.

How to Choose and Keep:

Make sure they are firm and have a nice dark color. The lighter they are the worse they are. You can store in the fridge for about a week, but it is best if you use within 1-2 days.

Nutrients:

Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Potassium, Manganese, Magnesium, Tryptophan, and Vitamin B5

Action Steps:

1.     Find 3 local cucumbers that are firm, but not too hard.

2.     Use 2 for sandwiches and drink.

3.     Use 1 for pampering: foot soak with warm water, 4 drops peppermint essential oil and slices of peppermint. (Save 2 for eyes) Then sit and relax for 15 minutes.

(Resources:  www.whfoods.com)

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Rad Raspberries

Benefits

One of the biggest benefits that is fairly new information is that raspberries can help decrease the risk of obesity. According to The Worlds Healthiest food the key enzyme is rheosmin, which can also ward off a fatty liver and keep blood sugar level. On top of that, raspberries have a nice vitamin C and antioxidant quantity helping the immune system (even reducing the risk of cancer) and reducing inflammation. They also taste really good :)

How to Choose and Keep

Raspberries are a highly perishable fruit, so you should consume them about 2-3 days after purchase. The berries should look plump and have a vibrant color. Store in the fridge unwashed and make sure to remove any that might be moldy or crushed.

Preparation

I love just eating fresh raw raspberries. Make sure to wash under a slow running faucet, and pat them dry. You can then enjoy them on top of some yogurt, oatmeal or with other fruit.

Nutrients 

Vitamin C, Manganese, Fiber, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Folate, Omega-3’s, Copper, Vitamin E, and Potassium

Action Steps

1. Get some fresh looking raspberries and put in with some unsweetened oatmeal. You might notice you don’t need any sweetener.

2. Buy some frozen raspberries and make a smoothie with almond milk, a protein powder, and 1 banana.

3. Find locals that make homemade raspberry preserves. Then make your own homemade strawberry frosting with preserves and organic unsalted butter. Oh so yummy!

(Resources: whfoods.com)

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Creative Coconut Oil

Benefits

This oil is made from the kernel of the coconut. The saturated fat in the oil is where the benefits lie. Not all saturated fats are bad! We need saturated fat to absorb nutrients. Coconut oil is the highest form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) which means it speeds up our metabolism. If that isn’t enough it also wards off sugar cravings, creates feeling of fullness, and boosts adrenals giving you more energy. Not enough to try some, coconut oil’s MCT’s are the closest thing to human breast milk we can get, having similar healing properties mothers milk has.

How to Choose and Keep

Make sure the oil is virgin or extra virgin. Organic is even better. It really doesn’t matter what brand. It is very stable with heat so it is great in stir-fry’s or baking. To reduce the “coconut taste” try choosing expeller pressed types. Coconut oil will keep for up to 2 years in a cool dark place so it stays in its solid form. Once heated it will become liquid.

Preparation

As mentioned before I love to substitute coconut oil in all my baking. I even make buttercreme icing with coconut oil instead (especially if you love the “coconut taste.” It also is wonderful used with stir-fry’s or to sauté shrimp.

Nutrients

Saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, omega 6, vitamin E, Vitamin K, Choline, Iron

Action Steps

1. Buy some extra virgin (organic is better) coconut oil.

2. Make some brownies with coconut oil instead. You won’t be able to really taste the coconut, but should notice they are moister.

3. If you have severe dry skin you can add some oil to the spot to alleviate.

(Resources: Sarah Wilson, www.nutritiondata.self.com, http://www.thecandidadiet.com)

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