Posts Tagged ‘raw’
Health Information Blast
Posted on: September 17, 2012
mojito smoothie
Posted on: July 16, 2012
Summer is here! I’ve officially crossed the pond from freezing cold northern Europe to tropical southern Canada! I am pretty happy to feel the sun shining and the heat in full force. Finally.
As I was looking at my calendar the other day, I realized that my summer holiday doesn’t really include much “holiday”. So in the name of finding a balance I have created My New Roots Summer Lights: a way for me to share fantastic, healthy recipes, without the lengthy article. I am excited about this new, lighter take, and hopefully I’ll be able to share even more simple summer meals with you. This feature will run for the next couple months, and the regular columns will resume in the fall. I hope this makes your summer brighter too – I know you’d rather be sitting on the dock than behind your computer anyway.
I’m kicking Summer Lights off with my new favorite smoothie that combines fruits, veggies, and superfoods, all while tasting like a sinful summer cocktail – The Mojito Smoothie! Zesty lime, refreshing mint, and sweetness from fruit instead of sugar makes this drink a tall glass of delish. The Mojito Smoothie of course makes an amazing breakfast, but I prefer it for lunch or even a light dinner. If you like your green smoothies fruit-free, omit the banana and dates and use stevia powder instead. You can also add spinach, kale, chard or other dark leafy green of your choice.
The Mojito Smoothie
Serves 2 as a snack, 1 as a meal
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups nut milk or coconut water
3 Tbsp. hulled hemp seeds
½-1 tsp. spirulina (whatever you can handle)
4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 avocado
1 frozen banana
2 dates, pitted
handful fresh mint leaves (20-25 leaves)
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust flavours to your liking.
I hope you all are enjoying a fabulous summer so far. I am looking forward to lots of deliciousness this season and sharing it all with you.
Summer lights,
Sarah B
Health Spotlight: Kale
Posted on: July 13, 2012
Kale is a super vegetable by all accounts. Great health benefits of kale make it hard to replace in a healthy menu. Kale is high in vitamin C and K, moderate in Calcium, and low in fat and calories. Kale contains beta carotene, and it has one of the highest amount of the antioxidants among all food measured.
Health benefits of kale:
* Strengthens bones
* Combats cancer
* Protects your eyesight
* Aids in weight loss
* Boosts immune system
Kale builds stronger bones
Calcium and vitamin K are two important nutrients that keep your bones strong; and both of them are found in kale.
People with low vitamin K tend to have low mineral density of their bones and experience more bone fractures. One ounce of kale daily provides four time recommended daily allowance of this important vitamin. Calcium from kale is absorbed by the body at a much higher rate than from many other foods. This quality makes kale an irreplaceable source of calcium for both vegetarians and vegans. Eating one ounce of kale a day may cut the risk of bone fracture by 30%.
Kale combats cancer
Researches has found that vegetables from the brassica family – kale, cabbage, broccoli, turnips and brussels sprouts – are especially protective against cancer due to naturally occurring chemicals that block the cancer-forming process. Kale is a healthy food that prevents cancer or slows down its progression.
Kale is a healthy food for our eyesight
As we age, we become susceptible to the macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. Experts advice is to consume foods with carotenoids – antioxidants abundant in kale. According to Dr. Johanna M. Seddon, consuming 6 mg of lutein per day helps to reduce one’s chances of AMD by 43%. To meet this requirement, you need to eat only 1/3 cup of kale. Add fat from non-animal sources, such as flax oil or olive oil, to ensure maximum absorption of the carotenoids in kale.
What happens to those who eat one cup of kale per day?
They don’t have to worry about their vitamins A,C, and K at all! Kale provides more than 100% of the recommended daily value. Manganese, Copper and Calcium content in kale is impressive, as you will see further.
1 cup of raw kale contains :
Calories – 33.
Weight – 67 g:
56 g from water,
1 g from fibre.
Remaining 10 g provide:
* Vitamin K – 684%
* Vitamin A – 206%
* Vitamin C – 134%
* Vitamin B6 – 9%
* Thiamin – 5%
* Riboflavin – 5%
* Niacin -3%
* Folate – 5%
* Manganese – 26%
* Copper – 10%
* Calcium – 9%
* Potassium – 9%
* Iron – 6%
* Magnesium – 6%
* Phosphorus – 4%
* Zinc – 2%
* Selenium – 1%
* Sodium – 1%.
Living Well 