(Please consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement.)

You might’ve heard of Spirulina before but perhaps you have been intimidated to try it, or perhaps you have a jar at home you don’t know what to do with. I hope these simple 5 Spirulina recipes will give you the confidence to experiment with it at home.

Spirulina is a bluegreen algae that is available as a powder or tablet. Although Spirulina looks like food from the future, it was actually used as a food source for the Aztecs and Mesoamericans until the 16th century.

Today it is used as a supplement and considered a superfood because of its nutritional content.  Spirulina contains about 60% (51–71%) protein and Spirulina’s lipid content is about 7% by weight and is rich in GLA , ALA, EPA, and DHA among other fatty acids.  It contains B vitamins (not a reliable source of vitamin B12), vitamins C, K, A, E, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, and Zinc. Plus, bioavailable pigments such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. Go here for the nutritional analysis.

Where you get your Spirulina is very important because you want it to be fresh, mild tasting, and free of contaminants. My favorite source is from healthforce.com.

Just to warn you, Spirulina is an acquired taste. It has a slight fishy flavor, but not as strong as seaweed. The easiest way to use Spirulina is to add it to juice or a smoothie. It tastes good with apple juice or in a smoothie with bananas or mangos. Start with a teaspoon or less at first and add more only when you are sure you can tolerate the taste.

And for the adventurous, here are some simple Spirulina recipes:

Spirulina Green Juice

1 English cucumber
2 medium sized apples (I like Fuji apples best, but any variety will do)
1 small lemon or lime
1 teaspoon Spirulina powder

Juice the produce in a juicer (such as the Omega 4000) and then add 1 teaspoon of Spirulina powder to your juicer. I prefer to blend the Spirulina with the juice in a blender, but you can mix it well if you don’t have one. Makes 16 ounces of juice, double the recipe for 32 ounces.

Spirulina Mango Pudding

3 cups ripe mango, chopped
zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Spirulina powder

Blend all ingredients in a powerful blender (such as the Vitamix Blender) until smooth. If not sweet enough, you can add your sweetener of choice such as dates, honey, or stevia powder to taste.

Spirulina Honey

3 tablespoons raw honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Spirulina powder

Mix all ingredients together and use as you would regular honey by drizzling it on fruit, putting it in your tea, cereal . . .(etc.).

Spirulina Seasoning Salt

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon Spirulina powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

Sprinkle this seasoning salt over air popped popcorn, kale chips, steamed veggies, baked potato . . .(etc.)

Simple Spirulina Salad Dressing

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Spirulina powder
Juice and zest of ½ lemon
Sprinkle of garlic powder and cayenne pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and  pour over your favorite salad. Some people make the dressing without the lemon juice and zest, so you can experiment with what you like best.

Although Spirulina is an acquired taste, I hope these Spirulina recipes will give you the courage to try it! And please do share your favorite Spirulina recipes below.

♥,
C

If the number one question Vegans get asked is: “Where do you get your protein?”, then the number 2 question is: “Where do you get your calcium?”

So I decided to make a list of some Vegan sources of calcium and then came up with three simple calcium rich raw recipes.

Deciding to supplement or not is definitely something you will need to discuss with a qualified medical professional according to your needs and this article is not meant to substitute professional medical advice.

That being said, here is a list of some Vegan sources of calcium, according to http://whfoods.org:

Excellent sources: spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens

Very good sources: blackstrapp molasses, Swiss chard, kale, basil

Good sources: romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, sesame seeds, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, garlic, Brussel sprouts, oranges, asparagus, leeks, crimini mushrooms, kelp

Go here for a  full list of  vegan and non-vegan calcium rich foods.

I would also like to add moringa powder to the list of excellent sources. If you haven’t heard of it yet you can look it up on wikipedia here.

I decided to whip up some really simple calcium rich raw recipes with the foods listed above. Then I looked up the calcium content in the USDA nutritional database to give you the total calcium content of each recipe. (With the exception of moringa powder where I used the formula of 601 mg of calcium per 30 grams using this chart http://www.moringaleafpowder.co.za/analysis.html and used the conversion of 8 grams = 1 rounded tablespoon moringa powder.)

Calcium Rich Recipes

Calcium Rich Smoothie

Blend the following until smooth:

2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice 55 mg
2 ripe medium bananas 12 mg
1 rounded tablespoon moringa powder 160 mg

Total Calcium Content: 227 mg

Calcium Rich Green Juice

Juice the following in a juicer that juices greens well such as the Omega 8006 or the Omega Vert

5 large stalks celery 130 mg
4 cups chopped collard greens 104 mg
1 bunch spinach 337 mg
5 medium apples 55 mg
1 lemon 22 mg

Total Calcium Content: 667 mg (estimate because the calcium values were for the foods before they were juiced)

Calcium Rich Fruit Salad

Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

2 cups oranges peeled and chopped 144 mg
2 cups mangos peeled and chopped 36 mg
2 tablespoons ground sesame seeds 88 mg
1 tablespoon blackstrapp molasses 41 mg
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 13 mg

Total Calcium Content: 322 mg

To put things into perspective here is a recommended daily allowance chart for calcium uptake:

1 – 3 years old     700 mg
4 – 8 years old     1,000 mg
9 – 13 years old     1,300 mg
14 – 18 years old     1,300 mg
19 – 30 years old     1,000 mg
31 – 50 years old     1,000 mg
51 – 70 years old     1,000 mg
51 – 70 year old females     1,200 mg
71+ years old     1,200     800
14 – 18 years old, pregnant/lactating     1,300 mg
19 – 50 years old, pregnant/lactating     1,000 mg

I personally put moringa powder in my smoothies, always have ground sesame seeds available to sprinkle on fruits, salads, soups . . . (etc.) or available to add to nut milks, drizzle blackstrapp molasses on porridges, fruit, or put it in my tea, and I drink at least 32-64 ounces of green juice everyday. You can also incorporate calcium rich greens into your green smoothies, salads, soups, or simply steam them.

Some other important things to know about calcium uptake, according to http://whfoods.org:

- High intakes of sodium, caffeine, or protein cause an increase in the urinary excretion of calcium.

- Vitamin D accelerates the absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract.

- While research studies confirm the ability of phytic acid and oxalic acid in foods to lower availability of calcium, the decrease in available calcium is relatively small.

For even more information about calcium intake on a Vegan diet I recommend you listen to this interview by Dr. Klaper MD.  The topic is: “Secrets to Preventing Osteoporosis”. He will discuss:

- Which foods put your bones at risk?
- When are x-rays and bone density tests deceptive?
- Which exercises keep your bones strong and which don’t?
- Besides calcium, which other nutrients are critical to strong bones?
- Does fluoridated water strengthen your bones or deteriorate them?
- The shocking “reverse correlation” between milk consumption and osteoporosis
- Why bone density test results are NOT a true indicator of osteoporosis

Normally, only students of The Vegetarian Health Institute have access to this interview. But I’ve arranged complimentary access for you too. To listen to the recording (or download it), click here now:

https://www.secureinfossl.com/affProgram/Preventing-Osteoporosis/57427 *

*affiliate link

♥,
C

We all get unhealthy food cravings from time to time that are hard to control.  There can be many reasons why we crave certain foods: it could be that we’re just plain hungry, stressed/emotionally upset, or physically addicted to the foods we are craving. Certain foods are more addictive than others such as high fat and high sugar foods, chemically processed foods, and sometimes we can be addicted to the foods we are allergic to.

However, no matter what the reason for our food cravings we are trying to satisfy a need in us, whether emotional or physical. To put it simply, we are trying to make ourselves feel better. Unfortunately, most of the time, if we give into unhealthy food cravings we end up feeling worse! Fortunately, there are other ways to comfort ourselves without food that won’t make us sick or leave us feeling guilty!

Here are ten ways how to control food cravings and comfort yourself without food. Try them next time the craving monster hits!

Next time you get a craving . . .

Tip #1  Try chewing on something instead of eating such as a piece of sugar free gum, a straw, seaweed, licorice root sticks . . .(etc.)

Tip #2  Try stimulating your mind by playing a crossword puzzle or suduko.

Tip #3  When wanting to zone out and eat mindlessly try flipping through a magazine instead, it doesn’t take much mental effort and can have a calming effect.

Tip #4  Try bringing yourself back to present moment by paying attention to you breath and any bodily sensations you are experiencing in the moment. Repeat the statement, “I am here now”.

Tip #5  Try making yourself more comfortable by changing into sweat pants, letting your hair down, finding a comfortable place to sit or lay down, and or snuggling up with your favorite blanket.

Tip #6  When looking for comfort without using food, try using the soothing effect of heat to calm your body such as drinking your favorite cup of herbal tea, or applying warm washcloth over your eyes or forehead.

Tip #7  Try giving yourself a quick self massage on your hands, feet, shoulders, ears, face, and scalp.

Tip #8  Try changing your mood with different scents. Essential oils are great way to experiment; some scents have a calming effect and others have an invigorating effect. You can use an aromatherapy humidifier, lamp or diffuser or simply pour the oil on a cotton ball and sniff anytime you need it!

Tip #9  Try listening to a piece of beautiful relaxing music such as classical or new age type music that has a calming or uplifting effect on your mood. If you need a quick pick me up try dancing for a few minutes to your favorite energizing music.

Tip #10  Try looking at pictures of loved ones that make you smile, and make sure to have these pictures handy next time a craving hits.

This blog post was inspired by the book 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers, PSY.D, so if you liked these tips, check out the book! (Available on Amazon.)

If you have any other ways you like to comfort yourself without food, please do share!

♥,
C

P.S. If you would like some personal guidance on how to conquer cravings I am also available for a  raw food coaching session.

The bulk of my diet is still raw, but a percentage of my diet is full of whole foods that are cooked with water such as soups, stews, and steamed vegetables and grains.

Many people ask me what I eat when I eat cooked and here is a sampling of two recipes (a hearty vegetarian lentil stew and a steamed kale recipe) from Cathy Fisher who teaches whole food and vegan cooking demonstration classes at the True North Center in Santa Rosa in Northern California.

If you like these recipes please check out her amazing vegan recipe blog for some more healthy recipes!

Enjoy!

♥,
C

Hearty Lentil Stew

Ingredients
¼-½ cup water, for sautéing
½ large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced

8 cups water
2 medium Yukon potatoes, diced
1 ¼ cups dry brown lentils

1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon dried coriander
2 teaspoons dried basil

½ of a medium green cabbage, sliced thinly, (about ¼-inch thick)

Directions
1. In a soup pot on medium-high, sauté the onion in a bit of water until soft, about 3 minutes (add water as needed to prevent sticking); add the garlic, celery and carrots and sauté another minute or two, adding water as needed.

2. Add to the soup pot: the 8 cups water, potatoes and lentils, and bring to a boil. Add the cumin, coriander and basil, stir thoroughly and then reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 30-40 minutes (until lentils are not hard but also not mushy).

3. Turn up heat and stir in the cabbage, cooking until it is tender (about 5-10 minutes). Serve garnished with diced green onions or chives.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Makes: 4 big, hearty bowls of stew

Rosemary Mushrooms & Kale

 Ingredients
½ cup water
1 large yam or sweet potato, skin on, cut into 1/2–inch slices
1 clove garlic cut in half
1 bunch curly kale, roughly chopped, end stems trimmed
6 large cremini mushrooms or 4 portobellinis (small Portobellos)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions
Place ½ cup water in a large fry pan or skillet with the yam slices and garlic and bring to a boil. Place the kale on top followed by the mushrooms (place them stem side up). Lay the two sprigs of rosemary on top and cover. Decrease heat to medium-low and steam for 10-15 minutes, until the yams are easily pierced with a knife. Remove the rosemary and serve immediately, dividing between two plates or pasta dishes.

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Both recipes by Cathy Fisher at  www.straightupfood.com/blog

I was lucky enough to find fresh turmeric at my local Whole Foods Market and decided to try a few fresh turmeric recipes. If you have never seen fresh turmeric, it looks like ginger except for it is a bright golden orange inside. I love the sweet and slightly spicy taste of the fresh turmeric compared to the powder, but the powder is more widely available.

You might have heard of all the amazing health benefits of turmeric lately some people even call it Indian gold! It is most widely known as a natural anti-inflammatory.

It contains a natural compound called curcumin and an overview published in Advanced Experimental Medical Biology in 2007 states, “Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic illnesses.”

If you are lucky enough to get a hold of some fresh turmeric here are a few fresh turmeric recipes and ideas, but if you can’t find it, just substitute with the same amount of powder as the fresh root.

Fresh Turmeric Recipes

Fresh Turmeric Almond Milk

1 ½ cups almond milk

1-2 teaspoons honey

1/4 -1/2 inch knob turmeric

pinch of cinnamon powder

Make a batch of almond milk with a nut milk bag. (Click here if you don’t know how to make raw almond milk.) Then put the milk back in the blender with the turmeric, honey, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth. If you have a powerful blender such as a Vitamix Blender you might not need to strain the milk again, but if it’s grainy strain it first and then enjoy!

Fresh Turmeric Tea

Bring four cups of water to a boil.

Add one teaspoon of grated fresh turmeric and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain the tea through a strainer into a cup and then add honey to taste.

You can also add ginger if you want to make a spicier turmeric/ginger tea.

Fresh Turmeric Juice

You can also juice fresh turmeric in a juicer such as the Omega Vert, Omega 4000, or Omega 8004.

Fresh turmeric tastes especially good with the juices of pineapple, orange, apple, pear, beet and carrot.

At a local restaurant called True Food Kitchen they make a delicious juice called “Bright Eyes” which contains pear, pineapple, beet, ginger, and turmeric and there is no reason you can’t make this juice at home.

Hope you learned a few things about using fresh turmeric and if you have a fresh turmeric recipe to share please post it below in the comments section.

♥,
C

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that bring us great joy. My new favorite recipe for a coconut water drink is a perfect example of how something so simple can be so good!

I call it Sunshine Juice and it really brightens my mornings. It is perfect for a Sunday brunch gathering or anytime of day you need a refreshing elixir to wake up your taste buds!

Coconut Water Drink Recipe – Sunshine Juice

2 cups of young coconut water from the juice of 2 young Thai coconuts
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (at least 4 oranges)
1 cup freshly juiced pineapple juice (at least 1 half a pineapple)

Makes 32 ounces of Sunshine Juice.

Safely open your Thai young coconuts and pour the young coconut water into a carafe. Peel the oranges and remove the skin of the pineapple and juice them in a juicer until you get one cup of juice each. I like to use my Omega Vrt350 or a centrifugal ejection style juicer such as the Omega 4000 to juice the pineapple and oranges. Pour the orange and pineapple juice into the carafe with the coconut water. Enjoy!

* If you do not have pineapple juice just add two cups of orange juice instead of one. Still tastes great but the pineapple juice takes it over the top!

Do you have any other coconut water drinks recipes? Please share in the comments section below:

♥,
C

Here is a quick 100% Pure Review.

Over the last ten years I have transitioned to more natural, vegan, non-animal tested cosmetics, skin, and body care. I am so grateful that I can still be girly, dress up, and wear make-up while still feeling good about what I’m putting on my skin.

I often get e-mails from people asking me what’s my favorite natural cosmetics and skincare company. Although I have many that I like, one stands out above the rest.

My absolute favorite company at the moment is a small company based in the San Francisco Bay Area called 100% Pure. They have two retail locations in Berkeley and San Jose, California. They also sell their products on the web, with some killer weekly deals and free shipping on orders over 50 dollars.

The company 100% Pure lives up to it’s name because their products are truly 100% pure – no synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, harsh detergents or any other unhealthy toxins.

The company focuses on antioxidants and you’ll find ingredients in their products like: Pigments of Peach, Apricot, Carrot, Pomegranate, Cocoa Bean, Boysenberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Raspberry, Acai, Goji Berry and Tomato!

100% Pure products smell good enough to eat (not recommended), because the wonderful aromas in 100% Pure products are from real fruits, pure essential oils, and pure absolutes.

Only natural preservatives are used such as Japanese Honeysuckle, Thyme, Oregano, Goldenseal, Rosemary, Lavender and a high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants, so on each product there is an open jar symbol with a number on it. That number indicates how long you can use the product once it is opened.

My favorite products are the fruit pigmented tinted moisturizer (they also have a great foundation if you need more coverage) which gives your skin a natural glow and the fruit tinted mascara that smells like blueberries and makes your lashes thick and full. I also like their fruit pigmented powdered blushes (my favorite color is healthy) and their fruit pigmented island kiss lip palette which contains 6 different shades of lipstick.

In the picture below I stepped out to give the dogs a walk and I’m wearing the tinted moisturizer and the masacara. I like that the tinted moisturizer evens out my skintone without looking like I’m wearing any make-up!

They also have a great selection of gift sets and online gift certificates that I’ve given out as presents to friends and family with rave reviews. Everyone that I have told about 100% Pure thanks me and ends up being a loyal customer.

http://www.100percentpure.com/

I hope you enjoyed my 100% Pure Review and I hope you’ll go ahead and treat yourself on Valentine’s Day! Please forward this article to friends and family and if you have had any positive experiences with 100% Pure products please comment in the comment’s section below.

♥ ,
C

P.S. In the spirit of full disclosure I was given a few samples from the company for free, but since then I have ordered their products for myself and family and friends because I like them so much!

My number one New Year’s resolution is to find harmony in my life between my responsibilities in life and my self care. This is something that I have been learning about for ten years and the truth is I am still learning how to find that perfect balance between the things I need to do and the things I want to do.

When I was younger I didn’t pay much attention to the needs of my body. At one point I had my day scheduled from 6am to 11pm at night with absolutely no down time. Yes, I got a lot accomplished but it wasn’t sustainable. At 22 I had completely burnt myself out and was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There were many other factors at play such as poor diet, stress, and suppressed grief but I know that a major part in getting sick was packing my schedule so tight, that there was no room to just breathe and relax.

Now days I no longer have Chronic Fatigue but I still struggle with finding balance between work, play, relationships, household responsibilities, and nurturing my well being. In today’s world I know that I am not alone in this struggle.

I have been exploring how this year can be different and I have come up with three tips I’d like to share with you.

Tips For Finding Balance in Your Life

Tip #1 Alternate Between Structured and Unstructured Activities

I find that alternating structured activities such as work and household responsibilities with non structured or more spontaneous activities such as walking on the beach, meditating, yoga . . .helps energize me through out the day and keeps me balanced.

According to Tony Schwartz from the New York Times,

“THE pioneering sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman gave the name “basic rest activity cycle” to the 90-minute period at night during which we move through the five stages of sleep. A decade later, he reported that we experience a parallel 90-minute cycle in our waking lives.

At night, we move from light to deep sleep and back out. During the day, we oscillate every 90 minutes from higher to lower alertness. In effect, our bodies are asking us for a break every 90 minutes. But we override the signals with coffee, sugar and our stress hormones.”

I find that taking a break from structured activities to non structured activities every ninety minutes helps combat fatigue. So for example, I have been playing with the idea of working for ninety minutes and then taking a 15 minute break where I dance, read for pleasure, take a walk outside, do a quick meditation, or drink a green juice in the sun. You may only have the luxury of taking a nice stretch at your desk, or smelling an invigorating essential oil for a few seconds at work, but whatever you can do to recharge quickly can still help.

Tip#2 Schedule in “Me” Time

Just as we have a work schedule and appointment schedule it is really important to schedule in self care. Self care means to me anything that increases our sense of well being and reduces stress such as yoga, massage, meditation, dance, being out in nature,listening to music . . .(etc.) For each person it is going to be different.

You may be so busy that they only have 5 minutes to yourself. In that case I say make sure to use those 5 minutes to get into the deepest state of relaxation that you can through meditation or some other relaxation technique. If you have a corporate job and the only time you have to yourself is lunch, drink a quick smoothie for lunch and hire a masseuse for a 30 minute rub down.

Why is it so important to schedule “me time” even if you feel like you have absolutely no time to yourself? Because I can tell you from experience as a previous Chronic Fatigue sufferer that burning the candle at both ends is unsustainable and you will eventually burn out! Do all you can to find a way to nurture yourself before you are forced to stop due to stress induced illness.

Tip#3 Pay Attention to Your Bodies’ Rhythms

Pay attention to your bodies’ energy fluctuations. You can do this by observing how you feel at certain times of the day. After paying attention for a few days I noticed how alert I am in the mornings and then I noticed that from 2-4 is when I feel a little tired. My energy picks back up again and then I have focused energy until about 9 at night. I used to force myself to work through my afternoon slump but I was never happy with the work produced so now I schedule easier tasks or take a break during that time.  For you, it might be different but paying attention to your peaks and lulls can help you find the most harmonious and productive schedule for you.

So what do you think of my tips? Do you have some tips for living a balanced life? Please share in the comments section.

♥,

C

This week I am visiting beautiful Sunny Southern California and I thought I’d share my favorite travel tips for eating healthy while traveling. Even if you are taking a short day trip, it always pays to be prepared!

Tip#1 Bring Your Kitchen With You!

• Travel with a small cutting board, utensils, napkins and paper plates. A package of compostable forks, knives, and spoons can be really helpful to cut into fruits and vegetables on the go. You can also travel with a sprout bag to soak nuts and seeds and small personal blender called the Tribest Personal Blender (available in 220V also) to make smoothies. (I once soaked some sunflower seeds overnight in a sprout bag and made them into a pate in a Tribest Personal Blender on a cruise!) If you are driving, traveling with a plug-in cooler is also great.

Tip#2 Bring a Few Essentials!

• Pack some unopened non perishable food items into your bag. (These days, it is best to pack them into your checked bag and make sure to declare them because each county is different in what they will or will not allow into their country.)

Here is a list of food items I like to pack:

• Raw Tahini and Almond Butter (unopened jars) because you can dip vegetables into them and use them as dressings just by adding some orange juice.

• Dulse Flakes and Nori Sheets (unopened packages) are beneficial as Dulse can be used as a salt substitute. For example, you can make a lettuce wrap with avocado, torn Dulse, and chopped tomatoes. Nori sheets can also be used as a wrapper, just cut up some vegetables such as cucumber and carrot, spread on some tahini, and you have an easy wrap.

• All Prepared Raw Food Snacks such as raw food energy bars, cookies, and crackers for that little extra boost of energy on the go.

• Green Powder because you can mix it with juice or water and if you are traveling in the United States there are juice bars/smoothie bars everywhere where you can ask them to make you an all fruit smoothie. You can then add your green powder to make an instant green smoothie!

• Liquid Stevia because you can use it to sweeten some mineral water (as a substitute for soda) or use it to sweeten some tea.

• Italian Herbs and Sea Salt because when dining out all you have to do is ask for a lemon wedge and you have an instant salad dressing!

Tip#3 Research, Research, Research!

• Before going anywhere, research whether they have a natural foods grocery store or a farmer’s market and then make sure this is your first stop off the plane to stock up on healthy food. You can also research to see if the area has any juice bars and vegetarian or vegetarian friendly restaurants where you can dine out.

• Sometimes the local food culture will have a vegetarian specialty for example, in Spain you can order gazpacho (a raw tomato soup), in Fiji you have the young coconut meat and water widely available, in Italy fresh squeezed orange juice is widely available . . .(etc.) (If you are traveling to a third world country, it is also a good idea to research what foods are safe to eat!)

Tip#4 Stock Up!

• When you locate that health food store or farmer’s market stock up on healthy food that you can store in your hotel room. Hopefully, your hotel room will have a refrigerator, but if not, it might be worth it to travel with a small cooler because most hotel rooms have an ice machine.

• Some of my favorite healthy foods to stock up on when traveling are: fruits that will last a few days such as melons, oranges, bananas, apples, and avocados; dried snacks such as dried fruits and nuts; and plenty of liquids to stay hydrated in dry hotel rooms such as water and coconut water.

• Also, at most U.S. grocery stores you can always find raw guacamole and salsa. All you have to do is add a scoop of salsa and guacamole into a romaine lettuce leaf or you can enjoy it with some baby carrots or other cut up vegetables such as celery or zucchini.

Tip#5 Learn Some Lingo!

• If you are going to a country where they don’t speak English, and you are going to eat out, make sure to learn a few phrases so you know what to ask for. And this goes for any restaurant, they will usually make something special for you, especially if you tell them you have dietary restrictions and food allergies. For example, when I’m out to a Mexican restaurant with friends or my husband I ask the waitress to bring me a plate of lettuce, chopped raw vegetables, salsa, and guacamole. I mix it all together to make a delicious salad. Sometimes you just have to get creative!

I hope you enjoyed these tips! Although I am definitely more flexible while traveling than I am at home, I still manage to eat pretty healthy so that I can feel great and enjoy my travels!

Make sure to add any of your tips to eating healthy while traveling below in the comments section.

Bon Voyage!

♥,
C

P.S. These are some bonus tips not related to healthy eating but they have really helped me a lot this trip: You might consider investing in a portable humidifier (it will make those dry hotel rooms bearable), a portable white noise maker or ear plugs and an eye mask so you can sleep under any circumstances. Really helped out last night when our hotel room was situated right next to a busy stairwell and crowded pool with kids playing! We slept like babies.

It’s a simple and fresh raw dessert recipe that can be modified to use any type of fruit you like!

Peach Cobbler

2 ½  cups peaches, sliced (or other fruit)

5-6 medjool dates, pitted

1 cup raw coconut flakes

½ cup almonds

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp raw honey

3 Tbsp coconut oil

Slice and pit peaches and set aside.  Place dates, coconut, almonds and a pinch Himalayan salt into a food processor and mix until combined and sticky.  Set aside.  Blend only ½ cup of peaches with vanilla, honey, and coconut oil in the blender until smooth.  Layer all components in a glass dish or in individual serving cups.

Please let me know if you try this recipe and what fruit you use. I’ve also tried it with mixed berried (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries) and it worked great!

For more of Julia’s recipes you can go here: www.divianaalchemy.com

♥,
C

P.S.  There are still a few more days to get the ground breaking e-book, What do Raw Fooders Eat? Click here for more info!