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Five Ways to Sneak Nutrition into Your Loved Ones: Tip #1

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Do you, like me, have a pretty good working knowledge of nutrition, opinions to spare, a strong belief that you are, in fact, what you eat… 

…and someone(s) in your life who couldn't care less?

Well, after much lamenting, cajoling, mentoring, throwing up handing, and finally saying "fine, eat what you like i'm putting seaweed in my dinner dammit!" -ing, I have come up with a few tricks to appease my sense that time is running out to stuff adequate nutrition into another human being.  Because, lets face it, it ain't my body, so I really don't have the right to feel put out by it all.  

Educate, don't Berate!  (is that how the saying goes?)

IN THE MEANTIME:

#1. Spruce up the Salt

One good thing about fussy eaters, is that they are usually also too lazy to remedy a situation unless it is very uncomfortable.  So, get yourself a salt shaker that is also a grinder, some unrefined course sea salt (grey if you can get away with it) and some seaweed of your choice.  Mix it all together and pour into grinder.  Then, get rid of any other salt options in the house.  If they want to saltify, they must grind!  I haven't actually had any complaints, as it really does just taste salty.

TIPS:

grinder:  if you can afford ceramic parts, great, they don't rust.  If not, plastic or stainless steel will do the job.  If you can't find one easily, you can buy one of those specialty salts in any grocer to start with and then just keep refilling it with your own mix.
 

salt:  get the biggest course salt you can find, if it is damp (high quality) you might need to spread it out on something (pan, towel, board) and dry it out first.  The grey colour is because it hasn't been bleached or refined and it still contains all those tasty trace minerals that we actually need.  They also help minimize the damage excess salt causes in the body.  After all, we came from the sea originally right?

seaweed:  This is all preference… As I am lazy, I buy Dulse flakes, which are already cut up for you and mix well with salt.  I've also used Alaria, which come in black strands and breaks up nicely when dry.  Kelp gives you a littel extra calcium and Nori a little extra protein.  Use your imagination!

So, don't do the salty dance of guilt, just spruce* your salt up! 

*you know you Can eat spruce needles (or at least make vit. C rich tea outa them), but you might find the taste a little strong and distracting for salt…

Posted in beautiful consumables, eat me!, Nutrition, salt | No Comments »

Looking for a Green Christmas? Who Needs Snow when there is Frozen Algae!

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Need some extra pep to get you though this busy time of the year, with the side effects of good health?

Just a quick note to let you know that on of my favorite products, E3Live is having a Holiday Special!

You can get 20% Off Your Order!
Valid from Dec. 12th to Jan 2nd (midnight to midnight EST)

This will give you a chance to stock up on your favorites, buy extra for friends, or just treat yourself!  They even have a section for gifts under $10 this year.  So if you want something unusual for the person who has everything or who doesn't go for the regular candy-type gifting, this is an option.

*Special Tip: Use coupon code: HOLIDAY2011 during checkout

Click Here to See their Superfoods and Gifts

Cheers and Happy Season even if you don't get many holidays…!

Posted in beautiful consumables, Nutrition, the role of retail | No Comments »

Oh, Water… how do I count the ways?

Friday, February 18th, 2011

As I now haunt the west coast of Canada, I constantly think that I have too much water in my life.  This would be external water.  What I am here to espouse is Internal water!  Otherwise known as hydration.

I am still baffled by the amount of people I meet who still don't try for the Doctor (no less!) Recommended dose of 8-10 glasses per day.  If a glass is 8oz… that's 2L of water!  Yes, you unbelievers!… 2 litres, minimum.

Now I have been lucky enough to grow up in a place where water is abundant.  As I listen to the stream outside my window, I do think about how I could possibly get enough water in the desert? Or does the body simply function differently?  I often worry about walking around the planet Dune and having to use recycled bodily water for hydration.  Have I simply been spoiled on water?

Well, those thoughts aside, water has helped me with:

  • PMS: water retention and bloating is caused by the body actually having too little water and having to store it.
  • Dry skin and lips, dry scalp
  • Sports, the muscles react better, faster and with less fatigue than if I have been lax in my water drinkage.
  • Constipation:  a dehydrated colon is a common cause of bowel issues. (magnesium helps the colon absorb the water)
  • Tiredness:  the body is made up of so much water, fluids is how almost every system in our body communicates (lymph, blood, digestive juices, intracellular fluid)
  • Headaches (mild-moderate):  some say that the glass of water you take with your 'Advil' is actually what cures the headache.
  • Toxicity:  soreness, tiredness, brain fog, joint problems, edema.  Water can dilute and flush toxins out of the body.
  • Thirst (haha)

 

Some books claim that dehydration is the cause of almost every major disease out there.  It's an extreme theory, but it doesn't hurt to try drinking water first, as it is the easiest and cheapest thing you can do for yourself (at least in my part of the world…)  Watch your electrolyte balance if you Only drink water (especially if you are sweating) and try to include some juices, herbal teas or (as all the hot yoga places say) Emergen-C.  Gatorade if you are desparate and in a sea of convenience stores instead of health food stores.

-what you are looking for is H20 with glucose, potassium, sodium and magnesium.  (limes or Apple Cider Vinegar, sea salt, molasses/raw sugar/maple syrup)
I will endeaver to find a tasty homemade substitute as I can't find my notes right now!

Just remember, when in doubt, drink water!

Posted in beautiful consumables, Digestion, drink me!, Nutrition | No Comments »

Weeds glorious weeds!

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

lovely weeds, wonderful weeds! (to the tune of  "lovely spam, wonderful spam")

My neighbours and landlords usually watch my gardening with  a suspicious eye….maybe it's because i might dig holes in the back lawn to put compost in….maybe its because i rejoice to see a field of dandelions to put that sunshine yellow in my salads and pancakes! 

I skulk around neighbours yards looking jealously at their chickweed and lambs quarters, wondering if they know what nutritional powerpunches they have right under their noses.
When taking care of my mom's garden, i am careful to grab all the weeds and take them home with me to put on my balcony…
They grow well!  They are super tasty, Pretty, and Good for you!

here are my favorites, as a lazy yet opportunist gardener:

  • chickweed (needs wet cool, light sun)
  • violets (same)-tiny wild pansy
  • purslane, i've only found in my garden once, in Hamilton, where it was very fertile but very HOT, interestingly sour and crunchy.
  • lamb's quarters (seems to just grow….you can see it in empty lots, abandoned ground…spinach like in its culinary actions)
  • dandelion, do i really need to describe? mmm, liver bitter….
  • plantain (city sidewalks, with grass, wherever people walk)
  • wild lettuce, grows all over the city with little spiky spines on it…but don't eat much, its a strong relaxant)
  • nettles, if you are lucky enough to live by a fertile creek or park where they hide under the big trees to enjoy the damp…you can identify by the invigorating sting.
  • i also really like aloe, which does grow as a weed in some places! (namely those places where i tend to get sunburned)

I know i have seen at least one example of each this summer, next year i promise to bring the camera with me… but the best thing to do is find someone (the local herbalist) to take you on a weed walk in your particular zone.
 

Posted in eat me!, Nutrition | No Comments »

Sake on a Flower

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

tastes fruity & flowery & fresh

               I love eating flowers.  Picking petals seems so delicate, and eating them seems very divine or decadent. (or crass from the flower's point of view, i suppose)  The trick is to find flavours that are subtle enough to not overpower your flower.  Make sure you get the right species of flower (the Latin name to be safe)– growing your own is fun, or farmer's markets sometimes have options, possibly gourmet stores. 

Viola Tricolour (Heartsease, Johnny Jump Up, Wild Pansy) are those tiny flowers that look like little sisters to the violets bred large for modern gardens. (viola tricolour pictures).  They are good for the brain and the heart and the adrenal glands and more!  Plus they taste like a mild spearmint with fun overtones…..And purple basil is just one of many varieties of basil, I just think it goes best in this drink… after all, how often does one get to eat purple anything??  Sake is a sweetish Japanese wine that has a light flavour when mixed with other things, and no, i didn't choose it for the vitamin content. 

If you are lucky enough to have a strawberry patch, here is a wonderful way to celebrate any excess you can muster:—freeze strawberries whole and separate (on a cookie sheet), after they are hard you can jumble them in a container.

Sake-on-a-Flower

makes two drinks (you need a blender that can handle ice crushing.)

  • 5 or 7 frozen strawberries (med. size)
  • 6 viola tricolour flowers
  • 4 purple basil leaves
  • 2 ice cubes
  • sake (use as half the liquid)
  • soda water to cover stuff in blender
  • glug of maple syrup

whizz, pour into pretty glasses and garnish with extra flowers

(and i suppose for drink mixing, counting flowers can be considered a measurement of sorts..)

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Posted in beautiful consumables, drink me! | 1 Comment »

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