What are superfoods?

Superfood is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may provide health benefits as a result. For example, blueberries are often considered a superfood (or superfruit) because they contain significant amounts of antioxidants,, vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber. You don't need specific foods for specific ailments. A healthy diet incorporating a variety of the following superfoods will help you maintain your weight, fight disease, and live longer. One thing they all have in common: Every superfood is going to be a 'real' (unprocessed) food, you don't find fortified potato chips in the superfood category.

How can I use and incorporate superfoods in my daily life?

• Beans
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Dark Chocolate (RAW chocolate is best!)
• Oats
• Oranges
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Soy
• Spinach
• kale
• Tea (green especially)
• Tomatoes
• hemp seeds
• Walnuts
• almonds
• chia seeds
• Yogurt

if you click on the words above I offer other posts I've written with more info about the wonderful superfoods and also a few recipes to use them in!

 All of my superfood blends have all the best superfoods in one place. No need to purchase them all separately, just buy one bag instead of 8! 

Cacao Magic superfood blend has raw Cacao powder, raw cacao nibs, tocos (vit E for hair, skin, nails) chia seeds (good fats to burn bad fat), maca (balances mood), reishi (chinese immunity herb), cordyceps (chinese herb for weightloss) and chaga (energizing herb with no caffeine). 

The Green Dream superfoods have chia seeds, maca, mesquite (high in iron), tocos, spirulina, hemp powder and fresh vanilla bean. 

Our Berry Bliss superfood blend has camu camu (top antioxidant food in the world), pomegranate, acai (combats stress), goji (prevents heart disease) organic whey protein (recovery & rejuvenation-very clean protein source) tocos (improves digestion, glowing skin & strong nails from Vitamin E) camu camu (immunity) and mangosteen (antibiotic & anti-fungal). 

the Yummiest Superfood Yet ... Dark Chocolate

Research has shown that dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and can lower blood pressure. It's recommended that you look for chocolate with 60% or higher cocoa content; the darker, the better! In addition, the darker it is, the lower the fat and sugar content. Now that's my kind of health food!

here are two recipes using dark chocolate/cacao (chocolate in it's most raw form):

1. Peppermint Patty Recipe

2. Delicious Chocolate Cake

and Here's an awesome breakfast I've been making lately--super filling and superfood rich!

Superfood Oats

• 1 C Steelcut oats (follow instructions on the box)
• 2 T Cacao Magic blend
• 1 T goji berries (see pic below)
• 1/2 Organic Canned Pumpkin
• 1 t coconut oil (i like Garden of Life brand)
• 2 T almond butter (i get Trader Joes brand, raw & creamy)
• 1 T Agave or Raw Honey (i buy from our local farmers market) or Stevia if watching sugar
• Cinnamon to taste
• fresh berries for topping (like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)

1. follow instructions on box for cooking steelcut oats. (can also use quinoa or instant low-sugar oats)

2. The last minute or so, add the pumpkin, almond butter, goji berries and cinnamon. Stir all ingredients until mixed.

3. Remove oats from heat. Mix the coconut oil, cacao powder and agave/honey/sweetener in the bowl you'll be using and mix well with a spoon until it forms a chocolate sauce. Pour oats in bowl. Add fresh berries. Enjoy!

*double/triple the amount so you can save in containers for easy power-breakfasts in the next few days!

As upset as I was to hear I had to have a c-section after 17 hours of sitting in the hospital in labor, 3 weeks later I've luckily recovered quickly and easily.

A few clients and friends have asked what my "secret" is to my speedy recovery and weight loss. All I can do is share advice on what I did/do and hopefully it helps others in their journey.

Healthy Eating=Healthy Mind and Healthy Body

[caption id="attachment_1644" align="alignleft" width="153" caption="green juice!"][/caption]

Throughout my pregnancy and especially post-pregnancy, I really stressed getting organic, healthy, REAL food into my body. I stay away from anything processed, steer clear of sugar and anything unnatural. If I am craving something sweet I reach for fruit, dark chocolate or vegan ice cream. As soon as I had the baby (the DAY after) I had my mom bring me fresh green vegetable juice to obtain the energy from the chlorophyll and the rejuvenating properties of the nutrients in the veggies. I ate omega-3 rich salmon and brown rice for the protein and fiber.  By getting back into this routine of eating healthy, beautiful, nutrient-dense foods, it allowed me to quickly gain energy and strength.

I made sure to get in a lot of warming foods postpartum, like ginger, coconut water and cooked foods like quinoa and sauteed veggies.  In Chinese medicine it is thought that pregnancy is a time you are very warm internally and need to balance it with cooling foods (like raw fruits and veggies), and postpartum is a time your body is very cold and needs to be warmed. Staying hydrated is VERY important for recovery, especially when breastfeeding. Drinking room temperature water rather than cold water can help keep the balance of warm vs cold in your body as well.

Yoga and Exercise for a Speedy Recovery

[caption id="attachment_1438" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="walking 9 months pregnant"][/caption]

During my pregnancy I worked out 4-5 times per week. In the beginning I did all the same workouts: running, jogging, swimming, stair stepper, cross training, cross-fit, power yoga, jump roping, weight lifting and spinning (check out my post on exercise and pregnancy for more details). After my belly got larger, I didn't feel comfortable doing high-intensity workouts or anything that required jumping. I continued doing yoga and light cardio (swimming, walking and stairs) as often as I could. 3 days before having Kai, I was at a power yoga class. There were weeks I didn't feel like doing anything, but I made sure to walk uphill and do a modified yoga practice. After wards without fail, I felt better. This was key. In the immediate, I had more energy. In the long term, I'm convinced it's what is ensuring my speedy recovery.

In the days following my surgery I would walk around the hospital hallways doing laps. I would hold onto my husband or a family member while hobbling up and down the halls. It made a huge difference and with each lap I felt stronger than the last. When I got home I'd deliberately make several trips up and down the stairs, slowly and carefully, to get a glass of water or whatever I needed. This helped train my body and let it know it was time to get moving. Of course, I listened to my body and what it needed. I didn't push anything. But I was ready to start recovering very quickly: both mentally and physically.

Mind over matter

In the first few days, you almost have to force yourself to create healthy habits. Begin walking as soon as you possibly can. Find the healthiest things on your hospital menu to order, and if there isn't anything, have someone bring you food. Make sure you get adequate water immediately, more than you think you need. Try and ween yourself off the pain killers as soon as you can. This is doing nothing for your recovery because you can't even feel what's happening in your body. Take Motrin instead: it's an anti-inflammatory that helps reduce the swelling from your surgery and also reduce pain in your body. Keep your body "warm" with warming foods from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here's a complete list. Finally, be sure to exercise throughout your entire pregnancy, no matter how much you don't want to. It will help with weight loss on the other side. I highly recommend yoga, in case I haven't mentioned that before. (ha!)  :)

See Part Two of this Journey-3 months post-pregnancy!

As upset as I was to hear I had to have a c-section after 17 hours of sitting in the hospital in labor, 3 weeks later I've luckily recovered quickly and easily.

A few clients and friends have asked what my "secret" is to my speedy recovery and weight loss. All I can do is share advice on what I did/do and hopefully it helps others in their journey.

Healthy Eating=Healthy Mind and Healthy Body

Throughout my pregnancy and especially post-pregnancy, I really stressed getting organic, healthy, REAL food into my body. I stay away from anything processed, steer clear of sugar and anything unnatural. If I am craving something sweet I reach for fruit, dark chocolate or vegan ice cream. As soon as I had the baby (the DAY after) I had my mom bring me fresh green vegetable juice to obtain the energy from the chlorophyll and the rejuvenating properties of the nutrients in the veggies. I ate omega-3 rich salmon and brown rice for the protein and fiber.  By getting back into this routine of eating healthy, beautiful, nutrient-dense foods, it allowed me to quickly gain energy and strength.

I made sure to get in a lot of warming foods postpartum, like ginger, coconut water and cooked foods like quinoa and sauteed veggies.  In Chinese medicine it is thought that pregnancy is a time you are very warm internally and need to balance it with cooling foods (like raw fruits and veggies), and postpartum is a time your body is very cold and needs to be warmed. Staying hydrated is VERY important for recovery, especially when breastfeeding. Drinking room temperature water rather than cold water can help keep the balance of warm vs cold in your body as well. 

Yoga and Exercise for a Speedy Recovery

[caption id="attachment_1438" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="walking 9 months pregnant"][/caption]

During my pregnancy I worked out 4-5 times per week. In the beginning I did all the same workouts: running, jogging, swimming, stair stepper, cross training, cross-fit, power yoga, jump roping, weight lifting and spinning (check out my post on exercise and pregnancy for more details). After my belly got larger, I didn't feel comfortable doing high-intensity workouts or anything that required jumping. I continued doing yoga and light cardio (swimming, walking and stairs) as often as I could. 3 days before having Kai, I was at a power yoga class. There were weeks I didn't feel like doing anything, but I made sure to walk uphill and do a modified yoga practice. After wards without fail, I felt better. This was key. In the immediate, I had more energy. In the long term, I'm convinced it's what is ensuring my speedy recovery.

In the days following my surgery I would walk around the hospital hallways doing laps. I would hold onto my husband or a family member while hobbling up and down the halls. It made a huge difference and with each lap I felt stronger than the last. When I got home I'd deliberately make several trips up and down the stairs, slowly and carefully, to get a glass of water or whatever I needed. This helped train my body and let it know it was time to get moving. Of course, I listened to my body and what it needed. I didn't push anything. But I was ready to start recovering very quickly: both mentally and physically.

Mind over matter

In the first few days, you almost have to force yourself to create healthy habits. Begin walking as soon as you possibly can. Find the healthiest things on your hospital menu to order, and if there isn't anything, have someone bring you food. Make sure you get adequate water immediately, more than you think you need. Try and ween yourself off the pain killers as soon as you can. This is doing nothing for your recovery because you can't even feel what's happening in your body. Take Motrin instead: it's an anti-inflammatory that helps reduce the swelling from your surgery and also reduce pain in your body. Keep your body "warm" with warming foods from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here's a complete list. Finally, be sure to exercise throughout your entire pregnancy, no matter how much you don't want to. It will help with weight loss on the other side. I highly recommend yoga, in case I haven't mentioned that before. (ha!)  :)

See Part Two of this Journey-3 months post-pregnancy!