Many people can relate to food boredom. We eat what we know, because familiarity is comfortable, safe and reliable. Still, eating the same foods day in and day out can lack some excitement and compromise good nutrition. To prevent the hum drum of shopping and eating, a food challenge can break the monotony and spark new deliciousness onto your plate. Why not try a new vegetable every week? What about finding a recipe with an unknown ingredient and finding adventure in your kitchen? The possibilities are endless, so try one of these three and I am pretty sure, you’ll be glad you did!

Fiddleheads: You do not make music with them, you eat them! A fiddlehead is a baby fern that is cut before it matures. Just 10 calories per ounce, or 40 calories per half cup, fiddleheads are a pretty good source of protein, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C. Choose ones that are tightly curled, small, firm and bright green. Add them to salads, use as garnish or sauté quickly with vegetables. They are so pretty, you’ll love having them on your plate!

Nutritional yeast: It is not a homeopathic remedy. Nutritional yeast looks like a ground coarse flour.  It is a pure yeast strain called Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is in the same family as mushrooms. It is yellow-brown in appearance and is generally purchased in the bulk food section of health food stores. It is a nutty, cheesy-like flavored food that can be added to foods such as popcorn, stir fries, breads or pastas and is an excellent plant source of B12. It is recommended that vegans incorporate nutritional yeast to best meet their B12 needs. Try it a few times, it will grow on you, well, like yeast.

Lemongrass: Even the name sounds too healthy to be yummy. So commonplace in Thai and many Asian cooking pantries, lemongrass is renowned for immunity boosting and disease fighting properties. When used fresh it is a gorgeous source of fiber and healing properties. In America, we eat chicken soup when we are ailing, in Thailand, they eat lemongrass laden Tom Yum soup – it is said to heal headaches, flus, fevers, arthritis, stomachaches and more. You can also use fresh lemongrass in stir fries, and as a spice in entrees and side dishes. Buy it fresh at Asian markets or dried in the spice isle, your body will thank you.

Come up with your own list of exotic fare and be adventurous in your eating! Remember to give new foods like fiddleheads, nutritional yeast and lemongrass a few tries before deciding if they should be added to your repertoire. Sometimes it takes exposure to remind your palates that new foods can be delicious, too!

What unique foods have you tried lately? 

 Many people can relate to food boredom. We eat what we know, because familiarity is comfortable, safe and reliable. Still, eating the same foods day in and day out can lack some excitement and compromise good nutrition. To prevent the hum drum of shopping and eating, a food challenge can break the monotony and spark new deliciousness onto your plate. Why not try a new vegetable every week? What about finding a recipe with an unknown ingredient and finding adventure in your kitchen? The possibilities are endless, so try one of these three and I am pretty sure, you’ll be glad you did!

Fiddleheads: You do not make music with them, you eat them! A fiddlehead is a baby fern that is cut before it matures. Just 10 calories per ounce, or 40 calories per half cup, fiddleheads are a pretty good source of protein, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C. Choose ones that are tightly curled, small, firm and bright green. Add them to salads, use as garnish or sauté quickly with vegetables. They are so pretty, you’ll love having them on your plate!

Nutritional yeast: It is not a homeopathic remedy. Nutritional yeast looks like a ground coarse flour.  It is a pure yeast strain called Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is in the same family as mushrooms. It is yellow-brown in appearance and is generally purchased in the bulk food section of health food stores. It is a nutty, cheesy-like flavored food that can be added to foods such as popcorn, stir fries, breads or pastas and is an excellent plant source of B12. It is recommended that vegans incorporate nutritional yeast to best meet their B12 needs. Try it a few times, it will grow on you, well, like yeast.

Lemongrass: Even the name sounds too healthy to be yummy. So commonplace in Thai and many Asian cooking pantries, lemongrass is renowned for immunity boosting and disease fighting properties. When used fresh it is a gorgeous source of fiber and healing properties. In America, we eat chicken soup when we are ailing, in Thailand, they eat lemongrass laden Tom Yum soup – it is said to heal headaches, flus, fevers, arthritis, stomachaches and more. You can also use fresh lemongrass in stir fries, and as a spice in entrees and side dishes. Buy it fresh at Asian markets or dried in the spice isle, your body will thank you.

Come up with your own list of exotic fare and be adventurous in your eating! Remember to give new foods like fiddleheads, nutritional yeast and lemongrass a few tries before deciding if they should be added to your repertoire. Sometimes it takes exposure to remind your palates that new foods can be delicious, too!

What unique foods have you tried lately? 

Day 4 of our 5 part series of super foods at your holiday feast brings us Brussels Sprouts. While Brussels Sprouts from childhood may conjure well earned feelings of contempt, give them another try. They have been reinvented – no longer the boiled mushy balls that rolled around on our plates, find them on your platter in beautiful roasted goodness and you’ll be thrilled with their fabulousness. Your body will benefit greatly!

During a calorie laden holiday feast, roasted Brussels sprouts make a tasty and nutritious side dish. Brussels sprouts contain many vital nutrients including folate, vitamin K, potassium, and beta carotene. Containing 3 grams of fiber per serving, Brussels sprouts not only help regulate digestive function but lower cholesterol as well!  To top it all off, they are a rich source of vitamin C with around 50% more vitamin C than your average orange. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that defends the body against chronic disease, increases immunity, and protects skin from aging and harsh environmental conditions.

Try roasting, grilling, braising or marinating as alternative to boiled sprouts. You can use them in place of cabbage in many recipes and find them at markets from fall through winter. They are extremely hearty and will store for 2 weeks.

Balsamic and Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts: serves 4 – 6

Ingredients: 

• 2-3 cups Brussels sprouts, each cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine all ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Close the bag and mix all of the ingredients together. Marinate for 30 minutes, then spread Brussels sprouts onto a large pan. Roast sprouts for 25-30 minutes, mixing half way through, until outside leaves start to char and get crispy.

1. Take a tea break. Baby its cold outside—why not curl up with a warm cup of tea? While you might not be as thirsty in the winter as you were during the summer heat, staying hydrated in the winter is equally essential.  Drinking 8-10 glasses of water and tea per day can help flush out toxins, prevent the skin from drying, increase cell turnover and keep your skin young and fresh. Herbal teas are a great way to stay hydrated; we love Pukka teas from England. Or you can choose a green tea variety to help reduce inflammation for extra beautification. Just be sure to combine drinking plenty of water and/or tea with applying plenty of topical moisturizer—moisturizers help hold water in the skin’s top layer, so they work hand in hand. This translates into great glowing skin despite the harsh winter weather!

2. Eat one orange food and one green food (and no we don’t mean M&Ms!). Halloween is over, but that doesn’t mean orange is out just yet—orange veggies, such as carrots, squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes are full of carotenoids. Carotenoids increase our defense against the sun and damage from UV rays (remember it is important to always use sunscreen for protection, even in the winter!).  They also help prevent acne breakouts and flare-ups that can make your skin blemished and blotchy. Green foods, such as kale and spinach, are full of vitamin C, which can act as your food equivalent of the fountain of youth—vitamin C helps to repair skin by building collagen and helping to ward off those pesky wrinkles. Eat at least one orange and one green food every day and your skin will thank you!

3. Snack on (healthy) fat. We love fat. We aren’t talking about the kind you find in butter, pie and french fries, but rather the healthy fats found in salmon, avocados and chia seeds. These foods contain omega 3 fatty acids, which aid in heart health and weight loss…but did you know they can also give you healthy skin? They help reduce inflammation and prevent collagen breakdown (translation: less wrinkles).  New to chia? Simply mix 2 tablespoons into your yogurt for an added 5 grams of omega 3s. One food that is as good in your belly as it is on your face is an avocado. Avocados contain monounsaturated fat that is rich in vitamins A and E. Vitamin E enhances your skin’s collagen production (translation: smoother skin) while sealing in vital moisture. Try this avocado Go Green Scrub from the O2 Diet and let this double-duty powerhouse work its magic!

4. Eat at least one colorful fruit every day. Fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants not only fight damaging free radicals in your body, they also can fight those winter skin blues too! Antioxidants help protect your skin against damage caused by the sun and harsh weather conditions in the winter. Blueberries have the added benefit of containing compounds that slow wrinkles and the effects of aging. Think of antioxidants as your youth elixir, keeping you beautiful, ageless and energized no matter what the weather has in store. An apple a day could keep those wrinkles at bay!

Got any winter skin secrets of your own that you want to share with us?

Looking to add a little zing to your sex life? Look no further then those oranges filling up your fruit bowl! Oranges are practically synonymous with immune-boosting vitamin C, and full of anti-inflammatory flavanoids. But did you know that these little guys bode well for your sexual health too?! It’s true! According to research conducted at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, the scent of an orange increased male arousal by nearly 20%!

NLT: Forget orange juice, peel an orange for an afternoon snack and
invigorate your senses with the smell of citrus…