​What does your healthy lunch consist of today? Is it a salad? Let me guess…with lettuce and tomatoes? Can I challenge you today to think outside the box? Try something new, who knows you might like it!
In the pursuit of a healthier plate, it is necessary to try something that you have not tried before. I for one ventured and tried Pea Shoots for the first time some days ago. Can I say, it was deeee-licious!!

What are Pea Shoots?

Pea Shoots are the leaves of the traditional garden pea plant. They are the choice leaves and tendrils of pea plants, which are typically harvested from snow pea vines, although they can be from any type of garden pea.
Pea shoots have been prominent in Asian cuisine for some time, but they are now one of the newer ingredients showing up in farmer's markets and where organic produce are sold.
Pea Shoots are not only delicious and nutritious but also packed with vitamins A, C and folic acid. They contain: four times more vitamin A than tomatoes, seven times more vitamin C than blueberries, and eight times more folic acid than bean sprouts.
They  are also low in fat and are considered a super powered addition to any diet. (just 9 calories per 50g bag)
 
How I used them
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Pea shoots are very easy to prepare, are known to bring out the flavor of any salad, or can be an addition to any healthy meal.

When I first tried Pea shoots, I simply sautéed them with some onions and seasonings, and served them with a stuffed omelet with steamed cauliflower on the side. My husband, who usually wants meat with his meals, thought it was delicious and even asked for a second helping.

I get excited about new healthy food items that I can add to my family’s menu plan and I’m super excited (with all it nutritious benefits) that pea shoots made the list. 

What new and/or exotic healthy food have you tried recently? Let me know in the comments below. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

I can remember when I was young, my mother used to chase me around the house with a glass of freshly juiced carrot juice. I would scream bloody murder, scrunch up my face, hold my nose and act like it was the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted in my life. And to me, at that point, it was. Oh, to be a kid again!!

As I get older, I realize the benefits of carrot juice and now I juice for myself, adding a twist to it now and then. A very easy combination that you can try is Carrot Juice and Almond Milk (using unsweetened Almond Milk). This is a great shake that you can use in the morning with your breakfast or in the evening after a long day. It is very easy to prepare and tastes fantastic. The list of benefits includes promoting heart health, improving skin, helping in bone health and development and so much more.

The directions are very easy to follow:

Step One: Wash and clean carrot.

Step Two: Put them through a juicer to extract the juice.

Step Three: Pour Almond Milk into a glass.

Step Four: Add an equal amount of Carrot Juice (this amount can vary depending on your preference).

Step Five: Mix and enjoy.

So, it's summer and the grill has been whipped out. Your freshly squeezed orange juice is waiting on ice, and the kids are enjoying their homemade fruit popsicles. Now time to focus on the meal for your guests. Impress your guests by offering them a healthier alternative to the usual beef burgers. Try the great tasting Portabella mushrooms between your whole wheat burger buns. Compared to beef slabs, Portabella mushrooms are low in sodium and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  They are also an excellent source of thiamin, vitamin B6, magnesium, folate, zinc, and manganese. They also provide dietary fiber, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, copper and selenium. And if you are concerned about protein, these mushrooms provide you with an adequate percentage of that as well, with the benefits of lower calories, without losing the meaty texture of beef. Try spraying the grill with cooking spray and grill the mushroom for 10 minutes on each side. Top it with your favorite burger extras and enjoy. Keep everyone fit and fabulous for summer.

Almonds are a great choice for your mid-morning or afternoon snack. They provide the much needed magnesium that you require daily, plus they are rich in potassium, manganese, copper, vitamin E , selenium, and calcium. And in case you didn't know, a quarter cup of almonds has almost as much calcium as a quarter cup of milk. So go ahead and grab about one handful of almonds, and enjoy them with your favorite fruit, for a smart and healthy addition to your meal plan.

You can't live without sodas or soft drinks, huh?? Well I suggest you rethink that notion!
I had a client in the past who was literally addicted to soft drinks. She drank about 8 - 12 cans per day, maybe more. She had tried to ween herself off of it years before we met, and she suffered from headaches, sweats and nervous shakes. We tried again, when she came in to start her workout and health improvement program with me, but she was only able to get her intake down to a certain level before her symptoms resumed and she could not muster enough willpower to work through it again.
Before you think that drinking soda is a joke and the claimed addictions are not real, think again! Soda can reek havoc on your internal system and introduce you to a host of unnecessary ills.
I came across this great posting from Diet Blog that gives a perfect pictorial on the health effects of drinking to much soda.
Check it out below (click the photo for a bigger image):