By Gina Munsey •
July 31, 2009
It’s nearing May in the heart of Japan’s Nishio area, and beneath the cover of carefully arranged netting, row after row of brilliant jade tencha tea plants are gradually hidden from the sun. As the sunlight fades and the plants retreat into the shade, growth of the plants’ leaves slows, allowing the chlorophyll and antioxidant content to increase.
And under this shaded refuge, Japan’s number one organic matcha is tenderly nurtured. Only the newest small leaves are harvested. After undergoing a gentle steaming process, the tiny leaves are kiln-dried and stone-ground into the AOI (Ah-oh-ee) Tea Company’s prized green matcha powder.
Matcha, which can be enjoyed a variety of different ways, offers a wealth of fantastic health benefits, including antibacterial and antiviral properties.
By Megan Prusynski •
January 9, 2009
This year, one of my new year’s resolutions was to eat more raw and living foods. I recently started attending a monthly raw food potluck and have been inspired by all the delicious recipes and information. I have learned that eating uncooked plant foods is healthy for several reasons: raw fruits and veggies contain lots of fiber, are packed with nutrients, and also retain many useful enzymes that cooking destroys. Having a plot in my local community garden has definitely helped me eat more raw fresh produce as well as eat more sustainably.
As I try to add more living foods to my diet, I’ve tried eating salad with just about every meal, eating raw snacks like trail mixes and fresh fruit, and making more food from scratch. One way of incorporating raw foods into my diet that has been really easy is making fresh juices and smoothies. With the help of gadgets like my Green Star juicer and Vitamix blender, I’ve made many a healthy and scrumptious snack.
One word of juicing wisdom that I’ve learned is that you don’t want to overdo it with fruit juices. Because of their high sugar content, fruit juices can raise blood sugar levels. It’s healthier to drink vegetable juices, or a blend of fruit and vegetable juices. Juices are best in moderation because they deliver many nutrients but since the pulp is removed, they don’t have much fiber. Smoothies, on the other hand, use the entire fruit or vegetable, so the fiber is included. Both juices and smoothies are a great way to get digestible nutrients and add more raw fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Last week I wrote about no/low-cal ways to dress up your water, providing you with variety when you need hydration the most. But what about when the summer heat is so hot, you don’t even feel like a meal? My husband and I play tennis every morning, and a berry smoothie is perfect before or after a match, or if you need nourishment and energy, but don’t want to eat something heavy. Even Starbucks is getting into the smoothie game, but why drink their inevitably processed concoctions when you can make your own from fresh, unprocessed ingredients? Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries are all over the farmer’s markets, or, if they’re available, gooseberries, lingonberries, loganberries, or bilberries make unique additions to a smoothie. Berries are also full of vitamins and antioxidants; you can’t beat them for a sweet treat that’s good for you as well. Megan included them in her top ten quick, healthy, sustainable snacks, and the Green Diva mentioned them in her five ways to enjoy berries.
By Deb Hiett •
June 2, 2008
A Healthy Taste Straight From the Amazon Rainforest
By now, most of us have heard about the high-octane health benefits of acai berries, cultivated exclusively and naturally (without pesticides or chemicals) from the Amazon rainforest. Called by some* to be the “most nutritionally dense” berries, these little jewels apparently have more antioxidants than blueberries and more heart-healthy anthocyanins than red wine. They’re also rich with protein, dietary fiber, with high levels of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Omega-9 fatty acids. Plus, they’ll reduce the prices at the gas pump. (Okay, I’m not certain about that last part….)
But the trick is getting the acai berry pulp as close to the source as possible, and without being over-processed (which depletes the nutritional value considerably). Raw acai is the only sure way to get all the benefits of the berry, and unless you’re planning a trip to Brazil anytime soon, that can be tricky. Even though I’m very mindful of “food miles” and eat locally grown foods almost exclusively, I was eager and curious to try raw acai pulp that is processed as little as is safely possible. Enter Amazonfrutas….
By Carla Wise •
April 4, 2008
I’m here to promote better eating. Not perfect eating, just better eating. I try to buy as much locally-grown organic food as possible, but winter season is humbling. Months of cold gray skies and fewer and fewer local fruits and vegetables make those imported bananas look awfully good. While bananas will never be locally grown in Oregon, they are nutritious, affordable, great kid food, and a huge boon [...]
