Ginger, a healing herb

Ginger is a root with a lot of health benefits. Ginger is a powerful antioxidant, it's often used to ease throat pain, to reduce colon spasms and cramps and it's excellent for nausea. Ginger also contains a large number of nutrients, it's a great source of vitamins B6 and C, potassium and magnesium.

One of my favourite ginger recipes is ginger tea. I'm drinking a cup as we speak :) Just boil some filtered water, add a few pieces of fresh ginger root, add some lemon (or lime in my case) and some Stevia or Agave nectar to sweeten it up. The perfect drink to warm you up.

xoxo

Fruit salad: a raw food breakfast

I love having breakfast on a Sunday morning. Today I felt like making a big bowl of fresh fruit salad. Chopping up some fruits into a fruit salad makes a wonderful raw food breakfast and a great & healthy way to start your day.

I used 4 of my favourite fruits: apple, banana, blueberries and raspberries.

Apples are low in calories and are a good source of vitamin C, a powerful natural antioxidant. Bananas are rich in calories, but low in fats. Bananas are a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Fresh bananas are also a very good source of potassium. Blueberries (my personal favourite) are very low in calories and are very powerful antioxidants. Raspberries are also low in calories and are rich in vitamin A, C and E. One big bowl of nutrients, I love it :)

For a bit of protein, I added some chopped nuts to my fruit salad (I used cashews). And last but not least I made it a superfood fruit salad by adding 1 tbsp of chia seeds and 1 tbsp of goji berries.

Have a great Sunday! xoxo

 

Whole Foods Market

Next week I'm going to Miami and one of the top things on my to do-list is shop till I drop at Whole Foods Market, not kidding :). Whole Foods Market is the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods in North America and the UK.

Whole Foods is like paradise for a gluten-free foodie like me. Unfortunately there are not a lot of organic gluten-free stores in Belgium yet so this is like a trip to Disneyland :). I can't wait to try new things and get inspiration for new gluten-free & raw recipes. To be continued :) xoxo

Nuts & seeds

OK, I'll admit it. I have an addiction too. I'm addicted to nuts & seeds. Not a day goes by without eating some of them. My favourites are cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds... Actually, I like them all :)
If I say I'm addicted, I'm not kidding. Seriously, I put nuts & seeds in everything; in salads, pasta's, granola, raw desserts or I just eat them raw as a snack. I love them. I sometimes eat raw almond butter out of the jar, can't help myself, it's too delicious!

Lucky for me, nuts & seeds have a lot of health benefits, they are very nutritious and are definitely part of a healthy diet. Nuts are rich in energy, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. I'm talking about raw nuts of course, not the roasted & salted ones.

"A handful of nuts helps keep heart disease away"

Eating nuts is also good for the heart and to lower your cholesterol. But like all good things, do it but don't overdo it, a handful of nuts a day is enough :)

xoxo

Choose real food

I couldn't have said it better myself :)

Choose real food and count your nutrients, not your calories.

xoxo

Chia seeds

The chia seed is a very nutritious gluten-free superfood! Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, antioxidants, protein, vitamins and minerals and not to mention... the richest known plant source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Chia seeds don't have a strong flavour of their own and they are easily digestible so that makes them perfect to add to your diet in salads, treats, smoothies,...

Try adding 1 or 2 tbsp of chia seeds to your diet everyday!

xoxo

Mango salad

Mango aka the king of fruit is a very nutritious super fruit! Mangoes are rich in vitamin A & C, beta carotene, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium etc.

Mangoes taste great on their own so they make a great snack. Or you can add them to a salad to have a fresh & healthy meal.

Here's one of my favourite mango salads:

• Rocket salad
• 1 avocado
• 1 mango
• chopped tomatoes
• chopped walnuts or pecans
• juice of 1/2 lime
• extra virgin olive oil
• walnut oil
• celtic sea salt
• pepper

xoxo

Carob, a substitute for chocolate

Carob is a tropical bean, often used as a substitute for chocolate. Carob powder looks a lot like cacao powder but it's less bitter. Carob contains a lot of nutrients such as vitamin A, D, some of the B-vitamins, calcium, iron, fiber, antioxidants, protein, etc. Carob is low in fat and helps stabilize our blood sugar level.

Sounds like the perfect ingredient to make treats with, doesn't it?

I made some raw cashew carob cookies. Delicious with a cup of apple tea & some blueberries.

• 1 cup cashews
• 1 tbsp of nut butter
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup carob powder
• 5 pitted dates
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• a pinch of celtic sea salt
• splash of filtered water

xoxo

Raw vegan sushi rolls

Let's talk about Japanese sushi. Most people think sushi is light & healthy, but unfortunately sushi often contains high-fat sauces, white rice and other not-so-healthy ingredients.
But of course... it's not all bad :) Nori (black seaweed) is actually rich in iron and calcium and quite high in protein. Nori is also a good source of vitamine A, C and some of the B vitamins.

So what do you think about raw vegan sushi rolls as a healthy alternative to 'regular' sushi? For me, it was love at first sight!

These are the ingredients I use, but you can of course add others:

• red pepper
• tomato
• cucumber
• zucchini
• carrots
• spring onion
• ginger
• avocado
• alfalfa sprouts
• nori sheets
• splash of filtered water

Finish up with a delicious dressing, I used extra virgin olive oil, balsamic oil, grated ginger, lime juice, sea salt, pepper and a splash of Agave nectar.
Enjoy these guilt-free-sushi rolls :)

xoxo