HLife | Healthy Living Redefined

Summer Salad by HLife Photography

Summer time means beach time, high water-content fruits, lots of alkaline/ionized H2O, and, for sure, even more consumption of DELICIOUS salads!!! This has been my basic summer salad, with some variations here and there. It’s easy to make, taste-alicious, simple and nutrish, so much so that I even take this salad on the go, and savor every bite where ever I am. Read More…

Black Quinoa Salad by HLife Photography

Our HFood for April is quinoa, but at HLife headquarters, this wonderfood is a culinary staple. If you haven’t read this weeks HFood yet, the answer is yes, quinoa does come in black (and also in red), and that’s what we’ll be using in this week’s HKitchen recipe, along with other tints and hues in the form of bright veggies. My mother always said (and still says, even though we’ve heard it a million times) “Colors! For optimal nutrition your dish must be very colorful!” And we still say: “Thank you mommy!” (hug/kiss).  The colorful idea is right – what this translates to in the world of food science is that the meal is filled with loads of antioxidants, which are the guys that give the vegetables their pigmentation. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from causing cellular damage and numerous illnesses like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and many other ailments associated with aging. Antioxidants keep us young, strengthen our immune system, maximize our brain power, and rejuvenate our hearts (and studies have shown that they may even reverse the aging process itself). The key to great health is to maintain the right balance of antioxidants and free radicals. We do this through our food choices, and the only place to get these amazing antioxidants is: The Vegetable Kingdom (of course).

Now, WHO WANTS THIS REJUVENATING SALAD? Read More…

The Real Meal Salad By HLife Photography

When a salad is 80% of your meal – a portion from which we are expected to get loads of vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, phytonutrients, a variety of amino acids and good fats – a few leaves with two wheels of veggies on top just won’t cut it. My expectations are higher, and I aim to succeed in nourishing my body with the proper nutrients in order to maintain my optimal physical health.  One of my pet peeves is what I call “petty” salads.  This is the salad that is mostly made up of some leaves (for fluff), a couple of tomato wheels (if we are lucky to get more than one), a cucumber slice and one thin ring of onion chopped in half, or maybe a couple of carrot shavings. Not only is this a weak attempt at a salad, it is unfortunately a sad reality that most of us get served when out to dinner at a restaurant (or let’s be honest, at many persons’ dining tables). That needs to change. Although my salads are always nutrient dense, in this hearty, real meal salad, I decided to focus on antioxidant count, protein density and iron absorption in particular.  Let’s do this. Read More…

Happy and healthy holidays to all.  This week, we are sharing a dish we make for every holiday meal: our vegan version of a Russian Salad. From the amazing color that makes you feel alive, to the delicious flavor that keeps unfolding through your taste buds, this is “a salad to love.”

Now, because it contains potato, it’s not the kind of salad you have every day, or as the main side in a meal.  There should always be a raw dark green leaf-based salad on the table as the protagonist of your meal, and the Russian Salad can be the best friend, supporting role of the culinary event. This is probably as simple-carb crazy as our family gets on holiday meals: 1 1/2 red potato, between 5 people… AWESOME!  This means no one will have lowered his or her immune system by eating this food.  AND WE LOVE THAT. Let’s get to this tasty explosion-in-your-mouth kind of a dish. Did I mention it’s super easy to prepare? Read More…

People always say, “How can you eat a salad in cold weather?” I’ve got two things to say about that: 1) Not only does my body tell me, “feed me, Seymour..I mean Silvie…give us some raw nourishment aka salad!” and I listen to my inner voice and deliver the goods, but  2) As far as food goes, we are not just dealing with hot or cold foods, but also with individual veggies that in themselves have either warming or cooling energy, and how these affect our bodies internally.  Whether raw or cooked, foods (live foods) have their own energy, and this energy can generate heat in our body or cool energy.  Now, because of bio-individuality, each person is different (different energy needs) so it’s up to the individual to notice how the body reacts with the different types of foods. Personally, 80% of my daily meals are always raw salads.  They keep the body alkaline, which allows for an environment where bad bacteria will not proliferate (bacteria love acid environs.)  Raw salads are also filled with enzymes that help the body have a better digestion, enzymes that are heat-sensitive and often die when something is cooked.  Hearty and dense salads (the kind with lots of high quality veggies) are also loaded with tons of vitamins, minerals, fiber, complex carbohydrates and  quality amino acids. Read More…