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…
Bee Pollen by HLife Photography
There are so many different ways of verbally glorifying bee pollen because its just that holistically amazing. It’s a complete food famous since ancient times due to its nutritional properties and medicinal benefits. Throughout centuries, bee pollen has been referred to via a variety of names, among these “the semen of the plant kingdom,” “the original treasure house of nutrition and medicine,” “the ultimate superfood,” and “the proactive life force of the plant world.” My family and I like to refer to bee pollen as “the real gold nuggets.” In Spanish we called them “las pepitas de oro” (seeds of gold). Read More…
Red Kale by HLife Photography
If you appreciate beauty inside and out, behold…The Kale. Personally, I find it so sexy and graceful-looking. I’ve often though about doing photo-shot wearing kale as a gown. Its external beauty is just the tip of the iceberg, though. It’s a superstar vegetable because, on the inside, its a definite nutritional powerhouse. Read More…
Ahh, the famous apple. From bringing down the Garden of Eden to keeping the doctor away…pretty powerful little fruit, wouldn’t you say? Today, let’s explore the apple’s micro-universe to see why it is so great for our own micro-universe. From reducing risks of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes overall to lowering risk of heart attack by 32% by eating one a day, studies find apples’s benefits are plentiful. Personally, with a particular apple derivative, I’m like the dad in the movie Big Fat Greek Wedding: Apple cider vinegar (and aloe vera) is my “Windex” – I apply it to all kinds of things and, let me tell you, it works. Read More…
Rainbow Veggie Pasta by HLife Photography
This year and from here on, HKitchen will be featuring more RAW recipes to keep our cells nourished and young with antioxidant-rich veggies and our bodies slim from the intestine-cleansing veggie fiber! When we are making raw meals, it is extremely important that your veggies are organic. Because of the guidelines by which it is farmed, organic produce has a huge amount of nutrients, as nature intended, unlike the nutrient-depleted conventional produce filled with pesticides and the even worse genetically modified fossil fuel-based produce, like conventional corn and soy. So, be sure to support organic farmers as much as you can. Also when eating raw foods, always remember to chew your foods thoroughly. The purpose of chewing is to break down the cell walls of the veggies, which contain their own enzymes for better digestion, solar/photon energy captured by photosynthesis, and all the amazing nutrients needed on a molecular level – all ready. We can have access to all this amazing nutrition (in the true meaning of the word) by chewing very well and using our teeth as a powerful tool for breaking food down. As you chew, your will also release your own enzyme in your saliva, called amylase. Amylase stars digestion of carbohydrates (it only breaks down carbohydrates, not proteins or fats) and converts starch and glycogen into simple sugars. So chew lots and buy organic. Now, let’s go experience some nutrition and great flavor!! Read More…
