The Power of Sunflower Seeds

These salty-crunchy babies are my favorite snack right now. 

Sunflower seeds!

The Power of Sunflower!

Did you know that just a 1/4 cup of seeds gives you half of your daily vitamin E, which of course keeps your heart healthy, your skin and hair looking great, and fights infection throughout the entire body by neutralizing free radicals.

They also are known to reduce the symptoms of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as the risk of complications due to diabetes. WELL ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! GIMME SOME OF THOSE!

And to top them off, because they are full of phytosterols, they also reduce high cholesterol levels, build up the immune system and decrease risk of certain cancers. TRIPLE SCORE!

I love having them straight up, but adding a teaspoon or so into my salads brings the salad to a new level.

YUM! Eat up friends!

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Pink Himalayan Salt

Hi, My name is Moksha, and I am a saltaholic. For real!

 I always have been. 

I love salt and I crave it. Sometimes, I need to just take a few crystals and eat them. It relieves my craving for salty, carb ridden food. I'm telling you this because I ONLY do this with Pink Himalayan salt. Nothing else! Well, unless i'm eating pretzels...... I do it with bad pretzel salt too.

Pink salt is it is NOT your average table salt! It has not been refined like table salt. In fact, it's in your best interest to get rid of regular table salt from your home and diet all together. Sodium Chloride, AKA table salt, is a super refined, processed "salt" that has no nutrients. It's just bad for you.

Pink Himalayan salt on the other hand has 80 + minerals and elements our body needs. It's a SUPER SALT! Creating an electrolyte balance in your body.

This super salt:

-INCREASES hydration instead of depriving you from it.
-Regulates water content both inside and outside of cells.
-Has a balance pH (alkaline/acidity) and helps to reduce acid reflux.
-Prevents muscle cramping. (This is a real help for me. I get calf cramps in the middle of the night.)
-Aids in proper metabolism functioning.
-Helps strengthen bones.
-Lowers blood pressure.
-Helps the intestines absorb nutrients.
-Prevent goiters.
-Improves circulation.
-Dissolves and eliminates sediment to remove toxins.

Now, i'm not telling you to just eat salt like I do once in a while. It's not healthy to have too much of anything. But I am telling you to make the switch to Pink Salt and remove the refined table salt from your diet where possible. 

The good news is, you can buy Pink salt almost everywhere now. Even Wallmart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyon, Home Good Store, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Ralphs, Vons, Gelsons, Pavillions.... the list goes on. Just keep an eye out for it. And stock up!


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Red Onions

WHY OH WHY DO ONIONS MAKE ME CRY?

I have never been a raw onion lover. Maybe it’s because my eyes are so sensitive to everything that the slightest smell of a raw onion makes my eyes tear.

I deal with it though and get puffy eyes anyways because I use onions to cook with often. And I am enjoying raw red onions more and more these days. They are packed with good stuff! 

Full of vitamins C and B6, iron, folate, and potassium and most importantly amazing phytochemicals. They are a super food along with garlic! They are an anti-allergic, anti-histaminic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant, rolled into 1 potent smelly ball. 

YUMMAY! 

So, why do these amazing super veg make your eyes BURN and tear so bad as soon as you cut into them? Well, I learned that when you cut into an onion, you’re breaking open microscopic cells filled with enzymes that turn into volatile gasses when cut. This causes a chemical reaction similar to the chemicals used in tear gas. WOH right? When the fumes reach the eye glands, your eyes begin to create tears trying to dilute and flush the chemical from your eyes. AMAZING FOOD!

I don’t know about you but, but it takes my eyes at the least an hour or more to recover after cutting onions!  And really there is nothing I have found that help with the fumes onions produce 100%. But, these small tricks give a tiny bit of relief.

• By using a sharp knife, less of the enzymes are released into the air.
• Cut onions in cold water. 
• Cut the root last!! The root has a higher concentration of enzymes.
• Chill or freeze onions. This minimizes the amount of gas released.
• Light a match before you start chopping. The sulfur disables the compounds in onions that make your eyes water.
• Use a food processor.
• Wear kitchen goggles to protect your eyes. (LOL! Yeah right. If you do this, you must send me a picture! :) )

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Persimmon Fruit

~Persimmons~

This is one of my families favorite snacks. We are a happy family when these are in season. Which is November through February. When looking to buy this mild and sweet fruit, make sure to buy the non-astringent persimmon, like Fuyu (Fuyugaki), Gosho/Giant Fuyu/O'Gosho, Imoto, Izu, Jiro, Maekawajiro, Okugosho, Suruga. These are my personal favorite and are eaten while crispy, like apples. OMG heaven!!!! My 5 yr old Begs for them! 

Persimmons not only taste amazing but they have amazing health benefits. You need to take advantage while you can this winter. Something different is a good delicious thing in life.

They are a true SUPER FOOD!

-They are high in calories (70+ calories) but very low in fats. 

-It's a very good source of dietary fiber. 100 g of fresh fruit contains 9.5% of recommended daily intake of fiber.

-They contain important anti-tumor, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic (prevents bleeding from small blood vessels)

-They contain vitamin-A, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin. Together, these compounds functions as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals that play a role in aging and various disease processes.

-They are a good source of vitamin-C, another powerful antioxidant. Eating foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.

-They contain many B-complex vitamins such as folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), thiamin...etc. These vitamins act as co-factors for numerous metabolic enzymatic functions in the body. 

-They also contain healthy amounts of minerals like potassium, manganese (15% of DRI), copper (12% of DRI), and phosphorus.

-PHEW! So get them while you can! Seek them out at your local farmers markets and grocery stores before the season ends. They are Beautiful inside and out!!

Besides eating them raw, there are MANY amazing recipes you can try using them. Here is a wonderful recipe to try from Food52.com

Persimmon and Goat Cheese Salad

Serves 4

• 6 cups mixed greens, any style
• 1 Fuyu persimmon, diced 
• 1 small apple, diced 
• 1/2 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
• 4 tablespoons tangerine juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 pinch salt 
• 2 dashes pepper

1. Place the greens in a salad bowl and top with the fruits and goat cheese. In a small bowl, whisk tangerine juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil in a small stream. Adjust to taste. combine with greens and toss. Sprinkle almonds over all. Serve.   
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