8 New Superfoods You Should be Eating

From an article by Allison Young for 

Women's Health magazine,

here is a way to make eating heathily

much more interesting.

Take a look at 8 fresh cancer fighting,

age-defying, energy boosting

ingredients to add to your plate:

Kefir

With more protein and less sugar than yogurt, but the same tangy taste, probiotics and creamy texture, Kefir is thought to be an immune system enhancer, and may protect against colon cancer.

What is kefir?

Try It Instead of yogurt in salad dressings or smoothies. Plain kefir is in the dairy aisle, but Lifeway makes a dessert-ready frozen variety too.

Jicama

This slightly sweet and crunchy root veggie stars inulin, a belly-flattening fiber that acts as a prebiotic to promote helpful bacteria in the gut. It's also an excellent source of vitamin C, which may boost collagen and fight wrinkles. 

Try It Cooked or raw in slaws, stir-fries, tacos, and salads, or tossed in lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder. Find it at farmers' markets or Mexican groceries

Chia

One tablespoon of these nutty-tasting edible seeds has as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, plus bone-building calcium and heart-healthy omega-3s.
Chia is also a good source of iron, which many women don't get enough of,
 (Related: 8 Surprising Foods for Heart Health)
Try It On cereal, salads, and soups, or use it to thicken puddings and stir-fries. (The seeds absorb liquid and acquire a gel-like texture.) Available at natural grocery stores.

Sprouts

 

Three-day-old broccoli plants may contain 

up to 50 times more 

of the anticancer agent sulforaphane 

than mature stalks, 

but without the pungent taste.

Try Them On sandwiches, wraps, pizza, baked potatoes, 

stews, stir-fries, tacos, and just about anything else you can think of. 

Black Garlic

 Fermentation gives this garlic its sweet, clove-and-caramel flavor and concentrates its natural antioxidants to nearly double that of a raw bulb. These compounds help lower cholesterol and can help decrease cancer risk, says Janet Helm, R.D., of NutritionUnplugged.com. And the black stuff comes with no nasty breath! 

Try It In fondue, sauces, pizza, and, believe it or not, cookies, brownies, and cakes. Order some at blackgarlic.com.

Kelp

A possible anti-breast-cancer crusader, kelp is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, and other essential nutrients. And its natural alginate fiber may help block fat, says nutritionist Christine Avanti.

Try It In powdered form, mixed into meatballs and soups; use sheets (kombu) as uber-low-cal wrappers. Some specialty stores carry Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles (kelpnoodles.com), which have just six calories per serving!

Nutritional Yeast 

A single serving of these cheese-like flakes has an incredible nine grams of satiating protein and provides more than your RDA of B vitamins to help boost energy, squash stress, and decrease your risk for chronic diseases.
Try It As a dairy-free sub for Parmesan on popcorn, potatoes, pasta, or scrambled eggs. You can find this yeast in specialty markets or health-food stores.

Barley

 

 This sweet, nutty supergrain is rich in niacin (for healthy hair and skin) and cancer-fighting lignans. Plus, "the soluble fiber keeps your cholesterol levels healthy, cutting your risk for heart disease," says Geagan.

Try It In place of pasta, rice, or oatmeal. Or swap Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Barley Flour (bobsredmill.com) for up to a third of the flour in baked goods. Both are available at regular grocery stores.

 

The 5 Grossest Things You're Eating

This is pretty hideous!
Men's Health magazine ran a piece on 
the 5 grossest things we're eating.
Here's what they said:

1. Grain Products

 Why they're gross: Many packaged breads and baked goods contain L-cysteine-a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair (often from China) or duck feathers (mmmm). Food manufacturers use the ingredient as a commercial dough conditioner, meant to improve the texture of breads and baked goods.

Why it's bad: Eating something derived from the human body violates the religious and ethical beliefs of Muslims and vegans. Plus, eew! If you want to avoid ingesting hair and feathers-and really, who doesn't?-try eating unprocessed whole grains like oats and brown rice, and make your own baked goods whenever possible. (Search: Which whole grains are the healthiest?)

2. Shrimp

 Why it's gross: Depending on where your shrimp comes from, it could be tainted with chemicals used to clean filthy shrimp-farm pens. Just as disgusting, farmed shrimp from overseas is often full of antibiotics, mouse and rat hair, and pieces of insects (yummy!).

Why it's bad: Only about 2 percent of all imported seafood is inspected, meaning this nasty stuff is making its way onto your plate. Contaminated shrimp tends to come from critters imported from overseas shrimp farms, so if you're looking for safer-and more appetizing-options, choose domestic shrimp. (Search: Make sure you're eating the healthiest seafood in the sea).

3. Salad Dressing

 Why it's gross: Big food corporations often add the chemical titanium dioxide-commonly found in paints and sunscreens-to processed foods like salad dressing, coffee creamers, and canned icing to make them appear whiter.
Why it's bad: Titanium dioxide is a component of the metallic element titanium, a mined substance that's sometimes contaminated with toxic lead. Plus, most white dressings (like cream-based ranch) aren't great for you anyway. Both your health and your waistline will fare better if you go with an olive oil- or vinegar-based salad topper instead. Or, better yet, make your dressing at home.

4. Jelly Beans

 Why it's gross: Many artificial food dyes-found in hundreds of everyday foods-are made from petroleum-derived materials. Food producers use these chemical dyes in cereals and candy to make them more "fun" for kids, in pickles to make them appear fresher, and in place of real ingredients in a variety of other packaged foods. Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Mix, for example, is actually a carrot-free product, with "carrot flavored pieces" cooked up from corn syrup and artificial colors Yellow 6 and Red 40.

Why it's bad: Orange and purple food dyes have been shown to impair brain function, and other dyes have been linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in kids, as well as brain-cell toxicity. And not only are these additives potentially hazardous, but they're also a rip-off! It's cheaper for food companies to use fake dyes in place of real ingredients, so you end up with food frauds like Tropicana Twister Cherry Berry Blast, a "juice" product without a trace of cherry or berry juice (check out our full list of the 20 Worst Drinks in America). Get your brightly colored foods from the produce aisle only!

5. Canned Mushrooms

Why they're gross: The FDA legally allows 19 maggots—tiny, rice-shaped fly larvae that feast on rotting foods—and 74 mites in every 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms. Bon appetit!

Why it's bad: While maggots do have their place in the medical world—they can help heal ulcers and other wounds—most of us would agree that they don't have a place in our mouths. Opt for fresh mushrooms instead, and if you need another reason to ditch canned goods, consider this: Most are lined with bisphenol A (or BPA), a plastic chemical that causes unnatural hormonal changes linked to heart attacks, obesity, and certain cancers.

 

Today I Want Giallo

Today I have a yellow shoot.

Everything I see is yellow.

Today I want giallo

Hotel-Belle Goes To Jordan

I love scrolling around travel blogs,

getting great ideas of places to go, things to do, people to see.

One that I really love is Hotel Belle.

 

Annie Fitzsimmons is a travel writer with a passion for hotels.

Her blog takes you inside all kinds of interesting places to stay,

and I love it for for it's personal tone - it feels like Annie

is chatting to you about her experiences rather than

giving you some completely un-animated review.

When you cruise her blog make sure you read her About Me section.

She is nothing if not fascinating.

Today's Saturday blog re-post is about Annie's trip to Jordan.

I have tons of friends from Jordan, 

so it is high on my list of places to go.

Enjoy!

Intercontinental Aqaba at the Red Sea

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

This photo above gives you the best look at where the Intercontinental Aqaba at the Red Sea in Jordan sits, right on the bright blue waters of the Red Sea and nestled in between two hotels under construction and the Kempinski Red Sea.

Aqaba & the Red Sea is where Jordanians go to vacation, akin to the beach towns of Florida or California-the royal family has a home here and as beautiful Queen Rania says, "If you want to cool down, you can take a dip in the Red Sea, diving coral reefs and old wrecks."

 I liked visiting the Red Sea, though it's definitely a place where you come to kick back and get your tan on.  There's not a great downtown or restaurant scene, so your hotel choice is very important.  The Intercontinental has beautiful public spaces, a fun pool area, nice if slightly chaotic restaurants and you can easily access the water.  I took a boat tour and dove in to swim-very salty but if you come here, you have to leave saying you swam in the Red Sea!

The rooms are nice though not unique, and I'd recommend booking one with a full water view. My room had a partial water view and seeing the massive, empty hotel being constructed next door was a little odd.  I definitely didn't lounge on the balcony to catch the warm nighttime breeze with that eery view!

Lobby

Lovely flowers in the lobby

My room


View of construction from my balcony

Great View of Eilat, Israel



Love seeing the Jordanian Flag

Exterior

You can find Annie on facebook at Facebook.com/hotelbelle

And you can follow her travels on twitter @ Anniefitz

Christian Louboutin At Home In Aswan

A few years ago I had an amazing vacation in Aswan.

I loved it.

I also love Christian Louboutin.

Reading about his retreat in Aswan in Elle Decor

I could feel the magic.

Well, in my mind I could anyway...

Want to escape to the banks of the Nile?

I do

Hanging lantern in Louboutin's dining room

From Elle Decor

written by Ruben Modigliani

all images by Ivan Terestchenko

French shoe designer Christian Louboutin lives between two worlds. 

One is the realm of fashion and star-studded events—the signature red-soled stilettos he creates make regular appearances on international red carpets. 

The other is a private retreat nestled in the desert near the Egyptian city of Aswân, 

not far from the banks of the Nile. (The ruins of an ancient temple stand within walking distance of his house.) Louboutin comes here throughout the year to design new collections, rest, and practice yoga.

Louboutin's desk at his Aswan home. Inspiring non?

Once a craftsman’s workshop, the building is made of earthen bricks, 

employing a technique that has been used in Egypt for thousands of years. 

Louboutin added an additional floor and a rooftop belvedere with views of the surrounding desert. Construction wasn’t easy: In this area, temperatures can fluctuate rapidly, and building materials are often scarce. “A thousand times I thought I was going out of my mind,” he jokes.

The rooms are decorated with pieces Louboutin has collected on his travels: 

Uzbek embroidered fabrics, Moroccan rugs, handmade furniture from Cameroon. 

The waxed terra-cotta floors invite barefoot living. 

Still, the heart of the home is the open-air courtyard, with a fireplace that blazes through the cool desert evenings. 

Moroccan rugs and Bedouin cushions in the center courtyard

Among so many traditional furnishings, one piece is a reminder that we’re in the 21st century: the ultramodern telescope on the roof, trained on the stars.

bed draped with a traditional suzani from Uzbekestan

Moroccan dining tables inlaid with zelige, a type of tilework

Add caption

See more at Elle Decor


P.S. Could Ruben be a descendent?? Intrigued!