| | | | Here is a great idea for a sunny afternoon- go berry picking! On Saturday, I visited a local orchard and picked wonderfully tasty raspberries and blueberries. The warm sun and the taste of sweet berries created a memorable afternoon. For dessert, we enjoyed bowls of berries and yogurt, garnished with mint from the back patio garden. Truly a food experience to savor. A quick internet search should guide you to a farm where you can PYO (pick your own). |
| Food Focus: Fruit  A healthy lifestyle is the key to longevity, optimum weight, abundant energy and balance. By using fruit to satisfy our taste for sweetness, we can leave behind the use of chemical, processed and refined sweeteners. Fruits are easy to digest, are cleansing and cooling and are great for those who are overstressed and overheated from excessive mental strain or hot climates. Fruits are filled with fiber and liver stimulants, which act as natural, gentle laxatives. Whenever possible, buy fresh, locally grown fruit as opposed to imported fruits shipped from far-off places. This keeps you eating in season, and more in harmony with your environment and climate.
Eating raw fruit in summer months is highly cooling, while baking it in the winter months neutralizes the cooling effect. Fruit in the form of juice is a great choice for cleansing the body, but be aware that juice rapidly raises blood sugar levels, leading to an energy crash soon after. Frozen, whole, puréed or juiced fruit can make great summertime cool-down treats. Try frozen grapes, banana-coconut smoothie popsicles or lime juice ice-cubes in iced tea!
Whether you are having fresh fruit for a light early morning breakfast, a midday snack or evening treat, enjoy nature's sweetness and whenever possible buy organic. Here are a few summer fruits and their health benefits:
- Apricots: Great for lung conditions and asthma; used to help treat anemia due to their high copper and cobalt content.
- Bananas: Help to lubricate the intestines, treat ulcers, detoxify the body and manage sugar cravings; are rich in potassium (which helps hypertension).
- Cherries: Slightly warming in nature; increase overall body energy, remedy arthritis and rheumatism and are rich in iron, which improves the blood.
- Grapefruits: Treat poor digestion, increase appetite during pregnancy, alleviate intestinal gas and reduce mucus conditions of the lungs.
- Papayas: Tone the stomach, act as digestive aid, moisten the lungs and alleviate coughing; contain carpaine, an anti-tumor compound.
- Raspberries: Benefit the liver and kidneys, cleanse blood of toxins, regulate menstrual cycles, treat anemia and can promote labor at childbirth.
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Recipe: Fruit Nut Smoothie  Forget those fancy store bought smoothies. Use the fruits sitting on your counter, the nuts stashed in the pantry and some milk in the fridge to create a homemade, healthful tasty treat to satisfy your need for sweetness and sustenance. Fruit Nut SmoothiePrep time: 5 minutes Yield: 2 servings Ingredients- 1 banana
- 1 cup soy or rice milk
- 1 cup berries
- 1 cup diced melon
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 2-4 ice cubes
Mix in blender or Vita-Mix for 1-2 minutes and serve.
Note: You can add other ingredients for added nutrition such as a spoonful of bee pollen, coconut oil, flax seed oil, spirulina powder or a scoop of protein powder.
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| | Get ready, my next Sugar Blues workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 3rd in the Hartford, Connecticut area. Learn how to break free from your sugar cravings. More details will be released in next month's newsletter. |
| Thank you for spending some time learning how to nourish your health. |
Sincerely,
Aubrey Schulz
Get Out N Play
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