Pure Decadence for the Soul

Everyone I know absolutely loves ice cream. I am a big fan myself however, it is rare for me to eat it because it usually contains tons of sugar, a high amount of fats and no nutritional values. I recently looked at a container of ice cream in my refrigerator from Publix. It was their Premium brand. I was shocked to see that it contained high fructose corn syrup because in my mind, Publix is supposed to offer quality ingredients.

Nonetheless, I left it in my refrigerator and decided to not eat anymore of it. I discovered something that taste much better than Publix's Premium Ice Cream, something more figure friendly. It's called Purely Decadent. All of the products are made with coconut milk. At work, a lady from the company sampled three types of Purely Decadent ice cream: Cherry Amaretto, Mocha Almond Fudge and regular Coconut. My favorite of the three was regular coconut simply because I love coconut. However, the other flavors tasted very pure and were delicious as well. It was the best ice cream I had ever tasted.

Remember to eat in moderation, just because something taste good or is labeled "healthy" does not mean you can eat more of it. In fact, most ice creams labeled "no sugar added" actually contain sugar and sugar substitutes that are often harmful to one's health. When it comes ice cream, I say forget the diet stuff and sugar free stuff, if you're going to have ice cream, have the real stuff and enjoy it. Check out sodeliciousdairyfree.com for more information on the So Delicious and Purely Decadent Ice Cream products. They offer Gluten free ice creams as well as ice cream sandwiches and alternative products meaning sweetened with agave nectar (a natural sweetener and better alternative to cane sugar and corn syrup). The products can be found at Whole Foods, GreenWise Publix and most supermarkets.

Organic Frozen Foods that Taste Homemade

I'll be the first to tell you that I am not a fan of frozen foods. I love to cook and I'll admit that I love gourmet foods. The best cook I know is my aunt Aurea. She never fails to make a delectable meal while also keeping it healthy. While I cannot compare this line of frozen foods to that of my aunt's cooking (her food is of course better), I must say that it'll satisfy your taste buds and your figure. You'll have the nutrition you need without sacrificing your taste buds. 

The line I am referring to is Amy's Kitchen brand foods. Amy's offers a variety of frozen, organic meals from Indian to kids meals. The amount of ingredients in the meals is minimal meaning it is not packed with a bunch of preservatives and harmful fillers. All cheese and meats used are hormone free as they raised in pasture. These meals are perfect for college students to prepare, you simple cut some holes in the plastic and microwave at time printed on the box. Amy's Kitchen brand products can be found at Supermarkets everywhere. I have found them at Publix, Whole Foods and some Super Target stores. 

My absolute favorite Amy's Kitchen frozen meal is the vegetarian lasagna. It tastes like a freshly made piece of lasagna not like ice burn as most frozen foods do. 

Tip: some of  the foods labeled healthy, and fat free such as Smart Ones, aren't really healthy and are not what they claim. If one read the ingredients, it contains high fructose corn syrups, artificial fillers and preservatives which are not good for you at all. One of things I find interesting in the Amy's Kitchen brand frozen meals is that they do not contain high amounts of sodium like many other frozen meals do. Amy's contains less than 12% sodium per meal. So not only is it tasty, it's good for you as well. 

Organic Deli Style Food for the Soul

So this blog is entitled Good Food for the Soul, well, let me tell you that most of the foods I write about are foods and beverages that I have tried and loved. I have previously mentioned that I work at Whole Foods and while their prepared foods section offers a good selection of food, sometimes I just feel like eating something else. So, I head to Jason's Deli a few doors down which is really good for my soul. I'm always satisfied when I have food from Jason's Deli.

One thing that caught my eye about Jason's Deli was the variety of organic foods offered. 

Jason's Deli serves up some of the tastiest and healthiest sandwiches, soups and salads. There will be no reason for you NOT to return. Jason's Deli also offers a variety of vegetarian soups such as french onion soup and tomato basil. All the meats served are nitrite free and contain no artificial flavorings or colorings. 

Jason's offers a variety of different kid friendly meals made with organic ingredients. Not only will adults love this place but the kids as well! Let them try some mac and cheese or bow tie pasta with chicken and Alfredo sauce.They will surely love it!

My favorite sandwich from Jason's Deli is the chicken panini which consists of marinated chicken breast, provolone, basil pesto with pine nuts, roma tomatoes, organic spinach in between olive oil basted french bread. The sandwich comes with your choice of chips (organic blue corn chips, kettle cooked chips or baked chips and a pickle spear). This meal goes great with Martinelli's Apple Juice.  Go ahead, try Jason's Deli!

Jason's Deli is located in the Whole Foods Plaza in Wellington. There is also a location on N Congress Ave. across from the Boynton Beach Mall. 

Vegan Friendly Restaurant in Palm Beach County

As I was on my way home from having lunch with my aunt and friend, I passed by a little vegan restaurant right on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach between Rosemary Avenue and North Quadrille Boulevard.  

Working at Whole Foods, it's difficult to not know the definition of vegan or veganism. Vegananism is the practice of eliminating the use of non human animal products. This means, vegans do not consume cheese or milk products that come from animals as well as meats and other dairies.

Going back to the restaurant. It's called the Raw Kitchen. It's a bit on the pricey side with appetizers starting at $10 but the quality that one gets is really worth the price. A few of the entrees offered include Pasta Primavera with fresh zucchini spiral spaghetti, marinated in olive oil and a hint of garlic then topped with a variety of seasoned organic vegetables and a basil chiffonade. The Raw Kitchen also offers a veggie pizza with sprouted buckwheat crust, house made nut cheese, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, onions and basil. All products are organic meaning that they were grown free of pesticides.  

The Raw Kitchen also offers a variety of organic beers, alcoholic beverages such as mimosas and wines. 

The Raw Kitchen has received many positive reviews on it's meals and drinks. For more information on this restaurant go to southflorida.menupages.com and search for The Raw Kitchen.
This restaurant proves that one can still have tasty, healthy food without sacrificing one's taste buds.

 For some more information and an inspiring story of a woman named Eileen Chanin about the health benefits of becoming a vegan www.hippocratesinst.org.

Scroll down until you see her name.

Zero Calorie Teas

I am not a tea person. My aunt has tried to get me to try different teas and I just simply dislike them. I don't like the herby and bitter taste that it leaves. However, about 5 months ago I was introduced to a tea that I now absolutely Love! A friend of mine bought it at Starbucks and got me hooked. It's Passion Tea by the Tazo brand.

I have bought the packets you boil with some water, I have tried the bottled drink sold at Whole Foods Market and I have had the 8oz freshly prepared one at Starbucks. I must say that all three taste different even though they are all the same flavor of tea. I highly recommend the bottled Passion tea sold at Whole Foods. The best part about this tea is that it has all natural ingedients, zero calories and contain 0 caffeine. It's healthy and tasty! It's an Excellent alternative to juices, sodas and regular teas that contain calories and caffeine.

Ingredients in Tazo's Passion Tea: An infusion of water, hibiscus flowers, natural flavor, citric acid, licorice, lemon peel, cinnamon, rose hips, lemongrass, and fruit juice extract for color, erythritol, natural flavors, citric acid, REB A*

*REB A is derived from the stevia plant, Erythritol is a naturally-derived sugar substitute; it has minimal effects on health. When consumed in excess, it can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. Read more at bodyecology.com.

A bottle will cost you $1.39, a pack of 20 tea bags $3.99 and an 8oz container at Starbucks approximately $1.86. 

If you choose to make your own tea by boiling a bag at home, add some Stevia sugar to your liking as an unsweetened tea may taste bitter.This product can be found at Starbucks, Whole Foods and online.

Tazo also carries two other caffeine free, zero calories teas entitled Zen (green tea) and Refresh (peppermint, tarragon and spearmint). I have not tried them so I cannot say what they taste like but try them if you would like. 

 

                     

Healthier and Wiser Soda Alternative

Soda products such as Pepsi and Coke contain the harmful substance found in batteries, battery acid to be exact. Phosphoric acid causes tooth enamel erosion with just slight exposure to it, imagine constant or daily exposure ie: daily can of soda. Not only does phosphoric acid damage your teeth, it also causes gastric lining erosion in which the mucuous membrane that lines your stomach become inflamed. There is no cure for gastric lining erosion. The best way to avoid it altogether is to eliminate soda from your diet.

Coke, also contains high fructose corn syrup, which has some negative health result such as weight gain, dental cavities, poor nutrition and increased triglyceride levels, which boost heart attacks risks. For more information on high fructose corn syrup, www.mayoclinic.com and search for information on high fructose syrup.

Let's do a quick comparison of the ingredients in Coke, and the ingredients of a better, less damaging soda, 365 Root Beer. 

Ingredients in Coke: Water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine.

Calories per 8oz serving size: 100   30mg of Sodium, 27g Sugar.

Let's check out the ingredients in the 365 Root Beer soda: Filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, natural root beer flavor, citric acid, caramel color (from cane sugar).

While this soda contains acid, it is less harmful than Phosphoric "battery" acid. Citric acid is a weak organic acid found in citrus fruits. It's a natural preservative used to add an acidic (sour) taste to soft drinks as well as foods. 

While I have not tried the 365 Root Beer soda, I have tried the cola and I must say that it tastes better than Coke and Pepsi. The acidity in the 365 is not strong and the overall taste of the soda is not sugary and overbearing. I actually enjoyed the taste of the soda. 365 Root Beer as well as the other 365 brand sodas are all gluten free and kosher. This brand of soda can be found at Whole Foods Market. One six pack costs $2.79 and one can costs .49 cents.There are about five different other flavors to choose from, so go ahead and explore.

Calories per 8oz, 1 can serving: 150    0g of Sodium, 37g of Sugar

Remarkably Tasty and Refeshing Apple Juice

I recently tried a new brand of apple juice juice at work. I saw that many customers had been buying it and the small container in which it came was cute. Growing up, I never really liked apple juice. I always found it too sweet. This brand, Maritnelli's, tasted absolutely great! It was not too sweet and cleared my palette well. I highly recommend Martinelli's Apple Juice for anyone who perhaps has tried the Mott's Apple Juice or any other apple juice and not liked it. Martinelli's will for sure sell you! I now drink Martinelli's with my meals.

The ingredients contained in Martinelli's Apple Juice are 100% pasteurized pure apple juice from U.S. grown fresh apples (no concentrate). 

Calories per serving: 140     Serving size:  8 fl oz. 31g of sugar (but remember, it's all natural sugar from the apples themselves. No sugar is added along the process), 120mg of Potassium. 

Martinelli's Apple Juice can be found at Whole Foods Market