4 Nutritious Boosters

Hello beautiful. Listed below are four nutritious boosters to add to your meals. Each will increase the amount of antioxidants you intake, leaving you feeling healthier and younger.

PEANUT BUTTER & NUT BUTTER BOOSTER

• Peanut and nut butter are nutrient-dense already, but we can add seeds to pump it up more!
• Seeds offer a unique combination of phytonutrients and antioxidants. 
• Take a large jar of peanut butter and empty about a third of it into a jar. This is stored away to enjoy later. Now add a spoonful of seeds, like sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, coarsely ground flax seeds, chia seeds, lightly toasted sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds. 
• Mix the seeds with the peanut butter and store in the fridge. 
• This is great to eat with your chopped celery and carrots, spread it on toast or on your oatmeal. 
• The seed mix alone adds to smoothies and parfaits. 
• Seeds truly make foods look so much more vibrant and wholesome.

“BERRIES MAKE LIFE MORE MERRIER”

• They say, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”; however, the saying should be “Berries make life more merrier!”
• Why do I say this, well an apple, for example, has 60 units of antioxidants; whereas, a cup of berries offers 650 units of antioxidants!!!
• That is why a handful of berries a day will do wonders for your youthfulness. 
• Add them to your oatmeal, parfaits, or smoothies, or just eat them as a snack. 
• When berries are not in season they can be expensive, thus buy more of them while in season and freeze them. 
• Some believe that if you freeze them you will lose nutrients, but if you look in the bonus section, I will explain why that is not true!

IF BERRIES ARE BEST, THEN WHAT IS NEXT IN LINE?

• Second to berries, are herbs and spices. 
• They also have a high amount of antioxidants and that is something that I learned from reading various health books.
• I’m totally not a bookworm; however, when it comes to food, sex, health, and nutrition, all of a sudden reading becomes enjoyable!
• There are several books on food that I enjoy like “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II and “How to Not Die” by Dr. Gregor.
• Both of these books and others discuss how spicing up our foods makes them even more wholesome. 
• Example: Whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and broccoli has 150 units of antioxidants versus tomato sauce, broccoli, and just 2 teaspoons of dried oregano can boost that number to 450 units of antioxidants!!!
• Here are some other great ingredients to add to your sauces to boost nutrition
  • Tomato or White Sauce: Broccoli, Dried Oregano, Fresh Basil Leaves, Onions, Peppers, Mushrooms, Corn, Garlic, Thyme, Rosemary spice

SPINACH, THE VEGGIE WITH RAW AND COOKED HEALTH BENEFITS

• I love adding spinach to everything; including my omelets, smoothies, salads and soups. Also I add it to my italian sauces, stir fry and curry dishes. 
• Add a huge quantity and by the time it is cooked down, it looks like a super small amount. Spinach is the perfect hide-a-way ingredient! 
• Another bonus with spinach is that it offers higher amounts of certain nutrients in the raw form, whereas the cooked form offers higher amounts of other nutrients.
• Check out the bonus section to see which nutrients each offer and don’t forget to enjoy both versions!

BONUS SECTION 

Have you ever wondered which nutrients change when you cook your food versus consume it raw? Or how about frozen fruits versus non-frozen? If so, keep reading. We will dive deeper and discuss the health benefits of cooked versus raw spinach and the health benefits of fresh versus frozen berries.

THE REASONS WHY FROZEN BERRIES ARE MORE NUTRITIOUS THAN FRESH BERRIES

• Fresh Berries
  • Most fresh fruits, like berries, and even some vegetables are picked before they are ripe. This is due to transportation of food. 
  • If berries were allowed to fully develop and ripen on the vine, they would contain its full range of vitamins, minerals and natural antioxidants; however, since we transport food to other locations they ripen off the vine. 
• Frozen Berries
  • Berries that will be sold as frozen fruits, on the other hand, are picked at peak ripeness. This is when they are the most nutritious and this is the reason why frozen berries are more nutritious than fresh berries at the time of purchase.

Thus, when you buy berries in season they are fresh. Allow them to ripen some, and then, freeze them. Both fresh and frozen berries are wonderfully nutritious with incredible antioxidant richness, so it’s great to include these little gems in your meals and snacks whenever possible.

COOKED & RAW SPINACH HEALTH BENEFITS

• Cooked spinach:
  • Nutrients include: Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Protein, Zinc, Thiamin, Calcium, Iron
  • Dish ideas:
    • Add cooked spinach to your scrambled eggs, cabbage, lasagna, chickpeas, quiche, pasta dishes, creamed spinach or sauté with other vegetables. 
    • For other food ideas with spinach, check out: Delish
• Raw spinach:
  • Nutrients include: Vitamin C, Folate, Niacin, Riboflavin, Potassium
  • Ways to consume: 
    • Add to smoothies, regular fresh salads, and even pasta salads.