Hm. There was an interesting study that showed organic apples to have about 15% higher antioxidant capacity over conventional produce. AND not only that but they come without the pesticides and herbicides… how ’bout that.

The study from Germany was published in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. You can read the  write up at Nutraingredients.com.

Did your parents ever say “You’ll be glad you did someday” with regard to whatever they were making you do? I remember my parents saying this to me… I think it was with playing the piano or something. They were of course right. Well I have found the same thing applies to food and the whole idea of eating today to live tomorrow.

There are many foods which common sense would tell us are good for us… like vegetables for example. It is in our best interest to learn to like those foods which we know are excellent as they will promote health in our body. And another thing. Don’t get swayed by all the fad foods… all the rage foods. Everyone will tell you that they are good for you but most likely everyone has no clue. So why listen to me then? Don’t. Go read and find out for yourself.

While I am typing… I saw an interesting article on the tomato in the BBC news. It was talking about the anti-aging skin effects that tomatoes showed in a control group. The control group had 33% more protection against sunburn and higher levels of procollagen which helps keep the skin firm. They asserted that this was most likely due to lycopene a powerful antioxidant present in tomatoes.

So… if you don’t like tomatoes then it would be good for you to learn to like them. You’ll be glad you did someday.

Out.

How about that huh? Looks delicious doesn’t it. Well let me tell you it was. Over the Easter weekend my family got together to watch a movie and we had a hankerin for some fresh fruit and veggies. We almost went with popcorn (using extra virgin coconut oil of course), but my sister and I suddenly thought of how good fresh fruit sounded and it was settled. So just for my memory’s sake I am going to list what is pictured above. Veggies: snap pea pods, fennel, red bell peppers, carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, and jicama. Fruits: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples, and grapes. Fruit dip: Ricotta cheese with vanilla, melted butter, and raw honey. Veggie Dip: Raw yogurt and organic sour cream with parmesan, basil, and sea salt.

Mmmmmmmm….

So this was a nice way to snack during our movie night. There are so many different ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables. Many times people get hung up on the dips and talk about low or high fat. The best thing is to use high quality unprocessed foods. So… normally I would like to use raw cream (preferably soured) for the veggie dip. Also, usually you can dress up your dips with lots of great herbs like oregano, sage, thyme, parsley, etc… and garlic is great as well. We just decided to keep it simple (and I wasn’t in the mood for garlic).

Fruit and veggie trays are nice cause they are easy snacking. Healthy, easy to prepare, easy to store and eat later… except the tomatoes… I do not like the taste of refrigerated tomatoes. I mean come on… anyone who knows anything knows you do not put tomatoes in the fridge. There I go again on a tangent.

Well, that was the night, that was the food, and it was a grand time.