Jul 17, 2015 | Healthy Eating
Millions of people travel every day, coming in and out of the airports. They think they have no choice, but to eat the airport and airplane food because it is the only thing available.
But what if you don’t want to give up your health just because you’re travelling?
Find out the nifty tricks you can apply!
Now that many companies have introduced the vegetarian/vegan/raw/no dairy/no fish/no whatever else you can think about choice, it’s getting easier and, as I think there is always space for improvement and transformation, I’m still very careful and I take precautions.
Remember that most of the time we are talking about pre-packaged, pre-cooked food. We don’t know what is inside and the food is often heavily processed with additives and preservatives.
So, as a chef and coach, I would like to share with you my tips and suggestions about how to survive airport and airplane food, simply by bringing your own food on board. The only thing you have to make sure is that your food won’t be confiscated at the security checks (you can ask your travel agent to provide you with this information).
Here are some items that don’t get confiscated but be sure to check the quantity you are allowed to carry on board.
– crunchy snacks like crackers, kale chips, raw crackers, veggie chips (you need a dehydrator for that; for some recipes you can use the oven so you can bake delicious crackers and granola bars)
– homemade sandwiches wrapped in paper and transparent plastic bags of appropriate size. Remember not to use any foil, as they will ask you to open the bag and check because the foil hides the content to the x-rays machine. Some (vegan) ideas for sandwiches: vegetable ham, hummus and salad; vegetable mayo and grilled veggies; homemade peanut butter sprinkled with sesame seeds and salt and fresh apples; homemade veggie burger and mayo and salad…..
– fresh fruit and veggies. Bananas and oranges are perfectly “packaged” by Mother Nature as a great travel snack! Cherry tomatoes, grapes, carrots, are other great examples. If you feel brave you can also bring avocados on board and eat them with the spoon provided by the company.
-trail mix: I like to make my own at home, rather than having the one from the shop; my fav recipe is this: ½ cup each of raisins, blueberries, prunes, almonds, pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes. It gives me energy and it is nutrient-dense. If you put more dried fruit like dates or apricots you can prepare fruit bars.
-tea bags of your favorite brand, to make hot tea and sip it during the flight and if you carry your fav book and/or your music it will be (almost) like at home!
What happens when you eat such food? Besides the obvious of not eating food laden with chemicals and preservatives, you will feel much better upon arrival to your destination and the jet-lag won’t be that horrible because your energy level will be higher than usual.
…and if you add probiotics to your fruit bars, it will be even better!
Happy Travelling, Your Susanna.
May 4, 2015 | Healthy Eating
Probiotics are integral to a healthy gut system. The gut micro biome is responsible for digestion of food, production of certain vitamins, defense against other bad microorganisms and support for our immune system by creating a barrier from the outside world.
What is Water Kefir?
Water Kefir is symbiotic grains of bacteria and yeast that ferment a specific liquid – in this case sugar-water. It produces a mild, light and refreshing, slightly carbonated beverage. The bacteria eat the sugar and leave you with a low sugar, probiotic rich drink. They are known under many different names such as tibicos, tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California bees are just some of their names!!
These probiotics are amazing to detox your system of bad bacteria by keeping the balance in your gut. They will boost your immune system and are especially great if you often suffer from urinary tract infections, digestive issues and stomach bugs.
How to make Water Kefir
Source some grains – from a friend or a store. This shouldn’t be hard as they multiple like crazy so you’ll likely find someone who will share.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of organic cane sugar in a jar with 500ml of filtered water.
Add the grains and put a lid on the jar.
Leave them to ferment for 24 – 48 hours then strain the liquid into a glass or another container. Chill and drink. You can add some flavor by adding some lime or even adding it to your smoothie or juices for a probiotic punch.
To reuse the grain start over and repeat the process (take the grains out of the jar while dissolving the sugar)
To change the flavor you can try different types of sugar from palm sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar and so many more. Just don’t use honey or syrups as this kills the bacteria.
Happy fermenting !!
Apr 12, 2015 | Healthy Eating
Superfood – Goji Berries- Native to Southeastern Europe and Asia.
The Goji Berry is filled with powerful antioxidants that aid in better circulation and support a healthy liver function. They are also rich in carotenoids that assist in maintaining eyesight as we age. In addition to these already stellar benefits, they are also high in Vitamins E, C, and multiple B’s , as well as amino acids, trace minerals, calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc. The Goji Berry also packs a powerful punch as it contains the highest concentration of protein of any fruit! Other benefits include:
- Anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial , and anti-fungal compounds
- High in fiber
- Improve quality of sleep
- Produce calming effects on the brain
- Contains all essential amino acids
How Do You Use Superfood – Goji Berries?
- You can eat them RAW with a small handful a day.
- Add into Fresh JUICE you make.
- Goji Berries is very often to brew in a TEA. You can add them into a big glass of hot or cold water, or tea and let it be for 5-10 minutes, it will become plump and juicy.
- Soak some Goji berries in water for 5 minutes, and then add them into your favorite SMOOTHIES.
- In Chinese cuisine for thousands of years, they add Goji berries into SOUP; add them in the last 10-20 minutes since it’s not good to boil them for too long.
- Breakfast CEREAL – just add them like Raisins.
Aug 18, 2014 | Detox & Wellness
Supercharge your diet with SUPPLEMENTS!
Santosa’sarray of superfoods are the ultimate in biologically hacking our mind and body to perform at its most optimal level.
Why do we need superfoods?
Partly because we no longer receive sufficient nutrients in our food sources due to genetic modification, high processing and preparation at extreme temperature which often destroys much of the nutritional content.
How can natural supplements help us?
Supplementation can assist us not only to absorb the correct nutrients, but can also make us work at peak-performance, by naturally balancing out hormones, assisting poor digestion, helping to oxygenate the blood, stimulating peak athletic performance or assisting with stress management. It is incredible to think that we have tried to solve a whole host of conditions with pharmaceuticals, when nature has always provided so many remedies that our superfoods can solve.
Rediscover ancient remedies and learn to be mindful about what your body needs in order to reach its optimal peak performance… come into Santosa Detox Center in Phuket to discover the vast array of natural supplements that we have available at our juice bar today!
Aug 14, 2014 | Healthy Eating
What is it about wheatgrass that has us all in such a spin?
At Santosa’s raw food restaurant in Phuket, we think that just about nothing compares in the sheer amount of benefits that this one little shot of emerald goodness provides. Mental sharpness and boundless energy are the most prominent benefits, but did you know about others?
Amongst the several benefits of wheatgrass we can encounter the following:
- Contains vitamins A, B, C, & E, countless minerals including iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, selenium & zinc, up to 20 amino acids, and close to 30 enzymes.
- Neutralizes toxic substances like cadmium, nicotine, strontium, mercury, and polyvinyl chloride.
- Lowers blood pressure
- Protects the liver
- Helps to restore alkalinity
- Reduces inflammation
- Lessens the effect of radiation
- Used topically, is a disinfectant
- Is alleged to turn grey hair back to its natural colour! (though we will believe this when we see it)
Interesting Fact: Wheatgrass has an eerie resemblance to blood! That’s right… chlorophyll (the green pigment in plants) is remarkably similar to hemoglobin, which is responsible for oxygenating our blood. Dr Yoshihide Hagiwara, president of the Hagiwara Institute of Health in Japan, believes that because chlorophyll is soluble in fat particles, and fat particles are absorbed into the blood via our lymphatic systems, that clorophyll is absorbed this way too.
In layman’s terms? When we take the “blood” of plants, it is transformed into human blood, and transports nutrients to every cell in our bodies.
The Santosa team are such wheatgrass enthusiasts, that we actually grow our own on site AND our juice bar serves up the finest wheatgrass shots in town, with a dynamic chili twist!
Just like at Santosa Detox Center, why not start including this superfood in your life?
