Grace O

December 4, 2017

Published by Grace O

Pu-erh Tea: Is It the Secret to Health & Longevity?

Last May, along with members of the FoodTrients team, my husband Rupert and I traveled to Yantai, China for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards to receive the ‘Best in the World’ award for Innovation for my most recent cookbook, The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from around the World. Inspired by the Olympic Games and their global spirit, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau. Every year they honor the best food and wine books, printed or digital, as well as food television shows. This year books from 211 countries competed in […]

November 27, 2017

Published by Grace O

Eat Up! Form Follows Functional Food

In today’s food-conscious world, many of us want to get more benefits from the food we eat. Functional foods provide just that. A functional food is a natural food or manufactured food that has benefits beyond basic nutrition and calories. According to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D., “All foods are functional because they provide varying amounts of nutrients and energy to sustain growth or support vital processes. However, functional foods are generally considered to offer additional benefits that may reduce the risk of disease or promote optimal health.” Functional foods can also act like health supplements. For […]

November 7, 2017

Published by Grace O

Say Gracias! To the Superfoods of Mexico

There are a couple of ways to look at Mexican ‘superfoods’. First, if you eliminate the tortilla chips, full-fat cheese and beans cooked with lard, much of the basics of Mexican cuisine are quite healthy. Beans (cooked, but not refried) and rice, fresh seafood, chicken, lean beef, tomatoes and avocados are all highly nutritious foods that provide plenty of benefits. And many of these foods qualify as ‘superfoods’—nutrient dense and high in healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals and protein. The other way to look at Mexican superfoods is to seek out indigenous foods that have been staples of the traditional […]

October 23, 2017

Published by Grace O

Let’s All Hail the Healthy Benefits of Jicama

If you don’t live in California or the Southwest, you may not be familiar with jicama (HEE-kah-mah), a large root vegetable that comes from Mexico and South America. Featuring a thin but tough brown skin and sweet, crunchy, white flesh, jicama is also known as Mexican potato or yam bean root. It’s eaten raw, diced up in salads, baked, steamed or even fried. It has a texture and taste similar to a cross between an apple and a turnip. Not only is jicama delicious and versatile, but it also contains plenty of healthful benefits that make it an excellent nutritional […]

October 17, 2017

Published by Grace O

Another Delicious Reason To Love Nuts

I’m nuts about nuts, but some of them are better for us than others. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are all great for helping to control blood sugar. Nuts may be small in size and have relatively high levels of calories and fat, but they are nutrient dense. They are full of protein, unsaturated (healthy) fat, vitamins and fiber. These factors help keep blood sugar levels low. Healthful as they are, nuts are high in calories, so it’s a good idea to substitute nuts for high-carbohydrate foods, such as croutons or pretzels. Sprinkle them on yogurt and salads, or nibble […]

September 12, 2017

Published by Grace O

Meet 8 Great Superfoods from China

Chinese cuisine has long been recognized as one of the great world cuisines, up there with French and Italian. But much of the familiar Chinese food in the U.S. consists of many fried dishes that are often loaded with salt, sugar and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Tasty, yes. Superfoods? Hardly. The truth is, traditional Chinese cooking is based on many healthful ingredients that are certainly considered to be ‘superfoods.’ When I was in China recently, the FoodTrients team and I were delighted to sample a number of Chinese dishes from Yantai (in the picturesque agricultural and coastal area of the Shandong […]

August 15, 2017

Published by Grace O

Jade Rollers Are Cool Anti-Aging Tools

When I was in China recently, I discovered a well-kept beauty secret of the elite – Jade Rollers. Jade rollers as beauty aids have been around since the 7th Century in China, but they are relatively new to the U.S. market. If you’ve stayed up too late, had a little too much to drink, or just had a stressful week, that can take a toll on your face. After long flights and time differences, I found myself struggling to get back on California time, and my face was puffy from losing sleep. When I tried my new jade roller, it […]

July 24, 2017

Published by Grace O

We’re Going Nuts for Plant-Based Milks

The dairy aisle used to be so simple—whole milk, low fat milk, non-fat milk, half and half, cream and maybe goat’s milk if it was a health food store. With the growing number of people with lactose intolerance, or those following a vegan diet, the consumption of plant-based ‘milks’ has been expanding by about 11 percent each year since 1999. Consumption of cow’s milk has declined by 25 percent since 1975, according to Cooking Light Magazine. Cow’s milk was for decades considered an almost perfect food with 8g protein, 460 mg potassium (13% of the RDA), 35% of the RDA […]

July 4, 2017

Published by Grace O

4 Super Reasons to Eat Strawberries

Strawberries are loaded with antioxidants, which help defend cell structures in the body and protect the body’s organs. Strawberries are second only to plums as the richest fruit in phenols and antioxidants, and are especially high in cancer- and heart disease-fighting flavonoids, quercetin, catechin, and kaempferol. Strawberries can offer enhanced protection against crippling inflammation-related diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Strawberries have shown an ability to inhibit tumor growth and to slow the progress of tumors as they begin to develop, according to a study using rats with esophageal cancer. In a study done by the Institute of Biochemistry in Ancona, Italy, researchers found that when […]