Foods I Take to Wake: Third Edition

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Spinach, Bananas, & Almond Milk

 Welcome back to Foods I Take to Wake. I’ve (Emily, here!) received a lot of questions around how I eat on campus and survive my days of being a gluten-free vegan without dying of lack of protein (doesn’t happen, folks) or only eating cardboard-flavored foods. I promise it’s not impossible. The food I eat is tasty, delicious, and absolutely INCREDIBLE. I love food, and I love sharing my passions with you. Every other week, I’ll be dishing out three of my go-to foods for everyday life, especially when I’m away at school. Let’s get to it!

Note: I am not affiliated with Trader Joe’s & as such, my words reflect my love for the product, for my health, & not at all about money. I must really love them…

P.S. Today’s foods are my favorite. Without them, I wouldn’t survive on campus. Seriously. As long as I have these three ingredients, I’m never hungry or nutrient deprived. See my training wheels smoothie to build the base!

P.S.S. If you haven't already, check out post I & post II.

SPINACH

Spinach blows my mind sometimes. Besides helping pregnant woman have enough folate in their diets, it’s a superfood with a lot of amazing benefits. It helps regulate blood sugar, can help with asthma, as been linked with cancer prevention, packs  a punch with vitamin K for strong bones, gives you healthy skin and hair, keeps you regular, and is packed with fiber, phosphorous, is a great source for non-heme iron, and is high in beta-carotene. Raise the roof! Woot woot. Okay, that’s lame. I’m still a foodie geek through and through.

BANANAS

B-a-n-a-n-a-s … had to go there. The whole banana is a magical entity, curing indigestion for some and acting as a shoe polish for others. The banana wears many hats. I’m serious about that polish trick. All jokes aside though, bananas are awesome. They help stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the body, while also helping to guard the sensitive lining of the stomach i.e. for ulcers. Bananas are full of fiber and help poor digestion. They control blood sugar and help stave off cravings. They’re great in smoothies, brownies, as ice cream splits, eaten with almond butter slathered on top, or baked with a little almond milk for a creamy sugar-craving elixir. They were my best friend when I was training for a half marathon, and they’re still #1 in my life helping me kick bad habits as well as not starve on campus. Love them!

ALMOND MILK

Ahhhh Almond Beverage. How can I explain my feelings quite so productively. First of all, it ROCKs. Thank god Almond milk exists. Let me just celebrate Trader Joe’s though. Finally a non-dairy milk that isn’t chock full of quite so many impossible to pronounce ingredients. One day, I’ll be able to make my own almond milk, but until then, she’ll have to do and boy is she a star. Almond milk is the perfect liquid for my smoothies, it’s excellent as the base for my oatmeal, chia seed pudding, added for corn bread or used to dip cookies in. But why do we love almond milk? It packs 30% DV of calcium (vegan = not hard to get nutrients). It’s packed with vitamin E — hello, glow. It keeps your digestion on track, supports healthy blood sugar, and helps with muscle strength and restoration. You know how good chocolate milk is for you? It actually is I swear. Imagine cacao almond milk as being the best cure-all for recovering athletes, healthy adults, and women on lady’s holiday. Food for the win.

+ what are your favorite foods that you couldn’t live without? share below or on facebook!

Be sure to tune into my snapchat (@efriend216) or follow me on instagram or twitter (both @yourfriend_em) for my adventures and foodie finds! xx

Foods I Take to Wake: First Edition

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Avocados, Carrots, & Hummus

Welcome to another new series (don't you love them?)! I've (Emily, here!) received a lot of questions around how I eat on campus and survive my days of being a gluten-free vegan without dying of lack of protein (doesn't happen, folks) or only eating cardboard-flavored foods. I promise it's not impossible. The food I eat is tasty, delicious, and absolutely INCREDIBLE. I love food, and I love sharing my passions with you. Every other week, I'll be dishing out three of my go-to foods for everyday life, especially when I'm away at school. Let's get to it!

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AVOCADOS

Avocados are incredible. Forget the outdated, fats-make-you-fat idea, because it does not apply to healthy fats like what's packed into these bad boys. Monounsaturated fats are not an enemy. Nope. In fact, they actually help regulate belly fat, carving and toning that belly from the inside out. The majority of the fat is oleic acid which reduces inflammation and has beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer. Did you know avocados have more potassium than bananas? Say goodbye to cramping. They are loaded with fiber, too, which is great for digestion, contributing to weight loss, and reducing blood sugar spikes. Also, notice how there is no cholesterol or sodium making these additionally amazing. Eat your avocados, okay? Okay.

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CARROTS

Carrots aren't only good for purifying and stepping up the eye sight -- courtesy of the vitamin A and carotenoids content. Thanks to being rich in antioxidants -- alpha and beta-carotene, anthocyanins, vitamins, and minerals, carrots are anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and have cardiovascular benefits worth bragging about. I love this root vegetable and eat it so much that sometimes my skin turns orange on my palms - no joke; this is totally normal also. In addition to Vitamin A, they also rock out in the vitamins and minerals department with vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B8, pantothenic acid, folate, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese.

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HUMMUS

Hummus is a serious babe. Chock full of protein, healthy fats, heart-aiding benefits if made with certain oils (like olive oil), hummus can be an ideal snack with the aforementioned carrots or with a sliced apple. It's also great in Avocado Toast or stirred into a stir fry or pasta to make a creamy yummy goodness. Garbanzo beans, a main component of this hummus you see above, are packed with fiber, helps regulate fat levels in the body, and lowers levels of LDL-cholesterol. They also help regulate blood sugar levels, too! They pack a punch in terms of vitamins and antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, as well as concentrated supplies of antioxidant phytonutrients. I add hummus wherever I can. Seriously. It's too good not to!

+ what are your favorite foods that you couldn't live without? share below or on facebook!

 

 

Snack Attack while Traveling

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In my carry-on you'll find: watermelon, carrot sticks, sprouted seeds, sliced lemons & an empty water bottle for much needed H20 for that dehydrating cabin.

I'm - Emily, here! - setting off on vacation today! Woohoo! I've definitely put in enough overtime to warrant a relaxing getaway, but I'll still be plugging in and chugging along on the work vibes for the next couple of weeks. My flights today will have me traveling for about five hours, so I thought I'd share with you what I'm taking snack-wise in my carry-on! When I have an early morning flight, I normally pack more substantial food for breakfasts and mid-morning snacks, but since I'll be traveling between noon and five, I'm just taking some protein, fruit, and veggies. My favesss (insert heart-eyed-emoji here).

Let the listing begin --

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Watermelon: I talked about it here, but basically it's a powerhouse of nutrition and a camel for water.

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Carrots: Aside from making my eyesight better, boost my immunity (you know how many people cough and spread germs on planes? ugh, contagion, I see you), help with my digestion, and keep my blood sugar regulated.

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Sprouted Seeds: I feel like I struck gold when I stumbled across these in Trader Joe's (I'm not sponsored, so you know my love is real). In this package you'll find sprouted buckwheat and millet, chia seeds, flax, red quinoa, shelled hemp seeds, and amaranth with nothing else added(!!!). This is perfect for my trip because I'm not quite sure what I'll be having for every meal. Worst case scenario, I grab a banana, and dip it in this little mix, and I have nutrients out the ying yang. Yes! I'll be sprinkling this on my watermelon if I need a little power boost.

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Sliced Lemons: These are one of those items that I traveled with once, and it was so magical that I'll never travel without them. Not only did these help with my common bloat while traveling, but they kept my mouth from drying out, my tummy happy, and me reaching back to my water bottle for more. Sometimes, it's just the palate cleanser I need without putting a dot of toothpaste on my finger (hush, I know we've all been there).

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Empty Water Bottle: Just like prime real estate runs around location, location, location, traveling revolves around hydration, hydration, hydration. Without adequate amounts of water, you bet your behind you'll be bloated, exhausted, dried out, and cranky. That sounds like a joy, doesn't it? I'm not a fan of plastic water bottles, so I pack an empty reusable bottle in my tote to go through security and then fill up once I've found my gate.

  So that's my foodie haul! Nothing major -- I'll be sure to write about my go-to snacks/meals for longer travels or road trips, but for a short and sweet jump, this is what I'm packing along! Be sure to tune into my snapchat (@efriend216) or follow me on instagram or twitter (both @yourfriend_em) for my travel adventures and foodie finds! xx

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