bee pollen

i've had horrible allergies for most of my life and i've always relied on claritin, benadryl, zyrtec, and, most recently, singulair to quell my symptoms. i've taken singulair everyday for the past few years and it's really helped me. BUT, i don't want to rely on a medication for the rest of my life if there are ways for me to naturally get my allergies under control. rather than just cover up the symptoms, i'd like to prevent from even happening in the first place (or at least make them a little less severe. enter bee pollen.

 

it may seem counter-intuitive, but bee pollen has been touted as a natural cure for allergies for a long time now. not only is it a superfood full of amino acids, zinc, and b vitamins, but it is also chock-full of a nutrient called quercetin.  quercetin is known for its ability to neutralize histamine response (histamine is what the body releases in response to allergens) and it may be the primary reason why bee pollen can help alleviate inflammation and allergies.

 

bee pollen has sort of a sweet taste and it mixes easily into smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt. i've been making protein shakes recently with spirulina and bee pollen added. yum. i'll let you know if i notice my allergies getting any better!

*be careful, though. although most people are fine with bee pollen, every once in a while it can cause random allergic reactions in people, whether that be in the form of anaphylaxis or severe stomach pains and vomiting. my husband (who is allergic to bees, actually) cannot eat bee pollen. both times that i've tried to give it to him recently he's gotten severely ill and vomited. obviously the first time he got sick we didn't realize it was from the bee pollen. start off by eating an 1/8 of a teaspoon and work your way up to 1 tablespoon/day. if you ever feel like it doesn't agree with you, stop it immediately.

under construction

please be patient with me as i update the site. i'll be sure to let you know when it's ready!

kale: a nutritional powerhouse

[fresh kale]

[perfect meal]

before last year, i had never even heard of kale. now, i eat it at least three times a week. it's probably all in my head, but i really believe that i can feel the nutrients from this power food seeping into my veins the second the leafy greens enter my mouth. in my opinion, kale is the closest thing there is to a perfect food. believe it or not, 1 cup of steamed kale provides you with 1,328% of your daily requirement of vitamin k, 192% of your vitamin a, 88% of your vitamin c, and a plethora of other nutrients (including b vitamins and calcium). like most other cruciferous vegetables, kale has been praised for its antioxidant properties and its anti-inflammatory properties. it has been linked to reduced cancer risks, reduced inflammatory diseases, and lower cholesterol levels.  in general, you can't really go wrong with greens of any kind, but i'd recommend choosing kale when you can. there will be a lot more research that comes out over the next several years on this incredible food and if you start eating it now you can say "psh, obviously" when your friends start talking about it in five years.

caveat emptor

 

i'm afraid my praise for the vibram five fingers was a little premature (see post here). after wearing them just four times, i noticed a pretty significant pain in my left foot which was later followed by swelling and more pain.  after a trip to the sports medicine doctor and an uncomfortable 30 minutes in an mri, it was confirmed: i had a stress fracture in my second metatarsal. i have not one doubt in my mind that the vibrams are to blame.  look at all of these people that have suffered from the same thing: stress fractures from vibrams.  for the time being, you'll be seeing me in a lot of spin classes and perhaps a few pools. if you are considering purchasing these aqua socks also known as shoes, i have two words for you: caveat emptor (which is latin for 'buyer beware').

stinkey monkey

tonight i tried stinkey monkey pudding for the first time and I was very pleasantly surprised. made up of only six ingredients (raw coconut meat, organic coconut milk, organic raw cacao powder, organic palm sugar, organic raw vanilla bean, and pink himalayan salt), it is both healthy and vegan friendly. judging by the label (and the size of the container), stinkey monkey puddings are most likely meant for people under the age of six, but i don't discriminate. i have a strict open door policy with anything that even resembles chocolate, so it wasn't hard to convince me to buy this $3.99 4oz pudding. other pluses: gluten-free, soy-free, low glycemic, and made in our very own culver city.

on my ipod now

having a good mix on your ipod is almost as important as having comfortable running shoes (or even a sports bra). i hate to admit it, but there have been times when i've driven to the gym, realized i forgot my ipod, and turned around and driven straight home. that's how i feel about music when i workout.

so what's on my ipod right now?

1. rihanna - only girl
2. 2Pac - hit em up
3. shakira - waka waka
4. michael jackson - billie jean
5. rihanna - what's my name
6. michael jackson - dirty diana
7. major lazer and la roux - bulletproof
8. matchbox 20 - how far we've come
9. phoenix - 1901
10. arcade fire - wake up
11. eminem - my band
12. diddy featuring keyshia cole - last night
13. the game - how we do
14. grizzly bear - two weeks
15. jason mraz - butterfuly
16. jay-z - numb/encore
17. kele - everything you wanted
18. kings of leon - sex on fire
19. la roux - in for the kill
20. passion pit -little secrets

if you can, run a bit faster when the quicker tempo songs come on. you'll be doing intervals without even thinking about it!

image source: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/02/2g-ipod-shuffle-230pxl.jpg

Elvino

while wandering abbot kinney this weekend with one of my friends, we suddenly got the urge to do a late afternoon wine tasting, so we ducked into elvino. elvino, although conveniently "the wine" in spanish, is actually the name of the owner's grandfather. every weekend elvino offers tasting flights from a different part of the world. this particular weekend the focus happened to be on portugal. we tasted three delicious wines with fresh bread and spanish olive oil to clean our palates. elvino is a great place for an impromptu tasting and an even better place to find a new favorite bottle of wine.

elvino is open every night until 8pm during the week and 9pm on weekends so feel free to stop by for a quick tasting before or after dinner (or on a random saturday afternoon).