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Raw cacao is a powerful antioxidant that is now getting a lot of recognition.

If you’ve not yet benefited from the amazing power of raw cacao, I’ll first list 8 health benefits of adding raw cacao to your diet:

1. Raw cacao helps stimulate your immune system.

2. Raw cacao boosts your energy level because it acts as a stimulant and this will boost your spirits.

3. It can help strengthen your cardiovascular system.

4. It can reduce chronic fatigue and general weakness caused by stress.

5. Pure chocolate is a mood enhancer because it directly stimulates various neurotransmitters in your brain (such as serotonin) to help reduce depression and to give a sense of euphoria or a sense of well being.

6. It is also considered as a mild aphrodisiac as it has shown to increase sexual appetite after regular consumption. Yes, raw cacao brings out the vixen (ladies) and fox (gentlemen) in you!

7. Raw chocolate has a very high ORAC quotient. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is an important property, as it denotes the ability to absorb free radicals from your body. Basically, raw cacao, helps protect your body from carcinogens and free radicals that can cause cancer.

8. Finally, raw cacao is a powerful superfood that helps regulate your sleep.

>>> How do I add raw cacao to my own diet?

Well, I really wasn’t sure at first. When I first bought raw cacao, I wasn’t sure how I was going to eat it. I put a handful in my mouth and quickly discovered that I would NOT be eating it like I eat my other dark chocolates.

1) Raw cacao smoothie

I then thought about my breakfast smoothies! The next morning, I added the raw cacao to my raw oatmeal and grinded it all in my blender then added the other ingredients I use to prepare my smoothies (raw sugar, 1 banana, 1 apple or 1 pear, my protein powder, ice, water, rice milk and frozen wild blueberries) and mixed the whole thing. I was pleasantly surprised because adding raw cacao to your smoothies is a great idea and you do taste the flavour (that said I did find that not all the chunks were finely grinded). Interestingly, the raw cacao concoction was not brown like it would have been if I have added chocolate milk to my smoothie because the flakes don’t melt.

2) Raw cacao oatmeal

A few weeks after the raw cacao smoothie recipe, I woke with this intense desire to eat cooked oatmeal. I usually let my creativity come to play and I usually add whatever I have on hand  — like fruits, dried fruits or nuts.

I decided to add raw cacao and shaved unsweetened coconut flakes to my oatmeal and topped it with maple syrup and rice milk and OMG what an amazing combination.

To this day, the raw cacao oatmeal recipe is my favourite way of eating raw cacao, followed closely by my raw cacao smoothie.

Raw cacao is a bit more expensive than dark chocolate or chocolate in general, but you will use only a bit of it at a time and it’s soooooooooooooooooooo good for your health.

I’d love to know if you eat raw cacao and if so, how to you add it to your diet?

Do share your raw cacao recipes by leaving a comment below!

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Before being a beauty editor, I used to be a food editor and before that I was a part-time personal chef. Food is just part of who I am. I’m always thinking about food or I’m thinking about a new recipe. I receive four or five weekly newsletters and I’m always hunting for the next great food and flavour combination.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … if grocery shopping was an Olympic sport, I’d represent my country well!

I’d love to say that I’ve inherited my love of good food at home, but it’s something that I learned as an adult.

Of course, there is nothing quite like having to write about food to really become an expert on the subject and this is a luxury I’m very grateful to have had.

I’ve known about the Slow Food movement for a few years now (I discovered the organization while writing the third edition of my food guide), but it’s only now that I decided to make the time to join. There has been a chapter in Canada for a few years now and I feel fully ready to become more active in spreading the word and helping readers understand why it’s important to make time for slow foods and real foods as opposed to fast foods and junk foods.

Slow Food, like so many other good things in this world, finds its roots in Italy! The movement was created in 1986 by Italian food writer Carlo Petrini as a protest against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant in Rome in 1986.

I really don’t have a good explanation as to why it took me so long to join, but I think my need to find a more balanced life has also pushed me into moving forward and taking the plunge. I really felt ready to become more active in the movement that praised good quality food and that praised the pleasure of sharing food with people. Regardless of the amount of chaos that has happened in the last few years, I’ve managed in some way to never forget to feed my body with high quality ingredients. I also wanted to be part of an organization where I can mingle with other people who also want to take certain aspect of their lives “slowly”.

I once made a joke with a guy I was seeing who asked me how come I always had sautéed onions in my fridge because “normal” people don’t have sautéed onions on hand … I explained that I sauté when I’m happy and I sauté when I’m sad. Regardless of my state of mind, I’m always more than happy to cook.

Slow Food is not only about sitting around a big table and eating elaborately prepared dishes with other foodies, Slow Food is also all about celebrating fresh, seasonal produce, local growers, recipes that have been handed down by a grandmother or a mother and artisans who have a passion for their craft … basically it’s the celebration of “REAL GOOD” food.

Another real aspect of Slow Food is that in the end it will save our planet because it’s a very eco-friendly way of living … if you buy from local growers you reduce the need for food to travel long distances and you also are eating food that is fresher because local growers can allow fruits and vegetables to mature a little longer in the soil. Don’t get me wrong, I would go into panic mode if I could no longer buy exotic fruits at my local grocery shop, but when it comes to fruits like apples … I’ll buy locally grown fruits over exports.

I’m sure that there will be many food events to share with you and many recipes and food ideas to talk about.

I hope you’ll keep reading about my Slow Food adventures!

I’ve read many testimonials in favour of the Slow Food movement and I’ve read feedback from many happy members, but the following testimonial is of Royal proportions:

“I am an enormous admirer of the Slow Food Movement and of the remarkable work it has done to encourage sustainable agriculture, to increase appreciation of good food and to celebrate and share the knowledge – often developed over millennia – of the traditions involved with quality food production.”

– HRH Charles, the Prince of Wales

If you want to know more about a local chapter of this food movement, you can find details on their Web site: Slow Food

Photo by cygnus921

I was having lunch the other day when I saw this advert for Bonnie Plants!

With all this talk about First Lady Michelle Obama growing her own initiative to feed the White House staff and her family with her organic garden and with the impending inflation on groceries (food will get exponentially higher in price … mark my words), it makes a whole lot of sense to find ways of growing any fruits or vegetables you can to save you some money and keep you eating smart!

I know that most North Americans don’t eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables, but if I had to guess, I’d say that tomatoes and peppers might to top the list when it comes to the non-root vegetables (as opposed to the popular potato) that are most commonly purchased at the grocery store.

If you look at the price of tomatoes and peppers, you’ll notice they fluctuate quite a lot and some weeks, it’s simply not worth buying them because they can top $1.00 each.

What about growing your own tomatoes and peppers for just a few pennies a piece and what if you didn’t have to worry about needed a lot of land to start your own vegetable garden?

That’s exactly what Bonnie Plants help you to do! Not only will you be able to grow favourites like tomatoes and peppers, but you’ll also be able to grow herbs to flavour your meals and you’ll also be able to grow different varieties of tomatoes.

I have to say that I was quite taken by this idea and I think it will help a lot of families eat healthier foods while minding their food budget.

>>>> When I checked Bonnie Plants “most popular” page, I saw these top sellers:

* Basil – what would life be without basil?

* Beefmaster tomatoes – these are ideal for burgers

* Better Boy tomatoes – you cannot go wrong with these classic tomatoes

* Better Bush tomatoes – I quite like vine tomatoes

* Big Boy tomatoes – you can never have too varieties of tomatoes!

* Big Beef tomatoes – just like the beefmaster, these tomatoes are perfect for your grilled homemade burgers.

* Bonnie Original tomatoes – these very flavourful tomatoes that are screaming for some coarse salt, freshly grounded pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

* More tomatoes – The list of tomato variety is getting to be so long that I’ll simply list the rest of the varieties that you can grow with your Bonnie Plant – Husky cherry red tomatoes, Mr. Stripey tomatoes, Park’s Whopper Improved tomatoes, Roma grape tomatoes, Patio tomatoes, Red Beedsteak tomatoes, sweet 100 tomatoes.

* Big Bertha peppers – these are extra large bell peppers that would make delicious stuffed pepper recipes

* Bonnie Bell Hybrid – there are so many recipes you can create with green peppers … the possibilities are endless.

* Other peppers – you’ll be able to eat your own home-grown Red Bell (my all time favourites), Yellow Bell, Sweet Banana peppers!

* Black Beauty Eggplants – aubergines (as we call them in Canada and in the U.K.) are so delicious and they are full of fibre! This vegetable is the corner stone of the Mediterranean cuisine. You can also grown your won Ichiban Japanese Eggplants with your Bonnie Plant for your Asian dishes!

* Boston Pickling Cucumber – if you’re into pickling, these will ensure that you’ll have homemade pickles year round.

* Burpless Bush Hybrid cucumber – I find cucumber to be particularly refreshing during the summer because they contain so much water and are perfect in a salad or on their own!

* Bush Goliath tomatoes – these are the kind of big, juicy tomatoes that you’ll gladly eat like an apple.

* Hot peppers – I’ve never met a hot pepper I didn’t like. I eat hot pepper like others eat pop corn and I find the idea of growing your own thrilling. Your Bonnie Plant will allow you to your own cayenne, jalapeno, hot banana and Habanero hot peppers!

* Celebrity tomatoes – these are made in the “US of A” and it seems like a real celebrity … these tomatoes are larger than life!

* Herbs: A Bonnie Plant will allow you to grow your own cilantro, sage, curled parsley, dill, flat Italian parsley, oregano and rosemary.

As if this list wasn’t explicit enough, you’ll also be able to grow your own Bonnie Plant Crookneck squash, Hale’s Best jumbo orange melons, 50 lb. cabbages, your fresh Quinault strawberries and your own zucchinis.

If that’s still not enough to get you excited about this nifty concept, you’ll be able to take a daily trip to Provence (France) every time you admire your own lavender garden grown with your Bonny Plant Provence lavender!

You know Michelle Obama has a good point about sharing the growing experience with your kids as a way of encouraging them to eat more fruits and vegetables. I still remember helping my grandmother with her summer garden and I also remember how she thought me how to take a simple dried bean and transform it into a blossoming plant that I would then go out and plant in the garden and watch over all summer long until I was able to eat the fruit of my labour. Those are sweet memories I’ll carry with me forever and they always make me quite emotional.

I won’t lie, I’m not much of a gardener (that much I didn’t take from my grandmother), although I love cooking with all my heart. I think the gardening experience I shared with my grandmother as a child helped me embrace and enjoying vegetables at a young age and that experience has carried through my entire life. Today, as an adult I eat a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables. I keep meats and carbs to “side order” portions rather than main portions.

If you’re like me and you don’t have a green thumb or if you live in a downtown building, these Bonnie Plants might be your license to discovering the wonderful and flavourful world of home grown fruits and vegetables!

You’ll find more information here: Bonnie Plants

When you visit their site, you’ll notice a few tabs that will help you learn the basics of gardening!

Photo by Lisa Norwood

It appears that not all flax seeds are created equally.

I found out about this a few months ago while watching Dr. Mehmet Oz on one of Oprah’s health segments, but a few weeks ago I was also confronted with this important lesson about flax seeds and I thought I’d pass on my findings.

The media has done an incredible job at educating us on the importance of flax seeds as a source of Omega-3 fatty acids (it contains 57 per cent Omega-3). Did you know that 42 per cent of flax seed is oil? It’s incredible to think that almost half of that little seed is oil! Additionally, a good part of a flax seed oil is 70 per cent polyunsaturated fat (aka healthy fat).

Flax seed is also an excellent source of soluble (which can help in lowering your blood pressure) and insoluble (which helps keep you regular) fibre.

Flax seed is one of the richest sources of lignans. Lignans are phytoestrogen compounds that have been shown in studies to protect the body against certain forms of cancer by blocking the formation of the cancerous tumour (particularly breast and colon cancer).

As if this list was not long enough, flax seeds are a great source of vegetable protein. Even if you are a meat eater it’s important to also include vegetable protein in your diet because it’s far easier to digest than meat protein. Not only does flax seed contain protein, but it contains 20 per cent times more protein than soy protein.

So now that you know all of the great benefits of adding flax seed in your diet, it’s time to figure out which type of flax seed you need. The body is unable to break down the flax seed hull (the seed itself).

Did you know that the benefits of eating flax seed are locked inside the seed? So unless you actually grind the seed to a pulp you will not be able to reap the omega-3, fibre or protein benefits.

Once you’ve grinded your flax seeds you can use them in shakes, smoothies, yogurt or in baked goods.

Here’s another little tidbit: Unless you have some serious kitchen equipment, it might be difficult for you to properly grind your own flax seeds. You can buy them already grinded at many natural health and bulk food shops. Also, when you do get your flax seed home, be sure to keep it in the fridge because the essential fatty acid can easily go rancid … especially during the summer months.

Photo by Papertygre