I’m really happy to have a naturally healthy taste for food. Sometimes I’ll hear people say: “Wow, I could just die to have a hamburger right now!” That’s not me. Nothing about the juices of dead animals exploding in my mouth from in between two rubbery buns really excites me in a pleasant way. Sorry if that just grossed you out ;).

Craving snacks

However, I do quite often crave sugary or fatty foods, such as candy or crisps. But I’ve also noticed that when I indulge in eating those for a somewhat extended period of time, my energy levels go down, I move less, eat more of the quick-fix stuff and my immune systems grows weak.  That’s why I made a list of wholefood snacks which are healthier alternatives that I like to eat. Here’s a few examples:

Sweet wholefood snacks:

Dates, figs, cranberries, dried mangos, tomatoes with honey (try it!), smoothies, coconut with bananapulp, yoghurt with muesli and fruits, tahin with a squeeze of lemon and honey, chiaseeds with coconut milk and mint, bliss balls, homemade heavenly raw chocolate.

Savory wholefood snacks:

Olives, cherry tomatoes, soybeans (edamame) with seasalt, freshly roasted nuts with pepper & salt, gado-gado (steamed veggies with peanut sauce), raw veggies with hummus or egg salad.

Bell’s Palsy: healed!

I had to remind myself of this list when I came down with Bell’s Palsy (a partial facial paralysis) about 6 or 7 weeks ago. I’m very happy to report that the symptoms have (almost) completely gone! The whole experience has given me some very valuable lessons and insights, though, and I may write some more about that in the future. For now, I’ll just quickly share a few basics that I have since implemented back into my life:

Eat healthy foods, go out for a walk every day and just relax.

That’s it. Go easy on yourself. Don’t stress. Keep moving, lightly. And treat yourself to nice salads :).

Salads like this one and the ones I’ve been posting lately will help build your immune system and energy levels by providing lots of essential nutrients. So go on, treat yourself to a healthy plate full of crunchy goodness.

Here’s an article by Health & Fitness Shops listing 13 health benefits of avocado specifically.

Recipe for Super Green Salad with Avocado, Sprouts and Nuts

1 big handful of rocket
1 big handful of baby spinach (or any other green leafy veg)
1 handful of sprouts (homemade or bought in the store)
1 avocado (in chunks)
1 handful of nuts (my favorites are pistachios, almonds and pecans)
Olive oil, to taste
Salt & pepper, to taste

Just toss everything together and enjoy. To increase the volume, you could add thinly sliced cabbage. Also great to use as a veg tortilla wrap stuffing. Super nice with sour creme/crème fraiche!