Our New Day nutritionist and author of "Weight a Minute," Deborah Enos came to our studio to tell us which ones are worth the money and which ones aren't! Here are some of her tips:
Kale Chips
If you’ve had kale chips, then you know why they are on this list. If you haven’t had kale chips, then run to your organic market and get some. These things are amazing. And, amazingly addictive.
Kale chips are the next potato chip but healthy for you. Kale chips are nothing more than dehydrated kale and they come in a wide range of flavors such as habanera, cheesy, ranch, nacho and many others.
For the recipe to bake kale chips visit our Kitchen Monki site HERE!
Chia seeds
With people on a constant search for protein-rich food, chia seeds will become the popular choice.
Chia seeds were a central component of the Aztec and Mayan diets and supposedly were the main food that Aztec warriors carried with them when they went off to fight. It was considered a sacred food back then.
People nowadays will be drawn to chia seeds for many different reasons. They are comprised of roughly 20% protein, are full of antioxidants, contain more Omega-3s than flax, help stabilize blood sugar levels and are a tremendous source of energy for the body and mind.
Palm Sugar
As I predicted earlier this year, coconuts were going to continue their explosion in popularity and I see absolutely no slowdown in sight. While many people may know coconut water, something that will soon become a familiar item is coconut palm sugar.
Sometimes referred to as coconut palm crystals, coconut palm sugar is nothing more evaporated palm nectar — the nectar or sap from a palm tree. It is an alternative sweetener, rich in Vitamin C, lower on the Glycemic Index than agave, honey or sugar, and considered environmentally friendly.
Don’t expect palm sugar to taste exactly like other sweeteners, however. It does have a slightly different taste and one that takes a little bit of time to get used to.
Nori Seaweed:
This is probably the most popular seaweed, thanks to the Japanese. Almost all major cities in the world have their sushi bars. Its sweet and meaty flavor is also easily accepted by most people, not only the Asians. This is the easiest seaweed to get to know because of its taste and, well, it's in sushi. Add this edible seaweed to:
•soups (like miso soup)
•moistened for salads
•if you toast it lightly in a skillet or pop it in the oven, you've got your own seaweed snack and of course, wrapped up with rice and your favorite fish and vegetables in sushi, futo maki or California rolls.
Nori nutrition: It's got the highest protein compared to the rest of the seaweeds. Nori is rich in calcium, iodine, iron, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc and Vitamins A, B, C, E and K.
Coconut milk
For more on Deborah Enos visit: http://www.deborahenos.com/
