Here's a tasty treat for an afternoon snack or a light lunch. Chia seeds, hemp hearts and sliced almonds over strawberries with a dab of whipped cream to help it all go down smoothly.
Yes, I could have used yogurt, but since I’m not perfect and I had the whipped cream... I’m always looking for ways to add healthy fats to fight inflammation, keep my brain and heart healthy, okay and to fill in a few wrinkles from the inside out.
Ingredients
· 1 tbsp of Hemp Hearts
· 1 tbsp chia seeds
· 10 chopped almonds or walnuts
· ½ cup sliced fresh strawberries, raspberries or blackberries
· 2 tbsp vanilla yogurt or whipped cream
Almonds, Chia seeds and Hemp hearts are all nutrient dense foods. That means more bang for your buck. Fun fact, almonds are technically seeds, as are chia seeds, but hemp hearts (hulled hemp) are really nuts. Hemp seeds come from the cannabis plant, but only have trace amounts of THC, so its safe to use your rotary cutter after lunch.
All three are rich in protein, vitamin E and several minerals, but most importantly they contain healthy fats. Primarily omega 3 which is the good stuff that makes our joints happy, skin smooth, brain working and can decrease our risk of heart disease and reduces PMS and menopause symptoms.
The healthy fat in nuts and seeds helps with satiety, the feeling of fullness. The combination of fat, protein and fibre means that nuts and seeds are digested slowly, providing a long, slow release of energy to keep blood-sugar levels stable. For anyone counting carbs, take a look at the chart below. Hemp and Chia seeds have equal amounts of fibre and Carbohydrates resulting in a zero net carb balance.
A Strawberry a day could keep your wrinkles at bay!
We all know that strawberries have vitamin C and we may have read that this vitamin is vital to the production of collagen, which helps to improve skin’s elasticity and resilience. However vitamin C isn’t the only naturally occurring wrinkle fighter found in this fruit. Ellagic acid is a naturally occurring compound found in plants. It is found in the highest concentrations in dark fruits, including blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, pomegranates and in walnuts. In plants, ellagic acid provides natural UV protection. In people, it can help protect skin from oxidative stress induced by UV radiation and the natural aging process.
Researchers at Hallym University in Korea applied a cream containing ellagic acid to a mild sunburn (on mice) and it greatly reduced inflammation. They concluded that ellagic acid visibly prevented collagen destruction and inflammatory response. Good news for us since these are the two major factors in the development of wrinkles. Overall it encourages the rebuilding of our skin’s elasticity, and that means less fine lines and wrinkles.