🐉 Dragon Fruit Delight: The Surprising Benefits of Pitaya for your Skin + Gut

Are you tired of eating your boring old bananas and fruits? Well, then say hello to pitaya, also known as dragon fruit! This spiky pink fruit is not only visually stunning; it is also packed with amazing health benefits that can do wonders for your skin and gut.

Dragon fruit benefits the skin

Let’s start with the benefits to our skin. Dragon fruit is the perfect fruit to combat ‘dragon skin’. Pitaya is loaded with vitamins such as vitamin C, which helps to promote healthy skin and wound healing. Because pitaya is rich in antioxidants such as betalains and flavonoids, it can which help to protect cells from free radical damage, reduce inflammation, and slow down the signs of aging. Say goodbye to fine lines and wrinkles and hello to youthful and glowing skin! Not to mention, the fruit’s high water content helps to hydrate your skin from the inside out. Yes, please!

Pitaya is a gut superhero!

Its high fiber content helps to promote digestion and prevent constipation – essentially, pitaya helps you poo! Plus, the fruit’s probiotic properties help to maintain a healthy gut flora, which can boost your immune system and improve your overall well-being.

Dragon fruit helps your heart and nervous system too

Pitaya is a good source of magnesium, an essential mineral that plays a role in heart health and nerve function. The iron contained in dragon fruit is responsible for red blood cell production and oxygen transport in the body. It also contains potassium, which is an essential electrolyte that helps regulate blood pressure and fluid balance along with calcium which aids in muscle and nerve function.

Now that you know what pitaya can do you for your body, make sure you put this fabulous fruit on your grocery list!

How to eat dragon fruit + ways to incorporate it into your diet

Now, we know what you’re thinking. “How do I even eat this funky-looking fruit?” Well, fear not, friends, for there are countless ways to include pitaya into your culinary creations.

First up, smoothies! Simply blend pitaya with some fruit, non-dairy milk of your choice, nuts or protein powder. Here’s the 🦄 Pink Unicorn Smoothie ✨ to try

A variation of this would be a pitaya smoothie bowl which you could top off with your favorite granola, such as DIY Hippie Granola, and fresh fruit. Voila! A nutritious, Instagram-worthy breakfast.

But wait, there’s more! You can also slice up pitaya and add it to your fruit salad, mix it with some coconut water (or a margarita) for a refreshing summer beverage, make it into salsa, or even grill it for a unique and flavorful taco ingredient.

The possibilities are endless with pitaya, so get creative and enjoy this versatile and nutritious fruit in any way you like!

There you have it, folks. Pitaya, the superfruit that not only looks good but tastes delicious and also benefits your skin, gut, and heart. So go ahead, give it a try, and thank us later!

Feeling Fat & Tired? 😫 Here’s why…

Back when we did a segment on 10TV on Foods that will Increase your Energy, we first spoke about the factors that pull down energy levels. That’s because kale and other superfoods, such as maca and spirulina, can only do just so much when there are other agents at play.

Why is my energy so low?

Here are some typical energy drains written out as an acrostic:

Fast food

Alcohol

Tired (from not getting enough sleep)

&

Time constraints, stress

Immunity (e.g being sick or having autoimmune disorders such as Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, and more)

Relational issues at home or work

Eating inconsistently (i.e. skipping breakfast or eating late at night)

Depression

So these factors can make us feel fat and tired. And what do we do when we feel this way? Well, we usually turn to coffee and sugar, which provide a short-term solution but not long-term, sustained energy.

Now that we’ve identified the energy drains, here’s what to do about it. Consider adding in foods that will give us an energy boost, such as:

Yerba Mate – a good coffee alternative which provides caffeine but usually without the jitteriness associated with coffee

Beneficial fats – olives, avocado on toast, nuts and seeds all provide longer-lasting energy. A tip here is to keep nuts and seeds in your desk drawer, work bag or purse so that you always have a better option when you’re hungry and still have work to do or errands to run.

Maca powder – can help with energy, mood, memory and even with balancing hormones. It’s great in smoothies and in our Cocoa-Maca Energy Balls recipe

Spirulina – a blue-green algae that has protein, iron, and B vitamins (all important for energy)

Greens – one of most under-utilized food groups and yet they provide so many minerals and vitamins that give us energy and help us feel great. Kale chips and smoothies are easy ways to include them into your diet.

Chia seeds – they have fiber, protein, and omega-3s. Try our Spiced Vanilla Chia Pudding

Instead of hitting the vending machine for candy bars or nearest coffee shop for an espresso, try these are nutrient-rich options whenever you need a natural energy boost!

Go-go Goji Berries!

The goji berry, also known as wolfberry, is a sweet orange-red fruit native to Asia. It has been eaten for thousands of years and is a staple of some of the longest-living people on earth, including the Hunza in the Himalayas. With an impressive array of nutritional properties and health benefits, you might want to include it into your diet. We’ll show you how.

Background & Nutritional Properties

Goji berries have been used both as food and botanical medicine. Fortunately, with its sweet taste (it looks like a red raisin but tastes more like a cross between a cherry and a cranberry), it ‘helps the medicine go down’, as Mary Poppins would say.

What else do goji berries offer, nutritionally-speaking? Plenty – including 18 amino acids (the building blocks of protein), high antioxidant content, more protein by weight than other fruits (e.g. oranges, apples, berries), great source of beta-carotene and vitamin C, trace minerals, B vitamins and more.

Goji berries have been extensively studied for their health benefits and have been known to:

• Strengthen the immune system
• Increase longevity and protects from premature aging
• Reduce skin cancer risk
• Promote cardiovascular health
• Support eye health and vision
• Maintain healthy blood pressure and blood sugar
• Improve fertility
• Strengthen muscles and bones
• Manage weight

Ready to include more of these delicious and nutritious berries into your diet? First, let’s talk about who should NOT eat goji berries without consulting their doctor or healthcare professional. Obviously, those allergic to the berries should avoid them. Goji berries may interact with certain drugs including blood thinners and diabetes medications as well as drugs for high blood pressure.

Choosing to partake in the nourishment and benefits of these red berries? Here are some ways to include them into your go-go, busy lifestyle:

• During breakfast with DIY Hippie Granola or a warming Great Goji Groatmeal recipe or even just as a topping to your cereal

• Brew in a tea ball with loose green tea

• As a snack on its own or in a trail mix

• In smoothies and yogurt

• Paired with dark chocolate for a satisfying dessert rich in antioxidants

…and more! Goji berries have been used to make soup, stew and wine as well as herbal formulas as a tonic for health.

This nutrient-dense superfood deserves a spot in your pantry with all it can offer to you and your family. Enjoy!

Chocolate Maca Smoothie

Caffeine and chocolate fiends, unite! This smoothie is the perfect wake-me-up for summer. Here’s the recipe we made today along with ideas for modifications:

Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links or discount codes, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may make a commission.

Yields: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 banana
1 pint blackberries (or blueberries)
3 tbsp cacao nibs
5 tbsp cacao powder
3 tbsp shredded coconut
2 cups swiss chard leaves
2 cups non-dairy milk (we used hazelnut milk from Elmhurst)
2 cups water
1 cup coffee
1 tsp maca powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ashwagandha powder (optional)

This recipe is meant to be healthy and full of veg! If it’s not sweet enough for you, consider adding your favorite form of sweetness (e.g. more fruit, stevia, dates, etc). Looking for more greens-based smoothies that are lower in sugar? Check out the Green Smoothie Challenge eBook! It has recipes, grocery lists, along with tips and tricks for making smoothies part of your life.

Instructions
You know what to do here – load all ingredients into the high-speed blender, cover, and blend to desired consistency. Enjoy!

Green Smoothie Challenge eBook Release!

Perhaps you’ve thought to yourself, “I should really try having some green smoothies for breakfast or as a replacement for my 3pm-vending-machine-snack visit. I might have more energy and feel better. Ah, that sounds like a lot of work figuring out what ingredients I need and spending hours on Pinterest or at the grocery store. Maybe someday when _________ [insert your personal obstacle here].”

Well it’s time to bust through your own obstacles because when it comes to making a nutrient-rich meal, we have just done the lion’s share of the work for you!

The Green Smoothie Challenge eBook contains tips and tricks of the trade, 14 green smoothie recipes, ideas for substitutions, a food diary, superfood additions, and the grocery lists for week 1 and 2 of your personal challenge. Armed with this guide and your trusty blender, you’ll go far!

Spring is the perfect time to start adding in these green smoothies so you can experience having more energy, clearer skin, improved digestion, weight loss, or any number of benefits as yet unforeseen.

Get ready to experience the easiest and most sustainable way to enjoy some superfood-fueling smoothies; grab the guide and get started on the first week today!

Recipe: DIY Almond Milk

Have you read the ingredients label for almond milk? Eek! It’s not just almonds and water, kids. Take a look at this common, unsweetened version:

Ingredients: almond milk (filtered water, almonds), calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin d2 and d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin e).

Pshaw. Who needs all those additives? Here’s how to make your own. It’s easy, I swear.

Yields: half-gallon of almond milk

Ingredients & Equipment
1 cup raw, organic almonds
8 cups of water
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Strainer & cheesecloth
Blender
Optional: pure vanilla extract and/or natural sweeteners like stevia and maple syrup

Instructions

1. Soak almonds in 2 cups of water and salt for at least 3 hours or overnight.
2. Toss in a blender with 8 cups of water and run on high for about a minute, until it’s creamy and frothy.

3. Pour 1 cup of almond mixture through double cheesecloth-lined strainer and then use cheesecloth to squeeze into a large bowl. Repeat until all almond mixture has been transferred to bowl.

Note: keep the almond ‘pulp’ and use it to make gluten-free almond flour or for smoothies. It would be a shame to throw this out.
4. Optional: for sweetened milk, put liquid back in the blender and add preferred sweetener (above).
5. Pour liquid from bowl into large jug or containers.

Lasts about 6 days in the fridge. Product will naturally separate; just shake it before serving.