Product Review: Flora Source By Nutri-Health

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My friends over at Nutri-Health.com asked me to try a product of my choice from their website then write up a review. I decided to check out this probiotic, Flora Source Multi-Probiotic Women. I am always in search of finding a new probiotic to give my body a variety of healthy gut bugs. It’s optimal to rotate your probiotics.

If you are looking to improve your gut health, which can boost overall health, then adding a good probiotic to your supplement protocol is a great idea.

How do you know if you need to add in a probiotic supplement? If you are experiencing the following:

  • bloating
  • excess gas
  • have trouble digesting certain foods
  • heartburn or GERD
  • recently taken antibiotics of have taken rounds of antibiotics in the past
  • low energy
  • emotions including anxiety or depression

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Disclosure of material connection: Nutri-Health.com provided me with this product to review. All opinions expressed here are completely my own.

This probiotic formula is unique in that it contains prebiotics as well in the form of short chain fructooligosaccarides (a proprietary blend from NutraFlora scFOS). Ingesting prebiotics along with your probiotics is ideal because it gives the healthy bugs something to feed on so they can then do good work in your body.

This product seemed to help my overall digestion. I could tell by the frequency and shape of my stool that it was having a positive effect on my body. I am experiencing less discomfort from bloating and gas as well. This is complimentary to my overall balanced healthy eating.

The recommendation is to take 2 capsules daily for a week then switch to 1 capsule daily for a week, then repeat the regimen.

A helpful probiotic and prebiotic regimen will:

  • improve your ability to digest foods
  • improve elimination
  • increase nutrient absorption
  • reduce gas and bloating
  • clearer thinking and better moods
  • weight loss
  • less sugar cravings

Taking the Flora Source Multi-Probiotic Women formula helped me experience several of these benefits. Check out this product if you are seeking a new probiotic/prebiotic formula!

Disclaimer: This post is based upon my personal experience. The materials and content contained on this website are for general health information only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with you medical doctor before making changes in your diet, exercise, medicine, and supplement program.

Fresh and Fabulous Eating at Farmer’s Table

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Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton is a new farm to table restaurant located adjacent to the Wyndam Hotel.

I was really excited to check out this restaurant because their focus is on sourcing local ingredients, including grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, and sustainably sourced fresh seafood. Clean eating at its finest and tons of great options for dairy free, gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian.

We arrived at 6:30pm on a Saturday night. My advice is to get a reservations, they were completely booked. We were able to get a table in the bar area, but next time we’ll have reservations for sure.

They have a large variety of wine by the glass or by the bottle. If you enjoy beer, they feature micro brew beers in the bottle and a couple on tap.

The menu is loaded with fresh ingredients, clean proteins, tons of veggies served up in delicious and creative ways to please your palate. You’ll find new favorites here and want to keep coming back to check out every dish on the menu.

We started with drinks and with so many delicious options, it wasn’t easy, but we were both happy with our decisions.

My husband chose the Mad-Hatter cocktail, he really enjoyed the brandy soaked cherries. This is a strong drink so one was all he needed with dinner.

I chose the Beet It Cordial made with Swami cold-pressed juice, pomegranate, and club soda. It was delicious and refreshing!

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We decided to try the 19th street short rib tacos for a starter. Quite simply, these were amazing! The beef was tender and juicy with great flavor and topped with crunchy marinated cabbage, pico de gallo, and creamy avocado slices. I could make a meal out of this and a salad. Ordering these are a must when you come to Farmer’s Table!

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For dinner, I chose the grass-fed beef burger without a bun to make it gluten free. The burger was delicious and cooked to medium as requested. It came with a wonderful fig jam and cabbage slaw. The soft sweet potato hash was a nice addition. It needed a little sea salt, but I welcome this side instead of the usual French fries most restaurants offer. My husband also got the grass-fed beef burger with bun and cheddar cheese on top. He liked the fig jam spread for the burger and we also requested ketchup and mustard (they have a spicy dijon available only, wish they had regular yellow mustard) on the side.

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This was a memorable meal and I cannot wait to check out more of their menu!

Brunch will start in January, this is not to be missed. They also serve breakfast and lunch during the week.

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Delicious and high quality food at reasonable prices served up in a nicely decorated and welcoming establishment. I think we found a new favorite!

Farmer’s Table

http://www.farmerstableboca.com/

1901 N. Military Trail (adjacent to Wyndam Hotel)

Boca Raton, FL 33431
info@farmerstableboca.com

P: 561-417-5836

Have you been to Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton? What do you think and what’s your favorite dish there? Please share in the comment below.

Big Success: Vegan Night At Mellow Mushroom

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Vegan night at Mellow Mushroom was held tonight in Downtown Delray Beach. Those who eat vegan or those curious about vegan eating came by to sample delicious vegan eats made fresh at Mellow Mushroom. Guest speakers, Health Coach Pam Higgins (yours truly), and Vegan Triathlete and Trainer Richard Wygand were present to speak about the benefits of eating vegan, answers questions and speak with customers.

Here’s a little of what I covered:

When going vegan, focus on eating more plants. I say this because many people start out by eating more carbohydrates and processed vegan proteins. By eating more plants including leafy greens, the rainbow of colors in produce, and root vegetables, you get a wide variety of nutrients.

A few of my favorite vegan foods are avocado, kale, sweet potato, sprouted quinoa, lentils, and pumpkin seeds. You don’t have to be vegan to eat this way, I eat these foods all of the time and many of my readers already know that I’m not vegan, but I do enjoy lots of vegan meals every week.

Remember that food is not a religion, it’s about eating what foods work best for your own body. Know that may change from time to time as well. If you are looking to figure out what foods work best for your body, contact me for a free 15-min strategy session. I work with clients who want to feed their body food that tastes amazing and works well for their bodies to achieve optimal health.

Some benefits of going vegan are:

  • lower cholesterol,
  • good for the environment,
  • good for your heart, lower heart disease rates,
  • great for cancer prevention, has also reversed cancer in many people,
  • less toxic load on your body,
  • get glowing skin,
  • more energy

Photos courtesy of BlueIvy Communications

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Here I am chatting with customers about healthy vegan options, benefits of eating more plant based meals, and best ways to meet protein needs.

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Hungry customers happily enjoy vegan samples made fresh at Mellow Mushroom!

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Photo with Mellow Mushroom owners The Platt Family!

Pictured with Rich Wygand of RW Training (second from the left).

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Hummus with veggies (one of my favorite vegan apps at Mellow Mushroom)

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At home with a gluten free veg-out pizza compliments of Mellow Mushroom.

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Stop in at Mellow Mushroom for great food and delicious vegan options plus gluten free too!!

One of my favorite local places to grab a slice and a drink.

My top picks for vegan meals at Mellow Mushroom:

  1. Gluten free veg-out pizza
  2. hummus with veggie sticks
  3. Make your own salad with tempeh, salad greens, broccoli, avocado, and dried cherries
  4. Stuffed portobello mushroom (minus the cheese)

Mellow Mushroom https://www.facebook.com/MellowMushroomDelrayBeach

25 SE 6th Ave

Delray Beach, FL 33483

561-330-3040

Event made possible by Melissa Perlman of BlueIvy Communications!

Amp Your Health With Raw Juce

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Juicing seems to be everywhere and now Boca Raton is home to a new juice bar called Raw Juce.

Raw Juce serves up organic cold-pressed juice. They use a masticating style juicer that presses juice out of fresh fruit and veggies. Many juicers you may have seen are centrifugal where produce goes down the chute and juice goes one way and pulp goes the other way. Masticating juices simply press the produce to squeeze the juice out, there is far less pulp waste, so you are getting more nutrients in the juice. Typically this type of juicer is more expensive as well.

For more about different types of juicers here’s great article:

http://www.juicingbook.com/centrifugal-masticating-juicers#.Uoq6W-Ilj0P

or here: http://www.harvestessentials.com/whatjuicisri.html

Raw Juce has delicious creations such as Carrot Cake, Raw Green, Haute to Trot, and Coconut Kale-Ada to name a few. Stop in a try a few samples before deciding.

I met up with a girl friend this weekend at Raw Juce instead of meeting up for coffee. We started off sampling juices and yes they have cold-pressed coffee too. All juces tasted great, but I found a few favorites right away that I love. They also make smoothies, salads, oatmeal parfaits, acai bowls (like a dairy free banana split), and coffee drinks with almond milk.

Sample a bunch of flavors, then pick your ready made bottle of juice. This type of juice does not separate and stays delicious for up to 3-4 days.

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On a chalk board opposite the menu board shows their story and creed. They are really dedicated to serving up healthy and delicious foods with integrity. The ingredients are organic and they source local as much as possible.

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Menu up on the chalk board and comfortable seating area inside and outside.

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Sample barrels with tons of flavors to try. Drinks and food to eat there or to go. The advantage of this is that you can get in and out if you’re in a hurry.

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Love all the pretty colors and amazing flavors! All natural and vibrant colors made by nature, nothing artificial, no preservatives.

Disclaimer: All Juces are unpasteurized and could contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.

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Raw Juce http://www.rawjuce.com/

(behind Brewzii off Glades Road, next to Fly Wheel)

2200 Glades Road

Glades Plaza

Suite 403

Boca Raton, FL 33431

561.424.JUCE

teddy@rawjuce.com

Espresso Roasted Pork and Brussels Sprouts

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This weekend we had a really exciting wedding in the family. My brother-in-law got hitched and there was so much wonderful time with family and friends in celebration of this amazing event.

The wedding was in held Delray Beach, so on Sunday morning we all joined again for brunch then meandered downtown in Delray. We stopped at The Ancient Olive, I’m totally obsessed with all of the interesting and high quality olive oils and vinegars.

I picked up this gem, limited edition Butternut Squash Seed Oil, from upstate NY town Geneva, NY, near where I grew up.

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A taste of this oil and I knew I wanted to cook with it. Roasting with a green veggie came to mind.

I marinated pork loin from Maverick Farms (they have the very best pork) using espresso (you can use regular) balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Ingredients:

1# Boneless Pork Loin, I recommend Maverick Farms brand or any humanely raised pork

1-2 Tablespoons Espresso Balsamic Vinegar from The Ancient Olive or your favorite balsamic vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons Organic Olive Oil

Sea salt, fresh ground black pepper

1.5# whole Brussels sprouts

1 Tablespoon Butternut Squash Seed Oil

1/8 teaspoon each turmeric, sea salt, black pepper

 

Method:

1. Remove meat from packaging and place in glass 9 x 13 baking pan. Feel free to use a meat tenderizer to flatten it a bit if you like.

2. Pour vinegar and oil over meat, then season with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper. Allow to come to room temp if cooking soon (30 – 60 minutes, otherwise, cover and place in fridge).

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Prep Brussels sprouts by cutting off the stems, then cutting in half. Wash thoroughly.

4. Toss Brussels sprouts with 1 Tablespoon Butternut Squash Seed Oil, turmeric, sea salt, and black pepper.

5. Roast on a backing sheet for 30 minutes, remove from oven to turn over halfway through.

6. When Brussels sprou15 minutes into cooking, you’ll want to sear the pork loin before putting into the oven.

7. Heat large stainless steel skillet to medium-high heat.

8. Place pork loin onto hot skillet and sear on each side for 1 minute. You can sear top and bottom only or sear all 4 sides. This will get you a nice crust to lock in the flavor of meat during baking.

9. After removing your brussels sprouts from the oven. Set oven to 425.

10. Roast pork loin for 30-37 minutes, turning halfway through. It took mine 37 minutes. Cook until juices run clear, but meat can be slightly pink, just not bleeding.

11. Allow pork to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

12. Plate sliced pork with brussels sprouts with a fresh garden salad.