Alpha Beet's Early Bird Treats

Starting tomorrow, for the first time since we've opened our doors, Alpha Beet will be expanding into the realm of delicious breakfast opportunities!

We are offering a wide variety of choices from the Classic Breakfast Sammy with bacon, egg, cheese, and tomato to a Tofu Scrambler Wrap with savoury skillet tofu and homefries.

For something fresh, local, and organic, enjoy the Ultimate Yogurt Parfait with Mapleton's Organic Yogurt, home-made granola, and fresh organic fruit.

For a kick start, try the Alpha Rancheros Wrap with eggs, refried beans, cheese, guacamole, and salsa.

No matter what you're hankerin' for, we've got you covered. See you tomorrow morning, bright and early, for the freshest breakfast in town. Delish!

LINC Family Festival

Here at Alpha Beet, we're working hard to prepare for the LINC Family Festival coming up this Saturday, May 14th at the Rotary Complex!

The Festival, formerly the LINC Parents Fair, is a day-long, family-focused event that showcases area organizations and the programs and products they have to offer.

LINC stands for Living in a Nurturing Community and Alpha Beet will be there to offer healthy, homemade, and nutritious foods that you can feel good about taking home to your loved ones.

Special this Saturday will be the debut of our delicious, healthy and organic baby foods!! We've been pulling all nighter's to bring you the most delicious, natural eats for those little baby foodies. Try Organic Carrot or Organic Sweet Potato.

Come out on Saturday, support your local businesses, check out what the area has to offer, and stop by our booth for some delicious Alpha Beet treats!

See you there!

Liz
Lover of Spring Flowers and Festivals

Macrobiotics - An Introduction

Choosing what to eat is an incredibly personal thing with a wide array of factors: taste, digestion, levels of physical activity, allergies, blood type, environmental factors, ethics, philosophies, and so on.

Macrobiotics is a specialized diet that originated in Japan with a man named George Ohsawa. He created the diet based on the ancient yin-yang concepts of China and on the teachings of Sagen Ishizuka who pioneered the concepts of shokuiku (food education) and first explored the nutritional value of whole grains, sea vegetables, and other staples of the East Asian diet.

A macrobiotic diet is restrictive by common standards and excludes meat, dairy, flour, and sugar. Depending on the strictness of the diet, plants from the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants) may be excluded. Staple foods are whole grains, beans, seaweed and vegetables. Some people who follow the diet will eat fish. Food is both raw and cooked but must not be cooked in a microwave. Sodium should be either sea salt or unpasteurized soy sauce.

Another component of the diet is that food be well chewed. Well chewed food is easier to swallow, digest, and extract nutrients from. The longer the food is in your mouth, the longer you have to taste it which, not only maximizes enjoyment but also communicates to your body what digestive juices to release. Another way to help your digestive system is to refrain from washing food down with a beverage. This will help your body increase the production of saliva which helps to break down food in the stomach.

The purpose of the macrobiotic diet is health and longevity and many people choose this diet to aid in the treatment of cancer and other long-term illnesses. Eating the whole grain delivers more of the nutrients contained in the plant and lowers the risk of chronic disease. Beans are an excellent source of protein that contain less saturated fats than meats and dairy products. Sugars, especially refined sugars, are included in many prepared foods and contain no fiber, minerals, proteins, fat, or enzymes. In order to metabolize sugar, the body must borrow vital nutrients from healthy cells. Nightshades are acidic and, of not balanced out, draw on the body's calcium reserves.

Recognizing the health benefits of many aspects of the macrobiotic diet, Alpha Beet is proud to serve whole-grain, brown basmati rice in our rice bowls, whole soybeans in our tempeh bacon, and whole beans in our Red and Black Bean soups. All of our sauces are prepared in-house and not prepackaged or processed. We cook with only high-grade sea-salt. Our juices and smoothies have no added sugars (except the tbs of maple syrup in the Nutty Professor) and, because they are blended, aid your digestion. We also serve a wide variety of blended soups. Delicious and healthy!

Bon Appetit!

Liz
Rider of Self-Propelled Devices

Juice and Smoothies for Atheletes

Exercise puts stress on your body and it is important to provide the nourishment it needs during a workout to minimize strain and maximize effectiveness.

Before a run or a workout it is important to ingest juices that are high in calories and protein. Orange and grapefruit juices are perfect. Alpha Beet's From The Ground Up (orange, grapefruit, carrot, mint) and the Florida (grapefruit, orange, pineapple, lime) would be ideal. The same applies when choosing a smoothie. The Nutty Professor (bananas, soy milk, almond butter, dates, maple syrup, and cinnamon) is high in proteins and natural sugars and will keep you energized for your workout.

After a workout it is important to replenish your electrolytes including sodium, potassium, chlorides, bicarbonates, calcium, and magnesium. Fruits and vegetables with high water content like celery and apples work well to replenish these elements as well as rehydrate the body. Vita-C Green (celery, pear, broccoli, kale, lemon) and Fresh (apple, celery, mint, and lime) are both high in electrolytes and low in sugars.

Come visit us at Alpha Beet for more juice ideas!!


Move fast and have fun,
Liz
Bike rider and re-hydrator

Juicing for Weight Loss

There are many reasons that juicing is good for your health including hydration, detoxification, the fast absorption of nutrients, and the energy boost of natural sugars. If you are juicing for weight-loss however, it is important to choose the right ingredients for your juice. Vegetable-based drinks are ideal because of their lower sugar content. The blog Juicing For Weight Loss has a list of ingredients that they recommended for slimming down that includes carrot, cucumber, celery, lettuce, cabbage, beetroot, spinach, tomato, watercress, apple, grapefruit, and lemon.

The juices from Alpha Beet that best fit a weight-loss regime are:

Vita-C Green: Kale, Broccoli, Pear, Celery, and Lemon
Other benefits include a high concentration of vitamins and minerals, and a high chlorophyll content which aids the production of red blood cells.

Fresh: Apple, Celery, Mint, and Lime
Apple juice fights the affect of aging on the brain. That's right, they really do make you smarter. Mint aids in digestion and cleans the digestive tract. Celery is an anti-inflammatory that is full of vitamins!

Red Roar: Carrot, Beet, Apple, and Ginger
This juice is sweeter than the Vita-C or Fresh and contains ginger which aids digestion and increases circulation. The beetroot detoxifies the liver and has betacyanin, a cancer-fighting agent.

So if you're looking to slim down, come on in to Alpha Beet and we'll make some juice for you!

Liz
Juice Drinker and Alpha Beet Blogger

Benifits of Juicing and Pulping

Juicing is a fast and simple way to consume daily recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. The Canada Food Guide recommends 7-8 servings per day for women ages 19-50, and 8-10 for men of the same age.

In The Juicing Bible by Pat Crocker she outlines the benefits of juicing which I have summarized below:

Easy Assimilation: In whole fruits and vegetables some enzymes, photochemicals, vitamins, and minerals and trapped in indigestible fiber and cannot be assimilated by the body. Once separated from the cellulose in the pulp, the nutrients can be absorbed by the body in 15 minutes instead of the usual hour it takes for digestion. This saves the body energy usually used for digestion and allows it to rest while detoxifying, before or after physical activity, or while recovering from an illness.

Water Supply: Our cells are made mostly of water which is required for proper bodily function. Raw juice--unlike coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol--replenishes lost fluid and provides the necessary vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and photochemicals. It also promotes the alkalinity (proper pH) of body fluids aiding immune and metabolic function.

Cleansing Action: Because the fiber is removed, raw juice has a laxative effect that helps rid the body of toxins. Detoxifying will allow your body to function more efficiently which is good for your mind and mood as well. A body that is running efficiently and fueled by a balanced diet will maintain its natural weight.

Antioxidents: Herbs, fruits, and vegetables are high in antioxidents which counteract cellular damage, aging, and susceptibility to cancers. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) the top antioxident fruits are acai, pomegranate, bluberry, cranberry, blackberry, prune, raspberry, strawberry, red delicious apple, sweet cherry, and black plum. The top antioxident vegetables are red bean, red kidney bean, pinto bean, artichoke heart, russet potato, black bean, and kale.

Natural Sugars: The sugars in fruits and vegetables are accompanied by nutrients not found in refined sugars. They deliver the same energy but without the chemicals and fats found in pastries, candy, and pop.

Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll (green pigments in plants that assist in photosynthesis) have a unique structure that enhances the body's ability to produce hemoglobin, which functions primarily to deliver oxygen to cells.

The book goes on to discuss the benefits of pulping in which the fruit or vegetable is pitted, peeled, cut into smaller pieces and combined with other ingredients in a blender. The solids are liquefied and become drinkable. The process they are describing is, of course, how we make smoothies!

Many of the same benefits of juicing apply to pulping. It rehydrates, antioxidizes, and provides the body with natural sugars and, if greens are used, chlorophyll. The major difference between juicing and pulping is fiber.

Full of Fiber: Fruits and vegetables contain fiber in the form of cellulose, pectin, lignin, and hemicellulose. Combined, these fibers slow the absorption of food which increases the amount of nutrients extracted. Fiber is also essential in lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease, eliminating toxins and carcinogens, and helping to prevent gallstones, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, constipation, colitis, and potentially colon cancer.

More Cleansing Action: Fiber in pulped juices cleanses the body differently than extracted juices. In addition to giving you a more full feeling it also adds bulk to fecal matter facilitating its rapid elimination through the colon. Essentially, it keeps you regular.

Considering the health benefits of juices and smoothies it's hard not to want them. Come try one of our favorites at Alpha Beet then you don't have to clean your own juicer/blender. Let us put some colour into your February.

Liz
Blogger and Smoothie Slurper

Everspring Farms

Everspring Farms is a family-owned agricultural and food business in Seaforth, Ontario that specializes in functional food products. These functional foods facilitate natural chemical reactions that optimize the body's metabolism. Visit their website here.

At Alpha Beet we carry Organic Barley Grass Juice, Sea Buckthorn Berry Juice, and Wheatgrass that can be added to smoothies to maximize health benefits.

Barley Grass Juice balances out digestive processes and aids in the uptake of essential nutrients. It prevents oxidation associated with aging, cancer, and other immune deficiencies. The high chlorophyll content aids in tissue regrowth and acts as an antiseptic. It is a source of abundant vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (e.g. Vitamins C & E, Folate, and Beta-Carotene). Here is Everspring's page on Barley Grass Juice.

Sea Buckthorn Berry Juice is a powerful nutritional element. The berries contain biologically active substances that enhance cardiovascular and immune system functionality. They also have anti-senility and anti-inflammatory effects. It's a powerful antioxidant, contains high levels of fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. For a more technical breakdown visit Everspring's page on Sea Buckthorn Berry Juice.

Wheatgrass is a energy booster and detoxifier that is high in the vitamins and minerals found in leafy greens. It is harvested when the wheat is its most nutritious and juiced to take as a shot or put into a fresh juice or smoothie. The beneficial elements of this concentrated liquid are easily assimilated into the body and improve overall health.

Functional foods are an important element of Alpha Beet's business as we strive to bring you fresh, healthy, and delicious food everyday (except Sunday). Come on in and feel the difference healthy eating makes!

Until next time,
Liz
Blogger and Smoothie Peddler