Nurture Your Wealth, Health, and Future!

This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  Today we talk Bubble Tea also known as Boba Tea. Never heard of this well known Asian ancestor? That could be because it is not quite popular just yet. In fact, it has only been around since the 1980’s, originating in Taiwan. I have been drinking bubble tea for many years, but only knew of one location that sold it and that location happened to be in a predominately Asian neighborhood.

  So what is the stuff, and why are so many people downing it? Bubble tea starts off as either a green or black tea. Traditionally, milk is then added to the tea or kept plain, and shaken vigorously until bubbles form. However, most teas prepared this way are now made with large tapioca pearls which are considered the “bubbles” in bubble tea. You literally have to chew the pearls a bit, which for many is an odd thing to do.

  Since bubble tea has been around for so long, and is becoming more modernized, new and innovative techniques are being incorporated to the final product. For instance, I was recently in my local mall and saw a small shop selling bubble tea, my heart skipped a beat since I didn’t expect to ever see such a culturally based treat end up in my local mall! I immediately stopped in my tracks and checked out the now elaborate menu of beverages. What happened to freshly brewed, chilled green tea with some pearls at the bottom!? Now one can find mango flavored tea, strawberry, papaya, ginger, Thai tea, durian, and much more. I decided to forgo one of the crazy fruity flavors for the classic green tea. However, a few months later I did try the mango, and was rather disappointed. It was extremely sweet, and milky, something I am not used to.

  Being the nutrition and health advocate that runs through my veins, I also did some research to find out how the nutritional and caloric content of bubble tea stacks up. Well bubble tea lovers; you may not want to read the following. Instead, just know you may want to stick to drinking bubble tea as a “Once in a while treat.” Plain bubble tea (green tea with no milk and 1-2 ounces of pearls) has about 120-300 calories. The wide range in calories is that every shop places between 1 and 3 ounces of pearls, and these pearls are simply a slightly sweetened starch, aka, calories. But do not disarray! Without adding sweetener, milk, or flavoring a small Boba can rank in with as little as 200 calories with nearly no fat. Plus, when you do not add milk you enable the healthful antioxidants from the green or even black tea to aid in digestion, cell rejuvenation, stave off hunger, and detoxify the body.

  As an after dinner treat once in a while it is a great idea. I recommend trying the plain bubble tea before trying a flavored one. This way you can begin enjoying it as it traditionally is made. Once milk and flavoring (usually the flavoring is in a higher calorie powered form since fresh fruit blends are very rare) you are looking at anywhere between 500 and 700 calories depending on the size. That my friend is just like eating an ice-cream sundae!

  Bubble tea is wonderful, good for you when chosen wisely, diet friendly in moderate moderation (I.e. no more than 2 times per week), and a classic tradition. I am a regular tea drinker of all sorts, perhaps I will post pictures of my collection one week, but bubble tea is a special treat that ranks in my top five favorite teas. Get one step closer to a completely rich lifestyle by making better food choices, and help your body out with antioxidant rich tea, by tracking down your own bubble tea shop near by.

  They’ll be slowly working their way at a shop near you, take my word for it!

Warmly,
Sara Dawn
Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

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This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  What is the importance of sunshine? Sunshine is more than just light to our planet, although that is of great importance also. Think you only get your vitamins from a food items such as fruits and vegetables? Maybe you are even under the assumption that vitamins come from a bottle. The truth of the matter is that vitamins are most highly absorbable in their purest form. Vitamin-D happens to be found largely abundant in our sun’s rays.

  Yes, its true, you can literally sit outside for a short amount of time to obtain your daily requirement of Vitamin-D. What does this vitamin do for us? Vitamin-D helps use to absorb the calcium we get from food items or even supplements which means it helps to prevent against osteoporosis, and overall it aids in keeping our bones strong. There have been dozens of linkages to vitamin-D and its benefits but some of the more common results include, helping to ward of certain cancers like breast, colon, and prostate, prevent nutrient deficiencies such as rickets, and much more. You’ll notice that on most calcium supplements bought at the store, it will also contain Vitamin-D, that’s a two in one double punch! With the economy in the poor shape that it is in, simple savings for our body such as the vitamin-D, calcium, and even magnesium combo are store bought products we need to look for. Just be aware that everyone has a slightly different DRI, which is an abbreviated way of saying “How much you should consume in a 24 hour period.” Be aware that Vitamin-D is a “fat-soluble” vitamin which means that it will not be primarily excreted in the urine. Without urine excretion the supplement stays in our body for a longer period of time, and if more than the required intake is consumed it could be toxic, and at times even deadly. This is extremely high amounts for a prolonged period of time.

  To get Vitamin-D from sunshine begin by wearing an SPF/UVA/UVB approved lotion to protect you. When you wear sunscreen it will take slightly longer to absorb vitamin-D, however, you are much better off by protecting your skin from the harmful things the sun can provide. 20 minutes is enough time to absorb Vitamin-D that will show beneficial signs within out bodies. Be aware that if you are of a darker skin decent, less time is needed in the sun, about 10 minutes should be enough.

  What else does our sunshine do for us? It wards off depression, loneliness, sadness, and has many other healing properties. By sitting in a well lit room, or spending at least 30 minutes outside each day in the presence of natural sun light, studies have drawn conclusions that the sun light helps to ward of the aliments mentioned above. That is, those who were mildly depressed seemed to have improvement in their mood after 30 days. If that isn’t enough, a Province in France, as well as the state of Washington in America has two of the highest suicidal rates in the world. The reasons?, the weather is, on average, rainy, dark, and gloomy.

  Take a moment to enjoy the warmth, the nutrition, and the energy from the sun’s natural light to add to your completely rich life style. Like any major part of our world, the ocean, a snowy mountain, electricity, and the sun, we must respect its power, and natural abilities. Only when we find respect for nature are we able to benefit from all that it has to offer. Well, I’m off to enjoy the morning rays after several days of consistent rain. Hope to see you our there

Warmly,
Sara Dawn
Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

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This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  Sometimes feeling unmotivated is not a terrible thing. Although it may come at the worst of times we can work through it and use it to our advantage. First, we have to look at where it stems from. Feeling the lack of motivation come over you can come out of fear. The fear may be an obvious or subconscious feeling within us. If we are tackling an important project that we know must result in perfection, it can be daunting to think of where to begin and what to do. Another reason for a motivation-less attitude could be from stress. If there is too much going on within your life it can be hard to focus on one task. Instead of sitting down to complete one project your mind wanders into the could have, should have, would have thought process of events of the past, present, and future.

  No matter what the cause is, we have to go within our minds and listen to what the root cause of motivation is. If we are too tired, then go to sleep. A well rested night can leave you with a clear and organized view of ideas in the morning. Of course, leading a completely rich lifestyle entails listening to our mind and body, and nourishing it as needed. If we are simply stuck for ideas, sometimes retreating from the situation altogether is the best medicine. Go for a walk, take a hike, go to an exotic restaurant, try and new fruit or vegetable. Do something you have never done before. The new experience may lead to a whole variety of thoughts, sensations, and emotions. These feelings may very well give you the nudge you needed to become motivated and brainstorm new ideas. Another form of self help in times like these are to clean your living quarters. Sometimes the clutter within our homes reflects our thought process. We know that we are leaving behind clutter, and dust and that is exactly what is reflected in our work.

  Motivation is not always an easy thing to come across. However, the bottom line is, we create our own motivation. Even if we find something inspiring from another person that motivates us to do something, we are still taking it upon ourselves to find motivation in outside sources and use them to aid us. Feeling a lack of motivation may be your body and minds way of telling you that you are doing too much. By acknowledging this thoughtless feeling and deciding to take it easy for a moment and assess what is going on in our lives, we are able to free our minds of stress and clutter. In turn, after we free our minds, we are able to tackle projects and complete the day in a motivational manner. The final result?, gaining another step towards living a completely rich lifestyle.

Warmly,
Sara Dawn

Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

 If you have enjoyed this post, I hope you will Subscribe to my RSS Feed or Subscribe by Email to get daily updates from Nurture Your Wealth!

This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  I don’t know if you can tell from the picture below, just how delectable those little treats look, but in person they were amazing. Ricardo and I dined at a local Sushi Restaurant this evening as we try to do several times a month. I had to snap a quick picture of our plated meals because they looked simply irresistible. The atmosphere was a dimly lit, hibachi and sushi restaurant so the quality of the camera phone picture was not exactly what it was in person.

  Sushi is a Japanese style of prepared food. It includes mostly raw, but some cooked fish severed several different ways. The style pictured above is called Makis. There are also handrolls, sashimi, sushi and more. As a child my family ate an eclectic variety of cultured cuisine. From Korean kimchi, handmade Ukrainian pidhi (pierogies), Hungarian goulash and dobos cake, Japanese sushi, Portuguese frango and calde verde soup, various Jewish breads, and much more. You name it, we ate. I couldn’t be more thankful to have had the experience of different foods at such a young age because now, as an adult, my taste buds are complex and ready for anything.

  Sushi, however, is amongst one of the most complete and healthiest meal out there. As a child sushi was very expensive and only eaten on special occasions. Occasionally, I would bring left over sushi with me to school. Boy did I get funny faces on those days! Now, it seems sushi is more common than ever. It is eaten throughout the U.S. and the amount of sushi facilities opening is on the rise. Just what makes sushi so special, and why is it suddenly so popular?

  Sushi contains many heart healthy fatty fish. Fish like Mackerel, Salmon, Eel, and Tuna all contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids within the fish help to reduce inflammation amongst the body, increase proper blood circulation within the heart, strengthen our brains, and keep skin supple. The seaweed in which much of the fish lies in is full of Iron and vitamin B-12 which also help with blood production. The rice, which is now being often brown rice if ordered, helps to satiate us. The combination of starch to protein makes sushi a complete protein. The only factor to be aware of when dining out for Japanese, is the sodium content. Japanese cuisine tends to be on the salty side, and must be monitored. A good rule of thumb is “No added salt.” In other words, learn to enjoy the meal as it is! Take a moment to really taste the food, savor the creamy texture of the specially cut fish. Don’t just add soy sauce, you’ll hardly taste what you are paying for!

  Ricardo was quite a skeptic when it came to Sushi for the first few years of our relationship. I enjoyed eating it whenever I could, and often times, prepared it at home to lessen costs. However, we would always end up making him something different because he just could not stomach the idea of raw fish. After several tries he gave it up. Then, a few years later he tried a very common, and basic roll which does not include any raw fish, a California roll. He tried it at his own will one day, and it seemed it was not as bad as he remembered. Soon after, he tried it again. Then, the next day, oh, and the next. After a while he would not stop bugging me about sushi! My being a veteran to the cuisine, did not want to eat it everyday as he wanted to! The point is, he is an extremely picky eater, and never in 100 years would I had ever thought we would be dining at a Sushi restaurant, together, both eating sushi.

  It has been said that the taste buds may take up to 10 times to eat a new food item and decide if they truly like the item or not. I guess in Ricardo’s case this was exactly it. It may even be the same for you if you are weary. The health benefits are worth giving it a try. I encourage all to explore the many cultural food experiences that are out there. By increasing your knowledge, and experience you will be adding to your established completely rich lifestyle.

Warmly,
Sara Dawn

Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

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