5 Things To Put On Your Toast That Aren’t Avocado

When it comes to breakfast toast, few fixins are as delicious as avocado. Avocado is renowned for its health benefits (which include tons of healthy monounsaturated fats as well as fiber and potassium). It also goes great on toast and pairs well with eggs, making it a go-to choice for health-conscious foodies.

Unfortunately, though, we’re in a bit of an avocado shortage. California’s recent slow growing season combined with a worker’s strike in Mexico make make our favorite fruit (yes, it is a fruit) hard to come by. There’s no need to give up your morning toast, though! Here are five healthy, avocado-free alternatives to help you survive the guacapocalypse.

Photo via Two Peas & Their Pod

This super delicious (and totally vegan) combination provides a rich source of fat as well as fresh fruit. First, spread your favorite nut butter on a hearty piece of toast. My favorite combinations to go with apple are peanut butter and almond butter, but really, any kind of nut butter will be absolutely delicious. You can either sautee your apples on the stove or serve them raw, but I absolutely recommend sprinkling them with cinnamon.

Roasted beets are incredibly flavorful, and they make for a healthy source of sweetness in your morning meal. My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them in the oven with a little salt and olive oil for about 45 minutes, but if you’re in a rush, you can also buy them canned. When your beets are just about ready, spread some Greek yogurt on a piece of toast. Vegans: Just sub some coconut yogurt. Puree the beets and add them over top, sprinkle with some nuts (I recommend walnuts or pecans) and enjoy!

Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta

This meal would be the most delicious when strawberries are in season, but it’s delicious to enjoy year-round. Similarly, goat cheese and thyme from local farms will keep this super-yummy meal local and fresh. Spread some creamy goat cheese on your toast, and then sautee the strawberries and thyme on the stove with a little balsamic vinegar. It doesn’t get much tastier than this.

Lox With Cream Cheese

Photo by Iain Bagwell via My Recipes

This classic combination is a mainstay for a reason. Brined salmon and cream cheese are lovely atop a bagel, but they are just as good on toast! Bonus: Salmon has loads of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, with are beneficial for good hormone, skin and heart health. Add some onion, capers and tomato to round out the meal.

Raspberries With Almond Ricotta

Photo via Artful Desperado

Though you might think at first glance that this is another fruit-cheese combo, it’s actually dairy-free. The “ricotta: is made by adding some blanched almonds and almond milk into a food processor along with honey and lemon zest. Though this recipe is dairy-free, it’s not vegan, as it does call for eggs. Head over to Artful Desperado for the full recipe.

ENJOY...

Are You Vitamin B12 Deficient? 

(And Does it Matter?)

Vitamin B 12 deficiency has links to an array of health problems, and many Americans fall short on this critical vitamin.

Vegans are probably pretty familiar with vitamin B12. It’s the only vitamin that you can’t get from unfortified plant-based sources, so if you’re eating a vegan diet, you most likely are either eating B 12 fortified foods or taking a supplement. For vegetarians and omnivores, though, B12 might not be a vitamin you think about on a regular basis.

As you’ll see in the graphic below, animal products contain vitamin B12, and you can also get it through supplements. The only source the graphic below misses is fortified foods. From nutritional yeast to fortified vegan milks and cereals, there are lots of ways to get B12 into your diet without eating animal foods, if that’s your goal.

B12 is a hot button issue in the vegan community. Because so many vegans consider ourselves advocates for a vegan lifestyle, too, there’s a hesitation to admit that there are any nutrients that this diet can’t meet. The thing is, it’s pretty tough to find any diet that meets 100 percent of your nutritional needs. I think Ginny Messina, a vegan registered dietician, spells it out best:

“Taking a B12 supplement is the easiest thing in the world. It doesn’t make sense to wait until stores diminish or you are approaching deficiency before you start to supplement. And it certainly is not good vegan advocacy to promote inadequate advice about vitamin B12.”

It turns out that it’s not just vegans who have a hard time meeting vitamin B12 requirements, though. About 2/3 of Americans have low B12 levels, and the effects on your health can be quite serious. Check out this infographic that spells out the signs and symptoms of B12 deficiency:

When I was pregnant my blood work started showing low levels of B12 during my third trimester, even though there was B12 in my prenatal vitamin. Adding a separate B12 supplement on top of my prenatal fixed things up in a matter of weeks. If you think you might be B12 deficient, your best next move is talking to your doctor who can do blood work and let you know what dosage is best for you.

Looking for a vegan B12 supplement? They’re out there! Vegan B12 supplements are made from microorganisms instead of animal products. Brands like Deva make vegan B12 supplements. You can find vegan B12 online and often at brick and mortar stores, too.

Politika 101.....

Politika 101...

The Healthiest Foods For Your Money: 

A Shopping Guide

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Eating healthy on a budget isn’t difficult… as long as you know the best stuff to buy! The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently published a first-of-its-kind guide to eating healthy on a budget. And that’s not all — they’ve also factored in food safety concerns, like the levels of pollutants, pesticides and artificial ingredients. After analyzing a list of 1,200 foods from government surveys and tests, they narrowed it down the top 100. Click through to explore the best fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, dairy and more. You should also check out the EWG’s website, where you’ll find even more tips, tools and useful information.

Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits

Best Buys: banana, nectarines*, pear, watermelon
Good Deals: apricot, avocado, cantaloupe, grapefruit, honeydew, kiwi, papaya, starfruit, tangerines

Veggies

Best Buys: alfalfa sprouts, cabbage, calabasa, carrots, collards, green onions, lettuce*, mustard greens, onions, parsley, potatoes*
Good Deals: brussels sprouts, corn, eggplant, kale, lima beans, okra, pumpkin, spinach*, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnip greens, zucchini

*** These fruits & veggies have higher levels pesticides than the others, so they are best to buy organic; check out the price tags before purchasing!

Grains, Nuts, Seeds & Beans

Grains

Best Buys: barley, toasted oat cereal
Good Deals: brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal, shredded wheat

Beans & Lentils

Best Buys: black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, lentils, pinto beans, red kidney beans
Good Deals: lima beans, mungo beans, pink beans, white beans

Nuts & Seeds

Best Buys: hazelnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts
Good Deals: almonds, pecans

See Also: Farm Feeds Cows Candy Because Corn is Too Expensive

Dairy, Eggs & Oils

Dairy & Eggs

Best Buys: cottage cheese, eggs, low-fat & non-fat dry milk, non-fat plain yogurt, queso fresco, ricotta cheese
Good Deals: 1% milk, skim milk, soy milk

Oils

Best Buys: canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil
Good Deals: olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil


ENJOY.......

Politika 101....

14 Surprising Uses for Onions

Rich in antioxidants, thought to prevent cancer, diabetes, and even the common cold, onions are nothing if not a superfood. But that’s not all they are — the same properties that make onions a great food to eat also make them great for other things, from healing your skin to cleaning metal. Click through to check out some surprising uses for onions, and leave your own tips in the comments section!

Health & Body

1. Repel Insects. Rubbing an onion on your skin is a simple way to repel bugs.

2. Soothe Insect Bites & Stings. Forgot to follow tip #1? Rubbing onion onto bug bites will help to ease the pain.

3. Soothe a Sore Throat. Making onion tea is a great remedy for soothing sore throats. On the stovetop, boil water with onion peels in it (about 1 cup of water for the peels of 1/2 an onion.) Bring to a boil, remove onion and serve.

4. Use in Place of Smelling Salts. Overwork yourself? Feeling light-headed? Onions are a great natural remedy to use instead of smelling salts.

5. Ease the Pain of Burns. Rubbing onions onto burns helps soothe the pain.

6. Remove Splinters. Have a splinter that just won’t budge? Try taping (yes, with tape, or a adhesive bandage) a piece of raw onion to it. Hold tight for about an hour before removing the onion.

7. Polish Metal. Slice onion and then crush it. Combine crushed onion with water. With a cloth, dab it on the metal surface. Rub until clean.

8. Get Rid of that Paint Smell. The same mixture described for polishing metal works great for combating the unpleasant, and sometimes unhealthy, odors of paints and varnishes.

9. Clean Sponges. Okay, so this particular use is actually for the mesh packaging that onions are often sold in, but hey — a way to re-use unnecessary packaging, right?! The mesh is a perfect tool to clean all that gunk that builds up on sponges. Cut it up into smaller pieces for best results.

10. Clean Your Grill. Chop an onion in half, and turn on your grill. Using a fork, glide the onion on the grill to scrub it clean.

11. Make a DIY Dye. Onion skins make great dyes! Place the skins in nylon panty hose, tie top shut, and boil in a pot for about 20 minutes.

12. Make Burned Rice Edible Again. Neglected your rice, and now some of it has burned? No need to toss it! Simply place half of an onion on top of the rice. It will absorb the burned taste.

13. Preserve Avocados. Prevent your avocados from browning by storing them in a plastic airtight container with red onions. Place half of an onion in the container first, skin side up, and then place the avocado. You can use red onion to store guacamole, too: Place some slices on top of the guac’ in a plastic container.

Enjoy.....