November, 2008

If you are feeling the after effects of the oh-so-worth-it Thanksgiving feast and perhaps over-indulged in turkey and pumpkin pie, do not fear, there are are few things that you can do to ‘help yourself’ get back on track!

1. Firstly drink lots of water. Water will help your body flush, cleanse and eliminate the excess waste. Down here drinking 2 – 3 liters of water is recommended. Green tea is also helpful because of its high antioxidant power.

2. Substitute breakfast with a  juice or smoothie. When you over indulge, however good it tastes at the time, your body has to work extra hard to digest it and process it all. So start the day with something nourishing that requires little digestion; your body will appreciate the extra break from solid food. Certain juices like our daily detox will aid the liver and the digestion process whilst also nourishing the body.

3. When you do eat, eat lightly and food that is high in fiber. The fiber will help the body readjust to its normal routine and help with elimination. This can come in the form of whole grains like rice or quinoa and lots of greens and veggies. A salad such as the Ancient Secret or the Ultimate with perhaps a side of rice would be an ideal lunch. The lighter you can eat during the day the more thankful your body will be.

4. If you overindulged in the sweet stuff then leafy greens and nuts and seeds will help stabilize the blood sugar and regulate the body. Our Going Green juice is great for this or try adding some sesame seeds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds to a salad. The tacos and lasagna with the Brazil nut meat is full of nuts and seeds too.

5. Exercise! There is nothing better than getting out on your bike or walking or running and building up a sweat to help burn off those extra calories!

And finally if you want some advice on a detox diet or suggestions on how to burn off those extra calories just come in and ask and we will be more than happy to advise you!

Its that wonderful time of year in Florida when the summer heat begins to dwindle, and, as the crops come to an end in other parts of the country, ours are just beginning.

We have just been told that we can have our first delivery of local organic produce this weekend so we have decided we will be hosting our first farmers market this Sunday! All produce sold will be organic and come from Florida and most from the Homestead region. The market will begin at 9am until we run out of produce so come early to make sure you get some pickings! The restaurant will be open from 9am to 4pm.

It is still early in the growing season here in Florida and we won’t always know what we are getting until the beginning of that week and it will vary depending on the weather and what is growing well.

This week we do have a selection of lettuces, green beans, zucchinis, lemon grass, pickling cucumbers, avocados, grapefruit, oranges and tangerines.

We will start off small with the aim that as the weeks go by and the produce flourishes the market will follow. We are asking for people that grow anything such as fruit, vegetables, herbs, that would like to have a spot at the market or to sell their items, to contact us at 296 7766 or email Charlie at charlie@helpyourselffoods.com. We are also looking for people that make and bake things.

One of the great things about my last two years living in New York was the access to fresh local produce at the farmers markets such as Union Square and even the little town on the Hudson river where I lived for a while that had a small farmers market every Sunday. I would go home with bags overflowing of fresh local vegetables and greens that would keep me going all week. There is nothing better that choosing your fruit and vegetables and planing your weeks meals based on what is available at the market – just like it used to be.

When I moved back to Key West to open Help Yourself with Paul one of the things I knew I would miss the most was the access to local organic produce. So we made a decision when we opened that one of the things we would do is to bring an organic farmers market to the community of Key West.

We hope you will join us this Sunday and we welcome any feedback, ideas, comments or suggestions anyone has or would like to see at the market to help this grow into a community offering.

Please feel free to email me at charlie@helpyourselffoods.com

Hungry, but can’t leave the office or don’t want to leave the house? Give us a call!

We are now delivering in both old town and new town from 9am – 4pm for breakfast and lunch.

We have great organic fair-trade coffee and con leches, breakfast wraps, granola, juices and smoothies. For lunch, choose one of our suggested salads, wraps or stir-fried bowls or just build your own!

Check out the menu, call us on 305 296 7766 and we will get it to you as fast as possible!