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Feels good to brag about Bragg! Review by HYL Sister: Aida

The Bragg family have been on the forefront  of  live food and health since 1912. They have many wonderful quality products like dressings, olive oils, drinks and more.  The two particular products that have been a staple in my home forever are Bragg Liquid Aminos and Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. The Aminos I use in place of salt and soy sauce and the apple cider vinegar I use everywhere… from putting it in my bath to salads!

The Bragg Aminos are deliciously tasty they are dark brown and can be easily sprayed on as a seasoning or used in cooking.  It is also great to add into home-made dressings. My son sprays it on pasta, rice, or proteins for a tasty kick.  Though there is sodium, it is not MSG. Gluten free and made from certified NON-GMO soy beans it is the basis of a protein, containing 16 amino acids.

The apple cider vinegar is made from organic apples and is not pasteurized thus it contains the “mother”.  The “mother” is a mucky thick substance at the bottom of the bottle.  Don’t worry when you see this, it is not a bad batch! It is actually healthy to consume.  This apple cider vinegar taste far exceeds the Heinz vinegar you commonly get.  That stuff actually bites the taste buds and leaves your mouth dry. The Bragg’s Vinegar is softer and full of real apple flavor.

The health benefits of apple cider vinegar and amino acids have long been known.  These days when we are all cutting out processed foods, unhealthy fats and salt it is great to have these products to ramp up the taste of whatever you are eating; after all, flavor is the variety and zest of life.

Amino
www.bragg.com

‘Life Alive’ in Cambridge / Review by HYL Sister: Aida

LIFE Alive in Cambridge offers healthful, fresh vegan/vegetarian fair and a welcoming colorful atmosphere.  As soon as you walk into Life Alive your senses open up!  The air is filled with freshness – it actually feels oxygenated.  Your nose fills with aromas of herbs, greens, spices, ginger, carrots, beets, grains all mixed together – it is an intoxicating mix that begins to draw you in.  Your belly begins to rumble, ready for a treat. The café is known for its bowls, wraps and freshly blended/squeezed drinks.

THIS place is the real deal.  Sometimes, when I have eaten at vegetarian restaurants it feels like they are playing “dress-up”, like playing veggie; Life Alive is not playing around.  They have researched every item they serve and see food as a therapeutic healing life-giving part of life! Love that.  Everything is chopped and blended on the spot so the food truly tastes garden-fresh every time.  Having worked in restaurants I know how tricky consistency can be (especially working with fresh, healthy foods) and Life Alive has never failed.  Nearly a 24/7 operation as it is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner…impressive!  Lots of folks run in quickly and are served fast for take-out. I do this on occasion between yoga classes, but I really enjoy hanging out there too.  The staff is knowledgeable and friendly and I like going down to the basement, extremely cozy it is a great place to sit with a friend or two to get into some fun ‘goss’.  Our conversations tend to be uplifting there because of the joyful atmosphere Life Alive creates.

I really love the “Adventurer Bowl”.  It combines corn, beets, broccoli, dark greens, cheddar, tofu, sprouted legumes, and tamari almonds over quinoa and brown rice. This amazing mixture is topped off by a delicious sesame ginger sauce.  A large bowl is under ten dollars, decent value for the quality and diversity of items.  And your eyes will feast too because it all looks like a piece of colorful, modern art all splashed together… you can’t wait to dig in!  Every bite is like a flavor explosion on your taste buds.  You might think the crunch would overwhelm, yet it does not, and the consistency is perfect.  After eating this meal I feel alive! I am satiated, balanced and can allow my day to unfold with an extra little bounce in my step.

SO whether you are in search of a great place to run in for a wheat grass juice, needing to get your morning energy with locally made granola and a vibrant smoothie, hungry for real, whole foods full of nutrients and nourishing power, or up for enjoying a great glass of wine while listening to some live music, Life Alive has got your fix!

Krunch’n’Munch / Review by HYL Sister: Vyda

KRUNCH!  Krunch! Krunch!  I am a nacho loving girl.  Tortilla chips, cheese, black beans, and just the right amount of spicy salsa.  However nachos should not be the staple of one’s diet.   There is a Whole Foods between my Boston yoga studio and where I live.  Convenient to say the least, but also can be dangerous on the wallet.  Needless to say I am there a ton.  Some days I run for the staple salad bar lunch, other days I walk in and linger around hoping to be hit with some new inspiration for a yet untried veg-friendly meal.

It was on one of those saunters, that I saw Kale Krunch.  It said “Raw! Vegan! Gluten Free!”  And then the words “Quite Cheezy” just jumped out at me.   Anything with the word “Cheezy” in the description gets me every time. Famished as I just had taught a 90-minute sweat inducing yoga class,   I was not even out the door when I ripped into the bag.  Not half way home, the last little green leaf had been swallowed up.  A new addiction began.

KALE KRUNCH touts itself as “Nature’s Green Supersnack”.  I just say it is a Super SNACK!  We all know eating more leafy greens is good for us, but little did we know kale and a little nutritional yeast could be this darn delicious.  Be forewarned this stuff is seriously habit forming.  Don’t just buy one bag, throw two in the cart. You’ll thank me later!

Krunch and Munch and krunch and…KALE KRUNCH!!

Krunch and munch and krunch....KALE KRUNCH

Gone CocoNUTZ! / Review by HYL Sister: Zara

Not many drinks move me into action to writing. There are lots of things I could do rather than sit and write, like looking at bouquets for my sister’s upcoming wedding, or hanging my yoga clothes to look like the spectrum. But then there is Raw Coconut Water by Harmless Harvest… and all the other drinks that I now simply call “everything else’.  Per usual, one of my sisters led me to the path of least resistance with this drink; a bit like the time when we were six and I had the choice of letting her cut my  hair – or – letting her friend do it, who happened to be younger than she was.

“So which one do you want?” she asked, when we were standing in front of an endless wall of health drinks by the check-out at Whole Foods.

“Ah…I…um,” I looked over at her catatonically; a Libra, the choices simply stunned me.

“Have you had this? You haven’t? You must!” her voice elevated so much that my hair brushed passed my ear, “my treat!” Two bottles of Harmless Harvest’s Raw Coconut Water landed in her trolley.

Before I knew it Just one Look by the Trollies went on loop in my head – but this was not just one look, but one taste! There really should be a warning label on drinks this tasty; fortunately the only side effect would be continuous trips to the market to buy it. Coconut Water can be used as an alternative to saline to treat dehydration, but you don’t have to be sick to enjoy it. Replacing electrolytes and hydrating it is a natural pairing for a hot yoga class. This brand has never been heated, qualifying for part of a Raw Diet.  The taste is totally different than any other Coconut Water on the shelves. Perhaps a bit of a splurge against other drinks of its class, but if you need a pick me up to remind you that life is full of fresh and fabulous things to experience, then definitely go for it! Plus, against other real term costs, like a Coca-Cola at the movies, or the co-pay at the doctor’s because of a GI problem caused by the “sodas” in life, it is a bargain.  This drink has got me searching out more Raw Food diet options, because many are next to zero on the glycemic index.  I only wonder when I take my husband for his first Raw meal at SAF, will he feel the same crazed sensation I have for Raw Coconut Water for the restaurant’s “Linguini Funghi ” (dehydrated Zucchini strands with pickled mushrooms)? Hmm. Perhaps I will take a sister so the path of least resistance is also
clear to him!

REACH FOR a Harmless Harvest! 

… UNTIL YOU MAKE IT TO MEXICO

Coconut