Blueberry Health Specialist

As nutrition and travel are two of my main passions in life, I thought that I would share with you my new food discoveries along my way :)

 

Vancouver, Whistler & The Rockies 2014

 

I have really enjoyed my time spent in Canada this year. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed the food in Toronto, in particularly the many sushi and Thai restaurants. However, I have to say that I was equally if not more impressed with the many food options this side of Canada. I found that being healthy was an easy task in the West side of Canada (although quite expensive). There were so many healthy options such as;

 

Delicious natural smoothies were everywhere. Coffee bars sold them without the added sugar, syrups or flavoured yogurt/ice cream often found in smoothies back home. One of my personal favourites was a banana, date, peaunut butter and cocao smoothie; I couldn’t recommend this smoothie more, especially to satisfy a sweet tooth, additionally it was very filling.

 

Mini Kiwi fruits- I discovered a new fruit that I absolutely love whilst I was in Vancouver. These little treats taste exactly like original kiwi fruits, perhaps a little sweeter but are a quarter of the size and do not have the brown skin so are easier to eat, therefore making them a tasty, healthy, convenient snack :) Although, I consumed about 20 in one sitting.

 

Frozen yogurt was also very popular and a healthy alternative to ice cream. After a long cycle run I frequently enjoyed a natural frozen yogurt with many fruit toppings to cool me down.

 

Lastly, I was very impressed that all the ingredients were listed for most food products; this is great for people with allergies or health conscious individuals. Even baked goods such as muffins and cakes in cafes or petrol stations listed their ingredients. Healthy treats such as apple crumble or carrot cake with no added sugar or refined products were easy to find. I enjoyed a 'healthy brownie', from a little shop in Vancouver most days that simply consisted of dates, walnuts, coconut oil, cacao and peppermint and tasted amazing.

 

New Zealand so far

 

When I arrived in NZ I was reminded from my trip here 3 years ago just how popular gluten free products were. Almost everything over here offers a gluten free alternative, from bread, pizza crusts, pasta to cakes and even pies. So I attempted to try and avoid gluten over the weekend to see if it made a difference, I had gluten free pasta one evening and it tasted exactly the same as normal pasta and for dessert I enjoyed a gluten free brownie which again, I could not tell the difference. However, I tried a bit of my friend’s gluten free pizza base I have to admit that I could tell the difference, it tasted more like a biscuit base, however, I did like it. At the end of the weekend, I did feel a bit less bloated so I think that there are benefits to occasionally avoiding gluten if you are willing to spend that little bit extra.

 

Kombucha- is a probiotic tea which is said to improve digestion, skin, and stronger immunity and has anti-aging effects. I found this drink at a market just south of Auckland and I think it helped prevent a cold that was lingering. So, perhaps it does restore your immunity and help heal your body. It definitely tasted nice and wasn't overly expensive either.

 

Pumpkin is popular over here which I am happy about, it is also one of the few vegetables, excluding avocado (which I am also very happy about) that is cheaper than the UK. I picked a massive chuck of pumpkin for $1.50 and simply cooked it in the micro-wave for 5 minutes (we currently do not have an oven in our accommodation) and served it as a side with my main meal. I also bought pumpkin flavoured hummus from the local supermarket for a fraction of the cost of most other spreads claiming to be 'healthy'.

 

California

 

California was where I was first introduced to frozen yogurt, I think ‘Pinkberry’, in Santa Barbara was the first one I visited. The thing I love about frozen yogurt is you can make it as healthy or unhealthy as you want, depending on the flovours you pick and what toppings you add. I actually also found it a cheap way of getting my adequate portions of fruit a day as I was surprised at the total price for the quantity of blueberries I added. Although, it is priced according to weight and I suppose blueberries do not weight much!

 

Wholefoods was first introduced to me in California. I loved this health supermarket, it was huge! However, it was quite expensive. I remember getting carried away at the salad bar as the total came to around $40. My partner and I had decided to save money and grab an ‘inexpensive’ supermarket tea so although it tasted very good we were probably cheaper eating out!

 

California also did Mexican very well and it was the first place I had sweet potato fries and I have never gone back to regular fries since!

 

I would also recommend visiting Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. I ordered clam chowder which was served in a sourdough bowl and I was not disappointed. Furthermore, sourdough was more popular in California than it is in the UK.

 

Fiji

 

Fiji was where I found my love for coconuts. When I was staying in a little beach hut on the mainland coconuts were everywhere so I was fortunate enough to have an endless supply of them. Unfortunately, I did not come across many young coconuts in Fiji so I was unable to drink them but I was able to eat the flesh.

 

Mangos trees were common in the Fiji islands which I was very happy about as mangos are one of my favourite fruits in the world.  I also visited a fruit market in mainland Fiji and was amazed by the quantity and quality of the bright colours of fruit, I struggled not to buy everything as price was not a problem but not having enough hands to import them back to our hut was.

 

I spend Christmas on Bounty Island during our stay in Fiji and although the island was beyond beautiful, Christmas dinner did not compare to Christmas dinner back home. I think that if they had made their own version of Christmas dinner (perhaps a seafood curry, which they did very well) rather than attempting the traditional roast dinner then I may have enjoyed it more. However, I realise that they were trying to please the majority of island guests who would probably be a bit miffed without the traditional Christmas dinner.

 

Australia

 

Australians’ did coffee well, particularly Melbourne. There were loads of lovely little café bars, making it obvious they were coffee lovers. Australians did do most drinks very well, it was easy to keep hydrated; I drunk a lot of fresh juices and smoothies while I was visiting. I remember being totally refreshed by a freshly squeezed watermelon juice in a bar on a very hot afternoon in Sydney. However, drinking alcohol in Australia is expensive.

 

I was basically in food heaven in Sydney; I loved the restaurants at the harbor where I had lots of lovely fresh seafood. Even in train stations the food was exceptional in Sydney, there was so much choice. I remember a particular salad/fresh fruit stall that did amazing salads and so many different types of yogurts. I think the apple crumble was my favourite and it was just simply low fat, natural yogurt with apple and oats but it tasted so creamy and very much like apple crumble.

 

Australia is where I found my love for pumpkins. Pumpkins are a common vegetable ‘down under’, and were often served in stir fries, salads or as a general side. It was a vegetable I only associated with Halloween back home but that was not the case in Australia (or New Zealand) it was very popular so when I returned home I sought it out or bought the next best thing; butternut squash or sweet potato.

 

I found Australia had two very different sides in relation to food. If you wanted to be healthy and enjoyed healthy food then you would love it. However, unhealthy food was also very accessible as fast food restaurants and inviting cake bakeries and chocolatiers were everywhere.

 

Singapore

 

I was first introduced to the chain ‘Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’, in Singapore. To this day, I personally believe that this chain makes the best cappuccino. I am a fan of a cappuccino that has a considerable amount of foam but also has strong coffee flavour and this company never let me down.

 

I think that Singapore was the first place I tried Bubble tea. It is a popular Asian drink originated in Taiwan. It is a drink that consists of little tapioca pearls (the bubbles) and you can chose if you want green or black tea, milk, sugar and can pick various different flavours. I remember being so confused with the many options. I did quite enjoy it but I would probably opt for a fresh juice or herbal tea over it but it was a nice sweet treat.

 

There was a lot of choice in Singapore in relation to options of food. I visited a food trail which served a lot of cheap local food and food from all other the world.

 

Malaysia

 

The thing that sticks in my mind about Kuala Lumpur were the breakfasts served in the hotel we were staying at, the breakfasts contained every type of breakfast food imaginable in a buffet style as well as foods that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with breakfast. It was very difficult not to be overly greedy every morning, there was an omelet counter with hundreds of fresh ingredients where you simply chose your favourite and the chef made you a personalised omelet. There were also countless supplies of fresh exotic fruit, muffins and the usual continental and cooked breakfast products as well as various curries and vegetables!

 

Accommodation was relatively cheap in Kuala Lumpur so we could afford to stay in luxury and we were fortunate enough to be upgraded to an apartment on arrival which had a great kitchen so we did a lot of cooking instead of dining out which suited as ingredients were inexpensive.

 

Food in the rest of Malaysia was also pretty good. There was a lot of coconuts to drink which was a bonus and you didn’t need to go far to find them. Everywhere from little supermarkets to little coconut stalls randomly situated off dirt tracks sold them. You just simply picked one, they drilled a hole and stuck a straw in it and then if you chose when you were done they would cut it in half so you could eat the flesh. Each coconut was equivalent to roughly 50p making it a good price for an instant energy drink and a nutritional dense snack.

 

Rome

 

Fruit stalls were a common thing in Rome. They were located at a convenient point at the side of a road and each produced a good selection of good quality fruit making it very difficult to resist walking by. I remember the grapes in particular being massive!

 

As expected lunch and evening meals were great in Rome, especially the less tourist orientated restaurants often situated off the main street or main tourist drag. If you are willing to hunt out these restaurants you pay half the price and receive much better quality. Just look for where the locals choose to eat and you should find the real Italian food consisting of great seafood, rich tomato sauces, thin crust pizzas and homemade pasta and ravioli.

 

Rome did ice cream parlours very well, there was just so much choice. You could basically have an ice cream of any flavor imaginable as well as a good selection of frozen yogurt, although not all healthy but still very enjoyable!

 

The only negative thing I have to say about Rome was their breakfasts. It may have simply been my experience but I found that they were overly sweet which left me disappointed as I love breakfast. There was zero nutritional goodness to the breakfast that we were served every morning, the yogurt was even full of sugar and the coffee was served with chocolate powder making it undrinkable. At first I thought that it was my hotels strange interpretation of breakfast, however, I saw a lot of Italians sitting down to sweet cakes for breakfast so perhaps it was just the Italian way for some.

 

Paris

 

When I knew I was going to Paris for the weekend I was determined to try snails and frogs legs. However, this was not as easy as expected! I managed to try snails but surprisingly the restaurants I ate at did not serve frogs legs (I have since tried them in Scotland and I wouldn’t rate them highly). I am definitely glad I tried the snails but I probably wouldn’t choose them again over a lot of other foods. I do love garlic but the garlic butter covering them was overpowering, which made me wonder whether it was attempting to mask the taste of the snails.

 

Before I went to Paris, I was recommended to go to ‘Angelina’s’, a famous Paris tearoom which specialises in chocolate and try their hot chocolate. I would definitely recommend it to chocolate lovers, it is the richest, creamiest hot chocolate I have ever had. They also sell so many different kind of mini macaroons which are displayed so pretty in a colour coordinated fashion.

 

South of France

 

I really liked the south of France for food in general. Supermarkets were cheap considering they were all relatively small and the produce was very fresh.

We were staying in a town called Collioure which has a vast choice of restaurants in beautiful settings. The seafood in particular was memorable, I was never disappointed with my choice, I had monkfish one night then seafood tapas the other.

 

Barcelona

 

I wasn’t in Barcelona long but I could tell that it was a city for food lovers.  I had black rice seafood paella which was really nice as I also love black rice and the selection of seafood served.

 

I also had a salad for lunch on the beach in Barcelona which was in such a nice setting but the salad was average. I also had a ‘health kick’ shot of ginger, carrot and orange alongside my salad which was really nice but too small so I needed a frozen yogurt after lunch to fill me up!

 

The fruit stalls in Barcelona were amazing, even just to look at.

 

Thailand

 

Thai is one of my favourite types of food so I loved eating in Thailand. The first restaurant I went to was one was of the best, it was in a less touristy area of Phuket and there was no one at it so we did not have high expectations but we were hungry, jet lagged and it was late. However, it was great and was run by one lady who took our order and then walked to the nearest market to buy our ingredients so we knew it was fresh!

 

 Street food is a common thing in Thailand, especially Bangkok.  I loved Pad Thai from the street and the good thing about it is you can watch them cook it and can replicate it when you get home. It was actually where I was inspired to add nuts to a lot of meals and use fish sauce.

 

 Food poisoning is common in Thailand, however, I was very lucky and did not suffer it at all in the 3 weeks I spent there. This was perhaps because I had come from Singapore and Malaysia so my stomach had become accustomed to the cooking standards or I just simply have a strong stomach!

 

Fruit shakes, fresh juices and smoothies were everywhere in Thailand and were so cheap and absolutely delicious as you have probably realized by now that I have a love for exotic fruit. Another unusual drink I enjoyed in Thailand was soy milk with chai seeds. Chai seeds have more antioxidants than blueberries, are very high in omega 3, protein, magnesium, calcium and iron so a great choice to add to drinks.

 

Lastly coconuts were so easily accessible and cheap in Thailand, enabling me to drink too many a day!

 

New York

 

I loved eating fresh bagels in New York, especially the sourdough ones. I have very fond memories of sitting in central park balancing my morning bagel on my knee with a freshly squeezed orange juice in one hand and a brewed coffee in the other.

 

I went to a really good Greek restaurant in New York, I had stuffed peppers, prawn skewers, warm pitas with a garlic, lemon, mint yogurt dip and a salad. Everything tasted so flavorsome and made me realize how good Greek food can be.

 

I had frozen yogurt every day in New York.

 

Montreal

 

I was really impressed with the main restaurant street in Montreal, there was so much choice. There was a Mexican that looked very tasty, however, we foolishly forgot to book it and it was always too popular to just turn up. So we had to settle for an Italian restaurant but it was hardly a hardship as it was a particularly good one.

 

Boston

 

Bagels also very good in Boston considering we had come from New York. I found you didn’t even need a spread, they were moist and flavorsome without.

I loved the Little Italy area of Boston. I treated myself to the lobster and scallop pasta one evening and it was definitely worth it. The pasta was freshly made; the sauce consisted of cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and chili and was very tasty.

 

The market area of Boston was really good for food too. It was an indoor market consisting of many cuisines from around the world, I had a Mexican salad which came in a giant taco and had pretty much everything associated with Mexico imaginable. We also treated ourselves to a cupcake in a glass at the market because the presentation was too pretty and different to pass by.

 

New Hampshire

 

Unfortunately I did not get to sample enough of the food offered in New Hampshire as I spend a lot of my time going on long hikes so just packed a lunch to eat on the go, although, I did have time to stop and enjoy a pumpkin spiced chai latte and blueberry muffin in a nice little artistic café in a very small town.  I was a bit disappointed that I did not have time to sample the seafood in New Hampshire as I assumed that it would of high quality with all the huge inland lakes and Atlantic shoreline.

 

However, I did remember that there were a lot of Dunkin Donuts cafes in the area, they were basically located at every possible stop as well as a lot of signs indicated where the next one would be situated.