When people ask me what diet I’m on, I always say I’m on the Healthy Epicurean diet! When they ask what it is, I reply “eating healthy food I thoroughly enjoy”! Welcome to the Healthy Epicurean department at World Wise Beauty. I am thrilled to kick off the new series ‘Wise Bite’ at HE with my guest Jolene Hart. Jolene will visit every Wednesday this November and get us into a Healthy Epicurean mindset for the upcoming holiday season! If you aren’t familiar with her work, she is the best selling author of the ‘Eat Pretty’ series of books and the brand new wellness book ‘Ignite Your Light’. A World Wise Beauty Icon for sure and featured many times here at WWB, Jolene is full of wise bites and recipes that will inspire the Healthy Epicurean in you! Cultivating Wellness Wisdom is always the aim at World Wise Beauty, and I can think of no better aspiration for all of us to have as we navigate this pandemic and health crisis. These days most of us are close to home. Learning to eat, play, and love well, has never been more necessary! Stay well and let’s try to turn this crisis into an opportunity to make our health and wellness a top priority!
Laura Connolly, Founder of World Wise Beauty
Jolene Hart’s Wise Bite ~ Week #1: Savoring Fall Apples
So excited to be the first guest Healthy Epicurean! An apple a day, right? Especially in the fall season. Apples are detox stars thanks to their high content of soluble and insoluble fiber, including pectin, that can lower your LDL cholesterol and usher toxins and excess fats out of your body as you digest. Just be sure to eat the skins, which hold more than half an apple’s total fiber content. And while they’re sweet, apples can actually help regulate blood sugar levels, as their natural sugar content is slow to absorb. Over time, greater blood sugar balance can mean more balanced hormones and stress response, and fewer sugar cravings. Tart apple varieties like Winesap, Macintosh, and Granny Smith are often higher in malic acid, a compound that aids in digestion and metabolism. And red-skinned apples (try to buy them organic!) are highest in their content of the phytochemical quercetin, a beauty powerhouse for its potential to reduce inflammation, slow the aging process, and even minimize allergy symptoms.
ENJOY MY HEALTHY EPICUREAN RECIPE!
Ready for a sweet and comforting fall soup that will supercharge your skin with its beta carotene content and support natural fall cleansing to prepare your body and beauty for winter? This simple soup is the recipe for you. Kabocha squash is one of the most delicious types of squash, and it’s naturally sweet. The addition of apples to this recipe lends it even more sweetness along with detox properties, making this soup perfect to complement a savory dish. Or you can eat light and fill up on the soup by itself—if you do, try adding avocado chunks for extra healthy fats. Enjoy this soup and visit my Beauty is Wellness website for more recipes!
Sweet Autumn Soup
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
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1 tsp coconut oil
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1 shallot, minced
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2 organic apples, cored and chopped
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1 tsp fresh minced sage
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1 quart broth (I prefer vegetable broth in this recipe, but you can use whatever you enjoy)
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1 cup pure water
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4 cups roasted kabocha squash (about 1 medium)
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unrefined salt
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ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a large pot or dutch oven, melt coconut oil and sauté shallot over medium heat until golden. Add apples and sage and cook until apples begin to soften. If foods starts sticking to the bottom of the pot, go ahead and pour in a little broth to loosen it. Add remaining broth and water, as well as the roasted squash, and simmer 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Puree with an immersion blender, or in a high-powered blender in small batches.
For more beautifying recipes, see the Eat Pretty books and my recipe page.