This week we'll explore coconut water and some healthier ways to make pesto. We'll also delve into one of my favorite books and the importance of eating a diverse range of veggies and fruit.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight

As the temperatures warm up, I've been rediscovering my love of coconut water. If you don't already incorporate this electrolyte-rich drink into your routine, I highly suggest giving it a try. It's low in calories, carbs, and sugar, but is very high in important electrolytes like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. It's actually one of the best potassium sources in nature. This season, I'm encouraging you to ditch the sugary electrolyte drinks and try natural, delicious, and refreshing coconut water instead.

What can you do with coconut water? The options are endless! It's great served over ice, especially on a hot day. But you can also use it in smoothies, add it to oatmeal, and even use it to make matcha (like in the brand new Tropical Ocean Matcha that I just published on my blog, see below). Coconut water is also a nice way to make a cocktail more hydrating.

Curious to give it a try? Look for coconut water that has ONE ingredient; avoid products with added juices or sweeteners. There are some nice carbonated options too, which are fun for a hot afternoon. If you want some specifics, you can see a couple of my favorite brands in my healthy pantry list (scroll down toward the bottom).

What I'm Loving Right Now

Are you as excited for pesto season as I am? I absolutely can't wait for homegrown herbs. Although we're still a ways away from homegrown anything here in Vermont, I've been making pesto a lot recently since the flavors are so great for spring.

If you’re still making pesto that’s loaded with oil and cheese though, maybe it’s time to try something new. Instead of oil and dairy, pesto can be made with a base of avocado, tahini, or even zucchini. The vegan, oil-free pesto guide on my blog is filled with all sorts of alternative pesto recipes that are lighter, fresher, and plant-based. If you love pesto but don't love the idea of eating a ton of oil, then the avocado pesto shown below (a very tasty dinner last week!) is definitely for you.

Live Colorfully

What I'm Reading

I just finished my second read of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. It's a bit of an oddball, but it's one of my favorites. The book is an interweaving of numerous different stories that take place over the span of almost 1,000 years. Despite the fact that these stories at first seem to have nothing in common (one is in ancient Constantinople, one is in modern-day Idaho, one is in a spaceship in the future), they're actually all tied together in an unexpected way.

To me, this is a book about the condition of humanity. It explores both the beautiful and the ugly aspects of humans, showing them as two sides of the same coin. It's also a tale about the importance of knowledge and the power of books.

If you decide to dive into this one, my biggest recommendation is to give it some time. You'll be scratching your head and thinking I'm crazy for the first quarter of it, struggling to keep the stories straight. After that you'll be hooked. (If you want more ideas, remember that you can always browse my list of favorite books.)

​

Self-Care Pick

Do you eat the rainbow? We all know that veggies and fruits are good for us, but today I want to focus on why it's important to eat a broad range of produce rather than just your same old favorites. If you find yourself always coming back to the same veggies and fruits (bananas, oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, and corn are all common in the American diet), you may be missing out on some of the fabulous benefits that plants can offer. Here's why:

1.) Different veggies/fruits have different nutrients. These nutrients vary hugely between species and include not only the common ones we think about (e.g., Vitamin C) but also less common but very important nutrients like antioxidants, trace minerals, omegas, and many more.

2.) Different veggies/fruits have different types of fiber. A lot of the newer research is showing that the key to a healthy gut microbiome isn't just lots of fiber in general but also a diversity of fiber types. Ingesting a wide range of prebiotic fibers from different types of plants likely means you'll have a more varied and more robust gut microbiome.

This week, I challenge you to find a few new veggies or fruits to enjoy. If you often buy green beans to go with dinner, try asparagus, sugar snap peas, or artichokes. If you usually put a banana on your breakfast, try berries. If you tend to make a salad with romaine and cucumbers, try kale and beets instead. If you usually roast potatoes as a side, try cauliflower.

So yes, eating your veggies is important; however, eating the same few veggies again and again likely isn't giving your body everything it needs. Instead of just focusing on the amount of veggies and fruits we eat, we can all benefit by trying to enjoy a wide range of different types.

Thanks for joining me for this issue of Eat Colorfully, Live Colorfully! I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to reply with questions, thoughts, or requests. If you missed a previous issue, you can view all my newsletters here. Have a great week!