Chinese New Year, Lucky coins and Superfoods

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is a 15 day celebration this year starting on January 26. According to Chinese tradition, the red envelope and the coins symbolize luck and wealth. Red packets are typically handed out to younger generation by their parents, grand parents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends.

This year Armando and I have celebrated the Chinese New Year with our friends. I think it is an important tradition for us to celebrate as a family because Armando is half Asian. It would be nice for our child to know this tradition as well. We were invited by our dear friend Sayma for a dinner party to her house in Toronto. Sayma, her sister Tasmia and our friend Xiao have prepared deliscious dinner for us to enjoy. There were many wonderful raw food dishes such as mango salad, chinese cucumber salad, and fresh spring rolls (sprouts, mint leaves, carrots, cabbage) and lots of delicious Chinese green tea. My friends eat cooked food as well so there was rice and some noodles but again lots and lots of raw choices. It was a wonderful feast and great company. We always spend all day just chatting, eating, and playing games. Last night we were playing cranium and it was super fun.

Superfoods

Superfoods include: goji berries, hempseed, cacao beans (raw chocolate), maca, spirulina, bee products, coconut oil/butter, green superfoods, and many more.
The pivotal role of superfoods in promoting nutritional excellence, health and well-being, beauty enhancement, sustainable agriculture, and the transformation of diet, lifestyle, and planet.

Today is a superfood day. I went to Goodness Me natural supermarket and bought some yummy, yummy things. I got some organic hummus, raw crackers with spirulina, raw organic energy bars, raw cacao beans, Udo's Oil and Maca powder. I will make wonderful smoothies with the cacao nibs, Maca powder and Udo's oil, which is a great source of Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids.


Maca powder (Ancient Peruvian Superfood) has an outstanding ability to increase energy, endurance and strength. Maca, like goji berries and ginseng, is a powerful adaptogen, which means it has the ability to balance and stabilize the body's systems (cardiovascular system, nervous system, musculature, lymphatic system, etc.)

Cacao Nibs are pieces of the Cacao Bean. All chocolate is made from Cacao Beans (also known as Cocoa Beans) The raw cacao bean is one of nature's most fantastic superfoods due to its mineral content and wide array of unique and varied properties. It contains: magnesium, iron, antioxidants, zinc, copper, serotonin and omega 6 fatty acids.

It is so interesting to note that I am very drawn to superfoods and organic foods in my pregnancy. I would always find a reason (mostly financial as these things tend to be costly) not to go organic or get any superfoods. Now I have a great reason to do it! I have a baby in my belly!!!Oh and this is week 10 and my baby is a size of a small plum!