Instagram is full of health food #goals. It's easy to get sucked in—you mindlessly click follow, and before you know it, you're liking every smoothie bowl with chia seeds and goji berries that flits past your screen. And here's the thing: I want to have the time and energy to make my own Kombucha, to sprout my own almonds and turn them into milk, to make decorated mush morning, noon, and night. But there's just something about living in a big city in a tiny apartment that makes those goals seems not feasible.
Enter my friend Sophie Jaffe. We met on Instagram. She's an LA-based health and wellness expert, founder of The Philosophie, certified raw food chef, and mother of two baby angels. After a few email exchanges with her (and one too many sad desk salads), I've now got a few things on rotation that help me get extra nutrition without trying very hard at all.
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt : Sophie says that “unlike iodized table salt, pink sea salt hasn’t been mined using dynamite or exposed to modern day pollution. It's mineral-rich and helps regulate your water content' (My interpretation: no sushi face). Also, it’s pretty! And #glossierpink.
Dulse Flakes : Calm down, they're seaweed flakes, not sawdust. I sprinkle these iodine-rich specks on salads to up the nutritional value without altering the flavor much. Sophie also suggests other sea vegetables like nori, wakame, and kelp for “excellent sources of protein, potassium, iron, omega fatty acids, and vitamin B-12.”
Philosophie Superfoods in Green Dream, Berry Bliss, and Cacao Magic : I use these superfood blends everyday, thrown into sauces, oatmeal, yogurt, pudding, even pancake batter. Plus, once I grow up and buy a blender, I will put them in my smoothies. They're filled with plant-based protein and star ingredients like spirulina, hemp, maca, chia, camu camu, and reishi mushroom. If that sounded like a different language you can trust me when I say they taste amazing.
Coconut Sugar Packets: I keep a packet or two in my purse for when I’m out at a coffee shop and want a low-glycemic sweetener in my tea or coffee. Sophie says that “coconut sugar includes more nutrients than regular sugar since it's unrefined and unprocessed.” It tastes just like brown sugar and doesn’t have a weird aftertaste.
Trader Joe’s Sauerkraut : When I asked Sophie about an easy way to get fermented foods in my diet without spending $10.99 on a jar of kimchi at Whole Foods or waiting three weeks while I make it myself, she introduced me to Trader Joe's sauerkraut. Sophie explains that “it's totally raw and fermented, aiding in proper digestion and a strong immune system.” I eat a little on the side of my dinner for peace of mind, body, and gut.
—Eva Alt
Photographed by Tom Newton.
More in eating pretty: try these recipes for a Beauty Food Salad or an Immunity Smoothie.
