Right now Im hanging out in Salzberg, Austria writing from my hotel room after roaming around in the hot sun all day visiting a castle, cathedral and of course, Mozarts home! To rejuvenate before dinner Im drinking some water (no coconut water here) and snacking on some medjole dates and almonds I bought at a farmers market in Klagenfurt yesterday (more on the farmers market below).
As a nutritionist and healthy foodie, when I go on vacation it doesnt mean that all my healthy eating goes on vacation too. Here are 7 tips to avoid holiday weight gain: http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2010/05/31/7-tips-to-avoid-summer-holiday-weight-gain/ In fact, you can check out my article in Sweat Equity magazine on healthy traveling snacks to keep your energized and joyous!
Ive been enjoying all the local food. Yes theres been a lot of meat, but Ive had the fortunate opportunity of eating trout straight from a river and filleting it myself with a lovely side of my fave leafy green - arugula, tried a lamb chili from the local lamb farmer at a yearly festival complete with an authentic and traditional Austrian folk music band what a treat!! And of course, eating delicious breads with raisins, figs and nuts - also known as stick to your ribs kind of bread.
The photo below is from one of the most picturesque places my joyous eyes have ever seen Worthersee, Austria. But more important than visually appealing, this place is SO energetically rejuvenating because of the trees, mountains, lake and fresh air. Even if you cant get away to a far away land for some fresh air, you can usually drive an hour or two to nature. Nature is so good for your health, just as important as eating well.
Before I go back to vacationing here in the breathtaking and historic Salzberg, I wanted to share my photos from my farmers market visit in Klagenfurt, Austria.
As you might know, Ive written several columns for Tonic Magazine on farmers markets that I review all over the city of Toronto, so visiting a market in Europe was very exciting! Here are some photos of my finds at the market.
Apricots are local and in season. You cant get dried organic (typical brown colour sans the sulphites) so I stuck to these. They have amazing phytonutrients for your eyes, are immune-enhancing and beautifying because they have nutrients like vitamin A that keep your skin healthy and young.
This bin here contained the most plump medjole dates Ive ever eaten in my life, which Im munching on right now!
These were something new to me, sundried prunes. An amazing source of fibre which as you know, gets things moving.
And a twitter following Monika who is from Austria suggested I pick up some pumpkin oil because it's local. Thanks for the tip Monika! So of course that was on my list when I went to the market. This oil is a wonderful source of good fat, antioxidants (just like olive oil) and heart-healthy. I was delighted to find organic pumpkin oil at the market. Here is a photo of all the delicious and health-promoting oils at the market.
In case you are wondering, this market runs every single day in Klagenfurt, but there are special days like on Saturdays when even more local farmers come in, they also have a special day where mostly all bio (what Austrians call organic) farmers sell their products.
I have so many more wonderful memories I could share, but I will leave you with that.
Oh and in case you are wondering if Ive eating goulacsh in an old pub and drank beer, the answer is yes, of course I did!
Next stop is Vienna, Austria and then on to Venice, Italy next week where my handsome travelling companion and I are staying at an apartment and cooking all our own food. I will have tons of photos of those adventures.
Organic chocolate is really not hard to find, thank goodness! And the local honey here is absolutely delicious. I've already bought a few bottles to take home with me.
And of course all things pickled and fermented are uber popular in Austria. I've been enjoying fresh sauerkraut, as it's excellent for digestion and liver health.
If you don't yet follow me on twitter, then I don't want you to miss out on some articles that you might benefit from that I've written:
Top reasons to go gluten-free, tips and recipes
5 reasons to ditch the sugar habit
Quick and easy breakfast recipes
Looks fabulous Joy! Thanks for sharing your pics. Enjoy the rest of your incredible vacay!
ReplyThanks Michelle!
Organic chocolate, wine, beautiful farmer's markets?! Amazing! Beautiful pics, enjoy the rest of your holiday!
ReplyOh, how I miss Austria - such a beautiful place!
ReplyThanks for the nice shout-out Joy. Can't wait to hear about your adventures in Bella Italia!!! Have you gone hiking in the Alps as well? There is a farmer in Carinthia who makes ice cream with the milk of his grass-fed cows. It is delicious!!! Monika
ReplyI'm glad to see you're having such a great time in Europe! Venice is going to be awesome, you're in for a treat. On another note, I tried reading your feature in Sweat Equity magazine, but couldn't read the full article online. I decided to look around at the magazine's online content and I have to say, I'm a little curious as to why you're writing for a magazine that has so many images of skinny, airbrushed-to-perfection models (like the ones in "Bringing Sexy Back" and another photo feature on sexy bikinis). You tell us readers of your blog to eschew magazines with unrealistic images of women (I remember reading at least one or two blog posts of yours on that topic from way back, but do correct me if I am wrong), but then write for one. Sweat Equity also seems to be yet another one of those hip, trendy "yoga lifestyle" type magazines that caters to young, affluent and mostly white women seeking to attain bodily perfection. I'm not here to tell you what you can and can't do obviously. But I am slightly curious as to this choice you made to write for this publication.
ReplyHi Jackie, Thank you very much for your comment and for being a reader of my blog! I can appreciate where you are coming from, however, Sweat Equity magazine is actually a fantastic magazine with really great content. I'm a regularly contributor and highly recommend you grab a copy because I think you will agree, the content is excellent. I hear what you are saying, but the message that comes from my writing will always be the same - love your body no matter what shape or size or weight you are, but make sure you feed it healthy, nourishing food. I cannot possibly control what every publication chooses to print in terms of their images of women. I have been interviewed by many other magazines such as Elle Canada, Fashion, Flare, Chatelaine etc and I'm happy to contribute because of the opportunity to reach a wide audience and share my passion and knowledge for healthy eating. I hope you continue to read my blog and enjoy it! Take care. Joy
So glad to see that you're enjoying the culinary delights of Austria! It's an amazing country! Safe travels!
ReplyI daydream just thinking about all those fresh food options and markets in Europe, sounds like a great trip so far! Austria is so beautiful, I love love love Vienna! Have a wonderful time, love the pics too! :)
ReplyLooks absolutely amazing!! Can't wait to hear about more of your adventures when you're back home! Elaine
ReplyThanks Elaine! Great blog by the way. : )
Austria looks incredible...definitely a place I'd love to explore. You'll have to put our little island on your list of places to visit next. That is, if you haven't already been here (Terceira, Azores), but not many people are familiar with the Azores islands. Lots of fresh foods, picturesque surroundings, and back to the basics lifestyles here. Enjoy yourself...life is good!
Reply[...] Good day Joyous Readers and fellow Nutritionistas! I am honored and privileged that Joyous Health asked me to guest post while she is away! Be sure to read about Joy’s adventures in her last blog post. [...]
ReplyHi Joy, really enjoy reading your blog. If you're still feeling the effects of jet lag, here's what to do. Go outside in your yard (or preferably the park), and walk barefoot on the grass for at least twenty minutes (or do yoga, etc). Try putting time aside to do this every day. Or sleep on the grass for awhile, you'll be much refreshed. Call it grounding, call it Earthing...the basic idea is that we have built up too much of a positive charge through being disconnected from the Earth, the abundance of EMF, etc. The idea is that the Earth is full of negative ions (much like thunderstorms, waterfalls), and doing so will release the + charge. It is in essence, the best source of antioxidants. It'll regulate cortisol, reduce inflammation, and assist with recovery. Read up more with Ober, Wolfe, and Asprey. Anyway, it should especially help with jet lag, so try it out!
ReplyThanks for the tips Pedro! Yes, I've done some yoga classes and spent some good quality time outdoors, in the park... actually laying down on the grass. I'm very familiar with "grounding". I think I'm almost through the jetlag now. Didn't wake up at 5am this morning feeling like it was 11am - so that's good! Thanks for your comment.
You look adorable in your flower picture! :)
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