A few days ago, I was visiting my friend Marjorie and much to my delight, she had a container of homemade pumpkin soup for me.  What a fabulous and unexpected surprise!  I enjoyed it for lunch, savoring the rich flavor, with just a hint of cinnamon.

Pumpkin is rich in the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene and it’s a low-fat way for you to practice healthy eating, help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer. And with this being peak pumpkin season, it’s the perfect time to indulge.

Want to know more about why pumpkin is so good for us and how to use it? Take a listen to this week’s audio tip for more information.

And check out this tasty pumpkin recipe:

Autumn Harvest Breakfast Bars Recipe

Yield: 8 bars

Ingredients
1/4  cup  orange juice
1/2  cup  whole dates (about 5), halved and pitted
1  cup  whole raw almonds with skins
1/2  cup  dried apricots
1/4  cup  dried plums (prunes)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  cup  raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/4  cup  raw sunflower seeds

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Pour orange juice over dates and let soak 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place almonds, dried apricots, and dried plums in a food processor and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Add salt and dates with orange juice and pulse until mixture starts to stick together. Add pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, pulsing a few times just to incorporate.
3. Using wet hands, scoop mixture onto a work surface and form into a log about 1 3/4 in. wide and 1/2 in. thick. Use your palms to flatten into a bar, and cut bar into 8 equal pieces.
4. Arrange pieces about 1 in. apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Using a heatproof spatula, turn bars over and bake another 8 minutes, or until nuts are toasted (but before fruit begins to burn). Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 210 (56% from fat); Protein: 6g; Fat: 13g (sat 1.4); Carbohydrate: 22g; Fiber: 3.5g; Sodium: 76mg; Cholesterol: 0.0mg

If you said no, you’re on to something and keep reading. And if you said yes, DEFINITELY keep reading.

I’m reminded every day that our food sources, even organic fruits and vegetables, are often severely lacking in the nutrients we need to handle our over-the-top, super-busy lives. While organic is better than non-organic produce, it still doesn’t have the ability to truly nourish us in a powerful way. Why? Think de-mineralized soil and polluted water to start. And think about organic produce that’s been shipped from across the country — even though it’s organic, by the time it gets to you, it’s seriously lost a HUGE amount of the nutritional value.

These are just a few of the things we were talking about last night when I went to a talk given by one of my nutritional superheroes – David Wolfe (that’s David standing next to me, 2nd from the left). David is the creme de la creme of nutritionists, pushing the envelope when it comes to what truly nourishes us. I first saw David when I was at nutrition school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition several years ago. But this was the first time I ever got to talk to him up close and personal, and what a treat it was!

We were at my friend Glen’s ultra cool, raw foods cafe in West Haven, Connecticut. We spent the evening talking about some of my favorite superfoods. Conventional wisdom would have you think that superfoods are things like blueberries and tomatoes. And in the realm of all foods, they’re pretty good. But those are “old school” superfoods. When I say superfoods I’m talking about things like maca, Inca Berries, goji berries, cacao, and blue green algae, just to name a few.

If some of those things sound pretty foreign, don’t worry, I didn’t know a lot about them either only a few years ago. In fact, before David Wolfe I didn’t even understand the power of cacao – raw chocolate, pictured here. Forget Hershey bars or even some pretty good quality dark chocolate. You can get exponentially more benefits from eating raw chocolate – bursting with nutrients (like tons of magnesium, for one) and a much better way to satisfy those cravings without all the guilt.

I’ll be sharing a lot more about these “new school” superfoods in coming months, — I just wanted to whet your appetite a bit. Just know that if you want to truly nourish your body, integrating in some of these superfoods will help you feel your best. I know because I’ve been doing it for awhile and it’s made a big difference in how I feel.

And just to give you a hint about what I mean, I’m a big fan of maca. Not only does it help give you mental clarity and help with symptoms of menopause but it’s also great for supporting your libido.  I mean seriously, who can’t love that?

Do any of these superfoods ring a bell ? Do tell about your experiences with superfoods.

I’m mad about blueberries. Yep, I could eat them by the handful, sometimes even by the bucket. One of my favorite summertime pleasures is going berry picking at Bishop’s Orchards, a local farm about 20 minutes from me.

I love the fun of picking my own fruit, eating some along the way (after all , isn’t that half the fun?!), and leaving with a huge bucket of sweet, beautiful locally grown fruit. I like to make everything from blueberry muffins to making delicious blueberry and banana smoothies. The possibilities are really endless.

Since we’re in the height of blueberry season right now, I thought this would be the perfect week to do my audio tip on the merits of blueberries, the world’s healthiest fruit.

Take a listen and get the full blueberry scoop. I have a hunch you’ll learn something about blueberries that you didn’t know.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy blueberries? Share your thoughts here.

Often called a superfood, tomatoes have numerous health benefits. They contain lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant, and helps prevent cancer, especially prostate cancer in men. They also have fiber, potassium, Vitamin C, beta-carotene and lutein, which is important for eye health. And they may even help reduce the risk of heart disease. On the flip side, tomatoes are part of the “nightshade” family (which also includes eggplants, peppers and potatoes) and have been linked to joint inflammation in some people.

Even with fall knocking on our door, you can still find copious amounts of locally grown tomatoes. Check out your local farm stand or market for varieties such as Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Yellow Perfection and many more. Then get busy making your favorite recipe or simply eat them raw.