The members and businesses of this community have all united in order to become Ireland’s first autism-friendly town.
In order for the town of Clonakilty to achieve the title, over 212 organizations worked with the As I Am charity in order to be accredited as autism-friendly.
Clonakilty businesses were accredited after implementing four simple measures: they erected maps and visual guides of their facilities; they made sure that their buildings were open to service dogs; they set up relaxation zones for visitors or guests who may become overwhelmed by their surrounds; and finally, they established quiet time periods that will have adjusted environments for visitors with sensory issues.
On top of that, staff members, workers, and community members have been given autism-friendly training.
“The town of Clonakilty has rejected isolation, stigma and loss of potential in favor of autism inclusion, acceptance and cooperation,” Adam Harris, founder of As I Am, told the Independent.
“The small changes which the organizations in the town have committed to will make a tangible difference in the life of autistic people locally but will also have a much wider impact – challenging businesses, organizations and communities across Ireland to think what they can do to become more autism-friendly,” he added.
Be Sure And Include Your Friends On The Good News By Sharing It To Social Media – Representative photo by Certo, CC
Despite how some people might view the work of a custodian, this janitor has just been given one of Ireland’s most prestigious awards by the school that she cleans.
Caitriona Lally was named the recipient of the 2018 Rooney Prize for Literature in recognition of “Eggshells”, her first and only novel.
The award can be given to an Irish writer under the age of 40 who shows “exceptional promise” in their body of work.
According to Trinity College, the school that distributes the award, Lally’s book is “a work of impressive imaginative reach” that is “witty, subtle and occasionally endearingly unpredictable” that also “reveals an artistic vision which is distinctive in contemporary Irish writing.”
The news of Lally’s award could not have come at a better time, either – she told Trinity College that she had not been in a great mental state when the prize committee gave her the call. Every morning, she would wake up at 4:45AM so she could get to the school in time for work. After cleaning for three and a half hours, she would immediately rush home to take care of her 14-month-old daughter.
“It was a Monday, I’d been having a rough day, up early for my cleaning job, tearing home to mind the baby, baby wouldn’t nap and was making her feelings known — so hearing [someone] say down the phone: ‘You’ve won the Rooney’ — it was surreal,” says Lalley. “It felt completely at odds with the day I was having.”
Lalley was so stunned to hear the news, she had to ask for elaboration. On top of how she had been having a bad day, she had also hit a rough spot with her literary career.
“I’d virtually given up on ever finishing my second novel, it all seemed so pointless,” says Lalley. “Finding out I’d won the prize gave me a confidence I’d lacked the past couple of years, and sent me back to the desk to really knuckle down and finish my second novel.”
The triumphant author says that she plans on using the $11,500 prize money to make some repairs around the house and get her daughter into day care.
“The feeling that your work has been acknowledged is unbeatable,” says Lalley. “And the cash isn’t unwelcome either.”
Make Sure Your Friends Can Read The Good News By Sharing It To Social Media – Photo by Trinity College
There are millions of blind people around the world who are unable to see the gorgeous world before them – but this organization is restoring their sight with a simple, minutes-long surgery.
The Himalayan Cataract Project is a nonprofit that has been performing free cataract surgeries across Asia and Africa since the 1990’s. The two ophthalmologists who started the project say that they were inspired to pursue the initiative after they saw firsthand how debilitating blindness can be – and how easy it is to cure.
Cataracts can be cured by inserted tiny plastic lenses that properly focus the light into a patient’s eye. Roughly half of the people who suffer from blindness around the world could have their sight restored with a simple cataract surgery – however, there are fewer eye doctors in countries like Ethiopia and Nepal.
Additionally, when the two ophthalmologists first visited Nepal three decades ago, the cheapest cataract lens that was available cost over $250; but once the team started manufacturing the lenses locally, they brought the price tag down to under $25 per lens.
“Blindness is one of the neglected problems of global health but it’s also one of the few big problems that we can win,” says Geoffrey Tabin, co-founder of the Himalayan Cataract Project.
“From the first time I saw the miracle of cataract surgery on a totally blind patient, I realized that there is nothing else I can think of in the realm of medicine that is as cost-effective that we can do [to] really change lives instantaneously.”
The project now operates out of Ghana, Bhutan, India, Ethiopia, Myanmar and several others. On an average day, their clinics perform up to 200 cataract surgeries, each of which takes roughly 4 to 20 minutes to complete. After wearing gauze bandages over their eyes for 24 hours, most of their patients are capable of passing a driver’s license vision test the very next day.
“The joy just comes through,” says Tabin. “The patches come off and it takes them a couple seconds to realize that they’re seeing … and then there’s this unbelievable smile.”
The Himalayan Cataract Project was nominated as a semi-finalist for The MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition, which will award a $100 million grant to the winner that can provide a bold solution to a critical social problem in the world.
(WATCH the emotional reactions of the healed patients below)
It’s Not Hard To See That You Should Share This Story With Your Friends – Photo by Himalayan Cataract Project
The couple is originally from Australia, however they have been living in Canada for the last three years. Though they have slowly been visiting different regions of America, they had never committed to joining the All 50 States Club until little Harper was born.
Once they were on maternity leave, the little family hit the road by driving to Maine. They were only planning on doing a small portion of the states with Harper in tow, but when they found out that the youngest person to ever visit all fifty states had been 2 years old, they figured they might as well break a world record while they were on vacation.
The doting parents have been publishing adorable pictures of their adventurous daughter posing with state signs and national landmarks to her Instagram page, and her heart-melting smile has attracted thousands of followers along the way.
Cindy and Tristan say that they are excited to show the pictures to Harper once she is older, but in the mean time, they can tell that the experience is positively shaping her personality as she grows – even if she is still just a baby.
In about one week, the family will arrive in Vermont: the last state on their list before they have visited all fifty. The parents will then be in the process of submitting Harper’s story and evidence to the Guinness World Records so she can become an official record-holder.
Be Sure And Drive This Sweet Story Over To Your Friends By Sharing To Social Media – Photos by Harper Yeats Instagram
Quote of the Day: “Being human, we are unable to sustain the clarity necessary to apprehend the magic inherent in everything.” – Mark Nepo
Photo: by NASA
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Acupuncture has been used as a form of Eastern medicine for thousands of years – and now, these organizations are pushing for it to be elevated as a source of non-pharmaceutical pain relief, especially for recovering drug addicts.
Drugs, including opioids, are often prescribed to deal with a patient’s pain as a first line of treatment; yet only 23% of patients with chronic pain found opioids to be a successful treatment choice. Acupuncture, on the other hand, “has emerged in the U.S. as an evidence-based, safe, and cost-effective method to counter opioid addiction and pain associated with various other health ailments.”
The practice of acupuncture works by stimulating the nervous system – signals from the needle site are transmitted to the spinal cord to deactivate pain centers in the brain. Acupuncture has also been shown to improve the brain’s sensitivity to opioids which increases pain control and decreases the clinical utility of the pills.
42-year-old Shane Watson, a patient of the Modern Acupuncture franchise, is in long-term recovery from substance abuse issues. Though his abuse started in his youth and had devastating effects on his life, he is now a father who is six years sober.
Since his recovery, however, he has developed serious lower back issues, but cannot take any prescription pain killers – so he turned to acupuncture.
“I wish I had known about acupuncture years ago. The sense of calm and the immediate pain relief I feel after a treatment has been a game-changer,” said Watson. “I can’t describe how hard it is to live with a pain so debilitating that it makes it hard to do normal every day activities. I made a choice to stay clear of prescription pain killers, but I had to do something to relieve the pain. A friend recommended acupuncture and after my first appointment, I immediately found relief.”
Three stages of treatment, identified as detoxification, rehabilitation and relapse prevention, are intended to provide long-term results for recovering opioid addicts. The first stage is designed to offset opioid tolerance though direct treatments targeting pain symptoms. The second rehabilitation induces relaxation and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. Finally, relapse prevention encourages sustainable pain relief and prevent symptoms of drug cravings.
Modern Acupuncture and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine are working to raise awareness for the alternative treatment in recognition of October 24th marking the 16th annual Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day.
This year’s event is especially significant since the World Health Organization will soon be recognizing traditional Chinese medicine in its influential global medical compendium for the first time ever.
“The medical profession is really picking up on the use of acupuncture as an alternative to opioids and using it more and more,” said Dr. Charles Anderson, a Johns Hopkins and Harvard trained newborn intensive care physician with degrees from Princeton University, Johns Hopkins, and Boston University.
Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The News With Your Friends
It has been three years since Kaley West Young’s father passed away from heart disease – but thanks to her adoring brothers, he was still somewhat present on her wedding day last week.
Three months before Kaley’s wedding, her brother Kevin knew that their dad would be missed for the traditional father-daughter dance, so he came up with a plan to make it up to her.
Kevin recruited his four brothers to all dance with her at the wedding. Not only that, they played the song “Fathers & Daughters” by Michael Bolton interspersed with old audio clips and home videos of their father and Kaley.
On the day of the wedding, everything was executed perfectly – and needless to say, Kaley was overwhelmed with love and emotion by the heartfelt surprise.
“You just could not help but feel touched by what was happening,” Kaley’s brother Dustin told USA Today. “Really not a dry eye in the crowd.”
(WATCH the video below)
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by the West Family
Los Angeles County has just moved to wipe the board clean for dozens of families who have been struggling to pay off debts from juvenile detention.
As a result of a statewide ban, the district stopped charging fees related to the juvenile justice system in 2009, but the department continued to collect fees from charges prior to the ruling.
The Los Angeles County Probation Department would reportedly charge families $23.63 a day for juvenile halls and $11.94 a day for probation camps.
According to The Los Angeles Times, there was over $129,000 in collected fees in 2017 alone. Altogether, there has been over $89 million in outstanding debts from pre-2009 charges across 52,000 accounts.
A former juvenile detention member addressed the LA County Board to describe the stress that the debt put on his single working mother after he served time.
“They would call her every Saturday collecting these debts.… She could barely afford to feed us,” he said. “I’m hoping that this passes and this doesn’t happen to other families.”
Thanks to the new ruling, however, all of that debt will be forgiven – and experts suggest that the legislation will reduce recidivism.
“The two main purposes of the juvenile justice system are to rehabilitate kids and to protect public safety, and it turns out these fees undermine both of those,” Jeffrey Selbin, director of the Policy Advocacy Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law, told The Times. “We hope this will be a signal to other counties.”
Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends – Representative photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Megan Friedl
Kenneth Capron is determined to find housing for the homeless, even if it means thinking outside the box – and outside of land.
Earlier this week, Capron addressed the city council of Portland, Maine about transforming a decommissioned cruise ship into a housing community for vulnerable people.
“We’re looking at four populations: the homeless population, the low-income population, the workforce population and immigrant population who all need housing,” Capron told WMTW. “They all need job skills training. We would offer that on board.”
Though other nations and businessmen have floated the idea before, Capron is taking it one step further. After getting permission from the city council and potential stakeholders earlier this week, he applied for a $250,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct the first feasibility study on converting cruise ships into housing.
While the cruise ship would not be considered long-term housing, it could offer resources and shelter to those who need it most.
According to Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling, the city needs roughly 1,000 housing units and a cruise ship could house as many as 800 people – plus 300 crew members to offer social services, counseling, and support.
“I have no idea if it’s the craziest idea I’ve ever heard, or the most brilliant idea I’ve ever heard, but what I like about it is that he’s coming up with creative ways to figure out how to build housing in the city of Portland,” Strimling told the news outlet.
Capron, who is also the founder of the nonprofit Memory Works, has called the ambitious project Hope Harbor.
If This Story Floats Your Boat, Be Sure And Share It With Your Friends
Quote of the Day: “Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus
Photo: by GWC
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
More Americans are getting involved in the political process, according to this exciting report.
Last month for National Voter Registration Day, over 800,000 people either updated their voter registration or registered to vote for the very first time.
The holiday is orchestrated by Nonprofit VOTE in collaboration with over 4,000 other organizations and major platforms, such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook.
Prior to the event on September 25th, the organizers for the holiday say that they had initially set a goal for at least 300,000 registrations – and they were blown away by the campaign’s overwhelming success.
“Some us were saying, ‘Hey, maybe we’ll hit 400 or 500,000,” Brian Miller, executive director of Nonprofit VOTE, told TIME. “No one that I know of thought we would surpass 800,000 voter registrations. That surprised all of us. But I think it’s a sign of the interest in the midterms and the interest in having this unified day of action.”
This year’s Registration Day breaks the previous record that was set in 2016 with 771,321 voter registrations. In 2014, there were only 154,500 registrations. The holiday was originally created in 2012.
Regardless of the outcome for the midterm elections, the organizers of the holiday are thrilled that so many Americans are getting involved in the electoral process.
Vote For Positivity: Share The Good News With Your Friends – Photo by Renee Silverman, CC
An exciting new gene therapy trial has restored full or partial vision to blind patients who were robbed of their sight because of a genetic condition.
The study, which was launched at the University of Oxford back in 2011, recruited 14 patients to receive an eye injection of the virus containing the missing gene that caused the blindness.
By the end of the study, there was a significant gain in vision across the group of patients as a whole.
Furthermore, of the 12 patients who received the treatment without any complications, 100% either gained or maintained vision in their treated eyes, which was sustained for up to 5 years at the last follow-up. During this time, only 25% of the untreated eyes – which acted as a control group – maintained vision.
This was the world’s first gene therapy trial for treating the genetic condition, and the treatment was generally well-tolerated with no significant safety concerns.
“The early results of vision improvement … have been sustained for as long as we have been following up [with] these patients – and in several, the gene therapy injection was over 5 years ago,” said Professor Robert MacLaren, the ophthalmologist who led the trial.
“The trial has made a big difference to their lives,” he added.
The patients all suffered from a condition called choroideremia, also known as ‘retinitis pigmentosa’. The disease has reportedly become the most common cause of untreatable blindness in young people.
Last month, the European Medicines Agency formally approved its first gene therapy treatment for a different eye disease. Experts predict that other currently incurable diseases are likely to follow and will have approved gene therapy treatments in future years.
The success of the Oxford study has since led to a much larger international gene therapy trial involving over 100 patients across nine countries in the EU and in North America. If successful, the follow-on trial could result in the gene therapy treatment being formally approved by the relevant regulatory bodies worldwide.
The results of the trial were published in Nature Medicine earlier this week.
Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – Photo by Professor Robert MacLaren
Though Elon Musk has been in and out of several clouds of social media controversy, the CEO has made good on his promise to help with the water crisis in Flint.
Earlier this summer, several Twitter users wrote messages to the Tesla CEO urging him to use his wealth and influence to address the plumbing issues in the Michigan city.
In mid-July, Musk announced that he and his foundation would be contacting the mayor of Flint to help with the city’s recovery.
“Please consider this a commitment that I will fund fixing the water in any house in Flint that has water contamination above FDA levels. No kidding,” he wrote.
As it turns out, Musk kept his word. The businessman made a $480,350 donation this week so that all 12 of the city’s school buildings and their administrative facility could have access to clean water.
All of the buildings will be equipped with new ultraviolet filtration systems that will be up and running by January 2019.
You’re most welcome. Hope to do more to help in the future.
“We are deeply grateful for the generosity and the budding partnership between Flint Community Schools, the Musk Foundation and Elon Musk,” said Derrick Lopez, Flint Community Schools Superintendent, in a statement to MLive.
“The new water filtration systems will be instrumental in helping our students return to the normalcy of what should be a fundamental right: having access to safe, clean water from water fountains in their school,” he added.
According to a city spokeswoman, representatives of Musk’s company have been in touch with the mayor’s office about how to continue addressing the water crisis. The CEO says that he hopes to orchestrate a weekend during which his company will be able to install filtration systems in all of the Flint homes with lead levels above the federal safety limit.
Clean Up Negativity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – Stock photo by Dan Taylor Heisenberg Media, CC
This compassionate octopus “whisperer” has changed the way that the New England Aquarium cares for its eight-armed residents.
84-year-old Wilson Menashi has been volunteering at the aquarium for 25 years and logged over 8,000 volunteer hours. He started volunteering at the facility after he retired from his career as an engineer and decided to pursue his passion for fish and the ocean.
A large portion of his volunteer hours have been spent caring for the aquarium’s octopuses. In addition to becoming the first volunteer to ever touch an octopus, Menashi has created deep bonds of trust and affection with his cephalopod companions.
When he noticed that the octopuses weren’t getting the entertainment that they needed, he used his background in engineering to create puzzles and toys for the intelligent sea critters to solve.
Menashi has become such an integral part of the aquarium’s team, he and 1,000 other volunteers were honored at a dinner that was held by the facility earlier this week.
But judging by the way he interacts with the octopuses, the real honor for Menashi is being able to befriend such clever and affectionate animals.
(WATCH the video below)
If This Story Floats Your Boat, Be Sure And Share It With Your Friends – Photo by New England Aquarium
Quote of the Day: “Don’t confront me with my failures. I have not forgotten them.” – Jackson Browne (70 years old today)
Photo: by Nikos Koutoulas, CC license
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
This compassionate innkeeper doesn’t care if he is sacrificing $50,000 worth of expenses – he just wants to take care of his neighbors.
Jaret Hucks owns the Midtown Inn and Cottages in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since Hurricane Florence hit the east coast, he has opened his doors to dozens of evacuees free of charge.
To date, he has given away roughly 1,000 free nights to poor and vulnerable families. Not only that, he has welcomed their dogs, cats, and turtles, too, regardless of the pet policy.
“Love thy neighbor, right? That’s what you’re supposed to do,” Hucks told CBS News. “My mama taught me that a long time ago.”
Hucks has not been left empty-handed for his generosity, either – families have offered to help with the housekeeping and community members have donated diapers, ice, food, and clothes.
However, Hucks says that he is the most thankful for the knowledge that he is giving back to those who need it most and the handwritten thank you notes that he has received from the children.
(WATCH the video below)
Pass On The Sweet Story Of Community Kindness To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media – Photo by CBS News
An Indian man finally fulfilled his dream of becoming a pilot – and he celebrated the accomplishment by giving his elders the experience of a lifetime.
Vikas Jyani recently arranged air travel for all of the men and women of his village between the ages of 70 and 90.
For many of the 22 seniors who took Jyani up on his offer, it was their first time flying.
The village residents of Sarangpur in Adampur, India always believed that Jyani would achieve his dream of being a pilot, but they were deeply moved by how he kept his promise to give them the gift of flight.
One 90-year-old who had never been on a plane before told the Times of India: “Many people make promises to the elderly, but [Jyani] kept his word.”
Jyani flew the group from New Delhi to Amritsar where they visited the Golden Temple and the hallowed Jallianwala Bagh.
“He fulfilled his dream and that’s the most important thing for me,” the pilot’s father told the Times. “All youth should follow Vikas’s example and we should all respect our elders.”
A long-awaited renewable energy project has finally come to fruition on the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history.
Chernobyl is a Ukrainian city that was abandoned in 1986 following a massive explosion caused by their nuclear reactor. The disaster polluted the surrounding area with radiation, making it mostly inaccessible – until now.
Earlier this week, a new 3,800-panel solar farm was launched on the contaminated grounds of Chernobyl, and it is expected to power roughly 2,000 homes.
It is reportedly the first time that power has been produced inside of the 1,000-square-mile exclusion zone since the plant was shut down in 2000.
The $1.2 million solar project was facilitated by Ukrainian company Rodina and Germany’s Enerparc AG. The farm is set to start selling electricity in July as a part of Ukraine’s feed-in tariff policy.
“It’s not just another solar power plant,” Evhen Variagin, the chief executive of Solar Chernobyl LLC, told Reuters. “It’s really hard to underestimate the symbolism of this particular project.”
Power Up With Positivity: Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Solar Chernobyl
One soldier’s misfortune has turned into an incredible example of kindness following Hurricane Florence.
24-year-old Luis Ocampo is an army medic who left his home in Charlotte, North Carolina last month to help with hurricane relief efforts alongside his National Guard unit. His 20-year-old girlfriend, Kailey Finch, took their infant child with her to his parents’ house to wait out the storm.
Then, when the young couple returned to their home in late September, they were heartbroken to find that their house had been robbed. The laptop that Ocampo used for schoolwork, game systems, jewelry, and money were all missing.
Mary Elise Capron, a friend and colleague of Ocampo, was so heartbroken by the crime, she created a GoFundMe campaign to replace everything that was lost in the burglary.
“I have worked closely with Ocampo, in the national guard and he is an amazing soldier and person,” she wrote in the campaign description. “I am honored to know him and cannot believe something so terrible could happen to someone so dedicated to the service, his family and school.”
Within two weeks, the campaign had surged past its original goal of $5,000 and raised roughly $15,000 for the couple.
Ocampo and Finch were stunned by the surge of generosity – but they also knew that they didn’t need such wealth; so they asked Capron to shut down the donation page.
They kept what they needed to replace their stolen goods, but they donated the additional funds to the Soldier and Airmen Assistance Fund and other servicemen who had been affected by the hurricane.
“A big part of wanting to give the donations comes from seeing how generous people have been, and I wanted to pay that back to someone else who needed help,” Ocampo told PEOPLE, with Finch adding that: “Other people really need help that they can’t get.”
Pay The Positivity Forward By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends – Photo by Kailey Finch
Autumn is my favorite time of year, not just because the weather is beautiful, but also because fall brings some of the most delicious and nutritious fruits and veggies into bloom.
The interesting thing is that some of the most nutrient dense produce is also some of the most overlooked. Use these under-appreciated fruits and vegetables to spice up your mealtime, especially when it is so easy to include them.
Persimmons
My husband introduced me to Persimmons 16 years ago when he took me to meet his parents, who grew a giant tree dripping with these orange fleshy fruits in their backyard (photo, top, by eliza adam). Packed with Vitamin A and fiber, these sweet powerhouses are also known for their anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties.
Try It:Puree the soft fruit and use it instead of oil when baking muffins, or carrot and spice cakes, for a sweet boost of fiber.
Pomegranate
Photo by Chany Crystal, CC license
I have to admit that Pomegranates are my fall obsession. They are incredibly versatile as they can be added to savory and sweet dishes alike – they can be made into sweet treats, and even used in drinks. Their touted health benefits span from protecting the heart to aiding the preventing of colon, breast and prostate cancer. They can reduce symptoms of depression by stimulating serotonin and estrogen receptors.
Try it:Add pomegranate seeds to your stuffing for an unexpected twist at the Thanksgiving table.
Rutabaga
Photo by Janne Hellsten, CC license
Just a single serving of rutabaga provides you with 50% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C. Low in calories and a rich source of soluble fiber, this almost unknown root vegetable can be used to maintain digestive health and aid in weight management. With such an impressive profile, it has become a much more interesting and nutritious alternative to potatoes in our home.
Try It: Slice the rutabaga, toss with some olive oil and bake like French fries – your kids won’t know the difference!
Celery Root
No, not celery… its root. Aside from being a great source of antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins and nutrients, celery root provides many other health benefits. With excellent benefits from analgesic, antiseptic, and anti-allergic properties and its regulation of the digestive system, this root should not be overlooked.
Try It: Eat celery root raw with some hummus for a new take on a mid-day snack.
Loaded with the three major anti-oxidants found in foods – Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E – collard greens help strengthen our body’s ability to fight the effects of chemicals and free-radicals. With amazing anti-inflammatory benefits, this cruciferous plant helps keep digestive health at its best.
Try It: Add chopped collard greens to a stir-fry mix for a colorful boost of vitamins.
Endive
One of fall’s powerhouse greens, endive lettuce is low in calories and rich in fiber. It is also packed with Vitamins A, beta-carotene and essentials from the B complex, such as folic acid. Its complex nutritional profile and rich flavor make it a great addition to any salad or stir fry.
Try It: Chop it up and add it to a stir-fry in the last 3 minutes of cooking for that extra crunch. Or, use the sturdy leaves as little bowls and fill with spinach dip or melted brie.
Parsnips
Photo by Bob Peters, CC license
It might be hard to believe, but parsnips are actually more nutritious than carrots! As cousins, their flavor profile is similar making parsnips a great alternative, but unlike carrots, parsnips boast a high concentration of folate and potassium, both integral in keeping our bones, cells and muscles running efficiently.
Try It: Roast parsnips and sprinkle with Thyme and maple syrup for an energizing and sweet side dish.
Dates
A few years ago I attended a friend’s birthday dinner at a Persian restaurant and enjoyed one of the most memorable meals I’ve had in years. The reason? Dates. I had never thought to add dates to savory dishes, and found myself completely enthralled by the combination. The best part is that dates are high in fiber and contribute to heart and digestive health.
Try It: Substitute one date per tablespoon of sugar to sweeten your baked goods for a healthier treat. Mix them with hot curried chicken or rice dishes.
It might seem that pumpkins are everywhere during the fall, but the reality is that people rarely take real pumpkins seriously when it comes to meal preparation. Pumpkins are one of the best sources of alpha and beta-carotene, which are essential for cell growth and healthy vision. Not to mention, pumpkin seeds are also a great source of omega-3s, a brain and mood booster.
To cook the pumpkin, use a crockpot, place the pieces in the crockpot with 1 cup water. Cover and cook on high for approximately 4 hours, it’s done when it’s soft! Scrape it from the rind and sprinkle with a bit of coconut, nutmeg, or cinnamon for a sweet treat.
Be adventurous and add some under-appreciated produce to your shopping list, you’ll be glad you did.
Monica Klausner is the Co-Founder of Veestro, a modern, plant-based meal delivery system that makes healthy eating “consistent, delicious and realistic.”
