Let's Talk Story - Down to Earth Blog

At Down to Earth we have lots of foods with multi-cultural influences:  from our hot bar, to the store, and throughout our cooking classes and events. Our hot bar has a wide variety of multi-cultural deliciousness, from manupuas, curries, fried rice, Okinawan sweet potato salads, pizzas, pastas, soups, etc.

February is Heart Health Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Hawaii, but don't despair! The good news is that most heart disease is preventable, and you don't have to make huge changes to lower your risk. A few simple tweaks to your diet can make a wonderful difference. Here are 10 heart-healthy foods that could save your life:

Being vegan at home is easy. You’re in complete control of what food you buy and where you eat. When you go on vacation – it’s a different story. It can be difficult to stay on track when your daily routine changes.

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it again, the holidays are crazy! Whether you’re running around picking up presents, visiting relatives, or going on vacation, it can get overwhelming. The pressures and expectations of the holidays make it easy to overlook why we even celebrate them in the first place! It’s a time to be with people you love and to spread cheer. But there’s one person you probably forget about each and every year…. Yourself! Last year I remember being way too stressed and couldn’t enjoy myself fully.

The holidays are just around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited. I love the holidays because I get to hang with my family and connect over good food. Over the past couple years I was so sick and tired of becoming bloated after a big holiday dinner that I’ve become more aware of my actions. Here are some tips you can follow to avoid that holiday bloat. And good news! You can still have a fun and indulgent holiday season without the discomfort.

When I was thinking about becoming vegetarian, over 10 years ago, like many others, I turned to the internet. I went down a lot of internet “rabbit holes”, I mean A LOT. As I explored all things plant-based, I had to reel it back to reality. A lot of what I was reading online kept pointing to one undeniable truth. In order to eat vegetarian food that I’d like, I was going to have to try… cooking it myself.

Summertime is here and it may be hotter than usual, even though it’s sometimes hard to tell when living in Hawaii! No one likes to use their oven or stove when it’s hot out, and one great way to beat the heat is by enjoying raw foods. The words “raw foods” make many people cringe… until they realize how delicious raw foods can be. Here are some refreshingly raw recipes to enjoy this summer or even year round!

These and other raw food recipes can be found at downtoearth.org.