My all time favorite awards show of the season is on this weekend: The 84^th Academy Awards. What’s not to love about the Oscars? From the dresses on the red carpet, right down to the Best Picture award, I’m hooked.

If you’re anything like me you’ve been thinking, not only about how much you want War Horse to win Best Picture (is there a best movie of all time award?!), but also about what glitzy, star-worthy appetizers you will be serving your friends during your annual Oscar watching party.

Here are a few healthy, Best Picture-themed snack options that I know I’ll be whipping up this Sunday!

Start the evening with some tropical Carrot Punch and imagine that you are on the beaches of Hawaii with George Clooney in The Descendants.

Next, serve a salad that even the four-legged star of War Horse, would enjoy: Radish, Celery and Apple Salad

Ah, Sacramento! California’s State Capitol, delta town, seat of the 19^th century gold rush, and the town where the Pacific Railroad began.  It’s also my old college town, a place where me and my friends spent our afternoons picking sour Seville oranges from the old trees lining downtown’s gorgeous streets (yes, harvesting is both legal and encouraged!), strolling in the camellia gardens at the Capitol, and scouting the perfect bowl of menudo in the hundreds of muy authentico Mexican restaurants that dot the area.

Located in Northern California’s fertile Central Valley, Sacramento is an agricultural powerhouse. The city itself is home to some of the biggest urban citrus groves in the nation. Past the city limits, farms dominate the landscape. Popular area crops include rice, all manner of nuts, vegetables, orchard fruits, berries, and melons. There are also wineries, cheese makers, beer brewers, marmalade makers (using the above mentioned Sevilles) and other food artisans. You can taste it all at any of the area’s farm-to-table restaurants that are so popular. Or, visit one of the local farmer’s markets, roadside produce stands, tasting rooms or pick-your-own farms.

But food isn’t all Sacramento has going for it. With its temperate climate and soft breeze—made possible by the surrounding Sacramento, American, and San Joaquin rivers— Sacramento is an outdoorsy town. Be prepared to cycle along some of the hundreds of miles of dedicated bike lanes, jog next to the one of the rivers, canoe or raft, swim, stroll through historic Old Town, ski in the nearby Sierras, hike through foothill nature preserves, or join one of the Frisbee or soccer games that are always being played in one of the hundreds of area parks.

Looking for healthy options in your town? Check out the rest of our healthy living guides!

Restaurants

	Sugar Plum Vegan Café 2315 K Street This vegan cafe and bakery is home to some of Sacramento’s most beloved vegan dishes and baked goods! Sugar Plum is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—but we can’t get enough of their Sunday brunch menu! The Tofu Frittata and Hempy Blueberry Pancakes are simply outstanding.
	The Green Boheme 1825 Del Paso Boulevard The Green Boheme is a very popular spot among Sacramento’s health-minded community! They serve healthy, gluten free, raw, vegan dishes at their café; many with a delicious Asian flare. The café also hosts raw cooking demonstrations, food plans and raw food cleanses!

Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is a beautiful city with no shortage of activities and attractions. If you are interested in US history, wander down to Monument Avenue to see such historical figures as Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, or go just outside of the city to explore Colonial Williamsburg. If you would rather spend time appreciating the arts, check out the Virginia Museum of the Fine Arts, the Lewis Glinter Botanical Garden, or one of the city’s many performing arts studios. But everyone knows that the most important part of sightseeing is fueling our bodies with healthy food!

These are some of our favorite healthy restaurants in Richmond. If you like these, check out our Healthy Living Guides for other cities!

Ellwood Thompson's Market and Cafe
4 North Thompson Street

This is a one-stop shop for all of your organic needs! You can do your grocery shopping here for fresh, organic produce and free-range, grass-fed meat and dairy. They also have a shop stocked full of all your favorite natural beauty products. The Ellwood café is a great spot for a lunch break while you shop for an organic and delicious meal!

Sticky Rice
2232 West Main Street

Sticky Rice is a popular Japanese-American fusion restaurant that features very unique rolls and noodle dishes. For something completely unique, try the Shiitake Happens Roll or the Wakame Salad! Many of their menu items are vegetarian and vegan as well.

Yesterday was National Celiac Awareness Day. Celiac Disease is one of the most common chronic illnesses in the western world, so it is no wonder that gluten-free diets are making a huge splash in the media lately. But with so much information, where do you begin your research? Since so many people are affected by Celiac Disease, we decided to extend the day of recognition, by putting together a guide of some of our favorite resources, including restaurants, books, products and more to help de-mystify the gluten-free diet.

Restaurants

One Lucky Duck – New York City – The take-away spot from the renowned vegan restaurant Pure Food & Wine, best known for their smoothies, juices and raw desserts.

BabyCakes – New York City; Los Angeles, CA; Orlando, FL – Fresh-baked cupcakes without all the sugar, flour and butter cream, making for a gluten-free, guilt-free indulgence!

The Art Café & Bakery – Atascadero, CA – Home to Oprah’s favorite sandwich, the café strives to suit all needs with a gluten-free line of breads and baked goods.

Donna Marie’s – Rochester, NY – With the motto, “It’s gluten-free, not taste-free,” this bakery offers muffins, brownies and custom cakes all made without wheat flour.

Gluten-free diets are gaining popularity with Americans as more people are realizing they have sensitivities to eating products with wheat, barley or rye. One study found that we spend more than $2 billion dollars a year on gluten-free products.  

Gluten, found in cereals, bread, cookies and cakes, is associated with many health problems like allergies, brain fog, candida and mineral deficiencies, and more minor symptoms like bloating, constipation or gas. Many people are allergic to wheat but don’t know it. If you think you might be sensitive or allergic to gluten, you can remove all wheat and gluten products from your diet for a few weeks and see how you feel. 

While it may seem difficult to avoid wheat, there are delicious grains like amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, sorghum and teff that you can add to your meals. Many people find that when they remove these products from their diet, they start eating more fruits and vegetables. Instead of whole wheat bread for your sandwich, make a wrap using lettuce.

Even those who know they are not allergic to gluten say they feel healthier by sticking to a gluten-free diet. Try it out and let us know how you feel.

Have you ever considered that diet could help autism? Actress, Jenny McCarthy, wrote Louder Than Words, a book about her journey to reversing her son’s autism by using a gluten-free diet.

When McCarthy first started noticing autistic symptoms in her two-year-old, she brought him to the doctor. When one of the best pediatricians in California told her that her son had autism, she decided to learn everything about it. During her research, she found a website saying, “Autism is reversible.” She was willing to do anything and everything to help her son. She read about parents treating their autistic children with a gluten-free and casein-free diet. McCarthy eliminated gluten and casein (a milk protein) from her son’s diet and added vitamins and supplements.

Within six months she noticed a dramatic difference with his symptoms. McCarthy is at the forefront of raising public awareness about the healing powers of a good diet. It’s amazing how good food can positively influence our health. No matter what type of disease or illness a person has they will most likely benefit from eating less meat, dairy, sugar and chemicalized, artificial junk foods. Do you have any stories about food helping your health?