The best super foods from Latvia you must try

Every time I go back home to Latvia I am trying to get my hands on all the good and delicious local foods that you just cannot access to living in Italy like: sea buckthorn, wild cranberries, black bread, curd, power milk*, chanterelles, apples from my garden and so on and on.  I always try to incorporate them in my diet while I am there as well as try to bring back with me as much as possible. So needless to say that my getaway has a particular diet while I am here. 

BUT that doesn’t mean that I am not following what I am putting on my plate. I still stick to my diet, but just trying to freshen it up with a local super foods. Here are some of my recommendations to stay in shape (and even improve it), that you just MUST try, while you are in Latvia (or any other North European country for that matter).

As this week I am been running around the country with family, friends and dentist’s visits that I had little time for a proper sitting down for eating a lunch so as always I was carrying with me a lunch box prepared at home. This time not with regular chicken and quinoa but with low fat curd and wild sea buckthorn and cranberries. A perfect, healthy snack to take with you. Rich with protein and low on fat and carbs and full with vitamins – perfect for diet. 

This delicious snack was saving me from sugar loss and food cravings. (Latvia has so many delicious snacks, chocolates, candies, cookies, cakes and pastries on every corner that having your own healthy snack with you might be a life saver.) It also is really economic and can be bought in every super market ( curd and Low fat Greek yogurt). 

 

Nutrition value for 100 g of Low Fat curd for 100g : 96kcal,  fat- 0,5g,  carbs – 4g, protein – 19g.

 

Nutrition value for 100 g of Plain white Greek Yogurt for 100g : 62 kcal,  fat- 2g,  carbs – 2,3g, protein – 9g.

 

Nutrition value for 100 g of cranberries for 100g : 46 kcal,  carbs – 12g,  Vitamin C- 13g, Calcium-8mg, Magnesium-6mg .

 

Nutrition value for 100 g of Sea Buckthorn for 100g : 51 kcal, Vitamin C- 250mg, Vitamin A – 60 mg, Vitamin E – 140 mg .

Sea buckthorn is just loaded with C vitamin and in 100 g gives you 5 day dosage of it. So eat it up! it is also magical for skin and inside organs health, so recommended to every diet. More about this magical, healing berry can read here. 

My recipe is simple: I take 100g of curd, add a table spoon of yogurt to mix them better and add handful of berries. READY!

The other snack-on-the-go I always, always have in my purse while in Latvia is Spèka piens (Milk for Strength from Latvian).

 

Nutrition value for 100 g of Protein drink from Milk – for 100g : 79 kcal, fat- 0,5g,  carbs – 9,7 g, protein – 9g.

This delicious fellow is my on-the-go protein snack when I have no time not even for a quick bite on my curd goodness. You can get it even a small shops in Latvia so do not need to worry for it’s availability. I participatory like the rhubarb flavor, but there is also chocolate, strawberry, quince and plain flavors. 

And than of course there is banana and apples to put in your purse, but this is nothing super different and new that you MUST TRY when coming to this beautiful country.

To my super food list from Latvia I would also add natural, local honey you can buy in countless shops and chantarelles (yellow, wild mushrooms) (gailenes in Latvian) from the farmers market together with the berries, like I did. I love chantarelles in a sauce or addition to a some nice meat dish. yummy.

*DID YOU KNOW? that from annual 200 000 kg of cultivated chatarelles worldwide 72 000 kg comes from Latvia’s forests. So it’s the best place to have them. healthy, delicious and so good for you!

So this is my delicious, Latvian super foods everyone must try when coming to Latvia not because it is delicious but also so good for your health and aids weight loss and boost your immune system.

 

WHAT IS YOUR TRADITIONAL SUPER FOOD FROM YOUR COUNTRY YOU LOVE?