Tomoko Shibuya giving a Japanese Grocery Store Tour
Whenever I travel to new places, I always wander through the local grocery store, or farmer’s market. I call it food tourism. I learn about different food and cultures (and of course, experience many taste thrills).
So, I was especially delighted when my friend Tomoko Shibuya announced she was leading a Japanese Grocery Store Tour, 10 minutes from my house!
Tomoko is a fabulous Macrobiotic chef and healer, and you might logically have thought that we would have met through food, but no, we met at ballroom dance classes! (My husband and I Salsa, Swing and Foxtrot.) It took Tomoko and I several years of weekly dance classes to realize that we both have a passion for food and healing. (We were too busy dancing!)
Tomoko took a small group of us into Ebusiya Market and started our foray into Japanese food with Miso, we moved on to exciting vegetables like Chrysanthemum greens (delicious), Lotus Root (good for the lungs – cook them like carrots or any other root vegetable), and Mountain Potato (good for grounding and longevity – eat raw and grated).
The store we were in was not that big, but every shelf had something fascinating to discuss, like Okara. Okara is the soybean pulp that’s left from making tofu. It’s high in calcium and can be used in cooking. They give it away for free!
I of course left with two big bags full of delicious and interesting things to experiment with, which I no doubt will tell you about in future blogs. But for today I want to tell you what I used first.
Tomoko showed me this little bag of Seaweed Sprinkles and it has already become a favorite in our house. 
We have been sprinkling Aonori-ko (seaweed flakes) on brown rice, soups, noodles, vegetables and salads. I’m always looking for easy ways to incorporate seaweed into my diet. Seaweed is considered a superfood because it’s so nutrient dense. Seaweed is packed with minerals that will give you a natural energy boost.
I often sprinkle Eden flaked Wakame in my soups or on my salad, which I adore, but this Aonori-ko has such a lovely fine texture that my kids are really into it too.
All to say, go check out some new foods and add seaweed into your life. Both things will give you more energy!
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Nina Manolson, MA, CHC, LMT is the Smokin’ Hot Mom Mentor and Family Wellness Expert. She’s the founder of SmokinHotMom.com and HealthyYummyKids.com. She helps busy moms look and feel their best, and helps them feed their kids well in a world that doesn’t. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her healthy recipes and wellness tips click here.
Nina Manolson, MA, is the founder of Body-Peace®.She helps women end the war with food and body and finally feel truly at home in their body—as it is.
She is known for her deeply feminist, anti-diet, body-peace® approach. She brings her 30 years of experience as a therapist, Body-Trust® Guide and Psychology of Eating Teacher to helping women create a respectful and trusting relationship with their food and body.
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