Let's Talk Story - Down to Earth Blog

Summer is right around the corner, you can feel it in the air! Temperatures are getting higher, and we are starting to see more of the sun. During these hotter months of the year, protecting your skin is so important. However, it’s not just about lathering on sunscreen and moisturizing lotions. You want to make sure the products you’re using have safe ingredients, so you can feel confident that you’re protecting your skin.  Some of my favorite after-sun products are from Ny’ala Skin Care, a locally made skin care line with clean ingredients.

In case you haven’t heard, a new Down to Earth has opened in Kakaako and we could not be more excited. The store itself is the biggest DTE yet, and the deli is outstanding. Not to mention Kakaako is one of our favorite places to hang out. Stop by the store (500 Keawe Street) to grab kombucha, sandwiches, and chocolate (all picnic essentials). Then head to Kakaako Waterfront Park to enjoy your food by the ocean! You can also take advantage of the Biki bike stations and go for an afternoon ride around the park.

At Down to Earth, Earth Day is one of our favorite days of the year. We love promoting sustainable practices to help keep our Earth healthy! On our website, we have articles on the many reasons to go vegetarian, one of those being for the sake of the environment. One article brings up that vegetarian and vegan diets use significantly lower amounts of Earth’s resources. If you are already vegetarian, or maybe not quite ready to make the leap, there are many other practices you can implement to lower your environmental impact.  

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.