May the luck of the Irish be with you! How will you be celebrating today?

If you’re looking for a healthy breakfast or snack, consider stopping by Acai Republic in Tustin. This popular cafe specializes in acai bowls, a trendy breakfast food that layers fresh fruit, coconut shavings, and granola atop a base of super-thick acai smoothie. While these bowls consist of mostly fruit, acai bowls are quite filling, as well as nutritious: They center around the Brazilian acai berry, considered by many to be an antioxidant-rich superfood.

Regulars at Acai Republic recommend the Sao Paulo bowl, which boasts a smoothie base made from acai and banana and topped with granola, coconut, blueberry, strawberry, and banana. Acai Republic also has several fruit smoothies on their menu, including an avocado and milk smoothie. The restaurant staff also serves freshly squeezed juices that are made daily. A few sweet and savory Brazilian pastries are also for sale, and if you’re in the mood for something savory, meat and cheese sandwiches are also on offer.

Acai Republic
632 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 617-4962
acairepublic.com
www.yelp.com/biz/acai-republic-tustin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Migle

Fat and sugar are best enjoyed in moderation, but they're found in so many food that it can be very hard to avoid them.

If you want to take control of your diet, these simple tips from the NIH website can help you reduce the amount of fat and sugar your eat:

• Just because a food is low-fat or fat-free doesn’t mean it’s also low in calories. Those foods can have a large amount of sugar, causing them to also have a large number of calories.
• Many people don’t consider the added sugar in beverages like soda or juice, but these can also cause you to gain weight. Some studies show that people who cut these sugary drinks out of their diets noticed significantly reduced weight gain.
• Sugars found naturally in foods like fruit or milk are beneficial to your body, and fresh fruit can make a healthy alternative to other sugary snacks.

You can find more tips about managing your fat and sugar intake on the NIH's website.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/woodleywonderworks