Today I’m sharing a SUPER EASY, HEALTHY and FILLING breakfast that I love and highly recommend to anyone. It’s my extra-nutritious take on an egg toast (and a different option to the popular avocado toast). This recipe contains a slice of seed bread, vegan cheese, kale and eggs.
Read MoreYour Healthy Holiday Gift LIst 2024
Here’s my 2024 Holiday Gift List with some recommended gifts, including great stocking stuffers and hostess gifts. I’ve included a little bit of everything from clothes, to clean beauty, to healthy kitchen staples and inspirational cards.
Remember to gift yourself something this year, no matter how tiny. It’s important to treat yourself once in a while, and no better time than during the holidays!
Read MoreWant to Balance Your Hormones and Optimize your Weight? Take these 4 steps!
Hormonal balance requires a holistic approach, including:
DIET: nourishing your body with a nutrient-rich diet
EXERCISE: engaging in regular physical activity
REST & STRESS MANAGEMENT: prioritizing sleep + managing stress, and
MINIMIZING TOXIC LOAD: reducing exposure to environmental toxins (as well as internal toxins!); start by switching to cleaner household products, clean beauty, etc.
I delve quickly into each of these points, giving you actionable steps in each category so you can start to improve your hormonal balance and overall health ASAP!
Read MoreHOW ADDING COLOR TO YOUR PLATE CAN BOOST YOUR HEALTH & BEAUTY
Including different COLORS in your plate – coming primarily from nutritious vegetables and fruits - is an easy and fun way to maximize the nutritional benefits of your meals (and make them more tasty and pretty!). Eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and veggies will help to increase your immunity, strengthen your muscles and bones, slow down your aging, improve your skin, and can even contribute to weight loss!
There are 6 main colors, and I suggest to have at least 3 colors present in each meal (ideally some green plus 2 other colors). And aim to have a bit of each color every day.
This goes hand in hand with a recommendation that I always give my clients, which is to include at least 2 different veggies (or fruits) in each meal. And every day, I suggest (generally speaking) having 5+ servings of veggies, 1-2 servings of fruit and 1-2 (or more!) servings of nuts/seeds and/or legumes, always switching it up.
Read the blog for the benefits of each color, and some healthy foods in each category to start incorporating into your daily diet.
Read More10 Coffee Alternatives for better hormonal health
Taking a break from caffeine can have HUGE positive benefits for our hormones and gut health. That being said, it can be hard to cut out coffee, and one thing that can make it easier is to have delicious, comforting alternatives to replace our usual coffee ritual.
Here are my favorite healthy coffee alternatives!
Read MoreBest Healing Postpartum Foods + 4 Favorite Recipes
I recently shared 10 tips that helped me recover after birthing my children, and now I want to delve a little deeper into the FOODS that have helped me during this “4th trimester” to nourish myself, heal, promote healthy digestion, and keep up my energy (despite sleepless nights).
I promise that what you eat makes all the difference in your recovery! A healthy nourishing postartum diet is important to:
Replenish nutrients depleted during pregnancy
Support a successful and speedy recovery from birth
Create a healthy supply of (and good quality) breastmilk
Support hormonal balance
Here are the key HEALING FOODS that I was eating daily in my first 40 days postpartum (and continue to enjoy almost daily during my “4th trimester”), and 4 of my go-to recovery RECIPES.
Read More10 Tips for an Excellent Postpartum Recovery
As I’m coming close to the end of my “4th trimester” after birthing my second baby, I want to share some tips to help with HEALING after giving birth (natural or c-section) - also applicable to help heal from any surgery or trauma. These are things that I myself applied and helped me immensely to have a great recovery.
Read MoreA Day of Anti-Inflammatory Meals for Sustainable Weight Loss
Chronic long-term inflammation (what SO many people are facing today) is extremely harmful to our health. Not only does it lead to weight gain, but also contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and other health conditions.
Thankfully, there is a lot we can do to reduce inflammation in the body just through our daily diet.
Some anti-inflammatory foods that I recommend to eat regularly include:
leafy greens (lettuces, arugula, kale, spinach, etc).
fermented foods like raw sauerkraut, kimchi and unsweetened organic yogurt or kefir
colorful vegetables (orange veggies like organge bell pepper, sweet potato and butternut squash, yello veggies like yellow squash, yellow peppers and onions, purple vegges like purgple cabbage, eggplants and purple potatoes/carrots/cauliflower, white veggies like cauliflower and radish, red veggies like beets, and of course ALL green veggies, including brocoli, green beans, zucchini, all green herbs, ETC).
colorful fruits - in small amounts at a time (blue/purple including blueberries, blackberries, plums; red including starwberries, raspberries, cherries and red apples; orange including oranges, nectarines, some varities of peaches; green including green apples and pears, etc.)
omega-3 rich proteins like wild-caught fish and seafood, organic grass-fed meats and poultry, as well as organic eggs.
nuts and seeds - ncluding walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, etc., as well as nut and seed butters
other healthy fats including avocados and extra-virgin olive oil
fiber-rich legumes including: lentils, chickpeas, peas and all beans, as well as small amoutns of whole grains such as quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, millet, amaranth, teff, buckwheat, etc. (*only if your tolerate these ; reguardless I recommend sticking to small portions and cooking properly, always soaking before cooking).
Today I’m sharing a day of healthy, delicious and easy “anti-inflammatory” meals to get you started on your anti-inflammatory lifestyle!
Read MoreEasiest Protein Yogurt Chia Parfait
I’m sharing one of my favorite quick and easy healthy breakifasts for those days when you don’t have time to prep your usual breakfast.
NOTE: This recipe is amazing for both gut/digestive health and for balancing hormones (and is of course pregnancy and pospoartum friendly).
Yogurt Chia Almond Butter Berry Bowl
Ingredients (serves 1):
1 cup unsweetened vegan coconut yogurt OR plain Greek yogurt if you tolerate dairy
½ - 1 scoop unflavored (or vanilla) protein powder or collagen peptides *(see note below)
1 ½ tbsp chia seeds OR ¼ cup chia pudding *(see note below)
1 to 1½ tbsp almond butter (option to swap for another nut/seed butter)
½ cup frozen blueberries, strawberries OR cherries, microwaved for 30 seconds (can also use fresh!)
optional: 1-2 tablespoons low-glycemic granola
Instructions: Add all ingredients to a bowl and enjoy! *see blog for many tips, subsitutions, etc.
Read MoreHealthy dinner recipes - salmon with pesto, kale salad, and a quinoa-veggie salad
Today I’m sharing an entire 3-part menu (including four healthy recipes), which is perfect for a family lunch or dinner, or for hosting a few friends or another couple.
This menu is PACKED with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber, making it great for your digestion, for longevity, immunity, and for hormonal balance. It’s also very balanced in protein, healthy fats and healthy low-glycemic carbs, making it ideal for keeping blood sugar stable.
Menu (all gluten-free and dairy-free):
Kale, Fennel & Avocado Salad
Quinoa Bell Pepper Salad
Roasted Salmon with a Pumpkin & Hemp Seed Pesto
Watch the video to learn how to make these recipes easily, and get tons of cooking/prep tips! And check out my recipes below. Enjoy!
Read MoreA delicious, colorful & flavorful salad you'll love
I’m sharing one of my favorite salad bowl recipes - Mediterranean Salad Bowl (inspired by a BeingBrigid recipe) - that is packed with fiber, protein, healthy fats, but also rich in colorful, antioxidant-rich veggies that help promote longevity and better immunity (among many other benefits). It’s easy and delicious, and one of my favorite meals for a hot summer day, or when I’m ovulating.
Read MoreMatcha Pistachio Vanilla Protein Energy Balls - english & spanish recipes
I’m a huge dessert addict, but in order to stay healthy, not spike my blood sugar, and not gain weight, I make sure my desserts are mostly homemade and always: nutrient-dense, packed with superfoods, protein, healthy fats and low in sugar (NO added sugars for me!).
These balls are also a great source of FIBER (primarily soluble fiber) which helps to:
promote a healthy digestion and good, regular poop
lower cholesterol
slow absorption of carbs (supporitng healthy blood sugar) and increase satiety
support hormonal balanced hormone
And they’re SO delicious! Check out the recipe - in both English and Spanish!
Read More5 Foods to Combat Stress & Anxiety
When people think of stress, they think mostly of work and deadlines. But there are so many other forms of stress that are impacting your health. And one of the biggest ones comes from the FOOD that you’re putting into your body.
The foods you eat can affect your hormonal balance and create inflammation in your gut, all of which can stress out your body.
Generally, when your body experiences any type of stress, its primary focus becomes controlling that stress. Your body will secrete more cortisol and adrenaline, which tells your system to “restock on the energy supply” even if it’s not really depleted. As a result, it makes you hungry and encourages fat storage. Yikes! (This is why I say, “stress can make you fat!”) Note: everyone is different and people respond differently to stress, but this is what most commonly happens.
And what’s interesting is that certain foods contribute to stress on your body, while others help alleviate it.
What are the key foods that creates stress?
Coffee, alcohol, sugar, and generally, all heavily processed foods. They increase your stress hormone levels, and will feed the bad bacteria in your gut, causing stress in both your hormones and your gut.
What are the foods that actually help your body stay healthy and combat stress?
Read my blog for 5 categories of foods that help your body cope with stress and anxiety, from the inside out!
Read MoreYour new Favorite Healthy Tacos 3 ways: Fish, Shrimp & Vegan Tacos
I love to do “Taco Tuesdays” and alternate between fish tacos, shrimp tacos and vegan tacos. All three are delicious, and I keep them low-carb by using homemade almond flour tortillas (or I buy the Siete grain-free tortillas). Also, I make sure to ALWAYS add a healthy homemade sauce (my creamy cilantro sauce is vegan and delicious!) and some greens and/or veggies to keep them extra-nutritious, fiber-rich and balanced.
Read my blog for my 3 go-to Taco Recipes (FISH, SHRIMP and VEGAN tacos).
Note: all 3 recipes are high in protein, fiber and healthy fats to support optimal blood sugar balance (plus great for your gut and “anti-inflammatory” as they’re dairy-free and gluten-free).
Read MoreHealthy Burgers - 4 ways (gluten free and low carb!)
One of the main ways I like to enjoy red meat is making homemade burgers.
Burgers can actually be very healthy, as long as you choose lean, grass-fed beef, make them at home, and use healthier alternatives to serve your burgers (vs. standard bread and french fries!).
I alternate making burgers with healthier, more nutrient-dense and lower-carb alternatives for bread, including:
grilled eggplant “bread”
roasted large portobello mushroom “bread”
roasted sweet potato “bread”
large plantain “tostones” as bread (air fried vs. deep fried)
Also, I ALWAYS serve my burgers with salad and/or extra veggies, and use organic ketchup with no sugar added, mayo with avocado oil (with NO highly processed vegetable oils!), and organic mustard.
Here is my go-to burger recipe, with 4 different replacements for bread (Note: the plantain “bread” is the least healthy / most carbs, so it’s the one I make more for my husband!)
Read More10 Ways to Support Your LIVER and help you detoxify
Our liver removes all toxins, clears medications from your body, breaks down our food so we can properly process it, and even helps us with hormone regulation - so it is absolutely crucial that we take proper care of this essential organ!
In this blog, I share my 10 most important steps to take to better care for your liver (via simple lifestyle and diet habits).
Read MoreWorld Health Day: 4 ways to embrace it and support your health
Happy World Health Day - a special day (April 7th) that serves as a reminder to prioritize our physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.
For me personally, my definition and understanding of health has changed a lot over these past 20 years since I’ve been immersed in the health and wellness world.
Given my journey, personal experience and years as a health caoch, this year I’ve drawn 4 key conclusions on how we can best prioritize our health (and then I share 4 things you can start doing today to put in practice)!
Read MoreFive Reasons For Your Bloating & How to Cure It
I used to constantly struggle with a bloated belly, where I often felt like I was 3 months pregnant. It was terrible, but nothing I did seemed to make it go away, so it became normal for me. I tried many diets, and maybe a 2 or 3 day juice cleanse would help temporarily, but of course, a few days back to my normal eating and the bloating would come back.
It took me a long time - essentially one year of nutrition courses and lots of additional personal research and experimentation - to finally realize that the bloating was not normal, and was totally curable.
So if you’re in the same camp as I was, struggling with constant bloating and maybe occasional gasiness, it’s important for you to know that there is a cure to get rid of this for good. Like most things, it all starts with identifying the root cause behind your bloating. So let’s take a look at what I have found to be the key triggers of bloating, gas and constipation:
Imbalance in your gut bacteria
Gut infections and/or Food sensitivities
Lack of digestive enzymes / low stomach acid
Lifestyle: Stress, Eating rushed, and Not chewing your food properly
Diet: Eating inflammatory foods, Improper food combinations and Not prepping/cooking your foods properly
Read more at my blog to discover the 5 steps to cure your gas and bloating both short and long term!
Read MoreMy Half-Way Pregnancy Update
This week on Women’s Day I reached my 20-week half-way pregnancy mark, and I feel amazing, so I wanted to share some of the things that have helped me. I share both all of my daily lifestyle practices, and a deeper dive into my diet.
Read MoreMarch: National Nutrition Month - 6 nutrition tips for optimal health
March is National Nutrition Month, a month to help increase awareness about the importance of good nutrition for improving your overall health. Making healthy food choices and improving your eating habits (in combination with incorporating more physical activity and stress reduction into your lifestyle) can help prevent many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. And of course, it will help you LOOK and FEEL better, have more confidence and be happier!
Here are 6 of my best tips to help you make healthier nutrition choices (to minimize risk of disease, reach and maintain your ideal weight, and feel better in your body overall).
Read More