Mariana's BLOG page with her best health tips & recipes
Balance with Mariana's blog page, The Balance Journal, provides unique and useful tips on healthy living and holistic nutrition, delving into topics of digestive health, hormonal balance, weight loss, making healthier choices, improving body image and more!
Mariana also emphasizes eating healthier (yet delicious), more balanced, plant-based meals, and provides easy and delicious recipes.
How you start off your morning HUGELY impacts how you feel the rest of the day - in terms of digestion, energy, motivation and your metabolism/weight.
Today I’m sharing a delicious smoothe bowl recipe that helps STABILIZE BLOOD SUGAR, BOOST ENERGY, BALANCE HORMONES, IMPROVE IMMUNITY and can support WEIGHT LOSS.
Read MoreThere are tons of awesome plant-based (aka vegan) sources of protein, rich in nutrients and fiber (and easier to digest than animal proteins) that are important to be including in our diet. Even if you’re not vegan, it’s important to mix up your protein sources and eat some of these healthy, vegan proteins - for optimal gut health (and overall health).
Plant-based proteins have a myriad of benefits, and I highly suggest that everyone start to include a few plant-based meals a week (ex. try doing “Meatless Mondays”), focusing on having BALANCED, nutritious meals with at least one source of protein at each meal.
I share 10 of my favorite plant-based sources of protein in this blog (and tips on how to incorporate them into your diet).
Read MoreMany people are curious about going 100% vegan and wonder if it’s for them, so this blog is primarily for you. I clarify many positives and negatives of a plant-based vegan diet, some options/alternatives, and tips to maximize the benefits of your diet.
I explore these topics plus share 6 TIPS on how to maximize benefits of your diet.
Read MoreBy now you probably know of my obsession with: smoothie bowls, sweet potato, dark chocolate/cacao and superfoods in general. So it’s probably no surprise that this recipe, which combines all of the above, is one of my favorites (that I make at least once a week).
See my delicious, vegan, protein and superfood-packed CACAO SMOOTHIE BOWL recipe below.
Read MoreWhen we’re spending more time at home, suddenly we find ourselves in the kitchen grabbing for a snack that we don’t really need. We mindlessly grab a handful of the not-so-healthy stuff that is insight – the chips/crackers, kids’ cookies, those chocolate covered almonds, etc.
And we KNOW this habit is not supportive of our health goals.
That being said, a small snack once a day is not a terrible thing, and we can make peace with it. We can even use snacks in our favor so that we then have a slightly smaller meal for our next meal.
But in order for the snack to work in our favor, it needs to be eaten consciously, sitting down, and the snack needs to contain fiber, healthy fats and protein (and no processed junk) in order to keep our blood sugar balanced.
With that in mind, I wanted to offer today 3 EASY snacks to satisfy your mid-afternoon sweet craving. Snacks that are healthy yet satisfying and will keep your blood sugar balanced, which supports weight loss. They’re also HIGH-PROTEIN, VEGAN and relatively LOW-CARB. Lastly, they’re super easy (require minimal to no prep) and are totally family/kid-friendly.
Read MoreGreen smoothies can be the ideal breakfast when prepared right.
One of the most common mistakes is adding way too much fruit , which can actually reverse many of the benefits of your smoothie. Too much fruit can spike your blood sugar, then lead to a blood sugar low two hours later, not to mention it will make your smoothie a calorie (and carb) bomb. So the key lies in keeping your smoothie LOW-GLYCEMIC while still making it delicious and filling.
HOW? There is one ingredient that I find can be a game changer to make your smoothie nice and thick and creamy without having to add all that fructose. And when you add a vanilla or chocolate flavored vegan protein powder, you won’t miss that banana at all!
Read MoreThis amazing Matcha Latte recipe has a ton of health benefits, including:
helps detoxify your body
boosts your metabolism
enhances weight loss and fat burning
promotes hormonal balance
good for gut health
give you an energy boost (without the jitters)
it’s filling and delicious!
I make it with dairy-free almond milk (I use my homemade almond milk) though you can also use oat milk, cashew milk or coconut milk; all three work great. It’s free of refined sugar, yet still has a slight sweetness, and has an amazingly delicious creamy texture. I also add collagen that’s amazing for your gut, hair, skin and nails (and adds a bit of protein) and MCT oil (that helps you burn fat). What’s not to love?
Read MoreDo you come home tired from work without energy to cook (nor digest) a big meal? Do you crave a light, simple meal, yet comforting and soothing?
Maybe you’re still a bit stressed form work and your belly feels a bit bloated, so you know that you need something easy to digest.
This happens to me constantly. And while a sandwich or bowl of cereal is what I would do in the past, I now know that all that gluten and sugar at night is the WORST thing for my belly. So about a year ago, on one of these tired work days, I came home to go though my pantry and fridge to see what easy and belly-friendly meal I could make, and that’s when I first came up with my Easy Vegetable Chickpea Curry. And now, its become one of my go-to meals for these days.
On top of being simple and delicious, it’s awesome for your digestion. This dish is filled with all the different types of fiber to help you poop beautifully (yep I said it!) and the curry spices help you digest the food – which is especially important at dinner time.
And most importantly, this dish can be done in just half an hour (or even less).
Read MoreYou’ve maybe heard by now that cutting out dairy (or at least cutting back on milk and cheese in particular) has a lot of benefits.
I personally saw a huge improvement in my digestion when I cut out dairy (and gluten) from my diet. Now I may enjoy it in small amounts from time to time, but for the most part, I stick to non-dairy alternatives when I need some dairy, which is mostly for my tea/coffee or breakfasts (oats, smoothies or chia puddings).
Almond milk (like other nut and seed milks) provides a healthier alternative to regular milk - it’s lower in calories, fat and sugar, plus rich in fiber and B vitamins. Almond milk is also a lower glycemic option to rice milk, and doesn’t have any hormone disrupting properties like soy milk (which is also usually derived from GMO soy beans).
The problem is that the store-bought nut milk versions are prepared with preservatives to extend the shelf life, and often have added sugars, as well as other ingredients like carrageenan to alter the consistency.
For that reason, I had been wanting to make homemade nutmilk for a long time. I had heard it was easy, creamy and delicious, so finally gave it a try.
Read MoreBalance With Mariana is a holistic Health Coaching practice that works with individuals looking to lose weight, overcome their food addictions and improve their digestive issues, by teaching them new healthy lifestyle habits that help them reach their specific personal goals. Clients of Balance With Mariana develop not only a better relationship with food, but also an overall more balanced and happy life.
Balance With Mariana | , Miami, FL
