6 Fat Burning Foods

Burning fat is about much more than exercising and cutting back on fat. What you eat and how you eat are extremely important, and actually, cutting back too much on fat and over-exercising can backfire.

When it comes to the food-part, most people think burning fat is only about cutting back on certain foods and “dieting”. But actually, there are many foods that you can ADD to your diet, that have awesome fat-burning qualities which can help you a lot more than starving yourself. Plus, eating “fat-burning foods” can help you stabilize your blood sugar (so helping to prevent diabetes) and boost energy levels.

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5 Reasons Why I Eat Ginger Every Day (+ recipes)

Luckily for me, I naturally love spicy foods, and I’ve found that a lot of the spices/ herbs/ condiments that I love most are also awesome for my digestion. One of these miracle digestive spices is GINGER.

Ginger is a widely used condiment, that’s part of the same family as turmeric and cardamom, all of which are great for our health. And like turmeric (which most of you know is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent if you read my blogs), Ginger also anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to to tons of other benefits (beyond digestion!). 

Read below for 5 BENEFITS OF GINGER (as well as recipes and tips on how I use ginger in my daily diet).

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My Beginner's Smoothie Guide

By popular demand from my readers, I wanted to share what I call my “beginner’s smoothie guide”.  I LOVE my morning smoothies (as all my ex-coworkers know very well and would make fun of me for!) because while they look green and weird, my recipes are actually delicious, and of course, they are the quickest way to get a nutritious breakfast that revs up my metabolism and leaves me satisfied for hours.  

I make sure to include a combination of organic greens, low-glycemic fruit, clean protein and healthy fats, so this way, my smoothies won't cause a spike in blood sugar levels the way most other quick breakfast options do, like cereal and even oatmeal (especially if it’s the quick oats you get on-the-go).  And of course, green smoothies are an easy way to get 1-2 servings of greens into your day!

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Why I (Still) Love Coconut Oil

Most of you already know about my LOVE for Coconut Oil. And you know that most of my passions are for healthy things – or things that I find help ME be healthier and more balanced.

Today I want to share why I (still) love coconut oil (despite recent controversial articles), including 8 AMAZING BENEFITS that keep me motivated to use coconut oil every day!

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Want a Flat Belly? 5 Things to Avoid

In my 6 Secrets to a Flat Belly WEBINAR last week, I shared 6 of my best secret tips to a get and maintain a flat belly. But even applying those (effective & proven) habits aren’t enough if you don’t start by AVOIDING THE KEY TRIGGERS that are leading to those extra pounds around your midsection. I always believe in starting by finding the ROOT CAUSE behind your health issues. And in the case of excess belly fat and bloat, it’s usually centered around inflammation as well as sub-optimal digestion.

Here are the 5 key things to AVOID (that will address the likely root cause of your belly fat) and what to eat instead:

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Is Your Toothpaste Safe?

Did you know that your regular toothpaste may be doing more harm than good?

WATCH MY QUICK VIDEO to learn one surprising ingredient you should avoid in toothpaste, and get my easy HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE RECIPE. 

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COLLAGEN: Why You Need It & How to Get It

Have your heard about COLLAGEN? Maybe when you hear the word "collagen" you think about cosmetic procedures such as "collagen injections" or collagen boosting creams and such. But it's CRUCIAL to understand that collagen is so much more than that - it's everywhere in your body and it's essential to your health, for both your inner and outer beauty. And this applies to men, too!

Collagen is a super important protein in your body; it makes up about 75% of our skin composition, and 30% of our bodies overall. Unfortunately, we are losing our collagen every day - not only as we age, but also due to hormonal changes, processed foods, sugar and alcohol, hydrogenated oils, radiation, excess sun, nutritional deficiencies, dehydration, stress, and more! And most of us are not getting enough collagen in our modern diets. Therefore, boosting your intake of collagen is ESSENTIAL, as is minimizing those factors that decrease our collagen!

Read more to learn BENEFITS of Collagen and HOW to increase your collagen.

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Easy & Delicious Homemade Granola

One of my goals has been to cut back on processed foods, in particular, those with a ton of sugar and unnecessary additives – such as cereals, bars and store-bough granola. Why? Because I’d say it’s the #1 factor hurting our digestive (and overall) health.

And while before, the thought of making my own “healthy treats” sounded way too time consuming and complicated, once I tried it, I realized how easy (and fun) it is. I make a large batch of my granola and/or my granola bars once every few weeks and freeze them, and that way I have a homemade sweet treat on hand for when I’m craving a bit of crunch to add to any breakfast or as a snack.

I promise you, its way easier than you think, and really doesn't take much time. Plus, you'll love it!

So let me share with you my home-made recipes for my "superfood" Granola and Granola bars.

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Why I Eat Sweet Potatoes Every Week

One of my all time favorite veggies are Sweet Potatoes. First, because I love the TASTE (that’s probably because I have a sweet tooth). Second, because of their nutrition and HEALTH BENEFITS. Third, because they're so VERSATILE and great to use for many healthy recipes (think sweet potato brownies, sweet potato crust, sweet potato toasts,..).

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My Basic Guide to Essential Oils

Many people have asked me about my “DIY” recipes for self-care, and about what I do to stay “clean” (i.e. minimizing my toxic exposure) on a daily basis. And for me, both of those answers are centered around Essential Oils. So I figured it would be worth it to share with you a bit more info on Essential Oils and why I’m such a huge fan.

READ MORE to learn WHAT essential oils are, what they're used for, where you can buy them, and how I personally use them in my day to day to support my healthy, balanced lifestyle!  

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8 Ways to Heal Hormonal Acne with Food

THE KEY to preventing and healing hormonal acne is focusing on a diet (and lifestyle) that helps maintain stable blood sugar levels. This will help you achieve ideal levels of glucose and insulin, which will help stabilize your LH and your level of androgens to help eliminate your hormonal acne (and ultimately will help with all of your hormone related issues!)

So today, I'm focusing on the DIET part that will help you stabilize/lower your excess androgens and overcome your hormonal pimples. 

Here are 8 DIET TIPS TO HELP WITH HORMONAL ACNE:

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A “Quinoa-like Superfood” You Should Add to Your Diet (and 4 recipes!)

Most everyone knows about the delicious superfood quinoa and its awesome health benefits. BUT if you’re getting bored of only using quinoa and occasionally rice, maybe it’s time you start exploring other delicious, nutritious, and naturally gluten-free grains. (And in fact, quinoa and all of these that I’m about to list, are technically NOT grains, but SEEDS that are high in protein and fiber. I call them “grain-like seeds”. Which is in part why they're easier on the gut!) Examples include:

  • Buckwheat
  • Sorghum
  • Millet
  • Amaranth
  • Teff

Today I want to focus on BUCKWHEAT as its one of my favorites. I started eating it for its hormone-balancing properties, and now I eat it because I love it!

Here is why you should be adding buckwheat to your diet (and 4 delicious recipes!):

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A Quick, Delicious, Gut-Friendly Meal: Easy Vegetable Chickpea Curry

Do 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). 

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A Simple Ritual to Improve Your Health

As you’ve probably heard me say time and again, the health of your digestive tract has a lot of influence over your entire health.

Your gut is linked with your nervous system, your brain, your immune system, your hormones, and it’s extremely linked to your weight. The trillions of bacteria in your gut play a large role in: weight management and avoiding obesity; preventing diseases like diabetes, arthritis, MS, even cancer; balancing neurotransmitters (affecting our mood, stress, depression, etc.); boosting immunity (to avoid getting colds/flu/infections); supporting digestive health (pooping regularly and properly, avoiding tummy aches, bloating, gas), and more!

So clearly, it’s extremely important to keep your gut and belly healthy in order to both lose weight and stay healthy. One important way to do this is taking probiotics. BUT it’s a lot more than that.

Improving your DAILY HABITS and RITUALS to improve digestion is absolutely key. That includes paying closer to not only what you eat, but also HOW you eat.

Too often, we’re eating when we’re feeling rushed, stressed about work, our to-do list, etc., and this impairs digestion and usually leads to a bloated belly and/or gasses. And if we eat this way too often, we can end up with nutrient deficiencies, digestive symptoms, and gut issues (such as gut dysbiosis or leaky gut). And as I mentioned earlier, these gut issues can then affect the rest of your health.

So today I want to share a lovely ritual to apply at EACH MEAL before eating, that will help you get your body out of its sympathetic state (“fight or flight”) and into a parasympathetic state (“rest and digest”), in order to help your digestive system function optimally. When your body is relaxed and focused on eating (vs on other things), your body will better absorb nutrients (to boost your health) and avoid digestive problems.

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Your New Favorite Breakfast Recipes

Most of you by now know that I’m a green-smoothie fanatic, and its always my favorite breakfast. But once in a while I like to venture and create different breakfasts, for me and now my husband (as well as my clients).

Earlier this month I shared with you my Sweet Potato Toast recipes. Continuing with this breakfast theme, today I want to share a small collection of my favorite simple and healthy breakfasts for you to try – with something for everyone. And I bet some of these may just become YOUR new favorite breakfast recipes.

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7 Tips for Alleviating PMS

Do you ever suffer from PMS symptoms, and wonder WHY you feel so sh*tty, when others don’t? Or maybe you just accept it as “normal” and load up on pain killers and chocolate during that time of the month.

While roughly 75% of women experience headaches, bloating, difficulty sleeping, mood swings and other symptoms of PMS, there is a lucky 25% hardly feel a thing. And the most amazing piece of news that I’ll share with you today is that – YOU DON’T HAVE TO SUFFER FROM PMS. You can even overcome the acne, cravings and fatigue, and without drugs. PMS is not “a given” and you can avoid it through some natural modifications.

The key to eliminating your PMS symptoms is to focus on the right diet (and lifestyle) factors that help balance your hormones, in particular, to avoid estrogen dominance, excess cortisol, and insulin resistance.

Diets rich in sugar, refined carbohydrates, conventionally farmed (non-organic) meats and dairy products, caffeine and alcohol, all promote hormone imbalances. Stress, environmental pollutants and hormone-disrupting chemicals further disrupt your hormone. These diet and lifestyle factors contribute to inflammation and increased stress in your body, which get your hormones more out of whack, worsening your PMS symptoms.

So now that you know the key triggers of PMS, lets talk about all the things you can be doing to create more hormonal balance.

Here are 7 effective tips to start implementing now to avoid PMS:

 

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A Delicious Fiber- & Protein-Rich Breakfast to Fuel Your Metabolism: Sweet Potato Toast

I’m constantly being asked for new healthy breakfast recipes, as not everyone loves green smoothies (or they get bored of them), and same goes for oatmeal. So I’m always checking out new health trends and experimenting new recipes. Today I’m excited to share with you a healthy, fiber-, protein- and antioxidant-filled breakfast that I love and highly recommend: the SWEET POTATO TOAST. 

I know it may sound weird – “toast” with no toast – but let me tell you, it’s not only becoming a huge trend, it’s actually something that I have been suggesting as a gluten-free alternative to my clients for a while, and have had huge success with. I think it’s mostly because it actually works really well, it’s easy, versatile and DELICIOUS. The sweet potato adds a slightly sweet flavor but without overpowering the flavor of your toppings. Plus, it doesn’t have any inflammatory properties like regular bread (as it’s naturally gluten free), and it’s grain-free / Paleo-friendly.

Additionally, I’m a huge fan because of the added nutritional benefits. Firstly, its high in antioxidants, like beta-carotene that your body converts into Vitamin A, which is essential to strengthen your hair, nails, skin, vision, and immune system. It’s extremely high in fiber, and a great food to help stabilize your hormones. Additionally, it has vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, vitamin D and iron. And most importantly, all versions of my Sweet Potato Toast that I’m sharing with you today are high in protein and healthy fats, so my combos help to rev up your metabolism first thing in the day, and keep you full for hours. So, in my book, it’s an ideal breakfast for almost anyone, including those looking to lose weight. 

Here is my basic Sweet Potato Toast recipe with 4 amazing metabolism-boosting versions:

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8 Ways to Activate Your GENES For Better Health & Weight Loss

One of the most fascinating studies that I've come across is regarding how we can program our genes to improve our health through food and lifestyle choices. YEP. If you eat poorly and live in stress, you make yourself even more susceptible to gain weight, but when you feed your cells the right way, that can start changing the behavior of your genes so that you (and your children) will have a tendency to be thinner and live longer.

We are all born with a FIXED set of genes (aprox 23,000) that determine our physical characteristics such as hair/eye color, and certain childhood diseases. Then we have many more gene mutations, which affect how genes express themselves in your body. And while we cannot change those 23,000 genes, new studies (called epigenetics) show that we CAN change the expressions of these genes, that direct our biochemical processes, and make us more/less likely to get certain health disorders.

Healthy aging is mostly due to how we “communicate” with our genes through our diet and lifestyle. OUR FOOD IS INFORMATION to our bodies, constantly giving “instructions” to our genes. If we eat nutritious, real food, it sends “good health” instructions to our genes. If we regularly eat foods loaded with sugar, trans fats and chemicals, its simply “bad data” for our genes that will stop our body from properly functioning.

Read More to learn 8 of the most important steps that you can take every day to optimize how your genes behave, helping to “turn on” the genes that promote good health (and “turn off” the genes that promote illness): 

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What Oils Should You Be Using in the Kitchen?

I find that one of the biggest topics of confusion is what oils are the healthiest to cook with. And I won’t lie – its confusing for everyone. New discoveries keep arising, and its hard to keep up.

Given all the confusion, I have done my own extensive research on the topic, and wanted to share with you my conclusions and what I apply in my own life to stay healthy. Plus, I’ll clarify a few points for you to keep in mind when choosing your own cooking oils.

First, let me share a few facts / basic tips to keep in mind:

  1. DIFFERENT OILS ARE BETTER FOR DIFFERENT COOKING METHODS. Some oils are better for high heat cooking than others, and that depends on their “smoking point” (the temperature at which oils start to break down and lose nutrients) and on how easily they oxidize. When oils are heated, they react with oxygen and go through a process of oxidation, which can then create harmful compounds – so you want to limit this. Examples of oils with a higher smoking point (can withstand higher heat) and less sensitive to oxidation, include: coconut oil, ghee and grass-fed butter, avocado oil, sunflower oil, and sesame oil.
  2. GET YOUR OMEGA 3’s. Getting the right balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids is important for your health, as too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega 3 leads to inflammation in your body, which is a precursor to almost all disease. And sadly, most of us are getting a lot more Omega 6 fatty acids than Omega 3, so you want to emphasize increasing the omega-3-rich oils in your diet, such as: flaxseed, walnut, avocado and olive oil.
  3. AVOID TRANS FATS. Different oils have different types of fats, including: SATURATED FATS (solid at room temperature), UNSATURATED FATS (liquid at room temperature) and of course, TRANS FATS (artificial fats created from vegetable oil to make them more shelf-stable). When it comes to saturated vs. unsaturated fats – its hard to generalize whether they’re good or bad for you as it varies per type of oil, but one thing is for sure: Trans fats are BAD, have no nutritional benefit, and should be avoided. Trans fats are found in most: deep-fried foods, store-bought cookies, cakes and pies, in shortening (Crisco), frosting, pancake mixes and refrigerated dough, non-dairy creamers, margarine, and even crackers. So always read ingredient labels and be wary of anything labeled “partially hydrogenated oils”.
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Is Your Gut Keeping You from Balanced Hormones and Weight Loss?

I work with a lot of people that are seemingly healthy, but struggle to lose those last few pounds. Often, they get tired most afternoons (and rely on coffee), have occasional skin issues, and some digestive issues. That’s when I usually detect that its related to their hormones. The problem then becomes that most doctors just have people treat these hormonal imbalances by taking more hormones, instead of figuring out WHY their hormones are off in the first place. (For ex., you have acne so you get prescribe the pill). But almost always, when there is any hormonal imbalance, there is an issue with the gut.

The first step to achieving optimal health and healing from the inside out is improving your gut health.

An unhealthy gut affects your body’s ability to produce the right quantity of hormones - including cortisol, thyroid hormone and sex hormones. A healthy gut is needed to fully absorb and metabolize nutrients from the foods you eat, which are necessary for the proper production of hormones (and for stress reduction!).

And if you're stressed and your hormones are off (for example, you're producing too much cortisol and/or not enough thyroid), this leads to symptoms such as: weight gain, anxiety, fatigue, as well as imbalances in your sex hormones, menstrual health and infertility.

So what can you do to improve your gut health and achieve hormonal balance, get more energy, better skin, stronger immunity, and weight loss?

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