Birthday blog: How I Eat and Move to Stay Healthy and Strong (Postpartum)

I just turned 41 !! and - except for a recent sciatica episode - I feel great. Healthy, strong, happy and beautiful.

I proudly achknowledge that my healthy lifestyle has helped me recover super quickly after both my pregnancies, despite my age. So I want to share some of my daily diet and lifestyle practices that help me lose weight postpartum, and continue to feel healthy and strong.

My self-love practices also play a huge role. Even though I still have a few extra pounds from my last baby, they don’t bug me as they would have in my 20s or 30s, as I know they’ll come off soon (probably when I stop breastfeeding and my hunger goes down a bit), and I’ve felt overall good in my body, and even energetic despite middle-of-the-night wakings (due to my baby). And this is huge, as I’m someone who NEEDS her 8 hours of sleep. So waking in the night to feed my baby is tough for me, and I KNOW it means I need to nourish myself extra well.

Therefore, these past months, I have placed tons of emphasis on eating enough nutrients and NO deprivation, to have energy despite waking up at night, and to support my breastfeeding journey. (Breastfeeding can be exhausting, and in my case, makes me very hungry!). And I love that this focus on NOURISHMENT (and NO calorie counting) helped me lose my baby weight the first 2 months, and after that, has really fueled me and helped me feel amazing at 41.

With this in mind, I want to share a typical day for me currently (and in these past 6+ months) so you have an idea of what it looks like to be healthy and well-nourished without any calorie counting nor deprivation.

Let’s start with the basics. Some key things I practice regularly that help me stay healthy and feel good include:

  • MINDFUL BREAKS. Daily time for breathwork or a quick meditation (even if its deep breathing while breastfeeding or walking my baby outside, but its conscious and focused, and I’m alone or with my baby and at peace; this is key!)

  • HYDRATION. I hydrate like crazy. I have about 2 cups of water upon waking, then my lemon water, then my matcha latte, then another water, then my morning smoothie, then more water …. all before lunch! And I’ve been adding trace minerals to my water, and most afternoons I’ll also have one glass of water with 1/2 an LMNT pack.

  • MOVEMENT. Staying active, including (most days) both AM and PM movement (even if its a 10 minute walk with my baby, or 15 minute barre/pilates class)

  • FOCUS ON BUILDING MUSCLE, eating enough protein and strength training

  • Extra HEALTHY FATS & OMEGA-3s. I eat about 2-3 avocados per week, tons of almond, cashew and peanut butter, as well as raw nuts and seeds, I drizzle extra virgin olive oil on my foods, I add coconut yogurt to my smoothies, and more…!

  • PROTEIN. About 100 grams of protein per day (I estimate I get about 90-105 grams daily). Since I’m breastfeeding I’m at the upper range of my protein range, about 0,8-0,9 grams per “ideal” body weight of 118 pounds, but once I’m done breastfeeding and back to my normal weight, I’ll probably decrease that to average 90 grams of protein.

  • FIBER. Adding acacia fiber to my morning matcha latte and my afternoon decaf coffee latte, as well as flaxseeds to my daily smoothie (+ taking magnesium at night) to help me stay regular.

  • ALLOWING FOR NUTRITIOUS SWEET TREATS. Allowing myself to enjoy healthy desserts every day (usually twice a day!). I’m getting all the wonderful benefits of cacao and organic dark chocolate (and all the other superfoods that I add to my desserts!). Some balance is key.

  • PRIORITIZE SLEEP. Going to bed earlier than usual to make up for the fact that I wake up at night at least once to feed my baby (a few months ago I was waking up 4-5 times, now I’m down to just once most nights) but regardless I need an early bedtime in order to get my 7.5-8.8 horus of sleep. My Oura ring has helped me a lot with this!

  • EAT THE RAINBOW, filling my plates with TONS of greens and other colorful veggies.

Here is my typical day:

7am: I start my day feeding my baby, then I stay in bed doing some deep breaths.

I drink tons of water and take my probiotics and warm lemon water. I brush my teeth (while doing some leg lifts!) and aim to step outside even if its for a 5 minute meditation

8am: Matcha-Moringa Latte with collagen and acacia, pinch of cinnamon and my homemade almond milk.

8:30-9:15am: Workout (and pump!). Sometimes it’s a 20 minute workout only, other days its 40 minutes. Depending on my day, how much work I have, etc.

9:30am: Breakfast: a loaded protein smoothie bowl + vitamins (while I journal and set my intention for the day)

(Go to Balance Market / work/ clients)

12:15pm: Small nutritious protein-rich snack (while I feed my toddler and infant their lunch) + a few more glasses of water (here I sometimes have 1/2 packet of LMNT electrolytes with my water for extra hydration).

Examples of snacks: a few seed crackers with hummus or babaganoush and homemade kale chips, or a small serving of homemade tuna or salmon salad with seed crackers or celery and carrot sticks, tomato-avocado-bean salad, a small slice of my seed bread with cottage cheese, etc.

back to work…

2pm: Lunch (+ dessert). I always start my lunch with a green salad (usually a mix of lettuces, microgreens and some avocado) then follow it with animal protein with cooked veggies and sometimes a legume/grain. Some of my typical lunches include:

For dessert I have (usually) either a few squares organic dark chocolate 80%+ cacao and/or 2 energy balls. I switch up my energy ball recipes (I’m currently loving these) and sometimes make them into squares (like my peanut butter chocolate fudge squares)

3:30 or 4pm: Decaf latte (organic swiss water decaf always, with acacia, cinnamon and homemade almond milk). I sometimes grab a few cashews or a slice of my banana bread or zucchini bread too, though I know its best not to snack! (When I feel compelled to lose a bit of weight, I’ll cut out this snack!)

5:30pm: either I teach barre OR I go for a quick stroll with my baby outside

6:30pm: Dinner (usually vegetarian) + healthy dessert. My go to dinners include:

  • vegan macro bowl (using leftovers usually!)

  • veggie curry (or this one with garbanzos) and some cauliflower rice on the side

  • 2 egg frittata or omelet with tons of veggies and 2-3 tablespoons white or black beans mixed in + sliced avocado

  • any creamy vegan soup (made with bone broth or I’ll add collagen) with an avocado toast (on my gluten-free seed bread) sprinkled with seeds

  • a generous piece of my vegan lasagna, or 2 slices of my Pascualina (it’s like a spinach quiche) or veggie quinoa tahini bowl - all three from Balance Market - with an extra egg and a small side green salad

My healthy desserts after dinner are usually 2 energy balls or 1-2 of my peanut butter chocolate fudge squares, or a black bean brownie, or chia pudding with granola and dark chocolate chips, or avocado chocolate mousse, and lately my tofu chocolate mousse.

Note: I try to listen to my body and only eat dessert if I really really want it, but honestly, these days I always feel I “need it”. When I’m done breastfeeding I will do a mini detox (one of my signature ones, join me for my next one!) to help me lower my sweet cravings and cut out one of my daily desserts.

8:30pm: Kids are asleep and I start my evening routine. I get ready for bed, do my self care (face creams, etc), and either read a book or watch a show with my hubbie (and these days I pump again at this time!)

9:30-10pm: SLEEP. I aim to be asleep before 10pm (but it doesn’t always happen!). If I went to bed later and woke up more than once to feed my baby, I’ll do my best to stay in bed a little later and push back my morning routine, because I know how crucial my sleep is!

So there you have it. TONS of nutritious foods all day long (including desserts!), tons of hydration, and movement both in the morning and evening (most days!), plus always some time for myself and my self-care, my family, friends and work.

Just remember everyone is different, we each have unique bodies and metabolisms, so please honor your bioindividuality. But I hope this inspires you to “UP your nutrition and self-care game”, and release the need to do unnecessary dieting! Because when we properly nourish our bodies, yes we can still lose weight and feel great!

Love and Balanced Nutrition,

Mariana

One easy way to improve your health: Eat More Plants

If you want to lose weight, improve your skin, energy and mood, poop better, feel healthier and look better…. you should start by focusing on improving your GUT.

One key way to improve your gut microbiome by increasing the variety (and quantity) of plants you eat every week.

Studies (and experiments done by the American Gut Project) show that eating more than 30 different plants per week can significantly improve your microbiome diversity, supporting your overall gut health.

To help you boost your gut health, I’m sharing with you 7 different categories of plants (with tons of options in each category) and tips on incorporating them easily into your daily meals, in order to help you reach (or exceed) the target quota of 30 plants per week.

Lastly, I’ll share various tips on how I personally exceed those 30 plants every week!

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Healthy Low Glycemic Shephards Pie

When you’re looking for a comforting meal that is filling but healthy, this is the perfect recipe. This hearty meal - a healthy twist on Shephards Pie (paleo and keto friendly) - is perfect for any lunch or dinner when you need a solid, filling meal, and also perfect for Sunday night meal prep!

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February: Heart Month - 6 tips for optimizing heart health

February is the month of the HEART, and an important time to review your heart health and how you can support it better.

Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the LEADING CAUSE of death worldwide, shortening our lifespan. I strongly believe (together with many leading doctors and health experts) that this will change once we start to prioritize nutrition and lifestyle choices as our first line of defense.

Today I’m sharing 6 things you can start implementing ASAP (apart from the obvious of NO smoking, staying active and avoiding fried foods, trans fats and packaged foods!).

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How Much Protein Do We Need To Eat?

"How much protein vs. carbs should we be eating?"  "If I have a vegetarian meal, won't I be lacking in protein?"  I get asked these questions A LOT, and I would say it's one of the most controversial topics among nutritionists and health experts.  In this blog, I give you both sides of the coin; I explain the necessity for animal proteins and plant-based proteins, and the importance of personalization based on your own needs.

Let me start off by saying that eating sufficient protein is key for optimal nutrition, especially to maintain balanced blood sugar levels and hormones. 

It is absolutely crucial to get sufficient healthy proteins, fats and fiber in our daily diet, and ideally in every meal, for blood sugar stabilization and a faster metabolism, both of which aid in weight loss.  Also, including these 3 elements in each meal helps avoid the onset of sugar cravings. 

On the flip side, most people overestimate the amount of protein we need.

It’s become a widespread myth that we need to eat enormous amounts of protein to be strong, when in fact, overdosing on protein is leading to tons of health issues (particularly in industrialized countries).  Excess animal protein and fat clog our cells, blood and colon. 

Just to give you a few numbers, the USDA recommends 0.36 grams of protein for every lb of body weight, so a 130 lb woman needs 47 grams of protein per day.  The average American adult consumes 100-120 grams of protein every day!  Not to mention that a huge chunk of that comes from high-fat animal products.  Plus, many modern integrative doctors argue that we need even less protein than the USDA recommends (I’ve read bout 20-35 grams per day).  So clearly Americans in particular (including Latin Americans!) are eating more protein than needed.

The biggest issue I see is when people want to lose weight, and steer towards the popular high-protein low carb diets, without fully understanding the impact this can have on their overall, longer-term health.  While these diets work for some people in the short term to lose weight (there is good explanation on how and why they work, but I’ll save that for another day!), I really don’t recommend these diets as a way of living.  For one, these high protein/low carb diets can be very acidic for our bodies.  They tend to focus on foods that lack fiber and nutrients, and under-emphasize the importance of eating enough nutrient-dense healthy carbs, namely vegetables and fruits.  This can lead to digestive and hormonal problems, such as constipation, heavier menstrual bleeding, and longer term more serious issues such as osteoporosis, believe it or not.

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Two Easy, Healthy Holiday Recipes (both gluten- and dairy-free)

Happy Holidays! Here are two of my new “holiday friendly” recipes - both stuffed veggies with creamy mixtures. One is a vegan appetizer (stuffed mushrooms) and the other is more of an entree using animal protein (stuffed squash). Both recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, but delicious and balanced - containing tons of fiber, healthy fats and protein.

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Healthy Breakfast Recipe: A new twist to your usual egg-avo toast

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.

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HOW 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.

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10 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!

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Best 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.

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A 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!

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Easiest 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.

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A 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.

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Matcha 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!

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5 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!

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Your 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).

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Healthy 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!)

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10 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).

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World 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)!

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Five 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!

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