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.
Are you interested in trying a healthy yet delicious sweet treat for you and your kids that 1) isn’t filled with sugar and 2) actually contains healthy ingredients that supports your ( and your kids') overall health?
Check out my awesome, yummy and easy cupcake recipe that will satisfy your sweet tooth yet keep you healthy!
Read MoreI strongly advocate for living and enjoying a balanced life, and that means giving in to your guilty pleasures (in small, safe amounts) from time to time.
For me, enjoying a glass or two of wine is part of my balance, and luckily, there are tons of benefits that come along with small amounts of wine consumption.
However, there are even more reasons to go on an Alcohol Detox for a month. This means not one drop of alcohol for 30 days. Which YES is hard for most of us, but 100% worth it.
Read more to learn 6 Benefits of a 30-Day Alcohol Detox, and a few tips to get you started and help you commit!
Read MoreToday I’m sharing my DELICIOUS, hormone-balancing, digestive-friendly, energy-boosting smoothie - which takes into consideration Ayurvedic wisdom to make it extra healthy, balancing, warming and easy-to-digest. This smoothie is filled with superfoods, and is vegan, paleo-friendly, gluten free, dairy free, grain-free, contains no added sugars, is filled with fiber and plant-based protein, and is super yummy and easy to make.
Read MoreIn honor of Earth Day, I wanted to write about something I consider super important - something that I try every day to implement in my life, and a topic that many people still have limited knowledge about: the danger of excess PLASTIC.
Read more to learn what you need to know about the dangers of plastic, and 10 easy, actionable steps you can start implementing now to cut back on plastic in your life.
Read MoreIts crazy how many women suffer from Anemia, and how unaware most people are of what their particular cause is, and what natural tools they can apply to bring their body back into balance – beyond taking iron supplements (which is just a “band-aid” that might not address the root cause and often has side effects).
While my number one recommendation would be to eat more iron-rich foods, there are many other influencing factors to consider. There are many things that may be inhibiting your ability to absorb iron and other nutrients you need to sustain healthy iron-levels and red blood cell count/flow.
Read more to better understand all the likely causes of your anemia (and/or iron-deficiency and/or low hemoglobin) and 12 Holistic Remedies you can begin to apply now.
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Are you just back from (or maybe still on) your Spring Break / Holy Week vacation, and feeling a bit anxious about returning to your routine?
It’s totally normal to feel a bit anxious. I personally felt it this time more than ever. So on my plane ride back to Managua, I took out my iPad and jotted down what tools I could use to help me bounce back into the routine, and what tips I could share with you if you’re also struggling with these post-vacation blues.
Here are 6 tips to apply NOW, right after your vacation, to make the most of this new quarter and get back into your healthy productive routine:
Read MoreThe 8 B-vitamins - B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12 (referred to as B-complex) - play a very important role in keeping our bodies functioning properly. These essential nutrients help convert our food into fuel, giving us energy. They're also KEY for hormonal balance, a happy mood, strong and healthy hair, for proper detoxification, and more!
READ MORE to learn where we get these nutrients, what are signs that we're deficient, when we should supplement (and why!)
Read MoreA healthy, balanced diet will not only help you LOOK better and FEEL more confident (important for sex drive), but also delivers key nutrients to keep your libido high.
In the past Valentine Days, I’ve shared a red beet smoothie, as well as healthy chocolate recipes. This Valentines, I’m giving you a recipe to BOOST YOUR LIBIDO (for both you and your partner)!
Read MoreDId you know that 80% of the antibiotics sold in the US are for food-producing animals?!
It seems that livestock conditions are so bad that they commonly lead to the rapid spreading of infections, and by injecting low doses of antibiotics into the animals, they can avoid disease (plus they grow faster, and you get more meat in less time for less money).
The problem is that this overuse of antibiotics can harm both our health and that of our environment.
READ MORE to find out why we need to be careful, and what I suggest to help improve your overall health.
Read MoreWe all have our guilty pleasures, even those of us in the health and wellness industry. For me, it’s a glass or two of red wine, and dark chocolate. A glass of wine makes a good meal that much better, and nothing makes me happier than finishing my meal with a piece or two of rich, dark chocolate.
I’ve already shared with you the BENEFITS OF DARK CHOCOLATE and why I happily continue to include it in my regular diet, and today I want to share some not-so-known benefits of WINE.
New studies are constantly backing up the health benefits of drinking wine (for moderate drinkers). But like most things, the quantity, quality, and timing (when you consume it) all play a role.
Read more to learn BENEFITS, RISKS, and some suggestions as to WHEN and HOW MUCH to consume.
Read MoreWhile everyone knows that too much carbs, especially refined carbs, can make you gain weight, completely removing carbs can also have a negative effect on your body, leading to higher stress levels, sugar cravings, imbalanced blood sugar levels, imbalanced hormones and more. Some healthy carbs are (in most cases) an essential part of a healthy BALANCED diet.
Of course, the QUALITY of those carbs is important, as is the quantity (which will depend on your health goals, activity levels and more).
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds (basically, the sesame seed version of peanut or almond butter) and is full of copper, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, B1, selenium, fiber, and protein. You’ve probably read about it as an ingredient in hummus, but didn’t realize that, not only is it awesome for your health, but it’s delicious in so many more recipes.
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving!
Hopefully you're super psyched about this awesome and meaningful holiday. I now live in a new country that doesn't formally celebrate Thanksgiving, but I was secretly happy to learn that my new family here celebrates this American holiday.
So on top of many other things, I am grateful for that this week.
Thanksgiving is, after all, about GIVING THANKS. It's a time to be with loved ones and celebrate all the awesome things in life. And of course, it's a great time to enjoy delicious food. Who doesn't love Thanksgiving food, wine, and family time?
Problem is, many of us health-conscious people simultaneously slightly dread the holiday because we usually wake up bloated and feeling heavy the next day, and possibly even gain weight in just one weekend.
Luckily I've discovered that doesn't need to be the case. IT IS TOTALLY POSSIBLE TO ENJOY A HEALTHY THANKSGIVING, while staying guilt-free. Of course indulging a bit is OK, but if you balance it out with some healthier (and even more delicious) recipes, and a few more tips (that I share with you), you can fully enjoy the holiday without any negative consequences.
Did you know that Hemp Seeds are one of nature's most perfect and nutritious foods?
These tiny seeds have a concentrated balance of proteins, essential fats, vitamins and enzymes, combined with almost no sugar, sodium, starches nor saturated fats. They’re super easy to digest and contain about 13 grams of protein in just 3 tablespoons. Plus, like most other seeds, they can be used almost anywhere – from sprinkling on your smoothies/salads/soups to a key ingredient in many yummy plant-based recipes. And personally, I LOVE them!
READ MORE to learn nutritional benefits of hemp seeds, and 4 delicious recipes of mine using hemp seeds.
Read MoreStarting your day with a healthy breakfast helps to stabilize you, as you face the day ahead. When your blood sugar is balanced after a balanced and nutritious breakfast, you’ll feel more focused and energized. It also helps to rev up your metabolism to more effectively burn off fat and calories throughout your day. A healthy breakfast isn’t just about being low in calories; a well-balanced breakfast will provide protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats in order to give you lasting energy without spiking up your blood sugar.
Here are 4 COMMON "HEALTHY" BREAKFASTS that may be spiking your blood sugar and contributing to an afternoon energy slump, lack of concentration and more, and EASY WAYS TO FIX THEM in order for them to help you reach your health goals.
Read MoreA smoothie is an awesome way to get a shot of nutrition for breakfast, and can serve as a fully balanced meal that will boost your metabolism, give you tons of energy while keeping your blood sugar stable.
Read more for my favorite 16 healthy additions to your morning smoothie (all of which I use!), that will make your smoothie more anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, hormone balancing and gut-healing.
Read MoreBurning 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.
Read MoreSurely you’ve heard about the wonderful benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids. You’ll see it in marketing of nutrition labels, and you’ve probably read about it in my blog and Instagram, where I always try to include omega-3-rich foods in my meals.
But maybe you've wondered, WHY ARE THEY SO IMPORTANT? What exactly are they, and should you really care?
I wanted to address this topic because, YES, you should care. Omega-3's are extremely important for your health. And being informed on the topic is important because not all omega-3 foods are equal, and it's good for you to know why, and which ones you need to consume.
Read MoreI’m a HUGE fan of eating tons and tons of vegetables, as well as other nutritious plant-based foods including fruits, nuts, seeds, and small amounts of legumes and whole grains. And most people ASSUME that being such a "health-freak" that I MUST be vegetarian.
But that’s not the case.
In my years as a health coach, I’ve learned (and keep proving, to myself and others) that no one diet works for everyone. We are all different, and while many people do best on vegan diets (the benefits are numerous!), many people do best with some animal protein.
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!).
Balance 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.
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