The Secret Ingredient for a Creamy Low-Glycemic Smoothie

Green 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!

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The Best Matcha Green Tea Latte

This 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?

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Magnesium Supplements: What You Need to Know

Often times, the root cause behind many of our health issues (such as trouble falling asleep, energy dips, constipation, etc.) is linked to a nutrient deficiency in your diet. It can be that simple.

One common nutrient that is often lacking in our diet (that is keeping us from feeling 100%) is MAGNESIUM. Increasing our magnesium-rich foods is key, but often not enough.

That being said, there is a WIDE range of magnesium supplements, and taking the right one can be a huge help to your health.

READ MORE for a quick 101 on different magnesium supplements, to help you find what may be right for you.

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One Lacking "Nutrient" That's Keeping You From Your 100%

Are you eating healthy but still not feeling 100%? Maybe your digestion a bit off, or you’re still having trouble losing weight?

In order to feel and look your best, you need to ensure that you’re eating the right macronutrients (protein, fats, carbs, fiber, fluids) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) on a daily basis - to support your hormones and your gut, and to consistently help your body “detox”, reduce inflammation, and stay vibrant.

Most people are lacking in their daily intake of one key nutrient: FIBER. And primarily because of this, they’re having trouble staying slim and feeling their best.

Getting sufficient (quantity, quality and variety of) fiber is absolutely crucial for optimal health, and has proven to help with a myriad of health issues ranging from constipation to type 2 diabetes and cancer. So don’t for one second think that fiber is “overrated”!

Sadly, the average person is estimated to consume only 5-10g of fiber a day, when they’re likely needing closer to 25-50g per day to feel their best. 

So, from where should we be getting our fiber and why?

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Paleo & Keto 101

Both Paleo and Keto diets have major health benefits, and I highly recommend applying some of their core principles to your way of eating if you’re looking to clean up your diet.

READ MORE for the lists of what to eat and what not to eat on each diet, differences & similarities between Paleo and Keto, and maybe you'll give a shot to applying their principles to your current diet.

**Remember however that it’s often best to modify the diet to YOUR lifestyle, YOUR body, YOUR needs, and make it a long-term way of eating versus a short-term diet. Applying some degree of “Intuitive Eating” is crucial regardless of which diet you are following.

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Easy, Delicious Dinner for a Perfect Sleep

Dinner is one of the hardest meals for many of us. At the end of the day, we’re tired, we want something comforting, but are lazy to cook up something elaborate (and often we just don’t crave something too elaborate).  And there is a reason for that. Your body usually craves a simple meal that is easy to digest, simple yet comforting and balanced.

Before bed, you want a meal that will help keep your blood sugar stable so that you sleep better and burn more fat and promote weight loss (if that’s a goal).

A dinner that is EASY-TO-DIGEST is also key to not disrupt your sleep. You need your body to rest while sleeping (and not be working overtime to digest your dinner).

You also want to look for foods that help promote restful sleep.

READ MORE to get my favorite super easy dinner recipe that promotes great sleep and is, of course, delicious and healthy.

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Mediterranean Diet: Key Takeaways for Your Healthiest Self

Today I wanted to share a bit about the principles of a MEDITERRANEAN, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET, which I personally apply a lot in my personal life, and recommend as a general starting point with most of my health coaching clients.

The Mediterranean diet is all about eating fresh, whole foods and keeping your heart healthy with tons of fiber and healthy fats.

It focuses on eating a wide variety of local produce, particularly colorful fruits and veggies packed with antioxidants. So it’s essentially a high-antioxidant and anti-inflammatory diet.

The BEST part about it is that it’s pretty relaxed and balanced. It encourages eating all food groups, drinking your water, even occasional coffee, red wine and dark chocolate are totally OK. Then accompanying these foods with a lifestyle of plenty exercise, time with family and friends, time in nature, and of course, promotes ENJOYING YOUR FOOD. (Think of the Italians and Greeks!). Not too complicated.

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Ayurveda 101: Bringing Your Body Into Balance

I recently shared with you why I’m a big believer of a NO-DIET plan and a balanced lifestyle. (If you haven’t checked out, READ HERE).

That being said, there are some dietary theories and lifestyles that I believe have good backing, lots of positive research showing their benefits, and are good for you to know more about. It doesn’t mean you have to follow their “rules” 100%, BUT their principles are extremely beneficial in achieving and maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle that can help you reach (and sustain) your health goals.

I wanted to share a bit about the principles of AYURVEDA, which I personally apply a lot in my personal life and with my health coaching clients.

READ MORE to learn the basics of Ayurveda, and how you can use it to bring more balance in your life (and that includes reaching your ideal weight, improving your digestion, skin, destressing, and more!). 

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The “NO DIET PLAN” for a Healthier You

As a Health Coach, and as a former yo-yo dieter myself, I have learned the importance of avoiding the word diet, avoiding the labeling of foods, of needing to follow the latest trendy diet with obsession, of banning entire food groups that aren’t actually harming us, or worse, counting calories or measuring our food.

I constantly see people that feel they need to follow a strict diet for a period of time, every year, and it never works. They often lose a few pounds short-term, but when they get off the diet, the weight returns. It leads to a feeling of never being happy with themselves, and diet obsession.

READ MORE to learn what actually will help you find your ideal eating plan that will keep you at your healthy weight.

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February Love Food: Beets

Many times people fear beets because of their sweetness and high sugar content, but by cutting them out of your diet, you’re missing out on all their awesome, healthy-boosting properties.

And actually, beets can help you stay slim, have balanced hormones, balanced energy, and more.

READ MORE to learn more about the awesome benefits, HOW to eat beets, and get my super easy hormone-balancing juice recipe.

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10 Ways to be Healthier this year

 I wanted to share some of my best tips to help you have a healthier year in a DOABLE and SUSTAINABLE way.

The key lies in finding your happiness, destressing, and learning to enjoy more healthy foods and healthy habits that sit well with you. The idea is NOT to stress about what you haven’t done, or to do something that will cause more stress in your life. Instead, be kind with yourself this year, and know that any little steps you take will be making you healthier and deepening your sense of wellness.

Here are 10 key ways you can start improving your Health and overall Wellness this year. Choose one or two steps to start, then build your way up!

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Healthy Fats 101: The bad, the good, and the best

Fat is necessary for your health, and a great long-lasting FUEL. (Of course, how much you need varies person by person).

Healthy fats can help with weight loss, reduce the risk of heart disease and decrease inflammation (as long as you’re eating the right ones!). They’re also necessary for absorption of many nutrients (you’ve probably heard of fat-soluble vitamins which means we need fat in our meals to absorb these vitamins), and they’re essential for your brain, balanced hormones, healthy skin/hair, reducing stress, and so much more.

If you eat more healthy fats - and cut out unhealthy carbs - you can burn more fat, have less cravings, boost your brain, age better and have less inflammation!

But like most everything, there are good options, bad options, and amazing options. READ MORE to learn which healthy fats I recommend and why.

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Coconut Yogurt Chia Pudding Parfait with Papaya Jam

The combo of gut-friendly probiotics and healthy fats from the Coconut Yogurt, together with the omega-3’s, protein, fiber, iron and magnesium from Chia Seeds, makes this Papaya Coconut Chia Pudding an extremely nutrient-dense, easy-to-digest, metabolism-boosting and filling breakfast. This will keep you full more than any cereal, breakfast bar, oatmeal and more than most smoothies!

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5 Diet and Health Myths - Debunked

All of us read stuff on the internet, and hear things from friends and family that convince us that this food is bad for our health, or that food makes us gain weight.

We end up listening more to outside noise instead of listening to our own bodies. Not only that, we often go to extremes.

For example, we hear everywhere that carbs make us gain weight, so then we go cut out all carbs and next thing we know, we’re faced with constipation and a horrible hormonal imbalance.

So before you go to extremes, check out these common mistakes that many of us are making nowadays.

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Balance with Mariana's CLEAN EATING Shopping List

Healthy eating starts with stocking your kitchen and pantry with the right foods.

Today I’m sharing my CLEAN EATING Grocery List with 90 of the foods that I buy; foods that will put you on the path toward a healthier, happier, more balanced and confident self.

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I'm a Health Coach. Here is What I Eat in a Day.

As a certified holistic Health Coach (and barre teacher), I practice what I preach; I live a healthy lifestyle and get my daily fill of greens.

Making smarter, healthier food choices is tough at first, but it gets easier with practice and consistency, and I strongly believe that everyone can change the way they eat to feel better inside and out.

I still sometimes struggle with balancing my long days of work, social life, and making time to cook, not to mention that my sweet tooth keeps me from having a perfectly healthy diet.

But I strongly believe in finding a good BALANCE that works for you, while always prioritizing your health and making sure you’re getting the highest quality ingredients on your plate possible.

I’ll take you through my typical day of meals.

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GREEN SUPERFOODS 101: BENEFITS & TIPS

You’ve probably heard of some of these green superfoods like Moringa and Spirulina and maybe seen them in your local health store. But with so many “superfoods” these days, it can get confusing. What are the different kinds? What are their benefits? What are the differences / which do you need? How/when should you take them?

Today I’ll go through the differences/benefits of these TOP 5 GREEN SUPERFOODS (and some additional tips):

  1. Moringa

  2. Chlorella

  3. Spirulina

  4. Wheatgrass

  5. Barley grass

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Did you know…? Benefits of COCONUT YOGURT (+ bonus recipe!)

Focusing on gut health can help prevent (even help eliminate) many diseases at their root, and is part of the foundation for a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. To support your gut, it’s key to add PROBIOTICS to our diet, via fermented foods and/or supplements.

One easy and delicious way to get your probiotics is with yogurt, BUT most traditional store-bought yogurts are highly processed, filled with sugar, and your common dairy-milk version can be irritating to the gut for many people, therefore canceling out the positive effects of the probiotics!

So instead, I suggest trying dairy-free (unsweetened) Coconut Yogurt!

Read more to learn BENEFITS of Coconut Yogurt, easy ways to use it, and a delicious recipe that you’ll LOVE!

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Did You Know...? Why I Avoid PEANUTS and what to eat instead

Nuts are the perfect snack, filled with nutrients (including B-vitamins, zinc, magnesium and vitamin E, with the nutritional profile differing slightly depending on the nut), healthy fats, fiber and protein. They fill you up and nourish you. And they’re so yummy and versatile – great for adding a crunch to recipes, to make pestos, creamy sauces, and more.

However, many people mistakenly put peanuts under the same category as tree nuts  - when actually, peanuts are NOT tree nuts, they are LEGUMES. While they do carry some of the above benefits of tree nuts, they also have many qualities that personally keep me away from peanuts.

READ MORE to learn two key reasons to AVOID Peanuts, AND get two delicious peanut-free nut butter recipes.

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I Just Finished the Whole30 Challenge - Here are my 10 Takeaways

I am a believer in avoiding fad diets. Instead, I believe in finding the eating style that works for you longer-term. One that helps you reach and maintain your health goals.

But on top of that, when you feel you need a short-term boost to your health (and waistline), food-based detoxes are optimal.

In the toxic world we live in, we can all benefit from a light cleanse here and there. While they may not be necessary if you already eat a very clean diet, I find that the benefits outweigh any negatives, for almost everyone.

And, if you do have a particular health concern, doing a longer-term detox – like a 30 day elimination diet – can be EXTREMELY beneficial. And that’s what led me to trying the Whole30.

READ MORE to learn more about the Whole30, my takeaways, recommendations, and lessons learned!

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