10 Natural Ways to Support Your Thyroid

They thyroid gland may be small, but it has an enormous impact on our body – affecting our metabolism, our internal temperature, mental clarity, and more. It’s also connected to your other hormones, so often times if you have any hormonal imbalance, the “missing link” to balancing your hormones is making sure you have a properly functioning thyroid.

So first, what are the signs that your thyroid could be under-active?

  • Cold hands and feet
  • Dry skin and scalp
  • Constipation
  • Constantly tired even after sleeping 8 hours a day
  • Trouble losing weight
  • Mood swings and/or you get easily stressed
  • Hormonal imbalances, including irregular or missing periods, strong PMS and cramping, low sex drive, and infertility
  • Brain fog, difficulty concentrating and/or poor memory
  • Slow heart rate
  • Hair loss

If you have symptoms of hypothyroidism, I suggest getting a full thryroid panel with your doctor (testing for Total T4, Free T4, Total T3, Free T3, Reverse T3, and Thyroid antibodies).

The good news is that there are lots of things (from nutrition to lifestyle) that can help a lot. 

Here are 10 things you can start doing now to improve your under-active thyroid:

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Intermittent Fasting for Health and Weight Loss

Based on my research and experience, I find that some degree of intermittent fasting can be highly beneficial to almost anyone. And I don’t mean fasting for 24 hours every week; I’m referring to a small degree of fasting, such as allowing a 12-16 hour break between dinner and breakfast.

I personally have suffered from both digestive and hormonal issues, but feel my best when I practice daily intermittent fasting, allowing 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. And about once a week, I may allow for 16 hours between meals.

Why is this so great for me (and most people)?

The key idea is that fasting gives your body a rest from digestion and allows your body to fully assimilate nutrients, getting rid of what it doesn’t need, and concentrate on healing.

Some benefits include:

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4 Food-Pairing Rules To Radically Improve Digestion

Making sure to eat in a way that supports your gut and optimal digestion is key for both long-term health and sustainable weight loss. A few of the things that help to keep a healthy gut include eating lots of prebiotic- and probiotic-rich foods; cutting out refined starches, excess sugar, and processed foods; as well as proper food combining.

Food combining emphasizes the importance of eating certain foods simultaneously for efficient, optimal digestion and avoiding certain foods that, when paired together, are difficult for our bodies to properly process.

Improper food combinations can leave undigested food in the digestive track, creating symptoms such as bloating, gas, fatigue, and ultimately leading to a buildup of toxicity.

Paying attention to food combining is extremely helpful for staying healthy, feeling vibrant, and losing weight.

Here's my simplified list of the food combining "rules”:

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12 Tips to Overcome Insomnia

Are you having trouble falling asleep or wake up in the night and can’t fall back asleep?

You’re not alone! It’s a common problem, but the good news is, it can be helped with a few diet and lifestyle tweaks, and may not require popping meds.

You need to focus on changing your eating and lifestyle habits to nourish your adrenals, reduce stress and promote proper melatonin and cortisol balance. 

Here are 12 tips:

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Why Sleep Is Important For Weight Loss

...On my personal journey to health, I have come to realize how important sleep is for my digestion, thyroid, adrenals, and stable weight. So I now ALWAYS prioritize my 8-9 hours of sleep. I aim to go to sleep by a certain hour each day, but if I don’t, I’m no longer waking up at the crack of dawn to exercise before work.

We need sleep for MANY key functions, such as keeping a strong immune system, feeling strong, awake and focused the next day, avoiding hormonal imbalances, and restoring all our bodily functions. But ALSO, regular sleep is a key factor for obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight. Sustainable weight loss is that much harder (I’d argue almost impossible) without proper sleep!

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Healthy Chocolate Desserts for Valentines

Dark Chocolate has awesome HEALTH BENEFITS, as it contains polyphenols - a powerful antioxidant (like that found in green tea, berries and red wine) that helps defend against free radicals and diseases like heart disease, cancer and chronic inflammation. Dark chocolate is also high in minerals (including copper, iron & magnesium), has anti-inflammatory properties, can improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and is even good for your mood! 

BUT because large amounts of SUGAR is most definitely harmful (for everyone!), I make sure to enjoy chocolate without all the sugar (nor milk nor additives) that comes in regular commercial chocolate. I buy organic 70%+ dark chocolate, or I make my own desserts using raw cacao.

My “go-to” is a chocolate chia pudding (email me for this recipe!), but for special occasions, I like playing with different recipes, ones that are maybe a bit sweeter and delicious for just about anyone!

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I got inspired to try new chocolate recipes. I’m not someone that tends to make a big deal about this holiday, but I love It as an excuse to indulge in some rich chocolate (and some roses are much appreciated as well!).

After some experimenting, I found 2 recipes that I love (without being too sweet), and think you will, too!

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Why Diets Don't Work & What Does

I know this is a controversial topic as many people LOVE diets. It's a great excuse to pig-out today because you're starting a diet tomorrow. If that's you, I get it, you want a quick solution to lose a few pounds, and want to indulge in everything else when you’re not dieting. But let me tell you why I firmly believe that is the wrong approach, and what you can do instead.

I myself tried what seemed like every single diet in my 20’s, and can personally attest to the fact that these fad diets don’t work. They’re short-term solutions, and usually based on too much restriction. Not to mention, you have to keep doing them, or trying new ones, because the results never last! I can't begin to tell you how much time and money I wasted over the years!

Very often the diets provide the foods for you, or they make you count calories (or “points”), but don’t really teach you sustainable healthy habits to continue post-diet. Or they might have you focus on eating specific foods that they claim “help you to burn fat”, but then you end up ignoring a lot of other delicious and healthy foods. And after a while, you naturally give up – you get tired of the small portions or bland food, and lose the energy to keep tracking every food/ingredient/calorie. As a result, you go back to your old ways and the weight that was lost is re-gained. 

Even worse, all this yo-yo dieting can do damage to your gut and overall health, especially if you’re not getting enough healthy fats, veggies and fruits on a regular basis.

To lose weight sustainably you need to learn how to adapt healthier habits into your day-to-day. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

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10 Foods That Fight Inflammation

Inflammation in the body is one of the biggest issues leading to chronic disease, such as obesity, arthritis, heart problems and even cancer.

But inflammation doesn’t necessarily show up through puffiness and redness. Most often, we have internal inflammation that isn’t visible to us, but is present inside our bodies (aka silent inflammation). It’s building up, and it’s causing (for now) just minor things such as digestive issues, allergies, and basic skin problems. And if you don’t work NOW to control this inflammation, it will leader to more serious illnesses down the road.

The easiest and most effective way to taper inflammation is through your diet. After all, food is your best medicine. Start by eliminating processed foods, and then adding in naturally anti-inflammatory foods, including a variety of high-quality spices and herbs.

The following 10 foods, herbs and spices are among the best natural sources for reducing inflammation. I’ve also included tips for easy way you can start incorporating them into your day-to-day diet.

1.  Omega-3 fatty acids – from fatty fish like wild salmon, krill, as well as vegetarian sources like flaxseeds, chia seeds & olive oil. You can also consider taking a fish-oil supplement.

Tip: Try adding 1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds to your morning oatmeal / yogurt / smoothie.

2.  Dark Leafy Greens – These are some of the healthiest foods period, and among other things, they help with your body’s detoxification, flushing out some of this inflammation. They also contain lots of fiber and water which help with weight loss and contributes to beautiful skin and hair (among so many other benefits)! These greens include leaves such as: kale, spinach, arugula, swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens, escarole and watercress.

Tip: Start having a fresh or cold-pressed green juice once a day, either with breakfast or as a snack between meals.

 3.  Berries – Berries contain flavonoids which contribute to their blue/purple/red coloring and have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. These include goji berries, blueberries, blackberries raspberries, cranberries, cherries, and less common ones such as bilberries, mulberries, elderberry and gooseberry.

Tip: Add a handful of berries to your breakfast porridge or yogurt, to your green smoothies, and/or enjoy them as a snack with a few raw nuts.

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4 Swaps for Healthier Snacks

Most of us need a small snack in between meals in order to stay energized, to keep our blood sugar stable, and to avoid over-eating at meals.  So snacking can be healthy and nutritious, but a little planning is key. 

Grabbing pre-packaged processed snacks on the go can often be the main culprit of weight gain for many people, as it’s the time when we mindlessly grab whatever is available.  Especially if we’re hungry, our defenses go down and we’re more likely to give in to the unhealthy snacks roaming around the office, such as candy, pastries and chips.

 

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3 Swaps for Healthier Breakfasts

Starting your day right with a healthy breakfast is one of the most important pillars to a healthy diet and to sustainable weight loss.

I know that most of us need a bit of carbs in our breakfast, and that’s totally fine as long as we make them HEALTHY carbs, and cut out the white starches and sugars. Even wheat bread can be inflammatory and quickly add on additional, unnecessary calories.

Here are my favorite breakfast swaps to make your breakfast healthier, lighter and more nutrient dense.  Not only that, these breakfast swaps will help boost your metabolism and aid in weight loss.

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A Healthier New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR. I hope you were able to read through my last few emails of 2015 and take some of my advice for having a healthy, balanced holiday.

I personally took advantage of my long vacation to relax, spend time with family, eat delicious, local, healthy food, enjoy good wines, and of course, I always made time for some long walks, quick jogs, and/or yoga in the morning.

Even though I really nourished myself, I still feel the accumulation of a bit too much sugar (yes I allowed myself to indulge in delicious Freddo ice cream) and a bit too much wine and champagne (during my vacation, there was no notion of weekends vs. weekdays, every day was like a Saturday!). And I know this is the case for many of you. Which is totally OK on occasion, especially if you enjoyed it in a guilt-free way as I did.

But now the new year has started and the vacation is coming to an end (or has ended for most of you). So it’s time to get back on track and give our bodies a break from the toxic sugar (and alcohol) that we enjoyed over the holidays. Because even small amounts of sugar can quickly become addictive, and start messing with our hormones and our body’s metabolism and digestion. The best thing to do is to keep sugar (especially the processed kind) to a minimum in our day-to-day, and once a season, do a good 7-14 day detox where we have NO processed sugar (nor processed anything that turns into sugar or contains sugar). Same applies to other substances that can cause inflammation and irritation in our bodies, such as caffeine, gluten, dairy, processed meats, and GMO-foods such as soy and corn. It is HUGELY beneficial to give our bodies a short break from these foods a few times a year (or minimum once a year) to allow your body to “reset” and focus on getting rid of accumulated toxins.

Which is why I have created a seasonal 10-day detox, which I change up a bit depending on the season. Starting Tuesday January 19th (day after Martin Luther King holiday), I will be doing a small group coaching for a Winter Detox. I will give you all the tools you need in order to make this detox easy and successful, so you can feel all the amazing benefits from a proper detoxification without much effort. You will even enjoy it! I will provide you with a detailed guide for your detox, including suggestions for a 3 day “pre-cleanse” to do over the weekend prior to starting the detox, as well as suggestions for coming off of the detox. So it’s a 10-day detox but I’ll give you over 2 weeks of support. The best thing is that its completely doable for anyone. More details can be found on my website, and if you have any questions, shoot me a message to ms@balancewithmariana.com.

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5 Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday

The last 2 weeks of December are an EXTREMELY BUSY time for everyone – with all the traveling, last minute Christmas shopping and not to mention holiday lunches and dinners with friends, coworkers and family. I know for me it’s been NON-STOP and a bit hectic to say the least.

But the holidays are such an important time of the year to enjoy, be happy, and de-stress, because then the New Year starts, work picks up, and we’ll be regretting that we didn’t take the time to relax during our few days off.

So here are my top 5 tips to stay stress-free and enjoy these last 10 days of the year:

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Having Friends Over? My Easy, Healthy “Go-To” Dish for Entertaining

I don’t know about you, but I love entertaining and wish I could do it more often. Why don't I? Because it’s time consuming and so much work! I host dinner parties sometimes with the help of someone (say for ex., my wonderful boyfriend who cooks up an awesome churrasco) which makes it so much fun, but it’s once in a blue moon. 

But having friends over should be easy and fun. Plus, if I'm hosting, I know that I can keep it on the healthy side - a huge plus. So what becomes my solution? I invite people over for some wine and a few appetizers. And while it’s much easier to just buy some pre-made hummus and pita chips, it's more special (and healthy!) to make a dish or two of my own.  

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11 Natural Remedies to Fight a Cold

It’s that time of the year when the seasons are changing, and for many of us (in the northern hemisphere), the days are getting shorter and the temperature is dropping. So it’s especially important during these times to nourish our bodies, in order to make the seasonal transition easier and keep ourselves from getting sick.

The healthier you are and stronger your mind-body connection, the easier it is to detect an oncoming cold in its earliest stage - which is key. Its important to take action at the first sign of sickness by drinking tons fluids, getting plenty of rest and incorporating some additional natural remedies.

So in lieu of the season, I want to share my top 11 tricks to beat an oncoming cold. These are natural remedies that are focused on giving your body the extra nourishment it needs. These tips are easy, more affordable than medicine and also better for your body (no negative side effects!).

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5 Veggie Packed Meals for People Who Don't Love Salads

As a Health Coach, I place lots of emphasis on eat clean, whole foods, at least 80% of the time. This includes fresh vegetables, organic meat/poultry/fish/seafood, legumes, whole grains (such as quinoa & brown rice), nuts/seeds and fresh fruit. No processed flours or sugars. And it means avoiding things that come in a package, unless it has only 1 ingredient (ex. lentils). That includes whole wheat bread!

Additionally, I believe in eating PLENTY of vegetables every day, ideally at every meal. The more veggies and the wider variety, the better. Vegetables are nutrition powerhouses, with each different vegetable offering its own set of much-needed vitamins and minerals. I tell my clients to fill their plate half way with veggies, and always add some health protein (animal or vegetarian, so this can include lentils and quinoa, etc) and healthy fats.

Eating this way will help anyone be their healthiest self, and shed unwanted weight.

However, I often come across people who struggle to “eat clean” and eat enough veggies because they’re not salad fans. So they tend to turn to sandwiches and wraps for lunch, or meat with rice or potatoes and one cooked vegetable. As a result, their diet lacks in both quantity and variety of vegetables, and usually includes too many refined foods. Essentially, it lacks in nutrition!

For those of you out there like this, who don’t love raw green salads (or have trouble digesting them), I want to share 5 of my favorite clean, healthy and delicious meals – filled with nutritious veggies- that anyone will love, and that are easy enough to take to work.

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10 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY THANKSGIVING & HOLIDAY SEASON

When it comes to thanksgiving – and really all holidays – it’s important to remember that they’re really about honoring a great moment in history that has helped shape the world we live in today, and being grateful.

So holidays should be a time to give thanks for the great things we have in our life today, most of all the freedom we've been given. And then about using this freedom to make the best choices for ourselves.

Hopefully this means making the choice to be healthy, and to do right by your body. Choosing to give your bodies the love, care and nourishment it needs to stay fit and free of disease.

And look, I'm a huge foodie and LOVE good food. But it's important to shift our mindset away from seeing holidays as all-about-food, and instead being extra mindful, giving thanks for the food we have and not taking it for granted. And remembering that this food is meant to nourish us – not to fill our sugary cravings. 

I know it’s easier said than done, so I wanted to share 10 simple things that you can try this holiday season, that will help you stay focused, happy and healthy during the holidays (starting today!):

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Healthy Cooking Made Easy

There are two things that make healthy eating a challenge for a lot of people. First is finding the time to cook, and then it’s finding healthy recipes that taste good and are easy to make.

Also, if you don't feel comfortable in the kitchen, it can feel like a lot to take on; cooking can be intimidating! But allowing this to be an excuse (and only cooking the same two recipes that you've mastered) can become an obstacle that gets in the way of your health goals.

Results come with stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things, and that includes cooking!

It's important because if you're not eating home-cooked meals, it means you’re resorting to eating lots of pre-packaged meals and ordering-in or dining out. And that means you're consuming lots of unhealthy oils and sodium - because all packaged meals and restaurants use a lot of both. You have no control over the ingredients used, nor the cooking method, and it becomes that much harder to control your health.

So today I want to share a cooking video where I'll show you how to make 3 easy & healthy recipes, that you can add to your list of go-to recipes. These are recipes that I make a lot, and that of course represent “clean eating”, meaning I use whole, un-processed foods. Also, I focus on using very nutrient-dense foods, aka "superfoods". 

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17 Things I Do Every Day To Eliminate Stress

I used to work in finance, and my body is still recovering from the daily stress I put it through during my many years working in the industry.

After I left the business, I embarked on a healthier lifestyle and started doing the right things to bring my body back into balance. Even though I’ve fixed most of my health issues and significantly decreased the stress in my life, my hormones are still not where they should be and I'm experiencing lingering adrenal fatigue — a series of symptoms, such as fatigue and trouble sleeping, that can result when the adrenal glands aren't working properly.

It’s scary to think that even though I’ve been doing all these wonderful things for my body, it can take our systems a long time to properly recover from adrenal fatigue. Learning to minimize and cope with stress is crucial to ensure we keep a healthy adrenal system — the cornerstone for hormonal balance and optimal overall health.

Whether or not you perceive yourself to be a stressed person, I strongly suggest you try applying a few of these stress-reduction tips on a daily basis. Sometimes our stress isn't visible (even to ourselves!), but it can cause our bodies a lot of lingering harm.

Here are 17 tools I apply in my daily routine to stay happy, healthy, balanced, and stress-free:

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Craving Pasta? Try These Healthy, Guilt-Free Alternatives

Everyone loves pasta, but sadly, it's not so good for our bodies.  While a small portion of pasta is OK to have on occasion, it's one of those foods that unfortunately should be eliminated from your regular diet if you're aiming for sustained weight loss.

Why?  Because pasta is made from wheat flour that scores very high in the glycemic-index, meaning it causes a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, which ultimately leads to weigh gain.  Also, wheat flour contains gluten, and it’s now well known that many people do better with no or limited amounts of gluten in their diet, myself being one of them.  Gluten causes inflammation in the gut, which can lead to a whole host of more serious issues.  

Therefore, I’ve discovered other pasta-like options that are not only gluten-free, but also higher in nutrition.  

Here are some amazing and healthy alternatives to your regular wheat flour pasta, all of which are gluten-free:

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Low-Carb Swaps for Lasting Weight Loss

In my experience, the best way to lose weight and get the body you want is by making small step-by-step improvements in your diet.  Super strict diets that require a complete overhaul of your diet are overwhelming and of course, hard to maintain. 

While some effort is required, making healthier choices is easier than you may realize. 

We all hate to give up our favorite not-so-healthy foods, and while there are some that are best avoiding all together, there are others that can easily be modified to make them lighter and healthier.  With some easy swaps that I’m about to share with you over the next few weeks, you'll see that we can keep these foods (with a few adjustments) in our regular diet while staying healthy and not gaining weight. 

Today I want to share my favorite swaps for SANDWICHES & WRAPS, as well as RICE, and I'll share 2 fabulous recipes that you can try this week!

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