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Ten "Super Drinks" That Can Make You Super Sick

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

It is very important to watch what we eat if we want to be healthy. I always remind my clients that sometimes it is more important which foods to avoid than which one we need the most. We know that certain “super foods” can make us really sick - they raise our blood pressure and cholesterol level, weaken our immune system, increase inflammation, cause constipation, increase risks of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer, stressed out our system,change our hormonal balance, slow down our metabolism, etc.
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But what about drinks? Apparently some of them even worse than “super foods” that make us sick. I would like to share with this video made by Psychetruth Channel on YouTube. Enjoy the lovely host and information you might find shocking and eye opening.

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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Super-Simple Fat Fighting Tips

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

National Women’s Health Week

May 10 -16, 2009

If we want to feel and look fabulous and not to gain extra pounds, we need to watch what we eat and drink. It is easier to be in control at the moment than regret later trying really hard to shred unwanted pounds. womanball1

I would like to share with you an extract from the article “Three Mother’s Day Fat Fighting Tips” by Carol Dunlop, Personal Trainer at Optimum Body Sculpting. I encourage you to visit her website and blog for more tips.

You should use these tips every day for better results:

Mother’s Day Fat Fighting Tip #1:

Avoid soft drinks, juices and any other liquids loaded with sugar. All these drinks are very high in useless calories. A 12 oz. can of cola typically packs 150 calories worth of sugar! Drink a couple of those a day and you’re packing on the belly fat!

Mother’s Day Fat Fighting Tip #2:

Record what you eat and drink. Most moms – and people in general – are shocked at the amount of food and calories that they are REALLY consuming when they track it. And be honest, many times when people do this exercise they “forget” to write down the foods they nibble on here and there. It ALL adds up.

Mother’s Day Fat Fighting Tip #3:

Eat 5 to 10 servings of fruits and veggies each day. This will help you meet your micronutrient needs for the day. And that is critical to your body’s ability to burn fat off your belly, butt, hips and thighs. Read the whole article.

Let us be fat fighting smart, shall we?

If you think you might need help with one of my Holistic Health and Nutrition Programs for Women, let me know, and let us talk…

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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Heart Healing Recipes with Heart Healthy Foods

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Enjoy these Heart Healing Recipes with heart healthy foods to get rid of constipation, lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol level, improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and risk of heart attack.

Spinach and Cantaloupe Salad

All ingredients (yogurt, turmeric, spinach, tomato, garlic cantaloupe, parsley, raisins) are all rich in heart healthy foods rich in omega-3, potassium an dfiber Potassium to help body get rid of excess of sodium.

Ingredients:

1 cup baby spinach

1 cup cantaloupe sliced in cubes

1 tomato sliced

1 clove garlic minced (reduce inflammation)

1/2 cup parsley chopped

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup raisins

Dressing:

My Super Healthy Turmeric Dressing

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, and serve.

Green Beans with Apples and Portobello Mushrooms

All ingredients (mushrooms, apples, green beans, walnuts, broccoli) are rich in fiber to get rid of constipation, lower blood pressure and prevent heart attack.

Ingredients:

2 medium Portobello mushrooms sliced

1 medium onion sliced

1 cup green beans cooked

1/3 cup walnuts chopped (reduce inflammation)

1 medium apple chopped

1 cup broccoli boiled

3 tbsp olive oil (reduce inflammation)

1 tbsp chopped ginger (to improve circulation)

Directions:

Saute onion with mushrooms in olive oil for 5 minutes, add cooked broccoli and beans, and saute for 3 minutes more. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately.

Black Beans and Avocado Salad

Avocado, olive oil, pistachios, walnuts almonds, black beans, onions help lower blood pressure and cholesterol level.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cooked black beans

2 carrots sliced

1 onion sliced

½ avocado sliced

1/3 cup pistachios/walnuts/almonds (your choice)

cleansing herb of your choice

cleansing spice –dash of cayenne pepper (to improve circulation)

salt to taste

Directions:

Saute onions with carrots in olive oil for 10 minutes, add black beans and saute for about 2 minutes more. In a big bowl combine all ingredients and serve (warm or cold).

Bon Appetit! And let us be Heart Smart, shall we?

If you think someone you know might need help with one of my Holistic Health and Nutrition Programs for Women, let me know, and we’ll talk…

Breathe, smile and try to be happy.

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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Is Your Mouthwash Cancer Proof?

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Do you use mouthwash after brushing your teeth? Well, I would like to share with you the article Common Mouthwash Products Boost Risk of Oral Cancer by 900 Percent by David Gutierrez, staff writer, published in NaturalNews.com Our health depends on choices we make, so let us be choice smart.

The use of mouthwashes that contain alcohol as an ingredient can drastically increase a person’s risk of cancers of the mouth, head and neck, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Australia’s University of Melbourne and University of Queensland School of Dentistry.

Researchers studied use of mouthwash among 3,210 people and compared it with rates of mouth, head and neck cancers.

“We see people with oral cancer who have no other risk factors than the use of [mouthwash containing alcohol], so what we’ve done is review all the evidence,” said lead researcher Michael McCullough, chair of the Australian Dental Association’s therapeutics committee,

The researchers found that all participants who used an alcohol-containing mouthwash at least once per day had a significantly increased risk of cancer, independent of other risk factors such as smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages. Among those who both used alcohol-containing mouthwash and regularly drank alcoholic beverages, the risk of cancers of the larynx, pharynx or oral cavity was five times that of people who drank but did not use mouthwash. The risk of cancer in people who smoked and used alcohol-containing mouthwashes was an astonishing nine times that of non-mouthwash-using smokers.

“Since this article, further evidence has come out,” McCullough said. “We believe there should be warnings. If it was a facial cream that had the effect of reducing acne but had a four to fivefold increased risk of skin cancer, no one would be recommending it.”

The body breaks down alcohol, also known as ethanol, into a carcinogenic compound called acetaldehyde. The researchers note that due to the way that mouthwash is swished around, acetaldehyde may thereby accumulate in the oral cavity.

In addition, the researchers believe that alcohol makes mucus membranes more permeable to other chemicals, allowing nicotine and other carcinogens increased access to the body’s tissues.

Let me know what you think about the article and what kind of mouthwash you normally use.

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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Ten Tips to Stay Healthy through the Cold and Flu Season

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Do you feel that your clothes feel already tighter? Feel exhausted?

What about anxiety and cravings?

Here are some tips on how to go through the Holidays and Cold and Flu Season without gaining too much weight, staying healthy and feeling fabulous.

1. Start your day with a glass of warm water with juice of ½ lemon. This simple drink will help detoxify liver and colon as well as suppress appetite. As for me, I take a glass of warm water with 1 tbsp organic apple-cider vinegar and ½ tsp organic honey.

2. Eat as much as you can high-fiber foods (regular bowel movements are an important mechanism for removing toxins from your body and loosing some weight) such as fresh fruits, raw green leafy vegetables (kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, spinach, arugula), whole-grain oatmeal, barley, asparagus, beans, cabbage, carrots, garlic, kale, sweet potatoes, cranberries, prunes. More on High-fiber foods

Also consume plenty of foods that are high in pectin, such as apples, carrots, beets, cabbage, citrus fruits.

3. Wash your hands – 80% of dangerous germs will be eliminated. And don’t touch your face:germs enter you through your face (eyes, nose and mouth). Some adults touch their faces more than 100 time, and kids…

4. Take a break from protein, dairy products, fat and sweets, and try to eat more:

soups, such as Pumpkin Soup, Mushroom Pumpkin Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, Fennel Soup, etc;

grains, such as brown rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat (especially good for weigh loss) and

seasonal vegetables. Recipes

5. Drink more water, and teas with nettles, ginger, clover, dandelion, burdock root.

6. Use detoxifying spices such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, rosemary, oregano, ginger. Try Immunity Boosting Spices Mix.

7. Have omega-3 foods daily (walnuts, flax seed oil or freshly ground flax seeds, salmon)

8. Between meals have healthy snacks (walnuts, raisins, almonds, prunes, figs, carrots, celery, etc.)

9. Get some exercises – at least take a walk before and/or after your meal more on walks

10. Take time to reduce stress and relax: listen to music, enjoy nature, spend time with your friend, dance, or maybe have some extra sleep .

And never forget to breathe, smile and be happy.

Look forward to hearing from you: let me know how I can help you.

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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Ayurvedic Immunity Boosting Spice Recipe

Friday, December 5th, 2008

Ingredients

1/4 part ground cinnamon

1 part ground black pepper

1 part ground dry ginger

2 parts ground turmeric

3 parts ground cumin

3 parts ground coriander

6 parts ground fennel

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients and put into a container or a glass jar in a dark cabinet. Every time you cook, prepare this mixture to sprinkle on your vegetables, rice or any dish: sautee one teaspoon of mixture in one tsp of ghee (purified butter; you can find it in Whole Foods or any Health Store) for a couple of minutes until you can smell the aroma, but be careful and don’t burn the spices. Season with sea salt if needed.

Use this recipe on a regular basis to boost your immune system during cold and flu season.

Don’t forget to breathe, smile and be happy.

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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How to Sleep Better During the Cold and Flu Season

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

Thanksgiving is over and so is Black Friday. Do you feel tired, stressed out and a couple of pounds heavier? If you want to feel better, you have to take care of your stress overload. And the first step to reducing stress is having a better sleep. A better sleep will help you to reduce stress which will boost your energy and immune system to stay healthy during cold and flu season, and even to loose some extra pounds.

Here are some tips on how to get a better sleep:

1. Have physical activity.

Sleep is not just for your mind- sleep is nature’s way of resting your body, too. If your muscles are not tired because you are getting no exercise during the day, there is less physiological reason for sleep. Once you feel the fatigue in your muscles, you’ll know you are almost certain to sleep better. Even a 30-minute walk might surprise you with the results.

2. Stretch and yawn.

Studies show that simple stretch and yawn help ready the body for sleep. Try it every day and you might be surprised.

3. Eat more food rich in Magnesium.

Magnesium helps the body make serotonin, which helps in producing melatonin (the hormone that helps us to relax and sleep). A spoon of walnuts with a little bit of honey around 8:00pm-9:00pm might help. Foods rich in Magnesium are almonds, apples, apricots, brown rice, garlic, leafy vegetables, spinach, salmon, etc. More on stress and sleep

4. Go to bed around 10:00 pm.

There are two reasons. First, according to Ayurveda,(from Sanskrit literally means “science of life” or “practices of longevity”) there are cycles that are the most beneficial for certain activities. Sleep from 10:00 p.m. till 6:00 a.m. allows the body to rest the most. It also helps with metabolism, so if you want to loose some weight try to sleep more by getting to bed earlier.

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Second, studies show that nighttime exposure to light may elevate breast cancer risk by suppressing production of melatonin, a brain hormone that is made during darkness and that normally peaks at night.

5. Have fresh air in the room.

A lot of people underestimate the importance of fresh air in the room during your sleep time. Study shows that indoors air is one of the most toxic air around. The fresh air will help promote sound sleep while stale air and toxins escape from your window.

6. Get a foot massage.

Ask your partner, or you can do it yourself and it will help you relax as well as improve circulation. More on massage

7. Have a home-made facial.

Home-made facial is one of the best relaxation techniques, because you kill two birds with one stone: you not only nourish, cleanse or rejuvenate your face but also have to lie down for at least ten minutes – I call it facial meditation.

Try an uplifting mask made of kiwi and honey (mash one kiwi and add 1/2 tsp of honey, mix and put on your face for 15 minutes) – it is delicious. While lying, don’t forget to think about something very pleasant. More home-made facials.

8. Have a cup of bedtime tea.

You can always treat yourself to a cup of bedtime tea with Lemon balm or Chamomile flower.

Pampering / taking care of ourselves we do our bodies a big favor: we reduce stress which is priority number one if we want to feel and look fabulous, especially during a cold and flu as well as holiday season.

Never forget to breathe, smile and be happy.

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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6 Instant Mood Boosters

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Women are very busy these days, as a matter of fact, they have always been. And as women, we know that, unfortunately, most of the time we don’t prioritize our health.

Listen to Podcast for extra tips and laughs

Let us think, for a second, what causes stress in our life? Well, if I say emotions and bad food choices, will you believe me? I am not sure, but it is true. As we remember, cortisol, the hormone your body produces when you are stressed, increases your appetite and promotes inflammation, reducing the body’s sensitivity to metabolic hormones. To reduce cortisol levels and normalize your metabolism, you must relax.

No time to de-stress? Think again! You can lower your stress level in a second with these on-the-spot mood boosters.

Start laughing.

Studies show that even forced laughter lowers cortisol and blood pressure instantly.

Start singing

Recent studies show that singing your favorite tunes is more beneficial than simply listening to them.

Call your friend or talk to your pet.

Study shows that making conversation with someone you care about causes the same kind of positive physiological changes that a massage does. To express your feelings and thoughts you can either call a friend or talk to your pet (pets are even better listeners).

Take a walk

Some fresh air and moderate exercise can help clear your mind and frustration or anger.

Squeeze a squishy ball

Start squeezing something, such as a squishy ball, to work away your tension.

Have some Dark Chocolate

Studies show that Dark Chocolate (70-75% of cocoa and higher) not only low blood pressure and clear the arteries, but also improves mood by boosting serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain. Take a piece of dark chocolate, close your eyes and relax.

If we don’t take care of ourselves, nobody will, but if something happens to us, who will take care of our children, our family? Studies show that more than 800.000 people a day take time off work because of a stress related illnesses.
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Let us be stress smart.

If you feel that it is the right time to have your “ME” TIME to take care of yourself with one of my Holistic Health and Nutrition Programs or my unique and affordable eCoaching Program for Women, contact me and let us talk….

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

So are you going to laugh right now? Try, you will be surprised.

What about your favorite mood booster?

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Four Reasons to Eat Apples to Feel and Look Fabulous

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Do you remember an old saying about eating an apple a day to keep the doctors away? A lot of people underestimate the value of good old apples. The apple is one of the best whole fruits, a super food we must eat every day.

Well, all whole fruits contain valuable minerals, vitamins, enzymes and fiber. You are wondering why apples?

1. Fiber.

Apples are rich in fiber pectin, which we, ladies, need a lot to have clear complexion, metabolic balance, low blood pressure. Pectin (soluble fiber) lowers not only cholesterol but also body fats. How great is that?!! Apples improve indigestion, and also help with some digestive concerns (for example, if you have a diarrhea – have an apple; if you have a constipation-have an apple!).

2. Antioxidants.

Apple is full of antioxidants to fight free radicals (which, we know,can cause illnesses) and support our immune system, heart and brain.

3. Detox.

Apples and their juice are perfect detox/cleanse food which is beneficial for the liver. They cleanse intestinal tract with fiber which is also very helpful if you want to maintain a healthy weight or to loose extra pounds. The pectin in apples not only reduces cholesterol, but also removes toxic metals, such as lead and mercury, and the residues of radiation.

4. Energy booster.

It is also a perfect healthy snack and natural energy booster. Apples low blood sugar and make us happier, and less stressful which benefit emotional depression. Nature gives us apples in the fall, when the nights get longer and seasonal depression might occur. Why is that?

But we have to remember that apples contain natural sugars, so we have to do some exercises to maintain the same weight if we decide to eat as many apples a day as we can.

And, unfortunately, apples contain the highest level of pesticides (along with peaches), and it means that we have to buy them organic (local only if you know the farmers and which fertilizer they use).

Let us remember about healing properties of apples and eat them with the seasons to feel and look fabulous.

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

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