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Any Root Winter Vegetable Soup

By: Friday, November 22, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating, Recipes , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Any Root Winter Vegetable Soup | The Organic Beauty Blog

There’s nothing like a warm, comforting bowl of soup on a chilly early winter evening, and throwing together an amazingsoup from what you have on hand is so much easier than you think!  Not only is this any-root vegetable soup deceptively simple, you can make it with literally whatever seasonal veggies you have on hand. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, celeriac, carrots, turnips… anything!  Perfect for those winter CSA deliveries you don’t know what to do with ; ) Make a big pot to last you all week long for a perfect, healthy dinner that will keep you slim, warm, and healthy all winter long.

Any Root Vegetable Winter Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving

1 large onion or 2 leeks (white and light green part only), diced

2 to 3 celery stalks, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 rosemary or thyme branches

2 bay leaves

3 1/2 pounds mixed root vegetables (whatever you have on hand–carrot, parsnip, celery root, turnip, rutabaga, sweet or regular potato), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 teaspoons sea salt, or more as needed

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more as needed

Juice of 1/2 organic lemon, plus more for serving

Red pepper flakes, optional

 

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot.
  2. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add celery and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  4. Add garlic, rosemary or thyme, and bay leaves, and cook for another 2 minutes.
  5. Add root vegetables, 8 cups water, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 30-40 minutes.
  6. Remove rosemary branches and bay leaves.
  7. Puree the soup in batches in your blender, or use an immersion blender.  Puree until smooth.
  8. Season with lemon juice, and add a little extra salt, if needed.
  9. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a few extra drops of lemon juice, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper (optional), and a sprig of thyme or rosemary.

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Snacking Is Making You Fat (and moody, and bloated)

By: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Eating, Nutrition , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Snacking Is Making You Fat (and moody, and bloated) | The Organic Beauty Blog

The whole snack-happy, “six-small-meals-a-day” dieting philosophy is one of the worst things to have happened to Western food culture, and is pretty much the bane of my existence as a nutrition counselor.  Basically, this phenomenon has created a nation of perpetually hungry, moody hypoglycemics, and although this is great for my business, it is terrible for the health of this country.  Allow me to persuade you that snacking is one of your biggest food woes, and to show you a much better way!

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Fermented Foods: The Amazing Health Food You’re Not Eating Enough Of

By: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Beauty, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Nutrition, Recipes , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Fermented Foods The Amazing Health Food You’re Not Eating Enough Of | The Organic Beauty BlogSome of the most exciting research in health and nutrition these days is around the vital role our gut flora (read: healthy bugs and microbes in our stomach) plays in our overall health, beyond just digestion.   Having enough beneficial bacteria in your gut is linked to healthy weight loss, better moods, less anxiety, stress, and depression, increased immunity, clearer skin, and better bladder and reproductive health.  Of course, fermented foods also make you more regular, eliminate gas and bloating, and relieve stomach aches!

Taking an effective, broad-spectrum probiotic, like NOW Dairy-Free Probiotic-10 25 Billion, is one great way of making sure you’ve got enough healthy bugs in your system.  But as with all nutrients, food-based sources are even better!  Fermented foods are naturally high in beneficial bacteria and they are the best way of getting more probiotics in your system.  Eating fermented foods every day has amazing, immediately noticeable health benefits, and unfortunately, none of us are getting enough of these powerful health foods!  Check out our favorite fermented foods below, and keep in mind that quality matters.  Typical supermarket brands of these foods are pasteurized and heated, which kills the beneficial bacteria.

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How to Start Loving Your Body NOW!

By: Thursday, July 25, 2013 Healthy Beauty, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Organic Beauty, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

It is very difficult to make healthy choices for your body, take care of your body, and treat it well when you hate it.  Loving your body does not have to mean that you love everything about it, or that you do not want to change things about it.  But loving it, right now, just the way it is, is a crucial step toward getting healthy, happy, and losing weight!  When you love something, you want to take care of it, protect it, and make it feel good.  When you hate something, you abuse it, neglect it, and criticize it.   Which way sounds more conducive to healthy eating, lifestyle, relationships, and thoughts?  Here’s how to start loving your body right now:

1.     Determine where your body hatred comes from. 

We live in a society that deems openly loving your body taboo.  We have trouble accepting compliments; we feel the need to make self-deprecating comments; we bond with other women over hating our bodies instead of loving them.  Find the source of this habit for you.  Is it an attitude you inherited from your mother or a sibling?  Is it a product of your social scene?  Find the root, and vow to step outside it, be bigger than it.  Make a conscious CHOICE to start loving your body, right now.

2.     Loving your body does not mean giving in to what it looks like right now. 

The biggest reason most women give for why they don’t love their bodies is that they fear losing the motivation for change and weight loss if they accept and love themselves as they are.  But know this:  if you hate your body now, you aren’t going to magically be full of self-love when you finally reach your ideal weight.  In fact, you may even miss out on feeling amazing for reaching your goals because you are so mired with that self-criticism you’re so used to feeling.  Regardless of what shape they’re in now, our bodies allow us to live, walk this earth and experience all the pleasures in it.  That is a lot to love!  Having gratitude toward your body for all the amazing things it allows you to do and experience, and loving your body for that does not mean that you don’t want to be stronger, leaner, more flexible and sexier.  We can always be working on improving ourselves in some way, but when that comes from a place of LOVE, we will be so much more successful, and enjoy ourselves along the way!

3.     Prioritize feeling good. 

When you love something you want to make it feel good.  When you hate something, you deprive it of joy, affection, and pleasure.  Which way do you think leads to weight loss, happiness and fulfillment?  When you love your body, you can shower it with things that feel amazing.  Massages, yummy smelling natural beauty products, delicious and healthy food, dancing, sex, trips to the beach, beautiful clothes – all these things show love to yourself, make you feel SO much happier and taken care of, and yes, make weight loss a breeze!  But when you hate your body, you feed it junk food, cover it in frumpy clothing to hide it, keep it inside on the couch,  living a small life, and abuse it with alcohol, sugar, drugs, cigarettes, soda, and other horrible things.  I’ll tell you what, achieving a healthy weight and a happy, healthy body is impossible in that state of self-abuse.  Making your body feel amazing and taken care of should be your TOP priority in your health journey.  See what a huge difference it makes!

Loving your body is just a more fun, healthy, and pleasurable place from which to approach the work of transforming your diet and your life!

In the comments below, share how you are going to show your body more love, more care, more pleasurable experiences!

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Soups: Your Quick and Easy Dinner Solution

By: Friday, June 28, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Recipes , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Soups Your Quick and Easy Dinner Solution | The Organic Beauty Blog

A light, delicious, vegetable-based soup makes the perfect dinner for encouraging healthy weight, quality sleep, improved digestion, and increased energy in the mornings.  Soups are easily digestible, which leaves your body primed for rest, detoxification, and rejuvenation while you sleep, instead of expending tons of energy on digesting a big meal full of slow-to-digest foods like animal protein and grains.  Plus, it is super easy to throw together a delicious, quick dinnertime soup that leaves you free to relax and enjoy your evening, without spending hours in the kitchen!  Cook a big pot for the week, and enjoy your freedom!

 

A super important trick for quick and easy soups is a good quality vegetable broth base.  My absolute favorite for a flavorful, delicious broth is Seitenbacher Vegetable Broth Powder.  It’s all natural, instant, and allows you to customize how strongly flavored you want your broth.  I use it for all of my soups!  Pacific Organics and Imagine Organics make ok ones too, but in my opinion, nothing beats the natural broth powder!

Your other tools for whipping up a dinner soup in no time at all are canned veggies.  Stock up your pantry with canned organic beans and canned organic tomatoes.  Other pantry staples include yellow onions, garlic, greens, and olive oil.

Check out our delicious quick and easy dinner soup recipes!

Quick Vegan Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Quick White Bean and Kale Soup

Raw Summer Gazpacho

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Mint

Any Root Vegetable Soup

Acorn Squash & Apple Soup

Split Pea, Fennel & Spinach Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

 

Quick White Bean and Kale Soup

By: Friday, June 28, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Nutrition, Recipes , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

This quick and delicious soup makes for a hearty and healthy dinner.  A rainbow of colors tells you you’re getting tons of yummy vitamins, and the beans mean everyone will feel full and satisfied from a vegetable protein that won’t weigh you down!

Quick White Bean and Kale Soup

Serves 4

Cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 (32 oz) carton of low-sodium organic vegetable broth, or 4 cups of water seasoned with Seitenbacher broth powder

4 cups packed chopped kale

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

1 (14.5 oz) can of organic, unsalted cannelini beans

1 (14.5 oz) can of organic diced tomatoes

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat in a soup pot.  Add onion and cook 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another two minutes.  Add carrots and cook another minute.  Add broth, tomatoes and their juice and bring to a boil.  Cook about 5 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Add beans and kale and cook until kale is tender, about another 5-7 minutes. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste.  Serve with rye or multigrain toast.

Slim Down for Summer: Your 10 Week Plan

By: Thursday, March 28, 2013 Diet and Foods, Exercise, Healthy Beauty, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Wellness , , , , Permalink 2

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

Slim Down for Summer Your 10 Week Plan | The Organic Beauty BlogSpring is officially creeping in, with it’s gusts of 50 degree breezes and stir-crazy excitement in the air. That means bikini season in just a few months away!  So before you jump on yet another, crazy crash diet, or start doing juice cleanses every other week, let me help! Below you’ll find a 10 week plan to slim down for summer, revamp your diet, and revitalize your workout routine. If you make the commitment to yourself, your body, and your sweet, sexy summer self, this plan will take you there. Stay in touch in the comments or on our Facebook page to support each other throughout these 10 weeks, ask and answer questions, and keep yourself accountable!

The Organic Beauty 10 Week Slim Down for Summer Plan

Weeks 1 and 2:

These first two weeks are about starting and sticking to a few super healthy habits, before we move on to eliminating a some nasty ones.  First and foremost, spend these two weeks going gaga for greens.  I mean it!  Commit to having a full serving (at least 1 cup) of greens at two meals a day. For an added bonus, rock greens at all three meals!  And when I say greens, I don’t mean pale, flimsy lettuce.  I mean rich, darkly colored, super nutrient kale, spinach, chard, broccoli rabe, dandelion greens, and collards.  Eat ’em raw, eat ’em cooked (just a quick sauté with olive oil or coconut oil, garlic, and a pinch of sea salt and fresh pepper does the trick), throw ’em in your smoothies, your eggs, and your grains.  Greens are a super potent, detoxifying slim down food that is essentially “free” in terms of calories.  So eating those 2-3 cups of delicious greens every single day for the next 10 weeks means less room for other bloating, crappy foods.

Next, work on making lunch the biggest meal of your day.  Having a lighter dinner is one of the fastest ways to promote weight loss and detoxification, while helping you feel more energized and balanced throughout the day!  So make lunch dinner-sized, and dinner lunch-sized (think soup and/or salad), and watch the pounds start falling off.

Lastly, commit to working out, in any way that you enjoy, for 30 minutes to an hour, at least 3 days a week for these two weeks.  This could be yoga, pilates, running, Zumba, swimming.. whatever you love!  Don’t worry so much about the what for these two weeks, just focus on making those three days a week a non-negotiable part of your routine.  Set the days, put them in your calendar, and stick to them.  It works best to have a set three days a week that you work out, so you’re not figuring out where to fit it in every day.  Our bodies and minds thrive on routine, and this is the only way to build sustainable, healthy habits!

Weeks 1 and 2 at a Glance:

  1. Greens at least twice a day
  2. Big lunch/light dinner
  3. Exercise 30 min-1 hour 3 days a week

Weeks 3 and 4:

Now that you’re eating tons of greens every day and working out a solid three days a week, we can start to eliminate some habits that are getting in the way of your smokin’ summer bod.  It’s time to cut out processed sugar.  Completely.  As in, sayonara to Snickers, Skittles, and soda.  Does this mean you don’t get to eat anything sweet until summer?  Of course not!  Stock up on delicious fruit (especially potently antioxidant berries that are coming back into season), and sweet seasonal veggies like tomatoes, beets, bell peppers, corn, fennel, and sweet peas.  The more you incorporate these naturally sweet foods into your diet, the less you’ll be craving crappy sweets that relegate you to tankinis all summer long.  Treat yourself to a couple squares of dark chocolate (like, actually 70% dark chocolate) when you want a little something extra, and sip naturally sweetened tea throughout the day to help curb cravings.  Hibiscus, ginger, and dandelion root teas are all deeply detoxifying for spring, and with a touch of stevia to sweeten, they are a lovely drink to sip on all day long to promote slimming and steer clear of sugar!

Next, let’s amp up your workouts.  Wherever you’re at, take it up a notch.  If you’ve been doing yoga three days a week, add a fourth day of cardio or strength training.  If you’ve been running or using the elliptical machine three days a week, add a day of weights or a boot camp class.  If you’ve been a slow starter and have just been walking those three days a week, commit to taking a class of your choice for two of those days.  Wherever you’re at, amp it up!

Weeks 3 and 4 at a Glance:

  1. Cut out all processed sugar
  2. Eat fruit (especially berries) and sweet veggies.
  3. Use natural sweeteners in tea and coffee.
  4. Amp up workouts to 4 days a week.

Weeks 5 and 6:

So now you’re been eating big piles of greens at least twice a day, you’ve cut out processed sugar, and you’ve taken your workouts up a notch.  Let’s keep it going!  These two weeks are all about healthy grains.  First things first, we have to cut out the bikini bod’s mortal enemy, refined and processed grains.  This means cutting out the white bread, pasta, the processed cereals (basically any cereal other than granola), and if you haven’t already done so the last two week, all pastries!  Now I’m not saying you can’t have a slice of pizza for the next six weeks, but keep it to just once or twice a month.  Before you get all panicked at the thought of giving up bread, take a breath and chill.  You don’t need to give up grains!  These next two weeks, we are going to amp up your whole grains, which are awesome for weight loss, digestion, balancing blood sugar, and minimizing cravings.  So make sure to have a serving (about 1/2-1 cup) of whole grains at lunch and/or breakfast every day.  Brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats and millet are all your best friends!  Have some oatmeal or quinoa porridge for breakfast, or a slice of sprouted whole grain Ezekiel toast with nut butter with your smoothie or eggs.   For lunch, have some brown rice or quinoa with your stir-fry or in your burrito bowl, have some sushi, or just rock some grains alongside a delicious piece of salmon and a bunch of greens for a perfect, balanced meal!

How are the workouts going??  Hopefully by now you are working out a solid four days a week, even if it’s just for 30-45 minutes! If you’re not, hang that bikini up somewhere you’ll see it every day, and repeat to yourself that YOU NEED TO WORK OUT TO LOOK GOOD IN A BIKINI!!!!  There is no way around this.  Even if you are a lucky, naturally slim person, working out 3-4 days a week, every week is going to tighten everything up in all the right places and take your body from meh to WHOA.  So quit messing around and make it happen!  If it isn’t already a part of your weekly routine, I recommend adding a pilates workout to your regimen.  Pilates is amazing for toning abs, legs, and arms, and creating the long, lean lines that we all want for summer.

Lastly, WATER!!  Make these two weeks ALL about water.  Drink half your ideal body weight in ounces, every single day.  If you need to spruce up your water, add a squeeze of fresh lemon or some lemon slices, or get creative and add fun flavor boosters like sliced ginger, berries, and mint!  Drinking tons of water is crucial to slimming down, detoxifying, and getting that hot summer bod.  So make it happen!

Weeks 5 and 6 at a Glance:

  1. Cut out processed and refined carbs
  2. Increase whole grains at breakfast and lunch
  3. Work out 4 days a week
  4. Add Pilates
  5. Drink half your ideal body weight in ounces of water every day.

Weeks 7 and 8:

Alright guys, we’re almost there!  You are now working out 4 days a week, doing pilates, eating lots of greens and whole grains, and you’ve cut out all processed sugar and carbs.  Amazing!!!  By now your body is looking leaner, slimmer, and you probably have a whole lot more energy too!  Take a minute to write down all the awesome benefits you’ve noticed over the last 6 weeks.  This will help you stay motivated for this final month!

For these next two weeks, we’re going to clean up your proteins to make them leaner, healthier, and more conducive to a hot, slim, summer bod.  If you’re a meat-eater, over the next two weeks, work on keeping your animal proteins to lean, organic, free-range chicken, eggs, and low-mercury fish.  Also, start the practice of have two meatless days per week.  Regardless of whether or not you eat meat, focus on healthy plant proteins for these two weeks.  Beans in all their many varieties, nuts, and whole grains are all wonderful sources of protein.  Even greens have protein!  So don’t feel like you need to center your meals around a Protein, with a capital P.  Eating mostly plant proteins, fish, and eggs will give your body all the protein it needs, and will promote a healthy, lean physique year-round, not just in summer!

If you aren’t doing so already, make sure one of your weekly workouts uses light weights to boost metabolism and tone muscles.  For most women, I don’t recommend using dumbbells over 5 lbs., unless you’re going for a super muscled look.  To keep muscles long, lean, and slim, use 3 lb. weights in your workouts at least once a week.  If you’re a dude, you’re free to lift more, but focus on lower weight and higher reps to get a sexy, sculpted look.

Weeks 7 and 8 at a Glance:

  1. Write down all the amazing changes you’ve noticed so far.
  2. Keep animal proteins to organic, free-range chicken, eggs, and low-mercury fish.
  3. Increase and focus on plant proteins
  4. Have at least two meatless days a week.
  5. Add light weights to your workouts at least once a week.

Weeks 9 and 10:

Here it is, guys, the final stretch!  Your body is just a month away from being totally prepped for summer, and for some of you, you may already be there!

Keep up all the amazing changes you’ve incorporated over the last 8 weeks.  You’re doing such great things for your body!  These next two weeks, we’re going to make just a couple final adjustments that will get you where you want to be in no time at all.  First, we have to cut out bloating foods.  Retaining water and a gassy belly are major buzzkills when it comes to feeling sexy in slim on the beach, so we’re going to cut those puppies out to give your amazing abs a chance to shine!  Salt, dairy, and gluten are the three biggest bloaters around, so let’s be mindful of reducing or eliminating these foods for two weeks to really get some crazy results.  If you’re cooking your own food, you’re in control of how much salt is in everything, which is great.  Keep it to a pinch of sea salt when cooking, and you’re good to go.  If you’re eating out a lot, you don’t have as much control, so use these next two weeks as motivation for getting your cook on!

If you do ok with a little Greek yogurt, I won’t take it away from you, but cheese and milk are a slim-down (and general health) no-no.  Switch to a nut milk in your coffee and granola, and ditch the cheese altogether.  It’s salty, it’s fatty, it’s bloaty, it’s bad!

If you didn’t already do so in week 5 and 6, experiment with cutting out gluten for a couple weeks to see how it effects your digestion, especially if you experience bloat, gassiness, or feel like your belly just isn’t where you want it to be.  Check out this great resource on gluten-free grains!

Your workouts are settling into a nice routine by now, with a good balance of light weights, slimming pilates, and whatever else floats your boat.  These next two weeks, let’s make sure your boat is floated by some cardio.  If cardio isn’t a part of your 4 days of exercise by now, make it one!  Better yet, do it outside!  Biking, running, swimming, or a great boot camp or crossfit-style class are all awesome cardio workouts which will make sure you’re burning off fat and keeping things lean.  If you really want to amp up these last two weeks, add a fifth day of exercise to shred, slim and ensure that awesome bikini bod.  Even if it’s just a yoga class, working out 5 days a week is an unbelievable gift to your body, your mind, and your health.

Weeks 9 and 10 at a Glance:

  1. Reduce salt (cook more at home).
  2. Eliminate milk and cheese.
  3. Experiment with cutting out gluten.
  4. Add cardio (outside if possible)
  5. Add a fifth day of exercise (optional)

YOU DID IT!!!!

Share your experience as you go and definitely at the end of your 10 weeks here or on Facebook, and feel super proud of the amazing things you’ve done for your body.  Make a note of what worked and felt great, and keep those habits up, past summer, year-round.

As always, if you feel like you need some more support getting to where you want to be, please check out my whole body transformation programs and get in touch!

Beat Cravings and Binge Eating by Dealing With Your Emotions!

By: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 Diet and Foods, Exercise, Healthy Baby, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Wellness , , , , Permalink 0

 

By: Stephanie Heino

Beat Cravings and Binge Eating by Dealing With Your Emotions! | The Organic Beauty BlogI don’t know about you, but when I felt stressed, had a bad day, or felt sad and depressed I used to go dig in the fridge and binge until there was no more room in that poor tummy. Does this sound familiar? I later learned that this didn’t mean I was starving, instead it was my way of dealing with emotions I didn’t know to handle in any other way. Do you recognize this behavior? I know that this is something more or less all people go through at one point or another in life, but as long as you are able to recognize why you are engaging in a certain behavior, that is also when you can change and let go of the addiction and shed those extra pounds.

My body is amazing at letting me know I’m disconnected from my deeper self. Take last week for example, each day I found myself wanting sugar. And this was not just a moment spent thinking about how nice a piece of chocolate would taste but instead a persistent obsessive thought of all my biochemical signals telling me I needed something to fill me up. Something to fill up the emptiness I felt inside due to stress and family issues. I didn’t give in to the temptation, because I knew that the temporary satisfaction would leave me feeling even worse than how I felt before, so I decided to go to the root of the issue instead of numbing my feelings by engaging in addictive behaviors such as smoking a cigarette, binging, etc.

I am sure you are all familiar with the feeling I am describing, it is not about the issue of starving yourself, nor is it about the hunger that comes from restricting too many calories, this is the type of hunger that starts right back up again once you’ve eaten that piece of chocolate and only transforms when you’ve finished the whole bar. And of course, it doesn’t transform into peace and satiation like you expect. It morphs into an agonizing mix of guilt and shame. Do you know why? Because the actual reason for binging wasn’t that your body needed the chocolate bar, it was just a way for you to deal with the emotions you were feeling at that certain time.

Here are some of the things to look into and explore when you can’t stop the hunger or are craving things that don’t support your highest good. By analyzing your actual feelings and mood instead of reaching for the nearest candy bar, you will eventually thank your self, and so will your waistline. But don’t expect this to take place overnight. You have to be determined to retrain your mind and step away from learned behaviors, either by yourself, or with the help of a professional. If you need support, schedule a free consultation with Holistic Health Counselor Natasha Uspensky to get back on track physically and emotionally. Take a look below and use the affirmations provided the next time you get that intense craving:

Thirst. Thirst and hunger originate from the same hypothalamic area in our brain, which makes it easy to get the two mixed up. This means signals can get confused and we can think we’re hungry when really we’re really just thirsty. When we have too little fluid in our bodies it lowers our blood pressure and our body thinks it needs food. Try drinking water and see if it alleviates your hunger before going nuts in the grocery store.

Affirmation: I am in tune with what my body really needs. I fill my body with thirst-quenching water.

Beat Cravings and Binge Eating by Dealing With Your Emotions! 2 | The Organic Beauty BlogNutrition. When your diet doesn’t have as much nutritious and healthy food as it needs, your body will go into nutritional starvation mode. Don’t confuse this with calorie starving mode. Totally different. Nutritional starvation mode is when your cells are deficient of minerals and vitamins and they cry out for more. However, in a culture where we have grown up being seduced by addictive and processed food it’s hard to understand what our bodies really needs. It is only when you begin infusing your body with life-giving food that you realize what you were hungering for all along.

Affirmation: I feed my body the fuel that energizes and nourishes me in every single cell of my being. My cells receive nutrients rather than toxins to make them feel full and complete.

Check out this chart on what vitamin you might be lacking when craving a certain food!

Stress. Stress is about forgetting everything else but staying alive. Your desires, intentions and good health routines get thrown out the window. You become preoccupied with the state of feeling unsafe and threatened and after your late night at work you opt for take-out, spiking your blood sugars; or you reach for that ice cream to calm your nerves. Stress keeps your sympathetic nervous system active (fight or flight, hello cortisol!) and won’t allow your parasympathetic system to do what it does best: rest and digest. When your digestion is impaired you won’t be assimilating or absorbing nutrients and your body will activate its hunger programs.

Affirmation: I am calm and balanced throughout life’s chaos. The more I rest, the more I digest my experiences for my greater good.

Pleasure and reward. Eating sugar as been shown to release opioids and dopamine in the brain, which rewards us with pleasurable feelings, one of the basic underpinnings of our human drive. When you’re craving sugar, you may really be craving pleasure and reward in your life but you confuse it with actual hunger. It all has to do with the balance within, does your pleasure come from within, or do you feel the need to seek it from external sources like food and other addictions? The same reward pathway is often triggered for all addiction issues. Often we try to mask our pain with external pleasures like I mentioned above. If you go within your sweet cravings you will find parts of yourself feeling bland and joyless which is feelings your are trying to numb. Try go for a walk, take a long hot shower or call a friend, and I promise the craving will fade!

Affirmation: Sweetness is an infinite spring bubbling within me. Who I am is sweet and joyful and abundant I choose to feel and acknowledge the pain within me, rather than mask it, in order to uncover my essential sweetness.

Qi. Qi is the energy of our life force. When it’s not flowing like it is supposed to, we feel tired, deflated and uninspired in life. Our food cravings may be the result of our own sabotage patterns that stop us doing the things that build and rejuvenate our energy within. Instead of consuming the refined sugar that gives us a short and empty kick of energy, what we really need is to refill the well of our inner qi so that it becomes overflowing. Taking a walk in the forest, laughing with friends, doing Tai Chi or charging your chakras (check back next week for a post on balancing your chakras through meditation!) will do more for your qi circulation, bioelectricity (the electric potential across cell membranes) or photonic energy (light) than any cookie ever will.

Affirmation: I rejuvenate my chi until it overflows from my internal well. I seek out the things that light me up and energize me and it feels good and natural to do so.

Your soul’s hunger. Your soul always desires to step out of pain and into bliss. Hunger on this level is really about the true hunger of not living a life from the totality of who you are. Your hunger will increase when the distance between how you currently live your life and how you really desire to live it seems too immense. Nothing will fill you up apart from acknowledging and activating your unique brilliance.

Affirmation: I live from the wholeness and the completeness of my being. I am full and inspired across all dimensions of who I am.

Next time you feel the craving of a hunger that can’t be satiated, explore the origins of that hunger before reaching for the peanut butter and chocolate. Your hunger is a complicated beast; present across many aspects of your self. Let your self make peace with the sensations as it guides you lovingly into the wonderful person you are. For me, I soon worked out that my hunger was about too much stress and bad relationships in life. What is your hunger about? Go within to find out!

Here are some reason as to why you might be craving a certain food:

Sweets. When you get that intense craving for chocolate, you should stop and evaluate how your sleep has been lately. When tired, many people crave carbohydrates for a quick energy boost since carbs are our main source of fuel. Since simple carbs, such as sugar and white bread, are digested quicker than complex ones such as whole grains and beans, the energy kicks in sooner which makes it “ideal” for an energy booster. Unfortunately that sugar “high” doesn’t last long, and it eventually leads to an inevitable crash making you even more tired. As an alternative, go take a walk. In a University of Georgia study, people who worked out at a low-intensity for 20 minutes reported a 65 percent drop in feelings of fatigue.

Crunchy. A handful of nuts a day can be a healthy snack, but it can also hint to an inner frustration and irritation. The act of chewing and cracking the food in your mouth can momentarily release that angst, but the problem is the second that the crunching stops, the frustration returns — and many people go back to eating more and can end up polishing off an entire bag of chips. Watch out for this! A better way to release that tension is to punch a punching bag or do any kind of exercise, which will release endorphins to boost your mood. Several studies have also shown that relaxing music really does relieve stress.

Creamy. Creamy dishes such as ice cream, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese are called “comfort foods” because they point to worrisome thoughts, when what you really need is to be soothed. These are also high-carb, high-fat foods. Carbs boost the ‘feel-good’ hormone serotonin, and when you eat something high in both carbs and fat, it can trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. No wonder it is so addicting! While a bowl of ice cream may make you feel better in the moment, usually the worries return when the person realizes how many calories they consumed, and then guilt sets in. So instead of reaching for these fattening foods, trying a warm bath, a foot massage, or just wrap yourself in soft, cozy clothing can provide instant calming.

Caffeine. Anytime the coffee shop or a soda machine calls your name, you’re likely more than just thirsty. You may be tired, or feel discouraged or dissatisfied with your job and reach for these ‘quick fixes’ to perk you up and get you through the day. Does this sound familiar to you? It could also mean you’re dehydrated. Not drinking enough water leads to a lack of energy, so instead of a latte, you may just need some H2O. Try it before reaching for anything else!

Carbs. While cravings for pasta, bread and other carbohydrates can come from a number of physiological reasons, including a high insulin level or low blood sugar, it can also be a result of self-deprivation. When someone is on a strict eating plan or has declared certain foods 0ff-limits, they will want them that much more because they know they are not “allowed”.  Make whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and oats a regular part of your diet to majorly curb the carb cravings!

It is not impossible to change your addictive behavior, you just need to retrain your mind and learn how to deal with your emotions in a way that does not involve food!

Spring Detox Your Body: Top 10 Cleansing Foods, Juices, and Smoothies

By: Thursday, March 7, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Beauty, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Healthy Home, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Organic Beauty, Recipes , , , , Permalink 0

By: Stephanie Heino

Spring Detox Your Body Top 10 Cleansing Foods, Juices, and Smoothies | The Organic Beauty BlogSpring is slowly approaching, and it is truly the perfect time for a detox. Who doesn’t want to get rid of those toxins, feeling fresh and new when the sun starts heating everything up in just a couple of weeks? The changing seasons and the signs of new life sprouting all around us inspire better eating and getting organized, as well as serving as a reminder that summer is right around the corner. Whether your reason to detoxify is to support your immune system, improve your digestion, prevent disease, or to shed some of those extra pounds from the holidays, detoxing the body (and your whole life!) is a great way to welcome the new season.

One of the body’s many remarkable features is that when you target one organ or elimination system for cleansing (for example, the liver, colon, kidneys, lymph, or blood), the others contribute to the detoxification process.

Full body cleanses that force toxins to be eliminated from several organs at once are stressful to the body and can leave you feeling really yucky. They can cause severe reactions, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or skin problems such as acne. A full body detox might be more suitable for the experienced “detoxer” meaning a person who has had a clean lifestyle and diet free of alcohol, cigarette smoke, artificial ingredients and chemicals, to begin with. For the newbie on the other hand, I would recommend starting with one organ or one elimination system to detoxify, for example, the liver or colon, so it doesn’t hit you too hard.

If you prefer to go all in your first time, you should definitely consult a nutritionist, naturopath, homeopath or herbalist for help to determine what is the most appropriate cleanse for you since there really is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to detoxification. If you have any questions about which approach you should take, or if you want to start a personalized cleanse, I recommend scheduling a free consultation with Holistic Health Counselor Natasha Uspensky.

In this article I will talk about top ten detox foods, as well as a couple of gentle cleanses that work wonders for you to get ready for the most amazing season of the year, as well as that sundress just waiting for you in the back of the closet. If you don’t feel like doing a hardcore detox or fast, these 10 foods can spring clean your body just enough and keep refreshing your vital parts all year around. Just take these three steps:

  • “Eat clean,” avoiding processed foods and chemical additives, and shoot for organic produce whenever possible.
  • Stay well hydrated by drinking lots of filtered water.
  • Include some of these 10 foods in several meals throughout the week, or better yet, every day!

The Top 10 Detox Foods:

  1. Leafy green vegetables. Eat them raw in a salad, throw them into a broth, steam them and mix with rice or add to an omelet, or puree them into juices. The chlorophyll in greens helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides). It’s also an all-around liver protector, which your liver needs since it’s your major domo detoxifier.
  2. Lemons. Fresh lemonade made with filtered water will keep you hydrated, and its vitamin C helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that’s easily flushed away. (Add some pureed greens to further boost your C vitamin intake). A great detoxifying practice is sipping a mug of hot water with fresh squeezed lemon juice first thing when you wake up (see below).
  3. Watercress. This is an excellent addition to all kinds of salads, soups, and sandwiches. Those little green leaves have a diuretic effect that helps the flushing process. Plus watercress is a mineral goldmine since it is rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.
  4. Garlic. Add it to everything such as salads, sauces, soups, and spreads for a great taste. In addition to the heart-friendly bulb’s cardio benefits, it also activates liver enzymes (make sure to not eat it before a date; garlic breath is not sexy!) Research also indicates that garlic diminishes a process that creates cancer-causing compounds in your body. B
  5. Green tea. This antioxidant-rich drink (See our post on the amazing benefits of green tea) is one of the healthiest ways to get more antioxidants into your system. It also contains catechins, which speed up liver activity, making it ideal for detoxing.
  6. Broccoli sprouts. They pack 20 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the actual broccoli vegetable we are more familiar with. Research suggests that eating the sprouts (they taste like radishes!) kills off H. Pylori bacteria that causes stomach irritation and ulcers.
  7. Sesame seeds. They are said to protect the liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that goes so well with so many dishes!
  8. Cabbage. There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver, and this potent veggie helps activate both of them. It’s the largest member of the Brassica veggie family, all of which delivers colon-cancer fighting isothicyanates and vitamin C. Coleslaw, anyone?
  9. Psyllium. This plant’s bursting with soluble fiber, which absorbs toxins as well as cholesterol and helps clear them out (amazing!). Stir powdered psyllium into juice to help cleanse your colon, or have whole psyllium husk sprinkled on top your quinoa porridge for breakfast. I would recommend starting with a small amount and gradually increase your dose as your GI tract becomes used to it. It really is a great detox food, because trust me, it flushes it all out!
  10. Fruits, fruits, fruits. They’re full of almost all the good things listed above — vitamin C, fiber, nutritious fluids, and assorted antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, perfect pear, or fresh berries.

Ultimate Detox Recipe: Easy Garlic-Sesame Salad

Toss dark green leafy vegetables in hot, garlicky oil for a cleansing yet delicious dish!

4 servings

1 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. spinach, stemmed, or 1 lb. Swiss chard, or 1 lb. mixture of spinach and watercress
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp. sesame seeds for garnish

Warm oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Add greens (do in two batches if necessary) and toss until just wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

If you want to go a little bit further, you should keep reading since I will recommend some gentle cleanses that aren’t likely to cause any severe reactions; but with this being said, don’t underestimate their potency. They effectively work to eliminate stored toxins such as chemicals, drug residues, microbes, even toxic emotions from your cells. Be sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of pure water throughout the day to boost the cleansing process.

    1. Basic Daily Detox. Water with lemon. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into an eight-ounce glass of room temperature or warm water. Drink a glass each morning upon rising. For best results, wait about 20 minutes before eating or drinking anything else (including your morning coffee or tea). Repeat daily for a minimum of three weeks, but take a break after about six weeks.
    2. Another Basic Daily Detox. Water with liquid chlorophyll. Purchase a bottle of liquid chlorophyll (flavored or unflavored). Add one to two tablespoons to an eight-ounce glass of water at least once a day. Repeat daily for a minimum of three weeks, but take a break after about six weeks.
    3. Love Your Liver. Liver-Cleansing Vegetable Cocktail: In a juicer, juice two or three carrots, one large beet, one apple, and some spirulina powder. Add one glass of pure water, mix well, and enjoy.
    4. Tummy Tonics. Raw Cabbage Juice: Juice half of a raw cabbage (any type of cabbage). It’s surprisingly sweet and tastes much better than you expect it to. Ginger & Apple Juice: Juice two apples and some ginger. Add a cup of water to dilute and enjoy.
    5. Gut Wrencher. Colon Cleansing Smoothie: Lose inches from your belly and clean out your colon at the same time with this delicious smoothie. In a blender, add one cup of water, half a cup of fresh or frozen raspberries or strawberries, ½ of cup of almond milk, half a banana, one tablespoon of ground flaxseed, and 300 mg magnesium powder. For extra fiber, you can add one teaspoon of chia seeds, hemp seeds, psyllium, and/or spirulina.
    6. Urinary System Cleanse (Kidneys/Bladder). Potassium Broth: Fill a large pot with a cup of potato peelings, a cup of carrot peelings, one whole beet (chopped), a cup of onions (chopped), an entire head of garlic (peeled and roughly chopped or crushed), one or two celery stalks (chopped) and a handful of dark leafy greens. Add enough pure water to cover the vegetables and simmer on a low temperature for one to two hours. Strain and pour the broth into a pitcher, or simply dip a mug into the pot and sip on broth throughout the day. Signs that it’s working: an increased amount of urine that smells like ammonia.

Common signs that toxins are being eliminated during a detox can include headaches, muscle aches, foul smelling breath, stool and urine, acne and skin breakouts, and emotional fluxes (such as irritability or bouts of crying) so make sure you don’t have a lot on your schedule while doing the detox. If these symptoms occur, don’t stop the detox. It just shows it is actually working, and the unpleasantness will soon be replaced with energy and vibrancy, leaving you feeling amazing and like a new person!

Happy cleansing!

The Last (and Best) Diet You’ll Ever Need

By: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Organic Beauty , , , , Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

The Last (and Best) Diet You’ll Ever Need | The Organic Beauty BlogThe traditional Ayurvedic approach to eating emphasizes when you eat as well as what you eat, and it is literally the best and healthiest key to permanent weight loss, lifelong weight management, and optimum health and digestion.  It points to the body’s ideal time for consuming the biggest meal of the day.. and it’s certainly not when most Americans think it is.

Our bodies are designed to consume the majority of the day’s calories before 3pm, when digestion is the strongest.  This means a balanced breakfast that is nourishing and filling enough to get you through to lunch without feeling hungry (and without needing that mid-morning cup of coffee or snack!).  Our bodies function best when lunch is the biggest meal of the day.  Midday is when our digestion and metabolism are the strongest, and our system is in need of nourishment and healthy calories.  So guess what?  That soup or salad just aren’t going to cut it.  Your typical light lunch is what’s responsible for your late afternoon energy crash, your high hunger levels in the evening, and your struggles with weight!  Making your lunch healthy and dinner-sized is the biggest secret for longterm weight loss, and the end to dieting forever.  This big lunch keeps you full and energized throughout the day, and keeps you from overeating in the evening, which is when calories eaten go directly to your problem areas and contribute to weight gain.  Dinner, or better yet “supper” (sharing the root of “supplemental” or “soup-like”), should be the lightest meal of the day.  Soup is the absolute ideal supper, although a salad is also great.

This way of eating certainly has history and culture on it’s side, being the traditional way of eating for many Eastern cultures, and even much of Western Europe, before eating habits and work cultures were Americanized.  But now, there is also cold, hard scientific evidence supporting it!  A new study recently published in the International Journal of Obesity proves once and for all that eating your main meal of the day in the evening contributes to weight gain.  In the study, a group of 420 overweight men and women were evaluated over five months.  During that time, half the group ate their biggest meal of the day before 3pm, while the other half ate it after 3pm.  Both groups had the same amount of exercise, ate the same amount of calories throughout the day, and got the same amount of sleep throughout the study.  Over the course of the 5 month study, the early eating group lost an average of 22 pounds, while the late eating group lost only 17 pounds.

Further supporting this evidence is a study from the University of Alabama last year, showing that eating higher fat meals in the first half of the day, and a lighter low-fat meal in the second half of the day (see The Key to Sustained Weight Loss) support longterm weight loss.  So here’s how to eat:

  • Eat three meals a day, and don’t snack.
  • Make lunch the biggest meal of the day.
  • Make breakfast big enough to get to lunch without feeling hungry.
  • Make dinner light and “supplementary.”

Even if you change nothing else about your diet, just this shift alone will give you some results!  But of course, for this to be the last and best diet you’ll ever need, you’ll want to make some changes to what you’re eating as well.

  • Eat less meat and dairy, and more low-mercury fish and healthy plant-based fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, and healthy oils.
  • Eat more vegetables!!!  Better yet, eat mostly vegetables!  They are nature’s perfect foods.
  • Eat less processed grains and flours, and more whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, millet and oats.
  • Eat less sugar.  If you need a little sweetness, get it from fruit and healthy sweeteners like stevia or raw honey, all in moderation.

Doesn’t sound so hard, does it?

Want some healthy meal ideas?  Check out What Do I Eat? Healthy Eating is Easier Than You Think!, and our Healthy Recipes database.

Reference:
Garalualet M. International Journal of Obesity, Jan 2013.
Bray M. International Journal of Obesity, Mar 2010