Let us celebrate National Love Your Body Day with this self-love exercise you can do every day.  We can also call it self love affirmations or even self love meditation.

If you don’t like your body image, have low self esteem or no confidence,you may want to love your body by trying some self-love exercises.

“I don’t like myself, I’m crazy about myself”– Mae West

I hope you have been doing my Self Love Exercise to Feel Sexy and Confident for a while, so now we are going to try this advanced self love meditation from Healthy Body Cards by Louise Hay.

I Love My Body: “My body is a glorious place to live.  I marvel at the miracle that is my body. I keep my body healthy.”

I Love My AGE: “I am the perfect age. Each year is special and precious to me. I shall only live it once. I am comfortable with growing older.”

I Love My WEIGHT: I am the perfect weight for myself at this moment. Yet I have the ability to change my weight if I desire. I am free.”

I Love My HEART: “I am the joy of life, expressing and receiving. Joyous new ideas circulate freely within my heart.”

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. –Buddha

Try these self- love affirmation in the morning and just before going to bed to feel and look fabulous.

P.S. Click to listen to tips on self love and body image from our fabulous guests/ experts on Feel and Look Fabulous with Irina, radio show for women.

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health and Nutrition Coach and Counselor

Beware the Hidden Dangers of Soy!

Soy has phytoestrogens that is an estrogen-like substance. These substances should be avoided if a woman has an estrogen-dependent breast cancer. Research suggests if you have this type of breast cancer, eating large amounts of soy or products may be detrimental to your health.

I would like to share with you an excerpt by Dianne Gregg, health advocate and author of her book The Hidden Dangers of Soy.

In today’s market 60% of the food commercially available contains some form of hidden soy.  Consumers need to know where the soy is in such common items as prepared frozen foods, sauces, seasoning mixes and salad dressings.

Here are six quick and simple soy substitutes for products containing soy.

1.  Instead of using vegetable oil – which often contains soy oil as part of the mix – use olive, safflower, or coconut oil.

2.  Use real butter instead of margarine, butter substitutes or shortening, all of which contain soybean oil.

3.  Many microwave meals – including seasoned frozen vegetables – particularly those in a sauce, contain soybean oil.  Instead buy fresh/or unprocessed frozen vegetables.

4.  Instead of canned soups try using Kitchen Basics brand broth, which contains no soy.

5.  If you buy jarred tomato sauce. Buy organic brands – most do not contain soybean oil – but always read the label to be sure.

6.  Instead of purchasing pre-packaged seasoning mixes, which can contain soy, get creative and blend your own spices. For example, to prepare steamed or grilled vegetables, use olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. Add a little salt and pepper – voila!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Counselor

Do you normally read nutrition labels before making your purchase?

Well, it can spoil your appetite, but WILL improve your health and well being.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I would like to remind you that when grocery shopping, reading labels in order to prevent or survive breast cancer is a must.

Learn to understand nutrition labels to prevent breast cancer:

1. The serving size

The information on nutrition labels is only for one serving. If the the product  contains more than one serving, do the math

2. Calories and calories from fat

Assuming that you are on 2,000 calorie diet, 40 calories is considered low, 100 calories is medium, and 400+ is considered high. Always check if calories come from fats, nutrients, fiber, carbohydrates, sugars, etc.

3. Total Fat

We shouldn’t have more than 65-70 grams of fat per day, it means no more than 30% of total calories coming from fat. The easiest way to convert calories from fat, multiply by 9.

4. Trans Fat

If the labels say 0 trans fats but the product contains partially hydrogenated oils, there is still 0.5 or less of trans fats per serving. Well, do the math before you eat too much of 0 fat products. Trans fat is very dangerous for our health, because it clogs arteries which leads to heart disease.

5. Sodium.

The amount of sodium means the amount of salt per serving.  Look for products with 140 milligrams per serving or less. Too much sodium is dangerous because it raises our blood pressure which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

6. Dietary fiber

Ladies, to feel and look fabulous, we need at least 25-30 grams of total fiber daily. Don’t be fooled or confused with whole wheat, multigrain bread. If your favorite bread contains less than 3 grams of fiber, it is not as healthy as you think it is. Look for products with 3-5 grams of fiber per serving.

7. Sugar content

Always remember that 4 grams of sugar = 1 tsp. And don’t forget to look for hidden sugar.

8.  The footnote

The footnote is your reference. The “less than” means that you should limit intake of these nutrients.

Let us be label reading smart, shall we?

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

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Counselor