How much would you like to get through the Holidays and the Cold / Flu Season staying healthy and happy, and without gaining too much weight?

I would like to share with you ten tips to stay healthy and feel and look fabulous:

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

2. Eat as many high-fiber foods as you can,  My favorite high fiber foods are: 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.

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

3. Wash your hands to eliminate germs that can make you sick.  Don’t touch your face if you don’t need to: germs can enter you through your face (eyes, nose and mouth). Its easy to end up touching your face hundreds of times a day; the fewer time the better.

4. Take a break from protein, dairy products, fat and sweets, instead 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.

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

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

7. Use 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. Move your body (also known as exercise) – take a short walk before and/or after your meal.

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 .

Visit my Radio Show for Women for more tips on “Boosting Your Immunity During Cold and Flu Season” with Naturopath and Raw Food Coach Pamela Reilly

And never forget to breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Counselor, Coach and Relationship Expert

No matter how busy we are, we should never forget to take care of ourselves – mind, body and spirit.

One little thing you can do for yourself is to indulge yourself in a mini spa day.

This beauty remedies tip will help you relax to feel and look fabulous.

Are you ready for a homemade beauty remedy recipe that will make you feel and look fabulous?

Relax, Rejuvenate and Detox with an Essential Oils Healing Bath.

By taking a relaxing healing oil bath you may be able to reduce your stress level, lower your blood pressure, heal a headache, balance your hormones, address your sleep needs to sleep better, achieve a natural weight loss, detox cleanse, and feel sexy.

According to Ayurveda, the perfect bath should stimulate all the five senses, provide relaxation and a feeling of emotional fullness. After your full body massage, you should let your skin absorb the oil for at least 15 minutes before you get into the tub. During this time, you assemble everything you will need for a full sensory experience.

Taste: It’s important to remain hydrated while you are cleansing and detoxifying your body. For a soothing drink, try herbal teas. Nettle Tea is specially designed to calm the mind. For an energizing beverage, you can add a few teaspoons of Cocoa. Ayurveda does not recommend drinking coffee and alcohol because they stimulate the body instead of soothing it.

Sight: For a peaceful atmosphere, light a few candles and turn off the lights. Make sure you place the candles in a secure place, where you can’t knock them off while bathing.

Sound: To help you focus on your spa experience, turn off your phone and mute the answering machine. Put on your favorite soothing, low-volume music. You can also listen to a CD with pacifying melodies of nature, which will help revitalize your body, mind and spirit. If you have a portable CD player, you can place it in the bathroom but away from the bath tub for safety reasons.

Smell: Now you are ready to fill your tub with warm water. Do not bathe in hot water because it dries your skin and depletes your energy. Make sure to use a filter if the tap water is heavily chlorinated. Soften and scent your bathwater with essential oils, which come in different aromatherapy combinations such as relaxing, rejuvenating or energizing. You can also try the Epsom salts to relax your muscles.  Natural aromas will uplift your spirit. If you are planning to soak for a while, you can use bath pillows to cushion your head and neck.

Touch: Use natural sponges or scrubs such as loofah, to soften rough elbows and knees, and pumice stone to scrub calluses on your feet. Instead of petroleum-based soaps, use vegetable soaps to cleanse your skin. (adopted form Maharishi Ayurveda -www.mapi.com)

Click to listen to our discussion with Mary- Beth Janssen, Health and Beauty Expert on Pleasure Healing and Self Nurturing Tips for Busy Women.

P.S. You can also take a lavender bath with lavender essential oils, aromatherapy lavender, a tea bath, or healing oils as a beauty remedies stress reducer to detox cleanse and to feel sexy.

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor and Coach

If you like cooking, you may have started looking for the best pie recipes for your holiday guests and family.

Here is an opportunity for you to create your own delicious Sweet Potato or Squash Holiday Pie for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Or… you can bake three different Holiday pies to impress and surprise your family and friends

Start having fun by choosing from the following holiday recipe ingredients:

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Step I. Pick one:

• 1 and a half can pumpkin puree
• 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
• 3 cups cooked mashed buttercup squash
• 3 cups cooked mashed butternut squash

Step II. Pick one:

• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¾ cup Agave Nectar

Step III. Pick three or more:

• 1/5 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp orange zest

Step IV. Pick one:

• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup rice milk

Step V. Pick one:

• 3 eggs slightly beaten + 2 tbsp flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup firm tofu
• 2 tbsp semolina

Step VI. pinch of salt

Step VII. I – 2 tbsp Molasses

Next: Make the Crust

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup margarine
• 5- 6 tbsp cold water

Mix together flour, margarine and salt. Add water, one spoon at a time until pastry holds together. Shape the pastry into a ball and put into the refrigerator for 45 min.

Final Step

Mix all ingredients together and pour into the crust. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for 45 – 50 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas,HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition, Coach, Counselor and Relationship Expert

Did you know that cranberries are good not only for Thanksgiving Dinner but also for Cold and Flu Season.

** Cranberries are rich in fiber and vitamin C as well as numerous  phytonutrients that have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Studies show that cranberries can help boost your immunity and deal with urinary infection, colds, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.

** Orange zest is rich in Vitamin C, pectin – natural fiber, and flavonoid called hesperidin, which can lower cholesterol, high blood pressure, and help control blood sugar. Natural pectin can also help get rid of constipation and suppress your appetit.

Is it time to make this simple cranberry sauce recipe?

Tasty Cranberry Relish Recipe with Orange Zest

• 2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp finely grated orange zest

Stir the cranberries and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often for about 12 minutes, or until the cranberries release their juices, become soft and have mostly fallen apart. Stir in the maple syrup and zest. Transfer to a bowl, cool and then cover and refrigerate until cold. The relish will keep for 5 days, covered and refrigerated.

Bon Appetit!

Breathe, smile and be happy,

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor and Coach

To look fabulous in Summer, we need to eat more lycopene rich foods, such as cooked tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, papaya, water melon in order to protect our skin from sun damage.

New studies show that lycopene in our diet can help our skin block UV rays and that there is a connection between lycopene and skin cancer.  Because our body doesn’t produce this antioxidant,  we should incorporate more lycopene rich foods in our diet, to protect ourselves from skin cancer.

Try these three healthy simple and easy summer recipes to keep your skin sun damage free.

1. Grapefruit and Walnuts Salad Easy Summer Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 medium grapefruits
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1/2 cup Immunity Boosting Turmeric Dressing

Directions:

Peel grapefruits and section. Peel avocado and remove pit, cut into chunks. Place avocado and grapefruit into the bowl and gently toss. Drizzle lemon’s juice. Add nuts and drizzle with Turmeric dressing.

2. Spaghetti Sauce Easy Summer Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions chopped
• 2 Portobello (or 1 cup shitake) mushrooms sliced
• 4 tomatoes chopped or 2 tbsp tomato paste (for paste you need 1/3 cup water)
• 2 clove garlic minced
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• salt and fresh grounded pepper to taste
• 8 ounces spaghetti or angel hair pasta

Directions:

Sautee onions in olive oil for 10 min., add mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add tomatoes (if you use tomato paste, add some water), parsley, salt and pepper.

Drain pasta. Toss with tomato sauce and serve.

3. Papaya Fruit Salad Easy Summer Recipe

This recipe is from one of my favorite books Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe:

Eating this fruit salad is a great way to begin the morning. The cinnamon contains the mineral chromium, a great blood sugar balancer, this fruit salad is loaded with enzymes to help stimulate elimination in the morning.

Ingredients:

• 1papaya
• ½ avocado
• 6 fresh figs
• 2 nectarines
• ½ tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 lemon juice
• 1 tbsp raw honey

Directions:

Chop all ingredients, mix and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Coach and Counselor