In February we celebrate National Wear Red Day to help promote prevention of heart disease in women.

Let us make healthier choices to beat heart disease. It can be prevented with the right lifestyle – the food you eat, the exercise you do, and the lifestyle you lead.

Let us celebrate Go Red for Women Day every day by adding red healthy heart-healing foods to our meals.

• Try to incorporate more beets into your diet to strengthen the heart, improve circulation, purify/detox the blood, lower blood pressure. Beet Salad Recipes
  
• Try to eat more pomegranates and water melons, and drink more tomato juice to lower your blood pressure. Watermelon and Strawberry ice Cream Recipe
  
• Try to eat half a red grapefruit before every meal, or at least in the morning, before breakfast to lower your cholesterol. Studies show that it helps to loose weight too. Grapefruit and Walnut Salad
  
• Try to add raw red onions (cook with white onions) to all your salads, spreads, side dishes, etc. to cut bad cholesterol. Roasted Vegetables Recipe
  
• Try to eat more red legumes, such as adzuki beans, red lentils and kidney beans rich in both tryptophan (to reduce stress and fight seasonal depression) and heart-healing fiber to reduce your blood pressure, detox your colon and give you more energy. Lentil Recipes
  
• Try to eat red (purple) cabbage to get rid of constipation, which ultimately canlower your blood pressure.
  
• Try to eat more red salmon and red apples (any color) -foods rich in Magnesium to reduce stress.
  

Let us be heart smart, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health and Nutrition Coach 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

NaturalCounselorBlog

Our mind and body can be affected in different ways, for example, according to what season it is.

In the fall you can rejuvenate your body to maintain or restore your balance with a natural weight loss detox that uses healthy whole foods that can help you detox your body and lose weight.

In the fall, to naturally cleanse or detox your body, include the basics: beans, grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Why?

I would like to share with you passages from a favorite book of mine: The Self-Healing Book by Kristina Turner.

We have teeth built to grind mostly high-fiber food such as grains, seeds, leafy greens and roots. 20 out 0f 32 teeth are grinding molars.

Our ORGANS function very smoothly on a grain, bean, and vegetable diet. Complex carbohydrates regulate blood-sugar and provide steady energy.

On a diet rich in fat, protein, sugar, and salt, organs such as kidneys, liver, gall bladder, and heart often become weak and clogged, depleting our vitality and leading to illness.

Healthy BACTERIA thrive in our intestines on a grain-based diet. When they die off, they are replaced by unhealthy microorganisms when if eat too much fat, sugar, meat or chemicals. Fermented foods help to renew the healthy bacteria population.

BLOOD flows freely on a low-fat, low-sweet diet. High fat meals, by contrast, make blood thick and sludgy. Sugar weakens and thins the blood.

Let us be whole food smart, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert

We sometimes need to treat ourselves from time to time, don’t we.

Sometimes it might be a foot massage, a beauty remedy, a healing bath, a piece of dark chocolate or a guilt free dessert.

Why not try this a mango and coconut panna cota recipe; an Italian dessert, that can be used as a healthy remedy to help prevent heart attacks, improve vision and maybe even reduce wrinkles on your face and skin.

Mango is rich in fiber and vitamin A which needed for a healthy heart, eyes and glowing skin.

Coconut milk contains lauric acid which strengthens immune system and protects our heart.

Vegan Panna Cota Recipe for a Healthy Heart and Wrinkle Free Skin

• 2 cups organic coconut milk (exactly one 14 ounce can)
• 1 cup mango puree (4 2-ounce packs of Square One organic mango puree)
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1  heaped tbsp agar flakes
• 1/4 tsp coconut essence (optional)
• fresh mango pieces and toasted coconut flakes for serving

Place all ingredients except the agar flakes in your blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Place this mixture in a saucepan and stir in the agar flakes.

Allow to stand for 15 minutes allowing the flakes to begin dissolving.

Gently bring the mixture to a simmer stirring constantly, and heat for about 5 minutes until agar is completely dissolved If your agar doesn’t dissolve, push the mixture through a strainer and remove the last bit of clumped agar.

You can put a little bit of the mixture with the clumped agar in the blender to smooth out and mix into the rest of the mixture. Lightly grease 6 small pots (or you can use lightly oiled muffin holes) and distribute the mixture evenly amongst them.

Chill in the fridge for about an hour to set.

Top with toasted coconut and fresh mango pieces and serve.

P.S. Directions for making your own Mango Puree:

2 cups of fresh or frozen mango pieces and 1-2 Tbsp filtered water make 1 cup puree. The coconut essence is not critical if you can’t find it or don’t want to invest the money. It just boosts the natural coconut flavor. Mix in your blender and let me know how you go. (adopted from The Blender Girl at www.healthyblenderrecipes.com)

Bon Appetit!

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Counselor