How To Add Probiotics To Your Diet

  I firmly believe that beautiful skin is a sign of a healthy body, and that a lot of skin problems are connected to digestive problems. A lot of us have a very imbalanced gut flora -- too much of the bad bacteria and yeast and not enough of the good ones, which is caused by antibiotics, a diet rich in sugar and processed food, alcohol, stress and age.
   One thing that we can do to restore the gut flora is eat food that contains probiotics. Probiotics are cultures of bacteria and yeasts that help with digestion and keep the population of the bad bacteria and yeast down. There are lots of different kinds of foods that contain probiotics -- most countries have their traditional probiotics.
  Adding probiotics to your diet is super easy and tasty! I always drink some in the morning on an empty stomach, and add them to my food a couple of times a week. You can make them or buy them (check the labels to make sure you are buying them with live cultures and not a pasteurised / cooked version. Your best bet are health food shops.) Here are some great probiotics you should try:

Water Kefir (Tibicos) and Kombucha

  These are on top of my list because they each contain several different bacteria and yeasts. Both also make excellent toners, and the scoby can be used as a mask -- the Alpha Hydroxy Acids brighten the skin. Commercial kombucha is usually not ripe and contain too much sugar (and are often not alive anymore), but it's pretty easy to brew it at home. I love water kefir more, when brewed perfectly it tastes dry and fizzy, almost like soda, and I love adding strawberries or peaches to it.

Sauerkraut:

   Tasty, fermented cabbage, also a great source of vitamin C. I always crave it in the winter and add it to my salads. There is also Sauerkraut juice available in German health food stores, which tastes exactly like sauerkraut. It's the traditional German hangover remedy.

Brottrunk

  It's full of Lactobacillus reuteri. It tastes really vile but I wanted to mentioned it because a friend with neurodermitis says it helps her with her condition (she drinks it and applies it externally).

Apple Cider Vinegar

  Make sure you are buying the unfiltered "alive" one, there should be some brown stuff, drink a spoonful with water in the morning. It's not exactly a probiotic, but it supports the good bacteria in your gut.

Yoghurt

   Different kinds have different bacteria cultures, that is why there are so many different tasting yoghurts all over the world!

Home-made ferments

   You can have a lot of fun fermenting stuff at home -- it's easy, inexpensive, and a lot of fun. It's also a great way to preserve a bigger amount of produce -- you can ferment most vegetables and many kinds of fruit! Ferments are made by adding starter, salt and water to the produce. If there is vinegar inside it's not a ferment but a pickle, and it doesn't contain the enzymes and probiotics that a ferment does.

Sourdough products

   Some kinds of bread and even pizza contain sourdough. It's not the same as regular yeast from the store!


  Most of the probiotic-containing foods that are popular in the western world are diary-based. Other parts of the world have their own probiotic foods, often non-diary, like tempeh or togwa. Then there are probiotic supplements which can be really helpful if you have just completed a course of antibiotics.

Do you like to eat fermented stuff? Any other sauerkraut lovers out there?

Photo credit: Foodiesfeed

3 (Non-Fat) Reasons You Might Have A Big Tum

This post will cover three reasons someone might have a disproportionally bloated / big belly, even though they are not overweight.

   So sorry about the radio silence. Life has had rather big ups and downs, and I needed time off to deal with them. I couldn't bring myself to churn out content when my heart wasn't in it.

   So, today I wanted to talk about "fat" bellies, that aren't actually fat. A lot of people attack their abdominal regions with crunches (or simply hatred), when very often the problem is a different one.

Food Intolerance

     If you wake up with a flatter belly but bloat over the day, or if your belly seems to change size from day to day, your body might have trouble digesting some kinds of food. Basically, your digestive lacks the chemicals to digest certain parts of the food, and so it lands up undigested in the intestine, and there certain bacteria cause the bloating. And gasses. Other symptoms may include skin problems (I know several people whose acne or dermatitis cleared up after they quit diary or gluten), sluggishness and lack of energy, constipation, headache and even mood swings.

    I realised that something wasn't right when I noticed instant bloat after eating yoghurts. When I ate a cheese raclette and new year's eve, I looked more pregnant than my then 7-month-pregnant friend. I decided that I was lactose intolerant, but was confused that lactose-free milk caused bloating too. So I got myself tested (a quick test where you take a dose of lactose and blow into little containers), and it turned out that I can digest lactose, but I have a hard time digesting milk proteins. And eggs.

    If you live in a place without free health care and can't afford to get tested, you need to try to watch how your body reacts to what you eat. Try removing a suspect food for a couple of days from your diet and see what happens. People are often intolerant against lactose, gluten, eggs and soy, so you might start here first.

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Anterior Pelvic Tilt

   Or what I call the Strippers Posture. The lower back is too arched, the butt is too far back, the belly sticks out in the front and the abdominal muscles are usually not engaged at all. Not only does the belly look bigger in this position, the posture can cause back pain. The upper body bosture is thrown off balance as well. Persons especially prone to the anterior pelvic tilt are women who wear high heels (which push your spine into this position) and women who have been pregnant (the big belly means that the gravity point of the body is further in the front), and overweight people.

    You should maintain a neutral pelvis at all times. Tuck your tailbone in, pull your navel towards your spine, and lift your torso from the navel up. You will look slimmer, and your butt will look tighter, and you will protect yourself from back pain.
     To find your neutral pelvis position, try this Pilates exercise: stand with feet shoulder width part, knees slightly bent and soft. Imagine you have a pendulum or a bell attached to your perineum. Now, slowly tilt your pelvis back and forth, imagine you are swinging the pedulum. After doing this a couple of times, stop in the position where the pendulum would be hanging straight down. Now, tuck your tailbone in an extra inch, and stand up straight. This is your neutral pelvis position.
     I really recommend a couple of Pilates classes, they will teach you o automatically adopt the right posture. Some usefull exercises that you can do at home to correct the anterior plvic tils are the teacup exercise, back to wall,
Yogis will love this page that explains how the wrong pelvic tilt throws the whole Asana out of alignment.

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Diastasi Recti or Abdominal Muscle Separation

    If you've been pregnant, chances are you might still have an abdominal muscle separation. Basically, muscles separate to make place for the growing bump, and don't always get together again. This means the abdominal "corset" doesn't keep things in place anymore, also your abdominal muscles are weakened and chances are you are using your back muscles to compensate for that.

   In many countries women aren't checked for diastasis recti. I remember writing about in once on a Polish forum, because I didn't find anything about diastasis recti in Polish on the entire Internet. A couple of years later I googled again, and I found lots of hits -- most were copy-pasted from my forum post!

   Here is how to check for diastasis recti.

   If you do have diastasis recti, I highly recommend the book Lose Your Mummy Tummy by Julie Tupler. If you recently gave birth, it is imperative that you first deal with your abdominal muscle separation before you attempt any kind of ab exercises! And you must get the Mummy Tummy book!

Abdominal Fat

  Now that we have covered the non-obvious causes of a big belly, here is the obvious one: you might have fat stored there. You can check by pinching your skin on your abs and other body parts, and comparing the thickness (the layer of fat attached to it). What is not so obvious is that belly fat does not go away with crunches and other ab exercises -- these create muscles that will still be hidden under that fat. The simple truth here is that abs are made in the kitchen. Nutrition is the key here -- a clean diet.

   Of course some kind of exercise is necessary too, and here is an observation -- crunches and exercises meant specifically for the abs are thankless exercises, most people tend to focus too much on them. If you want to invest your time and energy better, try limiting your crunches to a max of 100 and instead focus on engaging (lightly flexing) your abs during your entire exercise routine, or when you are running or riding your bike. (This is especially important for women with kids, as often we unlearn to use our abs during pregnancy). A lot of exercises mean for other body parts involve the abs as well. At the gym, your ab muscles should be engaged during every exercise. This also protects the lower back. As my Pilates teacher told us before starting every set: "pelvic floor up, pull navel towards spine!", and only then would we start.


    I am not a doctor and the stuff I shared in this post is a result of my own research to solve my own problems. I'd like to encourage you to use this as a springboard for your own research.

   I hope that this posts inspires you to research more and tweak your habits if necessary. And always remember that changes are easiest to implement if they come from a place of acceptance and positivity. By that I mean an attitude of positive feelings towards your body (it is, after all, your home during this lifetime), while at the same time deciding to work on things that could be improved. It's like renovating your home because you like it and want to make it nicer (much more rewarding than renovating a home that you hate), or helping a kid to learn new habits (much easier if you both like each other).
   And if all fails, shapewear is a girls best friend!

   In case you are wondering, I am stuggling with all of the four problems that I described here! How about you? Also, if you have any interesting resources that could help me or other readers, like books, websites, apps, or advice from your mom, do share!

photo credit: !ºrobodot via photopin cc

On Fasting And How It Changed My Eating Habits

   I was requested to share a bit more about the fast that I did. The original idea was my husband's -- he wanted to fix his messed-up digestion bacteria. I have fasted before, but this was a bit different -- it was a detox fast that aimed at cleaning out the digestive system and repopulate it with good bacteria; as well as restore the correct pH level in the body. An over-stressed digestive system is the cause of many problems and diseases, even in other parts of the body -- including skin problems.
    Fasting has been a part of most cultures, and it is recommended in traditional medicine of many cultures, for example Ayurveda. Fasting gives the body a break from digestion (which takes up a lot of time and energy) and allows it to detox and clean itself.
    The fast is much more than just not eating -- actually even during the days of "total" fasting we were still drinking a glass of carrot juice in the morning and a glass of beetroot juice in the afternoon, plus vegetable broth for lunch. Then there were several things that helped to cleanse and detox the digestive systems: like eating flax seeds and clay, enemas as well as chlorella and milk thistle supplements, and a herbal fasting tea. Then there were aids that established healthy bacteria, like drinking Sauerkraut juice and Bread Drink (Brottrunk). The full program lasted two weeks, with three days of preparation, one week of proper fasting, and then again three days of ending.
    The fast we did was based on the book Vitalität Pur Durch Heilfasten by René Gräber. The book is a pretty good guide, although it does have some small inconsistencies as to the exact program. It explains in detail not only what you have to do, but explains the why in detail and gives a lot of tips on healthy eating in general.
     If you are interested in fasting, I insist you find a good book or a good program, and follow it to a T (read reviews online to find a good one). Don't try to randomly fast for longer periods without guidance and information. If you have heard that fasting isn't safe, its because some people do it without guidance, and do dangerous things like smoking during a fast. Obviously if you have a medical condition, do your research -- fasting can help in many health problems but can be dangerous in others.

     How did we manage to do it? It is not easy to not eat, but most the problem lies in the head. I realised how "comfortable" I have become: I dislike hunger, heat, cold, exertion... I haven't roughed it out since years. When you fast, the hunger goes away after the first 3-4 days, but the first few days can be a bit tough if you are used to immediately eating whenever you feel hungry. There were days where we felt cold and didn't want to move, and then there were days filled with energy and euphoria. At the end of the fast I felt very light and energetic!

   So now you probably want to know the effects I experienced: no, I didn't lose weight. Maybe a kilo, but that's all. I did lose fat and the bloating went away, and was told that I looked very toned. I did gain a bit in breast size due to the milk thistle supplement, about which I will write in another post. My and my husband's digestion improved greatly, and the pH level went from acidic (off the charts acidic in his case) to slightly alkaline.
    Then there are the psychological effects of fasting. The hard part of the fasting was in my head: I couldn't (mentally) tolerate hunger. Only during the fast I realised that I had been eating almost all of the time, always grabbing a snack here and a snack there. I wasn't used to being hungry. Worse, my brain interpreted the state of completed digestion as hunger. And I was addicted to the feeling of being very, very full. Also, I tended to wolf down food very fast, a habit I picked up when my daughter was just a baby and would always start yelling for attention at meal times. When breaking the fast we had to chew pieces of apple very very slowly and mindfully.
    The fast helped me break these habits. Since the fast, I have been much more mindful of what, when and how I eat. I don't eat between meals, and if I do it is one, deliberate snack instead of a constant nibbling. I feel the emptiness of my stomach between meals (especially when I eat easily digestible meals) and realise that it's perfectly normal and fine, it doesn't mean that I will die if I don't eat AT ONCE. I notice when I'm full and (usually) don't keep on eating just because the food is delicious / there is still something left on my plate. This effect of the fast is something I am really happy about. 

Sprouts, Nuts, Seeds and Juices For Beautiful Skin And Hair

    The most important thing you can do for your skin is eat healthy. The cells of our skin are being renewed all the time, and healthy food gives the best building blocks for that. Skin and hair are the last to get vitamins and minerals from your food -- if there has been enough for the more important organs first. That is why a healthy diet is reflected in your hair, skin and nails.

     It is not easy to get all the necessary vitamins, minerals and micronutrients that we need, since fruit and vegetables have been bred to be bigger, sweeter but less nutrient-dense. I don't recommend supplementing with vitamin pills, especially the synthetic kind. I know that they are really popular in the US but here in Germany it is usually recommended that you fix your diet first, and then choose natural supplements above synthetic ones. (For example my midwives have all recommended what they call Kraüterblutsaft which is a syrup with concentrates of iron-rich vegetables and herbs, over iron pills).

   Here I want to talk about three ways of giving your body a boost of vitamins and minerals:

Sprouts

    Sprouting is  the cheapest way to get a maximum nutrition boost and is way easier and less time consuming than you think. Sprouts are chock-full of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. You need sprouting seeds (don't buy gardening seeds since they are very often pre-treated with pesticides), or you can also try to sprout seeds and grains from the produce section. And you also need some kind of container for sprouting. I have a sprouting jar from the DM, and you can find them at health stores. However, you can also go the cheap way and line a tray with cotton wool or kitchen towels (unbleached). Here is a nice guide to sprouting.
   You have to soak the seeds for one night in water, and the keep them moist till they sprout. With my sprouting jars, I rinse the sprouts once a day and let the water drip out through the mesh lid, so it's really almost no work at all. When you don't want them to grow any more, you can keep for many days in the fridge. They taste good on salads, sandwiches or in smoothies.

“Fiber Boom!” Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Nuts and seeds

  We ideally need about a handful of these every day. "But nuts are fattening!" is the reply I usually get. Well, the fats in nuts and seeds are very healthy (they are the exact opposite of "empty calories"), and you won't be eating huge quantities. And besides, the science of calories is old and antiquated -- newest studies show that not all calories are alike! Do read nuts are less fattening than you think, which breaks it down nicely.
    I found two ways of eating nuts and seeds which works for me -- one is added to salads (which, along with a gluten-free ... like quinoa are my lunch on most days), another is as a snack when on the run. I have these little boxes which I fill with nuts, bigger seeds like sunflower and pumpkin, and a few rains or cranberries for taste. These little boxes keep me from buying crappy snacks in the city.
   For salads, I like walnuts as well as fine seeds: sesame seeds are great sources of calcium and are delicious; hemp contains a lot of protein but unfortunately is rather pricey. Another big favourite are flax seeds -- great sources for Omega 3 and are amazing for the hair and nails.

      A special mention for flax seeds -- A couple of bloggers I follow had done a cure with this and noted: stronger nails, baby hair, smoother skin, less menstrual pains. If you prefer, you can drink a gel : pour boiling water over Tbs flax seeds and drink the gel.

Juices

   I'm not talking about fruit juices, many of which tend to be over-processed and are in no way comparable to actually eating the fruit. I'm talking about vegetable, herb and other juices that are really good for you but unfortunately not so tasty: like nettle juice or aloe vera juice.

   Try drinking a juice every day for 4-6 weeks. Remember that the results depend on your own unique body and the amount of minerals and vitamins you have or lack in your body. Once juice could give you amazing effects and another not.

   I buy my juices from health stores (Reformhaus or DM), but at least in Germany I see them very often in regular supermarkets. When buying these juices, try to buy the pure thing (or the almost pure thing). Don't be fooled by drinks "with xyz juice" which contain water, sugar and other additives.

Carrot juice

   This blogger did a month-long cure with carrot juice, and noticed that her under-eye puffiness decreased. I have been drinking it as a part of a fast, and though I cannot talk about its effects as it was only one of the many things I did, I love the tint it has given to my skin -- it is usually colourless and almost greyish in the winter but now it has a lovely peachy-golden shade. In case your skin takes on much more colour than that, you can make a pause for a day or two. For an extra boost, you can mix in some beetroot juic.e PS carrot juice tastes delicious! Also, simply eating raw carrots works just as well, but if you have a juicer than  you can use the pulp to make these amazing healthy raw cupcakes with cashew cream frosting.

Nettle juice

  Nettles are great for skin with acne. It also stimulates hair growth. You can drink nettle tea, eat nettles as you would cooked spinach, or blend them in smoothies -- if you are lucky enough to find nettles growing away from a road or any source of pollution (organic garden, forest). As that is difficult for most of us, nettle juice is the way to go.  8 to 12 g a day is the recommended amount.

Aloe vera juice:

   Aloe vera is a natural antibiotic and it helps to combat food allergies and digestive problems, which often show up on the skin as breakouts or other problems. This juice is especially effective against acne, lichens and atopic dermatitis. It also more than doubles the absorption of vitamins C and E by the body. It is also recommended in the cold part of the year for persons with low resistance to sickness. You can drink up to 50ml a day, best one hour before meals. If you can't  stand the taste, try mixing it with a fruit syrup or juice. You might get a skin-detox breakout in the beginning, but it goes away within a few days.

Cranberry Juice

   This is great for those of you with acne, as it is anti-inflammatory. Cranberry juice also moisturises the skin and is anti-aging.  It is also detoxifying, and is a part of several weight-loss diets. Drink no more than 300ml a day. Choose the unsweetened version, as most typical cranberry juices come with a lot of sugar. If you are lucky enough to live in a place with fresh cranberries, eat those instead!

   Obviously this list is very much biased towards stuff available in my geographical location. I strongly encourage you to try out juices that are available where you live.


   If you have tried any of these juices (or others), do share what results you saw. Also, have you ever tried sprouting? What is your favourite nut? Mine is the almond, and I have recently discovered the super-delicious almond butter. You must try it together with apple slices!

Detox For Health And Beauty

   Some of you have asked me to write about detox. I'm no expert on the subject, however I'll write about the couple of methods that I have experience with.
   Our food is often quite a burden for our bodies: highly processed ingredients, high amounts of sugar and salt, caffeine, alcohol, artificial additives -- our bodies were not made to cope with all of that. Many of us also have a hard time digesting lactose and gluten. Eating unhealthy stuff also reflects on our hair and skin -- for example every time I overdo on the sugar, I get breakouts on my forehead. Sugar has also been proven to age the skin. On the other hand, the most amazing skin I have seen was on raw vegans -- they had a very clean diet and their skin was almost translucent.

    A detox gives the body a break from crappy food, and a short holiday from the hard work of digesting stuff gives your system time to regenerate. The three kinds of detoxes I have tried are: fasting, giving up a certain food for a certain time, and the colon cleanse.

Fasting:

    I often fast for a day when my stomach feels queasy. In fact I am fasting today because my digestion has been giving me trouble yesterday. When the body has a break from food for a day, it can do "maintenance work" on your digestive system and move toxins and stuff that has been rotting away in the corners of your digestive tract. On a day of fasting I don't eat anything, and I only drink water or herbal teas. It's not so hard to do: once I have decided in advance that I'm not going to eat that day, it's easier to ignore the hunger pangs. Also, I think it's  a good opportunity to train my will-power.
    I've also done longer fasts a couple of times -- for a week, to be exact. After the first 2-3 days the hunger stops, and I felt very light and energetic.
    You can also do a version of fasting where you only drink fruit and vegetable juices; or only eat raw fruit and vegetables. Do read up about it, and obviously do consult a doctor if you have any health issues.

Cutting out unhealthy food:

       Giving up a food that you know is not good for you can work wonders for your health, your energy levels and for your skin. For example quitting or cutting down on soda and soft drinks, coffee, processed foods, sweets makes most people feel amazing.
    You probably know yourself well enough to estimate which method will work better: quitting cold turkey, or allowing yourself just the minimum, or simply taking a break these foods for a week or two. (I recommend cutting out a harmful food out of your diet for at least 10 days -- any less than that and you are barely out of the unpleasant detox phase)
     Last month I accidentally cut out coffee out of my diet. I had run out of it and couldn't buy more for a couple of days. I had headaches and a feeling of heaviness for several days, which scared me. I was reminded again that coffee was addictive and was also altering my mood: orchestrating highs and lows throughout the day, and keeping me awake longer at night. I haven't drunken any coffee since, and I feel good -- my energy levels are much more stable.

     Last Easter I had given up sweets (chocolate and cookies) for Lent (I'm not religious, but I thought that somehow it would be fitting). That time taught me a lot about how sugar influenced my behaviour; especially how it made me irritable! Unfortunately I went right back to my chocolate-munching self after that period. (I know I am sugar-addicted, which I partially blame on y mom rewarding me with sweets -- I know I still relate sweets with being rewarded.)
     I have also been gluten-free for nine months last year. It was pretty amazing -- never has my head felt so light and clear and my digestive tract so "happy". Gluten makes me feel as if someone has been hitting me on the head with a soft but very heavy pillow. I even convinced a friend of mine who had quite bad Neurodermitis on her hands to try going gluten-free. She loves it and her hands are almost completely healed now. (I went back to eating gluten while travelling with my family, but I plan to go back to that way of eating since I miss the clear-headed feeling).

Colon Cleansing:

   I did a colon-cleanse two years ago. Basically, mucus and toxins builds up on the walls of the intestine; older people often have a very thick intestine with barely any space inside. To get all this gunk off you drink a mixture of psyllium seed husks and bentonite clay (I used Heilerde which was what I found in stores here). In the end you pass out the mucus that had been collecting on the walls of your intestine, it looks like a hollow rubbery rope (google images for "colon cleansing" if you are not queasy).
   After doing the cleanse thoroughly once, I do a maintenance cleanse once a year. I found the bowel cleanse forum on the Cure Zone extremely helpful. I highly recommend the colon / bowel cleanse, however do check in with you doc first if you have any health issues.


    In the near future I will be doing a rather more rigorous fast along with my husband, who needs to do it to deal with his recently acquired fructose and glucose intolerance. I also plan a liver cleanse someday. I will definitely let you know about my experiences.


    Have you ever fasted or done a detox? How did it go for you? Is there any kind you'd recommend?

Beauty Recipe: Horsetail Skin & Nails Cocktail

      Horsetail is a little wild herb that looks like something from the Jurassic age. It is full of goodness for the skin and nails: silicic acid, potassium, aluminum salts, and calcium. I will share a skin and nails herbal cocktail from horsetail that is easy to make; and is a great way to get that extra bit of minerals (remember my thoughts on supplementation?). Plus, its raw -- so you get the maximum goodness that this little plant offers.

    I learned to make this drink from a guy at a raw food festival. He drinks it regularly, and I must say his skin looked great -- he turned out to be fifteen years older than I expected him to be! He told me that drinking the raw horsetail potion keeps wrinkles away.

    Before I start, a disclaimer: do not use horsetail if pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, have hypokalemia or potassium deficiency, kidney or heart problems, and please inform yourself about any other counter-indications as well as how it may interact with any medicaments that you may be taking. Like most herbs, horsetail should not be taken non-stop for a long period of time.

    How to make a horsetail skin and nails cocktail:

* You will need: horsetail, lemon juice, water and stevia. Horsetail grows wild in most parts of the world except australasia. It is best when young (light green), before it has flowered.

* Throw the whole stalks into a blender with water, blend really well.

* Pour through a sieve to get rid of the hard fibres.

* Add lemon juice and stevia to taste.

* Drink up!

    The taste of the raw horsetail cocktail is rather grassy, but not bitter. Actually most of the flavour comes from the stevia and lemon juice, and the whole is quite refreshing.

   Have you every tried horsetail in any form? What are your favourite foods for hair and nails?

How To Stay Hydrated. Really Hydrated.

    When I spend a day with someone, I'm often surprised to see how few water they drink. Six hours somewhere for me means emptying my 1 litre sigg bottle, maybe also having a juice, tea or hot chocolate, and several visits to the ladies´. The person I am with usually drinks one coffee... and that's it.
     You've probably heard a lot already about how you should be drinking more water, basically every health and beauty magazine goes on and one about it. And you know, they are right. Staying hydrated is the single best thing you can do for your skin, hair and energy levels. (Not to mention that it's also the easiest and cheapest thing!) A hydrated girl just has that glow about them: the hair and skin stay more firm and fresh. Besides, drinking enough water keeps your brain alert!

    I wasn't always hydrated. During my pregnancy my midwife wanted to know how much water I was drinking daily, and I believe my reply was a sheepish 1,5 liter (I lied, it was more around 1 liter.) Much later, I found out I had a rather low blood pressure (hypothenia) and that not being hydrated made it drop more, which made me feel tired, sluggish, and sometimes dizzy. Also, I found I often had a headache when I hadn't drunk enough water. One of the headaches was really, really, really bad, so bad that I didn't want it to ever happen again. That night of pure pain motivated me to change.
     So I did a small experiment, I tried being super-hydrated for two days. I drank as much water as I comfortably could, just to give my body a baseline of hydration. The idea came from this article about sleep and dehydration, which says that "you'll never know how dehydrated you really unless you get super-hydrated". After the two days I just let my thirst dictate how much water I drank, but I was automatically drinking more than before the experiment. Today I am rarely without a water bottle (I have a ridiculous collection of Sigg bottles, ranging from teeny to huge). I also read somewhere that your concentration levels drop as soon as the hydration level drops. This was a huge motivator for me to drink more fluids, who doesn't want to be smart and alert!

So what stops people from being hydrated? How can you be more hydrated?

* Being more aware:

   I highly recommend doing the hydration experiment I just wrote about. Remember, you should not be forcing yourself to drink water, you should drink only as much as is comfortable. A couple of days should give you a feel of what it feels like to be well-hydrated.

* Make it pretty

   I use stuff more if I find ir pretty. Get a pretty glass carafe and drop mountain crystals and amethysts into it. Get pretty water bottles. You could also splurge on pretty drinking glasses, or even drink your H2O out of champagne glasses if you feel like it.

* Memory tips:

   A lot of people just forget to drink water. Here are some tips to remember:

• Put a water bottle on your desk and aim to finish it by the end of the day.
• Drink a glass of water before every tea or coffee you have.
• Connect water with other activities you do throughout the day: first thing after waking up, a just before you leave the house, shower, gym etc.
• Put the amount of glasses you want to drink in your planner or on a chart. Each time you drink a glass, cross one out.

* Get proper-sized glasses, not the wimpy thimble-sized ones.

   Easy way to trick your brain!

 

* Dealing with public toilet phobia:

   Many ladies don't like to drink a lot of water because they don't like using public restrooms. I totally get you, I find them disgusting and I find western-style toilets barbarically unhygienic (seriously, it took me years to make myself actually sit on one that wasn't in my house). Still, I think that the advantages of being hydrated outweigh the sacrifice of peeing in public restrooms. Another solution would be to drink most water during the times you are at home, especially first thing after you wake up and as soon as you get home.

* Don't like water?

    Unfortunately fizzy drinks can't replace water, and coffee only makes you dehydrated (since the body uses a lot of water to flush the caffeine out). But it's easy to make your water more palatable: a dash of fruit juice, kombucha, or herbal tea do wonders for the taste. Or put a lemon slice or fresh mint leaves into your carafe.

    What are your tips for staying hydrated? Or do you naturally love guzzling water? Do share.

Smoothies: The Healthy Breakfast For Lazy Girls

Me and my smoothie on a cold autumn morning

My breakfast is two beer glasses full of frothy, vital goodness. Every.single.day, since two years. I'm addicted to fresh fruit-greens smoothies. Smoothies are amazing and they're the best breakfast in the world! Here is why:

* I get a shot of nutrient-dense food early in the morning. It´s an amazing head start, and even if I eat junk the rest of the day I know I´ve done something good for my body.
* It's the ultimate beauty food: fresh, packed with antioxidants and vitamins, smoothies help keep my skin clear and fresh!
* Smoothies are delicious. Whether you are a fruit or a veggie girl, you´ll find something you love!
* It´s super quick to make and drink. My husband sometimes has 2 minutes for breakfast, and that is enough to drink a smoothie. My kids slurp it all in almost long gulp!
* Morning is a great time to eat fruit. Fruit digests super quick so it is best eaten on an empty stomach and not be mixed with other heavier food (otherwise it ferments before it gets digested).
* Green smoothies are the best way to get greens into your body -- the are the most nutritious food and yet we eat tiny quantities of them. Also, morning is a great time for green smoothies: they are easier on the taste buds as we have a clean taste palette.

      I started making my smoothies out of fruit and water. I always add a banana to it, to make it creamy. I also love adding super-foods, like flax seeds (for shiny hair), maca, bee pollen.

      Over time I started adding a bit of greens (spinach, swiss chard, celery). That tasted weird in the beginning, but my taste buds grew to love it. Now I drink mostly green smoothies: a ton of greens with a few pieces of orange, a chunk of ginger and some superfood. Yum! I´m looking forward to trying wild greens in the spring!

Tips for making smoothies:

* Start simple: blend a banana, an apple and any other fruit you have in your kitchen. Don´t forget to add water! Drink out of a cocktail glass or a mason jar.
* In the beginning you will feel hungry a while after the smoothie breakfast: my body was used to muesli that took ages to digest. I think it took around two weeks for my stomach to adapt to the fast-digesting smoothie and for me to realise that an empty stomach is not the same as being hungry.
* Flax seeds, nut butter or chia seeds are a great thing to add to make you feel a bit fuller.
* You´ll need a half to one litre of smoothie for breakfast. You might think it´ s not possible to drink so much but don´ t forget that a big part of it is water!
* Start out with more fruit than leafy vegetables, gradually add more greens.

Some recipes to try:

This Squidoo lens has a bunch of good information  

Also check out Top 5 Filling Raw Smoothies For Breakfast.  

And of course my favourite smoothies: frothy beet smoothie, spinach smoothie recipe from an (ex) spinach hater and chocolate smoothie.


    Do you like smoothies? Any special recipes you'd recommend? I'm always on the lookout for new ones!

"The I Quit Sugar" Ebook Giveway!

   One of the most delightfully inspiring reads on my blog reader is Sarah Wilson's blog. It's full of creativity, happiness and deliciously healthy food. Wholesome, slow living. Sunshine, coconut oil and quotes from the Dalai Lama. Sarah's blog is one of those rare things that inspire me to make my life amazing without being even a teeny bit preachy or making me envious of her life. The perfect read with my morning tea to inspire me for an amazing day.
    Sarah is to blame to blame for my obsession with my fantasy bike. And that I stopped feeling guilty about lounging in the sun. Other things I learned from her ? To meditate just a couple of minutes a day, in my bathroom if I have to. That I too am a scanner. The pomodoro technique (seriously, the only way that keeps me focused and not lose track of time.)

    Recently Sarah weaned herself off sugar in her quest for health (and her fight with auto-immune disease). She wrote about her journey to sugar-free on her blog. When everybody wanted to know how she did it, Sarah wrote an ebook about quitting sugar --  to help others improve their health, lose weight fix mood swings, detox their liver and clear their skin. And more.

   And guess what? Sarah has generously agreed to give away not one, but three copies of her I Quit Sugar Ebook! To you!

The book includes:

• A sharp 8-week program that walks you through each crucial stage, week by week
• A tidy, easy-to-relay-to-mates-at-the-pub explanation of how + why sugar is making us fat + sick
• A sugar replacement plan: tested + nutritionally sound
• “Sweet” sugar-free recipes
• New treat ideas
• A detox + a suggested supplements list
• A downloadable shopping list of new ingredients to replace sugar in your life

Want more info? All about the book here.

   Want it? Sure you do!

How to enter:
   Mandatory: Subscribe to Venusian*Glow and leave a comment with your email address. Easy!

For extra entries (each of these counts as one entry)

• Follow Venusian*Glow on twitter and comment telling me you did
• Tweet about this giveway and comment saying that you did.
• Post about this giveway on Facebook and comment saying that you did.
• Like Venusian*Glow on facebook and comment saying that you did.
• Follow Venusian*Glow on bloglovin and comment saying that you did.

Rules:

• Giveway is open worldwide
• Winners will be picked on 31st Jan 2012
• Winners will be chosen via Random.org

So watcha waiting for, enter and keep your fingers crossed!

Featured on Blog Giveway Directory

How To Drink Yeast For Hair Growth And Stronger Nails

   Intrigued by Anwen's hair growth experiment? Today I will tell you how to drink yeast for strong nails and hair that grows at light speed.

   Basically there are two things to it: the yeast must be "killed" by pouring boiling water over it, so that it doesn't continue to ferment inside us. And it must be made palatable, unless you happen to like the taste.

Which yeast to buy?

    There should be fresh yeast in every supermarket, usually in near the dairy section. You're looking for baking yeast, the kind that comes in little cubes. I suggest getting an organic brand if you can find it. Of course yeast supplements are available as well, but I firmly believe that the less processed it is, the more easily it will be absorbed by the body.

Now, to make it edible:

     Some people love the taste of yeast, and drink it just after pouring boiling water over them. Others can't stand the taste and need to disguise it. There are two approaches: sweet and savoury.
For the sweet method: add one or more of these to the yeast + boiling water: milk, honey (only to cooled water / milk), cocoa, cappuccino, mashed fruit, fruit jelly or any combination of these. The savoury method means: boiling water + vegetable stock / soup from a sachet.
You can even add yeast to your oats, muesli or whatever it is that you eat for breakfast. Basically you can be as creative as you like -- any way that you can eat them is the right way! If you have invented a delicious way to eat them, do share in the comments!

Dosage:

    You can eat 1/4th to 1/3rd of a cube, that's 25g to 33g every day. Store the rest in the fridge, and remember that it's very perishable! As with all supplements, it's a good idea to take breaks: after one month of yeast take a break of one to two months.


    So, who will be drinking yeast starting tomorrow? Or maybe you have taken yeast in the past? Know of any good ways to make them taste good?

Yellow Almonds: Beauty Food On The Go

   This ad in some random magazine I picked up in turkey caught my attention. Mainly because I love almonds and they are my favourite on-the-go healthy snack. (They are the only kind of nut that I can digest without problems.) But also I totally dig the colour-coordinated stuff this chick seems to own. And that key-chain is adorable. Not sure how I'd pull of this look though, as I own several handbags in assorted colours: should I have key-rings and sun shades in each of those colours or what? I think I'll just stick to carrying my almonds around in a cute box.

Your Food Is Your Future Body

  We think of food as the fuel. But food it much more than that -- it´s also the building blocks of every part of our body. Did you know that at the rate that body cells are replaced with new ones, we get practically a new body every 7 years ?

   So... where does this whole new body come from? Yes, from everything that goes into our mouths. We are almost entirely made of food. Every time we put something into our mouths, we are constructing our body of the near future.

   Yes, your genes are important: they are the blueprint and food is the construction material. But they don´t determine everything and new research shows that food can actually switch genes on and off. Did you know that a very good nutrition can change eye colour, heal chronic problems and even change your moods and state of mind for the better ?

   Want good skin and hair, no cellulite, no dandruff ? The right food and pure water can do much much more than the best beauty product of the world.

The next time you eat, realise that it´s much more than fuel for the next few hours.

It´s your future body.

Do you really want to be made out of Red Bull and deep fried chicken nuggets ?

And no, you don´t need to much on celery sticks your whole life. Healthy food can be as delicious as this:

Raw cake by veggie-wedgie

Recipe: Chocolate Smoothie

    This recipe is a great favourite of me and the kids. I like to sprinkle shelled hemp seeds on top of mine, or add a dash of cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

On Vitamin Supplements

    One word: Don't. Unless you have a real deficiency, it is much better to tweak your diet to get all you need. Studies have shown that vitamins from pills don't work on the body like those from food. Simply put, our bodies cannot really deal with synthetic nutrients. More on this here and here. In fact there is evidence that people who take synthetic vitamins live shorter.

  If you do want to take vitamins, look for natural-based instead of synthetic ones (hint: if the ingredient list says "vitamin A", it's synthetic. If the list mentions extracts from herbs, vegetables etc, it's natural). When I was pregnant I was prescribed the ubiquitous iron pills. My midwife told me to throw them away and get what they call here Eisenblutsaft (iron-blood-juice) -- a syrup made of iron-rich plants.

    A varied healthy diet is the best way to make sure that you are getting everything. Variety is key here, especially as veggies now contain way less nutrients than they used to. There are plenty on online charts to guide you that show which foods contain which vitamins and minerals.

   Personally, I try to love to eat the same veggies all the time, but I make efforts to vary my food: I eat different kinds of grains (quinoa, amaranth, wild rice, kamut, etc). I blend the green leafy parts of many root vegetables (like carrots) in my green smoothies. Sometimes I use wild weeds too (like nettles). I don't digest nuts well, so I put lots of different seeds in my salads (flax, sesame, pumpkin and hemp are my favourite). I also add seaweed sometimes. I also use superfoods -- raw cocoa, maca and bee pollen. And I sprout. Sprouts are probably the most nutritious and cheap thing you can find. I also eat berries and exotic fruits from time to time.
   I don't go crazy though --- I don't buy any expensive superfoods (ok, apart from raw cocoa --- the pollen and maca are bought for cheap by my friend from Peru). I add just one or two things at a time into my meal.
   If you are too busy, you could make throw some seeds / superfood into a jar (like this lady) and then just add it to whatever you are eating.

Natural Alternatives To Sugar That You May Not Know

   I wanted to talk about the many ways I try to replace sugar in my diet. Some of these natural sugar replacements have appeared on the market very recently in Europe. After years of struggle with the sugar and artificial sweeteners industry, this year Stevia got the apoproval to be sold as a sweetener (before that it could only be labeled as a "dietary supplement"). I have even seen a stevia-sweetened yoghurt in a store, and hope to see more such items being produced.

    Anyway, here is a small list of stuff I use to replace sugar in my kitchen:

Xylitol

   Looks and tastes very similar to sugar but is lighter, with no aftertaste. Has half of the calories of sugar.

Stevia

   Stevia has zero calories, and is 10 times as sweet as sugar. It comes in many forms: dried leaves, syrup, green or refined white powder. The leaves have a specific taste which goes well with teas, the more refined Stevia has a more neutral taste. You could experiment with using half Stevia and half other sweetener (such as honey) which will mask the Stevia taste. Lots of info here.

Apple juice / concentrate

   This is great for cakes: for kids birthday cakes I use this instead of sugar. 

Bee pollen

  Bee pollen tastes just like honey without the sweetness. This tricks the mind into thinking that it´s sweet ! Also, it´s super healthy. I love to add it to smoothies. It´s not cheap though, so I pick up mine on travels to South America.

Dates, rasins and other dry fruit

   For baking (pureed with water and mixed into the dough), smoothies and fruit salads. Not calorie-free, but still way healthier than sugar.

Agave nectar

  This syrup comes from the agave cactus. The taste is mild, so it goes with almost everything. Although it has more calories than sugar, it is also much sweeter, so you use much less of it. And its glycemic index is much lower than that of sugar (that means that the body takes a longer time to turn it into sugar, so it doesn't affect blood sugar levels much).

Sukrin

    I haven´t actually tried this yet, since it´s very new around where I live. It apparently has zero calories and a glycemic index of zero; and is tooth-friendly. It is supposed to taste very similar to sugar. Ok, ok, I am going to actually buy this and let you know after I´ve tried it out.


Brown sugar
     When I absolutely have to use sugar, I use an unrefined form, sometimes even molasses. It´ s still sugar, but it´ s a tiny bit healthier than the refined white stuff.

   

    Do you use any natural sugar replacers ? I´m sure there must be many I haven´t listed. Do share!

Experimenting with Water Kefir (Tibicos)

    Water Kefir is my latest fascination. Apart from drinking this delicious fizzy drink for non-diary probiotics, I'm using it on my face as a toner, and on my scalp in hopes of getting rid of the pesky seborrhea and maybe even get my few white hairs to turn brown again (spotting my first gray hair at 24 sucked, but seborrhea really sucks). So far, my scalp seems to like it.
    I like to experiment around with unusual health food. To find a permanent place in my kitchen the food (or drink) has to be healthy (according to my non-mainstream ideas), easy to make (I'm lazy) and hopefully inexpensive (I'm cheap. Most of the time.) 

   Tibicos is all of that. It takes minutes to prepare (and then 1-3 days of patience while the crystals do their work).  I like the taste (and the kids do too, but then they think that raw Brussels sprouts are tasty); its like dry soda, with a slight taste of fermentation. But you get to add all kinds of things like fresh and dry fruit to create different flavours (the pic on the top shows peaches). You can even make the original Ginger Beer !

   Tibicos aka Water Kefir aka Japanese Crystals is a culture of bacteria and yeast. If this sounds yucky, remember that yoghurt and cheese are also made by cultures of bacteria and yeast. Anyway, Tibicos doesn’t look gross at all.

This is what the Kefir crystals look like:

See ? All white and clean and pretty.

    Tibicos is super healthy: it's full of probiotics, and it kicks yoghurt's ass (comparison here). It has lots of the good bacteria and yeast so it fights the bad bacteria or yeast and helps with digestion. It has vitamin B-12, vitamin K and biotin. It's a great substitute for fizzy drinks, and if you have tried it and don't like it, don't stop reading yet -- this has it's cosmetic uses as well: anti-acne and it reverses greying !

Kefir for the skin: 

Kefir water balances the pH level of the skin, since it's acidic. The good bacteria can help with skin

problems like acne and dandruff. It brightens the skin and fades blemishes.

 How to use:

• As a toner, (to balance the pH or as a mild morning cleanser)
• Instead of water in DIY masks and scrubs
• The kefir crystals, mashed, make a nice face mask.
• To wash the hair or as a rinse, it can reverse graying ! Think of it as a substitute to Apple Cider Vinegar

Making Water Kefir:

    Preparing it is a whiz: you add brown sugar and water to the crystals (don't worry, 80% of the sugar is eaten up by the little crystals. And turned into alcohol. Don't panic, it's only 0.64% alcohol). Then you add other ingredients for the taste. And leave for 1-3 days. This can be dried or fresh fruit, ginger, herbs... Here is a basic recipe. Here are many more fancy ones (scroll down to Kefir d'Acqua), including what is probably the Original ginger Beer. This blogger mixes it with juice, and has some more tips on preparing it.  I always make my water Kefir in an airtight jar, this makes it more fizzy and refreshing. I find it quite tasty (though not all folks do). Oh and the crystals multiply wildly, which means there are plenty left over for a face mask.
   Search online (try health forums) or ask friends for the crystals. They should be cheap or free, because the Kefir multiplies fast.

Extra Reading:

Water Kefir vs Kombucha (I love Kombucha too, but it's more complicated to prepare. Mine all developed mould).

Have you every tried this, or does the idea of drinking it it sound yucky ?


Sorry about posting after a gap of several days. I've torn a tendon and have been running around getting x-rays and stuff. 

Spicy Ginger Tea

For fans of hot drinks that warm the cockels of yer heart, here is a fav recipe (click pic for big !). Depending on how much ginger you use and how long you cook it, it will be milder or spicier. You can experiment with adding your fav herbs. And everyone knows ginger is really good for you !

Unfortunately I can´t drink gallons of this anymore since it lowers my already low blood pressure. But for the rest of you, enjoy !

Photo by Eternal*Voyageur    

Recipe: spicy ginger tea for cold days

This is probably my favourite tea ever. It was my perfect hot and warming drink for the bleak cold days, especially when I wanted something stronger than the mild herbal teas. It is also a big favourite of my guests.

   I can´t drink gallons of it anymore since ginger lowers my already low blood pressure, but I sneak in a cup whenever I can. My cups tend to be XXL, by the way. The mug in the photo is from Bolivia but it´s actually my husband´s, mine is similar but chipped. We have an I break it = I use it policy at home. But I used the whole one for the photo, since you don´t serve guests chipped china.

   So, here is the recipe, in a pretty format that you can even print out and pin on your kitchen cork board. Click for large !

    This recipe comes from my dear friend who is from China. Apparently the Chinese love ginger in everything, and my friend knows how to make it taste delicious. She loves to make it extra spicy by adding lots of ginger and letting it simmer till the tea has a dark colour, but feel free not do do it if you prefer yours less spicy.

Photo by Eternal*Voyageur  

recipe: Frothy Beetroot Smoothie

    I´m having a hard time making friends with vegetable smoothies of any kind. I do have one recipe that I love, and try to make almost every day. 

The smoothie is very light and frothy, and the taste of the greens is very light. According to the rules of healthy raw food combining, apples are the one fruit that goes with almost everything.

Blend well, and drink immediately ! !

The inspiration comes from a juice recipe (I´ve lost the link). I prefer to blend instead of juicing, since I need my fibre.

Nettle Tea For Hair Growth And Clear Skin

 

April is a good time to turn into a witch and harvest nettles for magical hair and skin potions. Of course, you can also buy it directly from your local witchcraft suppliers, otherwise known as drug-stores and health stores. Nettle tea is amazing ! It clears the skin and balances oil production, makes hair healthier and speeds up its growth. Nettles are richer in iron than spinach but are slightly tastier. Nettle hair rinse is fantastic for oily hair. I throw mine into my smoothies, and sometimes replace spinach with nettles in cooking (don´t boil it for a long time, it only need a minute or two to cook so throw it in the last minute).

   If you want to pick your own nettles, the best time to harvest them is April and May, before they have flowered. Find nettles away from roads and pollution, and pick the younger leaves on the tip. I have some growing in my garden, it´s actually very beneficial neighbour for most plants and trees. Don´t forget gloves ! You can dry the leaves to store them.


Nettle tea: 
Drink 1- 2 cups a day.
Cover the leaves with boiling water, cover the cup and let steep for minimum 15-20 minutes. Drink hot or cold.
If you don´t like the taste try adding lemon or other juice or instant fruit or berry tea.

Watch out:
After 3 months of drinking nettle it´s a good idea to make a month´s break.
Nettle tea may make you want to pee more ! Don´t drink your first cup before going out. Drink enough liquids so you don´t get dehydrated !

Break-outs after nettle tea ?
Drinking nettles cause detox: the skin releases the accumulated toxins, which may appear as a break out. After one or two weeks the skin should clear up and look better than before. In case the breakouts persists, it´s possible that nettle tea is not for your organism.

Do you drink herbal teas ? What´s your favourite ? Have you tried nettle ?