NaturalCounselor Blog | Irina Wardas

If you are ready for a healthy breakfast idea, then this delicious and healthy Pumpkin and Cinnamon Pancake recipe for weight loss might be a good start for you.

Pumpkin is rich in beta carotene to keep your eyes healthy and your skin look younger, as well as fiber to keep you regular and help you lose weight naturally.

Cinnamon will help you keep your hormones in balance and your metabolism under control which always helps women lose weight or at least not to gain extra pounds.

Oats are not only rich in fiber to lose weight and protein to beet cravings, but also help to stabilize your blood sugar and lower your cholesterol.

Healthy Weight Loss Breakfast Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 can pumpkin pure
• 1/2tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar or as needed
• olive oil as needed

Directions:

Mix all ingredients thoroughly, cook on medium heat and serve with sour cream, Maple Syrup or mix or berries and fruits.

Bon Appetit!

Click to listen to the Tips on Weight Management for Women – How to maintain your weight After 40 on Holistic Health Talk Radio for Women “Feel and Look Fabulous with Irina“.

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

As women, many of us suffer from PMS symptoms, such as cramps, fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, constipation.  These symptoms may vary form mild to severe.   Seasonal blues and depression can make these symptoms, particularly, the mood related symptoms, even worse.

Did you know that changing to a healthier lifestyle by eating certain whole foods can help reduce your pain and cramps and manage weight gain and mood swings.

Studies show we need lots of fiber to get rid of constipation and extra estrogen, Calcium for better moods, vitamin B6 to control excess estrogen, essential fatty acids to have milder menstrual symptoms.

I’d like to share with you this recipe to help you fight pain, get into better mood and even help prevent breast cancer.  Best of all, the same

Wild Salmon Cakes with Cabbage Slaw for PMS and Seasonal Blues

Ingredients:

• One 6 –once can wild salmon, finely chopped
• ½ cup red pepper
• ¼ cup scallions, finely diced
• ½ cup celery, finely diced
• ¼ cup soy flower
• 2 tbsp cilantro, minced
• 1 whole egg, omega-3 type
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• salt and pepper to taste

      ****************************

• 2 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• ½ cup Daikon Radish, sliced matchstick
• 1/3 cup edamame beans, thawed
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• ½ tsp kelp powder
• ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, add the salmon, peppers, scallions, celery, soy flour, cilantro, egg, salt, pepper. Mix together and form into six patties. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame oil and swirl pan to coat the pan evenly. Add patties and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, cucumbers, Daikin radish, edamame, cilantro, kelp powder, rice vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil. Divide salad between two serving plates. Place salmon cakes on top of salad.

Sea vegetables such as arame, dulse, hijiki, kelp, nori wakame, and others are loaded with minerals, including iodine, important for thyroid function.

Sesame Oil is important to help stimulate our energy level during PMS and the menstrual cycle.

Bon Appetit and let us be cramp and backache free, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

©Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Coundelor, Nutrition and Relationship Expert

NaturalCounselor.com

Are you ready to try Black Bean with Mango Salad Recipe for Breast and Uterine Health?

Did you know that extra estrogen in the body can trigger growth of uterine fibroids? To improve your breast health and reduce risk of getting fibroids or growing them bigger, we need more fiber rich foods in our diet, especially beans. Black beans are rich in phytoestrogens and fiber which can help control estrogen and reduce fibroid growth.

Click to sign up for The Look and Feel Great During Menopause ~ Free Online Rejuvenation Retreat Series on September 6-10, 2013

Healthy Mango Salad Recipe with Black Beans and Carrots For Fibroids

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1  can black beans, drained, rinsed
  
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 scallion, sliced
  
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 carrots, chopped
  
• 1 to 2 tsp jalapeno, minced
  
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
  
• Salt, pepper to taste
  

Sautee carrots in 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix all ingredients and serve.

Bon Appetit

Click to reserve your free spot for FREE Retreat to Reduce Menopause Symptoms on September 6-10

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

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

If you are one of 60% of the population who has Celiac disease or are gluten-intolerance, these gluten free recipes are just for you. You can use these gluten-free and low glycemic recipes if you need to manage your weight, lose weight naturally, or want to feel and look fabulous.

I would like to share with you two gluten-free recipes with super healthy nuts/seeds to help you lower your risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.

Sunflower seeds are also rich in vitamin E to help us reduce inflammation, prevent certain cancers, hot flashes and maintain your hormone balance during menopause.

Cashews, which are rich in Copper help us have more energy and improve flexibility in bones and joints. According to Dr.OZ, we need 12 cashews a day to prevent colon cancer.

Gluten Free Curried Sunflower Pate Recipe for a Healthy Heart, Menopause and Hormone Balance

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup organic Sunflower Seeds, germinated
• (soaked in purified Water for 4 –8 hours, rinsed well daily and used within two days—will be about 1/ 3cup after soaking)
• ¼ tsp organic Curry Powder
• ¼ tsp organic Cumin
• ½ tsp Braggs Liquid Amino Acids; or
• 1/ 16 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

Directions:

• Blend all the above in blender or food processor.
• Serve in bowl or shaped on a plate in whatever fashion you like, along with sprouted flax seed and vegetable Crackers (health food store —raw section) or veggie Chips (p. 8), but cut some Veggies in cracker-size squares, such as the Chinese Cabbage, especially the thick par t of the leaf, and the Red Cabbage.
• If you have large Carrots, cut them at an angle, such as you see in Chinese food, and they may be good for spreading on as well. Also, Celery, about four inches in length, can hold the dip nicely. Raw Yams, sliced thinly, make a nice bed for this flavor as well.
  

Gluten Free Lemon Cashew Curry Recipe to Lose Weight Naturally

Ingredients:

• ½ cup soaked organic Cashews (soak for four hours or more, then rinse)
• ½ cup pure Water
• ¼ tsp organic Curry Powder
• ¼ tsp organic Cumin Powder
• 2 tsp Braggs Liquid A mino Acids
• ¼ t sp Celtic Sea Saltor ¼ t sp Pink Himalayan Salt
• 2 tbsp organic Lemon Juice
• ½ tbsp organic Lemon Zest
• ½ cup angle-sliced organic Carrots
• ¼ cup chopped organic Onion
• ½ cup angle-sliced organic Bok Choy
• ½ cup angle-sliced organic Zucchini
• Tamari-flavor Roasted Cashews
  

Directions:

• 1. Blend in blender (for Sauce); Cashews, Water, Curry, Cumin, Braggs Aminos, Salt, Lemon Juice and Zest.
• 2. Chop and stir fry in wok or pan: Carrots, Onion, Bok Choy, Zucchini.
• 3. Add Sauce to Veggie mixture. 4. Garnish with Tamari-flavor Roasted Cashews.

Bon Appetit!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Women’s Holistic Health Coach and Nutrition Counselor © Irina Wardas

Most of  people think that having cravings is a bad thing and that we have to do our best to get rid of them.

It’s not true!

Our cravings tell us that some brain chemicals are missing in our bodies. Having cravings is a unique way of our bodies communicate with us and a wonderful tool for finding which foods work best for us.

In general, we might have cravings if we:

• don’t drink enough water (dehydration is considered to be a mild hunger);
• are bored, stressed out, dissatisfied with our relationship, (emotional eating);
• eat too much sugar, salt, processed food;
• don’t eat enough seasonal foods;
• have hormonal changes;
• don’t eat some foods for a long period of time.

Tips to Beat Sugar and Chocolate Cravings

Whenever we have cravings, our body tries to tell us something, which means it’s time to learn how to listen to our body in order to understand its needs and imbalances.

• Feel like eating sweet foods?

It always means that your blood sugar is low and your body is asking for energy.

Try to eat more sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, beets, carrots.

Whole foods such as grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds will be very helpful because they contain complex carbohydrates – chains of three or more single sugar molecules linked together- and are digested slowly and steadily.

Studies show this helps control blood sugar, diabetes, and insulin levels. Because whole foods are rich in fiber, they can help with weight loss and detox of your body.

• Feel like eating chocolate?

Did you know that chocolate (dark, healthy for us) is very rich in Magnesium? People who crave chocolate may have a  low Magnesium level. They can also eat more whole foods, such as beans ((mung, aduki, black), whole grains (buckwheat, millet, barley), nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, sesame seeds). A good source of Magnesium is spirulina, dried seaweeds, chlorella.

Learning how to listen to our bodies can be a rewarding process.

Let us be crave smart to feel and look fabulous, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

©Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Coach and Nutrition Counselor

We all know that illness can be caused when toxicity in our body increases.  To reduce toxicity you can always try weight loss detox with whole foods and detox recipes.  But did you know that toxicity can be increased by stress.  So why not try to reduce your stress first?

To reduce stress you can learn to relax, improve sleep quantity, or try some breathing exercises.   If you reduce your stress you may be able to reduce female hormone imbalance and ease pre-menopausal and post menopausal symptoms.

There is more to life than increasing its speed.  ~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

One of the best stress reducers is to try to do nothing for five minutes.  Can you do it? It will be even better if you lie down and put your legs up on the wall – in Legs-up-the Wall Pose. This detoxing pose will help you to relax, drain lymph from the legs and increase blood flow.

If you are not sure how to start, some directions from yogajournal.com might help:

Start with your support about 5 to 6 inches away from the wall.

Sit sideways on right end of the support, with your right side against the wall (left-handers can substitute “left” for “right” in these instructions).

Exhale and, with one smooth movement, swing your legs up onto the wall and your shoulders and head lightly down onto the floor.

The first few times you do this, you may ignominiously slide off the support and plop down with your buttocks on the floor. Don’t get discouraged. Try lowering the support and/or moving it slightly further off the wall until you gain some facility with this movement, then move back closer to the wall.

Try to relax on the floor doing nothing every day, and if you think you don’t have time, lie down while you watch TV, talk on the phone or plan a weekend  getaway.  Breathe, smile and be happy…..

Let us slow down and learn how to do nothing from time to time to feel and look fabulous, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Coach and Counselor

NaturalCounselorBlog.com