Better Hair Better Skin

Better Hair Better Skin

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A friend of mine is extremely concerned with aging.  She really goes above and beyond to protect her skin and figure.  I am always learning from her and taking advice on how to improve my appearance.  One thing she always tells me to do is sleep on my back so that I don’t get wrinkles.  She says when I smash my face against my pillow at night I am inviting a wrinkly face.  Sleeping on my back is just not an option though.  I always sleep cuddled up on my left side and yes; I often wake up in the morning with an imprint of my creased pillow stamped on my face. I have found another option.  I did some research on satin pillowcases and they are the perfect solution.  I can sleep comfortably on my left side while protecting my skin and hair. 

When we get older we lose the elasticity in our skin.  When we sleep all night on our faces and wake up with creases, they go away throughout the morning. However, eventually those creases will become permanent.  Did you know that a cotton pillowcase absorbs moisture from our hair and our skin as we are sleeping?

  We need the moisture that has been drained by our cotton pillowcases to keep our skin supple and our hair smooth.  A cotton pillowcase is abrasive and catches stray hairs and causes them to break and tangle.  A satin pillowcase allows you face to slide across the pillow without any friction.  Another benefit is that in the summer a satin pillowcase stays cool and in the winter it is warm.

Medical experts are advising their patients who are being treated for cancer and Hepatitis C to use a satin pillowcase.  These patients can suffer from frictional Alopecia (abnormal hair loss) because their cotton pillows are abrasive and they damage hair cuticles.  Satin pillows are also highly recommended to men and women who are concerned with hair loss.  Sleeping on a satin pillowcase will leave your hair looking the same in the morning as it did when you fell asleep.  You can avoid friction and split ends by switching from cotton to satin.  Your face and hair will slide across the pillow and your skin and hair will look fresh and calm when you wake up.

Go get your satin pillowcase today and let me know what you think 

Keep Warm

Keep warm with lulu's chicken soup!

Every time I make my chicken soup everyone asks me for the recipe.  I am not a follow-the-recipe type of girl so I always try and give the basic idea of what I do.  I made my chicken soup Wednesday night with a friend and she helped me document it.  I have not included exact measurements but if you follow my lead you will love it.  This is a great way to make a high protein meal loaded with nutrients and vegetables.  If I am making this soup for my son I add organic whole-wheat fusilli at the end. The brand that I like to use is Bionaturae. To keep this a low carbohydrate meal, hold off on the noodles.  Its so cold outside so what better way to warm up with some friends and family while sticking with your healthy diet.

Ingredients

2 medium sized carrots

1 turnip

1 parsnip

1 ginger

6-8 garlic cloves

6 little white potatoes

2 pieces celery

Handful of dill

1 purple onion

1 yellow onion

2 chickens quartered (skin on)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by filling up a large pot with water 3/4 of the way

-Rinse your chicken clean and put it in the pot

-Clean all veggies and put them in the pot (you don't need to cut them)

-Clean handful of dill and put it in the pot

-Boil on high for 3 hours

-Shut the fire, remove vegetables and place them in a separate bowl

- Remove chicken and place in a separate bowl

- Once the chicken has cooled down, remove the meat from the bone and discard the skin, bones. And pieces of fat

- Clean the broth with a strainer and put back in the pot. You can then put the chicken meat back into the broth

- Cut up one of the carrots, all celery, yellow onion, and turnip and place it back into the pot

- Cut potatoes into four and put back into the pot

- The rest of the vegetables you can discard

- Heat the soup back up to a boil and then lower heat to simmer

- If you wish to add noodles, throw a cup of noodles in now to boil with the soup for 20 minutes and then serve!

I would love to hear your feedback on the soup! Please feel free to email me with any questions.  Send me pictures of your chicken soup and enjoy!

Energize and kick-start your metabolism

Energize and kick-start your metabolism

In a recent blog I spoke about the benefits of the fresh vegetable juice that I often drink.  Well I am also a huge fan of green tea.  Since I have cut coffee from my diet, I love drinking green tea for a quick energy boost.  A few weeks ago a friend of mine introduced me to an amazing green tea.  It is called DETOX green tea.  A Russian company called Kusmi makes DETOX.  Keep reading below because I want to tell you a few things about green tea and the company Kusmi that you may not already know.     

Kusmi is a 140-year-old Russian boutique teahouse that originated in 1867 in St Petersburg.  It was started by a family named Kousimichoff who moved Kusmi Tea to Paris in 1917.  Kusmi teas are blended with hints of citrus and flowers and are the favored tea by many connoisseurs.  Kusmi has recently opened their first New York flagship store on the Upper East Side and is also available at Zabars and Dean and Deluca. The DETOX green tea is a blend of Maté, Chinese Green Tea, and lemon grass full flavored with lemon.  It is a diuretic and has stimulating properties, which goes hand in hand with weight loss and detoxifying your body.  It tastes delicious sweetened and unsweetened.  What are you waiting for?  Go out and get it!

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green Tea has been used as medicine for more than 4,000 years.  Studies have shown that Green tea’s health benefits consist of fighting cancer, heart disease, burning fat, preventing diabetes, stroke, and lowering cholesterol.  It also is best known for its large quantities of catechins.  Catechins are powerful source of antioxidants found in green tea. Antioxidants have been proven to slow down aging, which is why all women should be drinking green tea EVERYDAY.  You may also be surprised that green tea contains an anti-inflammatory property, which is useful in treating Rheumatoid arthritis.  This disease affects 1 in 100 people and women are 3 times as likely to be affected.  Studies have also shown that green tea prevents tooth decay and cures bad breath!  It is non-erosive and wards off mouth viruses.  Do I need any more evidence that green tea is a wise choice to add to your daily routine???

Go get yourself a box of Kusmi DETOX tea tomorrow, trust me you will love it!

Detoxify your skin and Remove cellulite

Detoxify your skin and Remove cellulite

Yesterday I was with an old friend of mine who happens to be Town and Country’s Beauty editor.  We began discussing my blog and I started telling her how I want to reach out to everyday women and bring them health, beauty, and fitness tips and secrets that are affordable and realistic.  She gave me a fantastic tip that has been all the rage in the beauty industry recently.  She told me all about Dry Brushing.  She Dry Brushes every morning before she takes her shower and she says that its an amazing invigorating way to start the day.    

Two health benefits of Dry Brushing that really appeal to me are detoxifying your skin and removing cellulite.  This is a very inexpensive, non-invasive way of energizing your body and giving your skin a more youthful appearance.  It also boosts your immune system and stimulates circulation.  Its like giving yourself a full body facial, it removes all your dead skin!  All you need is one soft all-natural brush that you can purchase at any health food store. 

Here is how to do it:

1.            Brush your dry body before you shower or bathe, preferably in the morning.

2.            Start at your feet and always brush toward your heart. Use brisk circular motions or long, even strokes.

3.            Brush all the way up your legs, then over your abdomen, buttocks, and back. If you have cellulite on your hips and thighs, concentrate their a little longer. For complete dissolving of cellulite, brush for 10 minutes daily for several months.

4.            Brush lightly on sensitive areas like breasts and more firmly on areas like soles of the feet.

5.            When you reach your arms, begin at your fingers and brush up your arms, toward your heart. Brush your shoulders and chest down, always toward your heart.

6.            Avoid brushing anywhere the skin is broken or where you have a rash, infection, cut or wound.

7.            Finish by taking a shower and if you choose, use cold/hot therapy to further stimulate the lymphatic system and improve circulation.

8.            Dry off vigorously and massage pure plant oils into your skin such as almond, sesame, avocado, coconut, olive or cacoa butter.

Make dry brushing part of your daily routine, you should start seeing real results after a few weeks.

There is something about an old friend

There is something about an old friend that a new friend just can't replace.

I moved to New York City after i graduated college.  I have made so many fabulous new friends here; men, women, in all different professions, backgrounds, religions, and races.  That is the beauty of New York City.  You never know when and where you are going to meet someone that you connect with.  You are exposed to so many people everyday just by walking down the street.  When i think about it, i really feel so fortunate for the friendships and relationships i have made since i moved here.  I realize however, it is so easy to get caught up in your own life that you really have to make an effort to keep up these friendships.  You have to think outside yourself and your everyday life and make time for those who you care about.

Yesterday, i had lunch with an old friend.  This lunch date was so overdue and it makes me sad to think we live just a ten minute cab ride away yet we have let so much time go by where we don't see each other.  This friend of mine is not an old friend actually, she is a very current best friend of mine who i have known since we were born. We haven't seen one another in almost a year but we pick up right where we left off, as if we were together the day before.  We couldn't even order our lunch because we couldn't come up for air from our conversation.  Anyway, i thought about our meeting yesterday in relation to my blog because this friend of mine is always up to date on the best cosmetics, diets, restaurants, and beauty.  She is one of those women that you see and you think "what are her beauty secrets??  i wanna look like that!"  I'm sure everyone knows or has a friend like that.  Well we discussed that next week we are going to go to Barneys and Bergdorf and she is  going to introduce me to all of her products and reveal some of her beauty and dieting secrets.  Stay tuned!

PS if you have any beauty, diet, and health secrets that you would like to share, please email me as i am always interested!!

have a great weekend!

Start your day with an energy boost

I have recently cut caffeine out of my diet. Skipping my morning coffee has been a challenge since my son is a very early riser.  I have tried replacing that caffeine boost by drinking water and orange juice for a little natural energy.  Lets face it though, sometimes you need a little something extra to get a jump start to your day.  One thing that gets me moving is a fresh vegetable juice. The vegetables that i chose to make this juice also help jump start my diet. 

There is an equinox gym a block away from my apartment and they have a fresh juice stand.  I always ask for the same thing.  I order spinach, parsley, lemon, ginger, and green apple.  The juice is green and looks too healthy to taste good, but really its not that bad I promise.  You can make this drink in your own home if you have a juicer.  The ingredients are self explanatory. Read below as to why this juice is a smart choice.

Besides containing a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, each of the ingredients have many health benefits.  Check it out...

Spinach is full of antioxidants. This vegetable contains twice as much iron as many other greens. Spinach has been shown, in many studies, to have strong anticancer properties as well. It is also known to be an effective colon cleanser as well as an intestinal healer and helps to prevent inflammatory disease of the teeth and gums.

Parsley is known for settle the stomach and improve the appetite.  It is often used as a diuretic and therapy for kidney stones.



Lemon acts as a cleansing agent. It is a natural antiseptic and is rich in vitamin C, which helps rejuvenate the skin from within.  Lemon juice has an antibacterial property, which helps in fighting throat infections, sore throat…  It also paves the way for WEIGHT LOSS.

Ginger is linked to colon cancer prevention, it cures morning sickness, motion sickness, reduces pain and inflammation due to its anti-inflammatory properties.  Ginger helps prevent colds and flu and is often used as a treatment for colds and flu. It also is known to relieve pain from migraines.

Apple have natural sugars increase energy level.  Apples are also a good source of fiber, which aids in proper digestion and rids our bodies of toxins.  They are also a great source of anti-oxidants.

Go try it out and let me know what you think!

Tasty Treat

Yesterday my husband brought home a bag of chestnuts and asked me to make them for my son Jacob.  My husband and I both love chestnuts and we usually buy them this time of year.  I never looked into it before but since I am on this health kick I decided to do a little research on this tasty treat. 

I found out that Chestnuts are different than most nuts in that they are very low in fats, oils, sodium, and CALORIES.  They are gluten free and full of nutrients.  They contain minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and zinc.   They are a rich in Vitamin C, fiber and FOLIC ACID; which is very important during pregnancy. 

Go out and buy some chestnuts tomorrow!  They are so easy to make.  

I usually make them in an oven or toaster oven.  Start by cutting an x in the top of the chestnut.  I put my oven on at 425 and bake them for about 20 to 30 minutes.  Keep and eye on them, when the top of the shell bursts open and the chestnut is golden brown they are ready!  Let them cool for a bit when you take them out of the oven so that you don’t burn your fingers

Enjoy!

Hydrate

Hydrate

Most women I know exercise if not on a daily basis, at least 2 to 3 times a week.  After a workout it is very important to hydrate.  Besides drinking water, which we all need to drink plenty of…Coconut water is the purest liquid second only to water itself. I am a huge fan of coconut water.  I get it from my local health food store and I drink it all the time. It is full of electrolytes, calcium, potassium, magnesium; everything that is good for you. 

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts. This nutrient rich beverage includes organic compounds with beneficial growth properties that can dramatically improve your health. The vitamins in coconut water help stop fatigue, improve immunity, increase your metabolism, and detoxify the body. Consistently drinking coconut water can help regulate intestinal function; which is known to provide a countless number of health benefits including a clearer complexion. It also increases the ability to kill a variety of viruses and bacteria in the body.

It is free of chemicals and is even safe to give to children and babies.  I often give this drink to my son instead of apple juice or other fruit juices that are high in sugar.  Some pregnant women prefer drinking coconut water as a natural aid to help ease digestion problems during pregnancy. Coconut water contains lauric acid which can also be found in human breast milk.  Lauric acid helps the body destroy fungus, bacteria, and viruses. 

The brands that I drink are Vita Coco and Zico.  When I am shopping in the health food store near me I often stop and have a coconut right from the fridge.  They hand me a straw and cut the top off and it’s a very tasty treat. 

Enjoy and Hydrate! 

Aspen Colorado

I was recently on vacation with my family in Aspen and i met up with an old friend.  While catching up with her i couldn't help but notice that her skin was flawless and glowing.  I know this is a product of good genetics but she explained that there is something else to it.  She is very into nutrition and she gave me a few tips to get my skin looking fresh and youthfull.

The first thing she told me was drink WATER, lots of it!  She then directed me to her blog Hollistictreats.wordpress.com for great anti aging tips.  Check it out!  I went straight to Health Nuts, which is the health store nearest me and bought some of the vitamins she suggested.  She also suggested i buy raw cacao nibs which are  rich in fiber and antioxidents, Iron, and Magnesium  Raw Cacao is considered a superfood.  They are not sweet like chocolate chips so i try to be creative when eating them.  

I add them to my breakfast.  One way that i incorporate them in my breakfast is Oatmeal
Oatmeal
1 packet quaker instant oatmeal original
1 splenda
and a scoop of cacao nibs
assorted berries (strawberries, blueberries, whatever i have in my fridge)
This gives your oatmeal an little crunch which i love and this is a very healthy breakfast option

another option that i use is in my yogurt
Yogurt
1 fatfree yogurt, any flavor
1 scoop of All Bran Bran Buds
1 scoop of cacao nibs

I am thinking next to make Granola with the Cacoa nibs and flax seeds, and whatever healthy ingredients i find at the health food store.  Ill keep you posted on this...

i love hearing healthy breakfast recipes and ideas so please email me with any creative ideas.