On Love and What Not!

We all know that the most important thing in life is love - and yet, it is so fundamental, that we often forget that in order to love others, we must love ourselves first - in spite and BECAUSE of our shortcomings and love handles and all! Love should never come second to achieving some ideal body perfection or picture-perfect life. 

Unfortunately, many of us are driven by perfection because we think that when we reach those external goals then internal happiness will follow.

In this clip my FABULOUS real life friend gives a great reminder of how to love and what not.

Meet Catherine - she is a true superstar! Such a doll - what's not to love!
And check out Chanel - her small dog. It is THE CUTEST THING EVER - on and off-screen. Gotta love it.

Turn off the music at the bottom of the right sidebar before watching this clip.

Eating breakfast shown to reduce brain signals that when active, lead to reward driven eating behavior.

New study explains the brain chemical science of what we already know: Eating breakfast in the morning reduced brain activity in the regions associated with motivation and reward, which is also where dopamine is released – a hormone that plays a role in emotional well-being and pleasure. Skipping the most important meal of the day is associated with more snacking and food cravings.

More protein in the morning reduces snacking

Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to look at brain activity related to food motivation and reward. The researchers also measured appetite perceived by the teens, hormonal markers and psychological motivation related to desire to eat.

The adolescents who ate breakfast reported greater satisfaction and less hunger throughout the morning, compared to those who skipped breakfast.

Check out the texture!
There is nothing better than starting off the day licking a bowl clean of ice cream...
 slightly naughty, but it really is good for you! Depending on what I crave, 
I'll top it with berries, shaved dark chocolate, chopped nuts 
or simply drizzle some raw honey over it. So. Unbelievably. Good.

The Nutrition Doctor in The Kitchen is right now making frozen yogurt with just 3 ingredients: Greek yogurt, raw honey and a tiny drop of Amaretto.
When making your own fro-yo, the secret to amazing rich creaminess that just wraps around your tongue like silk is to use 2% Greek yogurt and adding just a drop of liqueur to lower the freezing point and avoid ice crystals. Greek yogurt is a great breakfast choice as it has triple the protein contents of regular, so it satisfies you longer than regular plain yogurt. In the heat of the summer this is one of my breakfast favourites - yes ice cream for breakfast. Rich, creamy... so decadent yet oh-so-good-for you. Lick it, baby!

Reference: 

Heather J. Leidy et al. 

“Neural Responses to Visual Food Stimuli After a Normal vs. Higher Protein Breakfast in Breakfast-Skipping Teens: A Pilot fMRI Study”. 

Obesity (2011) doi:10.1038/oby.2011.108

Lick it! Nature's Viagra: This Valentine's get your SEXY on!

Do you know that your sex drive is an indicator of your overall health?
If your libido is diminishing, then this is simply a symptom of imbalanced hormones and a messed up brain chemistry! Factors that put you at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes type-2, dementia and other inflammatory based diseases!


Before you resort to Botox in the quest of eternal youth do this...
Yes, your passion in the bedroom affects one of our greatest anti-aging hormones being HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE. This secret-to-eternal-youth hormone helps boost collagen production and keep cellulite at bay. Yes, you heard me... sex may very well be an underestimated cure for cellulite. Cellulite being a major issue for most women when they hit menopause - as their hormones drop, their libido vanishes and their mood fluctuates... just coinciding with those less-than-flattering derriere dimples appearing. It's NOT a coincidence. Hormonal imbalance sets off a major cascade of aging biochemistry reactions in your body!


And no, I am certainly not recommending Viagra here - the side effects are vast and many, and quite frankly, this is a disaster of a drug.


Lick it, baby!
What I am recommending is that you eat these two foods daily for a period of 6 weeks, and watch your sex-drive rise!
Apart from that you hereby have Rx to eat dark, decadent chocolate daily, the health impact of these two natural aphrodisiacs  go far beyond the bedroom, as they help to boost dopamine and serotonin levels, as well as balance your hormones NATURALLY and without any side-effects! 
So yes, lick every drop of that dark chocolate!


The scientific low-down on the two SEXY foods:

The Mayan Super food of the gods...
Dark chocolate contains a high concentration of phenethylamine. This chemical stimulates the nervous system and triggers the release of pleasurable opium-like compounds known as endorphins. It also potentiates the activity of dopamine, the neuro-chemical associated with sexual arousal.


The Incan secret to strong stamina... from the bedroom to the boardroom!
It's called MACA baby! And to be honest I have never seen anything quite as efficient with regard to boosting your sex drive! MACA is a Peruvian root that is one of the few foods that act like an adaptogen (balancing your hormones), support exhausted adrenal glands by lowering cortisol levels. However, dosage is crucial to notice any effect whatsoever; I have found that 1-2 tbsp. daily boosts libido for the majority of my clients dramatically within 6 weeks! Mix it in smoothies, yogurt or add it to flour in recipes when baking.


The taste of SEXY is dark, decadent and delicious...
You can get hold of RAW, high-potency and organic cocoa nibs and MACA here.


Reference: 

Dillinger TL, et al. Food of the gods: cure for humanity? A cultural history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate. J. Nutr. 2000 Aug:130(85 Suppl):2057S-72S

Go bananas for Jack Lalanne...

Before there was a Dr. Oz... and before Jillian Michaels started shouting her lungs out... and way before Jane Fonda did buttock twists... there was one man, and one man only....

You gotta love Jack Lalanne. In this clip Jack shows us how to prepare a dessert that will make us more glamourous. And I'm absolutely bananas about it!

The Glamourous Banana Recipe:
1 banana
1 tbsp. shredded coconut
1 tbsp. raisins
1 tsp. raw honey

Mash that banana
Sprinkle the raisins and coconut 
Drizzle the honey...
That's it - now you are one step closer to being glamourous!