THREE SUPERFOODS FOR A SUPER HEALTHY YOU

2011-05-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Do you want to protect yourself from getting cancer, diabetes, and improve your overall health? Super foods such as cabbage, coconut water and whole grains are excellent foods to introduce to your diet today.

Our first super food is CABBAGE. One cup of cabbage has 22 calories and many valuable nutrients. It contains sulforaphane which helps reduce the risk of cancer, and it also has more vitamin C than oranges. Because of the high amount of vitamin C it is one of the best antioxidants which help reduce free radicals that cause aging. It also contains vitamin E which aids in healthy hair, skin and eyes. Here is a quick list of some of the other amazing thing cabbage has to offer : high in sulfur, it's a great detoxifier to purify the blood; high in fiber, it aids in the treatment of constipation; it has amazing fat burning properties, and helps with eczema, jaundice, rheumatism, arthritis, gout and Alzheimer's disease. It’s also great for any weight loss regimen since it only has 22 calories per serving!

COCONUT WATER is more than just an ingredient in a piña colada. It also has more vitamin C than orange juice and is 99% fat free. It helps regulate body temperature, carries nutrients and oxygen to the body’s cells, raises your metabolism to burn fat, boosts the immune system, cleans the digestive tract, controls diabetes, and treats kidney and urethral stones. It also helps balance the body’s PH and helps reduce the risk of cancer, and it’s an isotonic beverage that naturally rehydrates. The most amazing thing about coconut water is that in some countries it is considered a universal blood replacement since it shares many of the properties of human blood plasma! It also contains lauric acid. The only other source of lauric acid is breast milk, which some researchers believe is responsible for the low incidence of viral and other infections in babies.

WHEAT BREAD and other sources of whole grains like wild rice, cereal, whole wheat pasta, buckwheat, and oats. Whenever you eat oatmeal, popcorn and buckwheat pancakes you are getting a serving of the benefits of whole grains, some of which include reduced risk of coronary heart disease, constipation, diverticulosis. Many processed whole grain products on the shelves at the grocery store are fortified with vitamin B which helps in the formation of red blood cells and folate which reduces the risk of spina bifida, anencephaly and neural tube defects during pregnancy.

A less familiar source of whole grain is spelt. Spelt is an ancient grain which offers more nutrients than its more common cousin, the wheat hybrid, the first of which were developed in the early 1800’s. Some of the benefits of spelt are that it helps people with migraine headaches, atherosclerosis or diabetes because of its combination of vitamin B2, manganese, thiamine, niacin and copper. It has also been shown to help prevent gallstones in women, according to the American Journal of Gastroenterology, and it doesn’t seem to bother people who are allergic to wheat.

One of the best sources of the benefits of whole grains is not really a grain at all, but a seed! Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is called a pseudo-cereal because it isn’t a member of the grass family. It’s more closely related to beets and spinach, but it has many of nutrients of whole grains plus a few that the other grains do not. For example, Quinoa is very high in protein, and like oats but not wheat or rice, it has a full set of the amino acids necessary for human health.

So try these foods today and start improving your. Try some stir fry cabbage, pick up a can of coconut water, or eat more whole grain. Your body will love you from the inside out!

Links to the sources of some of the information in the above article:

http://www.dietriffic.com/2010/06/24/what-is-quinoa/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

US Dept of Agriculture:

http://www.MyPyramid.gov

The World’s Healthiest Foods:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=143

Oxford Journals

Journal of Heredity, Vol. 46, Issue 2, pp. 81-83):

http://jhered.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/2/81.extract

Some recipes for quinoa, spelt, and other foods in the article:

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/basic-quinoa.php

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/recipe-spelt-farotto-with-tuna-and-artichokes-049236

http://healthyrecipes.wikia.com/wiki/Coconut_water

http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=coconut+water+

TOP FIVE BRUSHES TO START YOUR TRAVEL KIT

2011-05-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what brushes are the best to start off with? As a make-up artist I get this question a lot by clients and aspiring artist alike. So I've put together a list of brushes that I feel are essential to any make-up kit for a flawless finish.

1. REAL TECHNIQUES KABUKI BRUSH BY SAMANTHA CHAPMAN

This brush has to be one of my all time favorite brushes. It's incredibly versatile! It can be used to apply powder, bronzer, liquid foundation, cream or powder blush. This brush can be unfolded to apply highlighter to the face and at $9.99 it is a number one winner in my book.

2. MAC COSMETICS 263 EYELINER BRUSH

This is one of MAC's most popular brushes. This brush can be used to apply eyeliner to the top and bottom lashes. An excellent choice to define the brows. It retails for $20.00 ... a little pricy but well worth the price.
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3. MAC COSMETICS 249 BRUSH
This brush is a stiff eye brush that can be used to apply powder or cream shadow. It's a large shader brush that can also double as a concealer brush and blends eye shadow as well. The MAC 249 retails for $28.50.

4. ELF CONTOUR BRUSH
This little gem can be used to contour, shadow and smudge color under the eye. At a retail price of $3.00 this brush is a steal!

5. MAC COSMETICS 217 BLENDING BRUSH

Another of MAC's amazing brushes, this brush can be used to blend cream or powder shadow. I have tried many blending brushes and this one remains as one of my favs! Retail Price - $22.50.

These 5 brushes are my top brushes to travel or to start off your kit with to give you a flawless finish.

LA BELLA VITA

THREE SUPERFOODS FOR A SUPER HEALTHY YOU

TOP FIVE BRUSHES TO START YOUR TRAVEL KIT