Everyone chews gum right...

Hi all!

Here's the lowdown on gum chewing: You just finished a medium to large meal and you feel stuffed. Your instant gut reaction thought is, "Time to pop in a piece of gum so I can be skinny!" But wait, does gum actually promote weight loss? I used to chew gum all the time; it was the Status Quo you might say. However, once I decided to stop chewing gum on a regular basis, I did not miss anything. I actually felt less stressed out. I used to chew gum before my ballet performances, thinking it would help get me hyped up. However, that was definitely not the case. I have a recollection of every time I chewed gum backstage; I would get dry mouth so quickly and would feel tired even before the show started! Not the best results for preparing a festive and adrenaline inducing Nutcracker. performance. That was when I realized, gum is not only useless, it can be harmful in that it made me tired! So, aside from taking exams and popping a piece of gum every few months or so to get my brain overly stimulated, gum to me is now just another nervous habit that can initially be seen as innocuous yet clearly contains some hidden menacing factors behind it's colorfully exhibited facade.

• Chewing gum on a regular basis can become a nervous habit, like smoking! Chewing consistently creates unnecessary wear and tear of your cartilage in your jaw. These joints become weak over time and can therefore be easily damaged and cause aches as well as discomfort.
• We think chewing gum helps to reduce our food cravings and thus in turn our food intake. This would logically make us skinnier, sounds perfect, right? Well, not exactly.  On the contrary, chewing gum begins stimulating certain salivary glands in the mouth. Every time we chew, we are stimulating unneeded saliva to be consistently present (this is bad for our digestion). This is a waste of energy and makes our bodies overwork for no good reason!
• Consistent chewing of gum creates nervous tendencies. Chewing gum creates a tightness on our muscles that are in our mouth, through our temples, and even our head. This is why we can get headaches after chewing for a long time. This pressure can even lead to chronic headaches which nobody needs from chewing gum!
• Gum is packed with aspartame or sugar, both of which rot your teeth. Enough said :)
  

So, once the cards are spread out on the table, you can see that chewing gum is one of those unhealthy habits that we Americans claim to be cool, common, and chic. The best form of weight loss or teeth cleaning would be to consider changing your lifestyle, a day at a time. Reduce your intake of sugar and processed foods and right away your dental and weight loss problems should be hindered a bit. Remember to always brush your teeth (a great toothpaste is coconut oil and baking soda*), floss daily, and you are on the right track! Your digestion, nerves, and teeth will thank you!

December Daydreams

Hi Lovely!

December has come upon us! This is the holiday season that brings joy, laughter, and excitement. Lets take this time to really love one another and not be angry. Breathe calmly and act peacefully. If you all want, check out my recently published articles in the "Spiritual Wisdom Magazine": 4 things to be grateful for this holiday season, Path to Spirituality, Do You Live With Faith?,Thoughts are the minds nutrition, To be or not to be...and in "Elite Daily": 5 Lessons in Discipline I learned as a Professional Ballerina. They can help you get into the holiday spirit as well as offer you some insight and inspiration on how to live with joy and creativity, enjoy! 

 

For today's dinner, here is a great list of homemade food: red tea, a shot of carrot juice, some sunflower seeds, lentils, and sauerkraut!  

Winter is here, and the first snow fall is as delicate as a feather in flight. Enjoy every moment! The glistening snow makes you want to make snow angels, sing holiday music classics, and meditate on the refreshingly beautiful air around you! Happy December :)

Homemade Cranberry Juice with Honey!

Hi lovely!

On a cold December day you want to drink something soothing and enjoyable. You want a sweet and sour mix. So, here is a delicious concoction that tastes delicately elegant: 

• Homemade cranberry juice*

• 1 teaspoon raw honey 

*homemade cranberry juice does not contain any hidden sugars or artificial flavors, so you are on control of the ingredients. Buy 1 or 2 large packs of Cranberries, either frozen or fresh.

• First wash all the cranberries and then drain them accordingly.
• Combine one pound of these cranberries with one quart of water in a big pan and boil on the stove.
• Cook for together until you begin to hear noises from the excited cranberries.
• Strain the almost ready cranberry juice through a fine strainer preferably with a cheese cloth to keep any particles away from the smoothness of it (you should see a lovely bright pinkish color!)
• Let it cool off and then heat it up when you want to drink it again.
• I add them to jars so the rest can be stored in the refrigerator.

Once you are ready to devour the cranberry juice, I would suggest adding a touch of honey to the meal. Grab a teaspoon and take a drop of honey to add a sense of sweetness to the every sour cranberry juice. 

Cranberry Juice Health Benefits: Let's come back to the health benefits of cranberry juice. It prevents urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. Cranberries are known to be rich in antioxidants as well as phytochemicals. These are both great for promoting a strong and robust immune system. Plus, if you being good and are not adding sugar, the unsweetened juice can actually help minimize dental plaque build up. Happy Drinking! :)

Happy Holidays to all!

Hi lovely!

As we are wrapping up 2013, let's do so with humility and honesty. Your emotions may be a bit sad or happy now, depending on where you currently are in your life. Whatever the reason, remember that you are here to become your true self, spiritually. A new year brings new opportunity, new potentials, and new heights. One of the best things to do before the year comes to a close, is to reflect on where you are right now. Write down all the things that you have accomplished this year. What are you proud of? Did you organize your room, help a friend, spend time with your loved ones, learn something new about yourself? Every step that you make in your life should be acknowledged. Accept it and be true to yourself!

Once you have fully reconnected with yourself, write down some potential ideas for goals for the new year. They shouldn't be something like "lose weight" or "buy a house", that's too much pressure! Something simple like "I will change something about myself to make me a better person", or whatever you feel has to change within you. Baby steps is key. Once you have it written down, put it somewhere where you can see it on a daily basis, possibly on a mirror or your refrigerator. Let this be a motivator for a renewed YOU. Happy Holidays to all! xo

Scrumptious Dinner Salad

Hello all!

Whenever we have to decide on a meal, we always want to have it taste good and be good for us. Therefore, here is one salad recipe that has amazing health qualities and once mixed together, just tastes simply magnificent!

It is a dinner salad, which means it really fills you up with cheese, turmeric root powder, ketchup, and feel free to add some of your favorite vegetables!

 

This scrumptious salad is made up of: 

- a few steamed string beans (cooked for 30min),
-  raw cheddar cheese cut up into small bite sized pieces
- a dash of extra virgin olive oil
- about 2 tablespoons of organic ketchup
- 1/4 of a green pepper
- 1 tomato
- a few dashes of turmeric root powder

*After all of these ingredients are conveniently in your plate, mix it all up "toss the salad" until they are evenly distributed to get that yummy taste on every bite! Enjoy :)

Go with the flow, rush less!

Everyone's in a rush! Have you noticed recently? People in my circle of friends and strangers on the street are always so busy. I didn't think much of it before but as I got older, realized rushing is pointless, a waste of energy, and essentially empty, producing loads of refuse that negatively build up in people's emotional subconscious and remains there unhealthily. 

What happened to people enjoying life and going with the flow, at least mildly? What happened to following your road peacefully with a smile on your face? Where did it all disappear to? Where is every one running to, if it's away from your family? 

We all, as a community and as a society at large, are slowly and unfortunately becoming more selfish, self obsessed, and self critical. There is so much to argue about that people do not know how to just love one another. When you look at it, life can and should be so simple, so calm, so enjoyable. Taking away the pressures of being a perfect robot should be the first step to finding out a peaceful way of life. Appreciate the beauty around you, the nature, the food, and the people. Most of all, give thanks for your own life, for you are here for a reason. That reason is a journey that you take from day to day. Respect yourself and love yourself, for that is what you are here to realize. Namaste