9 Tips for Boosting Your Metabolism and Supporting Fat Loss

When I get asked about what foods to eat and supplements to take to burn fat, I first reminder people: We have to first focus on the fundamentals - on building healthier food, exercise and sleep routines, and on developing a healthy relationship with food and with our bodies so we can identify the foods, supplements and lifestyle habits that make us feel better, healthier and stronger, instead of just obsessing over dieting and being skinny.

Once you start prioritizing these 9 “metabolims boosting” principles that i share in this blog - and make them HABITS - you’ll finally be able to release that search for the magic fat loss pill. Adding “fat-burning” foods and supplements will just be added bonuses.

Read more for my 9 Metabolism Boosting Principles to help promote Fat Loss.

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4 Diet & Fitness "Fat Burning" myths debunked

It feels like everyone is always commenting on what they believe works and doesn't work in order to boost their metabolism and burn fat. I’m constantly getting asked for my recommentations, while others just share what is and isn’t working for them, and so many people come into my store - Balance Market - and ask me what supplement or superfood I sell that can help them burn fat.

This is when I am compelled to remind peopl that there is no miracle pill, there isn’t one food or supplement that’s going to magically make you lose weight; results come from consistency, from your daily habits and what you’re doing with your body 90% of the time.

Having said that, here are the top 4 diet & fitness myths that I’ve been hearing a lot, and my take on what really works.

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Tips to Boost Progesterone - your CHILL hormone

Progesterone is the wonderful hormone that’s secreted during the second half of your menstrual cycle whose main role is to help prepare the body for pregnancy (and if you don’t get pregnant, progesterone drops, as does your estrogen, and you menstruate). When pregnant, progesterone stays elevated during pregnancy (which is why we are often more “nonchalant” during pregnancy; I know I was!). Progesterone is one of the main reasons why we have a stronger instict to rest and relax in that week before our period when its highest (same applies during pregnancy). It also helps support your mood and optimal thyroid function.

If your progesterone is too low, you’ll likely have irregular cycles and/or heavy periods, you may fail to release an egg during ovulation, and if you’re pregnant, low progesterone can lead to a miscarriage. And overall, when progesterone is low, we are more likely to be stressed and anxious (exactly what we don’t want, especially during pre/post menopause which is stressful enough!)

So even if you no longer care about PMS nor fertility, boosting your progesterone during pre and post menopause is absolutely KEY, and while yes taking replacement hormones can help, so can your daily diet and lifestyle! In today’s blog, I share many tips on how to boost progesterone with your food and daily habits…

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One tip to boost weight loss and overall health

If there is ONE thing that I strongly believe is that the #1 step we should all take to reach our weight goals - and boost our overall health - is to COOK MORE FROM HOME.

I share why it’s so important, and of course, some useful tips to make it easier for you to proritize.

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5 STEPS TO IMPROVE DIGESTION, BANISH BLOAT & GET A FLAT BELLY

Do you tend to get gassy and/or bloated easily, especially after meals?

Or are you struggling to get rid of that little bulge at the waistline of your jeans, that stubborn extra fat that seems to become a bigger problem as the years go on?

Too many people (especially women) think cutting calories and boosting their workouts is the answer to eliminating their bloat and muffin-top, but usually, that strategy fails.

After much research and even personal struggle, I realized that the key lies in first understanding what's causing you to get bloated and gassy, and eventually contributing to your belly fat. I always believe in first finding the ROOT CAUSE behind your health issues, and in the case of excess belly fat and bloat, it’s usually centered around inflammation as well as sub-optimal digestion.

HERE ARE 5 STEPS TO IMPROVING YOUR DIGESTION, ELIMINATING YOUR BLOAT AFTER MEALS, AND GETTING RID OF THAT EXCESS BELLY FAT.

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A Delicious Detox-Friendly Vegan Meal that Won't Spike Blood Sugar

I’m sharing one of my favorite plant-based dinner recipes, that not only is packed with protein and great for blood sugar balance, but its also rich in glutathione which helps support your body’s detox pathways. So it’s the ultimate detox-friendly, balanced, filling meal for when you want an easier-to-digest vegan lunch or dinner.

Caulflower florets, chickpeas, tofu and red onion are tossed in a blend of zesty seasonings and roasted to perfection, then served with fresh greens, avocado, and my go-to tahini lemon dressing.

Read more to get my recipe (in both English & Spanish(, and please share when you give it a go! Remember its super versatile and can be adapted to create many delicious variations.

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5 foods to boost Glutathione - our body's #1 detox molecule

Glutathione is a master antioxidant and a cellular powerhouse, whose main role is to aid in DETOX, attaching to toxins and free radicals, neutralizing them, and helping to expel them from the body, while also supporting the growth of healthy cells and mitochondrial dna.

It also plays a role in strenghtening your immune system and lowering signs of aging. Think: more energy, better skin and better overall health.

We produce it naturally, but we need the right inputs to make enough of it. Plus, glutathione levels naturally decrease with age, and factors such as poor diet (alcohol, sugar and other processed foods) and sedentarism can also reduce glutathione levels.

To help boost our glutathione levels, it helsp to eat a diet rich in sulfur-rich foods, and foods that naturally contain glutathione, as well as foods rich in vitamin C and Selenium, two of the main co-factors in proudcing glutathione.

Here are 12 foods to boost your glutathione and support your body’s detox pathways.

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Five ways to detox your home

Your home should be a safe, healthy and happy space—but many everyday items are quietly disrupting this enviroment, and messing with your hormones. From plastics in the kitchen to mold in the bathroom, these environmental toxins add up fast, and wreak havoc on our health!

The good news? With just a few intentional swaps, you can dramatically reduce your exposure to these toxins and support hormone balance.

Read my blog for FIVE TIPS TO “DETOX” YOUR HOME & SUPPORT YOUR HEALTH.

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Five ways to support your body's detox pathways

Our bodies are amazing at doing their natural course of detoxification. We are blessed with these remarkably sophisticated bodies that process and remove both internal waste and environmental toxins, all day, every day.

In a healthy state, our “detox systems” compused of our liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, digestive tract, and lymph system work seamlessly to clear out what our body doesn’t need. However, we all reach a point where our bodies get saturated with SO much toxins and our “detox systems” get sluggish. The volume and complexity of toxins we face in today’s world can overwhelm our bodies, contributing to chronic illness, reducing our health span and accelerating aging. 

To support your body's natural detoxification process, it’s important to have a healthy balanced diet rich in antioxidants, to hydrate constantly, get sufficient sleep, do regular exercise, and of course, to minimize your exposure to toxins. Focusing on creating these lifestyle changes, little by little, can enhance your body's ability to eliminate waste and maintain overall health. 

Beyond these daily lifestyle basics, there are 5 additional key steps that I work with my clients to have them implement whenever they are needing a bit more “detox support”.

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Consuming these 8 herbs will amp up your nutrition & health

Adding some fresh herbs can be the secret to bringing your dishes to life, adding a boost of color, flavor and nutrients.

But the main reason why I make the effort to include herbs (in both my cooking and to garnish my meals) is because they are SO healthy, and it's an easy way to “sneak in some greens”!

I’ve also found that when I add herbs, I usually need less salt, and everything tastes more flavorful.

If you’re not used to cooking/prepping foods with herbs, or tend to only use the same 1-2 herbs, I know it can be a bit daunting to start incorporating them. But honestly, it’s way easier than you may think. You just need some easy ideas and recipes, which is why I’m sharing those with you today.

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3 Easy Low-Glycemic Snacks to Satisfy your Sweet Tooth and Support Weight Loss

When we’re spending more time at home, suddenly we find ourselves in the kitchen grabbing for a snack that we don’t really need. We mindlessly grab a handful of the not-so-healthy stuff that is insight – the chips/crackers, kids’ cookies, those chocolate covered almonds, etc.

And we KNOW this habit is not supportive of our health goals.

That being said, a small snack once a day is not a terrible thing, and we can make peace with it. We can even use snacks in our favor so that we then have a slightly smaller meal for our next meal.

But in order for the snack to work in our favor, it needs to be eaten consciously, sitting down, and the snack needs to contain fiber, healthy fats and protein (and no processed junk) in order to keep our blood sugar balanced.

With that in mind, I wanted to offer today 3 EASY snacks to satisfy your mid-afternoon sweet craving. Snacks that are healthy yet satisfying and will keep your blood sugar balanced, which supports weight loss. They’re also HIGH-PROTEIN, VEGAN and relatively LOW-CARB. Lastly, they’re super easy (require minimal to no prep) and are totally family/kid-friendly.

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6 Tips to Stay Younger and Live Longer

Almost everyone wants to know what do to “boost longevity” and delay the signs of aging.

The good news is there is A LOT we can do in our day-to-day to help delay our aging (and feel younger and healthier for longer).

Even though we often associate genetics with aging, it is now well-known that only 20-30% of longevity is related to genetics, which means that environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle play a much larger role in how long we live (and more importantly, how we FEEL and LOOK while aging).

READ MORE for 6 (well researched) holistic practices that can help support longevity.

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6 Tips to add more protein in your day (and digest it well!)

There is tons of hype now around getting sufficient protein, and this hype is definitely valid (but like everything, it requires some customization). READ MORE HERE.

I personally have found adding more protein in my day has helped me naturally lose my postpartum baby weight in a healthy, gradual way while keeping my energy strong and cravings at bay.

However, it’s not just about the amount of protein we consume, but also the QUALITY of the protein, and how well we DIGEST it. Varying your sources of protein (from both animal and plant sources, and ideally organic) is key to help you get a good variety of nutrients and help you have better digestibilty, too.

If you suspect you may be getting insufficient protein and find yourself wanting to try increasing your daily protein intake - in a healthy way that supports your digestion - then I suggest you start by applying some of these 6 easy tips to boost your daily protein intake.

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Meal Prep for a Healthier Week

Some basic meal prep can make feeding yourself and your family - in a healthy way - easier. It gives you a headstart on the week and helps you feel more in control of what you’re eating. And it ensures that there’s always something healthy on hand (that requires little extra prep time).

Just remember that every person and every household is different, so what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

That being said, many people have asked me to share my personal meal prep tips, so today I’m sharing the usual meals I prep almost every week to help inspire you with your meal prep!

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Is buying organic a hype?

As an integrative health and functional nutrition coach, I’ve taken a special interest in prioritizing healthier food choices for myself and my family. Plus, my experience as a mom has pushed me to research even more. In my experience (and based on the research I’ve done), there is a strong case for buying organic foods where possible (which I share in my blog) and this includes minimizing pesticides, GMO-foods and unnecessary food additives. So yes, I’m all in support of buying and eating organic foods as much as possible, especially when it comes to kids.

In today's blog I explain more about what defines organic foods (and non-GMO), all the reserached benefits plus the 3 main reasons why I buy organic, and I give you some tips for getting started!

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Birthday blog: How I Eat and Move to Stay Healthy and Strong (Postpartum)

I just turned 41 !! and - except for a recent sciatica episode - I feel great. Healthy, strong, happy and beautiful.

I proudly achknowledge that my healthy lifestyle has helped me recover super quickly after both my pregnancies, despite my age. So I want to share some of my daily diet and lifestyle practices that help me lose weight postpartum, and continue to feel healthy and strong.

I’ll share a typical day of meals for me currently (and in these past 6+ months) so you have an idea of what it looks like to be healthy and well-nourished without any calorie counting nor deprivation.

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My 5 best fitness tips

There’s been a recent wave of information pointing to all the benefits of heavier weight training, and it’s valid. The benefits are huge, especially for muscle building and weight loss.

However you go about it, building muscle is KEY for our metabolic health, and becomes even more important once we reach our 40s and we become more insulin sensitive. (We need to build more muscle so our glucose has somewhere to go instead of circulating in our bloodstream). Training to keep our muscles healthy and strong is not only important for how we look and feel, but also for blood sugar regulation, hormonal balance and weight loss!

BUT that doesn’t mean that walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, barre, pilates and yoga aren’t equally as amazing for your health! Same with most sports.

Keeping this in mind, I’m sharing my top 5 fitness tips to help guide you when you’re creating your exercise routine.

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One easy way to improve your health: Eat More Plants

If you want to lose weight, improve your skin, energy and mood, poop better, feel healthier and look better…. you should start by focusing on improving your GUT.

One key way to improve your gut microbiome by increasing the variety (and quantity) of plants you eat every week.

Studies (and experiments done by the American Gut Project) show that eating more than 30 different plants per week can significantly improve your microbiome diversity, supporting your overall gut health.

To help you boost your gut health, I’m sharing with you 7 different categories of plants (with tons of options in each category) and tips on incorporating them easily into your daily meals, in order to help you reach (or exceed) the target quota of 30 plants per week.

Lastly, I’ll share various tips on how I personally exceed those 30 plants every week!

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Healthy Low Glycemic Shephards Pie

When you’re looking for a comforting meal that is filling but healthy, this is the perfect recipe. This hearty meal - a healthy twist on Shephards Pie (paleo and keto friendly) - is perfect for any lunch or dinner when you need a solid, filling meal, and also perfect for Sunday night meal prep!

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February: Heart Month - 6 tips for optimizing heart health

February is the month of the HEART, and an important time to review your heart health and how you can support it better.

Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the LEADING CAUSE of death worldwide, shortening our lifespan. I strongly believe (together with many leading doctors and health experts) that this will change once we start to prioritize nutrition and lifestyle choices as our first line of defense.

Today I’m sharing 6 things you can start implementing ASAP (apart from the obvious of NO smoking, staying active and avoiding fried foods, trans fats and packaged foods!).

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