Mariana's BLOG page with her best health tips & recipes
Balance with Mariana's blog page, The Balance Journal, provides unique and useful tips on healthy living and holistic nutrition, delving into topics of digestive health, hormonal balance, weight loss, making healthier choices, improving body image and more!
Mariana also emphasizes eating healthier (yet delicious), more balanced, plant-based meals, and provides easy and delicious recipes.
Today I wanted to share 2 new recipes for an indulgent yet super healthy, nutritious morning when you’re craving chocolate - be it Valentine’s Day or any day that you want some extra comfort!
Plus, I’m sharing many of my previous favorite chocolate recipes - all VEGAN, DAIRY-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE, REFINED SUGAR-FREE and PRESERVATIVE-FREE.
Read MoreHere is my mini baby registry to get you started, basically the list of the things I found to be necessary as a first time mom - all non-toxic and primarily organic for moms like me who value that. I focused on high quality yet affordable options (within the organic/nontoxic which tends to have expensive items) and mostly available on Amazon, which makes it easier for people like me living abroad.
After tons of research, here were my top choices for newborn and postpartum basics, focusing on nontoxic, “clean” options that weren’t too expensive.
I’ve included below the necessities in each of these categories:
On-the-go /to transport baby
Nursery furniture:
Smaller items for Nursery
Newborn baby care including diapers + bottles + soap + towels + swaddles
For postpartum mom
Here’s a peek at what was on my Holiday Wish List / Shopping List this year (and some recommended gifts, including great stocking stuffers). I’ve included a little bit of everything from cozy clothes, to clean beauty, to healthy kitchen staples.
Remember to gift yourself something this year, no matter how tiny. It’s important to treat yourself once in a while, especially after a long, hard year.
Read MoreThere are so many things we can do in our day to day to support our brain health, even through our diet. Remember to first use FOOD AS MEDICINE. Incredibly there are many foods that have proven to boost our brain health and help prevent early “ageing” of our brain (preventing memory loss, etc).
Dates are packed with nutrition and provide lots of fiber and energy, plus are naturally very sweet, making them ideal for making healthy desserts.
Also, they’re said to be amazing for preparing your cervix for a natural birth, so with that “excuse” in mind, I’ve been making lots of easy, delicious date recipes to have in my last weeks of pregnancy.
Today I’m sharing 3 of my favorite date recipes– all of which are super nutritious, vegan, gluten-free, no added sugar and raw (no baking required!) - and don’t spike your blood sugar (as they’re packed with extra fiber, protein and healthy fats!).
I’m sharing 11 recommendations to be healthier, more present, more conscious, and live life to your fullest (inspired by a podcast 10 Steps for a Powerful Birth - from Taking Back Birth). These are principles that I’ve gradually introduced into my life since I started my health coaching journey, which I feel have helped me so much, so I wanted to share them with you today.
Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables as its delicious and has tons of health benefits as it’s low-carb yet packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and even antioxidants.
I also love it because it’s so versatile (and a great way to make your favorite recipes more low-carb / low-glycemic)! I use it in my smoothie bowls almost daily, love it roasted in the oven, sauteed, thinly baked (or air-fried) as “chips”, use it instead of lasagna noodles for a gluten-free lasagna, as part of a dip, a soup, and of course, it’s amazing spiralized as a pasta substitute.
Today I’m sharing 6 of my favorite zucchini recipes - that are vegan, gluten-free and low carb, plus flavorful and easy to make!
Read MoreThere are tons of awesome plant-based (aka vegan) sources of protein, rich in nutrients and fiber (and easier to digest than animal proteins) that are important to be including in our diet. Even if you’re not vegan, it’s important to mix up your protein sources and eat some of these healthy, vegan proteins - for optimal gut health (and overall health).
Plant-based proteins have a myriad of benefits, and I highly suggest that everyone start to include a few plant-based meals a week (ex. try doing “Meatless Mondays”), focusing on having BALANCED, nutritious meals with at least one source of protein at each meal.
I share 10 of my favorite plant-based sources of protein in this blog (and tips on how to incorporate them into your diet).
Read MoreMany people are curious about going 100% vegan and wonder if it’s for them, so this blog is primarily for you. I clarify many positives and negatives of a plant-based vegan diet, some options/alternatives, and tips to maximize the benefits of your diet.
I explore these topics plus share 6 TIPS on how to maximize benefits of your diet.
Read MoreToday I’m sharing some of my best tips to take care of your hair health and my favorite nontoxic hair products.
First, remember beauty comes from the inside out. I recommend to start by improving your nutrition and lifestyle to heal your gut, manage your stress and balance your hormones. This is will have a huge positive impact on your beauty, including your hair.
While everyone is different, for beautiful hair in general I suggest loading up on whole-unprocessed foods, primarily plant-based with plenty plant-based proteins and unprocessed healthy fats. That’s my number one recommendation. Read more for my hair health nutrition tips HERE.
On top of that, we want to give LOVE to our hair, and for that, it’s essential to make the switch to non-toxic products. Below I share some of the best nontoxic hair products that I recommend
Read MorePregnancy is such a unique and special time in a woman’s life, that really requires love and attention. We are creating life after all! Everything we DO, everything we EAT, and even what we THINK affects the health of our baby. So making natural, healthy choices everyday to maximize our health, our happiness, and that of our baby, is SO important.
So today I share 8 of my best tips for a healthy, happy pregnancy and baby.
Read MoreTo increase your chances of an amazing, healthy pregnancy, birth and baby, you want to focus on eating a real whole-foods diet as much as possible, avoiding processed junk foods, eating a variety of colors, and including these 12 pregnancy “superfoods” as much as possible (in addition to your prenatal vitamin and any other supplements/medicines that your doctor or midwife prescribed).
Check out my blog for 12 super foods you should be eating regularly as part of your Pregnancy Diet, for a healthy mom and baby.
Read MoreNowadays, we are all experiencing some degree of oxidative stress in our bodies, which is keeping us from attaining our health goals. It can negatively impact our fertility, our ability to reach our ideal weight, our ageing process…. and more.
So what causes oxidative stress, and how can we decrease it?
In this blog, I lay out the key contributors to oxidative stress and 8 tips to reduce it in your day to day life.
Read MoreTo help you keep your body active and toned during the Easter holidays (and afterwards), I have created this 7-day guide with a mini challenge (2-3 minutes) for you to do every day of the week. They are easy exercises that you can do from anywhere, so there is no excuse!
Since this March in Balance Studio we are focusing on the arms, we will do exercises mainly for ARMS and upper body, but always combining with some legs, and of course, a lot of CORE.
Check out our guide for your challenge exercises, and go to Balance Studio IG @balancestudiomga for mini videos of each exercise (we’ll be posting each day an IG story, then saving them in highlights reto7diasbarre).
Read MoreToday I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite recipes (in both English and Spanish) - my super healthy, fiber-packed, gut-friendly Energy Balls. The recipe is super easy and I proved different options (including my favorite Chocolate energy ball version)! You can make them in 15 minutes, store them for weeks in the freezer, and you have the perfect healthy snack or dessert on hand - which is balanced, with healthy fats and plant-based protein that won’t spike your blood sugar.
Read MoreSustaining balanced blood sugar levels (aka blood glucose levels) and minimizing swings in blood sugar is absolutely paramount to weight loss, and moreover, to a healthy lifestyle and avoiding disease.
The good news is that there is so much we can do through small DIET and LIFESTYLE changes to support our blood sugar levels and simultaneously boost our overall health.
Today in my bog I share 11 tips to keep stable, healthy glucose levels (which simultaneously support healthy weight loss).
Read MoreSalads are amazing for our health, but salads can lack appeal and get boring. Or worse, they can be unhealthy if you’re not careful! The key lies in using a delicious, healthy, HOMEMADE salad dressing! So I'm sharing 3 of my favorite go-to salad dressings (dairy free, gluten free, preservative free, refined sugar free, and made only with good quality ingredients) that can make any salad delicious, satisfying and healthy.
Read MoreAfter a 2020 filled with much needed reflection, I decided to make my year-end intentions for the upcoming year different than previous years... Less restrictive, more loving and accepting (yet still motivating!). I share my 10 goals for 2021 - focused on more body-love and deeper connection.
Read MoreMy 2020 holiday gift guide.
Read MoreAs a huge lover of coconut (including coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut water, coconut oil, pure coconut meat, coconut flour and more!) today I’m sharing some BENEFITS OF COCONUTS and a few of my favorite super healthy and delicious detox-friendly COCONUT-BASED RECIPES.
Read MoreBalance With Mariana is a holistic Health Coaching practice that works with individuals looking to lose weight, overcome their food addictions and improve their digestive issues, by teaching them new healthy lifestyle habits that help them reach their specific personal goals. Clients of Balance With Mariana develop not only a better relationship with food, but also an overall more balanced and happy life.
Balance With Mariana | , Miami, FL
