Refried Bean Tacos with Chipotle Cashew Cream

For a weeknight meal, make the chipotle cashew cream in advance and store refrigerated until serving.

by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 4 (2 tacos each)

WHAT YOU NEED

Supremely Simple Refried Black Beans

Chipotle Cashew Cream (below)

2 cups shredded green cabbage

½ red bell pepper

½ yellow bell pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 lime)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

8 One Degree Organicssprouted corn tortillas

1 large handful cilantro leaves

WHAT TO DO

Soak the cashews; see (below).

Make the Supremely Simple Black Beans.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the cabbage and peppers (cut off the rounded edges of the peppers so that the peppers are straight). Juice the lime. Just before serving, mix together the cabbage, peppers, lime juice, kosher salt and several grinds of black pepper in a large bowl.

Blend the cashew cream (below).

Warm the tortillas, or char them by placing them on grates above an open gas flame on medium heat for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm.

To serve, place refried beans in a tortilla, top with cabbage and pepper slaw, cashew sauce, and some torn cilantro leaves.

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Za’atar-Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Salma: First I would recommend to arm yourself with some great Middle Eastern staples such as za’atar (a thyme and sesame seed seasoning) which can be added to almost any vegetable dish, along with sumac (a crushed berry spice) that adds a real kick to simple roast vegetables and soups. They are both great in stews too and sprinkled on almost anything and everything.

Buy pomegranates: they are a wonderful addition to any salad and can really transform a simple dish into something quite exotic. They are not only pretty to look at but add a very unique sweet/sour taste. For desserts, have a good stock of flavored waters in such as rose water or orange blossom. They can give most cakes or cookies a hint of the Middle East.

My traditional recipe suggestions would be to start with something such as Kibbeh. My ‘Nan’s Kibbeh’ is a spicy, sweet version that dates back generations in my family and is still a firm favorite. We have it almost every weekend to this day. ‘Grandma’s eggplant dip’ is a dish I have been cooking for 60 years; it gives real insight into how the simplest of ingredients make something quite wonderful. The eggplant is scorched over an open flame to bring out the flavor, which gives the dip a unique smoky taste.

There are also a few traditional lesser known Middle Eastern dishes that could be a great for home cooks new to this cuisine. Harisa (not to be mistaken with harissa, the Tunisian hot chili paste) is a celebratory barley dish often cooked on days of religious significance, in a huge cauldron at a village gathering. In my book, I have a version for home cooks that is very straightforward. Also, Mograbieh, also known as Israeli, pearl, or giant couscous. The version in the book is smothered in a fresh herb dressing. Recipes such as these are not yet well-known, but very reflective of how we eat in the Middle East.

Sonja: You moved to London from Lebanon. When was this, and what prompted the move? In London, did you ever experience any difference in treatment based on your ethnicity?

Salma: We moved in 1967, exactly 50 years ago. All of my family left Lebanon around this time, since politically it had become a difficult world to live in. At that point I had moved to Tripoli in Lebanon because it had more work opportunities, but with the bigger city came more disruption. It became a unsafe place to raise a family. My aunt and uncle invited us to come and live with them in London as a bit of a safe haven for a short time. We had to borrow the money for the airfare and had no idea where we were going or what we would do when we got there. During out first few years in London, I was so homesick I would take myself to the airport and sit there hoping to hear Lebanese people speak to remind me of home. I found adapting to the language extremely hard. I would work two jobs to take care of my family while trying to learn English in the evenings. After we saved up enough money for our first house in London, we immediately took in lodgers to help us pay our way.

We were always very sociable and so integrated with people in our community very quickly. However, there are always great challenges that come with being a first generation immigrant in any country. I was very honored to this year be included in The Immigrant Cookbook. It is wonderful what diversity of skills and cultures immigrants bring, particularly to places such as London and New York, which makes things like Brexit and Trump so devastating.

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5 habits that foster weight loss

5 Habits that foster weight loss

If you’re like many Americans, you’re still carrying an extra pound or two that you gained over the holidays. Over the years, that extra weight can really add up—and that added girth is hard on your heart.

Often, the hardest part about losing weight isn’t about knowing what to eat. You’ve heard it a thousand times: eat lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. The real challenge is changing your habits to make those healthy choices part of your everyday routine without feeling too deprived.

When you come home

Where to start? Try a little respect, says Dr. George L. Blackburn, professor of nutrition at Harvard Medical School. “Show respect for the food you’re eating. Before you sit down to dinner, lay out your meal on a white tablecloth, which will make you more likely to eat mindfully,” he says. Mindfulness—the practice of being fully aware of what’s happening within and around you at the moment—seems to help people make better food choices, in terms of both what and how they eat.

It’s also important to respect your hunger, which means you should eat as closely as possible to the time you feel hungry (but not starving). Finally, respect your cravings. “Select foods that taste good to you, because taste is king,” says Dr. Blackburn. You need to stick within healthy parameters, of course, and choose foods that follow the recommendations laid out by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (see www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015). But if you’ve got a hankering for a few French fries or a small brownie once in a while, go ahead. A complete ban of your favorite treats may leave you more likely to abandon your diet altogether and overindulge.

Dr. Blackburn has directed the Center for Nutrition Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and advised overweight and obese people for more than four decades. The following are five proven strategies that many of his patients have found helpful toward their goal of lasting weight loss.

1. Make time to prepare healthy meals

Home-cooked food tends to be far lower in calories, fat, salt, and sugar than restaurant food and most processed food. But it takes time and effort to choose recipes, go to the store, and cook. Take a close look at your weekly schedule to see if you can carve out a few hours to devote to meal planning and shopping, which is more than half the battle, says Dr. Blackburn. It could be on Sunday afternoon or in 15- to 30-minute increments throughout the week.

To save time in the kitchen, take advantage of precut vegetables and cooked whole grains (like brown rice) from the salad bar or freezer case. And stock up on easy, wholesome snacks like fruit, nuts, and low-fat cheese sticks.

2. Eat slowly

The next time you sit down for a meal, set a timer (maybe the one on your kitchen stove or smartphone) for 20 minutes. That’s about how long it takes the “I’m full” message sent by the gut hormones and stretch receptors in your stomach to reach your brain, explains Dr. Blackburn. “If you can spend a full 20 minutes between your first bite and your last, you’ll feel satisfied but not stuffed.” Eat too quickly and you’re more likely to overeat. Tips for stretching out your mealtime include chewing each bite a little longer than usual, setting down your fork between each bite, and taking frequent sips of water during your meal.

3. Consume evenly sized meals, beginning with breakfast

Most people tend to eat a small breakfast (or none at all), a medium-sized lunch, and large dinner. But you may be better off spreading your calories out more evenly throughout the day. For one thing, a small or nonexistent breakfast can leave you ravenous by lunchtime, which may lead you to overeat. A morning meal also helps rev up your metabolism for the day, stimulating enzymes that help you burn fat. What’s more, eating at least 450 calories per meal can help you avoid hunger between meals, says Dr. Blackburn. If you eat a light supper (and avoid grazing late into the night; see tip No. 4), you may eat fewer calories over all—and actually be hungry for breakfast.

4. Don’t skimp on sleep

When you burn the midnight oil, you’re probably not also burning calories, but instead consuming too many. Many studies have linked shorter sleep duration with a higher risk of being overweight or obese. A recent review article suggests why: people who sleep fewer than six hours a night tend to have irregular eating habits—including more frequent, smaller, energy-dense, and highly palatable snacks (read: fatty, sugary foods like chips, cookies, and ice cream).

Only about 60% of adults get the recommended seven to nine hours of shut-eye per night. If you have a hard time falling or staying asleep, cognitive behavioral therapy—not sleeping pills—should be your first step. For more information on this talk therapy technique.

5. Weigh yourself often

If you don’t already have one, get a digital scale. Hang a calendar and pen above it, right at eye level, as a reminder to record your weight every day. Doing so only takes a few seconds and will keep you heading in the right direction. Most people find it difficult or tedious to track their calories, both from the foods they eat and those they burn via exercise. But a daily weigh-in tells you all you need to know—and the scale doesn’t lie. Also, research shows that people who weigh themselves often are more likely to lose weight and keep it off.

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Look on the bright side and maybe even live longer

In these turbulent times, it’s sometimes a struggle to maintain a glass-half-full view of life. But if you can, it may serve you well. A growing body of research links optimism—a sense that all will be well—to a lower risk for mental or physical health issues and to better odds of a longer life.

One of the largest such studies was led by researchers Dr. Kaitlin Hagan and Dr. Eric Kim at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Their team analyzed data from 70,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study who, in 2004, had answered questions about how they viewed their futures

The researchers found that women who scored higher on the optimism scale were significantly less likely to die from several major causes of death over an eight-year period, compared with women who scored lower. In fact, compared to the most pessimistic women, the most optimistic had a 16% lower risk of dying from cancer, 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease, 39% lower risk of dying from stroke, 38% lower risk of dying from respiratory disease, and 52% lower risk of dying from infection.

How you can acquire optimism

Even if you consider yourself a pessimist, there’s hope. Dr. Hagan notes that a few simple changes can help people become more optimistic. “Previous studies have shown that optimism can instilled by something as simple as having people think about the best possible outcomes for various areas of their lives,” she says. The following may help you see the world through rosier glasses:

Accentuate the positive. Keep a journal. In each entry, underline the good things that have happened and things you’ve enjoyed, and concentrate on them. Consider how they came about and what you can do to keep them coming.

Eliminate the negative. If you find yourself ruminating on negative situations, do something to short-circuit that train of thought. Turn on your favorite music, reread a novel you love, or get in touch with a good friend.

Act locally. Don’t fret about your inability to influence global affairs. Instead, do something that can make a small positive change—like donating clothes to a relief organization, helping clean or replant a neighborhood park, or volunteering at an after-school program.

Be easier on yourself. Self-compassion is a characteristic shared by most optimists. You can be kind to yourself by taking good care of your body—eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Take stock of your assets and concentrate on them. Finally, try to forgive yourself for past transgressions—real or imagined—and move on.

Learn mindfulness. Adopting the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment can go a long way in helping you deal with unpleasant events. If you need help, many health centers now offer mindfulness training. There are books, videos, and smartphone apps to guide you.

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How to Get Vitamin D (Besides the Sun)

When it comes to maintaining various systems of your body, consider vitamin D your sun-soaked secret weapon — the nutrient has a stacked resume and is found in cells throughout your body.

First, it’s essential for bone health. Without vitamin D, your body can’t process the calcium you get from food to build strong bones. Second, it’s a key player in maintaining your muscles and nerves. Not only does vitamin D help your muscles move, it’s part of the vehicle that gets signals from your nerves to your brain and back again. And finally, vitamin D is an immune system warrior, helping you fend off the flu and even, as some research suggests, certain types of cancer.

Most of us get our daily dose of vitamin D from the sun (adults need about 600 IU per day, according to the National Institutes of Health), but as daylight hours diminish, your risk of developing a D deficiency creeps up. If you become vitamin D-deficient, you risk developing osteomalacia (the softening of bones) and muscle weakness. D deficiency could also compromise your immune function.

To keep your health goals on track and your body performing at its peak, it’s important to get enough of the nutrient. Aside from soaking up vitamin D-packed rays, there are two main ways to get your daily dose: noshing on vitamin D-dense foods or selecting the right supplement.

DIETARY D

If your time in the sun is on the lower end of the spectrum, you can boost your levels of vitamin D through your diet, with natural sources and fortified foods.

NATURAL SOURCES OF VITAMIN D

The best source of vitamin D is seafood — specifically fatty fishes like salmon, tuna and mackerel, according to the NIH. Make sure to look for wild-caught (rather than farmed) fish. According to a study from the Boston University Medical Center, farmed salmon has approximately 75 percent less vitamin D than the wild caught version. You can also get a dose of D from other food sources — including egg yolks, cheese, beef liver and mushrooms exposed to UV light — though in much smaller amounts.

FOODS FORTIFIED WITH VITAMIN D

Because there aren’t a ton of D-dense foods in the average diet, a lot of foods that end up on U.S. shelves are fortified with the vitamin. The top fortified dietary source is dairy milk, and in the U.S., it’s fortified to help boost your intake. A quart contains about 400 IU. Vitamin D is also added to a lot of other breakfast foods — think boxed cereals, orange juice and yogurt. Even some soy products are fortified. Just make sure to check the nutrition labels on each product.

DOSING VITAMIN D

Unless you’re eating salmon at every meal and washing it down with milk (maybe not the best idea) you may still need an extra boost of vitamin D. Here’s where supplements come in. While not quite a miracle pill, taking a vitamin D supplement comes pretty close.

In pill form, vitamin D comes in two versions, D2 and D3. Both versions increase your blood levels of the vitamin, but D3 is the more natural version and is more readily absorbed and used by the body. Whether you’re looking for a vitamin D-dense multivitamin or a solo supplement, check the labels and make sure the recommended daily dose contains enough to meet your recommended 600 IU per day.

One word of caution: You can get too much vitamin D, which can cause everything from nausea to kidney damage. The NIH recommends capping your daily intake at 4,000 IU, so make sure you understand your daily doses and the amount you’re already consuming before using a supplement.

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Exactly How To Change Your Cardio Routine If You Want To Set A PR

Ah, springtime, when we clean out our closets, clear our minds, and spruce up our fitness routines. Since summer is the unnoffical start of peak running season (in preparation for fall marathons), it’s important to set a foundation now to make the most of your races this year. Jeff Gaudette, owner and head coach of RunnersConnect in Boston, says it’s the perfect time to switch things up in your routine if you want to shave time off a race, no matter the distance.

First, warm up faster: do five reps each of a forward lunge, forward lunge with upper-body twist, side lunge, and reverse lunge; then repeat on the other side. This will fire up your quads, core, and glutes while loosening up your hip flexors in about three minutes—five, tops—cutting down on the distance you’ll have to run at an easy pace to get all limber. 

Do This: A tempo or threshold run once a week. “These are good for pace training, and they also build endurance,” says Gaudette. Warm up for a mile or so, then run three to four miles at your 5-K pace (or a bit faster than your goal 10-K pace); finish with a mile cooldown. Fill out your week with three or four moderately paced runs.

If you’ve run on a treadmill in your life, you’ll be able to relate to these thoughts every woman has had on the treadmill:

Drop This: Multiple speed-work sessions a week. Limit yourself to one or two fast runs to sidestep injury, says Gaudette. “A runner’s aerobic and anaerobic fitness develops at a faster rate than their tendons, ligaments, muscles, and bones. So you can run faster without breathing hard, but your muscles and tendons can’t handle the stress.” Plus, adding in more speed workouts won’t help you reach your goal pace in a month or two; getting faster is gradual, says Gaudette, and it takes about a year to make significant, lasting changes.

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Spinach Artichoke Red Rice Casserole

The other day I had a chat with a young woman who had experienced extreme success in her business, gaining world renown in five short years. I asked her the secret to her very quick success. Without a beat, she said something like, “I don’t compare myself to others. I stay in my own lane, and rabidly pursue my vision and definition of success.” Wise words. I think on that often, in a world where it’s easier than ever to play the comparison game. What’s important then, is each of us finding our vision and walking toward that. Along your way, you’ll see others headed in their own direction. Some paths might be parallel to your own for a while, then veer off. Others might simply cross your path once, then keep on trucking to their own beat. But the beautiful thing is, we’re all going somewhere. Each of those paths are as valid and exciting and unique as the people walking them. None of them have to be the same.

So much in my life has happened differently than I expected. However, I’m slowly getting closer to my life vision that’s been forming: a household that’s warm and inviting. A career that’s interesting and creative. A kitchen filled with comfort and nourishment. A life full of fulfilling relationships and service to others. More and more, food has become the way to make that warm, inviting, nourishing, creative, beautiful vision a reality. There are certainly bumps in the road every which way, from a years-long quest to find our family and figuring out how to feed ourselves. But every day, we’re getting one step closer.

With the days turning shorter and the crisp, cool mornings, we’re starting to crave cozy bakes. This rice casserole we created using organic red rice from Lundberg Family Farms to honor Whole Grains Month (September). Incorporating lots of whole grains in our kitchen has been important to us from the beginning. Quinoa, rice, millet, farro; you name it, we’ve investigated and found delicious ways to eat it! Red rice is a new-to-us whole grain, so we were eager to test it out, especially since this red rice has been grown sustainably and organically. Rice and whole grains are full of vitamins and minerals including B-vitamins, iron and zinc. They’re also a great source of complex carbohydrates, which are slow-digesting and provide fuel for an active lifestyle. And since red rice has the germ of the rice left intact, it has a bit more nutrients versus white rice.

To use the red rice, we created this rice casserole. It combines the gooey, comforting essence of spinach artichoke dip with the nourishing, whole grains of red rice.  Though you could certainly substitute other types of rice in this rice casserole, we love the contrast of the bright red rice against the green spinach. It also has a unique, nutty flavor. Serve it along with a salad as a main dish, or even dip into it with pita crisps. It’s cozy plus nourishing, baked whole grains style. (Hygge, we’d say.)

Featured partner: Lundberg Family Farms

Lundberg Family Farms is a family owned and operated business that started in Nebraska in the 1930s. After seeing the Dustbowl that resulted from poor soil management, Albert Lundberg inspired his sons to care for the soil. Since then, Lundberg has been growing organic rice for 80 years. They’re committed to sustainable farming practices that protect the soil for future generations, and their whole grain products are made with the cleanest ingredients. They’ve have grown grains sustainably long before anyone knew the word. Lundberg grows more than 18 types of rice and grains, including Red, Black Pearl, Brown, Wild, Basmati, Sushi, two varieties of American-grown Quinoa, and many more. Look for Lundberg brands in your local grocery store.

?Did you make this recipe

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This recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

Spinach Artichoke Red Rice Casserole

Make ahead: Make the rice in advance and refrigerate until assembling the bake. When baking, make sure the rice is fully warmed through, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time as necessary.

by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 6 to 8 as a main

WHAT YOU NEED

• 2 cups dry Lundberg organic red rice
• 8 ounces baby spinach leaves (8 cups)
• 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 14-ounce can artichoke hearts
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup milk
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cook the rice according to the package instructions.
3. In a large skillet, heat the spinach leaves and 1 tablespoon water over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are completely reduced and wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. (You may need to add a second batch of leaves depending on the size of your skillet.) Drain off any water, place the spinach in a bowl, and mix it with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
4. Roughly chop the artichoke hearts.
5. Meanwhile, mince the garlic. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium low heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the milk, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and bring to a simmer. Stir until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens slightly (turn up the heat slightly if the cheese doesn’t melt at first, but be careful not to overheat it).
6. When the rice and sauce are finished, pour the rice into a large casserole dish and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Add spinach and artichoke, pour in the sauce, and stir thoroughly to combine all rice with sauce and cheese (make sure to get the edges). Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.
7. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes until warm. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

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Fight back against gout

Gout affects more than eight million adults, six million of whom are men. It often strikes suddenly, like flicking on a light switch, and the pain is severe, with intense swelling and redness.

Food choices can dictate if you get gout, as high intake of organ meat, shellfish, and alcohol can raise your risk. But diet is only a part of it. “There is a direct relationship between advancing age and gout,” says Dr. Robert Shmerling, clinical chief of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

In general, if you have one attack, there is a good chance you will have another within the next year. Even if you have avoided gout so far, you still may suffer from it in the future. Yet there are ways to reduce your risk as well as prevent repeat attacks.

An inside look at gout

Gout is triggered by the crystallization of uric acid within the joints. It happens like this: Your body produces uric acid from breaking down purines, which are formed by the body and found in certain foods. Uric acid enters your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine.

However, sometimes your body produces too much uric acid or excretes too little. This causes uric acid to build up and form needle-like urate crystals in a joint or the surrounding tissue. The result: a sudden, painful flare-up.

The large joint of the big toe is the most common affected area, followed by the side of the foot and ankle. Other hot spots include the knees, hands, and wrists. Most episodes last approximately seven to 10 days.

While gout can occur at any time, it is most likely to strike at night or early morning. The main reasons for this are believed to be lower body temperature and nighttime dehydration. “Crystals are more likely to form in lower temperatures, and dehydration can prevent excess uric acid from being flushed from the body,” says Dr. Shmerling.

Treating attacks

The best way to confirm gout is with a joint fluid test to reveal urate crystals. A blood test given by your doctor to measure your uric acid level can also contribute to the overall diagnosis, as the higher the level, the greater your risk. For attacks, the first line of treatment is medication, says Dr. Shmerling. There are several types, but the most common include the following:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These are over-the-counter options, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen sodium (Aleve), as well as prescription NSAIDs like indomethacin (Indocin).
• Colchicine. This relieves gout pain. After the pain resolves, your doctor may prescribe a low daily dose along with a urate-lowering medication to prevent future attacks.
• Corticosteroids. These may control inflammation and pain, and may be taken in pill form or injected into your joint.

If you suffer chronic or frequent attacks, if more than one joint is affected, or if you develop kidney stones or a tophus (a large lump of crystals), you may need medication to reduce uric acid production. The usual goal here is to lower uric acid levels to less than 6 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

Dietary changes

Medication is only one way to prevent gout attacks. Altering your lifestyle habits can add further protection.

Besides reducing your intake of meat and shellfish, which can raise uric acid levels, limit your intake of alcohol as well as drinks with high-fructose corn syrup, like soft drinks, says Dr. Shmerling. Stay well hydrated and adopt an exercise program to help lose excess weight.

You can also increase your intake of foods that have been shown to lower uric acid levels, like coffee (regular or decaf) and cherry juice, as well as increasing your vitamin C intake through supplements or foods, such as bell peppers, broccoli, strawberries, and oranges. But keep in mind that these dietary changes have their limits.

“If you have a high level of uric acid—for example, 10 mg/dL—you may be able to lower it to 9.5 mg/dL through your diet, but you are still considered at a high risk for repeat attacks,” says Dr. Shmerling.

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Tips for sleeping well during hot weather

With the arrival of warm weather and especially during the summer months in many cities is very difficult to sleep. There are times when the temperatures do not drop enough to feel at ease when sleeping and there are cases in which this uneasiness can cause insomnia also known as insomnia summer.  Try to avoid this discomfort are a lot of remedies and tricks that people use. We recommend you some tips for sleeping that will be successful to sleep on hot summer nights.

One of the mainly important aspects is the hydration. If we have a hot day we drink at least three liters of water during the day to keep the body hydrated by evening. Keep in mind that there are certain foods that help you sleep better. Foods low in fat and calories are best suited to sleep. Saturated fats need plenty of water for amalgamation so it is best left aside at dinner.

Like there is certain not recommended for such situations, alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks May also affect sleep food. May seem silly but the position can also influence when it comes to sleep. If we decide to sleep on your side we will have less body on the sheets so the feeling of heat will be lower. Can be used fans to cool the bedroom stay. So all it is important not to place directly in front of the person. It can be placed on one side of the room and so cool the room but if possible it is best not to use the air conditioning.

No good if you follow the tips above the room where we sleep is not well ventilated. Before going to sleep, no advantage to get the heat that has accumulated during the day. In addition, at noon we recommend lowering the blinds in the bedroom. If we do exercises before sleep our body will be more active. This will cause it more hard to sleep especially if also hot. Instead opt for a relaxation exercise.

Clothes we used to sleep are a factor that affects a lot. It should be comfortable clothing is recommended to be cotton. It may seem strange but cotton helps proper absorption of perspiration and does not cause extreme sweating. Surely, with these easy tips will find it easier to sleep at night very hot summer. Also if these tips will add a natural remedy with calming herbs surely we have no problems.

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Phrases for Pregnant Mothers

We know that all women and pregnant mothers will agree the maternal feeling is in women from the time they know of the existence of his son. A mother is from the moment you start to imagine the face of your baby, to care for him, love him totally and above all things. That feeling is being a mother, but your baby is not born yet and you are a mother.

Before you conceive you and loved, you before you were born and I loved you. Before you were born an hour and died for you. This is the miracle of mother love. Feeling fat lasts nine months, but the joy of becoming a mother lasts forever. A baby is something you carry inside you for nine months, in your arms for three years and in your heart until the day, you die. Making the choice to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever walk your heart out of your body. You have been nine months in my belly, but my life will be in my heart.

Whether your pregnancy was planned meticulously, I convinced the doctor, or to happen by surprise, one thing is certain; your life will never be the same. There is no friendship, no love, like a mother for her child. No language can state the power, beauty, and heroism of a mother’s love. The joy of a mother begins when a new life is stirring within, when you listen to your heart for the first time as a playful little kick reminds you that you are not alone.

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How Not to Totally Fall Off the Health Wagon on Summer Vacation

Welcome to vacation season – that time when all of those months of healthy eating and exercising to get into swimsuit shape finally pay off. But it can only take a week to fall off the health wagon and erase some of those hard-earned efforts. While you will want to enjoy and eat what you want (it is vacation, after all), here are some tips that allow you to do that without blowing your health goals:

1. Get away.

If you’re still debating whether or not to take a trip this summer, do it: Research shows that hanging out with your favorite pals, having a good laugh and sharing quality bonding time is just as effective – if not better than – exercise for reducing stress. That’s important if you’re working to melt away or stave off stubborn belly fat, which is linked to the stress-related hormone cortisol. So hanging out with you friends is a win for your social life, happiness – and waistline.

2. Be Prepared.

While vacation is for giving your mind and body a break from all the rules and regimens of everyday life, totally ignoring your health will only add stress to your life when you return home. Make it easy to make at least one meal or snack a day healthy by packing some staples such as individual packets of unsweetened rolled oats or some plant-based protein to add to your morning smoothie. After all, swimsuits don’t take up that much space. If you’d rather bring a fourth pair of flip-flops than food, try carrying on. Even if you just pack a healthy snack or meal for the plane, train or car ride to your destination, it’s a step in the right direction, and your body will thank you.

3. Move it, move it.

If you’re not one for hitting the hotel gym when you could be on the beach, fret not. Sightseeing, trying new water sports, exploring and even shopping burns calories. The more you’re moving, the more you’re burning. Forgot something in your hotel room? Take the stairs. And don’t forget to dance the night away. An hour of dancing burns nearly 450 calories.

4. Skip the buffet.

While buffets are synonymous with hotel stays, the cornucopia of food displays can make your eyes bigger than your stomach and cause you to eat more. Even if you think you’re disciplined and choose healthy options and fill a small plate, it’s hard for anyone to resist the temptation (and the apparent cost savings) to go up for seconds. Instead, order a meal off the menu – a strategy that forces you to stick to one plate.

5. Stay hydrated.

Whether you’re basking in the sun, busy with activities or sipping on pina coladas, chances are you’re flirting with dehydration. On an average day, you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces. (So, if you’re 160 pounds, that’s 10 8-ounce glasses.) When you’re in the heat, active, sweating or sipping on cocktails, you need to be drinking even more than that.

6. Chill.

Make time to relax. After all, that is point of vacation, right? De-stressing is essential in regulating cortisol levels, which can wreak havoc on belly fat. Catching up on sleep also helps to regulate your hunger hormones. When you compromise sleep, your body produces more ghrelin (the hormone that triggers hunger) and less leptin (the hormone that tells you to stop eating). Adequate levels of sleep – seven to eight hours – regulate your hunger hormones and can help shed that unwanted, stubborn fat. Happy healthy vacationing!

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