Posts Tagged ‘carina sohaili’

Filling Flu Fighting Foods by Carina Sohaili

filling-flu-fighting-foods-by-carina-sohaili

Food is the best medicine around and nobody likes being sick! The time has come to start eating your way to radiance…

Here are two of my favorite foods to help protect you against the flu, curb unhealthy cravings, boost energy levels, and get that skin glowing. Not to mention a way to make your favorite comfort foods a bit healthier.

Pasta please! Instead of your traditional pasta, go for skin clearing spaghetti squash. This sassy squash is packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, fiber, and magnesium. Need some energy? Hello magnesium! This mineral is responsible for energy production within the body. It also helps slow down the aging process which will minimize those pesky crows feet and fine lines.

Feeling a bit bloated? Potassium helps flush the body of excessive toxins and waste that is fantastic for de-bloating. Vitamin C and vitamin A protect your skin from dry, flaky, rough patches and is key in strengthening your immune system (two of the best vitamins for fighting the flu around.) Squash is a healthy carbohydrate high in dietary fiber, which will keep you more full for a longer amount of time. This will help prevent you from reaching for that office donut. The rich warm flavor of squash is a flu fighting favorite of mine; it will warm you without filling you out. Not to mention, tastes divine! Check out my simple video tutorial on how to make it here.

Precious pumpkin! Pumpkin is one of my favorite skin super foods loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, potassium, and magnesium. Not to mention, beta-carotene, a cancer fighting antioxidant. Vitamin A is fantastic for the bags and dark circles under your eyes, while vitamin C will give your skin a young, dewy glow. These two vitamins are also great immune system boosters. Here is my pumpkin pancake taco recipethat is a client favorite and takes less than 10 minutes to make.

Stay tuned for all new Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover episodes out soon (watch episodes 1-5 here) and a very exciting announcement I am waiting to share with the community!

Learn more about my Custom Eat Yourself Gorgeous Programs

For more free videos, health tools and easy recipes join the VHL party and connect with me!

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Love always,

Carina

Holiday Party Tools by Carina Sohaili

The holidays are about memories, moments and fun. There is no time for feeling deprived or guilty about food choices (that also is not the answer to a happy life). Below are my simple tools (nine easy to apply steps) so you can enjoy the holiday season without the guilt.

Remember, nobody’s perfect. Set realistic goals to stay on track so you can truly enjoy this holiday season and not go on a crazy diet in the New Year.

For more Holiday Tools check out my article featured on Active.com on Healthy Holiday Sides (link is at the end of the piece) my Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover Video Series and my Everyday Health featured piece.

  1. Never go to a party starving. Often times when we are stressed out, tired or cranky it is because we are eating sugary packed junk foods and unhealthy sweets with preservatives. These foods make us crave more unhealthy foods and mess with the hormones that regulate the stress response within the body. By nourishing your body with nutrient dense foods and always having a healthy snack, you will have increased energy, a calmer demeanor and be less likely to lose control at the holiday buffet. One of my favorite snacks is organic canned pumpkin with a dollop of plain all natural Greek yogurt. This is a great combination of a healthy carbohydrate (from the pumpkin) and protein from the Greek yogurt. I call it my special “bliss in a cup” energizing snack. It is quick, easy to make and leaves me feeling like I just ate a slice of pumpkin pie. Moreover, the fiber in the pumpkin is great for your digestive system especially during the Holidays. Watch my video tutorial on how to make it here.
  2. Eat real food before you reach for the sugary sweets. Fill up on protein before you head to the dessert table. Protein will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep you more full and satisfied for a longer amount of time. By eating protein you will reduce your cravings for junk food and sweets. One of my favorite protein appetizer options is shrimp, which you can find at most holiday parties (if not, be a great guest and bring a healthy appetizer). Just do not drench your shrimp in the cocktail sauce, which is usually made with excessive sugars. Instead squeeze on some freshly sliced lemon for flavor and zest (lemon helps with holiday bloating and is a great immune system booster as well). If you are vegetarian, hummus is normally a party platter favorite and a good source of protein.
  3. Indulge in a balanced way. If you are craving a serving of pie have a reasonable portion but do not eat three servings. Do you notice how the first serving of an amazing food tastes the best? The food is not as good the second or third time around. This will prevent you from feeling deprived and then overeating later on.
  4. Munch on veggies. Often times when we are not hungry but see other people eating it is very easy to mindlessly put food in our bodies. When I am in the mood to munch I always go for veggies. I love carrots because of the vitamin-A. Vitamin- A is great for vision, dark circles under your eyes and an immune system booster.
  5. Volunteer to bring a healthy side to your next holiday party. Not only are you a great guest because you are contributing to the party (the host will love you!) but you can ensure that there is something delicious AND healthy for you to eat. Bringing a healthy side does not have to be complicated or overwhelming. Check out my library of healthy holiday cooking videos from Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes to Skin Clearing Spaghetti Squash here! All take less than 20 minutes to make.
  6. Be mindful of your environment. It is very easy to overeat when everyone around you is overeating as well.
  7. Always have a plan. If you know you are going to be around a group of people that over-indulge all the time, have a plan going into the situation. Make it clear what you are going to indulge in, what you are going to pass on and other activities you are going to focus on (schedule a family game of cards or talk to that uncle who you have not seen in a while). Focus on friends, family and conversation; not simply stuffing your face with food at the holiday buffet. Remember why you are at the gathering in the first place.
  8. Learn to take a deep breath and slow down. It is okay to say no to certain events if you are feeling drained and over-worked. Finding balance, especially during the holiday season is important. Recognize when you are doing too much and be okay with cutting back. You do not have to be superman (or woman). Make choices that are energy inducing as opposed to energy draining. Be smart about your time and how you invest it.
  9. Ditch the all or nothing diet mentality. I always say to focus on progress instead of perfection. So many people have “cheat” days then are excessively strict and deprive themselves. This causes them to overeat way too much when they “let themselves go.” I always hear “I am starting my diet tomorrow.” You should erase the term diet from your vocabulary.

Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover Holiday Cooking Video Series: https://www.vibranthealthylife.com/videos-meal-makeovers-with-carina-sohaili

Active.com featured piece: http://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/5-healthy-makeovers-for-holiday-sides

Everyday Health featured piece: http://www.everydayhealth.com/food/8-Health-Experts-Weigh-In-on-Navigating-the-Holidays-the-Healthy-Way.aspx#/slide-7

Just like any muscle, the more you practice consistent healthy habits the easier they will get. By implementing these tools you will be less stressed and have more energy to invest in activities you truly enjoy. Happy Holidays!

For more easy recipes and health secrets connect with me:

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Love always,

Carina

* Stay tuned for an exciting announcement I get to share VERY soon!!

Turkey Time Tools by Carina Sohaili

turkey-time-tools-carina-sohaili

Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family and memories to be made – not a time for feeling guilty about food choices or depriving yourself of certain foods. Below are my Turkey Time Tools so you can be healthy AND enjoy yourself. My tips were also featured in Fox News Magazine; I have included the article link at the end of the piece.

Preparation before the meal:

  1. A huge mistake people make is eating very little until the big meal. This is a recipe for disaster. Make sure you have a solid breakfast and lunch filled with a good combination of protein and healthy carbohydrates. When you starve yourself during the day in preparation for a huge meal your body has a much harder time acknowledging when you are actually full. You also will get much more intense cravings for sugary and carbohydrate heavy sweets.
  2. Ditch the all or nothing diet mentality. So many people have “cheat” days then are excessively strict and deprive themselves. This causes them to overeat way too much when they “let themselves go.” I always hear “I am starting my diet tomorrow.” You should erase the term diet from your vocabulary. Indulge in a balanced way; if you are craving a serving of stuffing have a small portion but do not eat three servings. Do you notice how the first serving of an amazing food tastes the best? The food is not as good the second or third time around.
  3. Remember why you are at the Thanksgiving table in the first place…not to stuff your face with food! Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and be grateful for the people you are surrounded by. Focus on friends, family and conversation. The dinner is only one part of the equation.
  4. Whether it is a morning jog, a brisk family hike or a football game do something to get your sweat on. Make time for physical activity even if it is a twenty-minute fast walk around the block before dinner. Everything counts and something is better than nothing. Make it a friend and family event. Everything is better with a buddy.

What to eat:

  1. Fill up on protein! Go for the light meat instead of the dark meat and skip the skin. Light meat has less saturated fat (unhealthy fat) than the dark meat. Filling up on protein increases your feelings of satisfaction, stabilizes your blood sugar levels and will keep you more full for a longer amount of time. This will prevent you from having thirds, fourths and fifths of the bad stuff. If you are vegetarian make sure there is a healthy protein option at your dinner so you do not just overeat stuffing or marshmallow yams. (Check out my Meal Makeover Spaghetti Squash video tutorial here for a healthy vegetarian option.)
  2. Get creative! So many people are closed-minded when it comes to healthy alternatives. Find some healthy swaps. Instead of marshmallows add Greek yogurt to the Yams. Spice up your dishes with cinnamon, garlic and nutmeg instead of extra butter and oils. Spices are incredible; they are huge metabolism boosters, help curb cravings and increase post meal satisfaction levels. Not to mention transform the taste of dishes. Check out my new Eat Yourself Gorgeous Healthy Holiday Cooking Videos here for quick and easy suggestions.
  3. Get your greens on! There is always a healthy basic side dish at Thanksgiving whether it is steamed green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts. Just made sure it is not soaked in butter or excessive oils. Do not be shy to ask how food is prepared. You should be proud you care about your health.
  4. What about dessert? Easy breezy! The crust in the pumpkin pie is the killer. If you are unable to bring a healthy dessert like my warm pumpkin cranberry parfait then simply indulge in a balanced way. Guess what? If you did fill up on protein you will 100% not crave the same amount of dessert you do normally. Take time to visit, play card games or watch a movie with the family. Always have an activity besides just eating dessert. Have the inside of the pumpkin pie, skip the crust and whipped cream toppings. I am also a huge dark chocolate fan! Check out two of my favorite, “no brainer” Eat Yourself Gorgeous dark chocolate healthy desserts here.
  5. Have a plan for the day: what you are going to indulge in, what you are going to pass on and how you are going to get your sweat on. Everyone is different so it is really important to understand what your weakness is and be aware of it. If it is eating too much stuffing to avoid talking to that relative who you have nothing in common with or having one two many helpings of marshmallow yams. Simply keep yourself in-check and focus on the bigger picture of why you are together in the first place.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Healthy Holiday Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover Videos: https://www.vibranthealthylife.com/videos-meal-makeovers-with-carina-sohaili

Fox News Magazine Thanksgiving Feature: http://magazine.foxnews.com/food-wellness/how-survive-thanksgiving-without-packing-pounds      

Join the community for health tools, holiday tips and free videos all season long:

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Love always,

Carina

Stay tuned for a very exciting announcement I get to share VERY soon!

Indulge and Go Dark: A Heart Healthy Halloween by Carina Sohaili

indulge-and-go-dark-a-heart-healthy-halloween-by-carina-sohaili

Halloween and the numerous holidays coming up are a time for friends, family and memories to be made. Depriving yourself of certain foods tend to lead you to overeat the foods you forbid in the first place and then deprive yourself of them again; an unhealthy cycle. How do you enjoy yourself while being healthy? Become a fan of dark chocolate! I also have included two of my favorite “no brainer” Eat Yourself Gorgeous healthy dark chocolate recipes: my warm dark chocolate pumpkin puree and my divine dark chocolate apple crisp sandwich.

Select wisely. Many labels advertise “healthy dark chocolate” but really are loaded with processed sugars, excessive ingredients and preservatives (defeating the purpose of going dark). Make sure the chocolate is made with a minimum of 70% pure cacao and read the back of the label. Try to get as real as possible with little added ingredients. I always carry a small square in my purse whenever I need a 3PM pick me up or post dinner treat. I also love munching on a small handful of dark chocolate chips (Lily’s brand is a great choice) instead of that afternoon cup of coffee. If you are looking for an easy but healthy Halloween treat – this is it. Trader Joe’s has great pre-portioned snack bars. Just because dark chocolate has incredible health benefits does not mean you can go to town! Balance is key. Around 1-2 squares (1/2 ounce) is a good snack size.

BEAUTIFUL benefits of going dark:

  1. Beat cavities. Dark chocolate contains Theobromine, a compound that hardens your tooth enamel, lowering the risk of cavities.
  2. Feel good. Dark Chocolate triggers the release of “feel good” hormones in your brain. The same “feel good” hormones that get released after you do physical activity or when you are falling in love.
  3. Control Cravings. This delicious delight does not spike your blood sugar levels. What does that mean? You will have more stable energy levels throughout the day, and not have that sudden crash you normally get with other candy. Most candies contain tons of sugars and hidden preservatives that make it very hard to tell when you are actually full. So you just keep munching and suddenly the bag is empty!
  4. Fight the flu. Dark chocolate contains zinc (which most people lack in their diet). Zinc is a mineral superstar when it comes to boosting your immune system and also great for smooth clear skin.
  5. Focus. Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the heart and brain improving your thought processing abilities. Brain food!

Eat Yourself Gorgeous Divine Dark Recipes (all take twenty minutes or less to make):

Divine Dark Chocolate Apple Crisp Sandwich: Slice up an apple and bake in the oven for around fifteen minutes until the top is a golden brown. Spice up your life and add spices of your choice (nutmeg is a great one). Apples are nature’s candy but if you like things extra sweet sprinkle on some stevia (an all natural sweetener). Then melt ½ ounce of dark chocolate, spread and smack together to make your baked apple dark chocolate sandwich.

Quick tip: practice planning! Take an hour on Sunday and make a batch of dark chocolate apple sandwiches for the week ahead so you can have a delicious, divine treat whenever that craving hits. I have a client bring these babies to work and she shares them with the entire office instead of her normal weekly crispy cream run.

Warm Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Puree: Use 1/2 cup of organic canned pumpkin, which you can find at any local market, and is the same price as normal canned pumpkin. (For another easy pumpkin recipe check out my pumpkin spice pancake video tutorial here.) Blend the pumpkin with ½ ounce of melted dark chocolate and heat up in saucepan for around two minutes. If the combination of pumpkin and dark chocolate is too bitter for you simply sweeten with one tablespoon of stevia an all-natural sweetener from the stevia leaf.

Check out my Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover Fall Video Series HERE!

Watch for more pumpkin recipes (pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin parfaits AND my pumpkin pancake taco) as well as my favorite healthy comfort foods (cauliflower garlic mashed potatoes and skin clearing spaghetti squash)

Connect with me and let me know how your divine dark recipes turn out!

I am here to answer any questions you may have. Remember, everyone is different, has different tastes, preferences and goals. Find a way to make these recipes work for you, in your life.

As always, focus on progress not perfection. Every small change counts.

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Love always,

Carina

Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover: Healthy Comfort Food: Skin Clearing Spaghetti Squash by Carina Sohaili

On this episode of Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover learn how to make one of my favorite healthy comfort food recipes: skin clearing spaghetti squash! I even explain how to make a healthy dessert pasta at the very end of the video! Check out my healthy pumpkin spice pancake and Pancake Taco episode below if you missed it. For more videos swing by the Meal Makeover section of my site here.

Connect with me and join the Vibrant Healthy Life community for daily inspiration, tips and tools:

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Love always,

Carina

The Change Challenge: My Sweet and Simple Swaps by Carina Sohaili

The time has come to take my change challenge! See if you can transform your taste buds with these SWEET and SIMPLE swaps:

Craving French Fries? Instead of classic French Fries make Jicama French fries. Jicama is a root vegetable from the bean family in Mexico and a fantastic skin clearing healthy carbohydrate. Jicama is a great source of magnesium. Magnesium has a calming effect on the body, helps increase energy levels and is great for your skin. The mineral magnesium slows down the aging process, which will give your skin an overall smoother tone. Jicama also has plant protein, which will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and reduce cravings; you will find that you are full for a longer amount of time and have lasting energy. Classic French fries are loaded with simple sugars, which will make you hungrier twenty minutes later as well as make you crave more processed junk foods. That is why it is so hard to only have a couple of French fries. Peel the jicama, slice up and bake in the oven with a dash of cooking spray and herbs of your choice for twenty minutes! That is it. Check out my simple video tutorial on how to make them here.

Craving Pasta? Make a squash pasta instead! Simply use a vegetable grater or spiralizer to create noodles from zucchini or yellow squash. Check out my simple video tutorial here. Why am I a huge fan of Zucchini? Zucchini is loaded with vitamin C and vitamin A two of my favorite skin clearing vitamins. Vitamin A is great for removing dark circles and bags under your eyes. Vitamin C is fantastic for fine lines and wrinkles. Not to mention a great source of potassium (one of my favorite flat belly minerals). This energizing healthy carbohydrate will help curb unhealthy cravings and simply make you glow. Top off the dish with a simple stress reducing avocado sauce. Take three tablespoons of avocado and mix with freshly squeezed lemon. Lemon is a great detox food due to the balancing effect it has on the body (more of my simple detox foods can be found here). Avocado is a great source of potassium (it has more potassium than a banana) and vitamin E. Vitamin E does wonders for fine lines and those pesky crows feet around your eyes.

Craving Ice Cream? Go for a blended frozen banana with Stevia (an all natural sweetener that does not spike your blood sugar levels) instead. Bananas are one of my favorite de-bloating foods due to the potassium content. Potassium flushes the body of excessive toxins and waste that is ideal for bathing suit season. Bananas also are loaded with fiber, which will keep you more full for a longer amount of time and contain a variety of B-vitamins. B-vitamins are great for stress relief and energy levels. Not to mention, bananas also help stimulate the production of serotonin the feel good hormone in the brain and improve the body’s ability to absorb calcium, which is great for bone health. Check out my video tutorial on how to make this healthy soft serve ice cream alternative here. I have included techniques on how to create different flavors based on your mood.

Focus on progress, not perfection.

Learn more about my Custom Eat Yourself Gorgeous Programs

*Stay tuned for my exciting announcement I get to share very soon…

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Love always,

CARINA

Eat Yourself Gorgeous Meal Makeover Video 3: Sassy Summer Pasta with Stress Reducing Avocado Sauce by Carina Sohaili

PASTA PLEASE! In this episode of Eat Yourself Gorgeous learn how to make my Sassy Summer Pasta with Stress Reducing Avocado Sauce in under ten minutes. Get your glow on by eating pasta! Check out my Creamy One Ingredient Feel Good Ice Cream and Skin Clearing French Fries with Energizing Ranch Dip in episodes one and two below. XO.

Join the Vibrant Healthy Life community for tips, ideas and inspiration!

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Check out my Satisfying Summer Beauty Bites here and my Simple Summer Detox Foods here

LOVE ALWAYS,

Carina

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