Floral and Oats Facial Mask – Hydrate & Improve Elasticity

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Week Two to A Healthier, More Hydrated Skin (cont.)

          Week 1 – Food for Your Skin
       Week 2 – Skin Tone Transformation               You Are Here
          Week 3 – Skin Care Products for Daily Use
          Week 4 – Minimizing Your Wrinkles

Floral and Oats Facial Mask Recipe – Weekly Routine

 (you could experiment using either honey or yogurt as liquids of your choice in this recipe)

This recipe will sooth and soften your skin surface. 

Why it is Good
 OATS

• Glucans in oats penetrate the dermis and work within the lower layers of the epidermis to reduce wrinkles, fine lines, soften the texture of the skin
• Are anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, antioxidant
• Improve skin hydration and elasticity

  HONEY

• Kills germs and bacteria on the skin surface 
• Reduces inflammation and swelling

YoGURT

• Lactic acid soothes and softens dry, itchy skin
• Moisturizes and rejuvenates skin
• Tightens wrinkles, refines pores

All You Need
5 Tbsp. kaolin clay
2 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. dried lavender buds or rose petals
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
Honey
Plain Yogurt
Preparation

Step 1
Combine the oats, flowers, and sugar in the coffee grinder/food processor. Grind until a fine powder.
Step 2
Combine this fine oat powder with clay and store in a tightly closed jar (up to six months.) This way, your mask ingredients will be readily available to you at any time. 
Step 3
Moisten face with warm water.
Step 4
Mix 1/2 teaspoon of the prepared powder with enough liquid (yogurt, honey) to make a wet paste.

Step 5

Gently massage this paste over face and neck, avoiding the eye area, for 1-2 mins.

Step 6

Rinse thoroughly.

Tip

Grind a cup or so of oatmeal in your coffee grinder and store it in a tightly closed jar. This way, your mask ingredients will be readily available to you at any time.

Remember to continue with your Feeding your body and skin daily with whole foods – vegetables and fruit, heritage grains – that provide plenty of nutrients necessary for your body to function and rejuvenate over night.

There is only Do and Not Do.

To Your Daily Health!

You can contact me via my LinkedIn profile

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Oatmeal Exfoliating Facial Mask: Rejuvenates and Moisturizes Skin

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Week Two to A Younger, Healthier, More Hydrated Skin (cont.)

          Week 1 – Food for Your Skin
       Week 2 – Skin Tone Transformation               You Are Here
          Week 3 – Skin Care Products for Daily Use
          Week 4 – Minimizing Your Wrinkles

Oatmeal Exfoliating Facial Mask Recipe – Weekly Routine

 (you could experiment with essential oils, to add the aroma of your choice to this weekly routine.)

This recipe will provide a gentle exfoliation of your dead skin, while feeding the epidermis with antioxidant and anti-irritant nutrients.
This mask could be done once a week. If you have sensitive skin, do it once in two weeks.

Remember to apply mask contents gently, without pressing too much against your skin. Protect your eyes and the skin around them!

Why it is Good
 OATS

• Glucans in oats penetrate the dermis and work within the lower layers of the epidermis to reduce wrinkles, fine lines, soften the texture of the skin
• Are anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, antioxidant
• Improve skin hydration and elasticity

MiLK

• Lactic acid soothes and softens dry, itchy skin.
• Moisturizes and rejuvenates skin
• Tightens wrinkles, refines pores

All You Need

1 Tbsp. oatmeal, ground
2 Tbsp. milk
1 drop of essential oil (choose from your favorites like lemon, lavender, orange)

Preparation

Step 1
Mix ground oatmeal with milk in a bowl. Work these ingredients to the consistency of paste.
Step 2
Add one drop of your favorite essential oil. Mix well.
Step 3
Apply this mixture to your face, neck, shoulders as you wish. Leave until completely dry.
Step 4
Rinse off the mask with warm water, using a soft cloth.

Tip

Grind a cup or so of oatmeal in your coffee grinder and store it in a tightly closed jar. This way, your mask ingredients will be readily available to you at any time.

Remember to continue with your Feeding your body and skin daily with whole foods – vegetables and fruit, heritage grains – that provide plenty of nutrients necessary for your body to function and rejuvenate over night.

There is only Do and Not Do.

To Your Daily Health!

You can contact me via my LinkedIn profile

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Natural Facial Scrub Recipe – Morning Skin Routine

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Week Two to A Younger, Healthier, Radiant Skin

          Week 1 – Food for Your Skin
       Week 2 – Skin Tone Transformation               You Are Here
          Week 3 – Skin Care Products for Daily Use
          Week 4 – Minimizing Your Wrinkles

Gentle Facial Scrub Recipe – Morning Skin Routine

 (you could experiment with the ingredients, especially with essential oils, to add the aroma of your choice to this daily routine.)

This cleansing routine will help you to slough off dead skin cells to reveal, step-by-step, your new, healthier skin.

Scrub gently, without pressing too much against your skin. Protect your eyes and the skin around them!

All you Need:

2 oz granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tsp. vegetable glycerin
1/4 cup carrier oil (avocado or peach or jojoba or extra virgin olive)
4 drops essential oil (your choice of lavender, lemon, geranium, spearmint)

Preparation

Step 1
Place sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add glycerin to the sugar. Mix these two ingredients well.
Step 2
Pour carrier oil of your choice into a small cup and add 4-6 drops of the essential oil of choice (be careful not to overdo.) Mix the oils well and then slowly pour them into the sugar mixture.
Step 3
Mix the ingredients well with a spoon. Add more carrier oil if necessary to create a scrub with the proper consistency. It should be thick enough to hold together (as a paste in your hand.)
Step 4
Place the scrub in a jar and cover to store.
 
 

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Skin Tone Transformation – Radiant Skin in Four Weeks

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Week Two to A Younger, Healthier, Radiant Skin

                Week 1 – Food for Your Skin

                Week 2 – Skin Tone Transformation               You Are Here

                Week 3 – Skin Care Products for Daily Use

                Week 4 – Minimizing Your Wrinkles

Your Goals This Week:

1. Minimize splotchiness in your facial skin
2. Minimize brown spots in your facial skin
3. Protect skin around your eyes as a sensitive area in your face
4. Boost radiance and reveal more youthful, healthier skin
5. Continue with your nutrition and healthy skin and weight loss routine from Week One (that’s a MUST, as you step-by-step progress towards the end of the month.)


How To Achieve the Goals of Week Two:

This is for Your Morning (AM) Routine
1. Use gentle exfoliating formulas (granular scrubs or glycolic acid (AHA) lotions) to:
• Slough off dead skin cells
• Expose new, healthier skin
• Exfoliate and moisturize skin

This is for Your Evening (PM) Routine
2. Use Retinol products that:
• Stimulate cell turnover
• Address acne
• Give skin a healthier appearance

Morning Routine – Examples of granular scrubs and glycolic acids (AHAs)
(You might experiment what works for you. I’ve tried personally the listed below formulas. My favorite products are the ones I make myself: It’s easy and quick, and potent. See the next post with the Scrub Recipe.)

Glycolic acid is a group of chemicals called Fruit Acids or Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA).
Fruit acids are beneficial for your skin because they loosen the dead skin, slough it off, and reveal new layer of new cells, leaving the face smooth and soft.

You would be amazed how easy it is to produce the results for your skin without using the most expensive cosmetic products on the markets! Fruit Acids are found in fruit and vegetables you already keep in your fridge or even grow in your garden.

Here’s a quick list of AHAs that will do wonders for your skin.

Glycolic Acid: Found in Sugar Cane
Citric Acid: Found in Citrus fruits – lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit
Lactic Acid: Found in yogurt, sour cream, blackberries, tomatoes, buttermilk, powdered skim milk
Tartaric Acid: Found in grapes, grape juice, wine, cream of tartar
Malic Acid: Found in apples, applesauce, cider, vinegar

All You Need:
1/2 tsp. of liquid per face cleansing

Preparation:
Squeeze the juice of lemon or grapfruit, for example, and dab the face with it. Leave on for 5-10 mins, then rinse.
OR
Use halves of strawberry or blueberry or apple on your face. Let the juice set for a few minutes, then rinse. And you are ready for the day!

Important!

Do not expose your skin to the sun before or after the use of Alpha-Hydroxy (AHA) cleansers and masks.

Evening Routine – Examples of Retinol-based products
(You might experiment what works for you. I’ve tried personally the listed below formulas. My favorite is Afirm 1X.)

Afirm 1X ($32-38/Internet stores)
• Perfect for sensitive skin
• Reduces brown spots, rough skin, fine lines
• Treats sun-damaged skin
• Based on Microsponge technology that maximizes efficasy but minimizes the potential for irritation

RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum ($22 at drugstores/Internet stores)
• Contains retinol, zinc, copper, and Magnesium, DMAE (to tighten and tone your skin.)
• This is a light formula that easily absorbed by skin, stimulating its renewal and rejuvenation.

SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0 ($46-50/Internet stores)
• Advanced Formula
• Reduces fine lines, age spots, pores
• Treats blotchiness and blemishes
• Contains 1% retinol (the highest concentration available over the counter)

Neutrogena 14 Day Skin Rescue ($26-29 at drugstores/$10 at Amazon store)
• Gentle formula
• Contains retinol and Vitamin C
• Easy to use and get results


Conclusion

1. Start Week 2 Routine right away
2. Continue with Week 1 routine (foods that feed your skin and contribute to your weight loss.)

As you progress from one week into another, you’ll be adding new steps to your daily life that become part of your lifestyle.

There is only Do and Not Do.

To Your Daily Health!

Disclosure: If and when my references fall onto mentioning any Product and/or Brand in this and further blog entries, they come from my personal recommendation and experience. I do not receive any products from any mentioned companies and/or brands for promotion and/or giveaway.

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Fiber, Protein, Iron Rich Sicilian Lentil Soup – Finishing Week One Challenge

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To control your weight and reach your daily goals, start your lunches, dinners with soups. They are a combination of liquids and solids. Together, they better curb your appetite.

Soups could be a generous plate of nutrients rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals. Such nutrients feed your body and skin, contributing to its healthy glow and rejuvenation. Soups are easy to cook too! You could prepare your soup for hte whole week and then freeze it in individual portions.

Again, easy to make. Plus, individual portions will save you time in the week to come. Here is one of the recipes you'll enjoy.

Sicilian Lentil Soup

(this recipe is great for freezing individual portions for your lunches, snacks and dinners)

Why it is Good
• Lentils are rich the following nutrients:
• High content of Fiber
• Excellent source of Protein
• Rich in Vitamin B3 content (which is vital for a healthy functioning of your nervous and digestive systems)
• High in Iron, Zinc, Calcium

Preparation

Soak lentils in dish filled with water for about 30 mins. Drain water.

In a large pot, add oil, oregano, onion, garlic. Saute for 5-7 mins.

Add tomatoes, tomato sause (or tomato paste), vegetable broth, and water. Boil for 5 mins.

Add lentils adn cook over medium heat for about 20 mins.

Taste the lentils after 20 mins and decide if they’re cooked. If you wish them to be softer, cook for a few mins. more.

Season with sea salt and pepper.

Fill small containers and freeze for your future lunches, and dinners, and snacks.

Makes 15 one-cup servings.

There's only Do and Not Do.

To Your Daily Health!

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Aging Skin: Optimize Skin’s Health and Complexion

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As you improve your lifestyle and daily choices in your foods, you will definitely start thinking not only about how your body in general looks, but also how your face skin presents You in public. And when you are one-on-one with yourself.

That is why taking care of your skin health becomes an integral part of who you are.

This post is a short overview of what kind of discussions are out there on the topic of Skin's Youth and Condition.

First thing that comes to mind when we mention “aging skin” is “wrinkles.”

This overwhelming consensus on this subjects explains the multitude of products available on the market to “treat,” “eliminate”, “smooth” your wrinkles, thus “reversing” the aging process in your skin.

Let’s put the lie detector to this promise. It is possible that a topically applied product can eliminate wrinkles? Really eliminate them?

The answer is that only a limited number of ingredients address the signs of aging. And unfortunately, nothing short of cosmetic surgery can really eliminate a wrinkle.

Studies on retinol (Vitamin A), ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and various peptides, all show positive effects in stimulating collagen to help smooth and retexture aging skin. As far as eliminating wrinkles, that’s more of a wishful thinking than hard-core science.

You want to give up? No, no, no. There is no reason why we should not take good care of our skin that shall boast of its healthy and, thus, younger appearance.

Skin can lose its young and vibrant looks even in the body that is in its twenties. The trick is maintenance and joy in taking your body and your skin to a new level of vibrant health.

The more realistic approach to the treatment of aging skin would be to optimize the skin’s health and condition by ensuring ample hydration of tissues while stimulating collagen formulation in the dermis and eliminating the triggers that lead to aging skin.

What are those triggers to aging skin? To mention a few:

• Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), or better known as free radicals.
• Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), in which a sugar molecule bonds to either lipid molecule or protein without an enzyme to control the reaction. These by-products are dangerous and “impair the functioning of biomolecules.”
• Matrix Metalloproteinase Enzumes (MMPs), that break down collagen and elastin when the matrix is being stimulated.

What to do to avoid the triggers to aging skin?

We cannot avoid them completely. However, we can and should do at least a minimum effort to stimulate and maintain young cells production in our skin.

• Whole Foods and Water
Populate your daily diet with whole foods vs. processed, cooked, canned foods. Enjoy the foods that bring the maximum values to your skin’s hydration and feeding (vegetables, fruit, heritage grains like quinoa, teff, backwheat, chia.) Drink spring water!

• Massage

Massages are great to increase circulation in your skin, thus bringing more nutrients and oxygen to the cells. Spending 2-3 minutes a day for such massages will also release tension in the muscles and connective tissues. We’ll cover these simple techniques in videos, one by one. Stay tuned.

 
 • Masks

Home-concocted masks could really change the appearance of your complexion and firmness of your skin. They will provide a higher chance for the nutrients in lotions and cremes applied afterwards to penetrate the skin. We’ll give you a numerous number of simple, yet powerful masks you could mix up in the comfort of your home without an expensive trip to the spa.

 • Skin Products Choices

There is a plethora of skin products on the market. How to chose the best for your needs? How to choose something that works and produces results you are happy with? We’ll discuss these boiling points, so you could make quicker good choices when shopping for your skin care products.

Naturally, these are the basics that would boost your skin’s radiance and youthful looking. And you should take advantage of these simple techniques before the skin sags and you become regretful of not taking action earlier.

There is only Do or Not Do.

To Your Daily Health!

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Gluten Free, Antioxidant Meal for Skin and Weight Loss – Week One and Going Strong.

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We already know that to be supple and fresh, our skin requires a proper hydration. Such hydration comes not only from the liquid sources like water, but with the foods we consume during the day.

Here's a powerful salad that will for sure pack your body with beneficial nutrients with antioxidant powers. Plus, this food will provide additional hydration to your skin.

Keep in mind – Every day, just a small step like this salad will increase the Radiancy of your skin by the Month's end. Let's stick together in our fun goals and adventures.

Vegetable Medley Salad

Why it is Good

•This meal is Gluten Free.
• Zucchinis are rich in potassium, Vitamins A, C, calcium and iron.
• Tomatoes are packed with Vitamin C and contain lycopene.
• Tomatoes have an alkali power and are rich in water (what a wonder fruit for skin’s daily hydration!)
• Onions contain phytochemicals and the flavonol quercetin=powerful antioxidant that boasts antihistamine action.

All You Need

2 cups zucchini, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 cup of water
2 tsp. fresh parsley
Handful of your favorite nuts like almonds if you wish
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a med. bowl, mix zucchini, broccoli, tomato, onion, basil, sea salt, and pepper to taste.

Place vegetables in a baking dish over 2 sheets of parchment paper and drizzle with water. Fold edges to seal.

Cook for 15 mins. at 350 F degrees.

Sprinkle with parsley, almonds and serve.

To your healthy and hydrated skin!

To Your Daily Health!

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Food for Your Hydrated Skin and Thinner You – Week One.

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Today, I invite you to make this dish. And again, it is Quinoa that will rule your world of great taste and nutrition.

Let's roll our sleeves for a quick and yummy lunch or dinner. No matter what time you pick to treat yourself to this extraordinary wealth of tastes.

Walnut Rosemary Quinoa

Why it is Good

• This meal is Gluten Free.
• Quinoa is a great source of protein, calcium, iron. It contains almost perfect balance of all 8 Essential amino acids (“essential”= humans cannot synthesize it in the body) needed for tissue development.
• Quinoa is high in lysine & cystine amino acids which are the building blocks of protein.
• Approximately 4 oz/day of quinoa (~1/2 cup) will provide a child’s protein needs for one day.
• Quinoa is rich in potassium, Vitamins A & C.

All You Need

1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 small onion
1-1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed in boiling water and drained
1 small red bell pepper, diced
3 cups water
1 Tbsp. soy light soy sauce
1 tsp. fresh rosemary (or dried)
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F (to roast walnuts)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan.
Add onions and quinoaa.
Saute over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 mins.
Add red bell pepper and saute an additional 2 mins.
Add water, soy sauce, rosemary and peas (if using fresh peas.)

Bring to a boil and cover; simmer 15 mins or until water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, roast walnuts in 350 oven for 5-10 mins.

When quinoa is cooked, turn off heat and mix in walnuts and frozen peas (if using frozen peas.)

Let sit for a few minutes and serve.

NB: Please allow yourself to play with a variety of ingredients and add your favorites to this dish! You even could substitute Quinoa with barley if you wished.

To your brighter skin! To a happier you!

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Quinoa Recipe for Gorgeous Skin & Weight Loss – Week One

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Weight loss is more than just watching your inches disappear. Wise weight loss is when we take care of different areas of our body and treat them with respect. In this case, respect means nutrition and care we provide to them.

This month we dedicate to our skin (please refer to the previous post to get on board in no time.)

Week One to a more gorgeous and vibrant skin is dedicated to filling your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with more nutrient-rich food combinations.

Here are some recipes, very easy ones, that could be done and finished in a few minutes. The only different is that these recipes provide whole foods, unprocessed foods for your body.

Enjoying the process of preparing and then partaking the foods made with fresh ingredients will definitely bring you closer to a fresher looking skin. And lighter you.


Vegetables and Quinoa Salad

Why it is Good

• This meal is Gluten Free.

• This meal is Low Glycemic (i.e., your blood sugar won't be jumping up and down after this meal's consumption.)

• Cucumbers, bell peppers, peas are rich in potassium, Vitamins A & C.

• Quinoa is a great source for protein, calcium, iron. It contains almost perfect balance of all 8 Essential amino acids (“essential”= humans cannot synthesize it in the body) needed for tissue development.

• Quinoa is high in lysine & cystine amino acids which are the building blocks of protein.
Approximately 4 oz/day of quinoa (~1/2 cup) will provide a child’s protein needs for one day.

All You Need

1/2 cucumber, slices
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 scallions, chopped
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1/4 cup pine nuts (or almonds, crushed)
1/2 cup cabbage, chopped
4 cups quinoa, cooked
1 slice of lemon
Sea salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Set aside cooked quinoa in a bowl.
Chop and slice all remaining vegetables. Add them to the bowl with quinoa.
Add peas, soy sauce, sea salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the combined ingredients.
Garnish with pine nuts or crushed almonds, and the juice of the lemon piece.

Feel free to experiment and add your favorite veggies! The fresher, the better.

With this yummy meal, your skin will be hydrated and shall get all the necessary nutrients for its restoration and functioning like it deserves.

And you will feel better about what you food choices. It is not that difficult, when you make one step at a time transferring yourself into a healthier lifestyle.

To Your Health!

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Week One. Food for Your Radiant Skin and Successful Weight Loss.

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Week One is dedicated to taking into consideration of a Diet that would boost your skin’s vitality and youthful looks.

We’ll focus on the following ingredients in Week One to Your Gorgeous and Radiant Skin:

1. Water
2. Fruits and Vegetables
3. Whole Grains
4. Proteins
5. Fats/Omega 3 (DHA) Fatty Acids

We’ll mention Why they are important to your skin’s health. Plus, we’ll give you Examples of these excellent foods to include into your daily diet.

The countdown to your Radiant Skin starts Here and Now.

You are what you eat. For your skin to be healthy, you need to include fruits and vegetables, protein, whole grains, and good fats in your daily diet.

Water

Why Water in your daily diet?

Drinking water moisturizes your skin from the inside out. It clears up your skin from toxins and bodily by-products (drink at least one full glass of water in the morning to get rid of the night’s toxins.)

Water is the most vital element for cellular integrity. Nothing will improve the appearance of your skin better than drinking enough water!

Carry water with you. Drink before you get thirsty (if you feel thirst, your body is already dehydrated.)

To your beautiful and healthy skin!

Fruits and Vegetables

Why do you need fresh Fruits and Vegetables? Here are just some basic, however, powerful pro’s for fruits and veggies.

1. Fruits and vegetables are sources of powerful micronutrients. These micronutrients have antioxidants = fight free radicals that damage and/or destroy cells in our bodies.

2. Some of the richest in the above nutrients fruits and veggies:

garlic
broccoli
tomatoes
carrots
legumes
sweet potatoes
blueberries
citrus fruits
acai berries
pomegranite seeds
red grapes (resveratrol compound)
flax seeds
green leafy vegetables

3. Fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with water that keeps skin hydrated.

You can’t go wrong with at least 3 servings of fruits and five servings of vegetables in your daily diet! The more the merrier. If you can eat them raw, rather than processing (cooking) – more power to you. Here are some helpful tips to get you oriented in what a daily serving is about.

1 Fruit/Veggie serving = 1 whole medium fruit
1 Fruit/Veggie serving = 1 cup of berries
1 Fruit/Veggie serving = 1/2 cup of cut fruit
1 Fruit/Veggie serving = 1/2 cup of cut-up vegetables
1 Fruit/Veggie serving = 1 cup of leafy greens

Whole Grains

Why Whole Grains in your daily diet?

Because they contain nutrients that help the body produce glycosaminoglycans that participate in building firming collagen and elastin fibers in your skin.

Have at least 4 to 7 servings of Whole Grains in your daily diet.

1 Whole Grains serving = 1 slice of bread (with at least 4 grams of Fiber per serving)
1 Whole Grains serving = 1/2 cup of cereal or grains (use Heritage grains for best results)

Heritage Grains Examples:

quinoa
amaranth
hemp seed nuts
teff
buckwheat
sesame seeds
chia
brown rice

Protein

Why Protein in your daily diet?

Because protein-rich foods are crucial in production of collagen and elastin. For example, eggs contain lecithin, that helps strengthen cell membranes, making them better able to withstand environmental impact on your skin.

If you are a fish-eater, make sure you populate your plate with cold water fish, rather than the farm-grown fish and/or fish harvested in warm waters. Such fish harbors heavy metals and pesticides in their flesh (yes, we dump a lot of garbage into our oceans.)

1 Protein serving = 1 egg
1 Protein serving = 3 oz of fish or meat
1 Protein serving = 1/2 cup of tofu
1 Protein serving = 1/2 cup of beans

Fats

Why Fats in your daily diet?

Because fats help to keep skin soft and supple.

What Fats are good for you? Unsaturated fats like the ones found in olive and flaxseed oils and nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds).

Omega-3 Fats (DHA) that have been proved to be beneficial for your heart arteries (yes, much lesser chance for heart attacks and heart diseases), brain (yes, think good memory and active life for many years), younger skin (yes, Omega 3 fatty acids keep skin cells moist and strong, which produces a younger looking skin.)

Omega 3 fatty acids are also helpful:

• help reduce acne
• reduce skin inflammation
• make skin soft and supple
• reduce dry and scaly skin

1 Fats serving = 1 teaspoon of oil
1 Fats serving = 6 nuts
1 Fats serving = 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed

Summary

Have Fun in Week One to enjoy:

1. Water
2. Fruits and Vegetables
3. Whole Grains (great if you stick with Heritage grains)
4. Protein like cold water fish and beans
5. Fats like unsaturated flaxseed oil (or flaxseed powder) and nuts

This food will nourish your whole body, providing great nutrition to your Skin. Plus, such a balanced diet will surely contribute to your weight loss!

There's only Do or Not Do!

Disclosure: If and when my references fall onto mentioning any Product and/or Brand in this and further blog entries, they come from my personal recommendation and experience. I do not receive any products from any mentioned companies and/or brands for promotion and/or giveaway.

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Motivate Yourself to Look Great with Your Newly Revealed Skin Complexion

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There are no miracles in weight loss – regular exercise and healthy eating would definitely take you there. There are no miracles in fresh mouth breath – daily brushing does its job in a wonder-full way.

And guess what. There are no miracles in gorgeous skin complexion – physical activity, yummy, phytonutrients-rich foods, and some minimal facial exercises would contribute to your gorgeous skin.

All of the above take time and work. Daily work. However, you do not have or need to invest hours and millions of dollars to look beautiful, healthy, and confident.

What it really takes to get the results is your dedication and taking pleasure in the process of getting those results. We all need and want to enjoy life on the daily basis, not once in a blue moon. So, we build our daily routines around our personal needs and wants.

If Gorgeous Skin Complexion is on your calendar, I’d like to invite you to this 4-weeks-staying-and-doing-things-together that are beneficial to our skin.

Radiant skin does not happen over a couple of days of rigorous routine. To deliver smooth and healthy-looking skin, you’ll need approximately 4 weeks. That’s how long it takes for your skin cells to completely turn over.

As your nourish your body (with exercise and foods) and take care of your facial skin, as your new cells form, your face is guaranteed to look fresher and healthier by the month’s end.

I would love to support you with facts about foods, facial exercises, some great products that would transform you into a more confident woman.

Disclosure: If and when my references fall onto mentioning any Product and/or Brand in this and further blog entries, they come from my personal recommendation and experience. I do not receive any products from any mentioned companies and/or brands for promotion and/or giveaway.


VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

What is the Story That You Are Writing?

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What is the story, the personal story of your life, that you are writing? Does it have a happy ending? Does it end sadly? The middle part, the one you are living now, is it a tragedy, or a comedy, or drama, adventure, or perhaps so hopelessly muddled you’re not sure what it is?

What is the story you want to write? How would it end, if it ended perfectly for you? What dreams would you fulfill that now seem far beyond your grasp?

What role does your weight, your physical self-image play in your dreams? Is your present body an enabler? A restriction? Irrelevant? A spoiler? Have you thought about it that way?

In this story that you are writing today, the one where everything keeps playing out the way it is now… what role does sex play in it? Any? Nothing? Is it hopelessly muddled too?

In the story you would really like to write, does sex have a role? What kind of role? Or is sex something you have left behind, a relic of younger, and lighter days? Is it a driving force that lifts you to motivation for passionate fulfillment?

Cinderella lost a slipper, and discovered a kingdom. Are you a Cinderella, waiting for the grand ball, fearing the dreaded hour, running away from a confident triumph, and endlessly hoping someone will kiss you when you have lost your troublesome pounds?

If your story a love story? A story of heroism? Or a boring story to tell that leaves you barely curious how it all ends?

Who is the author of your life story?
Are you the author of your own story? Can you write the plot, fill-in the important characters, and find a twisting, but sure way, to a triumphal ending?

If you are not the author of your life, who, or what, is?

Every woman I have known who had a lot of weight to lose, has tried to lose it many times over, only to lose some and gain extra along the way. Every woman I have known who weighs a lot more than they should, has at one time or another given up, and accepted themselves, however reluctantly, as being beyond the hope of ever losing it all permanently.

A poet friend of mine told me the power of her much-published poetry was rooted in the sheer helplessness she had to crawl out from under – to discover a beautiful person staring back at her from the morning mirror.


Can you write the story of your life differently?
Are you a worthy writer? A creative writer? A prolific writer? Or a writer who has great difficulty getting that first word on the paper and tortures themselves as they bleed ink every sentence thereafter?

At this point in your life you have the gift of a chance to write a different story, a story with a new ending. A story more to your liking. You can, without asking anyone’s permission, without breaking the bonds you have to others… you can begin writing a new chapter, then another, then an entire book, until you have a new life emerging out of the cocoon of the excess weight that you carry now.

Sometimes, you need to look deep inside yourself, cry a painful cry, to tell yourself the truth – that you really are the master-writer of your weight-destiny. You really can change your life. You really can become the character in your fairy-tale book. You can be the person you have always wanted to be. You can succeed where you have failed in the past.

Write your own book, start a new chapter tonight. And wake in the morning to the role of the new you.

Will you write your story differently, the middle part you are living now, creating a new ending to your life-book?

Can you do that?

Do you want to?

VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.