Tag: weight loss

Citrus Cacao Smoothie + INTUITIVE EATING

I have been upping my Vitamin C intake like crazy this past month. A serious bug is going around and I need all the help I can get to keep me out of bed, so I’ve had to learn easy tips + tricks to stay nourished and well. I’ll be sharing my diet secrets on Feb. 4 at the live seminar, INTUITIVE EATING. I’d love for you all to join me so we can take this journey together!

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Philosophie Babe Recipe: Rainbow Chia Pudding Jar

There is absolutely nothing better than to look at your meal and see a rainbow. I LOVE to eat all the colors! So, clearly, I’m a huge fan of this recipe created by Philosophie Babe, Carolyn from Carolyn’s Pantry.

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Which Cleanse Is Right for Me?

If you’ve been considering trying one of Philosophie’s uniquely nourishing cleanses, but aren’t sure which one is right for you, we’re here to break it down and give you all the information you need to find a cleanse that suits your lifestyle and budget!

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5 ways to curb your appetite from Philosophie Mama

Here are 5 helpful ways to curb your appetite when you're not actually needing to eat. We eat for lots of different reasons, typically it's not even for HUNGER itself! Use these tips to stay fuller + satiated throughout the day so you aren't constantly eating or wanting to eat! 

 

1. Eat more protein! 

Protein (+ getting enough nutrients into your body) is the number one thing that will help you feel full + satisfied throughout the day. Try to eat a good bit of protein throughout the day to curb snacking + hunger in the evening. Add Green Dream, Cacao Magic or Berry Bliss to every smoothie, soup, oatmeal, yogurt, etc you make to add 10g of plant based, sprouted, raw protein per tablespoon. Easy! 

 

2. Go for a walk or do yoga

Go outside. Take the dog out. Take deep breaths in nature. Feel the cold wind on your skin. Stretch. Chill out... the food will always be there but really think about if you WANT it or if your body is just craving something habitual. Walk away and clear your head so you can refocus your energy. 

Philosophie mama doing yoga

3. Be Productive

It will feel good to do something you've been putting off for awhile. Often when we're feeling hungry or wanting to snack, we're either bored or trying to distract ourselves from what we should be doing! Consciously decide to shift your focus to something else. Finish that paper, write that letter, read the book, get it DONE! You'll feel so much more accomplished when you wake up feeling hungry instead of having a food hangover. 

 

4. Get enough ZZZ's

I can't say this one enough! It's so much harder to make healthy decisions when you're sleep deprived. Inadequate sleep is associated with decreased in the levels of the hormone leptin, leading to decreased satiety + increases in ghrelin, which in turn increases your appetite. 

 

5. Get more good fats 

Fats from seeds, nuts and fish are all good fats. Try and eat a good bit of these each day to feel full longer. I add coconut oil + almond butter to almost every smoothie I make + have a snack of nuts or seeds throughout the day with a fresh juice. And remember: Good fats get rid of bad fats! We like that! :)

philosophie mama good fats healthy

philosophie mama salad

 

LASTLY:Practice mindful eating

 Pay attention to how the foods you eat taste + feel.  Really taste your food, feel the texture + enjoy it.  By the time you are finished eating, you will have helped the brain get the message you have had enough food.  By focusing on what you’re eating, emotions such as boredom, anxiety, anger, frustration + stress will be less likely control how much you eat. I like to eat with my hands because it helps send a tactile messages to your brain that you are eating, even faster than your bloodstream gets the message! 

April Ab Challenge with Philosophie Mama!

Here's the April Ab Challenge! My husband and I were just doing it on our own and we've gotten so many questions and interested people that I decided to start to post about it and share the love!

I can't stress enough how important ones diet is in having flat abs. I'm asked all the time how my abs are so fit and flat and I can't say it enough times: watch what you eat. See how it affects your body. Change what doesn't feel right.

You could sit down and do thousands of situps and if you still eat unhealthy foods, you absolutely will not have a six-pack. I, be no means, have a six-pack but I am trying to take my fitness to the next level by fine-tuning my diet and focusing every single day on bringing energy to my core. I very rarely sit down and do ab exercises. Most of what I do is full body. I run, spin, jog, walk, stairs, cross-fit, insanity, yoga, Pilates and strength train with weights. I MAYBE do 15 minutes a WEEK generally on concentrated ab exercises. This is why I think it will be a difference on my body. And if not, we'll know in 30 days! :)

A LOT of our physique is absolutely genetic and past a certain point can not be manipulated. But the MAJORITY (in my opinion) is what we eat and how we work our bodies. Develop strength and flexibility around your core (stomach/abs/back) and slow down. Work your entire body- arms, legs, back muscles and glutes, because THESE exercises strengthen the core.

If you have abdominal fat, no matter how much core strength though, you will not have abs, lines, obliques. You have to change your diet and increase your energy output. You need to burn off more calories than you eat to reduce the body fat. I haven't tested my body fat for a long time Set realistic expectations. Be patient. Build up your core strength with full body exercises, strength training, cardio and to reduce body fat and feel good in your skin reduce salt, breads, soft drinks and junk. Every workout and ever clean meal is one step closer. It's a goal. You have to plan on a slow and steady progression.

My 29th Birthday is on the 30th of April and as a b-day present to MYSELF I want to have the best lookin' abs I've ever had.

Here's what we're doing:

1) NO DESSERT for the full 30 days. We both have quite the sweet tooth, so this is the biggest challenge for us. Since we both do have such a sweet tooth, we're doing our best to have really clean "desserts" with my superfoods like raw, Cacao Magic pudding with avocado and frozen banana Green Dream ice cream. It helps, big time! We're also not doing those every day because that would almost defeat the purpose :) CHALLENGE FOR YOU: give SOMETHING up that makes you feel yucky. High sodium foods, processed or excess sugar, meat, dairy, alcohol. If you really want to drop some weight and feel amazing, drop all of those things and try my 14 day cleanse. I'll be doing it later this month!

2) morning and evening ab exercises. As I said above, I rarely do specific ab exercises. So we are doing them twice a day to see if it makes a difference. Energy goes where we put it so hopefully it will!

3) 30 minutes minimum of activity every day. Work up a sweat! Take the kids to the park and PLAY with them! Go for a long hike! Turn on the music in the house and do exercises and dance while you clean!

4) we will both be doing the 5 day Philosophie Spring Cleanse on April 15th. I'm so excited: new recipes, new detox bath soak and I always feel SO good after the 5 day cleanse! here's a video explaining it: http://youtu.be/IaZ43zCe8NY JOIN US!

please share below how you're doing, what you'd like to see specifically, how I can help, how you're being challenged, what your goals are... etc! Thanks so much for reading and loving YOU! <3

Philosophie Mama LIVE interview on GFree and Happy

Learn more about Philosophie's POWERFUL superfoods on this interview!!!!

 

let me know your thoughts! :)

Superfood Babies!!

Leo's cousin, Omri and my sister-in-love came to visit this weekend! Omri and Leo are only 7 weeks apart and soooo sweet together. Today I was making Philosophie Superfood Smoothies for the hubby, sista, Kai (my toddler) and myself and the babies WENT NUTS for it. We gave them little tastes which then turned into huge gulps. Lots of grabbing and whining for it. They were SO happy and elevated... all of us giggling, jumping, loving-- high on the superfood magic.

Here's the recipe I used (I tripled it for all of us):

  • 8 oz coconut mylk (can use almond, hemp or oat mylk)
  • 1 T Green Dream
  • 1 T Cacao Magic
  • 2 handfuls frozen organic kale
  • 2 ice cream scoops of coconut mylk Mint Chip vegan "ice cream"
  • fresh mint (about 10 leaves)
  • 1 T Cacao Nibs
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 T coconut oil
  • 1 T sunflower seed butter (could use any nut butter)
  • 2 handfuls of ice

BLEND!

In Joy....with those you love most!!!!

The Jaffe Family <3

Philosophie voted "Top 50 Raw Food Blogs" for 2012!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month; My Mother’s Experience

Cue the music: “I’m a survivor”


My incredible, inspiring, beautiful mother had a huge battle with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. This was almost 5 years ago, and one of the most terrifying experiences of our lives. I’ve wanted to share her moving story but I needed time to pass to heal us all from the wounds this wretched disease created.

How “the cancer” developed

She felt a lump under her left breast for about a year. She and my dad both agreed they needed to get it checked out but both were in denial and waited as long as possible to do so. My grandmother just had a stroke so to say the least, it wasn’t exactly a calm time. My mother decided it was her role to take care of my grandparents (my grandfather was trying to figure out how to care for my grandmother, they were both in their 90′s).

She finally went to see a radiologist 2 weeks after her mother passed away. Indeed, it was a tumor and it metastasized and spread to her liver and lymph nodes. We were all floored. We didn’t know what to do. My best friend from childhood died that year as well, so I felt as though my world was falling apart.

Her biggest advice? “Don’t wait until it’s too late to get a screening. There are simple tests you can get at a young age to see if your estrogen levels could lead to tumors in the future. Get screenings and don’t wait to get questionable lumps checked out. Whether you chose to do so or not and take it seriously is up to you, I certainly didn’t.”


An Inspiration

Phyllis A. Koenig-Aaronson is an inspiration to SO many. In her profession, she has worked her way up to the top, being one of the few women in her industry to produce commercials and currently, to own a commercial production company. She has been in the world of creating commercials and film for over 20 years and does a kick-ass job.

Personally, she is a mother, grandmother, wife, daughter, step-mother, cousin and friend. She is a joy to be around, creating happiness and joy everywhere she goes. She’s kind hearted, loving and one of the most giving and generous people I’ve ever met. She’s been like this her entire life. I learned to give and not expect anything in return 100% from her and my father. The way they engage with people, every person as if they count, no matter who they are, has always inspired me. From a homeless person on the street to a waitress in a diner, they have always been giving and human to all.

My mom is so strong and beyond brave. She has been through her share of life’s curve balls and took them with ease and grace. She intentionally makes it look easy, and she does a damn good job of it.

Her Perspective in Life: How has it changed? How has it stayed the same?

My mother reported she definitely still “works hard and plays hard”but her relationship with others and how she lets (or doesn’t let) their opinions and issues affect her is with far less gravity. She prioritizes her SELF first, her needs, wants and her families and close friends as well. She has more fun than she did before “the cancer”. She “doesn’t give a damn about anyone who’s burdened with negativity or fear.” She also explained that she has a “reset button that’s set to positive that gets pushed every day.” She works incredibly hard so by the end of the day she’s exhausted. She spends time with my dad for sustenance and by the morning her “happy” reset button has been pushed again.  She has many trips planned for the future, and if the universe decides its time for her to go, she’ll “buy two plane tickets for me and my husband and I’ll fly around the world until they yell at me to get into bed to die. But I’m hoping that won’t happen for a good long time from now, if ever.” She added that she harbors “zero guilt for others who can’t get their lives together. Don’t get me wrong, I feel badly for them-but I no longer feel responsible. It’s as real as the day is bright. Zero tolerance for those that don’t take responsibility for their own lives. That’s it. It’s simple.”

How her eating habits and relationship with food has changed

Personally, I’ve noticed quite the shift in my mother’s eating habits. Although she always had awareness surrounding healthy food (she was a vegetarian when she was 14 years old, which doesn’t always mean healthy). When she met her first husband (and then again with my dad) they were both meat and potato type of eaters so she cooked like that most of the time leading up to “the cancer”.

When I began learning about raw foods,superfoods, health and nutrition, she was so happy! She felt like she had a partner in (good) crime! During her cancer treatment, she began seeing a famous Chinese Doctor in Santa Monica. He taught her all about relaxation, meditation, but mostly, how to incorporate healthy foods, Chinese Herbs and Superfoods into her diet. Every evening she would drink a special herbal tea meant to heal her body from the inside out. I was so inspired by this that I created the Cacao MagicMushroom superfood blend which includes 3 medicinal mushrooms: ReishiChaga and Cordyceps. These 3 mushrooms have been used for centuries to heal people and are known as “the ultimate herbal substances”. I began to do more research than ever during the time she had cancer to get to know the magical herbs of the world and using them myself.

She said she’s “so happy that you (me- Sophie!) created several healing powder blends you can feed your family a few times a day to get all those super nutrient dense foods in your body to stave off the creepy cancers that lurk in everyone’s bodies. They lurk. They’re there when you’re born. They say it’s only a matter of time before “they” light up. I’d love to see a world where nobody lights up in that way- ever.”

I truly believe that although she did get chemo and radiation, that the healing food (she now gets more vegan food and superfoods into her daily diet than ever before)meditation and mindfulness is what cured her and will KEEP her cured. This shift inmindfulness–knowing the connection of what you put into your body affecting what happens to your body–is everything. We truly are what we eat, what we feel and what we do. And til the day I die, I’d like to be a Yogi Kale Leaf or Goji Berry, please! Right alongside my mother, and soon enough hopefully alongside the rest of our family as they continue to learn more about putting healthy, healing foods into their bodies.
You can read more about my lovely momma in a recent interview with Shoot Magazine

Do you have a loved one that you are remembering this month (alive or no longer) that suffered from “the cancer”? Please share a little something if you’re comfortable. Remembering and sharing is so important!

Good fats are IN! Coconut oil, omega 3 fats and DHA!

Did you know that eating "GOOD FATS" can help you lose weight? That's right folks, GOOD fats can get rid of BAD fat! Although fat used to get a bad rep, it's finally getting it's due! The fact is: we all need fats.

We now know that some fats, specifically the omega fatty acids (also known as Essential Fatty Acids-EFA's) are vital for health.

Omega-3 Fats

The king of the EFA's are the omega-3 fats: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic aicd (DHA). Unfortunately, although DHA is  also an omega-3 fatty acid, it is NOT found in the other fats, so you have to find it elsewhere. (see below)

Plant sources of omega-3's include nuts and seeds, especially flaxseed oil or ground flaxseeds. they are also found in lesser amounts in legumes, whole grains and green leafy vegetables. Coldwater fish like wild salmon are a great source as well. The adequate intake guideline developed by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine recommends that men consume 1.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day, and that women consume 1.1 grams daily. (unless pregnant or lactating, see below)

DHA's and Pregnancy

During pregnancy, developing babies rely on their mothers to get needed DHA. Since DHA is derived from the foods we eat, the content of DHA in a mother's diet determines the amount of DHA passed on to her developing baby. Unfortunately, the majority of pregnant women in the U.S. fail to get the recommended amount of DHA in their diets and DHA is not found in most prenatal vitamins. The good news is leaders in maternal health are beginning to educate women about the importance of DHA and some food manufacturers are starting to come up with creative ways to help people - pregnant and non-pregnant- get the DHA they need.

Current research suggests adequate levels of DHA may help increase a developing baby's cognitive functioning, reduce the risk of pre-term labor and decrease the risk of postpartum depression.

Why do pregnant and lactating women, who so critically need DHA, find it difficult to get the recommended amount of this crucial nutrient in their diets? There are two primary reasons. First, during pregnancy the daily requirements of DHA increase from 220 mg to somewhere between 300 and 1,000 mg (depending on which expert you consult). Second, DHA isn't easy to get in your diet, especially when you are pregnant. Significant amounts of DHA are found in animal organ meats and fatty fish.

My advice? Get a good DHA supplement from your doctor or from a health foods store. According to Dr. Barbara Levine, associate professor of nutrition in medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, "the purest source of DHA is not the fish itself, but rather what fish consume: the ocean's vegetarian plant algae." Taking DHA supplements produced from marine algae is therefore a safe way for pregnant women to boost their fatty acid stores. (like the spirulina which is inside Green Dream powder!)

Another good fat: Coconut Oil

Organic coconut oil is an unrefined, non-hydrogenated plant oil that's produced from fresh coconut kernel without the use of harmful chemicals. The production process retains a maximum amount of the active medicinal compounds in this organic oil, including lauric acid, caprylic acid and capric acid. Modern research studies have found that these coconut oil compounds provide a number of benefits.

Possible Weight Loss

Coconut oil can be a healthy source of dietary fat when you're trying to lose weight, according to Bruce Fife. In his book “The Coconut Miracle,” he writes that it contains fewer calories than most oils and has no toxic trans-fats. Furthermore, the saturated fats in coconut oil are in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are more easily metabolized than long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) and are less likely to get stored as body fat.

True story:

My girlfriend, who had a baby the same time as I did, couldn't lose the last few pounds 6-9 months after having her baby girl. She tried everything. She connected with me about the stubborn last pounds, so I asked her what she was eating each day, when, and what her activity level/exercise was like. Everything seemed fine.  She was breast feeding, so that should be doing the trick. After I was stumped, I said, "just as an experiment, try having 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut oil each day in addition to the rest of the stuff you're eating/doing. Don't change anything else, only the coconut oil each day." She DID, and 2 weeks later she reported in that she had lost that last 5-7 lbs!!! With NO other change but the coconut oil. Yeee! Love success stories!

Improves Immune Function
Functional Benefits

Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a compound that supports immune function, according to Jon J. Kabara, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University. He writes that when you take coconut oil, the body converts the lauric acid in this oil into a compound called monolaurin. Kabara reports that monolaurin is a potent immune system stimulant that can also be obtained from human breast milk. It helps nursing babies to fight off infection while their immune systems are developing.

According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil is classified as a functional food because it provides a number of benefits beyond those provided by its nutritional content (also known as a superfood). Fife notes that more than half of the fatty acids found in coconut oil are in the form of lauric acid and capric acid, two compounds that have potent anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoal properties that aid in treating genital herpes, influenza, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and gum disease.

My son AND my dog LOVE coconut oil. They will eat it by the spoon full, which is the best way to consume it. If you (or your family) don't love it that way too, no biggie, just add it to any smoothie or substitute it for other oils when cooking. You'll fall in love, trust me!

HERE is a smoothie recipe including coconut oil!

and the majority of my desserts contain coconut oil, check out those recipes, too!

references and for more info:

The Coconut Miracle, Bruce Fife, 2004

Jon J. Kabara, Ph.D: Health Oils From the Tree Of Life

The Coconut Research Center: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

She Knows-Pregnancy Website

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