Category: HEALTH + WELLNESS

How to add probiotics to your diet | Tips to choose probiotic supplements

Probiotics are something you must have heard of and know they are good for you. But do you really know what they are, do you need them and how to add them to your diet? Here I will break it for you with simple words.

You could be eating the healthiest food, adding a lot of whole foods and super foods to your diet but yet be deficient in many vitamins and minerals. Sometimes our bodies don’t absorb certain nutrients very well. Which sucks because at the end what’s the point on giving up on a chocolate dessert or pasta to make room for a healthy version that won’t bring any benefits ?? Ugh! But don’t worry there is something you can do to increase your body’s absorption of all the good stuff. This is where probiotics come. In few words they improve the gut flora and from there on help the body absorb the nutrients and vitamins consumed with food.

High quality probiotics or foods that contain them not only help with digestive and immune system but all systems in our body. They help cell detoxification in a natural way, and make all the nutrients that we consume with food get absorbed from our body.

A lot of well familiar foods have probiotics and adding them to your diet can do a lot for your gut health and overall well being .Those live microorganisms as we like to call them “ good bacteria “ are already familiar to your body because they usually live in your gut. But with everyday stress, exposure to free radicals , taking medications and many other things that come with our busy lifestyle, those good bacterias could be insufficient. Working on adding probiotic rich foods will be just like a little health booster to make sure everything else in the body works in coherence.

Some of the foods you should add to your diet are:

Yogurt . The one with the best quality probiotic content is Bulgarian yogurt, you can find it at Whole Foods or Sprouts. If you wish to stay dairy free you can consume vegan yogurts, they have a good amount of probiotics too.

Kimichi. This traditional korean pickled cabbage is packaged with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And it is also an excellent probiotic. Consuming kimichi can help you maintain good digestion.

Fermented cabbage or Souercrout is one of the best source of probiotic. It is also rich in vitamin A, vitamin B1, B2, B6, vitamin C and E.

All fermented foods have probiotics in them. Like all

  • pickled vegetables
  • kambucha
  • apple cider vinegar with the mother
  • kefir

The difference is the specific bacteria they have and the concentration level.

Our digestive system contains a variety of probiotic bacterias, not just one! So you need to consume an assortment of foods rich in them in order to get the sufficient good bacterias.

If you have been taking antibiotics recently or you have been experiencing digestive discomfort definitely add some of those foods to your daily diet. If you wish to take a supplement you can do so, but if you have any medical issues I would recommend you to consult a health care provider. Probiotics are pretty harmless but just to be on the safe side.

And when choosing a probiotic supplement stay away from:

  • One that has only one bacteria ( this is simply not enough)
  • One that has too many bacterias ( this could indicate that you have a little bit of each bacteria but not enough so they can give the probiotic effect)
  • Don’t buy products that are chewable, gummies, tablets, powders. Instead get a single coated capsules.
  • Stay away from strains that say “soil – based”

I like to pick up once that stay in the refrigerator, they say “live”. This is one of my favorite kinds because it has pretty clean ingredients. And has the highest quality probiotics.

https://amzn.to/3nWyhCP
I have been adding kimchi to salads
I love kambucha in a wine glass lol

Loving Tan Deluxe Bronzing Mousse in Dark Review / Is it worth your money?

Who doesn’t want to be bronzed and glowy for the Summer? And some of us actually want to look like this whole year round. I don’t know what it is but a good tan is an instant confidence and mood booster for me.

And even though I found a couple of self tanners that I swear by ( St Tropez and Bondi Sands). (I have videos on YouTube and a blog post reviewing those), I can never stop exploring and testing new once.

I was really intrigued by Loving Tan as I have been seeing it on social media a lot. So I decided to give it a try and see if it is really the best self tanner out there as a lot of instagram models, influencers and bloggers claim. I have seen a lot of girls raving about it and rating it pretty high on the chart of faux tanners.

I picked up the Deluxe Bronzing Mousse in Dark, as first time using the product I was nervous to get the Ultra Dark. Anyway I am pretty pale at the moment and what I look for in a self tanner is a natural looking bronzed glow rather than a look of super dark, unnatural and fake color.

I always exfoliate prior to application and use a velvet mitt to apply. The product comes out really dark and warm colored foam, but looks very natural on the skin. Really easy to apply. Can get a tiny bit streaky while you rub it in but it is easy to blend the mistakes out after you go over them. The foam is a true foam texture. Fluffy and airy which I liked because I have used other self tanners with more liquidy foam and they really get messy and hard to apply.

Has nice , beach, vacation smell but highly scented. And after it starts developing a self tanner scent lingers for a while.

The guard color is not super dark so you need to pay attention where you apply. But I like that because some other self tanners that I have used have a really dark guard color and even though it allows you to see where you applied it looks very unnatural. So you have to really plan when you apply and make sure you stay home while it develops. Some other brands add a little bit extra green to their products to counteract the orange, but in my opinion, it doesn’t look that natural.

Loving Tan’s initial color pay off is realistic. Gives the appearance that you really laid down in the sun. Because that first sun kissed look that you get after spending the day at the beach is really warm, reddish , brown color. It makes you look youthful and flushed. This is what you get with the application of Loving Tan. I liked that I could apply it in the middle of the day, go out do my things without being afraid that I look like an alien.

It dries out pretty quick. If you choose to apply it during the day though be carful so you don’t get yourself wet, especially when you wash your hands or the dishes . Water might drip on your skin and it can mess up the look of your tan.

If you choose to wear tight, light clothes before it has fully developed it might transfer on them. But it washes out in the laundry.

I would recommend you to apply it in the evening so you can avoid any of the above mishaps.

The skin that reveals after you rinse out the guard color is natural, lightly bronzed and healthy looking . It is not as dark as I have seen on other people on YouTube or Instagram . But I love it!

Lasts about 6-7 days and it is very hard to tell how long exactly because it fades naturally and slowly, just gradually washes out with each shower. I was really impressed with the way it wears off. Did not have any weird patches around the wrist area or any other folds on the body like a lot other fake tans do when they start fading . After day 7 I like to use exfoliating mitt to remove whatever has left to ensure my skin is clean of any product left on it.

Overall a great self tanner that I will add to my favorites list.

  • Easy and mess free application
  • Nicely but highly scented and has a self tanner scent after it starts developing
  • Doesn’t take long to dry
  • Can transfer on sheets or lighter, tighter clothes but will easily wash out in the laundry
  • The tan that develops is healthy, bronzed and glowy looking
  • Lasts about 6-7 days

BUY it here:

Loving Tan Mousse https://rstyle.me/cz-n/faua9nc5s47

Exfoliating Gloves https://rstyle.me/cz-n/favzf6c5s47

Velvet Mitt https://rstyle.me/cz-n/fauc6dc5s47

    How To Use Aloe Vera Gel In Your Hair Overnight

    Does your hair feel dry, brittle and lacking luster? Maybe it’s time to add a little extra moisture to your mane. Especially if you are reaching out to hot tools and chemical treatments more than you should.

    I feel like with the seasons changing and entering into warmer months my hair suffers a lot and gets extremely dry ! I was really tired of my unruly, porous hair and decided to use fresh aloe vera gel to moisturize and smooth things out. I have done that in the past but this time in order to add extra moisture I left it overnight. The result was mind-blowing. My usually dull and frizzy hair was left silky smooth , super shiny and really hydrated from roots to tips. My scalp looked and felt refreshed and super clean. This not only moisturized my hair but acted detoxifying and removed product and mineral buildup from my hair and scalp.

    Aloe vera mask is a super easy remedy for damaged hair. The great thing is that compared to other natural ingredients’ hair concoctions it is easy to wash out of the hair and doesn’t require you to shampoo multiple times to remove it.

    • AFTER Running fingers through silky smooth hair feels so divine

    WHAT YOU NEED:

    All you need for this miracle treatment is a fresh aloe vera leaf. If you do not have a plant you can purchase leaves from your local grocery store. They are usually at the produce section where they keep tropical fruit as plantains, coconuts, dragon fruit etc.

    Once you slice the leaf in half you will see a yellow substance coming out. This liquid is called latex and it is known to be toxic. Especially if consumed!! Let it drain in the sink for 15-20 min.

    Afterwards wash the pieces thoroughly with water. Carefully cut the sides that have prickly thorns. Cut into smaller pieces and then remove the skin by cutting each piece in the middle and scoop the gel out with a spoon.

    Place the gel in a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes. Strain with a cheese cloth. This step is crucial if you are going to use the aloe vera in your hair as if you do not strain it the pulp will be hard to wash out of your hair and leave nasty pieces. Once you strain it , it becomes super liquid-y and you can even pour it in a spray bottle for the easiest application.

    HOW TO APPLY:

    Either do it over the sink or put a towel under because it can get a bit messy. But don’t worry it feels like water, not sticky or greasy so it is easy to clean afterwards.

    To make the application easier you can wet your hands and run them through your hair, this way the gel won’t just slide off your hair, it will be easier to absorb. Spray all over your hair, from the roots to the ends. Gently massage.

    If you are not using a spray bottle you can use a large bowl and your hands to apply. Once you wet your scalp you can just dunk your ends in the bowl and make sure your hair is fully covered.

    I then like to gently put my hair in a bun, cover with shower cap and leave overnight.

    In the morning just wash your hair as you usually do.

    Aloe vera is really hydrating and conditioning. Filled with vitamins and minerals it is really beneficial for strengthening the hair , soothing the scalp and… as some people claim hopefully stimulating hair growth.

    I don’t know about the massive hair growth but it did leave my straw like hair extremely shiny, silky smooth and moisturized.

    Really encouraging you to try it for yourself!

    ALL NATURAL SECRETS for Healthy Shiny Hair

    Shiny hair adds a luxurious frame to your look. It screams healthy and gives you a sexy appearance without you even trying! But with so much styling with hot tools and environment pollution, extreme climate exposure like sun and freezing cold, bleaching, swimming pools and the list goes on and on …, our locks can loose luster.

    I feel that genetics also play a huge role in that, unfortunately. I am someone that struggles to get shine in my hair. I have tried every product for shine in the past. From drugstore to high end. Some of them didn’t do much others worked for a moment. But one thing was for sure they complicated my shower routine without a dramatic result.

    But whatever the cause for your dull hair is, I highly suggest once in a while to put the fancy products away and use some home remedies to ‘feed’ your locks. Not only you will get a quick fix but they all work deep down to heal the hair from within.

    I have few tips and tricks to get your mane from blah to beautiful without breaking the bank.

    As most home remedies they can get a bit messy and don’t have the best smell, but at least they are natural, clean ingredients that won’t do any harm to you or your hair.

    Here are my favorite ones that I have used multiple times and they do wonders for my mane.

    Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

    Many shampoos contain sulfates and other harsh chemicals that irritate the scalp and leave residue that makes hair looking drab . Apple cider vinegar rinse acts like clarifying treatment to remove product build up, seals the cuticle and gives a mirror shine. It also balances scalps natural oils and pH levels and it promotes hair growth. I love incorporating this simple ingredient into my shower routine since it really soothes my scalp and makes my hair soft and gives it a very healthy look.

    Beer Rinse

    I know this sounds a bit weird and you would probably prefer using it internally to nourish your body from within 🙂 . But trust me it has great properties for the hair as a rinse. The main ingredients in beer malt and hops are really high in proteins that nourish and strengthen the hair. Beer is also rich in B vitamins and natural sugars that help repair damage. I used to do it a lot in the past and believe me it works. I didn’t have hope when I gave it a try but it is a magic. Makes hair super shiny, manageable and voluminous. All you need to do is pour a beer over your head after shampooing and applying conditioner. I let it sit on my hair for a moment and gently rinse it out.

    Banana Mask

    Rich in potassium, natural oils and vitamins it softens the hair, adds shine and it is very moisturizing. Nourishes your hair and saves it from future damage. Helps calm down itchy, flaky scalp, tames frizz and makes hair manageable. I usually mash or blend a very ripe banana, add melted coconut oil and a little bit apple cider vinegar. Apply the mask on dry hair and scalp, cover with a shower cap. Let it sit for 30+ minutes and shower as usual. I always get great results but this mask is a bit messy and sometimes it gets hard to rinse the banana out of the hair. But it leaves the tresses silky smooth and tangle free.

    Avocado Mask

    The natural oils in avocado give your hair long lasting and deep hydration. Rich in vitamin E and antioxidants it helps the hair retain moisture plus repairs damage. I mash a very ripe avocado and cover my hair and scalp. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes before I hop in the shower. I also like using avocado in homemade hair masks. A great ingredient for smooth ,shiny hair.

    Towel dry your hair right after shower

    Dripping wet strands are more vulnerable to breakage and this can lead to frizz and less shine. So wrapping your hair with preferably microfiber towel that is really absorbent and gentle to your hair is a key. Once the towel absorbs the initial moisture take it off. I have noticed that leaving a little bit water in the hair helps seal in moisture.

    Microfiber towel – https://amzn.to/3uM47U7

    Hope you try any of those for yourself!! xoxo Iva

    DIY Spa Facial at Home for glowy, supple skin

    Here is a step by step video of a facial for a pamper day at home ! Great to give yourself some LOVE during Valentine’s Day week . Follow the steps for the ultimate self care day! I am showing you my pamper routine and giving myself a DIY spa facial. Starting with unclogging and clearing my pores, performing a DIY dermaplaning to remove any peach fuzz and dead skin cells that trap the pores and revealing glass like skin ready to absorb any masks and serums. I tried to replicate a spa like relaxing atmesphere. The final result is dewy , supple skin that looks brighter and softer. Hope you enjoy 🙂 and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube channel !

    ❤️PRODUCTS USED:❤️

    Facial Steamer https://amzn.to/36UQxDj

    Facial Scrubber https://amzn.to/36XmICd

    Blackhead Remover https://amzn.to/36U9dDt

    Dermaplane Facial Razor https://amzn.to/36URPhA

    Indian Clay Mask https://amzn.to/3aKpNGN

    Freeman Hydrating Mask https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e2b5gkc5s47

    Oxygen Bubble Mask https://amzn.to/3tNjDP9

    Korres Vitamin C oil https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e2bydmc5s47

    Hyaluronic Acid Serum https://amzn.to/2YZxYty

    Shisheido Eye Cream https://rstyle.me/cz-n/e2byncc5s47

    Correcting the MISTAKES I MADE WITH Intermittent Fasting

    Happy New Year!!!

    Towards the end of last year I started incorporating a new healthier eating routine and I am determined to continue throughout the new year.

    I have been doing intermittent fasting for a while now. I trained my body and now it is a lifestyle. For those of you that aren’t familiar intermittent fasting is not a diet but a change in the eating habit, more specifically change in the time that you are eating your meals. You allow between 14 to 16 hours between your last meal in the evening and your first meal the next day. This allows your body to fully digest the food and start repairing other cells. And with this routine the healthy part of my eating habit ends.

    Having my breakfast around noon doesn’t really leave time for me to have lunch. I don’t feel hungry around that time , and in the most cases I am already busy and in the middle of something and this meal just doesn’t fit in my day. So I started skipping it . I would grab a snack , candy, piece of fruit anything handy and easy to suppress my hunger until dinner. But in a long run I was doing a bad damage to my health and overall well being. By missing a full meal my body started lacking key nutrition. My two main meals weren’t enough for me to consume the daily dose of protein, vitamins and minerals. And I decided it was time for me to start taking care of my health.

    I still do intermittent fasting on most days. But I’m trying to incorporate lunch into my days and add extra nutrients to each meal I eat throughout the day. I try to sneak in extra greens, seeds, protein wherever I can. I am proud of myself for the past couple of weeks. I try to make easy, healthy and full of nutrition meals and I have been on a roll.

    I also filmed a video on YouTube that has some great and easy meal ideas that are full of healthy ingredients.

    My advice to you is do not strictly follow any diet if it does not make you feel good but most importantly listen to your own body. If you feel low on energy, irritated, not getting restful sleep, if your skin looks dull, your hair lacks shine and your nails get brittle it is time to change your diet.

    How To Safely Boost Your Magnesium Level

    So much has been said about vitamins when it comes to daily supplements that often we leave out how important minerals are. Magnesium is a vital mineral and electrolyte found in every cell of the body, involved in hundreds of chemical reactions making it a very important nutrient we need on daily basis. It plays a crucial role in our nerve and muscle function, bone health, mood balance, brain function. It is key to vitamin D absorption.

    Some nutritionists believe that it is the most important nutrient for today’s stressful environment. As we live busy lifestyle and follow so many diets we often have a mineral imbalance. Many people tend to get less Magnesium than they need.

    It is hard to notice if you have magnesium deficiency since the symptoms include twitching eye, bedtime cramps, muscle stiffness, headache and can be easily ignored or confused with other health issues.

    It is pretty challenging to get an adequate daily intake with food especially if you skip meals or follow strict diet but adding healthy, wholesome foods should be your first resort to get the vital mineral. Add magnesium to your daily diet by eating more leafy greens (the darker the better), pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, black beans, quinoa, avocado, cashews and fish such as Makarel and Salmon.

    A safe and easy way to boost your magnesium level is to take an Epsom salt bath. The skin is our largest organ of absorption . What goes through our skin ends up in our body. So adding Epsom salt known as Magnesium Sulfate will not only feel like a spa day but is very good for your health.

    Magnesium rich bath can help relax the muscles and give us a better sleep at night but also energize us and boost exercise performance if taken during the day. Great to relive PMS symptoms in women. And it is also believed that having the right level of magnesium in your body can fight depression. So why not give it a try!

    How To Do The Bath for the most benefits

    Add 3-5 cups of Epsom salt in your tub https://amzn.to/3s44erP

    + 1 cut Baking Soda https://amzn.to/3bfOmvx

    • Some of my favorite essential oils to add to your epsom bath

    When doing this type of bath skip the bubbles and all other fancy bath additions such as bath bombs. Those are loaded with sulfates, colors and other unnecessary ingredients. Just use plain Epsom salt. If it is too boring you can add some essential oils to the salt before you put it in the water. Mix the salt and the oils so they can combine and infuse the water rather than the oils just sit on top. Also adding a cup of baking soda will help soften the water and neutralize it. As a lot of the city water that runs in our households is really high in chemicals. We want our skin and body to absorb the beneficial mineral rather than any other harmful chemicals that could potentially go into our system.

    A set of the most popular essential oils https://amzn.to/2M42EXI

    And that is it! It is that simple 🙂

    Drink this tea before bed to get restful sleep

    Getting enough sleep is so important for our well being. I feel like right now in the winter, when the days are shorter and sun is shining a lot less my anxiety and stress levels are going up, I feel more depressed and my immune system is suffering from all this. I need a little extra sleep to get myself rested but it has also been really hard for me to fall asleep.

    I have been making this herbal tea that helps me get into cozy bed mood. It’s great combination to add after dinner because it leads to easy and better digestion and also helps calm your mind.

    WHAT YOU NEED
    Organic Peppermint Tea

    Ashwagandha Powder

    Honey

    WHAT TO DO

    All you need is to steep some organic Peppermint tea and while waiting for it to release its flavor take about a teaspoon of Ashwagandha powder in your favorite mug , add honey and mix it together. This way the powder will be combined with the liquid and won’t just sit on top. Then just pour the tea over. Sip this after dinner.

    Ashwagandha Powder has a lot of great benefits but a distinctive bitterness. If you can handle the taste I would suggest to add more than a teaspoon to get more of its powerful benefits.

    why is this combo so good before bed?

    How Coconut Oil Hair Mask Overnight Saved my damaged hair

    The past few months my hair was getting super dry, brittle, tangled, a lot of split ends and on top of all that I was loosing more hair than usual. Having thick and hard to manage hair is not fun sometimes. This means planning your washing days, having sore arms after a blow dry, never been able to do certain hair styles and many more inconveniences …But I was used to that and it was kind of natural for me. When I started running hands through my hair and feeling how thin it was getting is when I started appreciating it even more. I started freaking out!!!

    I also have a video if you are not into reading you can click and watch it

    I figured it was time to take special care. In cases like this I try to minimize all the chemical products so I reached out to my all time trusted natural product Coconut oil. I did give this treatment some time to really see results. I have been doing it for over 3 months. So now speaking and reverting results with confidence.

    My goal was to do it once a week, but since it’s a little time consuming I do miss a week here and there.

    I started noticing great results right away. My hair gets super shiny, less frizzy and soft with every application. But with continual use I started seeing deeper results. I am getting a lot of new hair growth, my hair does feel and look much better and my scalp is healthier as well. One thing that I wasn’t really looking into but I I have been noticing , my hair is growing really fast. This was never an issue for me but it’s very noticeable. It could be from the massage I perform every time I apply the oil. It’s believed that doing so helps with hair growth but it is not scientifically proven. Well it seems to work for me. I just cut 3-4 inches and need to see the hair dresser again lol.

    I still have some days that I loose more hair than I want to but with the new hair growth it gives me hope that I can get my thick hair back.

    HOW I DO IT

    I do it on dirty hair when I need to shower. I take a little bit coconut oil, warm it in my hands and start applying it. I first do the roots, since they are the source of new hair growth. I spread it around my scalp and I also perform a gentle massage using the tips of my fingers. The massage helps with spreading the product but it also loosens any dead skin cells. Plus it brings blood to the scalp and helps with the blood circulation. I then apply a generous amount oil all over the length of my hair. Twisted in a bun and put it up with a hair clip. In order to not mess my pillow cases I put an old t shirt over the pillow.

    Sleep like this and in the morning I shower . I apply a little bit of shampoo on the length of my hair before I wet it. This helps break up the oil and makes it easier to wash out. I shampoo once and put on conditioner. If my hair feels super greasy I shampoo second time but use very minimal amount of product. Then I treat my hair as usual.

    WHAT I USE

    I use Organic Unrefined Virgin Coconut oil.

    The same one I use for cooking. I do believe that the cleaner the product the better the results would be.

    • This is the in the morning after I washed it out

    One downside of this whole treatment is that I need to plan my hair washing a bit. I usually shower at night so I have to make sure that I can wash my hair before I start my day. But I will definitely keep doing it!

    I hope you guys find this helpful and try it for yourself if you have any hair issues or concerns.

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