Judging by many posts on my blog and Instagram you might know by now that I’m a borderline health freak. No, no need to get me into rehab just yet because I can enjoy a good old In-n-Out burger as much as I can enjoy an açai bowl. I do try to live as healthy as possible and also spend a little more time at the supermarket than before. I take my time to read the packages as there are so many different words to describe sugar. Anything with ingredients ending on -ose -ide- ine and which has an expiry date due in 2089 doesn’t end up in basket. Having an organic lifestyle might be seen as a trendy hipster thing to do (or very nerdy) but actually it’s just going back to basic. When it comes to health antics, I have one or two rituals that I start my day with. Want to know which one?
Oil pulling
The first thing I do every morning after I wake up: go into the kitchen, take a spoon of coconut oil, set the timer and start oil pulling for a good 20 minutes. It sounds weird but this ancient Ayurvedic ritual gets all of the toxins out of your system and you get pearly white teeth as a bonus. Want to know more? Check out this post I wrote earlier about oil pulling.
Hot lemon water
While I’m doing my oil pulling ritual I take the time to boil some water and place a slice of (organic) lemon in a big mug. If I don’t have any fresh lemon lying around I’ll just use some lemon juice. Drinking hot lemon water on an empty stomach kick starts your metabolism, helps you to lose weight, boost your immune system and balances your pH (lemon is a great way to make alkaline water). Add a table spoon of raw honey if you can’t handle the bitter taste. Oh and if you want to keep your own teeth for a while use a (steel) straw to drink your hot lemon water.
Apple cider vinegar
Everyone needs to have a bottle of (organic) apple cider vinegar at home. This stuff is amazing a can be used for just about anything. I got to know about ACV in LA when I drank it as a detox tea (with cinnamon, delish) and I wanted to know more about the benefits. You can use it as a face toner (don’t forget to mix it with some water otherwise you’ll burn your face). As a hair mask (strips your hair from buildup) to clean your fruit and veggies, as a sports drink or to clean you entire house.
Avocado
There was a time that I used to despise this green super food. Maybe it had to do with the fact that my mom used to have one every day when she was expecting me. My resistance to avocado changed when I was in Sao Paolo, Brazil. I was getting a smoothie a this place and the lady behind the counter was putting all kinds of generic fruit in the blender. All of a sudden she wanted to add spoonful of avocado in my smoothie! I panicked and said ‘noooo’ (in what seemed to be slow motion) just in time. But when I got home I started to experiment with avocado and slowly started to add it to my diet. It has a neutral taste so fruits like pineapple and mango take over and it makes your smoothie nice and creamy. Believe it or not but now I eat an avocado almost every day. On toast, (with Himalaya salt and lots of pepper), in salads, as butter, to make healthy chocolate mousse and of course, smoothies. Avocado has many healthy fatty acids, potassium and helps to balance your hormones (did you know that avocado on toast gets your more likes on Instagram than a selfie?)
Travel light?
I’ve tried this many times but I just can’t travel light! When us health freaks travel we just need our healthy stuff with us. I know what you’re about to read might come across as a bit hysterical (don’t judge me). The things you’ll find in my suitcase:
– A mini blender! When I can’t make it to breakfast (because of the time difference) or if I’m in a place that doesn’t have many healthy products for grabs, I can make my own liquid breakfast. Sorry hotel neighbors!
-I don’t use any ordinary salt on my avocado (because they are filled with chemicals) so I carry a little container of Keltic sea salt with me (omg..did I really just write that?).
-Just because it’s good, a small container of spelt granola.
-The Trilogy: a mix of flaxseed, chia seed and hempseed to add to those midnight smoothies.
But no worries! It may sound a bit crazy but take everything you just read with a big grain of (Himalayan) salt. You can take me out for pizza, all you can eat sushi or share a bar of Tony Chocolonely (sea salt & caramel) chocolate with me anytime! 🙂
xx Mishanou
