The Perfect Diet

With so many diets out there, old and new, you may be wondering just what the perfect diet is. Our unique bio-individuality defines what that means for each of us so let's begin here. Consider what the different things below mean to you:

• Gender: Men and women eat differently and what works for men may or may not work for women. I'm not talking stereotypes here- only pointing out that we each have unique needs and that means different things for different individuals. It's important not to feel pressured into a particular diet or feel forced to adopt certain dietary choices. We need to better understand what our body needs and that requires self reflection.

• Age: Think about the foods you enjoyed as a child and how you eat today. Our diets change throughout our lives [for a variety of reasons but not always for the best]. Consider what nutrition means to you today as you look into the future and what that can mean for you.

• Culture: This is where some genetic predisposition comes into play. What did your ancestors [from the country they grew up] eat?

• Cravings: This is a tough one but definitely one you want to experiment with and deeply consider. Some cravings take into play the stage of life you're at, culture, and gender and then some bring you comfort because they bring you back to a happy time in your childhood. Personally, I recognized that my craving for coffee cake connected me to my childhood and my mom, who I lost years ago.

• Belief: It's where belief turns into personal conviction and a way of life; based on religion, scientific or other reasons.

• Attitude: Individuals can be super careful about everything they eat, be completely relaxed with their attitude toward food or anywhere in between!

• Medication/Illness: It's important to speak to your doctor or medical practitioner about diet if you are ill or taking medication. Certain foods/supplements can react with certain medications, as well as existing conditions/illness.

As unique individuals, we each have a "perfect diet" and that is for each of us to determine. Remember that no one diet is the best for everyone. As I read many times in my IIN course, 'One person's food is another person's poison.'

Think about how certain foods make you feel-- do you feel energized and great afterwards? Or do you feel bloated, experience heartburn or just NOT great? Experiment with food. Make a note of things along the way. If you're not there already, get back to a state where you experience intuitive eating - we are meant to be this way! Taking medication to ease stomach cramps after a meal and then repeat the process because you absolutely love the food or drink [that results in the symptom] is how you'll distance yourself from intuitive eating.

Be patient as you work to discover what the perfect diet means for you. It'll take time, self reflection, mindfulness and experimentation, and it'll be so rewarding as you learn more about yourself and what fuels your body best❤.

With love and sparkles,

Senia

At Electrica in Dumbo, NY

Healthy Cooking 101

Let's get inspired to take care of ourselves [and the people we care about]! Our bodies do soooooo much for us, literally working non-stop around the clock, and in so many complex and beautiful ways. First, let's show some love and gratitude by quietly thanking our body for all it does. And let's support our body with the BEST fooduel. Fooduel: food as fuel (brilliant, I know!)

Healthy Cooking 101 in broken up into 4 sections for easy reading:

Sparkles- Part I

• Eat fresh food. hint: cookies are not considered fresh food. Think about the rainbow of fruit, veggies, herbs, spices, seeds, beans and such.

• Local- it's going to have more flavor and more nutrients because, 1. it's fresh and 2. there is a shorter distance between the farm to your table. Farmers Markets are cool, and most supermarkets showcase local and seasonal produce, making fresh and local easy to include in routine shopping.

• Choose organic when possible - organic foods contain less [much less] harmful chemicals than conventional foods, and they're good for both your body and the environment. The dirty dozen is a great guide to help you decide which produce is best to buy organic. Check out the link below: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php.

• Conventional produce is still great if you can't do organic or can't find it. The most important thing is to eat the healthier stuff.

• Frozen and canned foods are really good, too. I'm talking fruit, veggies, beans, that sort of thing. Frozen is better than canned because canned foods can have high levels of sodium and an inner lining that can leach into the food --look for BPA free lining and low or no sodium.

Sparkles- Part II

• Keep it SIMPLE-- save the fancier dishes and candles for the weekend or for special times and enjoy the efficiency... or...

• Keep it FANCY-- spend a little extra time and enjoy the presentation and ambiance you create.

• Include greens every day.

• Choose ingredients that don't require a lot of prep time. Peeling and roasting butternut squash for soup to enjoy with a main entrée may be a bit much.

• Prepare extra food so that you'll have leftovers for later in the week or to freeze.

Sparkles- Part III

• Mix it up: bake, grill, steam, stir-fry, air-fry, sauté, quick boil. And don't forget raw foods!

• Play with flavors by using different spices, herbs and sauces.

• Look up a new recipe and give it a whirl. hint: you can use recipes as ideas or inspiration. No need to follow them exactly most times (baking cakes, breads and other treats are an exception- those are finnicky with ingredients and measurements).

• Pick a fruit or vegetable you haven't had before or haven't had in awhile and incorporate into the week's meal planning.

• Mistakes are totally fine. In fact, you'll learn a lot when a food comes out too salty, mushy, or whatever. So either you eat a fine meal or you do some learning for a future fine meal - it's a win-win, see?!

Sparkles- Part IV

• Cook with others - it can make things more fun and reinforce healthy habits... or...

• Cook on your own while listening to a podcast or book.

• Don't eat stuff you don't like.

• Enjoy your meals-- think about how you can make meal time more enjoyable.

• Don't get caught up with negative self talk or criticism if things don't come out as expected.

You can choose one sparkly tip to play with for a week and then build on it. You can choose a bunch of them to include in your life right away. There's no right or wrong... only what works best for you. Hey, you may already be doing much of this already. No matter where you are, I'm sending fun, positive vibes your way❤.

With love and sparkles,

Senia

Brussel Sprouts Salad

This is SO yummy! It tastes even better after it sits about 20-30 minutes tossed with the salad dressing.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 pound of Brussel sprouts, ends removed and sliced super thin (I used a food processor with the slicer attachment)

• 1/3 cup sweetened cranberries

• 1/3 cup Marcona almonds (these are softer and wider almonds-- I found them close to the olive bar at Whole Foods)

• 1/3 cup finely grated Manchego cheese (from raw sheep's milk)-- it's a hard cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 orange, juiced

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Tablespoon raw honey

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Place thinly sliced Brussel sprouts in a large bowl and add the cranberries and almonds. Lots of flexibility-- see below:

2. Note: You can use another fruit if you prefer and it doesn't even need to be dried - for example, you can consider fresh apple or pear.

3. Note: You can use sliced almonds or slivered almonds instead. You can choose a different nut or you can omit nuts altogether.

4. Add the Manchego cheese.

5. Add all salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar or something similar with a lid. Shake it up well and pour over salad.

6. Gently toss together.

7. Mmm... Enjoy!