You started your journey of a healthy lifestyle, and you are doing so great. You are losing all the extra weight, maintaining your ideal weight, have more energy, and you are feeling much better.

You are waking up early to make your breakfast, drinking plenty of water throughout the day, and exercising. At the end of the day, you feel so good because you did everything to nourish your body.

But what happened when your day doesn't start as high? Believe me, I've been there. There are days when I don't feel like eating healthy, I don't have the time to cook a proper meal, or I want that extra sweet dessert or that juicy burger.

Don't worry, you are not alone, and if it happens, you just have to remember to start the next day again. Don't give up your journey because of one bad day.

The other day I made this recipe for a homemade big mac sauce. For some people it is obviously not the right choice considering it contains mayo, but if you are one of those people that like to add a little mayo t...

Do you suffer from Holiday spending hangover? If you are, don’t worry you are probably not the only one.

Every year during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day we focus so much on getting the perfect gift for our friends and families. We also decorate our house with trees, ornaments, and lights. Finally, we plan our traditional Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day meals and we wear the nicest clothes to commemorate the occasion.

But wait a minute… what do you think happens when the clock reaches 12:00am on December 31st? Well, if you haven’t figured out it already you will realize that even though it is a new year and you have all your New Year resolutions, unfortunately, all your debts from the previous year didn’t erase.

There are a million tips about how to stay on budget during the Holidays and how to recover after the Holidays. This post is not going to be about those tips.  In here, I’m trying to focus on giving you some tips to continue to eat healthy on a budget.

1. B...

Black beans are part of the legume family. Beans are known scientifically as Phaselous vulgaris. They originated in parts of Central and South America and were introduced into Europe in the 15th century by Spanish explorers. For many reasons, beans have become popular in many cultures throughout the world. Black beans, in particular, are an important staple in the cuisines of Central and South America. Personally, I grew up in Venezuela, a country found in South America, and I always enjoyed a cup of black beans with my meals. Once I came to the United States, I found out that not everyone had the same pleasure as me. I have decided to write about beans because among all groups of food commonly eaten worldwide, no group has a more health-supportive mix of protein-plus-fiber than legumes. For this reason, many public health organizations recommend legumes as a key food group for preventing disease and optimizing health. Recent studies classified black beans as one of the world’s healthi...

Cataracts are a leading cause of visual impairment among aging individuals. Cataract removal is one of the most common surgical procedures. Studies showed that the progression of cataracts might be delayed by changing certain behaviors such as: 

1. Not smoking

2. Reducing sunlight exposure

3. Controlling other diseases such as diabetes or hypertension

4. Eating a Healthy Diet

Several research studies show that certain foods specially foods high in Vitamin C and Vitamin E may protect against the development of cataracts. There are also studies suggesting that the carotenoids Lutein and Zeaxanthin may also help protect against cataracts. 

Most fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C. Vitamin E is found mostly in healthy vegetables oils and nuts. Lutein and zeaxanthin are found together in many food sources, yet the primary source is dark green leafy vegetables. 

Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day and eating at least two servings of nuts and seeds da...

Of course, an apple a day won’t necessary keep the doctor away if you are suffering from a chronic disease, but it could definitely help you to reach that level in the future. It is amazing all the benefits found in just one single whole apple and I can’t wait to show those to you.

Recent research has shown that apple can help you regulate your blood sugar level, pretty big news for diabetics! There are several mechanisms found in apples to help prevent a spike in blood sugar. First, flavonoids found in apples can inhibit the enzymes involved in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugar; therefore, if those enzymes are inhibit your blood sugar will have fewer simple sugars to deal with. Second, the polyphenols in apples are shown to lower the rate of glucose absorption from our digestive tract. Again, this mechanism also lessens the sugar load on your bloodstream. Additionally, the polyphenols also stimulate the beta cells of our pancreas to secrete more insulin and incre...

I don't know how many of you have tried hummus, but this recipe is super easy to make and it only takes a few minutes. I actually made this recipe at home and I loved it.

Easy Homemade Hummus

Yield: 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• ¼ cup tahini

• 1 small garlic clove

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• Salt to taste

• 2 to 3 tablespoons water

Procedure:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds.

2. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a ½ teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended.

3. Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bow...

After learning all the benefits found in olive oil I decided to make my own mayonnaise using olive oil...it is so easy to make and once you have all the ingredients on hand you could do it any time... 

Here is the recipe I used to make it:

If you are following a Mediterranean diet, you probably got used to olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a part of the diet because it contains many benefits.

Studies found EVOO possess an ability to lower inflammatory markers in the blood due to the strong concentration of phytonutrients (especially polyphenols). There are also studies showing an inverse correlation between olive oil intake and decrease risk for heart disease. 

Olive oil is known for its high percentage of monounsaturated fat. When diets low in monounsaturated fat increase the monounsaturated fat content by replacing other oils with olive oil, people tend to experience a decrease in their total blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and LDL:HDL ratio. 

There is also an study showing an inverse correlation between high consumption of olive oil and reduction of blood pressure. 

Several of the polyphenols found in olive oil appear to protect our blood platelets and avoid clumps. 

A well-known...