There are some parts of a woman's body that are supposed to be fatty. Our lips, our hooters, our hips and our tush are all areas on the anatomy where healthy layers of fat give us the curvy feminine silhouette that drives the opposite (and sometimes even the same) sex wild! However there are some parts of us we would all like to be a little less fleshy. But with the amount of processing most of our food goes through before hitting our tongues, even moderate excise can't combat the sugar that seems to stick to Americans more than most. So how do other cultures keep their natural figures even here in America? Here are some ingredients and side dishes that keep the tummies flat (even during your private part-y) and booties fat (in a good way) from around the world.
Ethipopia:
Tumeric can be found in many east African dishes, Ethiopian's use turmeric because of its peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a refreshing fragrance kin to ginger. Dishes like Mesir Wat is a tasty vegan dish that boasts its flavor and anti-inflamatory properties. ( no bloating) or swelling in your mid section)
China:
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that can be enjoyed hot or cold. Its full of pro-biotics that promote intestinal health, which equals to a strong immune system ( and a flatter tummy). The tea can be sweetened with rose hips or raw honey. Sugar or artificial sweeteners are not suggested due to the fact they contain unhealthy bacteria, making the drink ineffective.
Bulgaria:
Sauerkraut is literally pickled cabbage, notice a theme here? certain fermented and pickled food items are chalk full of probiotics that go to war with any and all waste where you immune system lives ( your intestines aka your gut) Add a little to a sandwich or even alone as a side dish and your belly will thank you!
Japan:
Miso soup is a tofu and vegetable broth soup that is both tasty and and meatless. Countless studies have shown that meat takes longer for your body to digest and absorb, miso soup however gets in an out of your system with a large amount of protein left to soak into your blood stream. With both protein and probiotics on your side you'll be one step closer to a body con LBD.
Nicaragua:
Cacao is natures gift to humankind. The beans when roasted and processed are the main ingredient in chocolate, and when consumed prior to processing is full of anti-oxidents that aerate the skin and keep your stomach with a healthy 80:20 ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria, ultimately leading to a happier disposition.
Australia:
Raw honey is one of the best ways to sweeten a treat ( peanut butter sandwiches, rice cakes, mixed berry salad, plain yogurt) but Manuka honey, named for the Australian Manuka bee's it come from, is set apart and for good reason. This particular honey is high in Hydrogen peroxide naturally, giving it anti bacterial properies that can treat certain infections that may be reeking havoc on your immune system.
Brazil:
Sigh, the Açai. Its belly fat burning properties have been exploited, cloned and faked for the past decade from every pill pushing weight loss company on the market. What most people seem to forget is that the actual fruit can not be imitated, for the best results a cup of raw berries paired with non fat plain yogurt or in a homemade smoothie yields the best results.
Do you have any fruits veggies, spices or herbs that combat belly bloat? Shout them out and tell us what part of the world these wonder-foods are from!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Period-articles
We believe that womanhood is a gift but all of its elements aren't always the most pleasant of surprises, though some of them can be quite sweet. Heres a few stories we've complied from our subscribers that tell tales we can be all too familiar with. Feel free to leave one of your stories in the comment section or via a private message, we'd love simply hear from you!
I was on tour with a broadway show, and I loved that the stage managers kept the BIGGEST stock of tampons and pads on both sides of the stage in the wings as well as the quick change areas. Cause you never know. But those stock piles didn't do a thing for me on the last leg of the tour we were traveling from NYC to seattle via Jet blue airlines. I had a middle seat and was excited to be able to catch up on some of my favorite TV shows while on the 6 hour flight. About an hour after take off I felt incredibly sick, I must have eaten some bad shrimp at the airport ( yes I know I did it to myself) because I felt my tonsils tightening, I preemptively walked to the lavatory in the back of the plane in case I needed to vomit, I did. The most embarrassing part was that while I was wrenching over a blue oversized potty my period decided to make its entrance, aggressively. I was stuck 12 rows away from my seat with concerned flight attendants knocking to check on me and no sanitary products! I had to stuff my shorts full of tissue just to make it to my seat only to have to travel back to the skyline port-a-potty. I was so embarrassed and uncomfortable for the next 4 hours sitting in damp leggings. Thank GOODNESS I wore black that day, otherwise it would have been a public disaster, not just my own private one. I will never go to any bathroom without my tampon case ever again.
-Indigo M.
For as long as I can remember my cycle has always come on the last thursday of every month, like my body's own private lunar thanksgiving. Shortly after my 32nd birthday I took a job at an accounting firm in Chicago, it was the farthest I had ever moved from my friends and family in Connecticut. I completed my undergrad at NYU and was able to come home every other weekend so I never really missed much of my family life. My 3 brothers all went to school in Boston so they where home on a regular basis as well. Being in Chicago completely on my own was thrilling and scary and opened me up to a world of new experiences. The most immediate was my change in scheduel. The firm where I worked was rated in Forbes magazine as being one of the most gender diverse in the country, with a staff that was nearly 30% female. Its doesn't seem like much but in the white collar business of numbers and statistics, its huge. Unbeknownst to me, my life had been filled with testosterone. From the 2:1 ratio of male to female in my immediate household, to the 3:1 in most of my classes and internships in college to the nearly 7:1 ratio in almost every job I've worked has kept me running like clock work. I always assumed my cycle was a reflection of me, punctual, dependable and decisive. I didn't know the 5:1 ratio at my new job and time zone would make so MUCH of a difference? Rather than only having to carry my necessities for a 3 days I find myself squirreling away panty liners in my desk for up to a week before, during and after my usual monthly punctuation. Whenever a new woman joins the staff I find myself getting pulled farther and farther away from my old start date. This never happened during undergrad when I was living in the dorms for some reason. I ended up buying an unassuming opaque box to keep my toiletries stashed away in my office. Maybe this holiday season I'll return home and return to the regular old me.
-Ms Used-to-be-Regular*
With everything I do I strive to be the best ME at all times. I got married at age 20, and I worked hard to put my husband through school while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. After he finished his Bachelors I took a few classes in community college still trying to figure out exactly what I cold contribute to the world besides hard work. Shortly after my 2nd promotion at the department store I'd been working in my husband and I found out we were pregnant. I honestly hadn't considered motherhood yet but was over joyed none the less. I was a manager with good benefits and my husband had just landed a steady job. We where happy and were close to purchasing our first home. Our son Roman was born healthy and green eyed like his great grandmother. I nursed him for about a year and shortly after weening him I discovered I was pregnant again. I convinced myslef that I could be super mom and still work, I doubled up on my vitamins and began taking classes to earn my yoga instructors certification. Ou 2nd son Cameron was born and looked as if his father was his only parent, no trace of me anywhere! I was determined to get back to my pre mother hood weight and began integrating weight training and cardio to my usual yoga routine. Since I was breast feeding I was not alarmed that I hadn't seen my period 4 months after giving birth, I was concerned that my tummy wasn't getting as flat as fast as it had after Roman. I crunched and crunched and tilted and tilted and cut any and all sugar from my diet, but the belly pudge just sat there. I started supplementing my breast milk when Cameron was about 5 months because he wasn't gaining the weight he was supposed to, he was weened all together at 6 months, still no period and too much pudge. I complained to my grandmother during one of our visits to Quebec and she looked at me with a smile and said " mon cher, votre enceinte, pas de la graisse" I went home and took a pregnancy test that night, turns out that pudge was really our daughter Ema who was born 3 months later. Healthy and flexible and green eyed.
-J. Taylor
I was on tour with a broadway show, and I loved that the stage managers kept the BIGGEST stock of tampons and pads on both sides of the stage in the wings as well as the quick change areas. Cause you never know. But those stock piles didn't do a thing for me on the last leg of the tour we were traveling from NYC to seattle via Jet blue airlines. I had a middle seat and was excited to be able to catch up on some of my favorite TV shows while on the 6 hour flight. About an hour after take off I felt incredibly sick, I must have eaten some bad shrimp at the airport ( yes I know I did it to myself) because I felt my tonsils tightening, I preemptively walked to the lavatory in the back of the plane in case I needed to vomit, I did. The most embarrassing part was that while I was wrenching over a blue oversized potty my period decided to make its entrance, aggressively. I was stuck 12 rows away from my seat with concerned flight attendants knocking to check on me and no sanitary products! I had to stuff my shorts full of tissue just to make it to my seat only to have to travel back to the skyline port-a-potty. I was so embarrassed and uncomfortable for the next 4 hours sitting in damp leggings. Thank GOODNESS I wore black that day, otherwise it would have been a public disaster, not just my own private one. I will never go to any bathroom without my tampon case ever again.
-Indigo M.
For as long as I can remember my cycle has always come on the last thursday of every month, like my body's own private lunar thanksgiving. Shortly after my 32nd birthday I took a job at an accounting firm in Chicago, it was the farthest I had ever moved from my friends and family in Connecticut. I completed my undergrad at NYU and was able to come home every other weekend so I never really missed much of my family life. My 3 brothers all went to school in Boston so they where home on a regular basis as well. Being in Chicago completely on my own was thrilling and scary and opened me up to a world of new experiences. The most immediate was my change in scheduel. The firm where I worked was rated in Forbes magazine as being one of the most gender diverse in the country, with a staff that was nearly 30% female. Its doesn't seem like much but in the white collar business of numbers and statistics, its huge. Unbeknownst to me, my life had been filled with testosterone. From the 2:1 ratio of male to female in my immediate household, to the 3:1 in most of my classes and internships in college to the nearly 7:1 ratio in almost every job I've worked has kept me running like clock work. I always assumed my cycle was a reflection of me, punctual, dependable and decisive. I didn't know the 5:1 ratio at my new job and time zone would make so MUCH of a difference? Rather than only having to carry my necessities for a 3 days I find myself squirreling away panty liners in my desk for up to a week before, during and after my usual monthly punctuation. Whenever a new woman joins the staff I find myself getting pulled farther and farther away from my old start date. This never happened during undergrad when I was living in the dorms for some reason. I ended up buying an unassuming opaque box to keep my toiletries stashed away in my office. Maybe this holiday season I'll return home and return to the regular old me.
-Ms Used-to-be-Regular*
With everything I do I strive to be the best ME at all times. I got married at age 20, and I worked hard to put my husband through school while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. After he finished his Bachelors I took a few classes in community college still trying to figure out exactly what I cold contribute to the world besides hard work. Shortly after my 2nd promotion at the department store I'd been working in my husband and I found out we were pregnant. I honestly hadn't considered motherhood yet but was over joyed none the less. I was a manager with good benefits and my husband had just landed a steady job. We where happy and were close to purchasing our first home. Our son Roman was born healthy and green eyed like his great grandmother. I nursed him for about a year and shortly after weening him I discovered I was pregnant again. I convinced myslef that I could be super mom and still work, I doubled up on my vitamins and began taking classes to earn my yoga instructors certification. Ou 2nd son Cameron was born and looked as if his father was his only parent, no trace of me anywhere! I was determined to get back to my pre mother hood weight and began integrating weight training and cardio to my usual yoga routine. Since I was breast feeding I was not alarmed that I hadn't seen my period 4 months after giving birth, I was concerned that my tummy wasn't getting as flat as fast as it had after Roman. I crunched and crunched and tilted and tilted and cut any and all sugar from my diet, but the belly pudge just sat there. I started supplementing my breast milk when Cameron was about 5 months because he wasn't gaining the weight he was supposed to, he was weened all together at 6 months, still no period and too much pudge. I complained to my grandmother during one of our visits to Quebec and she looked at me with a smile and said " mon cher, votre enceinte, pas de la graisse" I went home and took a pregnancy test that night, turns out that pudge was really our daughter Ema who was born 3 months later. Healthy and flexible and green eyed.
-J. Taylor
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