La Belle Vie Holistic Living

Have a UTI or get them more often than you'd like? Here are 8 things you can do to prevent and treat one.

Ok, confession time...I totally hated carrot cake as a kid. In all fairness though, I never really gave it a chance. Well, accidental chances that obviously led to disappointment due to expectations that could never be met. What do I mean by that? Let me paint a picture for you... As a kid, you see the dessert offerings in the restaurants. ONE of the cakes has icing and a pretty candy carrot on it. So, naturally you assume that this cake will pack the most sugary flavour of them all! You get it, you taste it, you think what the...!??!? Flash forward a couple of decades and that early non-attachment to carrot cake is still alive and kicking! My friend, Shannon, kept mentioning a carrot cake that she swore by. But I just couldn't shake that deep-living memory and kept right on hating the carrot cake without ever trying it again. And then I went to Ecuador and moved to a house on a mountain. And, I'm not even sure what brought it about, but one day I was astoundingly lucky and lik

How are Brazil nuts a superfood? They are the richest source of selenium. Studies have shown that 1-2 nuts a day are enough to raise your levels of selenium and powerful antioxidant glutathione peroxidase. Enjoy more brazil nuts in your life by making them into a dairy-free milk, chopping them up and tossing them into your salad, or using them in raw truffles and cakes. Download my free ebook, Everyday Superfoods , for more information on the many superpowers of Brazil nuts and a how to guide for making Brazil nut milk.

It's no secret I get a serious heart on for tortilla chips...mainly as a way to eat dip and salsa. But, an ick-flavoured chip, or one loaded with GMOs and other not so great stuff, can really ruin the whole experience, non? I was lucky enough to get to do a super top secret (ie I didn't tell any of my friends so I could have more for me!) taste test of a gourmet, GMO free, gluten-free tortilla chip courtesy of the beautiful people of RW Garcia. Here's what I thought...

What do carrots, cinnamon, and cauliflower have in common? They're all superfoods that can supersize our health and help prevent and fight disease. In this book, which you can download for free , you'll find nine superfoods and five super recipes. Visit my current blog for the download link!!

I miss you! Come visit me at my new blog, La Belle Vie , for more recipes and healthy living tips!! I'll also be sharing my new book super soon over there!! Don't forget to update your bookmarks so you don't miss out! xo Selene

The beautiful people of RW Garcia sent me some of their tortilla chips to try out. I heart tortilla chips. Especially with hummus or a raw cheesy tahini sauce. But with our increasingly GMO-infested world, enjoying a tortilla-based snack can be more terrifying than tasty. RW Garcia asked me to give their chips a try, and I'm glad I did. Their products are all organic, gluten-free, vegan, and GMO free. They're light, not greasy, and have a great texture. There are also sweet potato tortilla chips for those who want a change from corn. My faves were the sweet and spicy Thai flavoured ones and the spinach garlic. The latter comes mixed with other flavours, but I kind of wish there was an option to buy them on their own.

Enjoy this subtly sweet spice to balance blood sugar and help protect against diabetes and it's complications. Check out the article I wrote for Engage Africa Foundation about cinnamon's superpowers. Also, don't forget to download my new book full of superfoods and super recipes!

I've been a bit AWOL for the past little while..."porque?" you might ask...Well, I am presenting at this weekend's Annual Vegetarian Food Festival in sunny, autumn-y Toronto! I've basically spent the past few weeks since I've returned to Toronto reading a gazillion research studies to prep for my talks. If you're in town, I'd love for you to come out! On Saturday (tomorrow - eek!) from 2-3pm I'm talking in Miss Lou's room about everyday superfoods. These are the easy, inexpensive foods you can buy anywhere without fancy packaging that will boost your health in a million different ways. I'll be talking about my fave nine and how you can easily add them into your day. On Sunday from 3:30-4:30pm I'll be talking about estrogen dominance. More and more studies are pointing to estrogen dominance as the root of issues affecting our reproductive health and our mood. With the rise of estrogenic compounds in our food and environment, the detrime