Drink to Good Health Like the French

Have you heard of the French Paradox?

The French paradox is the observation of low coronary heart disease (CHD)

death rates despite high intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat.
 

Now the study behind why the French has a relatively low incidence rate of heart disease despite their food intake is because they often drink red wine with their meals. The secret ingredient, doctors and researches found, is resveratrol. Drinking a glass of red wine contains only about 2mg of resveratrol which may not be enough for our daily needs. Drinking too much wine to compensate for that, however, is detrimental to our liver. So how do we achieve this balance of having a healthy heart while protecting our liver?
 

My cousin introduced me to this juice called Reserve that contains 75mg of Resveratrol per serving last December.  Here are the four powerhouse ingredients of the said juice.

On top of the above four main ingredients, the juice also contains a host of other natural ingredients that bring more benefits to our health.

While I cannot really tell whether the resveratrol has been benefiting my heart, there is definitely an improvement wtih my digestion which translates to less bloating and a relatively flatter stomach.  I also recently noticed less hairfall and better skin. I'm not sure if this was the cause but i am sure it's contributory.

This is another step towards my goal this year to be a healthier parent for my children.  C'mon and drink with me to good health. Cheers!     

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Name Your Grapevine and Win a P5k GC from The Spa!

If you have been reading this blog for a while now, you will know that i am a big fan of Caudalie products.  The main reason i love Caudalie is because its products are made from grapes and thus contain high levels of Polyphenols. 

I learned about the benefits of Polyphenols over 5 years ago in my quest for natural beauty and wellness. I am currently using an eye cream that is rich with grape Polyphenol. Studies show that this same substance in some woods explains their natural preservation from rot.  Now can you imagine why it will be good for our skin? Moreover, can you imagine the benefits of high polyphenols in our body? Hello fountain of youth!

Growing up, i must admit that i am not a big fan of grape juices. It reminds me of an old cough syrup that i hated. When i gave birth in 2006, a lot of family and friends gave me Welch's grape juice drinks - they said it's very good post-natal as your body recovers to its pre-natal form. So i did my research and my findings made me change my mind about grape juice - specifically Welch's.

About Welch's:

• Made from whole Concord Grapes with no added sugar, flavouring or colors
• Rich in Polyphenols - that antioxidant that will keep you young and healthy
• High in Vitamin C

Have you heard the saying that drinking a glass of red wine can lower your chances of cardiovascular diseases? Well, it's true. It's because of the Polyphenols from the grapes of that red wine. For non-alcohol lovers and kids, you can still get the same benefits from drinking a glass of natural grape juice daily.

I now see the benefits and i know taste can be acquired. With a few ice cubes on a hot summer day, i can imagine enjoying that Welch's grape juice with my family. 

Now, for another good news! Welch's has an ongoing promo on Facebook called "Name Your Grapevine". The intention is really to build an online network of mothers who can support each other in any mom-related concern.

Here's how to join:

1. Participant must be a fan of Welch’s Facebook page to be a qualified winner.
2. Participant must post the photo entry with at least 3-5 mom friends, name their Grapevine (or the name of their group), include the hashtag #MyWelchsGrapevine, tag Welch’s PH and their mom friends in the photo. No hashtag and same photo entry from a group of mom friends will not be considered a valid entry.
3. Promo period will run from March 10-April 7, 2014
4. The entries will be judged on the following criteria:

            Quality of photo – 30%

            Grapevine Name – 30%

            Overall creativity – 30%

            Facebook likes of the entry – 10%

5. Announcement of winners shall be done weekly.
6. Claiming of prizes will be announced upon announcement of winners.
7. Weekly winners will receive The Spa GC worth P5k and a Welch’s gift pack. Four (4) participants will receive a Welch’s Gift Pack as a consolation prize.

8. Moms tagged in the photo entry shall be the ones to avail The Spa Party Package.
9. There will be a documentation of the spa party for moms to be posted on Welch’s Facebook page.

Go ahead! Share your barakada picture and get a chance to win a SPArty for you and your friends!

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Detox in a Bottle (Day 1)

I am doing my first juice cleanse today. I have done a few cleanses in the past and all of them were very unpleasant! Since then, i have been pretty averse to detox programs. Then a few weeks ago, i chanced upon Detox in a Bottle. As i learned more about their program, i was more and more inclined to give it a shot.

Here are my reasons why i chose this over other detox programs:

1. The drinks are forumlated by a US Certified Fitness Nutritionist, Nadine Tengco. I like that it's not just some random person who discovered the wonders of his or her new juicer and wants to start earning from it.

2. It includes a bowl of savory soup for lunch! When i did a 3-day detox in the past, it was all sweet. There was nothing to break the taste and it just made me crave for something salty towards the end of the day.

3. It's nicely packed. When the bottles aren't delivered clean and well packed, it makes you wonder about the cleanliness of the kitchen were the concotions are prepared.

You can do a 1, 2, or 3-day cleanse depending on your fitness goal and lifestyle.

1 day cleanse - if you have no previous experience with fasting.  This is good  for those who just wants a beauty boost and do not have time for a longer cleanse.

2-3 days cleanse - you already had some experience in cleansing and fasting and you need to make a bigger change

I decided to commit to a 2-day cleanse first and decide later on if i want to continue to do day 3.

So here we go. I am now on my 2nd juice and i will write down my thoughts and feedback as i go along with this cleanse.

On my way to work, i finished a bottle of water.  When i got to the office around 7:40am, i was not feeling hungry but the thought of doing detox was making me more conscious about the 'meals' that i was to take for the day.

At 8am sharp, i downed my first bottle. It's called the Energy Blast and it tasted like banana smothie. Not bad at all. I would even order this at Jonah's Boracay if they have it there.   

It's now 10:15am and i just finished Bottle #2. It's called the Chili Lemonade and i love it! It comes with a pack of ground flaxseed that you need to mix into the drink I love ginger so i like the 'chiliness' of this drink.   

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It's now 1:36pm - i just came back from one hour of yoga (yep, day 1 is pretty good. Doesn't drain your energey so i can still do my regular exercise routine). Starting to feel hungry now and i noticed that my senses are heightened. I can smell Boy Bawang from halfway across the room!

Lunch is Cream of zucchine and carrots soup. It's non-dairy but it's really creamy and tasty. The moment i tasted it, i immediately thought of asking if i can order soups from them regularly. Seriously, it's that good.

Now the papaya enzyme tablet (see the little white thing attached to the soup cover?) is something i was initially not so comfortable taking. I don't really like to take anything that looks like medicine. I did a little research and found out that it's actually good for digestion. I texted Nikki (niece of Nadine Tengco) and she said to just chew it. So i did. It actually tastes like Maalox or a better version of Kremil-S if you've tasted that before. I think it makes sense since it's an aid for gastric disturbances like its similar-tasting tablets.

It's almost 2pm and i'm supposed to take Bottle #3 "Kidney Cleanse" now. But since i took the soup later than scheduled, i decided to move up the 3rd bottle an hour later.  The instructions state that you need to 'feed yourself every 2 hours'.  I'm capping my lunch with some organic peppermint tea now. Yum!
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3:26pm - Just took the Kidney Cleanse drink. It doesn't taste as good as the previous drinks and soup but it's not so bad. I had to also take an 8oz glass of water.  I used the same bottle and just filled it with water.  I estimate it should be approximately 8oz.

Time for more peppermint tea to wash away the after taste of the Kidney Cleanse drink. It tasted like veggie shake.
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5:30pm - Bottle #4 "Liver Detox" doesn't taste good at all! I am starting to feel a little lightheaded and developed a moderate craving for real food. I don't know why but it feels very similar to my late afternoon queasiness during my pregnancies. The liver detox left a sour taste in my mouth that made me even more nauseous. I think i'm going to take a nap now.

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6:45pm - Bottle #5 "Gingerade" is not so bad but i wouldn't order it in a restaurant like the other juices. I think after 4 bottles of juice, everything is just starting to taste the same. It's losing it's appeal and i'm craving for something to chew on.
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8:30pm - Bottle #6 "Salad in a Bottle" taste just like that. Like lots and lots of veggies. It's very similar to the Kidney Cleanse drink somehow.

And that ends day 1. I am going to sleep earlier tonight to avoid late-night hunger. I already received my juice set for Day 2.  Will update you tomorrow.



**READ ABOUT DAY 2 HERE. PRICES AND HOW TO ORDER INCLUDED THERE**

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