Tag: Health

Stop Neglecting Your Tongue! It’s More Important Than You Think…

Published on by Lee1 Comment

Dental health is seriously trending right now; from Kendall’s whitening Moon pen to pretty much every influencer’s fave teeth whitening gadget. But as intrigued as we are with the latest advancements in oral health; it’s the ancient practice of tongue scraping that I am currently obsessing over. It’s super simple, it’s basically free, and it has tons of health benefits.

What is tongue scraping?

Ok, so I realize it sounds kinda gross but Dr. Ghalili explains “Tongue scraping is the method to remove the remainder of the food, possible bacteria, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue and therefore out of the body.” Dr. Garcia adds, “Tongue scraping is nothing new and has been a part of Ayurvedic practice since ancient times. A scraper is designed to fit the anatomy of the tongue and scrape off bacteria and flora on the tongue that can produce volatile sulfur compounds.”

Why you need to start scraping… like NOW

Dental benefits: Dr. Garcia outlines the benefits of tongue scraping; “Tongue scraping can clear up bad breath and help to prevent an incidence of periodontal disease [gum disease].” Dr. Ghalili agrees, saying tongue scraping helps “To remove bacteria and toxins and this prevents them from getting reabsorbed into the body. This improves problems with bad breath and improves overall health.”

Other health benefits: But the benefits don’t stop at helping with bad breath, it’ll help remove toxins from your body, increasing your bodies immunity, and improving your health in general. Plus, don’t forget fewer toxins in your body = better skin. Dr. Ghalili explains how it works, “When bacteria and other possible pathogens remain on the tongue and get reabsorbed by the bloodstream, it can cause serious health issues all throughout the body.” Plus, Dr. Garcia notes that it’s the perfect practice to get into whenever you’re feeling under the weather, “Since bacteria lingers on the tongue, it’s especially beneficial to do regular tongue scraping when you’re sick with a cold or infection.” Oh, and last but not least, it’ll enhance your taste buds as there’s less mucus on your tongue – err, yes, please!

How to use a tongue scraper

The tools: Dr. Garcia recommends, “The tongue scrapers made from copper, tin or brass [which you can buy on Amazon, $8, here]. Using an ergonomic one only designed for tongue scraping is much more effective than using a toothbrush.” Whereas Dr. Ghalili keeps it simple, suggesting “A toothbrush or a tongue scraper. Both are effective. If you use a toothbrush, it is easier to use without toothpaste.”

The technique: With firm yet gentle movements, scrape the surface of your tongue with singular, long strokes using your tongue scraping tool, then rinse your tool in water. Repeat this five to ten times. Follow with mouthwash, flossing, and then brush your teeth as usual.

Let me know if you guys use a tongue scraper in the comments below.

6 tips for your summer body!

Published on by Lee4 Comments

Hello Beauties! Now before I get started on this post I just want to note that I am not a nutritionist of any kind! This is just simple tips I’ve learned from research, trial and error. They work wonders for me and hopefully they will for you too! My weight has always been up and down since I was teenager and once I became an adult I noticed it being way more up than down. I do still diet every now and then, but these are tips to add to your lifestyle for a complete change. I honestly feel that if I did not incorporate these things in my life I would be a lot heavier. If you have any eating habits that you live by feel free to add them below. Once again, look at these tips as something to add to your lifestyle and not so much “diet tips.”

♥ WATER ONLY – Now I am a human being and I do indulge in a mimosa or two but other than that I do not drink anything but water. I started to drink less soda and no juice. I have an obsession with lemon lime ginger ale soda at my job, I only drink it when I’m at work, I need help! Started to drink coffee again but I’m planning on ending that today. The worst thing you can do is drink your calories. I personally feel that this is how weight sneaks up on a lot of people. If you are having a meal that’s 500 calories, by the time you drink two glasses of soda that’s another 500 calories you’ve added on without even noticing! Yikes! If you are consuming soda and juices all day you could be adding 1500 calories to your diet per day and that’s not even including food. The average person should consume 2,000 per day. Now I am NOT a calorie counter but I do take heed of things I put in my mouth. I’m at a point to where I know I want I can and can’t have. But I will say that only drinking water gives me a little freedom to have more “cheat meals” with actual food. So try to completely cut out all sugary beverages!

♥ CUT THE SUGAR – This one is obvious. Excess sugar is so easily turned into fat. Now while sugar is found in a lot of foods besides sweets, I’ve always felt like that slice of cake or candy bar is just waiting to add itself to my bra roll in the back. If you can, skip dessert! And if you are craving something sweet I always have a mango or a handful of grapes to fight my craving. I now stack up on fruits!

♥ WARM LEMON WATER – Every single morning, I start my day with a glass of warm lemon water. I actually got this tip years ago and even wrote about lemon water benefits on here, BeautyLeeBar.com. I am always raving about the long list of benefits a simple glass of warm water with lemon to whoever will listen lol. Now the benefits I’ve personally researched are very long so I’ll just name the three that stuck out to me.

  • First the obvious being that it helps in weight loss. Drinking the mixture first thing in the morning helps fight hunger cravings, which will lead to either losing weight or just simply not over eating.
  • The second is it also helps in digestion. Feeling bloated and stuffed is the absolute WORST. Lemon water definitely gets everything in your digestive system flowing and helps make you regular.
  • The last is it improves skin. I personally have very dry skin and everyone knows dry skin is something that causes wrinkles. Once I incorporated it in my daily routine I noticed my skin was a lot more hydrated

♥ SAVE IT FOR LATER– Now this is something that I feel was instilled in us all as children. I think we can all recall our parents forcing us to finish our food in order not to be wasteful. But this is not something I practice at all. Always get smaller portions and if you are still hungry go back for more if you would like. But overloading your plate and forcing yourself to eat is not going to help you get that summer body. We all talk about having the itis, but I personally hate feeling lethargic after I’ve eaten. Now I don’t necessarily mean be wasteful, I love a some good left overs. So wrap it up and save the rest for later! So once you get that first feeling of satisfaction, you should be done eating. Never eat until you feel stuffed or sleepy.

♥  GREEN TEA – Listen up. I LOVE GREEN TEA. I wont even go through the very long list of benefits it has but this is the one! The main benefit is that it speeds up your metabolism! Now I will be honest I don’t drink it everyday but I definitely always make sure I consume a few cups through out the week. It definitely gives me a boost of energy when I’m feeling a little sluggish. It’s something about green tea that makes me feel so zen when I drink it lol. So besides the water, green tea is definitely something I recommend you add to your diet. Here is the link to the brand I drink.

♥ MONITOR YOUR BODY – I’m not saying be overly obsessive and step on the scale every 15 minutes. But I will occasionally throw on an old outfit to see whats going on. I never really monitor my body by what the scale says, its all about how I look and feel. If I notice something getting a little tight or if I do decide to step on the scale I know to tighten up my eating habits a bit. The sooner you catch it the better! Its much easier to drop 10-15 lbs over 50+. It’s hard to not let your weight get out of control but if you are person like me who does tend to gain it easily, this tip definitely helps keep it in check.

In closing I want to say that this is not a guide to make you overly obsess or feel like you need to be thin. I am no where near thin and I never will be, but through A LOT of struggle I have and I am still learning to love my body and do my best to take care of it. The older I get the harder it is to stick to a diet so I implemented these small changes and noticed such a difference. Now these tips are not going to make you lose 50 pounds in two weeks but it will give you a jump start to taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle. If you have any tips you would like to share comment below! Thanks for reading and let me know if any of these tips work for you! I’ve linked the green tea that I drink as well!

WHICH TIP HAVE YOU TRIED OR WILLING TO TRIED?

If These Celebs Swear By This $1 Beautifying Ingredient, I Want It Too

Published on by Lee3 Comments

There’s nothing more satisfying than finding something completely awesome for your skin that costs next to nothing. It’s even better when you know that incredibly gorgeous celebs like Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah (and the A-list list goes on!) credit their stunning figures and glowing skin to the same thing. Jessica Alba uses it in a smoothie to boost energy levels, Jennifer Aniston relies on it to keep fit and trim, and Lady Gaga swears by it for reducing her stress levels – we all know what stress does to our skin! The genius ingredient is green tea; its impressive qualities include the power to lower your sebum levels and fight against acne, reduce sun damage, flatten puffy eyes, and even diminish wrinkles. It’s literally the answer to all our prayers – for our skin and our bodies!

The magical ingredient comes from the Camellia sinensis leaves that originate in China. Green tea leaves have extremely high-levels of polyphenols, aka micronutrients that come from plants, which are packed with antioxidants that protect against skin-damaging free-radicals, infections, toxins, and even some cancers. Not only is green tea super inexpensive, but you can use it topically and internally for MAJOR health benefits – even lowering bad cholesterol and detoxing your body. Put the kettle on now; guarantee you’ll be wanting a brew…

The difference between green tea and matcha green tea: Green tea is referred to as your standard tea bag filled with dry leaves, and it needs to be brewed for a couple of minutes to release the goodness. Once brewed you can discard the leaves and drink the tea, or you can use the brewed leaves to make a mask. Matcha is green tea leaves that have been dried and finely ground, which you ingest completely, making matcha a much more intense dose of goodness. Matcha contains 137 times more EGCGs (powerful antioxidants, up to 50 times stronger than vitamin C and E) than green tea does, so you would need to drink around 10 cups of green tea to get the same benefits that you would from one cup of matcha green tea. Look out for organic matcha tea like this one.

Find Your Zen: Believe it or not, having a green tea brew will actually chill you out. The tea lowers cortisol levels (stress hormones) and contains an amino acid called L-Theanine that gives a calming effect and helps your brain to focus.

Fight against wrinkles: Free-radicals attack our skin and breakdown skin cells to deplete skin’s elasticity, causing sagging and wrinkles – they’re our ultimate nemesis! Fortunately, the high-levels of antioxidants (the best kind: catechins and polyphenols) in green tea help our skin cells to fight against the damage done by free radicals. They can both slow down the signs of aging and contribute to reverse skin damage.

Combat acne: Drinking green tea works in numerous ways to combat acne: your skin produces less sebum, your inflammation levels are reduced (that’s what causes pimples to get all red and angry), and your immune system is bolstered. The aforementioned EGCG is also a potent regulator of your hormones, in particular, male hormones, which cause your glands to produce excess sebum. Combined with its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, it makes a fierce face mask. Combine a tablespoon of matcha tea with a tablespoon of honey, or matcha tea with yogurt to balance and soothe your skin.

Reduce sun damage: Green tea can’t block UV rays like sunscreen can, but instead, it fights damaging free-radicals and reduces inflammation that the sun causes – it can even destroy cancerous skin-cells. To get the full benefits you can drink green tea and use it as a toner in the morning: dip a cotton pad in a cup of cooled green tea and wipe it across your face.

Boost energy levels and shed pounds: There’s a reason green tea is favored in Hollywood and among models, it’s been clinically proven to boost your metabolism and increase your bodies ability to burn fat. It’s caffeine content – about a quarter the amount of coffee’s – increases your energy and concentration levels, which can improve physical performance and mobilize fatty acids to be used for energy. A matcha smoothie makes the perfect pre-workout or morning wake-up replacement for your cup of coffee. Make a smoothie with one banana, one spoon of matcha green tea powder, ice, almond milk or coconut water (enough to cover all your ingredients in a blender), one tablespoon of almond or peanut butter, and a sprinkling of granola, you can even add a date or honey as a natural sweetener.

Deflate puffy eyes: Green tea bags make the perfect under eye treatment: the caffeine shrinks blood vessels, while the tannins constrict capillaries. Brew two tea bags for a couple of minutes, remove and place in the fridge until chilled (around 30 minutes – they should be cold but not dry) place the tea bags under your eyes and chill out for half an hour.

Even just drinking a green tea every day will do your body good, and it’s another alternative to help you reach your daily water target. It’s insanely good when you use it topically too, so play around with different recipes and find what works for you. There’s also an insane amount of products starring green tea, in case DIY isn’t your thing, check them out at ToGoSpa here.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

5 Easy Food Swaps Your Skin Will Thank You For

Published on by Lee3 Comments

The bottom line is, you could have the most amazing beauty regime consisting of dozens of miracle products, but if you’re not eating well and drinking plenty of water, it’s going to negatively affect your skin. You have to remember, your skin is the largest organ in your body, so if you’re not providing it with the right nutrients, minerals, and vitamins, you’re more likely to experience dull skin and breakouts. But don’t worry, I am not suggesting you drastically change your diet and only eat steamed broccoli, instead, try just a few healthy food swaps; cut out the bad stuff and replace it with something more nutritional. I promise, it won’t even feel like your making a sacrifice, and you’ll be trading in skin aggravating ingredients for beauty-boosting foods – it really is a no-brainer.

Swap lattes for Americanos and green tea

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from countless dermatologists and celebrity nutritionists, it’s that we should avoid dairy (more specifically milk) as much as possible. The reason being, dairy is full of hormones and when you consume it, it’ll cause your other hormone levels to rise; including testosterone and progesterone. These hormones are the main cause of excess oil and sebum, which can block your pores and trigger breakouts. So try and stay away from milky lattes, and trade it in for either a black coffee or an almond milk latte. Almond milk is full of skin-loving vitamins like vitamin E, which helps strengthen your skin’s epidermis layer while giving it a healthy glow. But, possibly the healthiest trade, would be to ditch your latte and have a Green Tea instead, which can lower oil production, fight against acne, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and sun damage while removing toxins from your body. Plus, it’s practically calorie-free.

Trade milk chocolate for dark chocolate or cacao

Ok, so I have to admit, this trade may take a little bit of time to get used to, but once you’ve committed to this health swap, you’ll be thanking me. Chocolate doesn’t just contain dairy; it’s also really high in refined sugars and white sugars, which are bad news for your skin. Sugar can dehydrate your skin, cause inflammation, and it can even cause premature aging (digested sugar attaches to the collagen in your skin, breaking it down rapidly). Obviously, I’m not suggesting that you give up chocolate entirely (I’m not crazy!), just opt for dark chocolate cacao-based sweet treats instead. Dark chocolate and cacao are the rawest form of chocolate bean and aren’t sweetened, and they actually have a ton of health benefits! I know they may taste slightly bitter, but they both contain beauty-boosting anti-oxidants and will improve blood circulation so that more oxygen is delivered to your skin, leaving it looking radiant AF. Just make sure your dark chocolate is 75% or more, or find some delicious cacao recipes here.

Swap butter or oil for grapeseed oil

Even though it may taste great, cooking with butter or sunflower oil isn’t good for your health or your skin. Both are super high in cholesterol, which triggers your body to produce more hormones, thereby increasing your oil production, making breakouts more common. Cold-pressed grapeseed oil, however, reduces harmful cholesterol. It also has a very high ‘smoke point;’ the temperature at which oil begins to smoke – the higher the smoke point, the better. So next time you’re cooking, reach for the grapeseed oil to improve your health and your skin.

Switch sugar for Manuka honey

As mentioned, white refined sugars aren’t good for your skin, so you should try and avoid them wherever possible. Instead, try using honey to sweeten your food, more specifically Manuka honey – whether that’s in your morning coffee, your oatmeal, or in your cooking.  Not only will it help you curb your sugar cravings, but since honey is a natural humectant, it will make your skin super soft, whether applied topically or ingested. It also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, so it will help remove toxins from your body while improving digestion. Manuka honey is especially beneficial as it’s the rawest form of honey, which is free from preservatives and has a higher concentration of nutrients.

Swap soda or fruit drinks for detox water

The truth is, no matter if your fav soda or fruit juice is ‘calorie-free’ or ‘not from concentrate,’ a soda or fruit juice is never going to do good things for your skin. Not only are these soft drinks high in refined sugars (the average can of soda contains 8g of sugar), but sodas also contain nasty chemicals such as aspartame, which make you crave more sugar. And when it comes to fruit-based drinks, like orange juice, although that may seem like a healthier alternative to a can of Coke, chances are it’s full of sweeteners and additives that’ll dehydrate your skin and steal that glow your favorite face oil promises to deliver. Instead, make your own detox water that will hydrate your skin and rid it of toxins that cause inflammation. Check out BLB Readers fav detox water recipes here.

For more beauty-boosting miracle foods, check out this post. Let me know if you have any other healthy food swaps in the comments below.