Ok, but in real life, how do we do it?

Food :

We don't eat 2 times more, but 2 times better ❤️

• Rather of biological origin for less supply of pesticides but more in nutrients.
• Living : raw vegetables, sprouted seeds, vegetable juices or fruits/vegetables, algae in small quantities, fresh herbs for a contribution in vitamins and minerals. For cooking vegetables, prefer a soft steam cooking which will be better loaded with vitamins and minerals.
• Rich in omega 3 : rapeseed vegetable oil, linen, capeline, nuts, small fatty fish (sardines, anchovies, mackerels, herring), oleaginous seeds (almonds, nuts, cashews ...) to promote the development of the nervous system and retina and limit the risk of prematurity.
• Complete rather than refined for more nutrients.
• Rich in iron to limit the risk of prematurity: egg, chicken, beef, duck, oyster, chickpeas, lentils, soy flour.
• Rich in calcium to help baby skeleton and prepare breastfeeding: dairy products, sardines with edges, sesame seeds, almonds, Brazil nuts, nuts, watercress, broccoli, cabbage, sauerkraut, tofu, soy milk enriched in calcium.
• Rich in vitamin B9 to avoid malformations of the fetus and the risk of miscarriage: egg, shrimp, salad, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, red fruits, kiwi, banana, pear, full cereals and pulses, wheat germ, certain fermented cheeses, willow pollen.
• Rich in vitamin D for bones : fatty fish and their oil in particular cod liver, raw egg yolk, dairy products.

⚠️ Not too much salt and sugar, avoid raw milk cheese, raw meat, cold meats, raw seas.

And for the small ailments of pregnancy, what do we do?

Nausea:

For nausea, several natural methods will help you fight them:

• Lemon essential oil
• Fresh ginger in pieces in a bottle of water
• Herbal tea or lemon balm
• Massage and sophrology

For traffic concerns:

• Hamélis hydrosol
• Scottish shower
• Essential oil or bourbon geranium in massage with vegetable oil

Stretch marks:

To avoid having stretch marks during pregnancy:

• Musk pink vegetable oil or massage avocado

Transit lent :

If you have a little slow transit concerns during your pregnancy:

• Psyllium blond
• Mauve herbal tea
• Special digestion herbal tea
• Water rich in magnesium

Stress and sleep:

If you feel stressed or find it difficult to sleep, here are some little tips:

• True lavender essential oil or soft orange in diffusion
• Orange flower or Roman chamomile hydrosol diluted in a bottle of water
• Hot bath with a few drops of true lavender or geranium essential oil (using a neutral base)
• Contact with nature
• Sophrology
• Massage
• Relaxation or anti stress or sleep herbal tea

⚠️ These tips do not replace the doctor's advice. Before taking a complement, it is important to contact a professional.

This period of renewal is also the period when our body needs to cleanse itself, eliminate toxins accumulated throughout the winter and regain energy.

But then, how can we help our bodies feel better?

First, we pay attention to our plate :

• Vegetables, vegetables and vegetables at every meal and in large quantities: raw, cooked, in juice, in smoothies, etc. We provide vitamins, minerals and fiber to gain energy but also to improve transit.
• You can try the dissociated diet to support elimination: at lunchtime, you only eat vegetables with proteins (meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, legumes, tofu, etc.) and in the evening, you only eat vegetables with a carbohydrate (dough, rice, semolina, potato, bread etc.) preferably semi-complete or complete.
• We also take the time to chew well.

Then, we hydrate :

• We drink still, lightly mineralized water throughout the day and rather outside of meals.
• Why not also try Detox herbal teas.

We exercise and relax :

• Walking in nature, cycling, regular and gentle physical activity.
• Do "pleasure" activities and especially activities that allow you to take care of yourself: naturopathic wellness massage, foot reflexology, walking with your feet in the morning dew, sauna, etc.
• We take care of his sleep.

Finally, we pamper our liver :

• Place a hot water bottle on the liver (below the last rib to the right of our thorax) after the meal. Preferably, a hot water bottle without water so as not to burn yourself.
• Certain plants also facilitate cleansing of the liver and help it function better.

⚠️ For an individualized and risk-free detox treatment, it is necessary to contact a professional.

What is skin?

The skin is made up of cells that look like small bricks cemented together using a liquid fluid. This fluid helps maintain everything and creates an impermeable barrier which facilitates exchanges between the outside and the inside. For this barrier to be healthy, it is necessary to maintain good hydration .

The skin plays several important roles for our body:

• It protects against external aggressions (sun, pollution, bacteria, cosmetics).
• It regulates the temperature.
• It allows the production of certain hormones and vitamins.

Benefits of vegetable oils for the skin

Vegetable oils will have different interesting properties for our skin:

• They limit dryness of the skin by forming a protective film on the surface.
• It facilitates wound healing.
• They reduce inflammation.
• They limit skin aging.
• They are anti-bacterial.
• They are antioxidants, meaning they protect cells from aging.

Vitamin C is also known as ASCORBIC ACID. It is a part of micronutrients and is water-soluble (meaning it dissolves in water). Vitamin C comes in various forms; the one in plants is L-Ascorbic acid.

Once consumed, vitamin C is absorbed in the intestinal tract, then directed to various organs, primarily in the eye lens, white blood cells, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, and the brain. Excess is not stored; it is eliminated in urine.

What is Vitamin C used for?

Vitamin C has numerous benefits for the body:

• It is antioxidant: it stops harmful free radicals produced by the body.
• It strengthens the skin, tissues, and bones by promoting collagen synthesis.
• It facilitates brain activity by favoring the production of certain neurotransmitters.
• It improves the intestinal absorption of plant-based iron.
• It aids in eliminations (cleansing), especially in the liver.
• It provides energy during physical exertion.
• It boosts the immune system.
• It acts as a blood thinner.

Some signs of deficiency and deficiencies:

Here are some signs that indicate your body is deficient in vitamin C:

• Significant fatigue
• Headaches
• Bone pain
• Weak immune system
• Hemorrhagic disorders
• Poor neurotransmitter production

And in the case of severe deficiency: scurvy.

There is no toxicity in case of overdose, but it is preferable to respect the recommended doses. Consult a healthcare professional if in doubt.

Sources of vitamin C:

Do you also know that our body is able to manufacture almost everything it needs to be fit and healthy? Provided, of course, that it is given enough nutrients!

What are nutrients?

Nutrients, or nutrients, are substances provided by food and which ensure the development and maintenance of the body. There are several families: 

• Macro-nutrients : lipids, proteins and carbohydrates.
• Micro-nutrients : vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
• Fibers.
• Water (our body is made up of approximately 65% ​​water).

What are these nutrients for? 

Each nutrient family will have a specific function for the body:

• Lipids (fats) : they will have several functions in the body. They constitute an energy reserve and will act as a thermal insulator to allow your body to maintain its temperature. Lipids also help the proper functioning of organs, allowing the synthesis of vitamin D and cholesterol. Some lipids are not made by the body, this is particularly the case with essential fatty acids. We must therefore bring them to our body through food. Omega 3, for example, can be provided by vegetable oils of rapeseed, flax, camelina or walnut. 
• Proteins : there are two types: those of animal origin (meat, fish, eggs, dairy products) and those of vegetable origin (lentils, peas, chickpeas, red or white beans, tofu, seaweed). These proteins will form "bricks" for building and repairing our body: manufacturing and repairing muscles, bones and hair, manufacturing hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes and antibodies and also providing energy.
• Carbohydrates (sugars) : Carbohydrates are primarily broken down into glucose and are our body's preferred source of energy. They also give fiber.
• Fibers : they are provided by plants and certain carbohydrates. They help the proper functioning of the digestive system and nourish the intestinal microbiota.

And what does it look like on the plate?

For a plate to be healthy and balanced, it must be provided with the right amount of vegetables, proteins (animal or vegetable) and carbohydrates. We must add to this the omega 3, essential for our proper functioning, fruit and, of course, water!

You can also add "super foods" to your diet to gain vitamins and minerals: pollen, sprouted seeds, spirulina, chlorella, goji berry,...

And the quality, we talk about it?

Of course, a healthy diet also means having as few additions as possible. It is therefore important to:

• Favor a diet of organic origin, since it will be less loaded with pesticides and richer in nutrients.
• Also favor a diet that is as unprocessed as possible and therefore avoid dishes prepared with the addition of preservatives, salt and sugar.

And the pleasure in all this?

We continue to treat ourselves by being careful of excesses of course!

An adult needs, more or less, 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Each night is made up of several cycles lasting from 1h30 to 2h each. 

In each cycle, there is: a slow and light sleep phase + a slow and deep sleep phase + a REM sleep phase + a latency phase (see infographic below).

Sleep what is it for?

During the night, different things happen in our body, all of which are equally important:

• Digestion of food.
• Elimination of toxins.
• Work of the kidneys and organs of the digestive system to deacidify the body.
• Respiration, healing and cell regeneration.
• Resynchronization of our biological clock and circadian rhythms.
• Allow homeostasis, i.e. the balancing of all body functions.
• Recharges energy and glandular reserves.

Sleep disorders can be diverse (difficulty falling asleep, nocturnal awakenings, early awakenings, non-recovery) and multiple causes!

How to improve the quality of sleep? (in parallel with looking for the main cause)

Feed :

• Prefer a protein rather than sweet breakfast and keep the sugar around 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. in order to promote the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter facilitating the formation of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
• Consume foods that promote the production of serotonin (banana, milk, turkey, pineapple, egg, date, cashew nuts, almonds, grapes).
• Consume foods with a low glycemic index .
• Consume foods rich in magnesium (whole grains, shellfish, fatty fish, brewer's yeast, cocoa, dark chocolate, green beans, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, lentils), in omega 3 (vegetable rapeseed oils , flax, camelina and walnuts, sardines, anchovies, herring mackerel), in group B vitamins (sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds, egg yolk, poultry, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, brewer's yeast, sardines in oil, lentils, lamb's lettuce and spinach).

⚠️ Avoid : spices, meals that are too rich in the evening (frying, offal, charcuterie), stimulants (coffee, black tea, alcoholic beverages, soda), too much salt, snacking and physical activity afterwards 7/8 p.m. (the body is too hot to fall asleep).

Aromatherapy:

• True lavender, orange or bitter orange petit grain essential oil or the sleep complex to diffuse in the bedroom (a few drops in a cold diffuser for 20 minutes).
• True lavender essential oil massaged along the spine or under the arch of the foot at bedtime (3 drops mixed with sweet almond vegetable oil).
• Orange blossom hydrosol to add to herbal tea in the evening (1 teaspoon) and/or Roman chamomile hydrosol (1 tablespoon in a liter of water, to drink throughout the day).

Phytotherapy:

Certain plants can facilitate and improve the quality of sleep. It is necessary to contact a professional for advice.

A few extra tips:

• Take advantage of the sun's rays as soon as possible as well as contact with nature (taking the air soothes the nervous system).
• Certain breathing techniques can help you fall asleep.
• Do a foot reflexology session.
• The color green fights insomnia.
• Avoid screens 1 hour before going to bed.
• Don't go to bed angry.

Little recipe for a do-it-yourself pillow mist:

In a 30 ml bottle, put:

• 21ml distilled water
• 9 ml of fine lavender or orange blossom hydrosol
• 4 drops grapefruit seed extract
• If there are no contraindications (pregnant and breastfeeding women, babies and young children, people suffering from epilepsy), you can add 5 drops of true lavender or sweet orange or bitter orange petit grain essential oils.

Put 3 to 4 sprays of this mixture in the evening at bedtime directly on your pillow!

What is chlorella?

Chlorella or chlorella (chlorella vulgaris) is a micro algae that could be described as the "little sister" of spirulina. This micro algae lives and develops in fresh water. It is very rich in chlorophyll (4 times more than spirulina) hence its green color. Used as a food supplement, it has, and still is, the subject of numerous studies. Indeed, interest in chlorella has grown especially since the post-war period since it was discovered to have great nutritional qualities and given the title of “superfood”.

Why a superfood?

Chlorella benefits from various advantages:

• It is very rich in protein (about 59% of its weight), 80% of which is bioavailable. Simply put, the body will digest and absorb them well. Chlorella contains the 8 essential amino acids not made by the body, their quantities are sometimes almost equivalent to those contained in an egg.
• It is rich in carbohydrates, fiber and antioxidants.
• It is rich in essential fatty acids: omega 3 and 6. Omega 3 is essential for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system.
• It contains all the vitamins and minerals, as well as trace elements, including vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iron. Chlorella is therefore interesting for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet. As well as for people with iron deficiencies.

The positive points for health (following scientific studies):

• Chlorella supports metabolic health and works to prevent cardiovascular disease.
• It facilitates the cleansing of the body: toxins, waste, free radicals.
• It stimulates the immune system and can be interesting for athletes.

Which one to choose and how to take it:

Chlorella often comes in the form of a powder that you can mix into your smoothies, yogurts, drinks or incorporate into your recipes, but also in tablets, which is practical if you do not like its taste as well as to follow a cure by taking it with you.

Regarding its origin, we prefer a chlorella grown in France rather than made in France and of organic origin.

⚠️ precautions for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women and people on blood thinners. It is best to seek advice from a specialist when taking medical treatment.

Winter is the coldest time of the year, the one when we all have only one desire: to go out in the sun or snuggle up under a blanket in front of the fireplace drinking a good hot herbal tea.

It's also the time when germs invite themselves into the house… So what do I need in my cupboards to spend this season more peacefully?

Stock up on vitamins

During this period, we need to fill up on energy, which is why it is good to eat seasonal vegetables and vegetable juices rich in vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C is particularly present in citrus fruits, kiwi, parsley, green cabbage, broccoli. But beware, it is a very fragile vitamin that does not like heat. Do not cook at high temperature.

Do not hesitate to supplement yourself with "super foods" during these colder months:

• "Immunity" super food , for example, to be added to vegetable milk.
• Spirulina powder or tablets to add to vegetables or to swallow with a large glass of water.
• Blue liquid Spirulina  which allows to gain strongly in energy and improves the oxygenation of the cells.

Essential essential oils

Essential oils will clean up the ambient air and drive out microbes:

• Ravintsara : for its "anti-virus" side. A few drops to diffuse and/or 3 drops mixed with vegetable oil along the spine 1 to 3 times a day and/or 1 drop orally 1 to 3 times a day. You can refer to last month's special sheet.
• Eucalyptus radiata : which acts on the ENT sphere. A few drops to diffuse and/or 1 drop orally 1 to 3 times a day in case of virus.
• Cypress of Provence : improves breathing and soothes coughs. A few drops to diffuse and/or 1 drop on half a sugar or a neutral tablet or honey to swallow 1 to 3 times a day.
• Breathing and cleansing synergies can also be used but only in diffusion.

⚠️ Essential oils are contraindicated in children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and in people with epilepsy.

Warm up

To warm up, what better than a good cup of tea or herbal tea. The hibiscus infusion will be very appropriate during this period thanks to its richness in vitamin C. But be careful not to take it after 5 p.m. because you risk not being able to sleep.

To promote relaxation, you can make a foot bath by adding a few drops of essential oil of orange or lavender.