Click on the photo below to read my article posted on the BeautyBean.com today! There are so many options (of how to eat, cut, cook) out there… make eating veggies fun!

The iloveme rings and necklaces are now being sold at Georgia NY! Sweet store, perfect location and beautifully decorated…and they even have their own line of local, natural and lux body lotions!

Georgia NY
89A East Houston Street (bet Elizabeth and Bowery)

http://www.georgiany.com/

We’re going to collaborate to have a fun party there on September 30th. Stay tuned for the deets!

If you’re looking for a get-away, go to Kripalu. Located in Lenox, Massachusetts atop a mountain, Kripalu is camp for adults…literally. It offers healthy and delicious food, like-minded positive people, a spa with Ayurvedic treatments, unlimited yoga classes, a clear, crisp lake, kayaking, trees, grass, evening activites (like yoga dance) and even bunkbeds (if you choose the cheap lodging option)!

I went to hear Gabrielle Bernstein lecture but you can go just for a little R and R, or there are special guest speakers every weekend too.

I was smiling every minute that I was there and I’m still feeling high, even three days since I returned. Go- alone, with a friend, with your lover. Just go. Enough said.

www.kripalu.com

Savasana!

As the sun rose, we did our sun salutations and tree poses amidst the trees of Bryant Park and the midtown skyline. It was the perfect start to a Tuesday.

Every Tuesday morning, 10-11am
Every Thursday night, 6-7pm

For more info on yoga with Lululemon in Bryant Park, go to: click here

This July 4th i stayed at my friend’s beautiful house in Wainscott, NY. The forecast said 98 degrees, so I knew we needed to find a creative way to stay cool and refreshed!

As a thank you for having me, I brought them popsicle makers. After searching high and low- Bed, Bath and Beyond ran out of them and The Container Store doesnt even carry them- I found the cutest ones at the Limelight Marketplace on 20th and 6th ave! They even came with a cute star-shaped stand.

For our Patriotic Popsicle creations, we made one with Orange Juice, one with Cranberry Juice, one with Pomegranate Juice and another with Lemonade. I stuck Blueberries and Strawberries in them too to add to the red, white and blue theme! A sweet, refreshing, delicious and healthy summer treat.

This picture was taken in their beautiful “Zen Garden”.

Be cool. Be zen. Be well.

No need for the red, white and blue utensiles, plates and decorations this year- celebrate in independence-day style with red, white and blue nutritious and delicious dishes!

See below for some fun red, white and blue recipes, along with a list of red, white and blue fruits and veggies to add to your dishes so you feel healthy and beautiful – inside and out!

BEFORE BBQ BREAKFAST RECIPES:
- Wake-me Up Watermelon Fruit Salad: Watermelon, Strawberries, figs, banana, blueberries, white peaches, cherries, plums
- Born in the USA Parfait: plain organic yogurt topped with multi-layers of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, with flax seed, cacao nibs and shredded coconut/flakes sprinkled on top
- Only in America Breakfast Sandwich: sprouted grain bread (Ezekial) with macadamia nut butter, slices of strawberry and topped with a blueberry.
- Let Freedom Sing, Cherry Almond Zing: (quinoa- great/easy alternative to oatmeal, high in protein and colorful!)- Combine one cup cooked quinoa with milk (organic, soy, almond or rice), ½ cup dried cherries (preferably without added sugar/un-sulfured) or fresh cherries, ½ cup blueberries, ¼ cup slivered almonds. Cinnamon (optional to taste), and raw Agave, Maple syrup or Brown Rice Syrup (option to sweeten). Sprinkle coconut flakes on top.

BBQ SIDES/LUNCH/DINNER RECIPES:
- Patriotic Potato Salad: red, white and purple potatoes tossed with chopped celery, onions, and tossed in lemon juice and veganaise and sprinkled with fresh dill.
- Country Cabbage Salad- shredded purple cabbage, jicama and red pepper.
- Star Spangled Salad- Mixed greens and kale topped with chunks of watermelon, fresh figs and feta/goat cheese. Sprinkle with uemboshi plum vinegar (digestive aid and great for hangovers)
- America The Beautiful Veggie Salad- Roasted beets, fennel, parsnip, cauliflower
BBQ Dessert
- Patriotic Popsicles- one with cranberry juice, one with coconut water and lime juice (fights hangovers and hydrates), and one with grape juice. Add slices of strawberry to the bottom and bluerries to the top!
- Stars and White Stripes Sangria – white or red wine with blueberries, strawberries, white peaches and slices of star fruit mixed in.
- Bold and Beautiful- Bbqed white peaches and plums

Each color in the rainbow provides you with a different nutrient, antioxidant, vitamin and mineral, so the more colorful your shopping cart and plates are, the more nutrients you’ll be intaking! Stock your fridge with these red, white and blue fruits and veggies to ensure that you’re getting an array of nutrients this July 4th!

WHY RED?:
- rich in phytochemicals
- reduces free radical damage (and cancer)
- supports heart function (lowers bad cholesterol)
- good for memory
- high in vit a and c

RED FOODS:
Watermelon
Cherries
Red Grapes
Papaya
Raspberries
Pomegranate
Red apples
Blood oranges
Cranberries
Pink grapefruit
Red pears
Red bell pepper (higher in vit c than an orange!)
Tomatoes (cherry, grape, roma, beefsteak, etc)
Radishes
Beets
Radicchio
Red onions
Red potatoes

WHY WHITE/TAN?
- Natures Pharmacy (antiviral and antibaterial phytochemicals- esp ginger, garlic and onion)
- reduces blood pressure and LDL cholesterol
- high in potassium (esp banana)

WHITE/TAN FOODS:
Banana
White nectarines
White peaches
Bosc pears
Cauliflower
Garlic
Onions
Ginger
Jicama
Kohlrabi
Mushrooms
Parsnips
Potatoes
Shallots
Turnips
White corn
Coconut
Fennel
Daikon Radish
Artichokes

WHY BLUE/PURPLE?
- high in antioxidants (esp berries)
- improves memory
- reduces cholesterol and heart disease

BLUE/PURPLE FOODS:
Blueberries
Blackberries
Plums
Dried plums
Black currants
Purple figs
Purple grapes
Raisins
ElderberriesPurple asparagus
Purple cabbage
Eggplant
Purple potatoes

Happy July 4th!

Be creative. Be patriotic. Be healthy.

Be Well with Arielle trekked to Harlem today to teach 2nd graders at P.S. 161 how Smart and Healthy Choices = Smart and Healthy Kids!

My best friend, Joanna (otherwise known as Ms. Loewi in the classroom) is a 2nd grade teacher at P.S. 161 – Don Pedro Albizu Campos School on 133rd and Amsterdam. She’s been asking me to come into school and teach her students about healthy eating and healthy choices and today I finally made it in!

We taught them about what making a “smart choice” means and then asked them to draw their favorite healthy snack food and favorite unhealthy snack food. See below for a few examples of what they drew (i had to cover their faces and names in the photos for privacy purposes!)

We then asked what they want to be when they grow up. A few mentioned that they wanted to become firefighters, teachers, models, policemen and pilots so we spoke about the importance of nourishing their bodies with healthy ingredients so they can become these professionals who need lots of energy!

We then studied the ingredients in their favorite “fruit juice”, Sunny D (which I found out is primarily made of Water, High fructose Corn Syrup etc – UGH) and we made our own Sunny D – measuring 4 tsps of sugar, adding in some orange food coloring and water. The children made faces.

We then made the healthier, do-it-yourself option – a fresh fruit smoothie. I shlepped a blender, bunches of bright yellow bananas, fresh and frozen strawberries and pineapple Vita Coco coconut water. Voila! (Most of them said that the blender looked familiar and they have them at home so hopefully they’re enthusiam will trickle into the night and their next supermarket run with their parents/guardien.)

The students were amazed at how fruit turned into juice in the matter of 12 seconds (Mississippi seconds!) and were quite disgusted as we measured teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar into the orange food coloring.

The students LOVED helping, learning and tasting and we put the smoothie recipe handout in all of their backpacks and also included a recipe for “Smart Kid Kookies”- made with almond flour, agave and dark chocolate chips.

What a success! Can’t wait for my next Healthy Kids demo!

Be Smart. Be Creative. Be Well.

Be Well with Arielle is heading to the Metropolitan Pavilion tomorrow to showcase the iloveme collection to the press! Queen of Green Style Expert Gina La Morte, Editor In Chief of Boho Magazine will be there to present the latest eco-conscious gift ideas and Style and Beauty Expert, Jenn Falik will be there hosting.

Wish me luck- inside and out!

So im on a mission to be green and natural from the inside-out. Been buying natural body soap, tampons, lotions, toothpaste, toilet paper, dishwasher detergent – even the materials in my jeWELLry are eco-conscious and the packaging and shipping supplies I use are recyclable! Believe it or not, somehow I forgot to change up my face wash regimen, though and just realized this morning! My bottle of facewash was turned around this morning and I noticed that its full of parabens. Oh no! But I’ve been using it for 12 years, it’s the perfect texture, makes my skin feel so soft and it’s just my favorite! Need to find an alternative. ASAP.

This got me thinking…We need to read ingredients in EVERYTHING!

Go into your cupboard today and look at the ingredients in your bread. Look at the back of your frozen yogurt, salad dressing, oatmeal, cereal, tomato sauce, chocolate bar- even your ketchup. How many ingredients does it have? Is the first ingredient a good representation of the what it is? Can you pronounce all of the ingredients? Does it have added unnecessary vitamins and minerals? Does it have corn syrup??? Read more about corn syrup here: http://civileats.com/2009/01/27/is-high-fructose-corn-syrup-turning-us-into-mad-hatters/ )

Reading ingredients (rather than nutrition facts) is one of the biggest educational tools that I learned at Integrative Nutrition, not to mention that it changed my ENTIRE way of eating and my food choices.

What we think is “healthy” and good for us may not as “healthy” as you think. Cereals and breads advertised as “Whole Grain” may not be fully whole wheat. Your “Quinoa Pasta” may not be fully made out of quinoa (the first ingredient is actually corn flour) and your ketchup (which by the way, the USDA claims is a vegetable), may have corn syrup and sugar added to it!

Just because it’s in a healthfood store or Whole Foods (it is, hands down, my favorite store), it may not be a healthy food. Check the ingredients. Be a smart shopper.

Rule of thumb- ingredients are listed in descending order so the first ingredient is what mainly comprises the food/product.

Yes, food has calories and fat grams and sodium and fiber and nutrition facts are important. But, your body can’t distinguish numbers. It digests food, the ingredients in a food- what the food is comprised of. Do you want to feel energized? Are you tired of feeling sluggish? Do you want to feel light? The ingredients are what matters. Read them- you’ll be amazed at what is in some of your favorite brands and foods.

What you eat becomes your cells. Your cells become your blood. Your blood flows through your organs, your tissues and your brain. Your brain creates your dreams and emotions. What you eat- the ingredients- becomes you.

Reading ingredients not only to your bread, ice-cream and jam…you need to read what you’re putting onto your body too. What you put onto your body not only affects your external- skin- it can also travel to your blood and affect the way you feel.

Read the back of your body cream. Read the back of your facewash. Does it have parabens? If so, I would recommend tossing. Check out the following article on why:

http://thebeautybean.com/site/pamper/going-green-13-ways-to-pamper-more-responsibly/

I want to glow inside and out. Im on a mission to find the best natural products from deodorants (ah! Its been hard!), toothpaste, body wash and eye, face and body creams to clothing. Please share your favorites.

Taking care of yourself isnt just about eating well and exercising; be conscious of what you put in you and on you!

Be Green. Be Smart. Be Well.

Spent Memorial Day in the Hamptons with 8 girlfriends and had the best time- we laughed with each other and at each other, danced on the beach, snacked on watermelon, tanned wearing spf 55!,  sang to Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” and slept LOTS!

I often dread coming back to the city- the noise, the hustle and bustle and the thought of just getting back into my daily routine- working, etc but Gabrielle and I set a date for her to interview me the day I got back so i def had something to look forward to! Whenever I’m with her, she inspires me to believe in myself, work my hardest, focus and just keep on going.

Check out the interview with Gabrielle Bernstein to learn how I focused, manifested and believed in myself to create the iloveme collection!

Interview with Gabrielle Bernstein June 2010