From Kitchen to Body: Ancient Greek Food Beauty Secrets

Food staples you keep in your cupboard are good for the stomach, but ancient Greek women used such food stuffs as yogurt, honey, olive oil to concoct beauty remedies.  With a bit of intuition, it is easy to turn food that is good for the body into what is beautiful for it too. Here are some ancient Greek food that doubled as beauty secrets, good for the gut, good for the face, good for the blood.

Beauty Secret #1: Honey face masks and body scrubs

It is said that it was the Greeks who started using honey as a beauty ingredient. Honey is considered as an amazing beauty ingredient and is used in many home made face packs, creams and lotions. Greeks use honey for making face packs and body scrubs. Honey is a natural humectant drawing moisture up to the epidermis and trapping it there.  Additionally, honey has anti-inflammatory properties and it also helps in the removal of dead skin cells.Honey was mixed with olive oil, milk or various herbs such as thyme or rosemary for a generous body scrub. This created a natural softness and glow to skin.

Beauty Secret #2: Herbal infusions:

Greeks made herbal infusions on their own by seeping herbs and flowers in vinegar and then mixing them with beeswax. This was then applied on the face and the body keeping skin healthy and radiant. They also used the beeswax infusion as a hair remover.

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty Secret #3: Milk baths for skin softening:

Women of the upper classes to keep skin supple often bathed in tubs full of goat or cow’s milk.  They often took a milk bath before attending religious ceremonies or special events such as weddings. Nowadays milk bathing is not very common, but there are some women who still wash their face, neck and the arms with milk. Milk cleanses the skin and makes the skin very soft and supple.

Beauty Secret #4: Nutritious Greek Yogurt:

Who needs Ponds cold cream when you have Greek yogurt?  Ancient and modern Greek women applied yogurt as a moisturizer to keep skin well nourished and soft. It provides you relief from sun burns as well. Make a natural mask with yogurt mixed with honey, olive oil or some herbs, or use yogurt alone. A two-week trial of not only spooning a Fage yogurt for your mouth but also for your face will bring noticeable results.

Beauty Secret #5: Olives and Olive Oil:

Olives contain high doses of minerals and exhibit antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. They are also good for delaying the process of aging of skin and keeping your skin young looking and glowing for a longer period of time. So, Greeks include olives in their daily diet.

It is believed that Greeks were the first to use olive oil. Not only is olive oil a natural moisturizer, it is also a rich source of antioxidants. These help in treating dry and chapped skin, making your skin revitalized and hydrated. It is also good for speeding up the regeneration of the cells of the skin. So while you sprinkle the oil on the Greek salad, slather a bit on your face and hands.

Beauty Secret #6: Sea salt for skin exfoliation:

Since Greece is close to the sea, the ancients were able to get sea salt easily. They used this sea salt to exfoliate their skin. Sea salt can make your rough and sun exposed skin soft and naturally glowing. Sea salt is mixed with olive oil to make a natural peel or it can be used alone.  This will remove dirt, blackheads and dead skin cells, and keep your skin rejuvenated and radiant. The natural minerals present in sea salt help in keeping the skin well-nourished and healthy.

Beauty Secret #7: Hot baths:

Greek women take hot baths regularly and this is believed to be one of the major secrets of their natural beauty. They take heated baths in bathhouses. They regard hot bath as very important because according to them, hot bath helps in opening the pores of the skin. This in turn leads to the removal of all toxins from the skin in a natural way. While ancient women were not permitted into the public baths, most had dedicated bathhouses for them or private baths in their villas.

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Want to make your own natural beauty products with common ingredients found in your cupboard or better yet, naturally foraged from the countryside?  Join us this summer for our workshops where we teach you to do just that. Make your own lemon/mint astringent, pomegranate sugar scrub, thyme foot fizzies, olive oil soap, camomile face lifter, immortalle nourishing cream, and sea salt soap? Sign up here 

 

 

Chew Your Food!

Don’t Forget to CHEW YOUR FOOD!

[author ]Meet Roula Picture My passion lies within the ability to make positive life-long changes through healthy habits and teaching YOU how to do the same. This does NOT happen overnight! Baby steps, crowding out, repetition, a desire coupled with intention and SUPPORT are just a few examples of what eventually led me to a healthier lifestyle and will allow YOU to do the same. It’s a journey that never ends! Wanting to share this knowledge with others is what led me to pursue my training as a Certified Health Coach. With a master’s in Clinical Psychology my focus was always on mental health. While I always knew that there was a mind body connection, I started experiencing my own episodes of “unhealthiness” and an overall dis-connect between my body and mind eventually leading me to where I am today…with a desire and the means to help YOU overcome your own dis-connect as your certified health coach. EVERYTHING we put into our bodies, or in some cases don’t put into our bodies has an effect, negative or positive. WE ALL KNOW THIS! …but we continue to have a difficult time implementing what we need to do on a daily basis and most people continue to experience the same dis-connect and dis-ease within themselves just like I did. The health of our physical body goes hand in hand with how we feel mentally. Understanding this has led me to where I’m at today. If you’re struggling with maintaining your health in an unhealthy world, and READY to make the changes needed, schedule an initial FREE discovery session with me today! [/author]

We’ve all heard this repeatedly throughout our lives. As parents you’ve most likely said it many times to your kids. But do YOU actually do it? And while it goes without saying that chewing your food prevents you from choking, are there additional benefits to it? Absolutely, and significant ones too!

I clearly remember I had uncle in Greece that spent quite a bit of time chewing his food. Each bite was thoroughly chewed before he moved on to the next one. Of course, that made him a very slow eater and the amount of chewing he did was obvious to everyone. Little did I realize that his chewing was super beneficial!

What are those benefits?

Read on.

1. Chewing your food can keep you healthy! According to Elizabeth Lipski, author of Digestive Wellness, chewing stimulates the glands behind our ears and jaws.  This causes the glands to release hormones that eventually stimulate T-cell production. Why does this matter? Because T-cells form the core of our immune system and healthy T-cell production equals healthy immune system.
2. Chewing your food will helps you digest carbohydrates and fats more effectively. Carb and fat digestion BEGINS with chewing. If you don’t chew these food groups appropriately, you are immediately setting yourself up for possible digestive distress. Why? Because you are forcing the rest of your digestive mechanisms to try and digest these foods WITHOUT the much needed enzymes that come from your saliva. This leads to …
3. Nutritional deficiencies. Effectively chewing your food allows your body to more appropriately absorb and digest the nutrients in your food. While nutritional deficiencies can be a result of many different digestive processes gone wrong in your body, chewing your food is the first step in attempting to identify and correct any issues!
4. Chewing your food significantly reduces your chances of having immediate digestive distresses following a meal. What does this mean? Less gas, less bloating, less belching, less acid reflux, just to name a few, and overall less digestive related flare ups.
5. Chewing each bite for at least 30 seconds will allow you to feel fuller on less food, which of course, if you’re trying to lose weight is a HUGE benefit! It can take up to 20 minutes for your stomach to let your brain know that it’s full. So one can definitely eat a huge amount of food in 20 minutes, if eating fast, resulting in over eating and weight gain.

Was my uncle thin? Yes. Did he overeat? No.

6. Taking the time to chew your food relieves STRESS! There’s probably several factors that come into play here, but I know for me, forcing myself to SLOW DOWN just to chew my food, is a stress reliever on its own.   Was uncle relaxed? Often.

These are just a few example of the benefits of chewing your food. Now, how can YOU remember to chew your food?

Eating fast and not chewing your food is a HABIT and takes intention and action to learn to slow down.

As children we start off chewing our food very well, keeping it in our mouths as long as needed, swallowing and moving on to the next bite when we’re ready. My children chew their food slowly and sometimes keep it in their mouths for up to 5 minutes! But as we develop and mature within a fast paced society, our eating habits also become faster and we lose the ability to naturally and instinctively chew and eat slowly. Here are a few tips that might help…

1. Use a timer. This might be comical and an oxymoron (stress relief with a timer) BUT it is very easy to read this post and then, when you sit down to eat your lunch later on today, completely forget that you have even read this, let alone remember to chew, until you’rr almost done with your food! Set a reminder, or put a little note on your fridge, prior to meal times, just to be able to remember to start your meal off by chewing your food.
2. Chew each bite at least 30 times. Initially, you will have to literally count to 30 every time you put a bite in your mouth, that’s how odd it feels. Eventually, you will be able to instinctively chew at an approximate 30 bite interval.
3. Put your utensil down after each bite and put your hands in your lap until you’re done chewing. Then start again.
4. Avoid distractions. Try not to read or watch tv while eating, especially during the beginning of your re-training. Of course, minimizing distractions can be hard, if not impossible, particularly if you eat with little children, but it CAN be done. Deal with distractions as they happen but continue to focus on your chewing at the same time.

Hope these tips help you to enjoy the benefits of thoroughly chewing your food.

Have you been chewing on foods that you feel like you shouldn’t be chewing on?! Join me on my upcoming 10 day Jumpstart for weight loss and start chewing on some healthier foods, starting Tuesday, October 4th! Click here for more information.

 

A Greek American Girl’s “Shoulds and Shouldn’ts” and other…

I recently had a conversation with a good friend (and yes, she was Greek!) about the “shoulds and shouldn’ts” that many Greek women (and non-Greek) have, that quietly and regularly intrude their daily thoughts. What are these “shoulds and shouldn’ts”? They’re self-generated automatic thoughts that surround our ideals, goals, and daily actions. Examples of these types of thoughts include:

I should lose weight.

I should exercise more.

I shouldn’t eat those loukoumades (Greek fried doughnuts drenched in honey and cinnamon).

I should keep my house cleaner.

I should stop yelling at my kids so much.

I should go to church more often.

I should be more like…(fill in the blank).

Sound familiar? These are just a handful of the “shoulds and shouldn’ts” that many women have circulating in their minds and depending on your current lifestyle you may still be verbally hearing these statements from others.

Shoulds and shouldn’ts are cognitive distortions that were tagged and elaborated on by psychologists Albert Ellis and Clayton Barbeau. They stem from loved ones, authority figures and or caregivers and even though they were, and or are, most likely well intentioned, when they turn into automatic thoughts, they’re extremely detrimental.

Why? When the automatic thought surrounding your goals or desire to instill a change in your behavior takes on the should or shouldn’t format, not only will you most likely fail to reach your goals, but you also won’t even be able to take the first steps needed towards achieving them.

While you may believe that you’re providing a form of positive motivation by telling yourself that you should improve in some way, shoulding yourself actually blocks you from moving forward!

How and Why “Shoulds” and “Shouldn’ts” Block You.

While “should” statements did provide us with much needed guidance as children, the internalization of this guidance in the should format has now morphed for many into what’s called self-nagging and as we’re all familiar with, nagging, whether it’s from others or self-generated, rarely works.

Why? Because automatic should and shouldn’t thoughts inadvertently project guilt unto us. Take the example of “I should lose weight.” By telling yourself that you should lose weight, you’re immediately inducing guilt by inferring that the weight you are at right now is “wrong,” hence, why you tell yourself you should lose weight. While you may actually benefit from dropping a few pounds, being wrong, has the universal feeling of guilt associated with it. By telling yourself you should lose weight, you’ve literally turned one aspect of your health (your weight) into a moral failure, and as a result you feel guilty about it!

What does this mean in regards to you reaching your goals? It means that you probably won’t take the steps needed to lose weight, because its human nature to want to try and avoid feelings of guilt or failure. So you avoid the topic all together both physically and mentally (a.k.a. procrastination!). This type of distortion is one of the top reasons as to why many women fail to lose weight AND why so many women don’t take those first steps needed to achieve their health related goals.

“I shouldn’t eat those loukoumades (Greek fried donughts)” is a variation of the same distortion. You may automatically tell yourself that you shouldn’t eat those loukoumades but deep down, you actually DO want to eat them and why wouldn’t you?! They’re delicious! However, instead of stating things the way they are, you believe that by telling yourself you shouldn’t eat them, you’re somehow self-motivating yourself not to. Unfortunately by using this statement, you’re actually self-sabotaging.

If you WANT to eat them, then it’s IMPOSSIBLE for you to believe that you SHOULDN’T eat them!

This demonstrates the illogicalness of should and shouldn’t statements. On top of it, by telling yourself that you shouldn’t eat those loukoumades, you may end up eating even more! The immediate self-induced guilt (described above) generated by your shouldn’t statement may trigger a desire to self-sooth and if one of your self-soothing techniques is eating, which is for many who struggle with weight, then you’ll most likely eat even more.

How to Combat this Type of Thinking.

So what’s a woman to do when trying to undistort all the shoulds and shouldn’ts in her mind?

Pay attention.

Automatic thoughts are exactly that–automatic. As a result, many times, they occur without us even realizing that were having them! Because they are hard to pick up on, especially when we’re distracted and or busy, slowing down, being more mindful and paying attention will help us identify them. It’s that first thought that comes into your mind when you start thinking about a goal, ideal or desire. The more you practice identifying it, the easier it becomes. Then you can work on replacing it (described below).

What do YOU want?

Get extremely clear on what YOU want for yourself and then express it, either internally or verbally if need be. The latter is a must if you’re still being currently “shoulded”. Many times, other people’s unsolicited shoulds irk us and or end up infiltrating our brains because we haven’t effectively clarified the question what do we really want?

As children it’s expected that our experience of shoulds be internalized and used as a guide, since we’re still growing and discovering who we are and what we want. As adults, though, clarifying our true desires is a must so as to be able to release ourselves from our self-imposed shoulds.

For example, do you tell yourself that you should be more like your mom? Your theia (aunt)? Your cousin? What is is about them that you admire and desire for yourself?  Identify the trait, map out the steps needed to achieve it, and work towards it. By getting as specific as possible, you’ll no longer be nagging yourself about what you’d like to achieve, but you’ll instead be actively working towards it.

In addition, if others are continuing to self-impose their OWN shoulds on you, being extremely clear on what YOU want will allow to more effectively deflect the “shoulding.”

Figure out your WHY.

If you feel that you should stop yelling at your kids, then, WHY do you want to stop yelling at them? By figuring out your why, you’ll be more able to formulate a focused intent with a specific goal. For example, “I want to stop yelling at my kids because I don’t want them to remember me as the mom that always yelled” is a lot more specific than the former should statement.

Beware so as to not become the “shoulder” when formulating your why! Using the same example, it’s very easy to shift focus onto your children, continue to ask yourself why you yell, and then claim, “I yell at my kids because they should listen more!” Shoulding others allows for anger and resentment to build, due to the unrealistic expectations that you’ve now externalized, along with negating you from taking responsibility.

Use the Word “Choose” not “Should.”

Substitute the word “choose” for the word “should.” “I choose to go to church” rather than “I should go to church” allows you to make an educated decision in regards to the costs and benefits of your actions. If you know that making a habit of going to church will benefit you, then you’ll more likely go regularly if you choose to do so, rather than stating that you should do so.

Bear in mind that the statement, “I should go but I choose NOT to go” is also a distortion! You can’t believe that you should do something and then state “I choose not to.” It’s IMPOSSIBLE. You either think you shouldn’t go so you choose not to go OR you think you should go and you choose to go. This is just another example of how deceiving cognitive distortions can be.

Change Your Language.

Continue to change your language. Replace should with “I prefer.” “I prefer to have a clean house” is a lot more self-nurturing and motivating than “I should have a clean house.”

A warning when it comes to word substitution: stay clear of words such as “I must” “I ought to” or “I have to.” These are all variations of the should distortion and encompass the same guilt associations.

Stay in the Present.

Finally, try to remain in the present, and not focused on the future. The odds of you telling yourself that I will exercise today, and actually doing it, are a lot greater than you randomly telling yourself that you should exercise more throughout the day. The free floating anxiety and guilt associated with the should statement is wiped out when rephrased and reworded in the present tense.

While you may be of the many Greek-American girls lugging around these intrusive shoulds and shouldn’ts like extra carry-ons weighing on your shoulders while traveling to Greece, the act of bringing this cognitive distortion to the forefront of your mind is the first step in clarifying what you WANT rather than what you SHOULD want.

Keep in mind that there can be no specific shoulds and shouldn’ts in life. Every person’s individual life circumstances make that impossible. By using the techniques mentioned above, you can finally stop nagging, guilting and or shoulding yourself (however you prefer to call it!) into hopeful compliance. Instead, you can nurture and effectively encourage yourself into making the changes that you desire, so that you can finally live a healthier and happier life.

This is just one of many little changes that you can do TODAY to help you reach your health-related goals. If you’re struggling with reaching your goals, and are ready to take the first step towards achieving them, contact me for a free discovery session at roula@myhealthysoma.com!

 

 

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Grecian Soap Company: Crossing Traditional Tried and True Greek…

What happens when you cross a time-honored traditional Greek product with savvy American business sense? You get the Grecian Soap Company. Here’s the story of the next best beauty secret in the US, but one that dates back generations to your great grandmother’s goats in the chorgio: goat milk soap.

Our editor, (a lush for all things that smell heavenly associated with “spa” or “bath”), was drawn instinctively into a bath boutique on a stroll through the main avenue at Laguna Beach. It was she who made the first discovery, luckily and happily, of a display for soap made from genuine goat milk. A mental ding-ding went off, “Goat milk? Soap? It’s gotta be Greek.” And sure enough a quick glance at the sophisticated packaging of the creamy bars donning the pastel green and blues of Hellas verified her hunch—“Of course it’s Greek. It’s from the Grecian Soap Company.”

How come our editor-in-chief a life-long worshipper of all things creamy, lathery, and balmy from all the major retailers had not heard of it? For one, it is a company less than a year and a half old. (Not that you could tell that from its classy packaging and sophisticated design). And two, it is a brand more visible on the West Coast as it calls California home. But after using the soaps for less than two weeks, our editor is hooked. Grecian Soap Company’s line of goat milk soaps gets our Editor’s Choice Award for this summer’s beauty product.

 

The Benefits of Goat’s Milk

It is no secret that bathing your skin in milk makes it smoother and softer. But there is something about goat’s milk in particular. In fact, goat’s milk has anti-inflammatory properties that combat bacterial infections and has proven effective in treating eczema and acne. Here are 5 good reasons to chuck your mass-produced soap for natural goat’s milk (courtesy of naturalnews.com)

 

Delays signs of skin aging:

Goat’s milk soap delays signs of skin again due to its high content of alpha-hydroxy acids such as lactic acid. Alpha-hydroxy acids break down dead skin cell bonds, removing dead skin cells from the skin’s surface and leaving behind new cells on the surface that appear smoother and more youthful.

Not a chemical counterfeit:

Water-based soaps on mainstream supermarket shelves use harsh chemical acids to break down dead skin cells. The lasting effect of chemical acids on the skin is more similar to a chemical “burn.” Alpha hydroxyl acids found in goat’s milk, work with skin instead of breaking it down and aging it further.

Anti-inflammatory properties:

Goat’s milk reduces skin inflammation due to its fat molecule content. The cream present in goat’s milk is a moisturizer, soothing dry and damaged skin, possessing an anti-inflammatory effect.

Loaded with essentials:

Goat’s milk is packed full of essential nutrients and vitamins like vitamin D, C, B1, B6, B12, and E, that feed the skin and are absorbed into the body.

Treats acne:

Studies now show that goat’s milk is effective for treating acne and skin conditions. This is primarily because goat’s milk has anti-bacterial properties that delay the growth of microbial organisms that spur the spread of acne.

The Beginning of a Great Greek-Inspired Company

Grecian Soap Company came into being after Steve and Carla Stamatis’ frequent trips to Tarpon Springs, Florida. As an executive with a firm that sells semi-conductors, Steve made quarterly trips out to the Tampa area. It was there, in the Greek mom-and-pop establishments that he was introduced to the idea of traditional Greek soap with olive oil and goat’s milk in it. Every time he went to Tarpon Springs, he would bring back this unassuming soap in plastic bags as gifts for co-workers and family. The gifting of the soap got more demanding with each visit to the town as the list to get a bar to this one and that one grew longer and longer. Clearly, by word of mouth and experience, more and more natives were becoming converted.

“Why don’t we start our own company to sell the soap instead of lugging it back and forth from Florida to California?” Steve’s wife made the suggestion. And so it was. Grecian Soap Company was born. At first the couple bought directly from different sources from the Florida area. But they quickly realized they would do a better job and keep more of the profit if they invested in making a better premium product by themselves.

Working from literally inside their kitchen sink, the Stamatis’ got to work in developing just the right natural ingredients for their soap, testing it for purity and health, as well as developing the nifty packaging along with their marketing strategy. In less than a year, their sales skyrocketed. It has netted $100K so far this year, doubling its profit from last year.

“I think we hit the nail on the head in terms of product and presentation,” Stamatis admits. “We found a niche, and we hadn’t realized how much of a niche it was because of how fast it was selling.”

A good part of the company’s success is due to the quality of its ingredients. It is made with EVOO imported from Greece and local goat milk; pH balanced to match skin’s natural chemistry, no additives or chemicals, pure to be used on baby’s skin. From the anecdotes and customer testimonials, it has never caused any issues with allergic reactions or rashes. On the contrary, people who have suffered from eczema swear that their cases have been relieved ever since using the soap. One older lady Steve met at a Greek festival noted that her skin was the smoothest and softest in her life and commanded her daughter to order an extra $150 worth to have enough to last her the year.

When it came time to baptize the company, the “Grecian Soap made sense as a trademark because I am very proud of my heritage,” Stamatis claims, “and it is a unique product from that heritage.”

While managing a robust on-line store, Grecian Soap Company has expanded from 40 stores in the California area to 100 stores around the country. It is a brand frequently present at Greek Church festivals. But it is on the cusp of going national as the owners have approached chains and wholesalers including Whole Foods, Sprouts and other regional ‘health conscience’ grocery chains about the possibility of putting it on their shelves.

 

A particularly unique bestseller features the soap embedded in a natural sea sponge.

 

There you have it. The Grecian Soap Company story is a Greek-American story that speaks to easy success when combining a home-grown, traditionally tried-and-true Greek product with the next-generation of American entrepreneurial know-how.

 

To order on-line, please take a look at their online shop: www.greciansoap.com