The Makeup I Use on My Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle

So many people have asked me what makeup I use in this anti-inflammation lifestyle. Let me tell you – I have tried most of what is on the market, as I am passionate about skin.

I always check the ingredients I put on and in my body, and I am happy to tell you that these are the trusted brands I love.

I would suggest doing research for your needs and lifestyle because they may not work for you – but I hope they do. Please check out the Yalda Loves page, which contains the skin oil, collagen, and supplements I use.

What Helps Your Skin Look and Feel Good?

Of course, nutrition, skincare, an anti-inflammatory diet, and lifestyle are significant contributors to your skin condition.

Of course, Eat Burn Sleep treats skin inflammation, too, so skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea, skin tags, dry patches, and so on are all treated successfully.

You may have heard about the Eat Burn Sleep ‘GLOW’.

If you are a member, you will have a head start – because your skin will most certainly be glowing!

When applying makeup, we want to remember that the application significantly impacts how old/young we look.

We all want to look fresh, put together, and sophisticated, so my most important tip is to be close to natural daylight when applying your makeup or have soft white light in front of you to illuminate your face.

The Basics of My Skincare

My main motto when it comes to makeup is: less is more. Whatever your age.

Caking on makeup is never a good look and is somewhat aging. It also looks much less sophisticated than having a light touch.

The basic steps for an everyday good look are:

1. Clean your skin thoroughly and exfoliate regularly.
2. Moisturize your face and make sure to apply a good eye cream.
3. Drink about 2 liters of water daily as dehydration will increase the appearance of fine lines.
4. Apply an SPF on top of your moisturizer if it contains none. No matter what the weather is!

My Secret Tips for Radiance

The main trick for a radiant and bright base is using natural tinted moisturizers or foundations. I like the “no-makeup makeup look.” Seeing the foundation on the skin isn’t a great look and always appears cakey.

I believe a natural look is sophisticated, elegant, and youthful.

What Are My All-time Favorite Make-up Products?

What I look for in a tinted moisturizer or foundation for my daily routine is:

• some coverage – while looking like I am not wearing any makeup
• endurance
• SPF
• a little bit of a glow – as it always takes a few years off any face!

The Best Tinted Moisturizers and Foundations:

1. Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. This is a classic favorite of mine. It has SPF30, contains ingredients to reduce hyperpigmentation, and makes the skin glow without making it oily. I find it amazing and have used it for years: price, £30.
2. Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer. I really like this product and use it regularly too. The SPF is 15, lower than Nars, but it is a mineral sunscreen that I find more potent than chemical ones. It contains anti-oxidants and anti-pollution properties too. Wonderful product for an everyday natural look. Price, £61.
3. Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation. This is a miracle product. It literally looks like you have nothing on, but it gives you an enhanced version of your skin. It contains a mineral-based SPF30, offers a beautiful glow, and has anti-wrinkle and pores properties: price, £45.
4. Charlotte Tilbury Unisex Healthy Glow. This tinted moisturizer doesn’t contain SPF but is fantastic. It adapts to your skin color, hydrates, and gives you a summer glow: price, £35.

What Do I Use for Covering Up Imperfections?

I like to cover any spots or discoloration with a corrector (I love Bobbi Brown’s) and only apply it to the concerned area. That allows the rest of the skin to look fresh while covering imperfections.

I also like to leave some imperfections as it looks more natural. For example, I have slight pigmentation around the nose and cheeks, which I don’t cover.

Seeing some through my tinted moisturizer makes me look like I don’t have much product on, and it can look cute as they can pass for freckles!

You may also be interested in how I recommend looking after your skin in the sunshine.

Don’t forget that an anti-inflammatory lifestyle will help your skin tenfold. A significant number of members have expressed in their testimonials how much their skin has improved with this lifestyle. Click on Skin/Hair on the dropdown menu.

I hope that you have a lovely day!

 

 

Many people who are considering joining the ranks of happier tummies following the gut health-focused and low inflammation lifestyle I share on my socials struggle with the idea of consuming animal products again. I have personally helped quite a few to come to terms with what I call “vegan guilt” and I thought I would share with you a few tips on how to let go of it.

Experience is a series of mistakes you learn from

Experience is the mistakes we learn from. Anything is a learning process and as long as you do it from your heart, there is no right or wrong. The reason why we live is to elevate our souls. To do so, we go through a learning process which is a series of choices that put us on a path of improvement. Choosing to be vegan was for many people a decision that came from care and wanting to do the right thing. Having learned that this choice was not necessarily the best for your own body, does not put in question your intentions. We are all trying our best with the best of our knowledge. No one believes they are the bad guy –  what can be interpreted as a bad move often comes from a place of thinking it was the right choice. Let go of guilt. This new choice you are making is most probably not perfect either. Perfection is extreme. Extreme measures lead to extreme results. Humans thrive in a space of moderation. Extremes, whether dietary, physical, political, ideological can leave us in a place of sub-optimal well-being. This is the reason why being judgemental isn’t conclusive for us, nor others. If someone judges you for your change of lifestyle, the best way to diffuse the accusation is to admit that making mistakes is part of being human: “errare humanum est” – a Latin expression from the Roman philosopher Seneca sums it up. Once you admit to being wrong, people will stop making you feel bad, it’s magic. Admitting you were wrong is a magic trick to get people off your back, but it requires letting go of ego. If you can let go of ego, you will admit to your own mistakes with yourself and others, and be able to grow for your own benefit as well as the benefit of people around you.

Why did you become obsessed with veganism?

When you start anything new (a job, a new sport, a game, using a new app, etc.) you tend to become obsessed with it. This is an absolutely normal reaction and process for you to familiarize yourself with it and to have a sense of ownership over whatever is new in your life. When it comes to lifestyle and diet, it is actually one of the biggest changes you can do, because eating is a primary need in humans. Switching to being vegan, or the Eat Burn Sleep lifestyle can make you want to talk about it all the time to people around you. There is nothing wrong with the fact that you kept talking about veganism to people around you at the beginning of your vegan journey. This is a normal process but it should not stop you from questioning if that choice was the optimal choice for your health. It can feel like you have invested so much in this lifestyle and gone so deep down the line that you do not want to make a u-turn. It is important to see it as a learning curve rather than as wasted time and energy. You can tell yourself that this has brought you to my page and that you now are implementing a low inflammation lifestyle which will leave you healthier in the long run. I often apply this thought process to my diseases and to unpleasant experiences in my life. I always think “If I can turn a negative experience into a positive result, then I am winning”. Experience is the accumulation of negative events that you will turn into positives from a physical, mental, and spiritual point of view.

Can you still care about the planet when transitioning out of a plant-based diet?

From an ethical standpoint, you should congratulate yourself for caring about the planet. The reality is what will save us, isn’t as clear as we previously thought. Indeed, we have seen during  COVID-19 that carbon emissions, despite a huge reduction in air travel, were not that impacted. Likewise, it can be very debatable as to what is best for the planet: to consume plant-based products or to support sustainable and local farming? However, you know your truth. What makes you feel better physically and mentally is undeniable and not up for debate. It is a fact, it is true, it is your reality. A healthier you will be less of a burden on the healthcare system will be a more productive worker, will be a better friend and a better family member. Putting all of these things in balance can help you reallocate your will to care for others and the environment. You are not letting anyone down by making yourself feel better; in fact, you are supporting others as well as your environment and consequently, the planet. What we know for sure, is that single-use plastic does destroy the planet; maybe, make a pledge to reduce your single-use plastic consumption to support marine life. This is just an example of a positive impact you can have without it being detrimental to your health.

Treating animals better is healthier for us

Eating animals that have been stressed, fed poorly, or injected with medication for growth, is bad for us. Indeed, chicken, beef, lamb, will contain higher levels of omega 6 fatty acids, which can lead to higher inflammation levels. Whatever that animal has consumed, either a poor diet or medication is passed onto us when we consume the meat of that animal. If the animals are badly treated in a farm or an abattoir and put under stress, they will contain higher levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which you will consume when eating that meat. Fish, which is farmed with poor methods, will also contain higher levels of heavy metals and risk heavy metal toxicity. Eating good quality animal products, which we need for optimal health, helps us, and also supports support the animals as it supports better farming methods. Treating animals with respect and care, from what we feed them to how we make them live their lives allows us, in turn, to be healthier. Such products are more expensive, hence better for the environment as people waste less and eat appropriate amounts, rather than excessive quantities. Let’s put things in perspective: our grandparents used to have red meat only once a week. It generally was grass-fed lamb or beef and people would have one serving, between 150 and 220 grams. Extreme farming led to the extreme consumption of poor quality and over-processed animal products. Such products are simply not in the same category as what our grandparents used to consume. We would be comparing pears and apples. Does that make it relevant to reduce low quality meat consumption? Absolutely. Can you achieve optimal health by cutting out high-quality beef, lamb, chicken, fish, and eggs 100% from your diet? I do not believe so. I have spoken about the importance of essential amino acids, vitamin D, zinc, vitamin B12 for the good function of the human body. Optimal levels of such nutrients are impossible to achieve on a plant-based diet without supplementation. It seems absolutely counter-intuitive that a healthy and complete diet would need supplementation.

Let go of guilt, listen to your body, and make informed choices acknowledging that no choice will ever be perfect. You are human and life is a learning process.

Find out more about the Eat Burn Sleep’s low inflammation and gut health-focused lifestyle on the 6-week plan platform by clicking here.

 

 

What Is the Link Between Inflammation and Immunity?

So many of you have asked me to talk about this and explain further the many links between the immune system and your inflammation levels.

How Do You Keep a Strong Immune System?

1/ KEEP CALM. Stress increases inflammation and cortisol levels.

Cortisol levels trigger the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which in turn shuts down the digestive system and immune system.

You can use the tips and mediation routines shared in the mental wellness section of the Eat Burn Sleep platform to support your mental well-being.

2/ Improve your GUT HEALTH. 70% of the immune system (Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue) sits in the gut as its name indicates.

Having a diverse gut flora is essential for your immune system function and now more than ever is important to keep your gut strong by eating the right foods and feed your good bacteria.

3/ LOWER your INFLAMMATION LEVELS.

Chronic inflammation impairs the immune system activity.

Recent observations have shown that those with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, COPD, cancer, and renal disease, are of higher mortality risk when contracting the coronavirus. Such diseases are directly linked to chronic inflammation.

4/ EAT the RAINBOW. 

All the food shared in the green list on the Eat Burn Sleep platform is packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, minerals, and support your immune system.

5/ AVOID INFLAMMATORY WORKOUTS which lower the immune system.

All the workouts I share on the Eat Burn Sleep platform not only don’t trigger inflammation but also support back health and digestive health as the vagus nerve links the spine and the gastro-intestinal tract.

6/ SUPPLEMENTS are optional but if you would like to take some, I would recommend both Zinc and Vitamin C which wonderfully boost immunity.

For better absorption and distribution, my favorite forms are Liposomal vitamin-C and Zinc picolinate. (Check out Yalda Loves page for more of my favorite products!).

The Eat Burn Sleep lifestyle is focused on lowering inflammation, improving gut health, and consequently achieving among many other benefits an improved immune system as well as optimal body composition.

Glowing skin and good body composition are by-products of being healthy on the inside.

Click here to join the Eat Burn Sleep platform!

 

 

Anti-inflammatory Pancakes

The MailOnline has featured a Paleo Pancake recipe from the Eat Burn Sleep platform as an alternative healthy pancake recipe for Shrove Tuesday. Click here to discover!

Modern culture often builds pressure to be constantly busy. We are expected to do more, to be more, to be always on the go. What we often do not realise is that such a lifestyle can actually make us less productive, and even cause mental health issues. I was inspired to film this video after a member on the Six-Week Reset asked me how to manage anxiety caused by this pressure.

 

IN THIS VIDEO, YOU WILL LEARN

• What are pockets of emptiness and why they are essential for mental health
• How to deal with unhealthy expectations created by social media
• What are the ways to free up space in your brain and to improve creativity 
• Why you can often achieve more by doing less 
• How to improve your mood in a sustainable way

 

I highly recommend reading the book called The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids by Madeline Levine, PhD

Mental wellness is an integral part of health, and I have dedicated an entire section of the Six-Week Reset to it. It includes meditation and positive thinking advice, as well as easy tips on how to deal with emotional stress. 

The best gift you can give yourself for Christmas is the gift of health! So you can feel and be your best for the festivities, I have reduced the price of the 6-week plan, as a pre-Christmas treat from me to you ??

The beauty of the plan is that it allows you to have treats so you can absolutely go to Christmas parties, have fun yet keep to the plan!

By following the basic principles of the plan, you will very much enjoy Christmas Day, guilt-free, without falling off the wagon!

After the plan, you can subscribe to the annual membership for £88 and keep your effort up through the New Year! I hope you enjoy it!

Click here for the plan ?

The Brain-gut Connection

60% of an adult’s neurotransmitters are located in the gut, and 80% of children’s. The brain-gut link has been written about extensively over the past ten years, and we have made massive progress in that field.

When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), which was also used to improve symptoms for children with autism. I spent hours researching diets, the microbiome, and this link. I came to realize that our mood, our digestion, and our immune system are intertwined. It has made me realize how strong the brain-gut link is.

Unfortunately, the SCD didn’t work for me, and it ultimately took me over ten years to perfect my low inflammation and gut health lifestyle.

The food you eat daily, your stress levels, and the exercise you do massively impact your gut flora and your inflammation levels. Brain cells have been proven to get inflamed, so if you suffer from anxiety or depression, living a low-inflammation lifestyle can help improve your symptoms.

An entire section of the Eat Burn Sleep platform is dedicated to mental wellness. 70% of our immune system (GALT – Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue) is located in our guts, and 60% of our neurotransmitters. Then, there is a powerful link between exercise and inflammation. Some forms of exercise are inflammatory, while others are anti-inflammatory.

Our mind, our body, how we move, how we deal with stress, and how we eat are all linked, and all impact each other. All non-communicable diseases (responsible for 71% of deaths worldwide) are linked to chronic inflammation -hence to gut health; see the video on this topic on my youtube channel.

These include depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, heart attacks, auto-immune issues, psoriasis, asthma, diabetes, etc. It can sound overwhelming, and one might find it hard to start somewhere.

I felt overwhelmed all those years ago, almost wanting to give up! I had no choice but to find a solution to this, which I could apply to my daily life as a busy mum of two young boys! But in a way, what saved me was the fact that my body wasn’t responding to medical treatment, and I ended up at one point being kept alive with weekly blood transfusions.

I have come up with a simple, achievable, sustainable lifestyle, which has yielded tremendous results for many people (check out the reviews here). I share it all on the Eat Burn Sleep platform, as well as regular exclusive content and new recipes.

I hope the Eat Burn Sleep platform helps you, as it has helped me! Remember to look after yourself without over-obsessing. The Eat Burn Sleep lifestyle isn’t about perfection but about damage limitation.

Yalda x

Come and Have a Look at What Is in My Fridge

Where Should You Go In Marrakech?

Hi everyone, I know we are all feeling the winter chill so I thought I would share with you all my favorite spots in the beautiful Marrakech. Many have requested this and I hope you enjoy it!

Breakfast

For a casual meal, I love the Argana overlooking the main square. It has a traditional feel to it.

Brunch

The brunch at La Mamounia on Sundays is an institution not to be missed.

The Selman Hotel is also a wonderful destination on Sundays, where brunch is served in the restaurant Le Pavillon.

Lunch

Café de la Poste has a lovely colonial feel to it with delicious French food. Riad El Fenn is an amazing spot. It is a lovely arty boutique hotel. I suggest going to the top floor to have lunch. There is a great shop inside run by Paul Rowland, an ex-fashion man from NYC.

Enjoy a great Sunday brunch at La Mamounia hotel where you can sit by the pool and enjoy!

Or at Kasbah Tamadot which is Richard Branson’s hotel, 20 min away – but absolutely stunning. La Pause is an amazing, relaxing, and remote day trip. Check it out online for more of its features.

Finally, I love La Terrasse des Épices, where you will find a full restaurant with traditional selections or a pastry shop if you are on the go.

Day Trips

I love going away for a day, either hiking in the mountains, or to the Agafay Desert.

The Agafay desert is close to Marrakech and you can directly ring a camp to organise Camel Rides, Mountain biking or Quand

Dinner

For Moroccan-style food, Dar Yacout gives you the full cultural experience. It is set in a riad where they play Andalous music and serve traditional food from Fez. I suggest that you have a light lunch if you are going there for dinner!

There is also a Moroccan restaurant in the Royal Mansour Hotel, La Table Marocaine. The lamb as a main is exquisite!

Bo Zin is the best for a fun night – a 20 min drive from the center. You will find dinner and dance with a diverse menu of Asian and French food. The food is quite good.

Le Comptoir has belly dancers but is a bit touristy. The food is good nonetheless and it is fun!

Drinks

– Djellabar has magnificent decor and a trendy feel.
– Bar at the Royal Mansour – beautiful, refined, and quiet.
– Jad Mahal has a great nighttime feel with a small food menu.
– At Le Comptoir they have a fun selection of cocktails.
– Pre-drink in the gardens at la Mamounia Hotel is very pleasant.

Spa

I know this post is mostly about my favorite food and drink places in Marrakech but I also wanted to mention the wonderful spas I love.

There’s one at the Royal Mansour.

It is the best! With lots of specialty selections!

The one at La Mamounia is beautiful too, with many ‘facial’ options.

If you go to Marrakech, I am sure you will have a wonderful time.