La Belle Vie Holistic Living

Nothing quite kicks your self confidence in the kisser like a cold sore. And with the weather changing and our immune systems taking a hit, 'tis the cold sore season! Luckily, there are things you can do to stop a cold sore in its tracks and to speed the healing of one should it erupt. Image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net What is a cold sore? A cold sore is an outbreak of Herpes Simplex Virus - 1 (HSV-1), a virus that lies dormant in nerve cells. The reactivation of the virus, which leads to outbreaks, can be triggered by minor infections, a weakened immune system, stress, and even sun exposure.  Lysine, Arginine, and cold sores - oh my! There is a lot of research that points to a strong relationship between lysine, arginine, and cold sore outbreaks. Arginine can stimulate the replication of the virus. Lysine blocks arginine offering antiviral support. How can you make this work for you? Try to balance arginine and lysine naturally in your diet Foods high in arginin

Looking for a tasty way to boost your health? Start eating Everyday Superfoods . What are Everyday Superfoods? You've probably heard of "superfoods" - foods that are high in nutrients and help fight disease - such as goji berries, camu camu, and even raw cacao. Everyday Superfoods is what I call foods that have these same health-boosting superpowers, but are easy to find and easy on your wallet. These are foods that you can get at your Farmers' Market, in your CSA box, and even in your own backyard! If you're looking to supersize your  health, start eating these three foods today! Carrots Flax seeds Apples Looking for more Everyday Superfoods? Download my free ebook ! xo Selene

Image courtesy of Ohmega1982/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Many people ask me about digestive problems they are experiencing. For some, it's a matter of feeling tired, heavy, and bloated after eating. For others, it's acid reflux and heartburn...The list goes on. As someone who has spent most of my lifetime with digestive issues of pretty much every sort you could imagine, I feel for them. What I explain to people who voice their concerns and issues to me is that when it comes to digestion, there are many moving parts. And, like any machine, an issue with any one part can affect the whole system. One of the key players in digestion is the stomach. More specifically, many issues arise from a problem with Hydrocloric Acid - one of the stomach's principle secretions and an essential part of the digestive process. Hydrochloric Acid, or HCl, unfolds protein chanins to make them easier to break down. It also combines with another stomach product Pepsinogen to produce Pepsin. Pepsin is ne

Good morning! How did you sleep last night? Not awesomely? Check out the article I wrote for Elephant Journal that shares five natural ways to end those sleepless nights.

For all of its bad rap, inflammation is actually important to our health. When we sustain an injury, inflammation is needed to limit the damage to our bodies and to the injured area. Sometimes though, our body might turn on our inflammatory pathways and not be able to turn it off. There is a growing number of studies showing that chronic inflammation might be an underlying factor for many health conditions and degenerative diseases, including arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. There are numerous causes of inflammation – an acidic diet, bad fats, refined foods, strenuous exercise, free radicals from environmental pollutants, and even stress. Some are avoidable or can be eliminated from our lives, others can’t be or are things that just aren’t easy to say goodbye to. However, for every food that could contribute to inflammation in our bodies, there is a food that is great at supporting the body’s anti-inflammatory processes and functions. Here are three of my fav

This year's Thanksgiving was another great gastro success. My mom and I took over the kitchen, each with our own designated areas - key for minimal panic while trying to create a multi course meal for eight in a few hours. I took on three dishes - a raw apple pie in a spiced pecan crust, a pumpkin tiramisu, and a gnocchi as one of the main course entrees. For the gnocchi, I adapted a recipe by Allyson Kramer and whipped up an easy and quick sundried tomato marinara sauce with oregano fresh from the garden. The result was a delicious, light, and fluffy pasta. Gnocchi 2 medium (about 3" length, 2" width) white potatoes 1 medium sweet potato (about 4" length, 2.5" wide) 1 3/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (see below) 1/3 cup nutritional yeast 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt Peel the potatoes, cut into small pieces and boil until they are soft. Using a potato masher, smoosh them up, adding the other ingredients a bit at a time and continuing to smoosh until everything is w