Larissa's Wellness Blog

Pumpkin is a super nutrient dense, energy boosting and weight-loss-friendly food. It's also delicious, versatile in cooking, and cheap!  This ¼ of a pumpkin cost me less than a dollar (here in Iraq) for 3.5 kilos -- that’s about 8 pounds of pumpkin! It sure beats...

5 Healthy Plant-based Gluten-Free Snack Ideas   I recommend that everyone try a gluten-free diet for at least 30 days to find out if they could have a gluten sensitivity (immune response to gluten) or gluten intolerance (difficulty digesting gluten). That’s what...

I remember having my first acai bowl in Brazil years ago, and loving it, then being disappointed when I returned home and couldn’t find acai anywhere.    But now, it has finally hit the U.S. market! While I started seeing it a few years ago pop up in different places,...

If you’ve been taking probiotic supplements thinking they’re good for you and an essential supplement that everyone should be taking, you’re not alone. I used to think the same.   Until I learned that probiotic supplements are likely doing more harm than good for...

1. Vitamix → I don’t know what I’d do without my Vitamix! I used to have a Ninja and it doesn’t even compare when you’re making things like green smoothies, “nice” cream, almond butter, nut milks, and more! If you think it’s too expensive, it’s actually not when you...

The photo shown above is a delicious bowl of tropical "nice cream" from a food truck at Weligama Beach in Sri Lanka -- it's simply blended frozen bananas mixed with other frozen fruits (in this photo its mango and jackfruit; my favorite was pineapple, mango and...

Meat is quite a controversial topic, but from the research and observational studies I’d like to simply it and take away the confusion around whether, and what type, you should or should not be eating.   Most people I meet think I'm a vegetarian or vegan, but I’m...

Statistics show that latinos living in the U.S. live at least 2 years longer, on average, than both white and black men and women.   This is despite having less education, a higher poverty rate, worse access to health care, the lowest rates of health screening...

Chia seeds are one of the best food-sources of fiber to help with digestion, and preventing or relieving constipation.   I’ve talked about it before, but I’ll say it again -- FIBER is one of the most critical “nutrients” that most people are deficient in.  ...