Feel good, French style

This Spring in New York feels like April Fool’s Day, as the sun plays hide-and-seek with the rain clouds. The sun always comes back for an appearance though, encouraging us to unpeel layers and show some skin. After snuggling under the covers much of the Winter, a little grooming may be in order.

It’s time to faire peau neuve (literally make a new skin).

This French expression holds so much promise. As you shed old, dry skins and reveal the rosy ones below, what can you discover? Who can you become?

Photo courtesy of Living etc

Here are my tips to faire peau neuve and uncover a new Spring skin, both literally and figuratively.

1. Get ready to go bare.

It’s amazing what lies beneath the surface. Not only does your skin protect you from the outside world, it’s also your largest organ and makes many of the hormones and neurotransmitters found in the brain, not to mention Vitamin D for the rest of the body.

In addition to its role as regulator and protector, your skin translates your own internal state of health, becoming an object of beauty in its own right.

Yasmine Djerradine has been taking care of skin for over 20 years out of her peach-colored, Moroccan style treatment rooms on the Upper East Side. She explains, “Winter can dry and dull up your complexion. A thorough exfoliation and cleaning for spring time gives your skin a revitalizing boost.” (To visit Yasmine at 30 E. 60^th St. in New York, call 212-588-1771).

The rest of your body needs attention too. You can make your own scrub by combining sweet almond oil or apricot kernel oil (buy this at Whole Foods or a health food store) with a natural exfoliant you already have in the kitchen. These include sea salt (detoxifies and relaxes), granulated sugar (more gentle than salt), or even used coffee grinds (surprising but the caffeine helps circulation and cellulite). Massage in a circular motion, concentrating on rough patches, and rinse.

A little DIY massage promotes fluid exchange within the cells.

More than that, however, taking a short time-out to massage some lotion over your curves, buff your own nails, or rest with cucumber slices over your eyes, helps establish the connection between your body and your self.

This precious lifeline often gets eroded by daily running around and stressed-out schedules. Think of these little moments as a magical, golden string that keeps you grounded to yourself.

2. Relax skin to skin.

Your skin is not only a shield from the outside world, it’s the interface that allows you to touch, feel, and apprehend others, as well as your environment. With your newly polished, baby soft bod, bask in the smoothness, warmth and connection of touch.

For time-strapped couples, getting busy in the bedroom can be more of a fantasy than a reality (especially when kids are involved). Why not lower performance expectations and simply enjoy your partner. Appreciate his skin, and concentrate on the sensation of palm against palm, skin against skin.

Touch is not only for lovers, but for loved ones too. Lift your spirits at the end of a long day with a cheek to cheek bisou (kiss) to your kids. Bury your nose in the crook of your baby’s neck – does motherhood provide a better gift?

Older friends or members of the family also deserve special attention. They often find themselves lacking in company and appreciate an extra hug.

3. Uncover a new layer.

Faire peau neuve goes beyond presenting a bright new face to the world. On a deeper level, it refers to a change in a way of being. Rather than a dramatic about-face though, it’s rooted in your skin, your essence, in peeling back the layers added by life’s twists and turns, to reveal your glowing self, the one that feels like home.

In the dreary, desolate winter, who would have known that the crocuses and green shoots were hovering just beneath the surface? We’re connected by the same life force of energy and courage, ready to help us bloom.

Tap into the new season’s ambient élan and put a finger on the patterns of thoughts and behaviors that don’t feel like you anymore. Make your inventory of old ways, and start practicing their new replacements. Tie that magical, golden string around your wrist to celebrate this passage of time and your new skin which is emerging.

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom

Tiny green buds adorn tree branches, chocolate bunnies and nautical stripes beckon from shop windows, office workers flock to the park at lunchtime, eager to soak up the first rays. There’s an undercurrent of energy in the air, as things sprout, buzz, and bloom before our eyes. Le Printemps est arrivé! (Spring has arrived!)

Longer days give us energy, but as we come out of hibernation, it’s also normal to feel tired and sluggish. In my grandmother’s day, changes of season called for a boost from Mother Nature. The women in her Normandy village used a plant-based remedy invented by two clergymen in 1745 called La Jouvence de l’Abbé Soury.

Denise Mari, founder Organic Avenue

Here’s my version of a modern day Spring primer to help you wash away the Winter blahs and jump into the new season.

1. Make your own Spring rain.

Just as April showers bring May flowers, we usually need to do our own flushing out of Winter’s accumulation of toxins and excess calories. Many cultures and traditions traditionally promote cleansing or fasting this time of year. Whether or not you go this route, you can get your juices flowing with some extra hydration and your own Jouvence.

Start your day with the juice of half a lemon in warm or room-temperature water to stimulate your liver’s toxin-removing functions. Diluting raw, apple cider vinegar (such as Bragg’s brand, available at Whole Foods) in some water a few times a day is a favorite cure-all for weight loss, allergies and sluggishness. Instead of making a Starbuck’s run, try it mixed with some lemon and agave syrup or raw honey.

Straight from the vineyards of Bordeaux, Caudalie makes one of my favorite detox teas from red vine, cinnamon, blackcurrant, orange zest and blueberry (available on-line at www.caudalie-usa.com). Dandelion, ginger, and chicory herbal teas are also good seasonal choices.

As Mother Nature re-greens our trees and gardens, do the same by trying a green juice or a wheatgrass juice from your local health food store. These beautiful green colors come from chlorophyll, which naturally cleanses the blood and promotes good intestinal flora.

2. Sprout some new foods.

Instinctively, we desire a natural shift in our diets come Spring time, favoring lower-calorie, lower-fat options over Winter’s heavier, warming fare. Ayurvedic specialist John Douillard recommends eating more salads, sprouts, greens and berries to revitalize with vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients. These also offer fiber, which is so important to clean out your digestive tract (and keeps you feeling full and satisfied). I crave the bitter astringency of foods like endives, radicchio and asparagus, and add onion, garlic and green chilies to recipes for an extra kick.

Gluten can muck up your digestive track, so Spring cleaning is a good time to try non-gluten containing grains such as quinoa and millet.

For a non-D.I.Y. Spring jumpstart, the Manhattan-based Organic Avenue (www.organicavenue.com) offers a 5-day living foods cleansing program brought right to your door. Their state-of-the art cold-pressed juices deliver maximum nutrients and flavor, while dishes like sunflower falafel give you something to sink your teeth into. That’s important because studies have shown that our bodies better monitor calories from solid foods than liquid foods.

3. Get a breath of fresh air.

Spring means we can keep the windows open and watch the curtains flutter in the breeze. It’s time to air yourself out both literally and figuratively.

Take in big bowls of oxygen to cleanse your lungs and give your skin a little sun-kissed glow. Julie Imperiali, trainer to the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni, recommends adding a brisk walk to your routine on an empty stomach (i.e. before breakfast, lunch or dinner). This helps burn through any extra Winter kilos (or works off a previous night’s splurge, for example). Cycling and gardening are two more activities to get you out of doors.

Spring is also Nature’s new year. Take advantage of the fresh start to revisit your own new year’s projects and resolutions. Ask yourself what’s worked and what hasn’t.

What do you want to see hatch later this year? What seeds can you start planting now?

As you get busy in the kitchen and the garden, remember to stop and greet the apple blossoms and daffodils, and

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom

Ah, mais c’est une gourmande!” (“Ah, you are a gourmand!”) my French mother-in-law laughingly chided as I reached for a second dark chocolate ganache. Whether in French or in English, being gourmand denotes a hearty love of good food, perhaps bordering on the excessive.

Indeed, when it comes to food and drink, one can get too much of a good thing. That’s where adopting the Gourmande Attitude comes in. Below are my three steps to practice eating in good measure, with all of the enjoyment, and none of the guilt.

- Surround yourself with good food.

Last week, we discussed the merits of Eating from the Garden. Good food comes from the garden. It’s ripe with the flavors of the wind and the sun, it’s tended with care, and because it’s natural, it does your body and your waistline good.

But while it’s one thing to know how to read a label, it’s another to make eating the good stuff part of your daily reality. It begins by getting as excited to go to the market as you would a Jimmy Choo sample sale. Stock your fridge, stock your pantry, and stock your office. Keep a few select morsels in your handbag or workbag (I carry walnuts, raisins and squares of dark chocolate).

As schedules get jam-packed, grocery shopping and meal planning can run amok. Keep doing little things that make you feel better and better. Order on-line from services like Fresh Direct or specialty sites such as bobsredmill.com or organicavenue.com.

Nip into a bodega on the way to the office or on the way home for fresh fruits and vegetables. Tape a list of quick go-to items or meals to your fridge so that you have ideas for when you’re tired and hungry.

While Gourmandes love trying new restaurants and discovering up and coming chefs, they recognize that good food also means home food. When you prepare food yourself, chances are you’re using fresh ingredients, less salt and gauging portion sizes better.

But, you don’t have to be a gourmet cook to be a Gourmande. An omelet, a fresh green salad and sprouted grain bread makes a simple and satisfying supper. Supplementing a deli lunch with fresh vegetables and fruit brought from home or your corner fruit stand works too.

- Turn your nose up a little.

In her quest for the perfect, tangy juice-filled Clementine, cave-aged Swiss gruyère or hand-decorated vegan cupcake, the Gourmande can seem a touch snobby. In my book, it’s not about pickiness, but rather about saving your calories for the good stuff. As you develop a palate for subtle flavors, a nose for special vintages, and an appreciation for home-prepared versus store-bought, lower-quality nourishment loses its appeal. If it’s not appealing or doesn’t taste up to par, move on.

Keeping your nose up and your feelers out is also the trick to knowing when you’ve had enough of a good thing. When you take the first few bites of a delicious gourmandise (sweet treat) for example, it can transport you to Cloud Nine. But after a while, your taste buds get bored. You’re eating but not really tasting anymore. Your stomach begins to signal it’s satisfied. Your sense of enjoyment begins to decline. That’s the tipping point to look for. It guides your ability to eat according to your appetite.

Letting your appetite be the guide in deciding what and how much to eat helps you settle into your natural weight. That’s why the Gourmande may have a bite to sample something new, but won’t eat unless she’s hungry.

- Approach meals with a sense of delight.

It’s something we hear frequently. French women eat with pleasure. American women eat with restraint, guilt or confusion. If only it were that simple! Forget nationality, just be a Gourmande and practice enjoying yourself.

What does enjoyment have to do with eating well and eating according to your appetite? It trains you to savor food, helps to digest it efficiently, and creates a little pocket of breathing room in a hectic day. It’s something nice you can do for yourself daily, without the budget required for a private masseur.

But we can’t command feelings of enjoyment, just like we can’t command feelings of love. Gourmandes practice cultivating delight by taking a small break at mealtime and activating their senses. Breathe, focus on your chewing rhythm, and reconnect with your stomach.

Quell any little voices in your head who say things like “once I start eating I can’t stop,” or “I can’t fry an egg, let alone make a meal.” Acknowledge your thoughts, make a note of them, and start feeding yourself new and different inspirations (“I know exactly what to eat”), along with your delectable morsels.

Gourmande Attitude begins inside, and translates on the outside to a sense of feeling beautiful in your skin.

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom

As soon as we arrived to my grandmother’s house in Normandy for summer vacation, my brother and I raced out to her garden. What was growing? What was ripe?.. and the crucial concern, were the strawberries ready, or had we missed them?

Mamie’s garden was a mysterious novelty for two kids whose weekly food came from Safeway. The whole Summer, we marveled at the taste of simple things such as potatoes, lettuce, and haricots verts, all du jardin (from the garden). There was little trouble getting these kids to eat their veggies, although our quatre heures (4 p.m. snack) of buttered baguette and chocolate remained the day’s highlight.

Trips to France centered around the joys of buttery croissants, the sunny aliveness in a bite of peach, and the rich, grassy flavor of milk delivered still warm, straight from the cow. Yet, everywhere I looked, it was true. French women didn’t get fat. It was quite a contrast to my American neighbors back home.

Over the last 12 years however, the French on average have gained almost 7 pounds, to say nothing of Americans’ own struggles with obesity and health issues. As we’ve shifted from eating real food, directly du jardin, to industrial, refined food products that pale by comparison, we’re paying the price in terms of extra weight, extra toxicity and a feeling of finding food difficult to contend with. If the box says “diet” and “good for me,” why do I feel so lackluster in my jeans?

Declining food quality has much to do with these trends. How can you incorporate higher quality foods into your daily routine? Here is how to eat from the garden:

- Choose foods that speak your body’s language.

Our trillions of cells come from Mother Nature and are best nourished by her as well. Foods that are processed, refined and chemicalized tend to be poorly used by your body, contributing to the build-up of toxins, weight from empty calories, and illnesses. On the contrary, natural foods, the things found in nature, speak our language and work with us, not against us. As Michael Pollan puts it, “if it came from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don’t.”

- Be curious about ingredients.

It’s easy to understand the ingredients in a banana. What about the other goodies in your cart? Read labels and look for a few simple ingredients that you recognize and can pronounce. Avoid or replace foods made with chemicals and additives. For example, instant oatmeal from a box doesn’t do a body or a waistline good. Instead, choose old-fashioned steel-cut or rolled oats.

A lot of the foods we eat regularly (bread from the bakery, soup from the deli) don’t come with labels. Be curious and ask for details.

Organic is another consideration to look for on your label. Would you use synthetic pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers or sewage sludge to tend to your garden? That’s one of the differences between organic and conventional. Also look for local and seasonal options, just like you were harvesting nibbles in your backyard.

- Have your cake and eat it too.

As you’re reading labels, you’re likely to come across the ubiquitous “sugar,” or its variations – corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, or glucose, for example. Manufacturers love to add sugar to foods not only sweet (cereal, cookies, etc.) but also savory (soup, sauces, cold cuts). Sugar may sound natural and harmless, but it’s a highly-refined empty calorie. In your regular routine, replace this saboteur with true natural sweeteners such as agave syrup, unprocessed honey or yucon syrup, as well as naturally sweet goodies such as dried fruits.

By “eating from the garden” most of the time, sweetened and refined foods lose their appeal, as your body gets into a new gear and your palate adjusts. But when you do want to go for a piece of Mom’s apple pie, no big deal. After all, France is as known for its masterful gardens as it is for its divine éclairs.

What’s blooming in your garden this week? I’d love to hear from you.

Live épanoui*!

Elisa

* in full bloom