The Bendable, Twistable, Flexible Necklace

The Bendy Necklaces are Fun, Fun Fun! The reason why they're such a big hit is because you can create so many new looks with just one necklace.

You can wear it as a necklace or a bracelet!

At newyorkaccents.com we're having Fun with Fashion and we hope that you are too! Try the Bendy Necklace for both casual and special occasions.



You're the Ultimate Designer with the Bendy Necklace!

The size featured here is 8mm width which is the widest version that we feature.

Current colors in stock are Gold and Red Bronze.

Go ahead! Have more fun with fashion.

Visit our Bendy Necklace page at: http://store.newyorkaccents.com/spsnanec06-2.html


-Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!

Underweight? Here's 3 Foods to Help Add Healthy Weight

Hi on this super, sunny Sunday! I'd like to share with you the top three foods that have helped me to gain weight.

I call these foods my friends because within a year and four months, I've been able to gain healthy weight. Now, fall and winter has been enjoyable! I haven't had cold hands since I've started incorporating these foods within the GAPS diet. These foods are all natural and traditional. When combined within a whole foods diet, these foods remind me of life's simplicities.



If you are looking to gain healthy weight then try adding these foods into your diet. The idea is that they help to heal and seal the gut which helps to repair your immune and digestive systems thus enabling you to put on healthy weight.

1) Sauerkraut or any variety of homemade fermented foods

2) Lard: buy from your butcher or from the farmer's market and render yourself or buy already rendered lard or any other pure animal fat (no additives or preservatives).

3) Marrow bones: Make bone broths which are very healing and nourishing. Use the broth to make all types of soups and stews.

Take a Break from Grains---It just might help you to gain weight

I think that one of the most beneficial things that one can do to gain healthy weight is to eliminate grains from one's diet while incorporating the above foods within a whole foods diet. Once you've reached a level of health that you approve of, add grains if wanted but properly prepared grains by soaking and fermenting.

I've mentioned grains because they contain phytic acid which inhibits mineral and nutritient absorption. So, while we're enjoying a tasty chicken sandwich on a delicious bun or wholesome bread, how much of what we are eating is actually being absorbed? In my case, I believe that over consumption of wheat and lack of animal fats and fermented foods contributed to my being under weight.

I have not had any type of grains within one year and four months. The last time that I had grains, I got a severe reaction. I believe that it was my ultimate overdose of grain consumption from childhood to that very day that had built up. One day after eating a rich dark whole wheat bread toasted, I got a stye in my right eye and my mood immediately changed to grumpy, annoyed and upset. Once my boyfriend and I figured out that these symptoms were from the wheat bread, we stopped eating wheat. We started the GAPS Intro Diet where no grains are allowed. The stye took about three months to go away and has not returned.

You may or may not have a problem digesting grains but one thing is for sure, properly preparing grains will give you more of a nutritional benefit as soaking and fermenting them helps to reduce phytic acid. Throughout my lifetime, I had been consuming grains heavily and I've also been under weight.

If you must eat grains, authors Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD highlight the process of properly prepared grains in their article, Be Kind to Your Grains...And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You.

"So the well-meaning advice of many nutritionists, to consume whole grains as our ancestors did and not refined flours and polished rice, can be misleading and harmful in its consequences; for while our ancestors ate whole grains, they did not consume them as presented in our modern cookbooks in the form of quick-rise breads, granolas, bran preparations and other hastily prepared casseroles and concoctions. Our ancestors, and virtually all pre-industrialized peoples, soaked or fermented their grains before making them into porridge, breads, cakes and casseroles."

Enjoy your whole foods diet and your weight gaining journey. And by the way, I'd just like to mention that eating healthy fats for over a year has not made me fat. I'd also like to add that my cholesterol level is average. Go figure!

Resources:

GAPS Diet:
http://gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html

Try soaking and fermenting your grains:
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/be-kind-to-your-grains

A beautiful intro about the author's memories of growing up on homemade stock: http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/articles/joys_of_stock.shtml


-Have Fun with Fashion and A Healthy Life!

The Crazy Pages - NYC: Fresh Face

Ready for a music video break? Take a colorful sing-a-long journey and put on your Fresh Face.


Music by one of NYC's all-time favorite bands, The Crazy Pages.


-Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!

It's Breaskfast Time!---Cooked Pears

Good Morning! What's for breakfast?

On this cold Sunday morning we're having cooked pears! ...Y-U-M-M-Y! But wait!!! What about loosing enzymes by cooking the fruit. Well, if you're incorporating homemade fermented foods into your diet then you are getting plenty of enzymes and probiotics from your variety of homemade fermented foods which are by the way a raw food.

The process of fermenting helps to break down the proteins, carbohydrates and fats so that the food becomes more digestible while providing more nutrients than some non fermented raw fruits and vegetables. Fermenting also produces beneficial bacteria which is needed to balance the gut flora which is necessary for a healthy immune and digestive system.

Cooking the fruit helps to break down the proteins so that it becomes more digestible. Susan Weed, herbalist and expert on women's health wrote a very interesting article on Nourished Magazine's website. The article is titled "Optimum Nutrition Cooked or Raw". She pointed out that the enzymes in vegetables and fruit are only available if the fruit or vegetable is fully ripened. I highly doubt that the organic pears at my local grocery store are fully ripened. They are not local which means that they are shipped from God knows where and are most likely picked before ripened.

Susan further explains:

"Cooked plants are far more nourishing than raw plants, whether we look at vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains or pulses (beans). Cooking not only breaks the cell wall, liberating minerals to our bodies, it actually enhances and activates many vitamins."

Cooked pears is very delicious and easy to make. So let's have cooked pears for breakfast!

Here's the recipe:

* Chop fruit into bite size pieces.
* Add fruit to pot. Fill the pot with water, cover the pot.
* Turn up high to a boil then reduce heat.
* Cook for about 20 minutes or so until the fruit is soft to your liking.
* Top with a good animal fat of your choice for even more help with digestion. I chose leaf lard.
* You can also top with cinnamon if you'd like!
...and definitely have a nice serving of the broth. There's plenty of nutrients in the broth and Oh My Goodness it is so very tasty!

Enjoy Your Cooked Pears for Breakfast!


Resources:
http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/optimum-nutrition-cooked-or-raw

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/veg3.php

http://www.sacfoodcoop.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=438%3Aprobiotics-a-fermented-foods&catid=59%3Aconsumer-guides&lang=us&Itemid=65


Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!

Gotta Love It! Vitamin D3's Benefits

Thanks for bearing with me through the periods of no posting as I've been super busy at my full-time job, doing my best to incorporate the strategies in one of my earlier posts Water, Beauty and Rest.

This new post is actually inspired by a comment that I left on Au Naturel's blog about the benefits of Vitamin D3 for EVERYONE. I commented on it from my own cultural's perspective but the sun gives life for ALL!

"As an African American, I never thought that vitamin D3 ---the sun was necessary that was until for the first time in my life last year, I had my D3 level checked. It was so low! I mean in the danger zone. Since then, I've been supplementing with 10,000 IU & higher and I've raised it to a normal level.

I think, how did I go through my whole life without this being checked? The only reason why I had it checked last year was not because of my doctor's suggestion but because my boyfriend said that it was important to check.

I believe D3 has helped to build my immune system along with my other daily healthy routines. I was the only one in my office this flu season who did not catch a cold or flu. There's definitely a need to spread the word about the benefits of D3 so thanks Au Naturel Health & Beauty for this post!

And for the African American community who do not live year round in the sun, I suggest that you get your D3 level checked. Having brown skin does not mean that we do not need the benefits of the sun. We need much more than we think...and taking a good D3 supplement is an easy way to achieve this. ...There's ton's of info about African American's low level intake of Vitamin D online."

I think the problem within my cultural community stems from the need to dispel old myths and lack of information shared about the benefits of the sun for overall health. I've been using the Carlson brand 10,000 IU's which is derived from cod liver oil. There is also vitamin D3 derived from lanolin (sheep wool oil). How are you getting your D3? The natural sun is the absolute best way and if that's not available then supplementation is key.


Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!

Winter is a Breeze with these Immune Building Tips

Just say no way to catching colds and the flu! Take the time to build your immune system so that you can Thrive during this winter season.

Building your immune system may not be an overnight fix. I started in October 2011 to take control and to rebuild my health. I am happy to report that I have not caught a cold or had a flu sense I've changed my lifestyle to be healthier.

So start today with these immune system building ideas and just say no way to catching a cold or flu:

Let's examine each of these tips so that we can clearly know the benefits:

Vitamin D3 From the sun or a capsule:
Research as shown that since our overall lifestyle is indoor based that we're loosing out on the benefits of the sun. The sun is life force that's not just for plants and animals. We need the benefits of the sun as well! A lack of sunshine can lead to a host of health issues. If your lifestyle is indoor based or you live in a region that lacks sufficient sunshine then it's best to supplement with a Vitamin D3 capsule. Of course the preferred method for obtaining D3 is directly from the sun.

Benefits:

*Boosts the immune system
*Has anti-cancer properties
*Builds strong bones
*Helps build better mood

Homemade Fermented Foods:
Well, you could buy fermented foods but there are not a lot of high quality choices in grocery stores. Fermented foods are easy to make and as I've said it several times on this site, it's definitely a super food.

Here's why:

*Helps to digest food
*Helps to absorb nutrients
*The fermenting process unleashes more vitamins than if the veggie or fruit was not fermented
*Helps to balance gut flora

According to Dr. Mercola, for optimal health we should strive for a ratio of 85% "good" bacteria and 15% "bad" bacteria. This can be achieved by simply eating homemade fermented foods on a daily basis. Dr. Mercola points out in one of his articles that:

"Historically, people didn't have the same problems with their gut health as we do today for the simple fact that they got large quantities of beneficial bacteria, i.e. probiotics, from their diet in the form of fermented or cultured foods, which were invented long before the advent of refrigeration and other forms of food preservation."

Your gut, brain and immune system are all connected. So if you are seeking to build your immune system then you'll definitely want to eat fermented foods!

Reducing chemicals:
This category affects our every day life because it's hard to escape chemicals 100%. Eating foods with chemicals, using household cleaners with chemicals and personal care products can affect in lowering our immune system. As boutique owner Anna Canngiano of Au Naturel Health and Beauty mentioned in her video interview with us back in November, "60% of what we put onto our skin is absorbed into our bodies at a faster rate than what we eat", so we have to shop smarter and really read the ingredients that are in the products that we use.

* What's your favorite deodorant?
* What type of household cleaners do you use?
* You look great in that lipstick but what's it made from?
* Does your favorite restaurant use filtered water and organic ingredients? Hmmmm
* What are we rubbing into our skins on a daily basis and breathing that is contributing to a weakening of our immune system?

Take the extra step and look up ingredients on the products that you currently use. A good website to reference is cosmetic database. You can search by brand or ingredient and find out the toxicity level and the harm that it can do to your body. You can also just type in the name of the ingredient in your browser to reveal a host of articles from various sources.

You can reduce the chemicals that you bring into your home by a very large percent by just choosing not to spend your money on products that can contribute to lowering your immune system. There are so many eco-friendly products made from naturally derived ingredients on the market. This also includes chemical free make-up. I've been using the Ecco Bella brand of lipstick for about three months now and I love it!

Seek healthier options for your daily living routines and you will see your health improve.

Eat a Whole Foods Diet:
I'm not speaking about the grocery store. I'm referring to buying foods that are not heavily processed which is basically an elimination of junk foods. Look up the ingredients that are listed on those bags of candy or box of donuts, even on that bottle of ketchup. Do we really want to digest Red Dye #40 and Yellow Dye #5? Can you imagine what consuming dye can do long term to our immune systems and to those of our children?

There are better choices, we just have to seek them.

Having a large grain based diet can also contribute to weakening your immune system because it contains inhibitors that can cause havoc in your system. Jeff Barnett of Cross Fit Impulse has a very easy to understand article about the detrimental affects of wheat. He explaines that wheat contains lectins which are proteins that we can not digest, can spike our insulin, has protease inhibitors and phytates that prohibit nutrient absorption.

Buying farm fresh from local farmers whom you agree with their farming practices is a great way to purchase produce and meats. Farming practices range from Biodynamics, Organic and Naturally grown to name a few.

So in order to build our immune system, we want to eat as clean of diet as possible without consuming foods like grains that are difficult to digest and foods with chemicals added to them.

...By the way when did it ever become acceptable in our culture to eat dyes and other poisons? I think I'll pass on the birthday cake with the fancy decoration and those cute little muffins with the sprinkles on top.

Natural Supplements
Supplements are necessary because, it is not always possible to obtain all of the nutrients from our diet. Just like vitamin D3, additional supplements should be added when needed and as desired. Having your blood tested to see where you stand is a great starting point to know what additions to your diet are needed.

Supplements to your diet to name a few such as spirulina, seaweeds, camu-camu (which is reported to have the highest level of vitamin C amongst plants) are ways to boost your immune system.

Start now to rebuild your immune system. Just say no to colds and the flu! Start little by little to make changes to your life that will benefit your health. A healthy life with a strong immune system is more than about the foods that you eat, it's also about the everyday products that you use.


Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!


Resources:
http://tarrytown.patch.com/blog_posts/the-amazing-benefits-of-vitamin-d-3-keeping-us-healthy-through-the-winter-and-beyond

http://livingsuperhuman.com/benefits-of-sunlight-and-vitamin-d/

http://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/27/probiotics-gut-health-impact.aspx

Video interview regarding health and beauty and chemicals in beauty products:
http://funwithfashion-healthylife.blogspot.com/2012/11/au-naturel-holiday-shopping-event.html

Water, Beauty and Rest

Yes! Rest and hydration along with a nutritious diet are keys to beauty.

This post comes at a time when I have to tell my own self to stop---- and --- rest. If you've read my bio here, you know that in addition to my accessories business, I work full-time as a Product Development Associate for a well known women's apparel company.

With market week coming up in the first week of February, I'm working well over 50 hours per week which includes weekends. This can definitely take a toll on one's health and beauty.

(last Sunday...foggy morning on my way to work --- Times Square)

(7th Ave: the garment district looks empty but that's only because it's 8:30AM on a Sunday)

I noticed that when I stay up past midnight to do my personal tasks, it really ages me to the point where it shows on my face the next day...(I look much older). Now when I go to sleep around 10:30 - 11PM I look so much younger and feel refreshed. There's a definitely a big difference!

Also, when working so many hours we know that we should stay hydrated. Water helps with alertness so it's definitely a key for helping you to stay sharp throughout the day. Drinking water can also help to give your face a nice glow. Now who wouldn't want that?

So my tips for looking good and feeling good from the inside out while working long hours are:

-drink the appropriate amount of the best water that you have access to

-go to bed early enough so that you will not wake up looking and feeling tired

-a healthy well balanced diet of whole foods and any supplements that you think are necessary to help you achieve your health goals


Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!