Wellness with Elena.

Overeating usually isn’t a lack of discipline. It’s about how you build your meal.

When you eat very little earlier in the day, you may arrive at dinner starving.
And when you’re that hungry, it’s easy to reach for quick-energy foods first: bread, pasta, rice...
Once you start there, it can be much harder to stop eating.

Try this simple rule:

Put carbs at the end of the line.

Start with: Vegetables
The more variety, the better. Think of a rainbow of colors : leafy greens, red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage. Different vegetables provide different types of fiber and plant compounds that support fullness and digestion.

Then: Protein.
Meat, chicken, eggs, or legumes.

Finish with: Starches and other carbs.
Rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, and similar foods.

By the time you get to the carbs, the vegetables and protein have already started filling you up. You may be surprised by how satisfied you feel and how much less you actually want to eat.

Do you eat “healthy” foods but still struggle with fatigue, food sensitivities, or skin reactions?
It’s not only about what you eat - it’s also about how your body absorbs and uses the nutrients from your food.

Some foods naturally contain phytic acid - a compound that can bind minerals and make them less available for absorption.

Foods higher in phytic acid include:

🍓 Blackberries
🥬 Spinach
🍞 Whole wheat bread
🌾 Oatmeal
🍚 Brown rice

When your body is not absorbing essential nutrients efficiently, you may notice changes such as:

➡️ Increased sensitivity to certain foods or environmental triggers
➡️ Skin reactions
➡️ Low energy
➡️ Muscle tension or cramps
➡️ Digestive discomfort

Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all. The same food that works well for one person may not work the same way for another.

www.aplusnutripro.com

If you wake up during the night and can’t fall back asleep, try this simple breathing technique :

✅ 1. Place one hand on your belly and feel it gently rise and fall.

✅ 2. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, allowing your belly to expand.

✅ 3. Pause for a couple of seconds.

✅ 4. Slowly breathe out through your mouth.

✅ 5. Count your breaths: One complete breath (inhale + exhale) counts as “1.” Continue until you reach 5 breaths, then start counting again from 1.

⚠️ The goal is not to count higher and higher. Resetting at 5 keeps your mind focused on the present moment instead of getting caught in thoughts.

Slow, deep breathing can help calm your nervous system and support a more relaxed state when you’re trying to return to sleep.

Save this and try it the next time you wake up during the night . 🌙

I’ve been thinking about something lately…

For a long time, I used to pay attention mostly to people who were very visible online - the ones who spoke confidently, shared a lot, and knew how to present themselves.
But my experience has taught me something different.

I’ve met some incredible professionals who are actually very quiet. They don’t constantly promote themselves, but when you experience their work, you realize how much knowledge, skill, and care they truly have.

A good example is my own experience with acupuncture. When I was looking for a licensed acupuncturist, I talked to several practitioners. Many of them immediately started explaining all the things they would change, including my diet and lifestyle.

The specialist I eventually chose was actually the quietest one. Even during our first conversation, he didn’t try to impress me with a lot of words.

But after my experience with different practitioners, I can honestly say he has been one of the best.
It reminded me that sometimes the people who speak the least can have the most to offer.

True expertise doesn’t always need to be loud.

CAN’T RELAX OR FALL ASLEEP?

If your mind is overstimulated and you just can’t settle down tonight, try this simple trick:

➡️ Press your finger right between your eyebrows.

➡️ Find the right pressure: not too light and not too hard, but enough that you can clearly feel it.

➡️ Hold for 1–2 minutes while breathing slowly.

✅ Many people find this helps calm a racing mind and promotes relaxation before sleep.

Save this for tonight! 🛏️

Did you know that mushrooms can naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight?

Fresh mushrooms - especially white button or portobello - contain a natural compound called ergosterol, which converts into vitamin D2 when exposed to sunlight.
Place them gills facing up in direct sunlight for 30 to 60 minutes.
During this time, their vitamin D2 content naturally increases.
Then simply cook and enjoy them as part of your meal.

A simple, natural way to boost the vitamin D content of your food.

Not hungry in the morning? You’re not alone.
Many people wake up with zero appetite — and just skip breakfast without a second thought.
But according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, eating within an hour of waking supports your liver’s natural rhythms. And when morning hunger is consistently missing, TCM sees that as a signal worth paying attention to.
You don’t need a big meal. Just something real.

Two clients. Same diet. Same supplements. Completely different results.
One of the most underestimated foundations of health is emotional well-being.

Dr. Edward Bach observed in the 1930s what neuroscience is still exploring today: much of our behavior runs automatically, outside conscious awareness. The one who never stops. The one who says yes to everyone else but not to themselves. The one who has been running on empty for years and calls it “just how I am.”

What surprises people is this: two clients who both struggle to say no may need completely different remedies.
One is afraid of conflict. The other has learned to always put themselves last.

Same behavior. Different emotional pattern.

That’s what makes this work so powerful.

One more interesting thing about coffee:

There’s a molecule in your brain called adenosine- your body’s built-in “sleep pressure” signal.

All day long, as you burn energy, adenosine gradually builds up. The higher it gets, the sleepier you feel. It’s your brain saying: “It might be time to rest.”

At night, during sleep, adenosine levels naturally decrease, and you wake up refreshed.
Here’s where coffee comes in.
Caffeine works by competing with adenosine at its receptors in the brain.

So the sleep signal is still there… but it’s temporarily less noticeable.
That’s why coffee can make you feel alert even when your body is still accumulating fatigue.

Some people say: “Coffee doesn’t affect me.”
But that often refers to how they feel in the moment - not necessarily to how sensitive their sleep system might be.

In some people, caffeine intake later in the day may also influence sleep quality, even if they don’t clearly notice it the next morning.

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