Lifestyle – Page 15 – Stylishly Zen

3 Reasons To Start Adding Cardamom to Your Diet

Published on September 21, 2017September 20, 2017 by soreiya1 Comment

I use to hate cardamom. Growing up it was sporadically used in certain dishes, and for some reason I would always end up biting into a cardamom pod while enjoying my food. The bold flavour of this pod always turned such a minor incident into a traumatizing experience and would always ruin the entire meal for me. While calling this experience with cardamom pods traumatic may be considered an overreaction for some, when you enjoy food as much as I do anything that ruins a meal gains an automatic spot on my hate list.

For many years I avoided cardamom determined to not experience the trauma I had offered suffered while I was younger. Then a few years ago, I was trying out a new cake recipe that required ground cardamom and I decided to give this exotic spice a second chance. Thankfully, the cake turned out delicious and the cardamom enhanced both the flavour and the fragrance of the cake. This led me to start adding ground cardamom to other dishes, my favourites being my golden milk recipe and warm chia pudding. The spice that I had hated for so long was suddenly a spice rack staple that I couldn’t live without.

For those of you that are not familiar with cardamom, it is a member of the ginger family and is well known spice from India. It is often considered a warming spice with a beautiful fragrance making it an ideal spice to use in desserts, tea and coffee. There are two types of cardamom – green cardamom and brown cardamom. Green cardamom is the more superior form of cardamom, is available in both pod or powder form and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Brown cardamom is only used in savoury dishes, it is an essential ingredient in Garam Masala which is a popular Indian spice mix and it is also known for its medicinal properties. There are many reasons to include cardamom into your diet but I have narrowed it down to my top three:

It is filled with antioxidants. Many of the vitamins and minerals in cardamom act as antioxidants within the body. These antioxidants help to clean up any free radicals and helps to prevent cellular aging.
Bad breath – a great and natural way to freshen your breath is to chew on a couple of pods. The antibacterial properties in cardomom help to fight germs and may also be helpful when dealing with mouth ulcers and infections.
Alleviates digestive issues – many people reach for cardamom to help with any digestive issues that they may be struggling with. Used in a warm tonic, cardamom can help when you have over eaten, or are dealing with indigestion and flatulence issues.

Try using cardamom in desserts, tea or coffee to add flavour and to reap the benefits of this wonderful spice. What’s your favourite way to use cardamom? Let me know in the comments below👇🏼

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Please Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for a consultation or medical treatment from a qualified physician or healthcare practitioner.

Trendspotting – Check Mate

Published on September 17, 2017September 16, 2017 by soreiya1 Comment

Plaid shirts, houndstooth coats and checkered anything for fall are hardly new trends, but this season things have been seamlessly integrated into fall fashion bringing new life to popular patterns. While I will always have a soft spot for a great plaid shirt, this season I am loving the oversized checkered blazer. This is such a versatile and wearable piece of clothing that looks great layered over jeans and a t-shirt, dressed up with a midi skirt or paired with cropped trouser for an elevated day look. You will look fabulous however you choose to rock this trend. Here are some of my favourite looks featuring the checkered blazer:

If you are on the lookout for a checkered blazer to add to your fall wardrobe, here are some of my favourite ones online:

Zara:

H & M:

Designer:

All images via http://www.pinterest.com

I hope that you have a fabulous day! XXS

Inspiring Interior

Published on September 12, 2017September 12, 2017 by soreiya3 Comments

Normally, when I hear the words “Italian villa” I think of a rustic and charming home, but today’s Inspiring Interior challenges that vision in the best way possible. Located in the Tuscan country between Florence and Arezzo, this villa is breathtaking in its simplicity. Designed by Rachele Biancalani Studio with Matteo Bonechi technician, this villa defies traditional ideas of what a villa is supposed to look like and delivers a simple and sophisticated home. Exposed beams and large arched windows perfectly compliment the warm natural tones of the home along with the clean white accents. I love it! Here are some of my favourite pics of this spectacular home:

All images are from My House Idea

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Trend Spotting Fall 2017 – White Footwear

Published on September 10, 2017September 9, 2017 by soreiyaLeave a comment

I love the fact that over the past few years people have thrown caution to the wind and included white in their post Labour day wardrobe. From winter white denim to cream coloured suits – I love it all. White is such a clean and flattering colour, and while it makes it extra challenging for klutzes like me to maintain a tidy appearance all day long I still love to rock it.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, you know that the white sneaker trend has officially become a wardrobe staple. Whether you rock them with dresses or suits, jeans or joggers they look great and add an extra bit of cool to your look. This season though, the white footwear trend has been elevated to a new level. While the casual sneaker remains a staple, many designers such as The Row, Balenciaga and Marc Jacobs all sent fabulous white boots and shoes down the runway during their Fall/Winter 2017 shows. One of my favourite fashion mavens Celine Aagard even included a gorgeous pair of white shoes in her collection for Eurosko. This trend is showing no signs of slowing down as designers have also featured white footwear in their Spring 2018 presentations, most recently Rag and Bone during New York Fashion Week. Needless to say – I love this trend!

While white footwear is not for the timid, it is fun, playful and definitely makes a statement. My favourite is the white bootie and the white heeled shoe – both of which can be easily worn with many outfits. Here are some of my favourite white footwear from the Fall 2017 runways and Instagram:

All images from http://www.harpersbazzar.com, Instagram and Pinterest.

I hope that you have a fabulous day! XXS

Why You Need to Add a Jade Roller To Your Beauty Routine

Published on September 7, 2017September 6, 2017 by soreiya1 Comment

Over the past few years the jade roller has become a popular tool in many peoples beauty arsenal. While they are often included in beauty flay lays posted to Instagram, and occasionally gets a shout out by beauty vloggers on Youtube, many people don’t realize that jade rollers are a fabulous addition to even the most simple of beauty routines.

The jade roller was a closely guarded beauty secret of Chinese Royalty for centuries. Aside from the beauty benefits, using a jade roller was also considered a spiritual act for dispelling bad energy and balancing your Chi (Vital life or energy force). Symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue and body pains are often considered indications of imbalanced Chi. Practices such as using a jade roller or acupuncture along with self care practices such as getting enough sleep, exercising and eating well can help to realign your Chi.

Aside from the holistic benefits of using a jade roller, there are also some great beauty benefits as well. The top three beauty benefits of using a Jade roller are:

Brighten complexion
Chase away fine lines
Release tension that is held in the facial muscles resulting in a more relaxed and youthful complexion

Rolling the jade over your skin assists in lymphatic drainage, increases blood circulation and helps to diminish fine lines. It also helps your products to penetrate more deeply into your skin. An added bonus of using a jade roller it is great in helping to relieving puffiness after a late night – keep it in the refrigerator to increase the cooling sensation.

How to use a jade roller:

Cleanse and apply your serum and/or your moisturizer as your normally would
Starting at the neck, roll the jade roller in an upwards motion in long strokes
Complete rolling the jade roller over your entire face and neck in an upward motion
Use the smaller roller to massage the under eye area to help to alleviate any puffiness that you may be experiencing
Wipe the roller clean with a damp towel
Enjoy a brighter more youthful complexion!

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a jade roller to get the benefits of it – I purchased mine from Amazon for $8.00 . Please note that the colour of the jade will vary from roller to roller – this is just due to different colours of the stone and does influence the effectiveness of the roller. Here are a few jade roller options in so that you can shop this post:

Jade Rollers on Amazon

Jade Rollers from Herbivore Botanicals

Jade Rollers on Etsy

The Stone Massage Company