Hiba Samawi (formerly Giacoletto) is a Psychologist and Coach working in Geneva, Lausanne and online.
A Swiss-Jordanian mix, she has a Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Lausanne and is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). She previously ran Healthwise.ch, a health coaching business where she also created healthy recipes.
Hiba uses mindfulness-based behavioural approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). These are more active forms of therapy where, more than just talk, you learn skills for living.
She specializes mostly in difficulties around relationships, emotions, making healthy change and eating, and also offers group sessions, both in-person in Geneva/Lausanne and online.
www.wiserhumans.com
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Article by Carolina Rodriguez Barros, Dare to Glow, (www.daretoglow.com) and Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise Health Coaching (www.healthwise.ch)
In Part 1 of our article about pain-free periods, we looked at some spirtual and emotional techniques that we share with clients who suffer from PMS or Premenstrual Symptoms. Part 2 will now focus on nutritional options for helping sufferers deal with a condition that can transform them into a different person in the days before or during your period.
FOOD: NOURISH YOUR BODY IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY
In addition to working on the spiritual and emotional side of PMS and honoring your body’s needs at this time, eating the right foods is a powerful ways to turn PMS around.
You don’t need to eat a perfect diet - try instead to aim for at least 80% healthy foods and fully enjoy the 20% of less healthy foods you allow yourself. This is a more realistic way of making sustainable change.
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
A simple and effective approach to start eating more healthy is to switch to healthier alternatives of foods you commonly consume.
Here are my top five healthier switches.
1. Regular salt -> Unrefined salt such as sea salt, Himalayan salt or Celtic salt
Regular salt is refined and stripped of plenty of beneficial minerals that are naturally found in salt. Switch to unrefined salt which is a little grey or pink in color rather than white. Using an unrefined salt is much more important than trying to limit the amount you use since unrefined salt is an essential part of a healthy diet.
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
Do you often crave something sweet after a meal?
I have the perfect healthy treat for you!
Sweetened with dates, these Sweet Spiced Balls also contain minerals and vitamins such as iron, potassium, calcium, manganese, copper and dietary fiber. Make sure you have a good food processor (S-blade) to grind dates into a paste though as they can get stuck in blenders.
Always buy the best quality you can find, preferably the Medjool variety. They are bigger and softer than other dates and work very well as a paste.
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
This is my go-to recipe on days when I don't feel like cooking, especially in winter.
It is a very versatile recipe that uses lentils, your choice of vegetables, tomato sauce and a mix of herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano. I also add in some more umami taste to enhance the flavor with some blended dried tomatoes (you can buy them without the oil) as well as a dash of red wine vinegar just before serving. In many traditional lentil recipes you will see lemon or vinegar added at the end of the preparation because it really 'lifts' the flavor while making the lentils easier to digest. Also, make sure you never salt lentil until they are cooked.
I usually use green or brown lentils as they don't become mushy, which I prefer for this stew. Lentils are a great source of protein, fiber, folate, potassium and magnesium while being quite easy and quick to prepare since they don't need soaking like beans.
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
This is a tasty and healthy addition to any main dish. Choose root vegetable such as sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, black salsify, Jerusalem artichoke, celery root, beets, potatoes etc. Most of these vegetables are currently in season and you can use them without even knowing their names! You can also add squash or pumpkin and roughly chop a few onions to add more taste. Roasting these vegetables is a great way of bringing out their natural sweetness and giving them a more complex flavor that even people who don't normally eat vegetables will like!
