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
fb.me/wiserhumans
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
Have you ever eaten a full meal, but still felt there was something missing? You are physically full but not satisfied and you go on a wild rampage in search of something sweet or salty to give you that hit you didn’t get from your meal.
What if the simple solution were simply to add more umami to your meal?
Umami elevates the taste intensity of a dish. It’s your regular meal, on steroids. And this is very important since taking full pleasure in what you are eating actually increases nutrient absorption in the body while stopping you from overeating or having cravings later on.
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!
By Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
With the start of the cold season, are people around you sniffling and coughing? Now is the time to start boosting your immune system so you can keep the dreaded cold and flu virus at bay with delicious, whole foods and common-sense lifestyle shifts!
Here are a few ideas:
Meet the allium family
Vegetables from the allium family - onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives, spring onion - are among the best foods to boost your immune system. Garlic in particular, has been shown to fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi. So add these wonderfully pungent vegetables to your soups, stews, sauces and salads!
