Wellness as a Lifestyle- how it started

Hi, for new faces, I’m Ariana.

I’ve always had a deep passion for all things wellness, whether it was fitness, nutrition, mental health. I grew up with so many amazing cooks in the family, 2 being BOTH parents- I took advantage and felt I never had to cook! My parents and grandparents did show me recipes, tricks and tips but it took me until much later to realize the importance of home cooked meals, family recipes and of course, ingredients. My mom is the spice QUEEN. Nothing ever needs extra sauces, additives or preservatives in her meals. It all comes from prep and herbs and spices. The role of herbs in my diet has been INTEGRAL to my health. Most Americans use sauces, sugars, preservatives, lard and more to season their foods, when truly, all you need is herbs, spices and an understanding of how ingredients work together. Let me tell you, seasoning with herbs and spices pack in even bigger flavor punch than you can imagine.

So, why am I going on about spices and herbs? Because the LACK of preservatives, lard, fats, and additives in my diet has truly helped me understand the craft of cooking even though I’ve only begun my cooking journey in the last few years. I mean REALLY cooking.

It began about 10 years ago when fitness and physical health became a huge priority for me. I started experimenting with diets and decided to try PALEO. It it pretty strict, so it allowed me to NOT feel so overwhelmed with options and I began to play with foods and spices. I fell in LOVE with cooking, Whole Foods and how it made my body feel. I had more energy, my gut wasn’t bloated as much, my skin cleared a little and I was in the best physical shape of my life up to that point.

Over the next few years I experimented with more diets, foods and created healthy alternatives to family staples!

The goal of this blog is to of course speak about skincare and wellness, but also about lifestyle and wellness- how wellness NEEDS to be a lifestyle choice for it to be effective to live a healthy life. I will share recipes, wellness rituals, gut and skin health ideas and more. I hope to inspire you to cook for yourselves, while still enjoying life. - To not fear food, but to learn to use it to love yourself, your skin and your life.

Remember- gut health is skin health is mental health is Physical health is Wellness.

I’m glad you’re here. =)