Christina's blog

I am continually stunned at how out of touch so many of us are when it comes to our impact on our fragile planet. Even when we think we are living more consciously; often…if we really look, we are consuming at an alarming rate. Each and every one of us takes and takes from the planet that gives us life with barely a passing thought as to our impact on her…me included sometimes.

Backache,headache, sore knees, whatever ails you, pain is a game-changer and we are impatient to be rid of it once it parks itself on our doorstep.

Before reaching for a toxic (and possibly addicting) pain killer, remember that the plant kingdom can have a strong and effective analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Researchers are looking seriously at natural pain relief and discovering that Mother Nature once again has our backs…and heads…and joints…and tummies…and…

Joint and Muscle Aches

The more I get to know myself (seems to take a lifetime), the more I recognize what works for my system and what doesn’t; and I don’t just mean food. It has made my choices crystal clear.

If I wouldn’t eat hot dogs, because well, they’re not even food, why would I stress my body with other kinds of toxins?

As I…mature…I am always looking for ways to keep my skin supple and vibrant, naturally. I had been hearing about this ancient skin massage called “gua sha” and decided to check it out. Let me warn you right here. Do not search “gua sha” unless you want to scare yourself silly with photos of an aggressive ancient body massage method that leaves the skin beet red from a method known as “scraping.” Intended to help stimulate blood flow and drain the lymphatic system, this therapy pre-dates acupuncture.

My dear friend and food writer extraordinaire, Jason loves the movie “Love, Actually” so I named this article for him. It was through him that I had the chance to travel to Naples on a whirlwind food tour. Our mission? Pasta. And what a delicious mission it was.

Every holiday season I struggle. I struggle with gift giving. Do I simply make a large donation to a worthy cause in all my loved ones’ names? Do I make gifts, like jams, breads, cookies or pickles? Do I make watercolor paintings or drawings?

It’s that time of year. Our hearts warm (while the rest of us is chilled) and we begin to count our blessings. You do count your blessings, right? I try to count them each and every day, but this time of year always reminds me just how blessed I am.

It’s Giving Tuesday, the day where we open our hearts and support the work we believe can make a difference. It’s a great feeling to give back, which is why I founded The Christina Pirello Health Education Initiative, dedicated to making our communities healthier through education.

It’s that time of year. Our hearts warm (while the rest of us is chilled) and we begin to count our blessings. You do count your blessings, right? I try to count them each and every day, but this time of year always reminds me just how blessed I am.

It’s that time again:

I am asked this question all the time, but I realized that I have never really dedicated an entire blog to the topic of soy and the fear that has been created around this humble bean.