TO CELEBRATE MOTHER’S DAY, we are honoring the women who raised us, nourished us, and nurtured us throughout our lives and into the well-rounded women we are today. Yes, our mothers, without whom bonberi may never have been possible. Read on to discover how Peggy and Uni approach living a healthy, balanced life with their holistic tips on beauty, wellness and diet. Because after all, moms know best.

VANESSA’S MOM, PEGGY

Mindfulness

It’s very important to take care of yourself, no matter how busy are. Taking care of your body and mind keeps everything in your life running smoother. You always want to be relevant to today, by staying focused on the world around you. Try to make an effort, no matter how small, such as recycling, buying organic, or donating goods. Everything we do makes a difference. Keeping simple practices of what works for you goes a long way. 

Diet  

I always pay attention to what I eat, and I try to be a seasonal eater. There’s always an enormous salad involved in every meal. I especially love dark leafy greens. In the winter, I try to have winter friendly veggies. Yams, acorn squash, soups with plenty of barley and long grain rice can be really nourishing. Summer, I have lots of fruits with loads of potassium such as watermelon and bananas. I’ve always tried to eat sensibly, and set a good example for my children. I’ve always tried to incorporate cancer fighting veggie such as broccoli, spinach, and fresh made sauerkraut into my diet. I’ve been juicing since the 70s, before it was a trend, and would always incorporate fresh juices into my children’s diet growing up. I prefer centrifugal green juices with lots of ginger and lemon, and fresh carrot juice, which has always been a staple in my diet. When Vanessa was growing up, I was macrobiotic, so she ate a lot of what I ate. Miso soup, brown rice, seaweed and steamed veggies were staples in her meals. I still crave the simplicity and tradition of those meals after so many years of eating them. 

Exercise 

I make it a point to get to the gym everyday. I’ve always been a runner, but more recently I’ve been trying out yoga. Whatever I can do to get a sweat going. It is just as much about the mental release and relieving stress then about physically staying fit. I like getting my blood flowing, and it’s good for eyesight and hearing and as you get older. In the summer I go biking, swimming and play tennis. Anything to be outdoors.

Beauty

• Avocado on the skin for a glowing complexion.
• Equal  parts of white vinegar and water is best for the perfect PH balance on your complexion. Also great for sunburns, minor kitchen burns, insect and jellyfish bites too!
• Warm olive oil on hair a few times a month keeps it lustrous.
• Rubbing the skin with basil leaves is an excellent mosquito repellant.
• Before I go to bed at night, I lay with my feet and legs elevated up against the wall. It helps with circulation and prevents cellulite.
• If you have a bruise, make a paste from ground parsley leaves and water and apply directly to the bruise. It brings circulation to that area and helps to reduce the appearance of black and blue marks.
• Arnica Montana is always in my medicine cabinet as well. It’s a life saver for bumps and bruises. 

FOR PEGGY’S RECIPES, CLICK BELOW

Halibut Cooked in Parchment Paper

Simple Classic Salad

NICOLE’S MOM, UNI

On Everyday Meditation

I try to sit everyday for a few minutes. Short but consistent. I have been to intense meditation retreats in the past, which is wonderful if you have the time and other physical conditions allow, but meditation is not just for the meditation temple. In everyday life, meditation can continue throughout whatever we are doing. With each step in everyday life, as we are working, cooking, cleaning, doing errands. During these chores, our mind must ask itself the ultimate one question: “Who am I?” As my Dharma master says, who are you before you received your body from the parent? Whenever I can i constantly come back to this question, it rids myself of all my worries and sufferings. Negative thoughts disappear. By continuing to ask this question at some point in time, you attain your own wisdom and awareness of the nature of life. Naturally you will be more powerful and more productive in life. Also, before I go to bed, I review my day thinking how much I’ve tried to serve others. These kinds of habit help give the clarity to live a happy life. 

On Diet 

I live by a 70/30 rule but there is no perfect answer for everyone. Each of us has a different body constitution. These days, I enjoy more than ever drinking green juice and eating a lots of vegetables. All kinds of vegetables all day long. I feel like I am the green and the trees . 
I thank my daughter that she introduced me how to have the healthy life and still can be stylish !
After all, food is meant to nourish us to do good work for humanity and serve some higher purpose in life. I try to remind myself of this always. 

On Korean Foods

I grew up with the simple healthy foods at home. A popular Korean dish is seaweed soup pronounced as “Miyeok guk”. Sea vegetables known as wakame are good for our body. Freshly caught fresh seaweed is truly natural medicine. It contains lots of iodine and calcium, which is good especially for women to help blood circulation. I ate them for a month straight after I had my first child. Mountain roots are rare and unprocessed by human hands and have a very high nutritional value of calcium, iron, protein, and vitamin B. Ginseng has various benefits such as immune enhancement for fatigue and nerve stability. I like to eat ginseng dipped in honey, which helps rid the bitterness. Fermented soybean soup or “Cheonggukjang” is another popular health food, which has the long lists of benefits and is often cooked with sprouts, potatoes, onions and kimchi. It’s supposed be high in enzymes. Kimchi is the fermented side dish made from cabbage, radishes and different vegetables with garlic, ginger, red pepper and scallions. It contains lactobacillus to help digest the food as well as fiber and vitamins .

On Good Skin

For the good skin, cleansing is the most important, I use very thin cotton cloth wash my face with natural mild soap and let it breathe over night with nothing on. Sometimes I do enjoy an egg face mask before bed. Egg yolks supports skin nutritional supplements and it protects from aging while egg whites help remove blackheads and are good for pore management . No side effect most of time and it is easy to administrate at home. My favorite Korean skincare product is Sulwhasoo concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream. Secondly, sun block is essential realized finally how important to put the sun block everyday. I love to sweat in Korean Spa sweat lodges at King Spa in New Jersey. Then I use a fresh grated cucumber mask to cool down. The moisture of the cucumber prevents premature aging of the skin while its chlorophyll and vitamin C minerals make the skin bright and transparent. I do infrared sauna constantly to rid of my toxicity in the skin. I also drink a lot of water and sleep well to have the radiant skin. But my personal secret, which is better than any skincare regimen is that the facial expression. Always have happy soft eyes and smile. That is true beauty.

FOR UNI’S RECIPES, CLICK BELOW:

Cheonggukjang (Fermented tofu soup)

Korean Seaweed Soup

Kimchi (Fermented cabbage)