Yummy Mummy is a recurring feature on Amazingy Magazine that serves to shine a spotlight on the supermoms who combine raising a family with their own career and life goals — and look great while doing it.
Our Yummy Mummy this month is Tina Molin, who is not only a published journalist for several renowned German newspapers, but also a freelance contributor to Amazingy Magazine. She writes about health fads, sustainable fashion trends or eco-conscious companies that peak her interest.

Age: 42
Number of children: 1, Minou
Status: Happily in love with partner Johannes for 8 years

Tina, not only do you freelance for different companies and have been published in several newspapers and magazines as a journalist, you also have a child, dabble in dj’ing and next to all that have also written a science fiction novel recently. How do you combine everything and still maintain to feel balanced?

Since I had Minou, basically everything changed. One of the biggest changes I immediately noticed was the constant deprivation of energy. The most important thing for me is to get enough sleep. With enough hours under my belt my nerves feel stronger and I tend to be way more relaxed and happy. I usually go to bed around nine pm, because with a child, you never know what the night brings.

I started to focus a lot on nutrition to get my energy levels back, trying out all kinds of different diet trends and health fads. By trial and error I finally figured out that a diet based on the blood type works best for me. I have blood type AB, and fatty fish and salads tend to leave me feeling the most energized. It’s important to figure out what types of food actually benefit your system, instead of it taking an unnecessary toll on your body.

In addition, I try to meditate whenever I get the chance.
One thing I learned after becoming a mom is that I need to more pragmatic, instead of dogmatic. For example, sometimes focusing on the right way of eating, just adds on stress. There are days when I simply enjoy a burger and some fries when there is little time for anything else, and get back on track with my healthy way of living the following day.
Basically, it all comes down to nutrition, sleep and meditation for me. If I can take care of these things four days out of seven, I’m really happy.

How has your beauty routine changed since you became a mom?

I tend to do everything less. I stopped using make up almost completely, noticing that I need a lot less personal grooming than I thought I did. Even daily showers are now cut down to every three or four days, freshening up with a washcloth in between. It saves a lot of time, and has actually improved my skin. Next to that, I stopped using cleansing products for the face, and just wash with a Konjac Sponge instead.

My morning routine consists of brushing my teeth, washing my face with the Konjac Sponge, dabbing on a bit of Dr. Alkaitis day and eye cream and using some Soapwalla deodorant. I’ll add a few dabs of Egyptian Magic for dry hands, feet or elbows and sometimes put a little bit of the cream on my eyelids as well, for a brighter look.

At Amazingy one of our main topics is healthy living and a chemical free life. Your spin on this has had you writing about water filters and using no shampoo (No Poo), to testing natural deodorants. Have these topics influenced your own life and do you try out everything you write about?

I do, actually. The thing about being a journalist and a reporter is that you get exposed to so many different types of people, and so many different ways of living and doing things. For me this also means that I get to try and experience the things that I write about, instead of just putting it all down on paper or a screen.

What is the craziest health fad or diet you decided to try out yourself?

Going the whole nine yards with the No Poo thing was quite freaky, I have to say. I didn’t know anybody in my personal circle of friends that doesn’t use shampoo or shower gel for instance.
To then disregard these unwritten rules and actually ask: “Why? Why all these products, why all those chemicals?” turned out to be a polarizing thing. People started smelling my head up close, sniffing around me, incapable of believing that we really don’t need a multitude of products to remain fresh and clean.

In addition, trying to stop using generic deodorants that contain aluminum was the funniest thing I tried out, because at the end of my research period, none of the natural deodorants seemed to work. I ended up even destroying a silk dress, and my partner just ditched the whole concept and started using regular deodorant again, completely disheartened by the whole concept. It was eye opening to say the least that even natural products have their limitations.

What is the number one health tip you would like to give to readers who are just started venturing on the chemical-free road, based on your experience?

I would advise people to start slow, transitioning in phases, instead of trying to do everything all at once. If you want to stop using mainstream products on your face, try out a travel size set first of a natural product you like, and see how your skin reacts. Test it for a few weeks, at the very least. Taking your time will not only save you money in the long run, it will also give your skin an opportunity to slowly adjust.

What is the biggest misconception people have about living a chemical-free life, in your opinion?

A lot of people seem to think that not only is chemical-free living useless, but that it is also expensive. What they don’t seem to realize is that everything we put on our skin will eventually go into our body. Especially when you live in a city, where you have zero influence on things such as pollution, it is all the more important in my opinion to try to eliminate harmful things where you can. It’s easily done, by drinking clean, filtered water, eating organic whenever possible, and by switching to organic cosmetics instead of using chemically-laden ones. All in all, all these things combined can have a tremendous effect on your sense of well-being.