As beautiful as this time of year can be, we all know that depression and stress peak during the holiday season.

If you’re feeling blue, it’s no surprise. This season can bring up feelings of lack, of anxiety,  of loneliness, or grief.  Perhaps you’re single and wishing for a partner. Perhaps you are grieving a loss. Perhaps you don’t have the family support you’d like to have, and seeing the chummy images of siblings and parents and cousins gathered round the fire just brings it painfully home. Or perhaps you’re far away from your community. It’s all too common to submerge our feelings in food, and the holiday season provides us with plenty of cookies, candy and cheese balls to do so.

Rather than drowning your sorrows in caramel popcorn, try showing up for your feelings. Identify a supportive friend or family member and ask if you can do a daily check in with them for the next week. Make a commitment to yourself about how you’re going to take care of yourself. Do you vow to avoid chocolate? Will you only allow yourself one slice of pie per day? Do you think a few minutes of daily meditation would make all the difference? Each day, let your contact person know whether you’ve accomplished your goal. It’s not about doing things perfectly. It’s about being accountable. If you wind up bingeing on candy canes, but you have to be honest with someone about it, perhaps it will prompt you to look at what’s REALLY going on emotionally.

Most of all, remember to find something you enjoy about the season. Do you love the smell of Christmas trees? Creating ornaments? Taking a walk through the neighborhood to look at the holiday lights? Identify a non-food activity to indulge in. When you’re feeding your heart, you won’t be looking to food.

It’s fun getting people gifts when you’re inspired. But if you feel obligated to spend $40 on an ugly scarf for CeeCee just because you happen to sit next to her at work…don’t. The holidays are a perfect time to present coworkers and family members with delicious and nutritious homemade treats. Sugar abounds at this time of year, and we all know how toxic that stuff is (check out Nancy Appleton’s 146 Reasons Why Sugar is Ruining Your Health).  How about trying some naturally sweetened alternatives? You can introduce your community to the concept of healthy indulging. Even better, include a recipe with the gift so that they can try it on their own.

I recently stumbled upon this site and felt super inspired by the abundance of easy desserts. Try:

RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE TURTLES

RAW VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

RAW VEGAN ALMOND BUTTER COOKIES

And of course, a few stevia recipes:

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP CHERRY COOKIES

STEVIA CHEESECAKE, BROWNIES, AND MORE

Don’t forget to  let me know what you think!

photo credit: kevindooley

Food.

Merriam-Webster’s defines it as, “any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, and promote growth”.  For many of us, however, food  means so much more. It is a way to socialize, ease emotional pain, cover up feelings of anger,  reward ourselves or ease boredom. We are emotional eaters and our waistlines are expanding because of it–experts say that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.

Emotional eating has a myriad of causes–inability to deal effectively with stress, depression, anxiety, low self esteem, patterning in childhood-but overcoming emotional eating can be done-by understanding what triggers you to eat and changing the habits that support this eating.

Here are some common emotional triggers and ways to circumvent them:

• Boredom: you eat when there is nothing else to do or when you don’t know what you should be doing. This is perhaps the easiest kind of emotional eating to kick. Chances are you just need to be made aware of the times you are vulnerable and have a sure plan on how to deal with it.  When you feel yourself going back to the kitchen to snack, try leaving the house and going on a walk instead, pick up something that occupies your hands like knitting or drawing, or keep only low calorie snacks around so that you know you won’t pay for overindulging.

• Depression: Many of us eat to stop feeling the sadness, anger, and hopelessness involved in being depressed. Eating makes us feel better for a few minutes, but it is a quick fix. Exercise, meditation, and therapy are all wonderful ways to get in touch with how you feel and help cure depression. Often, we discover that our reliance on food to make us feel better stems from childhood-,either our parents used food as comfort or denied us food as punishment. Understanding your early patterns of food as reward or punishment can help you decode when and how you are likely to overeat.  One good thing to remember, is that your need for reward or comfort is a healthy feeling, it’s just that food is not a healthy tool to use. Try replacing food with things that are good for you and your body–short hikes, massages, facials, a movie, a good book, or a conversation with a friend–little things go a long way toward helping you feel healthy and happy. If it is anger you are trying to stuff down with food, try letting it out in healthy ways that you don’t have to be afraid of like a kickboxing class, self-defense, or scream therapy. You might find that if you feel safe enough to let out your anger, you won’t have to eat as much to keep it from coming up.

• Social: In our culture, food is also a social tool. We celebrate with food, connect with food, and create ritual with food. If your family is like mine, you learned that food is a part of any social gathering. The problem comes in when we use social engagements to overeat.  It’s only natural to consume more calories when we are out with others. We are busy talking and not paying attention to what we are putting into our mouths, we indulge in dessert because the other person is too, or we are expected to eat as much as we can (Hello Thanksgiving!). Being aware in social situations is one of the best ways to stop this kind of overeating. If you are going to a party, eat a healthy meal at home first so that you are less likely to overindulge, at restaurants box up half your meal before you start eating so that you don’t have to worry about limiting your portion or better yet share a meal or dessert.  Sometimes we overeat in social situations because we are anxious. Taking deep breathes and having a glass of water to sip on instead of nibbling on food are good ways to help calm your nerves. Perhaps, however, the best way of dealing with social eating is to begin to engage in activities not centered around food. Instead of going out to dinner with friends, go on a walk, hike, or bike ride instead. Meet up at a coffee shop instead of a bar or a museum instead of a restaurant. Take a dance class together. For holidays, go out and look at lights or try caroling or volunteering. There are so many ways to connect with people and the more we become committed to healthy engagement the less obsessed with food we become.

• Situational: Do you find yourself eating because the food is there?  Eating in front of the television or having to get the big bag of popcorn at the theater because the movies just aren’t the same without it? If so, then you fall prey to situational eating. The easiest way to stop this kind of eating is to recognize the triggers and go out of your way to change the habit or substitute with a healthy habit instead. Try not to eat in front of the t.v. Some research suggests that we consume more than 50% more calories this way. If you need to, make sure to snack on fruit or raw veggies. Popcorn at the movies? Bring your own air-popped popcorn or allow yourself only the smallest size. Eating because the food is just there? If it’s at your house, make sure you don’t keep so much food around. If out, make sure you always have a healthy snack on you that you can indulge in to ease the temptation. If you stop for donuts because they are on the way to work then go a different way.

photo credit: timlewisnm

photo credit: pfala

One key to creating health is to listen to ourselves and our bodies. Being aware is a powerful tool, one that allows us to understand clues and symptoms of both health and disease. These tips come in the form of cravings, moods, or physical cues and can make the difference between losing weight and looking great or being frustrated with our health.  Here are five quick ways to tell how your health stacks up today:

Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat– Not true! Sweating easily is a sign of physical conditioning and health. It removes toxins and too much sodium from the body and helps regulate body temperature when you exercise. One of the goals of any fitness routine should be to work up at least a light sweat. Sweat can also give you clues into your health. A lack of sweat can mean you are dehydrated while night sweats can mean trouble with your thyroid.

Blue Mood: You might not think that nutrition  has much to do with fatigue, but think again. Ditto PMS, and mental fogginess–

• Many times, fatigue, especially in the middle of the day or early evening, is directly related to  not getting enough complex carbohydrates, enough water, or enough iron.
• the bloating and moodiness associated with PMS can be caused by not getting enough calcium and magnesium and by eating too much sugar.  Taking a calcium supplement that also includes magnesium (for proper calcium absorption) and cutting back on sugar can really help ease the symptoms of PMS.
• Depression can also be exacerbated by poor nutrition, mainly not getting enough Omega 3 fatty acids, which is why many people on a low fat diet can experience sadness, anxiety and anger. Supplementing with wild caught fish, nuts, and flax seed oil in dressings, sauces, and soups is a great way to make sure you are getting enough healthy fats.
• A lack of vitamin E and/or iron is associated with mental fogginess. This can also be caused by not eating enough vegetables and a lack of antioxidants. Nuts and seeds are wonderful for vitamin E while leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and chard are good sources of antioxidants and iron.

Craving Health:  They come in so many forms and can really spell torture for those of us trying to get ourselves healthy.

• Craving carbs? You might not be eating enough calories. Not only are you slowing your metabolism but  you aren’t getting enough vitamins for good health.
• Craving salty foods? Exhausted adrenals might be to blame. Try drinking more water, sleeping more, and relieving anxiety.
• Sugar getting to you? An overabundance of yeast may be to blame. Chances are, if you cut sugar out of  your diet for a week or two those cravings will begin to disappear. Drinking water with lemon and avoiding white flour, vinegar, and mushrooms for a bit may also help.

A Sensitive Topic: Not many of us like to look at, let alone talk about our eliminations, but poo really does show us how healthy we are.  Healthy poo should have the size and shape of a banana, shouldn’t smell, should float, and should be golden brown in color. Some common abberations?

• Color–dark colored eliminations can mean you aren’t eating enough vegetables or are eating too much salt. Greenish poo can mean too much sugar in the diet.
• Frequency–going once to twice a day is ideal. Less means that toxins aren’t leaving your body properly and can mean you are allergic to dairy or wheat, aren’t eating enough vegetables, or are not drinking enough water.
• Consistency–your eliminations should be the consistency of an unripe banana. Pebble like poo means you aren’t getting enough fiber while more liquidy stool can point to allergies or lactose intolerance.

photo credit: A6U571N

While we have been told the alarming amount of weight gain in the last couple decades is the direct correlation of eating too much and exercising too little, scientists are discovering that not everthing is what it seems. Pollution, they have discovered, may be one dirty culprit sabotaging our waistlines.  Certain industrial chemicals act as  endocrine disruptors, screwing around with the hormones that regulate metabolism and appetite control. These chemicals, largely found in pesticides, flame retardants, and phthalates–used to plasticize a wide range of everyday products, from water bottles to makeup—also are thought to cause cancer and developmental defects as well as obesity.

Different studies have found that different chemicals effect the body and its fat cells in different ways. At Laval University in Quebec, scientists discovered that pesticides such as DDT and organochlorines such as dioxin are stored in our fat cells. As we lose weight, those chemicals are released back into our bloodstream in alarming rates, disrupting our thyroid gland’s ability to regulate our metabolism. Basically, the scientists found, these chemicals shut down our ability to burn fat.

Other chemicals, called organotins, are stabilizers used in products almost universally, from clothing to pesticides to plastics. Some findings show these chemicals to increase the amount of mature fat cells in the body, making it almost impossible to keep fat off and lose weight. Other researches hypothesize that these chemicals cause allergic reactions in our bodies, increasing inflammation which leads to obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Of course, we still do tend to eat too much and exercise too little, but if we are committed to not just weight loss, but to health, here are some tips to avoid these pollutants:

Eat organic–It’s not just more nutritious, it helps you avoid those pesticides that can disrupt the hormones in your body.  They do cost more, but look at the big picture-the health problems caused by pesticides cost much more in the long run. To cut down on the costs-try to go local. Often, small organic farms near you are cheaper than what you find in grocery stores. Make a fun trip out of going and picking your own produce or sign up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) and have  your produce delivered to you. Better yet, grow your own! A small veggie garden is a wonderful project for children and adults alike.

Store in Glass or Metal–Ditch those plastic water bottles, especially the disposable ones. These have been shown to break down in heat (such as the backseat of a car on a summer day) releasing chemicals into water whose origin is already iffy at best. Ditto plastic food storage containers. Glass is the way to go. If, like me, you can’t necessarily afford to go out and buy a whole set of glassware to store leftovers, try reusing pasta sauce, salsa, and other glass jars. Many have lids wide enough to store just about anything. For water bottles, metal is the best choice. If you must use plastic, don’t use hot water, microwave it, or leave it in the sun.

Go Natural–Many of these chemicals are found in everyday items that we never equate with dangerous pesticides or plastics–from clothing to cosmetics. Going all natural is the best way to be sure. Organic cotton and wool clothing is now widely available, and all natural cosmetics are beginning to become mainstream. While many products may seem to be chemical free, the only way to really know is to check your products out on a website such as the Cosmetic Database or the Household Products database.

Detox and Support–It’s important to flush those chemicals out of your body when losing weight as well as supporting your thyroid with seaweeds–in the form of salad, sushi wraps, or supplements. Detoxing your body with food and increased water can help clean the chemicals.

Finally, a thought on what this all means to me–everywhere I look it seems that our current culture is too complex, to pollutant, to wasteful. We are polluting our environment, our bodies, our minds and our souls. While we can make little changes to ensure that we stop poisoning ourselves, it seems like a paradigm shift may be in order–starting to think locally, sustainably, and simply–getting back to what it means to live a healthy and joyful life. Let’s take back control of our bodies, our food, the products we use in our everyday life–and demand that the corporations that create these products become accountable to the health of their consumers.

photo credit: krossbow

photo credit: leoniewise

What do these people have in common: J.K. Rowling, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Winston Churchill, Michael Jordan, Walt Disney, and Henry Ford? Besides being household names, these are only a handful of extremely successful people who credit FAILURE with making them achieve greatness.  Yep, failure.

So what, you may ask, does this have to do with health and weight loss? Simply this: The theories and practice of accepting failure can actually contain the seeds of success when it comes to transforming your health and body. This is because failure, scientists are learning, seems to be hardwired in the brain to equal learning–the more wrong we are, the quicker we learn. By utilizing this understanding, we can actually temper ourselves to setbacks and get the most out of them. Here are a few things that failure teaches us:

• Resiliency: Simply put, the more we fail, the more we understand that we are always a work in progress and nothing about our lives is fixed in stone–this includes our bodies, the way we eat, and the way we look. This gives us incredible freedom to change.  Instead of beating ourselves up every time we slip up with our diet or because we didn’t know something about what makes us healthy, we see it as a learning opportunity. And the more we learn about ourselves, the more we know in the future what will and won’t work for us.  For our brains, failure is all about making our thinking more efficient. So you will learn that eating every three hours doesn’t work for you and move on, each time getting closer to the real changes that will transform your health.

• Opportunity: Successful people are people who have put themselves out there and tried whatever they could get there hands on. They are not more talented, or smarter, or luckier than anybody else–they have simply tried more and different things until something worked. They aren’t afraid of failure, of falling down. They know how to get back up. Apply this to your own life–what would you try if you were not  afraid of failing?  Just take the example of exercise. We know that it is one of the most important lifestyle choices in being healthy, but it isn’t always easy to find the perfect sport or activity. For those of us who aren’t afraid of failing, trying everything is seen as an opportunity–so get out there and try it–run, bicycle, do aerobics, swim, yoga, rock climb and find what you are passionate about. It’s out there just waiting to transform your life.

• Perspective: Finally, becoming fearless in the face of failure gives us perspective, that is, where we are now is tempered by where we have been and that has the amazing ability of putting our fears, our cravings, and our emotions in their proper place. Perspective soothes our anxieties; it calms us. And when we are calm our emotions cease to rule us.  We know that if we slip up and eat junk food we are not bad people, we are simply having an off day and we can recommit ourselves the next day. If we go two weeks without exercising we don’t throw in the towel, we shrug, love ourselves, and get out there at the next opportunity. Perspective allows us to understand that our lives are made up of a million small moments, that we will always fall down, and that it is the getting up that is important, the constant getting back up that makes the difference between an average life and one that is extraordinary.

photo credit: genome4hire

When embracing your own ability and need to fail, think about how children learn. Take running, for example. We are not born with the ability to run, we learn it slowly. First we learn to roll over, then we learn to push ourselves up, then crawl, then stand, then walk, and finally run. Throughout this whole process, we fall down over and over again and over and over again we stand back up and we keep falling now and again throughout our whole lives.  So let’s keep the perseverence and innocence of children in everything we do and be willing to put ourselves out there because that is how we learn, always.

photo credit: aussiegall

For the Navajo, as with many native cultures, the concepts of beauty and harmony are interlinked. Dis-ease comes when things are out of balance. This lack of balance can stem from universal forces such as elements and weather, problems within one’s community, or imbalance within one’s own self. The Navajo have a ceremony called “The Beauty Way” which heals an ill individual by restoring harmony.

photo credit: SuperFantastic

How many times have I spoken with a client or another interested individual about their own health concerns. “I’m overweight”, they say, or “I am exhausted”. It doesn’t take long before their pattern of imbalance is revealed. Our modern society is a recipe for disharmony. Long hours at work, fast food, fluorescent lighting, traffic, pollution…what we encounter on a daily basis sets us up for dis-ease. Western researchers are beginning to be able to quantify the effects of what they call “stress” but native people have understood this concept all along. Our bodies and spirits were build to rest in a balance. Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health will only thrive when we nourish each of these dimensions.

Attaining health is not about following some set, rigid prescription of rules. It’s not about eating only salads or meat to lose weight, or exercising 3 hours per day at the gym. It’s about being gentle with yourself and giving yourself what you need. Some days, finding balance means foregoing the exercise and relaxing on the couch.

What does walking in beauty mean to you? Our culture is so sped up that we tend to think of “feeling good” as “getting high” – on food, drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, gambling, or any other experience we can use to get a quick hit. But what touches your heart and makes it sing? What makes you feel peaceful and joyful? Here’s some of my best weight loss advice: I can talk to you till I’m blue in the face about protein at 5 hour intervals, but the best way to attain physical health is by taking a walk in the Beauty Way. How can you be gentle with yourself today?

photo credit: oddsock

“it doesn’t take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do.”

–Elbert Hubbard.

A friend recently sent me this quote and it struck me as very true, especially when it comes to figuring out the big things–like love, life purpose, family….oh yeah, and taking care of ourselves. Let’s face it–with over 60% of us overweight and almost twenty percent on antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs (a three fold increase in just ten years)–it’s obvious that we don’t know how to care for ourselves very well.  We learn a lot in school growing up but there isn’t a class in how to be happy, how to love ourselves and others, how to figure out what we really want from life, or how to nourish and accept our bodies. So it’s up to us, as adults who want to be fit and lead full lives and pass that on to our children, to begin to learn how to nurture ourselves. And we can’t do that until we know one thing–what makes us tick, what is the spark that pushes us toward health. We have to know what motivates us or we will never truly be able to reach our goals.

I am a quitter. It’s true. Almost everything I have ever done I have quit, and often it is just when I am getting good, getting comfortable. I come so close to figuring it out, mastering it and then ‘poof’! For some mysterious reason my fire just goes out.  Suddenly the excuses are flying–it’s too cold to run, I’m just not in the mood to write, I love that yoga class but it’s too late at night…you see where I am going. Only recently have I been able to really sit down and start to figure out why this is the case. Motivation is different for all of us, but there are definitely patterns that we fall into. So read on and find out where your motivation lies and how to harness your spark to truly reach your goals:

Look Ma, No Hands!–Now our ego loves to ‘become’. It wants the characteristics but not so much the verbs. It readily clings to ‘I am a runner’ and not so much the act of running. It also loves to brag. For some of us, the ego has become a trap. When we are praised for what we ‘do’ outwardly and not for who we ‘are’ internally, we often learn that the praise from others is worth more than our own feelings. I often fell into this trap. Instead of getting motivation from myself, I got it from telling others about what I was doing and getting their praise or even acknowledgment. The problem with this is that, once everyone knows, it is no longer new and there is less gratification. Less gratification equals less motivation. And so then you are on to the next new thing….always hoping for that quick fix from others.  The same thing happens when you are losing weight. You might start having people comment on how good you look and you lose the motivation…suddenly it’s okay to eat junk again or slack on exercise because others have rewarded you–despite the fact that you haven’t reached your goal.  Our egos aren’t going to go away, they are part of us. So we have to outsmart them by acknowledging that they are there, that they want the approval of others, and then engage our friends and family into making us accountable to ourselves.  How do we do this?

• Pair up with a friend or loved one and exercise with them. This will help keep you from slacking when the going gets tough. Just make sure that they are not motivated in the same way you are or you might end up eating ice cream instead of exercising!
• With those closest to you, explain how you are motivated and expressly ask them to (gently!) keep after you. Have them ask you often if you are still meeting your goals and press you (gently!) to increase those goals.
  
• Ultimately, lasting motivation is going to have to come from within because at the end of the day, we are left with ourselves. So explore shifting motivation. Try thinking and writing about why you are trying to eat better or exercise, what it is about that particular fitness regimen you like etc. You just might find that it is more about yourself than you think.
• Keep some goals secret. Many business and motivation coaches say that the most vulnerable time for a new business is in the beginning stages, when it is pretty much just an idea. When we tell others about it then it can weaken the idea, dilute it. The same goes for any life change. So try not talking about what you are practicing so much. It is good to get support, but if that is the only way you know how to keep motivated, you risk becoming addicted to outside praise. So make a deal with yourself that you will only talk about your goals once a week–the rest of the week it is up to you to motivate yourself. Like the tip above, you might be surprised by what you find.

The Kitchen Sink– Here’s another one that many of us fall pray to. You’ve been doing so well, eating right, exercising every day and then something happens, something to stress you out. A fight with a loved one, a sick child, a bill you forgot to pay…the stress pushes you and you push back-at yourself.  You take a couple of days off, eat junk or stop exercising. And then you say ‘well I’ve already blown it so I might as well blow it some more’ and off you go…coming up to the surface only when you feel bad enough again to want to make it right. I call this the kitchen sink mentality, and unfortunately, it often hits the most intelligent of us out there, those of us that think globally and creatively. The think is, when you have a hard time thinking in steps, but instead are a ‘big picture’ person, it is easy to psych ourselves in or out of doing something. We often miss the small things that can make or break our goals.  I once had a friend describe it like this:  Imagine your life is like driving at night. You can only see that small area in front of your car that is illuminated by your headlights but you don’t freak out at the darkness out there, at all that space you can’t see. You have faith that the road and that your destination is there and that by paying attention to what you can see, that you will get there in the end. Life is like that. We have to have faith that the small things we do will add up into  big goals, that the two pounds we lose this month will equal twenty pounds by the end of the year; that by walking those two miles now, we will eventually be able to run them.  Some good ways to keep to the small goals:

photo credit: annia316

If you want to lose weight, you have to keep your blood sugar stable. You do this by avoiding sugar. Any sweetener, in fact, aside from stevia, which makes a frequent appearance in these Low GI Treat recipes. (Oh, and don’t go there with artificial sweeteners: those cancer and obesity-causing powders of Beelzebub.) Incidentally, stevia’s also the only natural sweetener that doesn’t aggravate candida.

If you’re a frequent reader of these recipes, though, you might be a little sick of hearing about stevia, so we’re going to discuss fruit today. Now, fruit is really not a crucial food. It’s nice and it’s tasty, but veggies contain everything fruit contains, and more. Didyou know, for example, cauliflower and asparagus happen to be very high in Vitamin C? But for some of us cutting out fruit is unrealistic, so let’s explore which fruits will create the lowest blood sugar spike.

There’s no rhyme or reason when guessing which fruits are the most sugary. Dried apricots happen to be very low at 31, while watermelon has a GI of 72! On the whole, it’s best to stick to citrus such as grapefruit and oranges, and berries such as blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, huckleberries, etc. Interestingly, most berries, aside from strawberries, contain so few carbs that it’s difficult to actually test their GI. They are estimated by various sources as ranging from 32 to 40. The fact that they are that low carb means their GI will be very low as well, so feel free to enjoy them. Other good choices include cherries at 22, plums at 25, and apples at 38.

photo credit: Steven Fernandez

A word about fruit juices. It’s unfortunate that their marketing as a healthful addition to one’s diet has been so successful. “Oh, I’m sick! I’ll get orange juice!” “Oh, I had a serving of apple juice this morning; that’s one of my five dailies of fruit/veg!” Please remember that fruit juice will spike your blood sugar more than if you consume the whole fruit at once. This is because the fiber present in the whole fruit slows the digestive process, thereby mellowing out the blood sugar. Also, vitamins begin to oxidize (break down) the moment they hit the air, so if you are drinking a bottled or canned juice you purchased at the grocery store, you are not getting many nutrients. If you want to prepare some fresh juice specifically for vitamin and mineral purposes, go right ahead, but not the best choice for weight loss.

photo credit: coda

Sea Vegetables: Also known as seaweed, a really lousy hit for such a great array of foods! Sea vegetables are truly medicine for modern people. A sustainable and abundant, nutrient dense food supply that grows around the world.

Why you want to eat more sea vegetables

There are a dozen commonly eaten sea vegetables that can be not only palatable, but quite tasty. When adding sea vegetables to the diet, remember that they vary greatly in nutrients. Here are just a few of the most noteworthy benefits:

· More minerals that any other food. Every known mineral that we need, sea vegetables can provide. With commercial food, minerals are in poor supply. Balance this with sea vegetables.

· Weight Management ~ The thyroid gland is under attack in modern life. More and more people have thyroid issues and sea vegetables are a tonic food for thyroid function. Increasing thyroid function can be beneficial for weight loss.

· Beautiful Skin ~ With internal moisturizing, improved detoxification, high concentration of skin friendly nutrients, sea vegetables are HOT in the natural beauty industry.

· Detox Radioactive Compounds ~ woah! Brown sea weed binds and expels radioactive isotopes from the thyroid gland. Detoxification is essential in the post-industrial age.

· Detox Heavy Metals ~ our bodies never had to deal with cadmium, mercury and lead in the way it does now. Sea Vegetables help the body efficiently detox these industrial waste products. (Wakame, Arame, Hijiki, Kombu)

· Optimal Health ~ “If you want higher health, you need sea vegetables,” Scott Olgren ~ author of The 28 Day Cleansing Program

Tips on sea vegetables:

• More is not necessarily better. You only need a tablespoon or so each day to get the benefits of this food. Too much and you might even tip the scales on the iodine levels
• Try adding in one new sea vegetable each season. In a few years, you will have a great reference point for how to consume them!
• Macrobiotic foods companies, like Eden Foods, are great sources of quality sea vegetables, as is Maine Sea Coast company.
• Rinsing sea vegetables mellows the flavor.

What to watch out for:

• A lot of sea vegetable products are imported from China. As with Goji berries or other Chinese herb and food products, make sure you buy from reputable distribution channels.
• Lots of sea vegetable salads in deli cases are died to be bright green. It is normal for sea vegetables to look brown though.

Where can I get them?

I order directly from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables and from Eden Foods. I love the Maine Coast Applewood Smoked Dulse, yum!

photo credit: chatirygirl

We may be moving into spring, but here in Boulder it was 34 degrees this morning, and there’s snow in the forecast for the Mid-West, mid-week. So cocoa is still appropriate.

Dairy’s one of the most common allergens. Most of us can’t actually digest it. We may experience immediate symptoms such as stomach ache or bloating, or longer term effects such as a compromised immune system, increased susceptibility to colds, and excessive mucus production. It’s really only a traditional food for people of Western European heritage, and even many of them lose the ability to process it as they age.

Milk in its raw form is a beautiful, nutrient-rich food that, prior to pasteurization, humans were consuming for thousands of years without significant side effects. This process, which supposedly “kills the bacteria”, also destroys the milk’s lactase – the enzyme used to help the digestion of lactose. This means that unless your body produces a lot of lactase inherently, which most bodies don’t, you are out of luck when it comes to milk.

If you think you might have difficulty with cow’s milk you can always try sheep’s or goat’s milk, which are more easily digested. It’s also worth seeing if you have a farm in your area that might supply you with raw milk. If you can’t do any animal milk, there are a wide array of nut and grain milks that are easily substituted. Almond milk, hazelnut milk, rice milk, and hemp milk are just a few that can be found at your local health food store. Please check the labels because many brands unnecessarily add sugar or the euphemism “cane juice”. I do NOT recommend soy milk for reasons enumerated in this post.

Which brings me to today’s recipe. Cocoa is traditionally prepared using cow’s milk. Do I want to post a recipe to which most of my readers will be allergic? I think not. This one will be even better because it is made with the tropical flavor of coconut milk. I combine it with almond milk to cut the richness, but you don’t have to. A few spices add some Mexican style flavor. You won’t miss the marshmallows, trust me.

Coconut milk

Almond milk

Cacao

Stevia

Cayenne

Cinnamon

Mix 2/3 cup coconut milk and 1/3 cup almond milk in a saucepan on the stove.

Bring to a simmer over low heat.

Add 1-2 heaping spoonfuls of cacao, 4-6 drops stevia, and a dash of each spice.

Stir and simmer for a few minutes.

Pour into your favorite mug and drink. Caution, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot.

photo credit: law_keven

When it comes to desserts, Americans have the monopoly on processed and allergenic food-like substances. If so many of us are intolerant to wheat or dairy, and if sugar is so toxic, why is standard post-dinner fare ice cream, cake, or cookies? When we’re waiting in the airport for a delayed flight, and we decide to mosey on over to Starbucks to pass the time, why are our options croissants and muffins? When we decide to treat ourselves to an indulgent Sunday brunch, why are pecan-stuffed french toast and Nutella pancakes our options to kick off our day and fuel up our tank?

I am not anti-dessert. Let me say it again: I AM NOT ANTI-DESSERT! I am anti the form it often comes in. As one of the five tastes, sweet is connected to Earth and offers us a grounding and comforting energy…IF we eat it in the right form. IF we don’t objectify it and use it as a mood-altering substance. IF we can connect to it the same way we connect to the other four tastes: as just one element of a day’s balanced food intake, offering us a feeling of calming and peace. NOT if it shoots our blood sugar up sky high and then causes us to crash into “food coma” as so many of us are known to do after one of those pecan-stuffed french toast breakfasts.

Raw desserts are a really wonderful way to explore dessert in its most pure form. If you’re not familiar with the raw diet, it consists entirely of vegan whole foods that have not been heated to above 116 degrees – the temperature at which the food’s nutrition begins to be destroyed. Raw foodists make liberal use of soaking, sprouting and fermenting, which are all ancient techniques that increase nutritional bioavailability as well as digestability. A raw food diet ensures alkalinity and if you read Jen’s post below you understand the importance of maintaining the right pH. I wouldn’t advocate for this diet as a lifestyle because it’s too low in protein, and particularly in the winter eating predominantly raw can be harmful to your immune system. I for one can’t even eat a piece of raw celery if it’s below 45 degrees out or I start to shiver. However, integrating more raw foods into your meals offers you more vital life force, and it’s especially nice in summertime when you want to cool off or if you’d like to try a cleanse for a few days.

photo credit: James Jordan

All of us strive for balance in our daily lives, our emotions, our habits-and yet balance can be difficult to achieve in the modern world. The same is true with the biochemical system in our bodies. Just like every other carbon based life form on the planet, the human bloodstream maintains a PH (potential hydrogen)balance. We like to be slightly alkaline, with a Ph of 7-7.5 optimally.

What does this have to do, you ask, with our diet? Well, what we eat intimately effects the acid-alkaline balance in our bodies. This has been known since at least the 1930’s. Unfortunately, our modern diet, high in very acidic foods like meat, white flour, sugar, soft drinks and coffee, not to mention extremely acidic substances like prescription medications and artificial sweeteners,  has changed the PH balance of most of our bodies, the results of which, many naturopaths and nutritionists believe, can be seen in higher than average amounts of cancer, chronic yeast infections, diabetes, poor digestion,depression, impaired immunity, joint pain, osteoporosis, weight gain, and even heart disease. Think about it— acid is not healthy for most living things, it tends to eat through things quickly. In our bodies acid leaches minerals from our bones and organs by reducing our inherent buffering system, it kills digestive enzymes in our small intestines, screwing up our metabolic processes, and  it increases free radical growth leading to an increase in cancer cells.
photo credit: h.koppdelaney

First things first:

To figure out if you are balanced, you must test your PH. This is easy to do, both with saliva and urine (I recommend both tests)–the tests are available at most pharmacies and health food stores and also here. I your PH falls into a healthy range good for you–keep doing what you’re doing! If not, here are some quick and guaranteed ways to restore the PH balance of the body:

Take Magnesium:  Most doctors agree that almost all Americans are chronically short on this important mineral. Magnesium is an especially important nutrient for women as it helps the body assimilate calcium, thus preventing osteoporosis. Magnesium is one of the main agents in the bodies buffering system and helps  raise the PH of the body quickly and naturally. It also can provide instant energy. A liquid supplement, often sold with calcium added is a great addition to a diet high in magnesium heavy foods such as avocados, almonds, cashews, and spinach.

photo credit: DavidDennisPhotos.com

The essence of the message of grains is this: Eat a wider variety of grains, in the unrefined state (whole, cracked or rolled), not in the refined state (bread, cereal, puffed, or crackers) and eat them in luscious, mouth-watering ways!

If you love the bakery, don’t worry; I am not going to suggest that you stop eating bread. I am simply going to suggest that you make other tasty choices most of the time and find ways that you can include the foods you like, including bread.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader.”

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, “This could be a good time!”

“There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are torn apart and will suffer greatly.

“Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

“The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

photo credit: FreeWine

For all  you out there who would love to pick up a meditation practice but are intimidated or just plain bored by sitting down by yourself and trying not to think, I found a great website. Meditation Oasis is a great website that offers free guided meditations via podcast. The topics range from ‘letting go’ to ‘feeling more peace’. All of them are narrated by a woman whose peaceful speaking voiced calmed me within seconds of hearing her. So go check it out and let someone help guide you toward less stress and more health this new year!

You weren’t there (probably) but you can read about the feast here….

Looking forward to a healthy eight years….

photo credit: jurvetson

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

For all of us who made New Year’s resolutions, now is when, sometimes, our initiative and gung ho attitude start to wane just a little bit. Life starts to return to normal after the rush and bustle of the holidays and we begin to feel the stresses of everyday life–all of which leads us to weaken our resolve. So how do we keep our motivation going strong? It’s not easy but it can be done. Here are a few tips on how to keep ourselves on the right path:

It’s all about the mental shift: Whether the goal you want to reach is losing weight, eating a healthier diet, becoming more successful professionally, or taking more time for the people you love– it involves a shift in thinking patterns first and foremost before the physical actions toward change can occur.  We humans have a hard time changing and so it is important to create practices that help us be aware of the goals we want to reach and how to achieve them:

Meditation is a great way to create space in the mind so that we are more aware in each moment. You’ll find that the more time you give to doing ‘nothing’ the easier it will be to remember why you have chosen the goals you have and to spend each day choosing to pursue them. Time gets away from us, business overwhelms us and most often, before we know it, we forget to do what we know  we need to. Meditation helps us to be here now. It is also a great tool to help take control of the ego and allow the mind to be an ally instead of an enemy. How many times have we talked ourselves out of exercising? How many times have we let fear keep us from realizing our dreams? When we start to become aware of the emotions barring us from getting what want it is easier to overcome those emotions and push forward. We can learn to use the mind to motivate ourselves instead of fighting against negative thoughts and feelings.

Visualization: Most of us are aware that we have both a conscious and unconscious mind. Sometimes, even when our conscious minds are fully engaged on reaching our goals, our unconscious minds are still stuck in the past or holding on to fear. A great example of this is the person who wants to eat healthier but whose unconscious mind is still battling negative self-images and therefore doesn’t believe that the person deserves to be healthy. So the person self-sabotages by gorging on junk foods without quite knowing why. Visualization is a great way to gain access to the unconscious and enlist its powerful help in achieving goals. Athletes have used visualization for years to increase performance. In a well known study, Russian scientists studied four groups of Olympic athletes to assess the efficacy of creative visualization in their training schedules:

• Group 1 = 100% physical training;
• Group 2 – 75% physical training with 25% mental training;
• Group 3 – 50% physical training with 50% mental training;
• Group 4 – 25% physical training with 75% mental training.

Group 4, with 75% of their time devoted to mental training, performed the best.

photo credit: la_cola_de_mi_perro

Creative visualization is a fundamentally successful tool in staying motivated in achieving both physical and mental goals but how to do it?

1. Set your goal
2. Create a clear idea or picture
3. Focus on it often
4. Give it positive energy

Continue to work with this process until you achieve your goal, or no longer have the desire to do so. Remember that goals often change before they are realized. If you lose interest it may mean that it’s time for a new look at what you want.

Affirmations

Affirmations are one of the most important elements of creative visualization. An affirmation is a strong, positive statement that something is already so. It is a way of “making firm” that which you are imaging.

The practice of doing affirmations allows us to begin replacing some of our stale, worn out, or negative mind chatter with more positive ideas and concepts. It is a powerful technique, one that can in a short time completely transform our attitudes and expectations about life, and thereby totally change what we create for ourselves.

An affirmation can be any positive statement:

Everything I need is already within me.
The universe is unfolding perfectly.
All things are now working together for good in my life.
I love and appreciate myself.

Here are some important things to remember:

1. Always phrase affirmations in the present tense.
2. Always phrase affirmations in the most positive way you can.
3. In general, the shorter and simpler the better.
4. Always use affirmations that feel totally right for you.
5. Always remember that you are creating something new, not trying to redo or change what already exists, which would create conflict.
6. Affirmations are not meant to contradict or try to change your feelings or emotions, even the so-called “negative” ones.
7. Temporarily suspend your doubts and hesitations, and put your full mental and emotional energy into your affirmations.

Other great visualization tools are journaling and dream boards. Writing down exactly what we want to visualize, in the first person present, is a powerful way of helping to make it real and gives us the opportunity to read the visualization over and over again. Dream boards, simply a large posterboard with images of what we want pasted on to it is another powerful tool. Images speak directly to our unconscious in a way words seldom can and to gaze often on the images of our goals is a great way to begin stirring the unconscious mind into helping us achieve them.

photo credit: James Jordan

Break it Up: Many of us suffer from panoramic vision when looking at our goals. We see the end result and not the steps in between. We say we want to lose twenty pounds or run three miles every day. These giant goals often end up overwhelming us when, a month into it, we haven’t seen significant changes. By breaking those goals down into smaller goals, we are able to live more in the moment and keep motivation by having many small successes. A great friend of mine  once said that life is alot like driving at night. We can only see the small patch of road right in front of us that is illuminated by the headlights of the car. Everthing past that is dark but we have faith that it is there and that the road will keep appearing, one lit up patch at a time. If we were to want to see the whole road at once we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. So break up the goals–whether into time segments or minigoals–for example, if eating healthier is the ultimate goal, try starting out with the goal of incorporating a serving of vegetables into each meal. Once this goal has been reached then another goal, such as eliminating high fructose corn syrup can be added. In this way, we tackle things day by day and keep ourselves from being so overwhelmed that we fail before we hardly begin.