Where’s the love in the food?

Here I am back at the keyboard with so much in my head I can’t get it out fast enough.
I’ve been doing some thinking about how to get more nutrition out of the food available to most of us. And I have [lots of] questions I’d love to get your feedback on.

When we consume food that is not homemade (let’s say we’re at a restaurant), how are we affected by how the preparers were feeling at the time they made the food?
Does food “feel” different if we’re at a hoity-toity restaurant? Fast food? Freshly prepared at a grocery deli?
How does the food affect your mood when you eat quickly versus having a slow relaxed meal?
How does the quality of the food affect your mood? Your energy, your enthusiasm for life?
Have you ever thought about this stuff before?
Imagine making a meal when you’re angry and the same meal when you’re feeling warm and fuzzy. Which would YOU rather eat? Why?
Which feels better before you sit down to a meal? An argument or a hug? What do you notice?
Remember “here’s a topic” from Saturday night live? Ok, discuss.

Ayurveda-Keeping Your Cool (Part 3 of 3)

As promised, here’s a list of top 11 things you can do to cool off and balance your pitta this summer.

1. Increase “cool” in your clothing. Wear light cotton and light colors, avoiding red, orange, and yellow close to your face.
2. Add cooling spices like mint, cilantro, and parsley to your food.
3. Drink pomegranate juice mixed with blueberry. This tastes great and is very healthy, full of antioxidants.
4. Be aware that Pittas love “the rush” so avoid spicy foods and use coconut, coconut oil, or sunflower oil for cooking.
5. Avoid using too much ice–it increases the intensity of heat internaly and will actually cause a greater imbalance.
6. Reduce mid-day exercise, especially in intense heat.
7. Add 3-4 fresh organic mint leaves to your water bottle.
8. When you feel hot, breathe in as if through a straw, or like you’ve just taken a bite of something hot, to cool down your internal temperature.
9. Go put your bare feel in the grass and walk around slowly, feeling the coolness of the earth beneath your toes.
10. Go see a summer comedy at an air-conditioned movie theatre. Laughter is excellent for cooling the body’s core.
11. Lighten up! Don’t take yourself or life too seriously. Remove unnecessary stress by reducing your need to perfectionism. Discover the joy in play, even in your work.

Ayurveda-Keeping Your Cool (Part 2)

This is a continuation of our discussion on Ayurveda and how staying in balance can help keep you cool this summer.

We went over the three doshas, vata, pitta, and kapha, and what their primary characteristics are. Everyone has aspects of all three, but one or two may feel more predominant to you. The part that might sound like you right now, but has been more of a recent change, would be a possible imbalance showing up in your life. This could look like weight gain, lethargy, a sluggish digestive system, irritability, seasonal allergies, or a need for more–or less–sleep. These possible imbalances can be addressed–not as symptoms, as in current Western medical practice–but at the source. By looking at how one or more of the doshas have been affected by changes in the body, in your environment, in your daily and seasonal routines, we can create a temporary Ayurvedic Lifestyle Plan to give you choices to jumpstart your own healing process to create more clarity, energy, focus, and balance in your life.

In Part 3, I’ll give you a Top 10 List of ways to balance pitta (heat, fire) using food, colors, and nature.

Ayurveda-Keeping Your Cool in the Heat (part 1)

Yes, it’s hot outside, but there are things you can do to beat the heat, and you can use food as medicine to do it!

Ever heard of Ayurveda? Ayurveda (eye-yoor-VAY-dah), a Sanskrit word that means “the science–or knowledge–of life,” is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine developed in India which is still in practice today, and recently brought into mainstream awareness in the United States. Ayurveda’s premise is that health is the natural state, when we are in balance. Conversely, when we are out of balance in our lives, we are prone to dis-ease. In other words, good health (balance of mind, body, and spirit) is the natural state of being.

Based on knowing the characteristics of your primary mind-body type, or dosha (DOE-shuh), you can be at a place of powerful choice. To relate that to coaching, having an awareness of what choices you make contribute to a life of balance, joy, and fulfillment.

We use Ayurveda at the Center for Health and Harmony in our assessments when we do nutrition coaching and when we do massage/bodywork. Knowing your dosha helps us determine how to maximize the benefits you receive:

what types of bodywork might be more beneficial to you

informs us of how your body/mind processes information, pain, and influences your stress,

typical stressors and your stress management capabilities

what kinds of activities you might enjoy in an exercise and fitness program

and even how your digestive system is likely to work given your age, time of year, and what’s going on in your life.

Are you a Vata, a Pitta, a Kapha, or a combination? Once we determine how much Vata, Pitta, and Kapha you have, we can design how to naturally achieve balance for you using your own habits and lifestyle, powerfully and effortlessly.

Ayurveda is based on taking actions that maintain balance in your life, according to the characteristics of your dosha, your mind-body type. There are three primary doshas, which combine in different proportions to create a total of 10 possible “types.”

Here is what the each of the doshas look like when in they are “in balance”:

VATA: cold, dry, active, quick, creative, thin, light, changeable, disproportionate, rough, lively, anxious, worried, light sleep, forgetful (Great examples: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz)
PITTA: hot, wet/oily, competitive, athletic, articulate, bright, medium build, moderately sound sleep, convincing, intense, angry, aggressive (Great examples: Robert Redford, Britney Spears)
KAPHA: cold, wet, stable, loyal, heavy, slow, calm, sturdy, smooth, thick, deep sleep, withdrawn, reclusive, emotional (Great examples: Santa Claus, Oprah Winfrey)

You will probably notice a little of yourself in each of these. Since vata, pitta, and kapha all appear in nature, they all appear within each human being. Everyone has a different ratio of vata, pitta, and kapha. This ratio is called your “prakruti” and refers to your unique combination of vata, pitta, and kapha.

Reversing Diabetes

Would you like to start reversing diabtes beginning today? Imagine if you could discover the secrets–small changes that could have a dramatic and permanent effect on your long-term health…

I offer a free teleclass, 7 Secrets to Reversing Diabetes, that could be your first step.

People with diabetes spend a lot of money on drugs just to keep one step ahead of the progression of their disease. What if you could learn a few simple things that could effectively reverse the progressiion of diabetes and save you hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime? What would that be worth to you? What would it worth to your family to have you around a lot longer?

I frequently hear the following questions:
Is it really possible to reverse diabetes?
Can you really lose weight without deprivation and counting fat grams and carbs?
Can I still eat some of my favorite foods?
Is this realistic and backed by science?

The answer to all of the above questions is YES!

These 7 simple steps provide an introduction and overview to the counseling program I offer that has helped people reverse diabetes, lower cholesterol, lower high blood pressure, lose weight permanently, and improve the quality (and quantity!) of life for thousands of people.

In addition, you will learn things you can start doing right away to start making healthier choices.

What have you got to lose? Invest one hour of your time and learn priceless information that can change the direction and destiny of your health, your state of wellness, and your life. There’s no obligation to continue with the program, however you will be given the opportunity to have a one-to-one get-acquainted session and personal health assessment.

Go to http://www.eventbrite.com/event/134043929 to register for this free teleclass which is being held Tuesday, July 8 from 10-11 a.m. Eastern Time.

(If you’d rather attend an evening class, register for the class on Thursday, July 17, 7:30-8:30 pm)
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/109211655

Grounded on Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and caretakers out there! Today was the one day out of the 365 (or 366 this year) that is devoted to burnt toast and lukewarm tea, doing something special for the one who does the special stuff all the other days of the year. Tomorrow it will be back to life as usual.

So, moms, how was your day? Speaking as a nutrition-oriented, food-oriented person, if I could have my loved ones doing something nice for me, it would probably be cooking a meal for me and doing all the clean up.

So here’s some food for thought:
If you could have anything you wanted to nourish you and make you feel special, what would it be? If it’s food, then think about how particular foods make you feel. There’s a food for every mood.

Because it’s raining here today, I really didn’t want to go out for Mom’s Day. Instead, we took the joy of cooking into our own hands and created food that made us feel grounded, warmed, and comfortable. A nice piece of baked sockeye salmon with a creamy, savory mushroom and shrimp Creole sauce served with a bit of brown rice with parsley and basil. Dark, delicately-spiced, piquant, flavorful. That’s what makes a dish perfect for a rainy, dreary, draining kind of day.

Here are some of my favorite “kitchen tools” to use to influence energy and mood.

To increase energy:
1. grapefruit–use in citrus sauces and serve with fish or chicken.
2. onions–raw onions have more energy than cooked.
3. garlic–my grandfather always said it would put hair on your chest. Not necessarily the best intention, but if it’s a testament to the power of garlic to get up and go, it’s a fair statement.
4. cinnamon–a “secret ingredient” to spice up a cream sauce, coffee, or tea. Also makes a great rub for chicken or red meat.
5. ginger–mince and saute with onions and garlic for an easy, flavorful taste sensation
6. cayenne–a purported aphrodisiac, increases heart rate, great for clearing the sinuses

To calm your nerves:
7. chamomile tea–I’d write more about this, but I’m getting sleepy! Makes a great stock in which to steam vegetables.
8. mint tea–great for digestion and to cool the fires of indigestion. If you happen to overdo the hot spices, take some mint tea after your meal
9. fennel–a digestive aid that’s been used for centuries in India. You know those candy coated seeds you see at the entrance to Indian restaurants–that’s fennel. Chew a pinch of seeds after your next spicy meal to reduce overheating.
10. high cacao dark chocolate–raw cacao is a fabulous antioxidant (that’s right, it’s good for you!), and when processed into an organic dark chocolate bar, you’ll feel calm and relaxed. That’s actually thanks to the magnesium, but that would be boring to list by itself, don’t you think?

Next time you are wondering what to serve for dinner, decide how you want your family to feel afterwards, and feed them the foods that will create that result.

And remember, Dads, dark chocolate and red wine are a perfect combination to set the mood, after you put the wee ones to bed.

In health and harmony,
Sally

What’s a wellness retreat?

Good morning! Here’s some food for thought:
A wellness retreat is an opportunity to get away from it all to learn more about yourself, get in touch with what nourishes you, maybe heal from stuff that’s NOT feeding you, and to feel good and healthy at the end of the retreat. Sound good?

Then what happens? When you leave is that IT? Are you done? Do you go back to the way things were before you got all happy and healthy again?

I’d like to do something different with my retreat. I’m holding a women’s wellness retreat in St John, USVI (my past and future home) in November. While the purpose is a retreat (God knows we will need to retreat from the nation’s Capital immediately after election day this year!), I also want the ladies who attend to come away with skills they can take back to real life. I don’t intend for this to be work at all.

Take an opportunity to learn what it’s like to meditate and feel connected to earth rather than connected to a laptop. Feel the energy of fresh organic greens instead of feeling green with envy at our neighbors who are driving faster cars on the Beltway. Limber up with yoga instead of stretching the truth to meet a stress-inducing deadline. Walk along national park trails instead of taking a walk on the wild side. AND explore your wild side with other fabulous, health-conscious (or at least health-curious) women while exploring sea creatures and sea vegetables.

Take a look at some pictures of the upcoming Women’s Wellness Retreat.

If you had your own retreat, how would you design it?

In health and harmony,
Sally
http://www.centerforhealthandharmony.com

What is “normal” health?

Here’s some food for thought:
I think it’s a shame that what is considered “normal health” in this country involves people over the age of 40 starting to take high blood pressure meds, statin drugs for high cholesterol, blood-sugar-lowering meds (metformin and glucophage), beta blockers, and steroids for joint pain. It’s ridiculous and totally unnecessary. Where did responsibility go for self health? Western Medicine is awesome and has its place, don’t get me wrong. But when did we give up our power to the Western medical system? Since when was it a good idea to let the medical establishment make decisions about our own bodies and what’s best for us? Where did self-responsible medicine go?

As a nutrition counselor and massage therapist, I see people all the time who have the same complaints over and over again. Regardless of the outward manifestation of what ails them, reducing stress, eating better (better food, quality supplements), doing more of what makes them happy, and maintaining healthy relationships does the trick! Do all those drugs I mentioned above actually work? Well, that depends on what you’re trying to do. Do they reduce symptoms? Yep. Do they address the root problem and what’s causing the symptoms? NOPE!

It’s time to take responsiblity for your own health. More than using “natural health” techniques and products, I call it Self Health. Create a support team of professionals AND laypeople who love you and will ask you “what are you doing?” just to keep you thinking for yourself.

What are you doing for your own health in 2008? Look at every aspect of your health:
physical
mental
emotional
spiritual
fiscal
relationships (friends, family, significant other)
food choices
hobbies, stress relief

How do you deal with stress? How do you want to process and express your emotions healthfully and completely?

How do you want to feel by this time next year? Think about it. How do you want to use your tax return? What kind of fun would you like to engage in because you have the health and finances to do so?

Who’s on your Self Health Team?

In health and harmony,
Sally

Welcome to the Food for Thought blog!

Welcome to my blog! Check out my profile and/or website to see who I am and what I do, and let’s talk about how using the stuff that really feeds us does make us healthier.

Getting healthy is not just about eating right and getting regular exercise. There’s so much more that you can do. Consider supplementation, stress managment, and other aspects of holistic health. Plus there’s all the other stuff that “feeds” us that has nothing to do with stuff we put in our mouths. Stuff like hugs, sex, love, singing and dancing, looking at a beautiful sunset, engaging in stimulating conversation, doing charity work. You know, stuff that feeds your soul, feeds your spirit, feeds your passion.

What feeds YOU?

As far as health goes, I am passionate about using food as medicine (before drugs and surgery when not a life-threatening situation). When I hear of someone who has a cold, is under the weather, has allergies, or has some chronic condition, I’m immediately clicking through my mental recipe file, and I usually have some combination of foods (and other stuff that is nourishing) that will make you feel better.

Got a sore throat? Licorice and slippery elm tea, followed by a steam inhalation with pure eucalyptus oil.
Feeling low on energy? Eat more garlic, onions, peppers. Do 10 jumping jacks. And take a whiff of essential oil of grapefruit.

More serious stuff?

Ok, how about diabetes? High blood pressure? High cholesterol? Eat more fresh whole foods, start choosing more low-glycemic foods, and get sugar the heck out of your diet. Other stuff–take your dog for a brisk walk and love on your cat.

ADD or ADHD? Back away from the TV. Move slowly, and no one will get hurt. Chances are you won’t even miss it.

I help people who are concerned about chronic degenerative diseases, especially heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and type II diabetes. The underlying causes of these are basically the same: an imbalance of nutrients and abundance of stress at the cellular level. I want to use this blog to post nutritional information, “diet” news (I don’t believe in diets, by the way), current findings about nutritional science, stress reduction techniques, whatever would help people live longer, healthier lives.

Come back often and let’s get some dialog going about health, choices, what’s in the media, and other food for thought.

In health and harmony,
Sally