Are You Taking Prescription Medications?

If a Dr. prescribed medication for you, then please know, my sweet friends that you DO have a medical issue. Far too many of us think that because we take medicine to to deal with something, we don’t have an issue anymore.

WRONG!!

In the most gentle voice I have, I want to say that the medicine doesn’t “take away” the issue. It doesn’t mean you are cured. It means that you have something that is “off” enough to be medicated.

Over and over, I have clients sit in my chair and tell me that they have no illnesses, only to find out later that they are on half a dozen medications.

The medicine “manages” the symptoms, or the disease, but if you have something that is chronic and you are to be on the medication “indefinitely” then you have a medical issue.
Now, here is something radical and might get a few of you angry, but a lot of these illnesses can be healed with behavior. Yes, changing what you put in your mouth can change the medications you take.

There is no finger wagging here and no gloating, only a sense of sadness. I want to open your eyes. I want you to know that you can feel better. I want you to know the truth. If a Doctor thought your body wasn’t doing the right thing enough to write a prescription and have you take a medication, something is up…. it doesn’t mean you don’t have heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol after you start taking the medicine.

Just wanted to clarify.

READ The Label!

As long as it is tasty, easy to get and has a cute label… Americans will eat it!!

It’s time to look beyond and get educated. If it is bagged, wrapped, boxed, canned, bottled…. be suspect and READ the label!!!

http://hollyleehealth.com/2013/04/02/processed-meats-declared-too-dangerous-for-human-consumption/

Busy Parents/Healthy Kids – Eating By Example

Please know that the food industry is spending over 2 BILLION dollars a year marketing food products to our children. I am not talking carrot sticks and humus, but rather “Shrek green” twinkies, “lunchables,” colored cereals with cartoon characters on the boxes. Let’s get real here, we all know these are all poisons in pretty packages.

The amazing thing is that they are all “time savers!!” Not only that, but our kids are begging for them. It is “cool” to show up with a lunch bag loaded with these cool, colorful boxes and cute bags. It is fun to unwrap one of these small treats and share with friends. We are heroes if we give in to the begging at the market and pull one of these boxes off the shelves and stick it in our carts.

Here is the thing though… our kids are getting fatter. Our kids are getting sicker. They are getting acne at crazy younger ages. Heart disease and obesity are rampant. This isn’t just “happening” naturally. These are all behavioral consequences.

As parents, do we really want to continue on this path? What are we teaching? What are we perpetuating? What are we trading in for the few extra minutes it takes to make a sandwich? What are we gaining from giving into the begging and pestering and paying for a brightly colored, cartoon infested and chemically laden morsel?

Let’s turn this around! We have to begin with ourselves first. None of this will work, no explaining about healthy foods will make sense if we are chowing down on the Dorito’s ourselves!!!! Can’t talk produce one minute and pull out a “Lean Cuisine” the next!!

Let’s take the kids to the produce aisle and let them pick out their own fruits. Give them a (duller) knife and cutting board and let them prepare the fruits and vegetables for their lunches, let’s think creatively. Let’s work together. Let’s come up with new answers.

Let’s save our children, and therefore, save ourselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bop3D7-dDM

10 Things You May Not Believe About My Home Cooking

Burnt food, rotting lettuce and under cooked rice!

So often, I talk with people who never cook in their kitchen. I think it is a mixture of fear, resentment and just plain old “not knowing where to start.” The problem though, is that if we don’t learn to cook our own food, we go to refined or restaurant food. Bless the manufacturers and owners of these places, but they don’t make food that healthy!!!
The main way to start on the road to wellness, is to be responsible for your own food. I am so sorry to say there are no short cuts.

No one is perfect here!! I don’t cook and have magic happen. There are mistakes, botched recipes and food that falls on the floor. While this may discourage some, I know this to be “de rigor!” I think this type of “allowing” gives me confidence in the kitchen and the ability to experiment.

Here are 10 things you may not believe about my home cooking!!

1. I burn things! And you know what? That is fine! I learn for next time, and I am okay with that.

2. Not everything is loved by my family. Trying new recipes means they might not like it. I am ok with that. I would rather try new things then fall into a rut.

3. THINGS GO BAD!! Sooooo many clients say they don’t buy produce because it goes bad. Really?! The things that DON’T go bad aren’t fit for human consumption. The idea is to eat things that do rot on their own accord. It’s ok. What about wasting money?! Start a compost pile – that is what eases my mind. I am not saying you should be foolishly buying produce you don’t need, that would be a waste of the earth’s precious resources. What I am saying is that I would rather you have produce in your frig.

4. I do not make complicated recipes for daily use. No….. I am a working mommy. I have my own private practice, a 9 year old, a sweet dog and a lovely husband. Each one of them takes 16 hours of my day!! So, the meals I make are mostly simple, a few ingredients and no recipe-ed.

5. I alter recipes. So, sometimes I see a recipe that is complicated, and I simplify it. Sometimes I see a recipe that has ingredients I don’t use and I alter that too! It’s great to tweak and experiment.

6. I just get the food in the pot!!! I don’t worry about being perfect. I make soups out of what I have in the refrigerator. If you start with onions, celery and carrots, you can make just about any recipe.

7. There is a trick to my salad making! I need salads every day, yes, every day. So, just know that I don’t come home at 5:30 with a cranky kid and start cutting vegetables… no. Every few days, I cut up some “hard” vegetables. That could be raw cauliflower, purple cabbage, carrots…. I cut these into fine pieces and stick it in a tupperware. Then, every day, I open a bag of washed lettuces and put a handful or two of the chopped veggies on top!! Easie peezie lemon squeezie!

8. I steal!!! Oh yeah…. I do. When a friend tells me they cooked something incredible, I do it too!! Love hearing about others in the kitchen.

9. I cook with the future in mind. I cook doubles or triples of EVERYTHING. Leftovers are my friend. I freeze soups, fruit pies and veggie burgers. I use freezer bags or t Tupperware I love my Tupperware. I use it all the time!!

10. I figure out dinner at breakfast. I get up and figure out dinner in the morning. I know what I have, I pull from the freezer, I look at my produce drawer. If I wait till I get home, I am too hungry, too tired and will graze until I can figure it out. That’s a recipe for disaster.

I had a wonderful cooking teacher at the Gingko Leaf in Los Angeles who gave me the “permission” to drop, burn and throw food away. It was a beautiful lesson in lessening the preciousness of “the perfect recipe” and just getting the food down my gullet! I wish you all that kind of freedom and love in your kitchens.

How To Avoid the Challenges of Eating Out and Stay Healthy

Restaurants! Sheesh!!

I find eating out challenging. I am not going to lie. Until our society “gets it” about food linked to disease and is willing to change its behavior, I am afraid this will be tricky. You see, restaurants are open to make money, and that is what our country wants. I celebrate that! Hooray for free markets! But then, we need to be aware that restaurants aren’t concerned about your health. They shouldn’t be – we should!!

I have to take extra care when I eat out as there are very few options in our area. Here are a few things I do. Hoping it will give you some ideas.

• I tuck a small container of my favorite dressing from home in my purse, order a salad and voila!
• Ask if the soup they are offering is vegetarian and dairy free. If it is, I will try it. Here is the big caveat though…. get ready…. I know from working in restaurants that sometimes the chef will use the water from the pasta (I kid you not) to “thicken” the soup. That makes a bowl of gluten! – so I am careful to look for that.
• I order salad and then order a baked potato to fill me up. If they don’t have a potato and I need a heavier meal, I will resort to rice.
• Pre-eat. I never go to a restaurant hungry. My husband does this too and we have averted many disasters because of this.
• I have a sweet thing or snack waiting for me for the ride home – if the food is not satisfying, then there is a treat waiting for me. I have sliced fruit, a raw macaroon or dried fruit.
• I order vegetables from other entrees and make a meal out of that.
• Order some sides of vegetables and a salad.

I know, call me “crazy,” call me “high maintenance” or call me “extreme.” I have spent many nights trying to sleep on a bloated belly, after being “polite” at a restaurant. It’s just not worth it.

Here’s to a good and satisfying meal. I wish you all health and of course, mindful nutrition!

Mindful Nutrition: Center Spectrum Eating

Had a client come in yesterday who said he doesn’t eat sugar at all. In our discussion, he said how he is mostly attracted to red meats and cheeses.

Inside, I know, that if someone is eating a ton of red meat and fat that the body is quite acidic. Also, I needed to point out the sugar. You see, if one eats in extremes on one side of the spectrum (salty, acid forming and contracting foods) which is “yang,” the body will crave the other side (sugary, expansive and acidic) which is “yin.” The body will always, always seek balance. The issue is that the swing back and forth takes a lot of energy and the body will take from bones and organs to “buffer” the acid.

My client had in his hand, a bottle of lemonade, proof he said that he doesn’t like sweet. Upon looking at the ingredients, after water, high fructose corn syrup was the next thing. I kid you not. So, of course, eating meat all day makes you crave the opposite. The body will get it in one form or another.

It is best to eat in the center of this spectrum. What is there? Fruits, veggies and greens. Close to that, if you must, are the lean proteins. Stay in this area and the acid will go down. Your body will have to work less at balancing and buffering.

It is interesting to look at your daily intake and see what foods make you crave other foods. If you open your eyes and observe, you will see what your body needs.

Wake up. Take notice. Things will make more sense. You will understand why you are tired, cranky or hungry.
be well

Mindful Nutrition: Even Baby Steps Matter

Sometimes transitioning to a healthier lifestyle takes time. When I look at my journey I see that it took years for me to get where I am now. I am always growing, learning and reading more information.

What I see though is that it was the littlest of steps that mattered. Being willing to carry a snack, learning how to make no oil dressing, taking dairy out of my diet, going to a seminar, taking a cooking class….

Some are overwhelmed at the thought of overhauling their life. It is too much to take out all their treats and feel deprived.

Baby steps are enough… I swear… just start. Do something small. Eliminate one processed food. Make a dessert that excites you and is okay for your body. Commit to walking more. Replace white salt with grey sea salt. Try rice or almond milk…

Slow and steady wins the race.