Winter Health

While holiday indulgence can be fun, heavy meals and sugary foods can leave us with unhealthy cravings, mood swings, and low energy. Often the "winter blues" are the result of poor nutrition.

During the cold and dry winter we can nutritionally create balance through warming and lubricating foods. Enjoy hearty stews, soups and baked foods. Make sure to have some healthy fats in the form of unrefined oils such as extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. Create meals from beans, whole grains, winter squashes and root vegetables. If eating animal proteins, be sure to balance them out with an abundance of vegetables. Warming foods and healthy oils are especially important if you have a difficulty staying warm. If you are prone to suffer from dry skin, minimize your intake of dry foods such as breads and crackers.

Be prepared. This is not the time of year to come home and whip up a salad or have a bowl of cereal because you haven't had time to go shopping. Store canned beans, frozen vegetables, and quick cooking grains (like quinoa)  to be able to quickly create a warming meal within minutes. 

Easy Beans and Greens

1 tbs olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can of black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)

1/2 tsp of cumin
1 bunch kale, chopped (or collard greens, chard, spinach. Use frozen if you have none fresh.) 

Heat oil in a saucepan and saute garlic for 1-2 minute. Add drained can of beans and cumin.

Once mixed, add greens for 2-5 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Remove from stove.
Add to your portion toppings such as avocado, parsley, cilantro, freshly squeezed lime, guacamole, salsa, nuts or any other fun thing you can think of

Adzuki Beans for Winter & Adrenal Health

The Adzuki bean is a small red colored bean with a sweet and nutty flavor. Adzuki beans are known as the “king of beans” in Japan, where they are used in dishes from soup to dessert  (commonly in the form of red bean paste.) These beans are one of the easiest to digest, providing a good source of protein and a grounding effect.

Adzuki beans tonify the kidneys and adrenals and can help ground and soothe us during the busy holiday season. They are digested slowly and cause only a gradual rise in blood sugar levels, making them a superior carbohydrate for those with diabetes and blood sugar imbalances. Adzuki beans are low in fat and high in calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, many B vitamins, and they contain isoflavones, which help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Adzuki beans cook quickly, and can be used in casseroles or stews, mixed with grains, added to soups, tossed in salads, or enjoyed alone. They can be substituted for any other bean in a recipe.

Squash and Adzuki Beans
1 cup adzuki beans -- dried
3 1/2 cup water
1 piece dried kombu*
1 cup butternut squash -- diced
1/2 tsp ginger root -- grated
1 tbs Fresh parsley -- chopped

Place beans, water, and kombu in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Stir in squash and ginger root, then cover and simmer 30 minutes longer. Mix gently with a wooden spoon, and break up the kombu which has softened. Serve garnished with parsley.

Variations: add onion, garlic, carrots or other root vegetables instead or in addition to the winter squash.

* Kombu is a dried seaweed that is known as a flavor enhancer of anything you add it to while cooking. Without adding a “seaweedy” taste to your stews or soups, kombu helps beans cook faster and aids in their digestion.

Note: It is best to soak beans overnight before cooking but you can get away with cooking dried adzuki beans that have not been soaked. If soaking, discard the soaking water before cooking. 

Strengthen Your Adrenals

• Get your beauty sleep! Rest is vital in strengthening the adrenals. That means going to bed by 10pm. Make this a priority and stick with it. 
• Eliminate sugar and processed carbohydrates. Sugar and simple carbs put stress on the adrenals as they interfere with the adrenal glands’ role in regulating blood sugar levels. 
• Eat animal proteins raised with no growth-hormones or antibiotics. Choose organic vegetables when possible, enjoy fruits, nuts, legumes, beans and whole grains.  
• Quit the coffee habit and drink plenty of fresh filtered water every day.

Ho Ho Ho Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz

Winter has arrived and with it has come the Holiday Season. As the air cools, animals hibernate and trees shed their leaves, conserving their energy by sending it down into the roots. We, on the other hand, are shopping, traveling, eating, drinking and partying from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. This puts us out of sync with winter's restorative energy.

Introspection is a beautiful and timely process for the winter season. In the spirit of the holidays we celebrate with light during the darkest of seasons. Introspection carries a similar energy of shining light on the areas of our life that feel dark. If the holiday season emphasizes loneliness, it might inspire us to invest in deepening our connections with friends, partners and family. If feeling tired and overwhelmed by our numerous commitments, it’s time to shed some draining obligations and invest in the actions and relations that nourish our soul.

Often though, we distract ourselves in busyness, avoiding this reflective time until the arrival of New Year resolutions. Indulging in food, drink and guilt only to attempt yet another diet next month is not an act of loving one’s self. Engaging in physical and emotional self-indulgence now while vowing to do things differently later makes no sense. By the time the holidays are over, many people are exhausted, stressed or depressed, and dealing with colds and flu. Be smart with your time this year. Celebrate with your loved ones, get plenty of rest, drink less and laugh more, eat less and sing more, shop less and hug more.

Let’s Talk Coffee:

With more obligations, less sleep and a natural attempt of our body to slow down, we may be feeling the need for an extra boost of energy.

When we are naturally stressed, we produce a hormone called adrenaline. During the course of our day, our body starts to tire and we feel the need to recharge. Ignoring the need for proper rest and nutrition, we may develop a craving for stimulants in the form of caffeine and sugar to give us a sense of energy.  These may seem to provide a boost of energy, but has the opposite effect.

By reaching for a cup of coffee we cause our bodies to release more adrenaline so that we can operate at an even faster and quicker pace. Caffeine stimulates the stress response in the body and causes our adrenals to release more adrenaline. In a natural environment such a flush of adrenaline would happen if we were suddenly faced with danger. The body goes into survival mode where it is once again alert and ready to “fight or flight” any rising situation. We feel alert though the body never got the rest or nutrition it originally needed. Continually flushing our body with adrenaline through the consumption of caffeine can eventually lead to adrenal exhaustion, leaving us vulnerable to a variety of health disorders related to inflammation, autoimmunity and fatigue.

Consuming caffeine may feel like it is helping us cope with stress and fatigue, although it is actually contributing to the increase of more stress in the body. Just as with an addiction (such as to drugs, nicotine or alcohol,) we only feel better when we feed our body more of the substance that is causing it most damage. Stress can be addictive in a similar manner.

Caffeine stimulates the excretion of stress hormones, which makes us feel more alert. However, this hormonal response can produce increased levels of anxiety, irritability, muscular tension, indigestion, insomnia and decreased immunity. Increasing the levels of stress will increase heart rate and elevate blood pressure, and can therefore contribute to the development of heart disease. Both decaf and regular coffee increase cholesterol and homocysteine, the biochemical linked to an increased risk of heart attack.

Caffeine stimulates a temporary surge in blood sugar followed by an overproduction of insulin, which causes a blood sugar crash within hours. Diabetics and hypoglycemics should avoid caffeine. In this manner caffeine can contribute to weight gain, since insulin's message to the body is to store excess sugar as fat. On an emotional level depression may occur as part of the letdown after the stimulant effects of caffeine wear off. It may also appear during the withdrawal  period after quitting caffeine while the brain's chemistry is readjusted. Rather than increasing mental activity, caffeine decreases blood flow to the brain by as much as 30%, and negatively affects memory and mental performance.

You Don’t Have To Give Up Coffee:

If you really love coffee then put in the time to enjoy it. Most Americans drink their coffee “on the go,” while rushing to work or while multi-tasking. If we consume a stress-stimulating substance (caffeine and sugar) while our body is already stressed, we are pushing ourselves to an extreme.

In Europe you will often see people enjoying a cup of coffee while sitting peacefully with friends at a local coffee shop. In Italy a small espresso is consumed after a large meal as a digestive aid. In the States; “America Runs on Dunkin’.”

Caffeine has wonderful health benefits. We can read plenty of studies that show that coffee contains high levels of antioxidants. These antioxidants are stored in the coffee bean but are destroyed within half an hour of grinding and brewing the beans. When drinking instant coffees or purchasing a cup from most stores where the beans are not fresh, we are not getting those benefits. We are just causing the stress response.

Savor the experience. Purchase a high quality organic brand of coffee, grind it fresh (or store your freshly ground coffee in the freezer) and sit down and relax while drinking it. Make sure your coffee is an addition to a healthy diet and not substituting a meal or hours of sleep.

Pumpkin "Cheesecake"

One of my favorites during the holiday season is pumpkin cheesecake. I now enjoy this healthier delicious version with no cream cheese, refined sugar or flour.   

Crust: 

1 3/4 cups almond meal (from Trader Joe's or grind your own almonds in food processor)

1/2 cup raw almond butter

1/2 cup dates

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Filling:

2 cups Greek yogurt (Fage brand works best and whole milk works best)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Chop dates with almond meal in food processor. (If the dates are too tough and dry, add 1 tbs of hot water). Add almond butter and maple and pulse in processor until its all mixed in.

Press into a pie dish and bake at 375 for 10 minutes, until it starts too brown. Let it cool.

Meanwhile mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl until consistency is smooth. Once the crust has cooled down, pour the filling in. Refrigerate and let it set for a few hours. 

The Mind and Body Connection

Our body is composed of various biological systems, linked and coordinated with each other via the nervous system. The nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord, and from there it branches out to a network of nerves that connect to both the sensory and internal organs. The entire nervous system regulates bodily functions such as the circulation of blood, digestion of food, and breathing while carrying the information the body needs to adapt to its environment. Some of these responses reach our consciousness and some do not. For example, when we interpret a situation as dangerous, we become aware of our fear, but we are unaware of the physiological responses of elevated blood pressure and greater blood flow to the muscles as less blood flows to the digestive organs. Similarly, most stressful situations will have the same effect i.e. impaired digestion.Psychological events and stress levels will affect physiological functions. Yet many nutrition professionals continue to preach that loss of weight is the result of the number of calories ingested versus the number burned. If our emotions affect every part of our body and in particular our digestive system, how can they not be part of the equation?!Stress can be a major contributing factor to gaining weight. Not only because you might be driven to consume more calories, but also because its link to weakening digestion and to heightening fat production. Creating more stress around your weight loss process is counterproductive.Each time we stress ourselves out (yes, we are responsible for our own reactions to any given situation,) we demand our body release a surge of adrenalin. The more we stress, the more adrenalin we need. If we are not careful to replenish ourselves with good nutrition, stress relief and rest, our body will no longer have the fuel to keep up. Commonly this leads to cravings for caffeine and sugar which can stage a similar effect on the body. Caffeine and sugar can contribute both to emotional stress and weight gain. Without giving the body any real nutrients, most coffee brands and refined carbohydrates will cause a rise in blood sugar levels and get our adrenals to release more “juice”, giving us a renewed false sense of energy. This type of continuous behavior can trap the nervous system in ‘survival mode’ where digestion and other functions are impaired, the internal organs are weakened, and the adrenals are overworked (leading to other symptoms like insomnia).The Placebo effect: The mind is powerful beyond belief. A placebo is an inactive substance given to satisfy a patient’s symbolic need for drug therapy. It is also used in medical studies to compare results with an active drug. If the actual drug shows equal results to a placebo, it is discarded. That is because a placebo does in fact draw results.The placebo effect validates the relationship of body and mind. If the body believes it is healthy, it functions as healthy. Healing happens when our nervous system is in ‘relaxation mode.’ When the body trusts that our environment is safe, it puts the focus back on healing the internal organs of any impact caused while stressed. This strengthens the digestion system.The more ease you create in your life, the stronger every system of your body will be.If you are working on improving your health, take a look at what negative and limiting thoughts you are currently holding about yourself. Write them down and rephrase them into positive thoughts. Start loving who you are, rather than who you want to be. A seed holds the potential of a flower but will never bloom unless you shine some light on it. Come out of the dark.Carve out time to relax and replenish, find a way to move your body in a way that you enjoy; take a few deep breaths before each meal to calm the nervous system and stimulate digestion.Bring love into the process. When we feel love in a situation, our body is at ease. Our breathing is deeper, we trust in the moment, everything flows. Falling out of a state of love and trust, is when we contribute to dis-ease. on.

Apples

New England is known for its variety of apples.Their unique blend of sweet and tart flavors are a product of the region's long, hot summers and crisp fall days. About 40 varieties of apples are commonly grown while the industry is still largely family-owned. 

Apples are rich in phytonutrients that function as antioxidants, supporting our heart. Rich in both insoluble fiber (like cellulose) and soluble fiber (like pectin), apples can help keep LDL cholesterol levels under control, and lower these levels if too high. Along with antioxidants and fiber, apples are abundant is flavonoids, preventing inflammation and blood clotting. They also help regulate blood pressure and overproduction of fat in the liver cells. 

Much of the fiber, antioxidant and flavonoid content is in the pulp. If drinking apple juice, choose the "cloudy" apple juice rather than the "clear" juice in order to get the benefits of the pulp. 

Protection Against Asthma and Lung Support: Flavonoids unique to apples (such as phloridzin) play an important role in supporting lung health. Several studies have significantly connected apples to lowering asthma risk. Interestingly enough, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (dated back to 6000 BC), the fall is a season in which the lungs and large intestine need to be nurtured _ the same season in which apples are grown!

Organics: Be aware that apples are listed among the top 12 fruits and vegetables highest in pesticides. To take full advantage of the antioxidants in apples, it's important to include the skins. Since the skins are exposed to the spraying of pesticides, organically-grown apples are highly recommended.

Recipe: Quick Apple Sunday

1 apple

1 Tbs almond butter

2 Tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs chopped almonds or granola

1 Tbs shredded coconut

In a small mixing bowl, blend the almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until it is smooth like caramel sauce.

Cut the apple into 1/4-inch pieces and place in a sundae serving bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the apples and top with the almonds/ granola and coconut. 

Balancing Diet With The Fall Season

In nature, fall is a time when everything begins to slow down, and the expansive energies of summer begin to contract inward and downward. Leaves fall, grasses dry, and the sap of the trees go into the roots. Similarly, we can often feel in our own lives that it is time to organize the scattered patterns of summer and create new rituals that will best support us through the slower winter months. Fall provides us with the process of cooling and slowing down. 

While nature may be slowing down, our schedules often don’t allow us to do the same. We must take extra care to be sure not to fall out of sync with the natural cycle around us.

All foods and flavors have different effects in the body. Some foods are warming while others cool the body’s thermal temperature. Here in New England, the vegetables that grow in the summer cool our bodies during the hot and humid season. In the fall the vegetables growing have a more warming, dense and stable effect. When we eat seasonal, local foods, we receive the energies that naturally balance out the seasonal shifts that occur within our bodies. 

The way we prepare our food plays a role in the effect it has on our body. Rather than keeping to the raw foods and grilling methods of summer cooking, which keep the cooling properties, fall and winter are about meals that are cooked on a lower heat for a longer period of time. This releases the more warming qualities of our food and provides a settling affect which in turn helps internalize one’s focus. 

Baked foods, sautéed foods, heartier foods, and root vegetables all contribute towards the thickening of the blood. If one lives in a cold climate, it is necessary that the blood gets thicker as the weather grows colder.

Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that we can use different flavors to synchronize the body’s energy with the seasons. During summer, pungent, spicy foods may have served a purpose as they provide an outwardly expansive energy; causing us to break into a sweat. Since fall is a process of contracting our energy inwards, we want to incorporate sour flavors as they have a similar effect. Sour foods include sauerkraut, olives, pickles, vinegar, leeks, adzuki beans, yogurt, lemons, limes, sour apples and sourdough bread. Extremely sour foods should be used in very small amounts as they have a strong effect.(*1)   As we move further into winter, the salty flavor will be of value for its contractive benefits. Wholesome salts are found in foods such as unrefined sea salt, seaweeds, barley, millet, soy sauce, miso, or pickles that are prepared in salt water.(*2)

*1 Caution: Minimize sour foods when feeling a “heavy mind or body” or constipation. 

*2 Caution: Minimize salt in conditions of over weight, edema, lethargy, or high blood pressure. 

The Pros of Protein

What is Protein?

Protein is found throughout the body. It is in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. It makes up the enzymes that power many chemical reactions important to our daily functioning.

Twenty or so basic building blocks, called amino acids, provide the raw material for all proteins. Because the body doesn't store amino acids, as it does fats or carbohydrates, it needs a daily supply to make new protein.

Can you get too much protein? 
A standard American diet usually adds up to excess protein consumption although not getting enough protein is quite common as well.
To digest protein, the body releases acids that need to be neutralized with calcium and other buffering agents. Eating lots of protein, such as the amounts recommended in low-carb or no-carb diets, takes lots of calcium. Some of this may be pulled from bone. Following an overly high-protein diet can weaken our bones over time.

Not all proteins are alike
Most animal sources of protein contain all the amino acids needed to build new proteins. Most vegetarian sources contain partial amounts of the various amino acids while lacking in others. If keeping to a vegan or vegetarian diet with no meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy, you need to incorporate a variety of whole grains, beans, vegetables and nuts to be sure you are getting all the necessary amino acids. One great example of a vegetarian sourced protein is quinoa. This grain contains all eight essential amino acids to make a complete protein.

Which type of protein is right for me? 
Different body types digest various proteins differently. Some bodies have a higher tolerance to the acidity of meat while others do better with fish or beans. Depending on your ancestry, blood type, age, lifestyle and temperament, you can understand what proteins work best for you at this stage of your life. An overheated type A personality with a hot temper should most likely avoid consuming red meat. An overly lethargic individual should probably consider lighter proteins as well. On the other hand a spacey individual who has a hard time completing projects and is easily susceptible to feeling cold, might benefit from the grounding, warming and assertive qualities that red meat has to offer.

Quality: Where is your protein coming from?
Concerns about the adverse health effect of red meat or butter began around the same time we started factory farming. Such products didn’t seem to impose much of a problem when cows roamed in the sun eating grass and we were actively working the fields. Health conditions began to develop as our lives became more sedentary and we began to eat the meat and dairy of animals which had been excessively crowded into small spaces and fed unnatural diets filled with antibiotics and hormones. Choose grass-fed and antibiotic-free beef, free range organic chickens and eggs, and organic dairy. The same is true with vegetarian protein sources. Conventional soy is a massively produced crop, normally genetically modified and heavily sprayed with chemicals.

Related Article: Soy Products and Their Controversy

Soy Products and Their Controversy

Soy can lower cholesterol, reduce menopausal side effects such as hot flashes, help prevent breast and prostate cancer, aid weight loss, and help ward off osteoporosis. Some of these benefits have been attributed to soy’s unique characteristic of high concentrations of isoflavones, a type of plant-made estrogen (phytoestrogen).

On the other hand most soy products are highly processed and many people have an undetected intolerance to soy. Soy is listed among the top five foods that Americans are most allergic to.

Soymilks and tofu can be great transitional foods for protein and dairy but I wouldn’t recommend using them on a regular basis for long periods of time. If you are substituting meat for soy based “meat-like” products, begin exploring with some of the products listed below. If you’ve been enjoying soymilk for quite a while, explore rice milk or almond milk as a new alternative.  Keep it rotating.

Since soy is the hardest to digest of all beans, it is helpful that it has been processed into more digestible products. Even so, these are highly processed foods. Soy products that have been minimally processed and naturally fermented for easier digestion include tempeh, natto, miso, or edamame.

 

Miso: Known for it ability to reduce toxins—including those from second-hand smoke—and act as an anti-carcinogen and digestive aid (hence, in Japanese culture, a small cup of miso soup before most meals). The darker the color, the more potent the medicinal value. Try brown rice, barley, or chickpea miso.

Natto: A potent digestive aid. Considered to aid in the regrowth of body tissue, it also helps to regulate blood sugar, contains no salt, and is an excellent source of protein. It has a sticky, viscous coating with a cheesy texture. In Asian countries, natto is traditionally served as a topping for rice, in miso soups or with vegetables.

Tempeh: An easily assimilated protein and energy-building food, it contains the important omega-3 fatty acids. This process also creates a natural antibiotic, which supports the immune system. With it’s smoky nutty flavor, tempeh can be marinated and grilled, baked, fried, added to soups, casseroles, stir-fry or chili.

Tofu: Supports the colon and the lung system, and is a cooling food for those who feel too hot or have high blood pressure. It is a great source of high-quality protein when consumed with whole grains, and also contains calcium, iron and potassium. Tofu easily absorbs the flavors of other ingredients with which it is cooked. Firm tofu is dense and solid and can be cubed and served in soups, stir-fried or grilled. It is higher in protein, fat and calcium than other forms of tofu. Soft tofu is good for recipes that call for blended tofu. Silken tofu is a creamy product and can be used as a replacement for sour cream in many dip recipes. 

Edamame: Young soybeans that can be eaten hot or cold, as a snack or appetizer, or added to any dish, salad or stir-fry. It is a quick and easy protein option since it takes only about 5 minutes to prepare—just boil, drain and drizzle with a touch of toasted sesame oil, or eat plain with a sprinkle of sea salt. Edamame is easy to digest and is exceptionally high in fiber, to help increase regularity.

Soy Protein Shakes and Power bars:

Shakes and bars made of soy-protein-isolates should be avoided. Many milks and tofu-based ice creams are from SPI (soy protein isolate). SPI is a cheap way for companies to add protein to energy bars to make them seem healthy. It is the left over byproduct of creating soy oil so instead of throwing it away, it gets added to processed foods to add protein. This process is done through a high temperature chemical process.

For protein shakes; use protein powder made of Hemp, Pea, or Brown Rice. All these are high protein powders that are minimally processed. For a boost, add a tablespoon of an all natural almond, peanut, sesame or sunflower butter into your shake. 

Getting Down To The Core

 The ‘Core’ is defined as a center or foundation. It is not without reason that we refer to our lower abdomen as our core. When we speak of strengthening our belly muscles, we refer to it as ‘core strengthening’. Our core is our center of gravity. Martial arts, dance, yoga, archery, weight lifting or wood chopping are all preformed better when coming from the core. However our core is not limited to just our physical center. The teachings of martial arts or yoga explain that our mental, emotional and spiritual centers reside in that same core location. The practices of meditation, theater, painting, or cooking, that are not necessarily related to motion, all teach that centering around the core is an indispensable key to achieve mastery. In Eastern cultures the core is referred to as ‘the sea of Qi’ (Chi), your vital life force. Centering awareness and breathing into the abdomen is a practice that opens our perceptions. 

Most of us go through our days forgetting our core. We rush around breathing shallowly into our upper chest. No longer using the muscles around the diaphragm at their fullest potential, we grow stiff and harden through the mid section of our chest, bellow the breast. This muscular congestion develops into a chronic block of breath flow, life force, through our bodies.

With the breath stuck in the upper chest, we continuously trigger our nervous system into fight or flight response. A shallow breath is like a continuous gasping; it is designed to stimulate our nervous system into a state of emergency. This is our body’s natural way of receiving quick spurts of oxygen in times of danger; in case we need to run or fight a predator. If we get caught in this survival mode type breathing, we may experience symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, chronic fatigue or any other stress related disorder. 

On an energetic level, we have blocked access to our intuition that resides in our gut (our gut feeling.) We rely solely on the brain to figure things out, keeping all our energy up in the chest and head and therefor creating tension in the neck and shoulders.

Meanwhile the lower abdomen isn’t getting much attention. It grows stagnant. A common symptom of stagnation in the abdomen is weight gain around the midsection. Often, this is a symptom of too much cortisol, a stress hormone, rather than just caloric intake. Our digestive system is weakened due to the high level of stress that the body is experiencing and digestive disorders may occur.

Core Breathing Exercise:

Pay attention while sitting in your computer chair or driver’s seat to see if you are caving into your mid section and belly. How many hours a day do you spend folded in this manner?

1) Sit up tall and focus on breathing into the belly. Be sure not to push the breath in forcefully but rather calmly invite it in.
2) Once you grow comfortable with the flow of breath in the belly, deepen the breath so that it begins from the lower abdomen and expands upward until it fills the chest as well. As you do so, concentrate on slowing down the pace of the breath and prolong each inhale and exhale.
3) Begin to explore the feeling of breath in the back of the body. If this is difficult to do, lean back into a chair and notice the different parts of your back pressing into the chair as you inhale and exhale.

If you are having a hard time feeling one of the stages, stay there for as long as you need. You may just be practicing the first part for a few weeks. Each attempt to deepen the breath wakens the nerve endings and softens the muscle tissue. The more you practice, the easier it becomes. Make it a habit to set a timer each day and spend at least 2 minutes practicing. You can do this while sitting at your desk. Before reaching for coffee or sugar to keep you going, try these exercises when you begin to feel your energy drop.

Summer Recipes

Summer is the peak of the season for northeastern fruit such as peaches,cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and melons. Many of our favorite vegetables, such as tomatoes and sweet corn are best when picked at thepeak of ripeness and eaten while still very fresh. This is a great time of year to visit the farmers markets.

Enjoy seasonal fruit for breakfast or a snack.
Make a salad of fresh local tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, and onions.
Grill fresh sweet corn in the husk with your summertime barbecues. If the corn is very fresh, it needs very little cooking and can even be eaten raw.
Grill vegetable kebobs with onions, peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, and eggplant.

Cold Soba Noodle Salad

8 ounces soba (buckwheat) noodles
6 cups water
1 bunch sunflower sprouts or pea shoots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red radishes
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped cucumber

Dressing:
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2-inch piece grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Put soba noodles into a pot of 6 cups boiling water and cook until tender, no more than 8 minutes. Rinse with cold water when finished cooking.
Mix all vegetables and noodles in a large bowl.
Combine ingredients for dressing in a separate bowl, then pour dressing over noodles and mix well.


Summer Barley Salad

1 cup barley
2 ¼ cups water
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 bunches arugula
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 carrot, chopped
½ bunch scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons

Place barley, water and salt in a pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
Wash arugula and chop into small pieces.
Place sunflower seeds on a cookie sheet and toast for 5 minutes in a 350-degree oven, being careful not to burn them.
When the barley is cooked, let it cool and then transfer to a large mixing bowl, mixing it with all ingredients. Add salt and pepper if desired.


Late Summer Corn Salad

4 ears of corn
½ small red onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ bunch cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Boil corn in a large pot for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pot and cool by running under cold water. Cut kernels from the cobs and place in a large mixing bowl.
Mix with all other ingredients.

Are You Living On The Edge?

Modern nutrition does not lend much attention to how diet influences our emotional being. While we may recognize how an emotional state can lead to certain eating habits, we haven’t paid much attention to how the foods themselves can create certain emotions or stress.

Food contains more than just vitamin A, B, or C. Just as our bodies pulsate with energy, food contains energy as well. As the two energies mix, our food can have either an expansive effect in our body or a contractive one.

When we consume sugar, caffeine, alcohol or drugs we feel “lighter”, hence more expansive. If we eat meat, eggs, salt, or hard cheeses, the feeling can be more grounded. This is a more contracted energy.Too much contracted food can make us feel heavy and lethargic. Too much salt can make us feel tight. Too much alcohol or ice cream can leave us with a headache. Expansive has a more upward moving energy while contractive has a more downward one.

If an individual’s diet consists mostly of contractive foods, heavy in animal protein and cheeses, his or her diet can be too extreme on the contractive side. Since the body is always looking for balance, we may experience cravings for something expansive like sugar or alcohol to balance us out. A craving for a sweet dessert after a meal is not uncommon. Have you ever had an experience that you were so full and heavy but when dessert showed up, you were suddenly ready to eat more?

Cravings are not a bad thing as many of us seem to perceive them. They are the body’s natural search for balance. Not to say that the dessert is going to balance you out. It will most likely cause havoc, cancelling the digestion of your meal, leaving it to ferment undigested in the stomach. Even so, since the body is in search of finding center, the thought of something more uplifting when feeling full can sound appealing.

Each craving holds a clue to help us find balance. In this case, the desert craving may be a clue that the overall diet needs to consist of less contractive foods.

Lifestyle as well as diet can cause cravings for expansive foods. When we feel stressed, our body will contract and muscles will tighten. This tightness is a state of contractiveness. If we feel contracted in life, we will crave expansiveness for balance.

At times of stress we may be reaching for a candy bar or a cup of coffee to keep going. We may crave a cold beer or ice cream at the end of a stressful day. If this is the case, your body is signaling it needs more expansive experiences throughout the day. Implementing some simple stress reducing techniques, can help eliminate the craving.

Can a person also be too expansive? Absolutely! If you are only eating fat-free, substituting breakfast with a cup of coffee, minimizing caloric intake, (while often binging on sweets), you are too extremely expansive. In this case, more grounding energy is needed. Often you can overcome the sweet tooth by adding more grounding foods such as healthy fats and a proper breakfast.

Our diet is woven into the fabric of our lifestyle with respect to our physical, biological, emotional and spiritual aspects.

Use your body’s feedback to understand how to change your diet:If you feel tight, tense, or too rigid, reduce the amount of contractive foods. If you feel too spacey or scattered, increase your contractive foods and diminish the expansive ones.

Are You For Real?.... Discovering Superfoods!

Choosing a healthy diet means choosing a natural diet. Natural foods come in various forms: raw, cooked, fermented, or dried. Foods stop being natural when processed with chemicals or preservatives. Some foods which may look natural are not if they have been raised or grown with hormones or through genetic engineering.

We fill our shopping carts with substitutes for real food. We grab animal byproducts like cold cuts, hot dogs and processed cheeses. We’ve been told that soy sausage or fake bacon are “health foods” when in fact they are highly processed products made from soy byproducts.
Health food is real food as nature created it. Our focus on healthy eating is usually limited to the type of food we are eating. We commonly overlook the importance of the quality of food. If we cease to pump our animals with antibiotics and hormones and stop processing the food with nitrates and preservatives, there would be no need to substitute it with other highly processed “healthier choices” like a soy burger. You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created it.

If you do eat these types of food, eat them in moderation and choose real meat products from real, grass-fed, naturally raised animals, free of all chemicals and preservatives. Furthermore, be sure to balance your diet with plenty of vegetables, especially the green leafy ones.

Superfoods:
If we only ate grains, fruit and vegetables from soil rich in natural nutrients, and meat from animals fed natural food, we would maintain a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals.
But let’s be honest; that’s not easy to do even if we planted and raised everything ourselves.

Super-foods are naturally nutrient dense. Unlike many dietary supplements, super-foods contain many nutrients that support each other and prevent the kind of imbalances that often occur when taking only vitamins.

Here are some of the major super-foods:

1. Goji Berries: Goji berries are a complete protein filled with antioxidants and trace minerals. These berries can improve eyesight and boost production of growth hormones. Add to your trail mix or top off a breakfast cereal with it.

2. Raw Chocolate (aka cacao): Contains more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai and goji berries combined. Full of magnesium to help the body stay alkaline, an amazing source of iron, and it contains tryptophan, a mood-enhancing nutrient. Keep in mind that raw cacao - raw chocolate that has not been cooked (as opposed to most chocolate bars) - retains more nutrients. You can find raw cacao as powder, nibs, or whole beans.

3. Maca Root: Enhances libido, rich in calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, selenium, and silicon (for bone strength). It supports the endrocine system and thyroid in accurate hormone production. Maca is great for rebuilding the adrenal gland, which is our body’s center for handling stress. It counteracts the damage caffeine causes to our adrenals.

4. Bee Pollen: Contains all twenty-two essential amino acids, increases endurance, improves muscle growth and definition, and is packed with B vitamins to bolster against stress.
* it is important to start with a small amount of bee pollen (1/4 tsp) to ensure that you are not allergic to it (signs of allergy include light swelling as well as moderate difficulty in breathing).

5. Spirulina: Contains 65% protein, supplements B12, builds the blood with its high chlorophyll content, and is full of beta-carotene.
*This algae is cooling and wet: if you are prone to feeling cold avoid using large amounts

6. Hemp Seed: contains all essential amino acids, has brain-building and liver-supporting lecithin, is rich in vitamin E, and contains essential fatty acids to protect the skin from sun exposure.


Workout Shake (1-2 servings)
Put away your soy protein shakes and start making your shakes with hemp powder. Enjoy the flax and hemp for their essential fatty acids, the banana for potassium, the spirulina for cellular regeneration.

2 Tbs hemp seed protein powder
1 tsp maca root powder
1 tsp spirulina (or less when first getting used to the taste)
2 Tbs flax
2 Tbs raw cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bee pollen
1 banana
Handful of almonds
1 cup of water
optional- natural sweetener of choice- maple/ raw honey/ agave (I don't find I need more sweetness. If using raw honey, omit the bee pollen from the recipe)

Mix all the ingredients in blender until smooth.

Spring Forward Lightly

Spring Awakening

Just as the life in the seeds can’t help but erupt into the glory of the first spring flowers, in our bodies, potential is finding its way to the surface.

Our natural surroundings provide a reflection of what is going on inside. Just as in the winter time we had to wear layers of clothing to keep us warm, the body had to coat its tissues and cells with insulation. Now, as we peal off our winter coats, our inner body is trying to do the same. Sticking to a diet that is rich in fats, animal protein, dairy, and other heavily mucus forming foods, is as unnatural as making ourselves wear our thermal underwear on a warm spring day!

Spring is a time of budding what lays beneath the surface. On an emotional level, seeds of optimism may grow and we may find the power to shine bright. On the other hand, if we have avoided the introspective season of winter and kept our internal struggles repressed, they may now surface with full force, demanding to be addressed.

Waking up isn’t always easy, but vital for our survival as spiritual beings.

Whether you are experiencing pain or pleasure, feeling “good” or “bad” is not the point. The awakening is has more to do with how we relate to what we are feeling rather than to the feeling itself.

As the weather warms, it is common for a new sense of urgency around appearance and body image to arise. In the example of weight loss, your body may be awakening to its need of shedding winter layers. An urgency to lose weight in order to look good in the eyes of others is not an awakening. An awakening is when the desire to lose weight comes from the inner directed natural rhythm of your body.
While the weight loss methods may be the same in both cases, the internal process is entirely different. Fighting the weight through stress and self criticism is war. When we learn to let go internally as well as shed the physical layers, we learn Love. When you learn to love it all you have awakened; the good, the bad, the journey, and the destination,

No matter what cross road you are on, invite spirit into it.

Feeling tired?
During spring allot of energy is being drawn out of the earth by the trees, allowing them to bloom. When we spend most of our day walking in shoes on concrete floors, we are not receiving much earth energy for ourselves. Lean your back on the trunk of a tree for a few minutes each day or spend some time walking barefoot on the grass. There is a lot of energy on the surface of the ground, soak it up!

Sprouts

Sprouts represent new beginnings, containing a youthful vibrancy of potential growth.
As with any living organism in stages of infancy, we can feel the full potential of life. When eating sprouts you are providing your body life and vitality. Sprouts contain the vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and simple sugars. They are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals and significant amounts of vitamins A, C and D. Since sprouts are very easy to digest, our bodies are able to metabolize all these wonderful nutrients.
In their raw form, sprouts have a cooling effect on the body, and therefore are best consumed in warm weather or by robust, warm body types. Those who tend to feel cool can try steaming spouts or adding them to warm dishes such as stir-fries and soups, to reduce the cooling effect. There is a wide variety of edible and delicious sprouts, each with a different texture and flavor: alfalfa, mung bean, lentil, radish, clover, sunflower, broccoli, garbanzo and adzuki.

Here are some great ways to serve up sprouts:

* Add to salads
* Combine with other vegetables in wraps, roll-ups or stir-fries
* Use as garnish on top of soups, stews, omelets or scrambled eggs
* Add to rice or whole grain dishes
* Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce.

Prepare a salad using the following ingredients:

* Mixed greens (use dark green or red lettuces, a spring mix, arugula, or baby spinach.)

* Dandelion greens

* Alfalfa sprouts (or other sprouts; see examples mentioned above)

* Spring onions

* Dikon radish (delicious when shredded or julienned)

* Regular radishes

* Carrots (shredded or julienned)

* Raw beet (shredded or julienned)

All the vegetables above are seasonal to spring. You can then add you other favorites such as tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cucumber, etc.

For The Dressing:

mix lemon juice (a spring cleanser), olive oil, garlic (another spring cleanser), salt and pepper. You can optionally add a teaspoon of mustard to the mix.

Truth or Dairy

Got Milk?

Milk has become a hot topic in the world of health and wellness. Some believe dairy to be the healthiest of foods while others believe it to be a major culprit of disease.

According to recent studies, the majority of the adult population of the world cannot biochemically utilize dairy products. People of Northern European descent are unique in retaining the ability to produce the lactose-digesting enzyme, lactase, into adulthood. Meanwhile 95% of Asian Americans, 74% of Native Americans, 70% of African Americans, 53% of Latin Americans, and 15% of Caucasians suffer from lactose intolerance.

Dairy products are a recent addition to the human diet that came along with domesticated animals about 10,000 years ago. While milk has been used widely during this time, it has not always been used wisely. The cruel treatment of animals as well as the chemicals and hormones used in the cows’ feed all contribute to the growing health hazard effects of milk and other dairy products. Due to the poor living conditions and unnatural diet, cows receive antibiotics that prevent illnesses. Even higher amounts of hormones are present in the milk due to the common practice of milking pregnant cows. All of these hormones, antibiotics and chemicals are transferred to us through the milk.

Calcium, especially from milk products, is recommended as the main element to reduce the risk of bone fractures. However, there are far more fractures in regions that consume milk products (US, Great Britain, Canada, Northern Europe) than there are in regions that do not (Traditional Africa and China). While calcium may contribute to bone strength, if we are not eating the foods that build collagen, the bone will have no flexibility and can still easily fracture.

These days more and more health conditions have been linked to dairy such as common digestive disorders, cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, tumors and diabetes.

If you are experiencing symptoms of digestive disorders, intestinal disorders, congestive disorders and mucus, or skin conditions, eliminate dairy from your diet for at least two weeks and see if conditions improve. Gradually introduce various forms of dairy back into the diet and notice any changes.

The main problem with dairy today is its over-consumption as well as its lower (processed) quality.

When butter, yogurt, and ghee are made from pasture fed organic milk they can be some of our most nourishing and healing foods. Dairy MUST be of finest quality!

Lower your intake of dairy. Use dairy as a condiment, not a major ingredient.

The FDA’s recommendation of 3 glasses a day is far more related to its political obligations to the subsidized dairy industry than it does to the concern of your health.

For most, I would recommend avoiding milk and consuming fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and Kefir. Try a variety of milk substitutes such as unsweetened rice milk, almond milk, oat milk or hazelnut milk. Experiment with goat milk products as they are often much easier to digest by the human body and are found to be far less mucus forming than cow’s milk.

Non-dairy foods that are high in Calcium include:

Beans and nuts

Greens, especially broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip tops, parsley, watercress, dandelion.

Sea vegetables

Sesame seeds and tahini

Canned salmon and sardines with bones

Soups made with the bones of fish, fowl, or beef. One tablespoon of wine vinegar will help draw out the calcium into the broth.

The Ultimate Outcome

Setting goals is a way of focusing the mind on a desired result. In a goal oriented culture such as our own, the teaching of “the law of attraction” has found its way into business schools, holistic circles and pop culture alike.

The law of attraction says “like attracts like”; you get what you put your energy and focus on. No matter if you want it or not, how you think creates your reality.

The beauty of applying this knowledge is that it brings us to reflect on our own thinking patterns. We begin to notice a space between ourselves and our thoughts so that we can now watch each thought rather then lose ourselves in it. There is an awakening in which we come out of the constantly thinking mind and into the meditation of consciousness

As we deepen our reflective practice, we may notice that we put more focus on the problem or on what we don’t want rather than the solution, thus creating more of the same.

We manifest what we think about all the time. On the simplest level; you get a call from someone just as you’re thinking about them or something shows up just when you need it. But how many times have we achieved goals or gotten things we thought would make us happy and yet we still felt unsatisfied?

The danger of the realization of our own power is that for many who practice the law of attraction, the basic focus seems to remain in the consumer mentality such as how to get a new sports car, or a vacation home in the tropics. We can get trapped even further in our dependencies of the material to make us happy.

While it is true that the mind is powerful and we can create and attract what we want, what else are we creating in the process? When we believe we must achieve something in order to make us happy; we experience a feeling of lacking something. We may manifest the things we ask for but the law of attraction also attracts more of the same; we attract more of the feeling of a void that needs to be filled.

Rather than focusing on getting “things that make us happy”, I suggest we make happiness itself be the goal. If the goal is our own inner peace, no matter how things unfold, we still stay in a place of calm and trust. Rather than seeing no result, we rest in the knowledge that we are in the process of creating the result, allowing something better to evolve.

We never know what happiness is going to look like. We may be missing the biggest gifts because we are trapped in our preconceptions that we need something else.
Or perhaps we truly are not achieving what we want because were too focused on what it feels like when we don’t have it.

The spiritual satisfaction comes when our desire becomes ‘to give’ rather than ‘to get’. When we feel that we can afford to give away, we are trusting in abundance. Feeling abundant creates abundance. Here we can still achieve all our goals while meeting our true desire of satisfaction.

Rather than being careful what you wish for; be careful how you wish for it.

Breakfast

As a way of tuning into your body and learning to listen to its messages, explore eating a different breakfast every day for a week. Jot down what you eat and how you feel, both right after eating and again two hours later. Sit quietly after you eat and reflect. Note how your energy level, your moods, and your physical symptoms are affected by the food in your body.

Day 1: fresh fruit salad or fruit smoothie or baked fruit
Day 2: rolled oats (not instant) with nuts and dates or dried fruit
Day 3: egg scrambled with veggies (try tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach)
Day 4: coffee, orange juice, tea or milk, muffin
Day 5: whole grain toast with nut butter
Day 6: whole grain cereal with fruit on top
Day 7: fresh green salad or dinner leftovers

Breakfast in a Rush: Overnight Oats

Breakfast in a Rush: Overnight Oats
If you are in a hurry in the morning, prepare this for the morning before going to bed.

Mix 1 cup of oats with 1-1.5 cups of water. Let it sit over night.

While preparing, add various additions:
• When mixing with the water try adding some vanilla essence
• Mix in cinnamon
• Mix in your favorite nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower, and flax
• Add some cocoa nibs or a teaspoon of cocoa powder
• Add dried coconut flakes
• Add dried fruit such as dates or raisins. Throw in some dried figs- they will rehydrate in the water and provide sweetness.
• Fresh fruit such as apple or banana…
• Sweeteners: Try 100% pure maple syrup or raw honey.
• Have fun & get creative each day!

I'll Have the Happy Meal

Enjoying food doesn’t mean giving up on health or weight loss. Counting every calorie, crunching numbers instead of nutrients, and living in deprivation; all these can take all the joy out of eating.

Rather than constantly stressing about what not to eat, shift your focus onto what you should be eating that you are not.

This will take away some of the confusion around diet. If your focus is, for example, on avoiding fat, you might be unknowingly consuming quantities of extra low quality calories through added sugars, or even worse: artificial ingredients. The continuous rise in obesity suggests that diet foods, sugar-free soft drinks and low-fat snacks are not helping people manage their weight.

Fortunately, these days people are rediscovering seasonal vegetables, nuts, berries, organics, whole grains, fresh, home-cooked meals and other healthful foods.

By adding nutrient rich foods, we can meet our hunger while eliminating unhealthy cravings and curve binge eating. No matter how much we eat, if our body does not get the nutrients it needs, it will continue to hunger for more. This is one of the reasons why caffeine, sugar and other processed carbohydrates can be so addictive. Providing an immediate but false sense of energy, the body is thrown into a cycle of a constant search for sustainability. Teasing the body into feeling it now has the fuel to charge forward, we continue to run on empty while wearing and tearing ourselves down in the process. Adding more plant-based and whole/ unprocessed foods to our diet can help keep us satiated, naturally regain portion control, regulate our hunger, and enhance our energy, vitality, and health.

The more energy we put into preparing our food, the more energy our body puts into assimilating it. Food is not our enemy. The 'enemy' is the “food-like” packaged products that has made it to feel that way.

Don’t skip out on the pleasure of home cooking. Keep it simple enough for you to handle and enjoy. Enjoying a home cooked meal creates feelings about food that makes you feel cared for. What are we telling ourselves if we mostly eat meals that were mass produced with no thought of our individual selves? Eating a home cooked meal is a vital key in creating a positive relationship with what is on the plate. These days it’s a miracle if a plate is even involved with your meal at all.

Food Focus: Brown Rice

Brown rice contains the highest amount of B vitamins out of all grains. Additionally, it contains iron, vitamin E, amino acids, and linoleic acid. Brown rice is high in fiber, extremely low in sodium and is composed of 80% complex carbohydrates. Because brown rice is a whole food, it takes longer to digest than white rice, providing the body with sustained energy throughout the day.

Brown rice is known to generates energy, promote good digestion, quenches thirst, alleviate diarrhea caused by spleen-pancreas deficiency, and relieve mental depression.

When you cook enough brown rice to last you for several days you can add it to different meals: Add it to stews, cream it in a soup, layer it in a casserole, stir-fry it, roll it up in a tortilla, mix it in a loaf, toss it in a salad, make a morning porridge (adding raisins cinnamon, nuts, etc’), press it down in a pie plate as a crust for a pie (such as steamed mashed yams), blend it with miso and turn it into a gravy for vegetables, blend it into your morning smoothie, or blend it adding into a dip (adding tahini or a nut butter for richness, perhaps seasonings such as garlic, parsley, or dill).

Basic Brown Rice
Yields 3 cups
1 cup brown rice
2 cups of water or broth
seasonings to taste

1. Rinse rice in a bowl of cool water and strain.
2. Place all ingredients in a pot with a tight fitting lid.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat.
4. Cover and let simmer for 50 minutes. If this is your first experiment with rice you’ll, want to check the rice 10 minutes before the anticipated finish time so you don’t burn the rice (If you do burn it, it is okay, just try it again!)
5. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes
6. Fluff with fork and serve
(May also be prepared in a rice cooker with the same ratio of ingredients.)

Seasonal stir fry with garlic sauce
Serves four
1 onion, cut into thick crescents
2-3 carrots, cut on thin diagonals
8 oz. shrimp (or diced chicken, beef, tofu, tempeh)
2 stalks broccoli, florets plus stems cut in thin diagonals
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 Tbs. tamari/ soy sauce
1/2 -1/3 cup water
1 Tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
1-2 scallions, minced

Add a small amount of water to a frying pan and water sauté onion for 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp and broccoli cook for 2-3 minutes. Combine garlic, tamari, water, maple syrup and toasted sesame oil. Pour over stir-fry, cover and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Lay stir-fry on top of cooked brown rice and garnish with scallions.

Brown Rice Pudding
Serves four
2 cups leftover brown rice
1 cup milk (rice milk, almond milk, or organic dairy milk)
1/2 cup raisins
2 Tbs. maple syrup/ other natural sweetener
1 tsp. vanilla essence
2 Tbs. dried shredded coconut (optional)
1 Tbs. tahini

Combine all ingredients and heat on stovetop for 5-7 minutes or bake in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Variation: no tahini, add cinnamon.

Let the Sun Shine Out

One of the beauties of the holiday season is that we celebrate light during the darkest time of the year. Often though, these celebrations serve as a distraction to keep us moving at our usual fast pace, avoiding the natural rhythm of winter.

Winter is a time for us to slow down and explore deeper aspects of who we are. While New Year resolutions can be the push we need to take care of ourselves, the commitment to the treadmill is often just another way to keep us running from our own inner sense of self.

The holiday season of lights is there to remind us that our inner light burns bright in the darkest of times. Bringing light into the darkness is the act of making the unconscious conscious.

If we light a torch in a dark room we can see clearly the contents of the room and which obstacles stand before us. Internally, as we direct our attention onto the light of consciousness, we gain a deeper perspective of the content of our mind.

Identifying and letting go of our limiting beliefs allows our entire self to become free to expand in new areas and to breathe in the greater experience of life. Even if we know this to be true, we may continue to avoid engaging such a process since a new state of uncertain possibilities tends to be more threatening than the familiar and comforting (however damaging) current beliefs.

The narrowness of our minds believes that we are not smart enough, don’t know enough, aren’t worthy enough, not good-looking enough, or that we are selfish. We spend our energy trying to cover up this dark truth in the hope that others won’t find out. We are scared of being exposed for what our narrow-mindedness has convinced us be the truth about ourselves.

In our culture it is very common to address isolated symptoms rather than address the underlying cause. By labeling people by their faults rather than their virtues we are able to temporarily boost the ego. We rationalize each situation without addressing the constant trigger that is our own limiting belief about ourselves.

Once we acknowledge that we have limiting beliefs, we free ourselves from thinking that we are these beliefs. Then we can feel far more comfortable slowing down and tuning into self. Such a realization invites a true sense of freedom. Not the freedom that comes from defending our belief systems, but the freedom that no conflict or idea can dissipate, and no schedule can bury.

As you make your New Year resolutions, make sure they serve the unlimited you. Rather than declaring yet another tiring war against your own body image or life situation, connect to motivation that it rooted in love.

For myself, when I exercise and eat healthy, I feel calmer, clearer, and lighter in both mind and body. Taking care of my body is a way of taking better care of my spirit.

Happy New Year. May the pure light shine within you, and guide your way on.

Food Focus: Salt

Salt is one of life’s most vital elements as it contains over 60 essential trace minerals. The energy of salt is grounding, it aids in stronger digestion, helps to detoxify poisons, and it stimulates the kidneys which create moisture that helps combat the dryness of winter.

If salt has so many benefits why has it been labeled one of the most dangerous foods of our times? One reason is because of the salt that has been studied in relationship to hypertension is low quality refined salt eaten in excess. Common table salt is stripped of most of its beneficial minerals and is adorned with anti-caking chemicals, free flowing agents, ammonium citrate, and so on.

One of the main misconceptions about sea salt is that it doesn’t contain essential iodine. Iodine is a mineral that supports thyroid and lymphatic system health. The amount of iodine that we need to consume over our life time to support proper functioning is properly met by consuming unrefined sea salt in moderation and adding seaweed to our diet.

To receive the benefits of salt, choose high quality sea salt crystals that are produced without much processing. Keep in mind that local sea salt might have added benefit since it is harvested in the same environment you live.

Recipe of the Month: Vegetarian Hearty Soups

Lentil Vegetable Soup

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. curry powder (or ground cumin)
1 carrot, diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken/ vegetable broth or water
¼ tsp. pepper
Salt to taste
1 Tbs. lemon juice
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender.
Mix in curry powder and cook for 30 seconds, then add carrot & potato. Add lentils and broth/ water, salt and pepper.
Simmer; covered for 30 minutes.
Turn off heat. Puree and add lemon juice and Tabasco.


Gypsy soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups sweet potatoes -- chopped &
peeled (Or winter squash)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped sweet peppers
1&1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
3 cups organic vegetable stock or water
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
dash cinnamon
dash cayenne
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

In a soup kettle or large saucepan, sauté onions, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes in olive oil for about five minutes.
Add seasonings (except tamari) and the stock or water.
Simmer, covered, fifteen minutes.
Add remaining vegetables and chickpeas.
Simmer another 10 minutes or so - until all the vegetables are as tender as you like them.

NOTES : The vegetables used in this soup are flexible. Any orange vegetable can be combined with green...for example, peas or green beans could replace the peppers.
Carrots can be used instead of, or in addition to the squash or sweet potatoes, etc.
(Moosewood Cookbook)