Beating Yourself and Others Up: Discernment vs. Judgment
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When making choices in life, it is important to discern rather than judge. Discernment originates from a yearning to figure out what is for your highest good and what is most joyful life; it’s from love. Judgment is making an observation and condemning based on fear. Judging another originates from your yearning to protect what you have and be safe, not to expand into your most miraculous self.
When you discern, you will find far more solutions to any problem because it leaves you open. Nobody is ever truly wrong. Think about it this way: The only way anyone can ever do anything they do is based on the experience and perceptions they have.
For example, I used to have the perspective that Eckhart Tolle wrote in a way that was hard for me to read. That is discernment. When I figured this out, I just got the audios, et voilà! I enjoyed that much better. Judgement would have been “Eckhart Tolle is a pretentious writer that uses language that does not speak to the masses.” Reading Tolle’s writing is not right for me, but listening to him is. But that does not make him wrong.
Make peace with the fact that it is perfectly fine to figure out what feels best to you. That doesn’t mean you are putting anyone else down (after all, if you thought that way, you would be judging yourself—and that kind of defeats the purpose).
Jennifer Hough
FreshDirect Delivers
Filed Under Dinner with The Lunch Belle | Leave a Comment
For people like me (a busy New Yorker), even running the simplest of errands is sometimes overwhelming and daunting. Maybe it’s just me being lazy, but I literally have to talk myself into getting off of the couch to pick up my prescriptions, toiletries, laundry, etc.
When I first heard about FreshDirect, I was elated that I could finally check one errand off of my list—that dreaded bi-monthly trip to the grocery store! For those of you who aren’t in-the-know, FreshDirect is an online grocery store offering fantastically high quality products. Everything from locally farmed fruits and veggies, kosher and organic products, health and beauty items, groceries, heat-and-eat/ready-to-cook meals, all the way to a catering service and bulk purchasing is offered on this website. One-stop-shopping is quite a beautiful thing, my friends!
I want to give two thumbs up for one of their 4-Minute Meals that I had for dinner recently. What is a 4-Minute Meal, you ask? FreshDirect will answer that for you: “Quick, portable, delicious… and only at FreshDirect! Enjoy portability, speed and convenience without giving up flavor or freshness. All you need is four minutes and a microwave!”
I’ve tried many of these meals in the past and was always impressed; however, the Smart & Simple Garlic Chili Wild Alaskan Halibut w/ Coconut Rice blew me away. I almost hesitated when ordering fish, fearing a low quality filet, wilted vegetables, and mushy rice. But I’ve never been so wrong about something so right. I placed my pre-made entree in the ‘wave for three minutes, and let it cool for one while I simultaneously cut a fresh lemon wedge to kill what I thought was going to be a very fishy piece of halibut. I lightly squeezed the citrus juice over the fish and cut into the one-inch thick flesh. The halibut was a generous rectangular portion of meat that had been lightly seared in a cilantro-sesame marinade. It was accompanied by crispy, bright green snow peas and delicate and sticky coconut jasmine rice with a light drizzle of ginger soy. Sound amazing? It most certainly was. The halibut was pristinely fresh, tasting like it had just been caught a couple of hours prior. The robust symphony of cilantro, sesame, ginger, and soy mated beautifully with the modest fish, rice, and snow peas.
Not only do I recommend FreshDirect, I highly advise trying this phenomenal 4-Minute-Meal. For a mere $12.99, you’re not only getting a restaurant-quality entree at a fraction of the price you’d pay when dining out, but every FreshDirect Smart & Simple meal is “…portion-controlled and freshly made in our kitchen with lean proteins, lots of vegetables and no hydrogenated oils. Fewer than 500 calories per meal!”
What is better than healthy food that tastes amazing? Now that is what I call a delicious win-win situation!
Naturally,
The Lunch Belle
How to Give Herbs to Pets
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I would like to share how to give encapsulated herbs to animals. If your dog or cat isn’t fussy, you can just pill them. Use a pilling device, or just push the capsule down the back of the throat, then stroke the throat until you are sure the capsule was swallowed.
However, I find that my animals never really appreciated this method; it just added to their stress level. When animals are sick, it is not good to further stress them. I prefer either of these two methods.
First, put the capsule in a treat like peanut butter, cheese (I actually use a cheese spread), or meat. The dog should gobble it down. However, the smart ones may figure it out and you will find little capsules in a corner.
The second way, which works well for my animals, is to open the capsules and mix the contents with wet/canned food. This generally hides the taste and the animal isn’t stressed. The second method works well if you are giving many capsules to your pet.
Many people, especially children, have problems swallowing capsules. Opening herbal capsules and mixing the contents with foods such as applesauce or soup is an easy way to ingest the herbs. You can also buy herbs in bulk (much cheaper) and handle them the same. You don’t always have to make a tea.
Wendy
The Purpose of Life
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The purpose of life is joy—not getting things done, so that you can have joy when it’s over. We create goals and dreams only for the joy of the journey, not for the two hours of celebration at the end.
Have you ever been involved in something and put pressure on yourself to get it done? I occassionally fall into that trap, too. When I do, I remind myself that I chose the projects I am involved in for joy of the journey. And I don’t get an “A” in Heaven or a closer seat to God for getting them done.
Think about all the people you meet, connections by phone, drives through the backroads, and the children, pets, and flowers you pass by every day. Do you notice? I was once told that trees and plants are truly here solely for our benefit. Well how blessed are we?
Are you milking the journey for all it’s worth? Do you sing with your kids in the car? Do you acknowledge your garden when you walk out of your home? Do you stay present in your phone conversations with others, truly hearing where they are coming from? Have you danced with your spouse/lover lately?
There’s no prize to getting it all done—but then again, maybe there is! Getting it all done is nice. If at the end of life, you would like to declare that you “got it done,” then let me know how that goes. The alternative? When you do anything, find the meaning, beauty, interest, or joy in it. After all, why else would we do anything?
Jennifer Hough
What’s a Thursday Sandwich?
Filed Under Holistic Law | 1 Comment
What’s a Thursday Sandwich? When my clients come to me worried about how hard they are struggling, worried about the future, worried about achieving their goals, and worried about how and when they will achieve them, I have a tendency to talk to them about what I have come to call a Thursday Sandwich.
To understand what a Thursday Sandwich is, you will have to be familiar with Deepak Chopra’s 7 Spiritual Laws of Success, one of my favorite personal growth books. I refer to it on a regular basis. If you haven’t read this wonderful little book yet, please do yourself a favor and read it at your earliest convenience.
The seven chapters of this amazing book each discuss one of the seven laws referred to in the title. Since there are seven days of the week, many of the readers of this book have taken to referring to each of the laws by the name of a day of the week.
• Sunday’s Law is the Law of Pure Potentiality
• Monday’s Law is the Law of Giving
• Tuesday’s Law is the Law of Karma or Cause and Effect
• Wednesday’s Law is the Law of Least Effort
• Thursday’s Law is the Law of Intention and Desire
• Friday’s Law is the Law of Detachment
• Saturday’s Law is the Law of Dharma or Purpose in Life
So, on Sundays I tend to dwell upon my potential and the potential of others around me.
On Mondays I tend to dwell on giving and receiving and to marvel at my experience that the more I freely give of myself and of what I have and know, the more I seem to receive in abundance.
On Tuesdays I particularly remind myself of the Law of Karma and dwell in the knowingness that we reap what we sow. Everything that we do or do not do has its consequences, often unintended and unforeseen, but consequences, nonetheless. I think it is important to acknowledge that, accept that, be OK with that, take responsibility for that.
On Wednesdays I like to remember the Law of Least Effort, to remember that life was meant to be effortless. If I am really struggling with something, then maybe it just isn’t the right time for me to be doing what it is I am struggling to do, to achieve what I am struggling to achieve, to have what I am struggling to have.
On Thursdays I tend to focus on the Law of Intention and Desire, goal-setting. What is it that I intend to accomplish this year, this month, this week, this day, this moment? What can I do to clarify that intention?
On Fridays I think of the Law of Detachment and remind myself not to be so caught up in the how and the when of achieving my goals, but rather to allow the Universe to assist me in those areas.
Of course Saturday’s law, the Law of Dharma or Life’s purpose, provides me with the ideal context in which to place and use all of the other Laws of the week. This leads me to the Thursday Sandwich.
I have come to believe that Thursday’s law, the Law of Intention and Desire, is used to best effect when consciously sandwiched in between Wednesday’s Law, the Law of Least Effort, and Friday’s Law, the Law of Detachment.
It is good to have clear goals, intentions, and desires. But I am convinced that I will achieve my goals most effectively, freely, and effortlessly when I sandwich them between the delectable slices of nutrient-rich bread that are Wednesday’s Law and Friday’s Law, a commitment that my goals be achieved effortlessly, without struggle and a detachment as to how or when they will be achieved.
Hence, a Thursday Sandwich: Set forth your goals with clarity, being committed to achieve them effortlessly without struggle and being detached as to the when or how that they will be achieved.
Let the Universe determine the how and the when! That’s what’s a Thursday Sandwich!
Philip J. Daunt, Esq.
Market Table: Naturally Fresh and Delicious
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After going back and forth between all of our crazy schedules, Emily, Nora, and I finally got a “girls’ night” dinner date in the books at the uber-haute new restaurant, Market Table.
From the street, one would never be able to discern the restaurant’s rustically charming interior. The front door invites patrons inside a two-roomed space, one comprised of a market/hostess stand/kitchen and pseudo-waiting area, and further back is the restaurant’s dining room. Dividing the open-kitchen from the first room was a large glass case displaying fresh cuts of carnivorous morsels.
This space reminded me of being in an old-fashioned general store with market-fresh ingredients. For example, there were built-in shelves stocked with endless bottles of wine, canned vegetables, and jars of jam; homemade muffins displayed on platters; and a chilled case stocked with Murray’s most popular cheeses. Sporadically placed cylindrical pitchers of water held bountiful branches of fruitful cherry blossoms that added soft, feminine color to the dark, rustic space. Illuminating the room were hundreds of twinkling votive candles placed on the restaurant’s decent-sized bar, window sills, and dining tables made of butcher block. The atmosphere gave me the sense of being in someone’s cozy log cabin or intimate lodge—après ski, of course!
Our fabulous server was the perfect pseudo-sommelier, recommending wines suited for each one of our picky palettes. Once each of our glasses was filled, a small basket of country white bread, sea salt flakes, and a saucer of olive oil arrived.
After perusing the food menu, we decided to split the following appetizers: bacon-wrapped scallops, gnocchi with short ribs, and fennel and apple salad. Each of us proceeded to order our own entrees. I chose the strip steak, Emily went with the cheeseburger, and Nora ordered the pan-roasted monkfish.
Perched atop a ladling of buttery corn grits, two leaves of bitter mustard greens, chocolate-brown pan gravy, and a spoonful of what tasted like candied-orange puree were two of the most plump, golf ball–sized, caramelized bacon-wrapped scallops I’ve ever seen in my life. This dish required the use of all three utensils!
Assuming that neither of the other appetizers could top the scallops, I was hesitantly ready to try the gnocchi with short ribs. What looked like a pile of 1/2-inch dough “tubes” was a mound of homemade potato gnocchi swimming in a shallow parmesan-chicken broth, topped with steamed escarole, melted tomatoes, shredded braised short rib, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Last but certainly not least, the fennel and apple salad was my final appetizer tasting. Plated in a shallow bowl were shredded fennel, julienned Granny Smith apples, cilantro leaves, and pickled onions topped with a couple of thinly sliced petals of parmesan cheese. This salad was an absolute delight and reminded me of a very chic approach to traditional vinegar-based cole slaw. My favorite ingredient that made the dish pop was the distinctive flavor of the cilantro leaves. What a fresh, crisp, and creative take on salad!
Roughly 20 minutes later, our entrees arrived. Nesting on a rather large plate was my perfectly char-grilled strip steak floating in a shallow pool of thin pan gravy, topped with a golden fried artichoke and paired with an arugula, yellow, and red tomato and sliced purple onion salad.
This meal at Market Table was definitely one of my two favorites I’ve had, thus far, in New York City.
Naturally,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle
Stress and Health
Filed Under Law of Attraction | Leave a Comment
We had a barbeque last night, which I totally enjoyed. I had been made aware of the thought from Oprah the other day that “charring food is carcinogenic.” It occurred to me that putting that fear in people simply makes it more real. Therefore, it is sort of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. (Don’t get me wrong, though; I do love Oprah!)
It’s interesting that we stress about what we eat—when stress is the #1 cause of disease, not what we eat. Stay in the present, love those around you, and appreciate your environment. If everything you did was an opportunity to count blessings, would your life be different?
If the path to health lies in your ability to create peace for yourself, then what more is there to talk about? Let’s get on the Path to Peace, shall we?
Nothing is worth your health, energy, and presence of mind—aside from a monster eating your loved ones unexpectedly, your house being steamrollered by a giant alien truck, or Oprah going off the air (these are all cause for serious concern). Otherwise, it’s all good.
Jennifer Hough
The Adrenal - Thyroid Connection
Filed Under In Our Opinion - Naturally Savvy Guides | Leave a Comment
Hypothyroidism runs in my family. Both my mom and sister have it and about 12 years ago I found out I had it too. I have regular blood tests to check my thyroid (TSH, T3 and T4) every 6 months to ensure my levels are optimal (NOTE: I would recommend having your thyroid checked after giving birth as my condition worsened with each pregnancy).
About 4 months ago I was feeling extra tired and craving a lot of salt, so I visited my doctor (an MD who believes in natural therapies and specializes in female hormones). He had me do a full blood workup to check my Thyroid, Testosterone, Progesterone, Estradiol, Estrone and DHEA Sulphate (which measures the function of my adrenal glands) levels. When the results came back, I was surprised to find out that my adrenals glands were functioning at the same rate as a 70 and 79 year old woman (I’m in my late thirties!). After doing some research, I found the following information from Dr. Mercola’s website (www.mercola.com):
“My experience with extensive hormone evaluation suggests that the vast majority of people’s thyroid glands become impaired as a result of weak adrenal glands. The thyroid gland tries to compensate for this and eventually just gives up and stops working.”
Dr. Mercola also went on to say that “when sophisticated hormone analyses are performed, it frequently shows that the adrenal impairment is due to emotional stress. Generally, unless one has these previous emotional challenges resolved, there is little likelihood of recovering one’s thyroid function without hormonal replacement.”
Wow! What an eye opener. It’s the domino effect: Stress can negatively affect our adrenal glands, and our adrenal glands can negatively affect our thyroid gland. This is just another reason why controlling our stress levels is so important.
I am sharing this with you because I want to encourage you to ask your doctor to test these hormones. Thyroid impairment is very common and the good news it is easily treatable either through medication or natural remedies (depending on your condition as each person’s situation varies). If you suspect you have a thyroid issue or suffer from adrenal fatigue, visit your medical doctor or Naturopath. For more information on adrenal stress, read Dr. Zoltan Rona’s 3 part blog on our site at:
Part 1: http://blog.naturallysavvy.com/2008/02/27/adrenal-stress-part-one/
Part 2: http://blog.naturallysavvy.com/2008/03/05/adrenal-stress-part-two/
Part 3: http://blog.naturallysavvy.com/2008/03/16/adrenal-stress-part-three/
In my opinion,
Andrea
You Are What You Eat: Water (Part 1 of 3)
Filed Under Naturopathy | Leave a Comment
Growing up, I never gave much thought to the phrase “You are what you eat.” It just didn’t make much sense to me. How could you be a grilled cheese sandwich, or a gooey cheeseburger, or a large vanilla malt? What do you think that phrase means? For me, it means that when I have trouble with my digestive system it is because of something very specific. I caused the problem; I can’t blame stress, insomnia, or my genes. It is me who is putting the fork full in my month; no one held the proverbial gun to my head.
In our home, Sunday is our family day out together. Today we went to see the 4th installment of the Indiana Jones series. We ate popcorn at the theatre, pizza and soda afterwards, and then before we went home, we stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream. Boy, let me tell you that I certainly was what I ate today. My stomach ached, my intestines were bloated, and, well—you get the idea.
Maintaining and then managing a healthy digestive system can be done. Amidst the over-processed foods, heavily sweetened desserts, pesticide-laden produce, and fatty meats are many healthy and tasteful alternatives. First, the easiest thing you can do to help your body to digest properly is to drink plenty of water. The body is composed of approximately 70% water. This crucial liquid is vital to successful blood flow, urine production, enzyme activity, and chemical reactions, to name just a few.
Most health care professionals will suggest six to eight glasses of water per day. I don’t think it is that simple; you can use the six-to-eight-glass rule as a guide. Individuals who live in Colorado, for example, should drink closer to 10 glasses per day because of the severe dryness, which tends to dehydrate the body. Also, the very active should drink more water because of the tendency to lose fluids via perspiration. The elderly, who have been known to suffer from severe constipation due to lack of water and activity, should increase their water intake.
How do you know how much is enough? There are several ways to gauge your hydration level. You want to urinate at least every couple of hours (while awake). The urine stream should flow easily and steady. The color should be a pale yellow and emit a mild odor and not a strong ammonia smell. There should be no pain or burning during urination, nor should your urine feel hot. (There is no need to touch the urine stream to determine temperature; instead, focus on the heat of the urine as it leaves the body.) Your mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, and vagina) should feel moist, not pasty or dry. There are other ways to determine hydration level but I think the examples given should be sufficient for now.
Many people are afraid to drink water because of the fear that our current water supply is contaminated. For some, the alternative is to drink bottled water, but that is a luxury that many can’t afford. You could purchase the filters that screw directly onto your faucet. The cost is relatively inexpensive and the water tastes pretty good. There are reverse osmosis systems, soft-water systems, or you could boil your water prior to use. Whatever you choose, know that water is a vital component to not only a healthy digestive system but to a healthy body in general.
Next week we will continue with the good, the bad, and the ugly about the foods you eat.
In health and wellness,
Dr. Linda Mundorff
Why Oh Why?
Filed Under Law of Attraction | Leave a Comment
I’ve been meeting with many people who are beating themselves up lately for spending too much time in the “why” of everything instead of getting on with life. Here is an interesting thought: What if you don’t need to know why?
What if you can simply create what you do want, write another movie ending, and if you need to know why, the Universe will send it to you in the process? At least then you are having a good time while trusting that if you need to know, the answer to your previous struggles will be sent. If you don’t, it won’t.
Sometimes finding peace about a struggle does not require endlessly searching for why it is happening. Sometimes it just requires moving on and trusting that if it would be for your highest good to know, the answer will come.
We are addicted to knowing why in North America. Remember, the answer to the question “Why?” does not get you a great life. It gets you a really good explanation for how come you are stuck. But that’s all.
Jennifer Hough
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