The Lunch Belle Brings Ethnic Gourmet Home
Filed Under Dinner with The Lunch Belle | 3 Comments
Stranded. It was early Sunday evening, and I began to feel a rumble in my stomach. As I rummaged through the fridge, it dawned on me that earlier in the week: I had opted not to order my diet-delivery meals for the weekend. Now I would be forced to make the tough decision of, “Do I order Chinese or pizza, or should I make the trek to Whole Foods and pick up something healthy?” After remembering that I had a trip to California and the Hamptons quickly approaching, I chose to head over to Whole Foods and shop for some meals that wouldn’t hinder my dream bikini body.
I filled my cart with some produce, and then made my way to the frozen foods section. Since I’m a sucker for Indian, I chose to grab Ethnic Gourmet’s all-natural Palak Paneer meal. I was both nervous and excited about how this frozen concoction would taste, and promised myself that if it was a bust, that I could then order Chinese or pizza with a “Hey, I tried to be healthy” justification.
What is palak paneer, you ask? Ethnic Gourmet describes it is as follows: “Slow-cooked spinach and homemade cheese cubes tossed in a savory sauce, with seasoned, long grain brown rice.” I figured that if I love ordering this dish at Indian restaurants, hopefully I’d enjoy this meal just as much.
After following the heating instructions on the box, I took my first bite consisting of spinach gravy, rice and a cube of homemade cheese. Out of shear shock, I grabbed the box to check the calorie content, just to make sure that I wasn’t consuming anything outrageous—because it tasted that good! So good, in fact, that I went right back to Whole Foods the next evening after work, and purchased three more Ethnic Gourmet Palak Paneer meals. To my added delight, each dinner only has 240 calories and is made with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
Revelation: Ever since I began writing for Naturally Savvy, I’ve made a conscious effort to eat healthier, try new foods, and create recipes consisting of less-processed, natural ingredients. I’ve become enlightened by the fact that I’m constantly and pleasantly surprised by how delicious both natural and organic food tastes.
Naturally,
The Lunch Belle
You Are What You Eat: Bowel Health (Part 3 of 3)
Filed Under Naturopathy | 2 Comments
I want to discuss bowel health in this last part of the series. It doesn’t matter how well you take care of your body: even if you eat right and exercise, you will (at one point or another)experience problems with your bowels. The elimination system is sensitive and easily upset. However, a few tips will help ensure better balance and comfort in knowing that you can go about your day worrying less about your bathroom habits and more on what counts—living your life.
As I mentioned in Part 2, digestion occurs in the small intestine and the large intestine is responsible for reabsorbing water and producing and expelling waste products. The key to healthy bowels is good hygiene, proper nutrition, replacement of key enzymes, reinoculation of probiotic bacteria, removal of foreign microorganisms, and adequate maintenance/repair of the system. That may sound like a lot of work, but keeping your bowels healthy is actually pretty simple. So let’s get right to it:
Replacement: Digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid (HCl), and fiber are key players in breaking down food into its useable components. Stress and poor diet are two major ways to knock this system to its knees. Signs of poor stomach health are obvious: heartburn, bloating, belching, and gas are not normal signs of a healthy system. If you experience these problems on a regular basis, then seek the advice of a medical professional, as the problem might not be diet-related. However, if you have a clean bill of health and are still experiencing those problems, then look to your diet for the answers.
As we age, our body’s ability to produce key enzymes and HCl diminishes. There are some wonderful products on the market. I would suggest that you start with the simple one first and that is papaya enzyme tablets. Find it in the digestive enzyme aisle and see if that does the trick. In addition:
1. Increase your fiber intake.
2. Slow down your eating. Take 30 minutes to finish your meal. Take small bites and chew thoroughly.
3. Do not lie down after eating, as this can increase the incidence of heartburn and indigestion.
4. Do not overeat—stop eating as soon as you feel full. By over-expanding your stomach you are causing the system to work harder.
5. Do not drink more than 4–6 ounces of liquid with your meal. This small amount can help moisten your food and move it down your esophagus. But more than this can cause over-dilution of digestive enzymes in the stomach.
Reinoculation: The lining of the large intestine houses lots of bacteria whose job is to break down waste products and keep the bad microorganisms at bay. These healthy organisms are in abundant supply in our guts but age, stress, poor diets, and environmental insults such as chemicals, metals, radiation, and antibiotics can reduce their numbers and effectiveness. These bacteria can easily be recultivated by either supplementing your diet with cultured milk products that contain lactobacilli and bifidobacteria or purchasing in it in capsules or tablets.
Removal: There are many environmental insults that attack the colon on a daily basis: pesticides, heavy metals, and food allergens such as cow’s milk, gluten (wheat, rye, barley, and oats), chocolate (sorry, but it is true), peanuts, and eggs. Here are some tips to help you remove the offending culprits:
1. Eat as close to raw and natural as possible: fresh fruits and vegetable, rice and beans, fresh fish (watch for those fish with high mercury content), organically raised poultry and beef.
2. Stay away from over-processed foods, saturated fats, and chemical addictives. If you can’t understand the ingredients on a label, then you should probably stay away from it.
3. Reduce your intake of milk products. Humans are the only mammals who continue to give milk to their young. There are other ways to get calcium and vitamin D than milk. Cow’s milk is a known digestive enemy and for some, the simple remedy is to exclude it from the diet.
4. Try an elimination diet to determine those substances that cause you the most problems. You will feel better, look better, and have more energy.
Repair: Help your colon to repair and maintain itself by providing the right tools. Eat a variety of food from a variety of sources to provide your body with the right nutrients:
1. Amino acids: the building blocks of all cells and are necessary to help heal, repair, and build new cells.
2. Vitamins and minerals: necessary for a variety of important functions from transportation of nutrients into the cells, repair tissue, and strengthen the immune system, just to name a few.
3. Complex carbohydrates: whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables are converted to glucose, the number one fuel source of the body.
4. Fats: a little goes a long way to help insulate vital organs, regulate temperature, store fat-soluble vitamins, provide a secondary source of energy, and contribute to vital chemical reactions throughout the body.
5. Herbs: there are so many that have a positive effect on the colon such as aloe vera, licorice root, papaya, cayenne, and others.
6. Water: I can’t say enough about the healing properties of water. The body is over 70% water, and dehydration is a serious problem in our society. In addition, water performs the following necessary functions:
• Regulates temperature
• Bathes our cells and organs, keeping tissues moist
• Enables chemical reactions throughout the body
• Forms our blood and blood products
• Helps remove toxins via perspiration and urine
Remember that digestion should be a process that you give little thought to. Be health savvy, and with a little bit of an initial investment, your return will be years of healthy and comfortable service.
In health and wellness,
Dr. Linda Mundorff
Making Lemonade with a Straw and Sprinkles on Top
Filed Under Law of Attraction | Leave a Comment
Well, it’s been an interesting 24 hours that I thought I might share with you. I thought you might be able to relate. Ya know when life is coming at you a thousand miles a minute, and at some point you just have to laugh? After all, I am not internally combusting, T-rex did not eat my house, and an earthquake is not swallowing my hard drive. My life is rich, and I so love it. I just temporarily forget sometimes! Do you ever do that?
Surviving your day means getting through it unscathed. Living your day means milking it (the possibility for love, joy, and self-expression) for all it’s worth.
It really doesn’t matter how fast the lemons are flying at you, you can either become a really great lemon catcher and squeezer, or you’re gonna get a lot of citrus-related bruises. (I don’t know where I come up with this stuff either, so don’t ask).
I used to say “I need to get this done.” My friend Michel gave me a great few words to add so I don’t take myself so seriously: “I need to get this done because I’m just that important.” Or how about “I have so much to do because I’m just that important.” Or the ever-popular “I can’t eat lunch; I’m too busy because I’m just that important.”
Milk it or juice it—your preference. You really are important to yourself, and you came to this Earth to live your life—not live the life you percieve your kids, parents, spouse, teachers, or society thinks you should. Enjoy what comes at you. You might as well! And watch how what comes at you will change to a waiter carrying lemonade with an umbrella, cherry, and some sprinkles on top.
Jennifer Hough
Natural Sunscreen Options
Filed Under Natural Goddess | Leave a Comment
Every time I have ever used a chemically based sunscreen, my skin always feel greasy and slimy. I often breakout even if the product claims to be oil-free. Most conventional sunscreens contain not only chemical sunscreen ingredients but also paraffin wax, petrolatum, and mineral oil—all skin-clogging petroleum by-products that are not skin- or earth-friendly. These ingredients act as plastic-like coating on your skin, which can clog pores and cause skin irritation.
There are some natural options for sunscreen!
Option #1—Mineral Make-up
Although mineral make-up is only used on your face, it is one way to protect delicate facial skin from the sun’s rays. However, if you don’t wear make-up (like me), then this option may not work for you. Also, beware of fake mineral make-up that is still mostly talc or other cheap filler powders; they don’t block the sun and are not earth- and skin-friendly.
Option #2—Unrefined Shea Butter
Unrefined shea butter has a natural SPF ranging from 6–10, depending on how the shea is made and what part of the world it is from. Unrefined shea butter is used in many natural locally made sunscreens available in Central and South America. I found one in a surf shop in Costa Rica!
Option #3—Mineral-based Sunscreens
If you can, find a natural sunscreen made using minerals such as mica and titanium dioxide, both which act as a reflective barrier to the sun’s rays on your skin. Make sure, however, that the sunscreen doesn’t include a bevy of other chemicals, otherwise your quest for natural sunscreen hasn’t been fulfilled. Also, read the instructions properly and follow them as a natural sunscreen may act differently than its chemically based counterparts.
For more information in natural sunscreen options, contact Natural Goddess at info@natural-goddess.com!
Jane Large
Surprising Ayurvedic Recipe from Vegan Chef Jill Boadway
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In my last blog I talked about a wonnnnderful class I recently enjoyed at radha yoga & eatery. Founding chef Jill Boadway gave us a few recipes to take home and experiment with by adapting them for our particular doshas.
This recipe is a fresh take on what we usually think of when we see the word “salad.” Jill’s “soup/salad” turns raw vegetables into suitable fare for Vata, a dosha that is already airy, dry, and cool, and usually prefers more grounding foods because raw salads can be unbalancing. Pitta and Kapha could adjust the spices and/or vegetables in this soup if desired. (I am not an expert on Ayurveda and I don’t want to lead you astray. For more information on doshas and suitable food choices, please refer to a good book about Ayurveda or search online.)
Thai Style Coconut “Soup/Salad”
Serves 4 to 61 Tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, sliced in crescents
1 cup yams, diced
1 stalk lemongrass, minced
1 Tbsp minced or grated ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp turmeric
minced fresh jalapeño pepper or Thai chilies, to taste
5 cups vegetable stock or water
1 can coconut milk (400 ml)
6 kaffir lime leaves (or add extra lime zest and juice to taste, at end)
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a bias
1 cup green beans, thinly sliced
1 cup shelled green peas or snap peas
1 red pepper, diced or thinly sliced
1–2 cups thinly sliced bok choy
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
sprouts of your choice for ganishHeat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 6–7 minutes. Add lemongrass and ginger, and cook 2 minutes more.
Add spices and chilies. Cook another minute, stirring. Add yams, stock or water, lime leaves, coconut milk, salt, and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes, or until yams are soft.
Add fresh herbs and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. To thicken soup (if desired), remove 2–3 cups, purée in a blender, and add back to the soup. Add remaining vegetables and let soften briefly (or cook longer if needed for digestion). Serve garnished with sprouts.
Everyday Ayurveda
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Do you wish you had more energy? Better digestion? Have you tried to “eat better” but weren’t sure what was right for your body? Are you looking for a diet program that is right for you?
Maybe Ayurveda will resonate with you. Ayurveda is an ancient healing system from India, a sister science to yoga that dates back 4,000 or 5,000 years. Ayurvedic doctors observe the effects of our food and lifestyle choices; some choices have immediate effects while others take time to balance the body. Sure, Ayurveda has rules about who should eat what when, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Anyone can incorporate Ayurvedic cooking and eating into their life.
I have recently been inspired by an Ayurvedic cooking class at radha yoga & eatery, a combination yoga studio and vegan restaurant with consciously created food as well as local art and live music events. I had learned a little bit about Ayurveda while studying to become a nutritionist years ago, but life took over and I got away from looking at food in that way. This class rekindled the spark. The organic food, gorgeous space, and enthusiastic teaching made it a Sunday afternoon to remember.
I had enjoyed the venue before, with its hardwood floors and natural light streaming in. The space is very calm, restful, and conducive to learning, appreciating, and being attentive. I had also enjoyed an equally wonderful class there before with the same teacher, Jill Boadway. Jill is one of radha’s founding chefs; she is currently concentrating on growing their catering branch while writing a holistic cookbook (stay tuned for details).
Jill’s whole foods expertise extends into Ayurvedic cuisine, which she presented in such a way as to make it accessible and not intimidating. She learned Ayurveda while cooking at various yoga ashrams and an Ayurvedic spa. She spent some time in India and is also a yoga teacher as well as a fabulous chef. Jill’s unique experience allowed her to work with Ayurvedic doctors who advised her about food choices for the people she was cooking for.
She entitled the class “Everyday Ayurveda,” which is the perfect way to describe her approach. The key is all about choosing your ingredients wisely for you or the lucky people you’re cooking for. The biggest eye-opener for me was that you don’t have to eat Indian food to be eating Ayurvedically! This made immediate sense to me in the same way that macrobiotic food doesn’t have to be Japanese (a common misconception). Ayurveda is a system that guides our food choices; once we choose the best health-supportive foods for us, we can turn them into any dish we like.
In Ayurveda, we are all made of three dynamic energies—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—with one usually being dominant. The doshas arise from the five elements in Nature (air, ether, fire, water, and earth). In order to balance our energies, Ayurveda would have us choose foods that calm the dominant dosha and strengthen the other doshas. This allows us to maximize digestion, energy, temperament, physical constitution, and overall health.
I am not an expert on Ayurveda and I don’t want to lead you astray by discussing particular foods for particular doshas. For more information on doshas and suitable food choices, please refer to a good book about Ayurveda. Jill recommended a few of her favorites that provide clear guidance about food choices for each dosha as well as background information about Ayurveda. Check out Yoga and Ayurveda by David Frawley, The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar, and Ayurveda: A Life of Balance by Maya Tiwari. (I jumped onto Amazon and ordered one that very afternoon!) There’s also lots of information to get you started out there on the Web.
Jill had us complete a couple of checklists that would give us an idea of our particular dominant doshas before the class began. This thoughtful step made the class personal and allowed us to think practically and ask pertinent questions thoughout the three hours of demonstrations and discussion. She then showed us ways of adapting recipes so that we can all enjoy our food choices in the healthiest ways possible for us.
Jill’s choice of recipes reflected the concept of freedom within Ayurveda; she created some Indian dishes, some dishes with Asian influence, and some that were just yummy with no obvious ethnic influence. She even suggested we all indulge in the dessert she did for us (even though excess Kapha doesn’t really need dessert). She explained that it could be seen as a prasad, a sweet ritual in which we recognize and give thanks to the divine within us and the sweetness in our lives. Who could argue with that!
Jill incorporated both raw and cooked foods and discussed additional raw options. Her recipes were very adaptable and she was clear about the possibility of substituting different grains, beans, vegetables, oils, or spices to change them up (much like we discuss in the Main Course®, which uses the Language of Cooking™) while at the same time specifying which of these food choices would work best for which dosha. radha is a vegan restaurant, so the recipes she showed us were free of animal products, but she was also clear that Ayurveda doesn’t limit you to plant foods; dairy, meat, fish, honey, and other animal products can have a place in your life depending on your dosha.
In addition to the information about Ayurveda, Jill shared some inspiring tips for food presentation. Beauty really does make a difference in the energetic experience of eating; the love that goes into the food you prepare really does count. As a home cook whose forte is not presentation, I appreciated her ideas; they were friendly, simple little ideas like cutting red bell peppers into triangle pieces just because they’re fun and pretty. She also demonstrated how to cut fennel and how to use lemongrass because some people might be intimidated by new ingredients. Much appreciated by many in the class, I’m sure!
Everyday Ayurveda was certainly an introductory level class that inspired me to want to know more. In addition to the books mentioned above, Jill suggested going to an Ayurvedic doctor for a consultation to find out for sure which dosha is dominant (the checklists were just an overview to give us a general sense) and to get personalized food and lifestyle suggestions. She said she might offer more Ayurvedic classes at radha in the future, one for each dosha if there is enough interest. Yes, please!
At this point radha is only open for dining from Thursday–Sunday. I hope they’re considering opening through the rest of the week! Since it’s just a 20-minute walk from home for me, I know I’d be visiting often through the week to take in the energy, the peace, and the vibrant whole and raw foods they have to offer.
I hope you enjoy your exploration of Ayurveda. Having prepared a couple of Ayurvedic meals since the class, I know I will! I’m keen to dive into the book I ordered and keep rolling with this new-to-me approach to eating well. Check out my next blog for one of Jill’s recipes.
Rebecca
A Piece of Peace
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I have an odd relationship with a friend. I know she is my teacher, but the relationship really pushes the “Doesn’t she care about me?” button.
I put together emails I never sent (because it didn’t feel good), I wrote cards that never got mailed (because I was not at peace yet), and then I decided that all of that took a bunch of effort for sure. I had been searching for what to “do” to find peace.
Trying hard will never result in a miraculous outcome. A joyful answer will only come with taking actions that are consistent with the path of least resistance. So what I did was this: I went for a walk in the woods, petted my dog, watered my garden, ate some chocolate, and kissed my hubby. Then it came to me!
Since when is she the source of my joy? Since when does she dictate how love-able I am? Then (shock of shocks!), I realized all that was bothering me was that I miss her and love her—and that there is nothing to do.
Peace at last. I can’t wait till we talk.
We work so hard at coming up with answers. The Universe doesn’t need our help with making a Milky Way—so why do we think it needs our help with conjuring up a simple answer? It takes no effort to allow yourself to hear an answer and lots of effort to try to find one yourself.
If you have been asking, the Universe has been answering. The reason you are not seeing it perhaps is because you are too busy wondering and worrying to actually hear what you need to hear and see what you need to see. Allow the answer, experience the answer.
Jennifer Hough
Spirit of the Law
Filed Under Holistic Law | Leave a Comment
Another article has come to my attention through the member mailing list of the International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers.
“Spirit of the Law” appeared in the March edition of Plaintiff magazine, and was written by Pat Sullivan, who works with Spirit at Work, an organization with the mission of supporting global transformation by integrating spirituality and the workplace.. Click here to read “Spirit of the Law.”
Rebecca
Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work
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I was recently reminded that it isn’t until you really change your perspective that life will change, no matter how much positive thinking you do (or as I like to call it, “icing a mudpie”). It came to me the day after our Peace in Your Body Workshop. A couple of people had been frustrated because they had been trying so hard leap to another place when simply by making a small shift in thinking, the doors of possibility can open wide. All you have to do is open ‘em a crack first—and anyone can do that.
You cannot positive think something away. If it bothers you, then it bothers you. The first step to transcending it is to start to give it less energy. The point of your first step is to move your thoughts in the direction of feeling better, not to disguise the problem.
I recall a lovely woman who wanted to get rid of the diabetes she’d had for years. Most of us think that positive thinking (PT) is the key, but PT will only put happy thoughts on a frustrating situation. Instead, first she had to stop calling it “my diabetes” and start calling it “a sub-optimal blood sugar condition.” Soften the stuck statement with a softer statement that is still true.
Second, we talked about how there are people in the world who have reversed the condition. Then we chatted about how biochemistry is directly impacted and created by our underlying beliefs and discussed some of the beliefs that were not helping. In 5 minutes she felt better, and it’s been 5 months and her blood sugar is about 60% better.. This improvement came simply by moving the energy instead of positive thinking.
Instead of “icing a mudpie” today, simply see if you can find a true statement about your situation, one that just feels a little better. As soon as you do this, you are moving toward true resolution.
Jennifer Hough
Pets as Herbal Teachers—Part 4
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I’ve talked about dogs and natural health, but now I want to be sure to mention my two male cockatiels, Dino and Chip.
Although I didn’t hand feed my little boys, I have had them since they were young. Now 17, they are aging and slowing down a bit. Later on, I will discuss how I used flower essences to help them get rid of childhood traumas. Being removed from their parents while young to be handfed must be very traumatic for young birds. However, I do want to talk about herbs and my birds.
As Chip gets older, his gentle nature seems to indicate a weaker constitution. About 5 years back, he began to have what looked like seizures—the kind where he would sit erect and become stiff and unresponsive for several minutes. This usually happened after he was surprised. I thought about it and pau d’arco bark came to mind.
The pau d’arco tree, known as taheebo, grows mostly in Brazil and Argentina. Unlike other surrounding trees, pau d’arco doesn’t develop fungal growth. Traditionally it is used to strengthen and support the immune system and help maintain a healthy circulatory system.
After adding about 1/3 of a capsule daily to the birds’ food, the number of his attacks lessened and now they occur only rarely. It makes sense that many herbs would work with birds just as with animals or people. Thanks, Chip, for helping me learn this truth.
Wendy
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