Health Information

Like you I am on a constant journey to find the foods, thoughts and feelings that allow me to thrive. I use my kitchen to the make foods that nourish my body, mind and spirit. I invite you to do the same.  Here are some of the basic principles I have found to support my body so I feel peace and harmony from the inside. It is my intention with these words to bring you deeper into your own connection with your food, your body and your Inner Guidance.

A HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE

Being healthy and feeling good is not just about eating more vegetables, but that is a good start.  It is a lifestyle of compassion towards ourselves and our world which starts by eating clean food which has been raised without cruelty to animals, people or the planet.  It is about eating high quality nutrient dense food, mostly from plants, that has been prepared with care.

A holistic life is also about finding the way to feel compassion, peace and joy in your own life.  It is about connecting to your true self so you feel comfortable in your skin. Feeling joy is the greatest gift you can bring to the world.  When you are living a holistic life you are at peace with who you are, knowing at the same time you will never get it done.  It is a journey to be enjoyed.  All the kale in the world is not going to make you healthy if you are full of anger, fear and stress.

Eating more raw and whole food is certainly a big part of the process but there is more to it.  You are not just a physical body.  How you feel, your health and your body weight are connected to your thoughts, feelings and beliefs.  When you learn to connect with your body you know what to eat and will be inspired to eat the foods that energize you.

A holistic life allows you to be receptive to your own guidance for greater happiness.  Having more joy brings more joy to the other people on the planet.  When you do this you will discover how incredible you look and feel.

WHY EAT WHOLE FOODS?

Whole foods are foods the body can digest fully.  The body takes what it needs and the waste is removed.  Raw and whole foods assist in making our body less toxic by removing naturally occurring metabolic waste.  When raw foods are eaten their enzymes assist in the digestive process. When waste builds up in our body we have less energy, more inflammation, pain and extra weight.   A clean celled body is a healthy body.

Processed foods and foods with chemicals have to be removed from your body because they are substances your body cannot utilize. When you’re healthy your body detoxifies daily.  But if your organs are working on getting rid of toxic substances it is spending less energy rebuilding. The result is your organs get tired.

I like a diet of both raw and cooked food.  Some foods like tomatoes and broccoli are enhanced by cooking, releasing more of their phytonutrient content. Organic foods are best. Click on this link Most and Least Contaminated Produce  to find out from the EWG which fruits and vegetables are best to buy organic and which ones are OK to buy conventional.  Buy local as much as possible.

ACID VS. ALKALINE

Our body is naturally at a PH of 7.4 which is neutral.  Our kidneys maintain that balance for us.  They are constantly working to keep our PH in balance.  When we eat highly acid forming foods – processed meats, dairy, refined sugar, white flour, nicotine and caffeine we are stressing the kidneys. The alkaline foods – vegetable juice, vegetables, low sugar fruits and certain grains like millet, quinoa help our kidneys and all our organs by keeping the blood alkaline, they have to do less work.   The organs are then functioning perfectly and we are healthy and beautiful.

For 3 Free Reports: Top 5 most Alkaline Foods, Complete Alkaline Food Chart  and How to Test and Interpret Your pH at Home  go to  https://eatwellenjoylife.com/ph-reports/

GAINING SUPPORT FROM THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

Do you want to clear your blocks and finally get the body you have always wanted?  The subconscious mind owns 85% of the real estate in our mind, the conscious mind only 15%.  If you can change your subconscious patterns you will become the trim, healthy person you are meant to be, easily, without struggling.  THIS IS A WHOLE NEW APPROACH.  

In order to achieve vibrant health it is good to realize you are not just a physical body.  How you feel, your health and your body weight are connected to your thoughts, feelings and beliefs.  Using some tools to journey into yourself you can decipher the messages from your subconscious mind.  With this new knowledge you will be able to re-pattern your thoughts and get the healthy trim body you have always dreamed of.

My approach is a blend of Meditation, Law of Attraction, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and other transformational processes.  These tools will take you on a path into your  resistance so you can release the sabotaging beliefs that keep you stuck.  You will begin to clear your subconscious blocks so you stop struggling with your diet and have the body you have always wanted.  Doing some Daily Processes will help you find a relationship with food and your body that feels natural to you – a relationship that’s easy and full of pleasure, not obsessive.  You can finally stop struggling and find peace.

CHEW YOUR FOOD 

SLOW DOWN and ENJOY YOUR FOOD.  Step away from the computer, TV or your car.  Slow down when you eat, taste every bite in your mouth as you chew.  Women who chewed at least 20 times before swallowing ate less at mealtimes, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Since it takes 20 to 30 minutes for your body to register that you are full, researchers believe eating more slowly allows you to get to the point where you feel satiated eating less food than if you’re shoveling it in.  When you pay attention to what you are eating you will discover what foods you enjoy.  When you become conscious of how the food smells and tastes you enjoy it more.  If you check in with your body after eating, you will begin to notice which foods make your body feel good.  You will want to eat more of those foods.

FATS & OILS

You need to eat fat to keep your body working well. The EFA (essential fatty acids) Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acid are not produced in the body so we need to get them from our food. We do not make fat so we have to take it in from our food.  All fats are not created equally.  There are good fats and bad fats.  It is impossible to be healthy or lose weight without eating fat.  Fat does not make you fat.  If you don’t get enough fat you will have cravings, low energy and feel moody. The right fat increases the metabolic process which burns off fat.

Good fats are beneficial for reducing your cholesterol levels.  Good fats raise your HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) “good” cholesterol which then grab your LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) “bad” cholesterol and escort it to the liver where it is broken down and removed. The right fat burns fat, the wrong fat stores fat.

Good Fats

• olive oil
• coconut oil
• organic butter from grass fed cows
• nuts and seeds
• avocado
• ghee

Avoid partially hydrogenated fats and vegetable oils. These fats are extremely harmful because they are made with chemicals that impair the immune system.   Read your food labels carefully. If it says vegetable oil leave it out.  Read the full article  4 Reasons To Stop Using Vegetable Oil

GET ENOUGH SLEEP

Studies have shown that people who get less than 6 hours of sleep eat up to 300 calories more during the day because the lack of sleep triggers the production of the hunger hormone, ghrelin.  By sleeping an extra hour each day you will actually lose weight; now that’s easy.

 WATER 

Most people are chronically dehydrated. 70% of our body is water.  Even a minor H2O fall will zap your energy and your mood because the carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream.  No less important is the ability of water to transport waste material out of our bodies.

The idea is to drink ½ your weight in ounces each day.  So if you weigh 120 lb. you should drink 60 oz.of water a day.  If you have not been drinking this much water it is best to start slowly adding more each day.  Start your day with a glass of water.  Keep water at your desk or in your car so you sip it regularly.  Make it part of your life.  Drink 8-12 ounces of water before your meal to stimulate digestion.

The energy of your body travels in the water of your cells.  When doing EFT, meditation, yoga or any pranayama, drink extra water to move the energy.

SUGAR

In order to achieve vibrant health you need to cut down on your sugar.  SUGAR is not your friend.  Your blood sugar needs to be regulated in your body.  Insulin is there to protect you but when you eat too much sugar your body releases too much insulin. Insulin also signals the body to store fat.  We all need some insulin but when you have too much sugar you release too much insulin which takes the blood sugar from high to low causing fatigue and cravings.  Sugar also causes the body to be acidic.  Yeast, bacteria and most diseases thrive in an acidic environment.  Sugars and starches from common foods feed the bacteria and yeast in your body which causes cravings of more sugars and starches.  This is one of the reasons we are addicted to sugar. The average American consumes well over 20 teaspoons of added sugar on a daily basis, which adds up to an average of 142 pounds of sugar per person per year! That’s more than two times what the USDA recommends and is proof of sugar’s addictive nature. Natural sweeteners, all of which are gentler than the refined white stuff, are easier on the body’s blood sugar and available in most health food stores. Please note that these sugar alternatives are great foods, but are not meant to be consumed in mass quantities. Use raw honey, coconut sugar or organic maple syrup they have a lower glycemic level than white sugar.  You can enjoy desserts. If you have sugar cravings eat more fat and add more sweetness to your life.

PROCESSED FOOD

Processed food with its chemicals are overtaxing your liver. Eliminate all food with preservatives and artificial ingredients. If you want to lose weight and achieve vibrant health you have to understand what the chemicals are doing to your liver. The liver has the job of breaking down fat and filtering out harmful substances from the body. Any time you eat a chemical substance your liver has to do the work of filtering it out.  This prevents it from working at breaking down the fat.  So if you eat a lot of processed foods like, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, processed soy products, artificial sweeteners your liver does not have the time or energy to break down the fat making it impossible to lose weight. These processed foods because they are hard to digest stay in your gut building up toxins. Processed foods and sugars also cause your body to trigger the neurotransmitter dopamine which creates a pleasurable sensation in the body.  You are addicted because they make you feel good on a chemical level.  Eating raw foods and whole foods will remedy this addiction because it eliminates the addictive foods and replaces them with lots of nutrient dense food to fill you up. This will reduce the cravings because you feel satisfied.   Choose foods that have a small number of ingredients and are whole foods.

ANIMAL PROTEINS

Since many people find eating fish, chicken and meat is best for their health, it is very important to get high quality animal proteins.  The meat and chicken from factory farms are full of chemicals and antibiotics.  In addition the treatment of the animals is inhumane.  Then only way to end this unethical treatment of animals is to stop buying them.  You do yourself a favor by eating the grass feed meat and free range chicken buy putting less chemicals in your body and you do the world a favor by not paying money for something you know is wrong. Organic is best but free range is even more important.  Many local farmers at the farmers market don’t want to spend the money to get the “certification” to say they are organic.  If you talk to them you will realize they feed their animals’ high quality food and treat them humanely.

PROTEINS IN A PLANT BASED DIET

We do not need as much protein as we think. There is a PROTEIN MYTH, people often feel they must eat protein at every meal to be healthy.  According to Andrew Weil MD we are “protein obsessed” Andrew Weil.  The cells in the body use the amino acids from plant sources just as easily as animal sources and they are easier to digest leaving less waste in the body.  Avocados are rich in easily digestible protein and fat.

All 22 amino acids our body needs can be gotten from eating a variety of whole plant foods. Raw, unrefined fruits and vegetables have the COMPLETE group of proteins and amino acids. according to Brenda Davis, Brenda, and Melina Vesanto  in the book Becoming Vegan The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet. That said many people feel better eating animal proteins.  You decide what is best for your body.

CARBOHYDRATES

Recently carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap and many people feel they should avoid them completely. Yes there are many carbohydrates that will prevent you from burning fat, they spike the blood sugar which increases the insulin and puts you into a fat storing state. You should avoid white or whole wheat bread, pasta, white rice, most chips, rice cakes, crackers with partially hydrogenated oils and white flour.

Healthy Carbohydrates

• Fruits & Vegetables –  these provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, micronutrients all which will help you burn fat faster by increasing your metabolism, bring energy to your cells and cleanse your body.
• Sweet Potatoes high fiber, complex carbohydrates, Vitamin A & C
• Millet is gluten free, alkaline, easy to digest.
• Quinoa contains all 8 amino acids making it a complete protein
• Sprouted Wheat Bread– good brands are Alvarado St Bakery and Ezekiel they also make tortillas, bagels and burger buns. Why is this better?  The process of germination changes the composition of grain in many ways. Sprouting increases vitamin content, neutralizes phytic acid that inhibits absorption of nutrients. Sprouting “predigests” the grains to break down the amino acids protein bonds to promote digestibility of the entire grain.

SALT

Salt is necessary for good health.  Sea salt has minerals your body needs to keep you properly hydrated. Even though our body is 75% water it is not pure water. We have salts dissolved in the water of our body’s cells and tissues which help in muscle contraction, proper conduction of nerve impulses and transportation of nutrients into the cells.  These various minerals like iron, sulfur, iodine  and magnesium naturally present in sea salt help us to maintain a healthy balance of the various electrolytes in the body.  Regular table salt is refined and striped of all its minerals except sodium and chloride.  It is a process food and an unnatural substance which contributes to high blood pressure, heart and kidney diseases.  Sea salt has many health benefits including inducing proper sleep, promoting efficient functioning of the liver, adrenal glands and kidneys.  Sea salts do not cause high blood pressure like refined table salt and boost the immune system.  When buying sea salt be sure it is unrefined and contains the minerals that makes it a better choice than table salt. Celtic sea salt is a good choice. It is hand harvested from the Atlantic seawater off the coast of Brittany, France.  It is sun dried in clay ponds and harvested using only wooden tools which preserves the pure taste of the French salt. Celtic Sea Salt contains all the 84 beneficial live elements found in sea water, with no chemicals or preservatives.  It has a moist crystalline texture and is lower in sodium chloride than average sea salt. It is available in coarse grain and extra fine grain.

Health Foods That May Not Be So Healthy

Of course you know excess sugar is not good for you, but did you realize there are many foods that are considered “health foods” that prevent you from burning fat and because they turn to sugar or create inflammation. Low fat or low sugar when replaced by chemicals does not help your body to lose weight.  Read your labels, buy only real food. What are these so called “healthy foods” that trick you into thinking they are good for you but actually create inflammation in your body or cause your blood sugar to spike?

Health Foods to Avoid

• Health Cereals with added sweeteners and partially hydrogenated oils
• Energy Drinks
• Low Fat Muffins
• Low Fat Cookies & Cakes
• Granola
• Yogurt with sugar
• Low Fat Salad Dressings
• High Sugar Health Bars
• Imitation meats and processed soy products
• Soy drinks- create mucus which leads to digestive problems and weight gain