I set this to post while I am away meditating. It seems appropriate, as meditation is an act of creating mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a key element in successfully maintaining weight loss, determining which foods work best for your body, and for staying healthy and balanced in all areas of life. With countless external cues creating an environment suited to overindulgence, vigorous attention to our body’s cues is perhaps the most effective tool for health available — and it costs nothing!

We can all agree that what we eat has a huge impact on our health and energy, but what is less commonly known is how what we eat affects our appetite, our moods, and our thoughts. With hectic, busy lifestyles, we are no longer aware of the impact that our food choices have on our level of functioning, and many have lost sight of what high level functioning feels like.

When we begin to pay attention, our entire world becomes possibility for change.

By noticing how the foods we eat affect our body, we empower ourselves to make different choices. One of the key things clients who work with VIBRANCE experience is a greater connection between food and body wellness, and a greater understanding of the language their unique body uses to communicate with them.
When we begin to make different choices based on how our body feels, we capitalize on the body’s ability to restore and heal itself and experience a greater sense of wellness and vitality.

In the arena of weight loss, mindfulness is mandatory for sustained success.

When I first started setting everything aside to enjoy my meal, I found it boring. Painfully so! I wanted to rush through my meal so I could get back to whatever seemed more pressing at the time.
Then I slowed down even more, focusing instead on the food that was in front of me — the gloss of the dressing on my spinach leaf, the sensation of biting into a crisp bite of apple or celery, the feel of different textures and tastes in my mouth as I chewed. I became aware I only chewed about 6 – 10 times before swallowing, so I tried to quadruple that and I found I needed to take smaller bites. Then I noticed I was full long before my plate was empty.

So I started putting less food on my plate…   You can see where this is going.

Multi-tasking is registered in the brain as stress; inducing a fight or flight response because the brain is divided between important duties.  The adrenaline kicks in to increase our attentiveness, but ultimately this has negative impact on our short term memory as well as our overall health and well-being.

When we multi-task while eating, we do not pick up on the very food cues that initiate digestion. The smell of food, even the thought of food starts our systems preparing for digestion and assimilation. Chewing begins the process of tearing down a meal and key enzymes located in saliva are responsible for digesting carbohydrate.  The sight of our meal cues the hormonal cascade that lets us know we are full 20 minutes after we begin eating.

When stressed or distracted, our digestive system takes a backseat. The body isn’t interested in extracting vitamins from an orange when it’s white-knuckling it through a stack of emails or preparation for a board meeting.  Consequently, digestion is impaired and stomach troubles,  fat storage, and blood lipids increase while the ability to detoxify, extract vitamins and minerals,  feel full and be satisfied decreases.
Simply sitting down, looking at your food, and paying attention to how it feels will make you feel more satisfied. Make it a habit and you’ll likely drop some weight, improve your digestion, and you may even find out you don’t actually like the convenience foods you’ve been eating all this time. (it’s happened before!)

Give it a try for one meal a day for the next 10 days and let me know what the effects are.  I’d love to hear back from you.

More information:

The Pitfalls of Multi-tasking

Why Being Mindful Matters

There is no arguing that the obesity epidemic in this country is caused by multiple factors. Among them is our increase in calories — mainly coming from refined sugars.
Candice Wong, a UCSF cardiovascular epidemiologist and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association says, “The average American caloric intake has increased by about 150 to 300 (daily) calories in the last 30 years…it’s coming from processed foods, half of it from sugared beverages.”

While lack of movement is also a strong contributing factor, our sugar intake is finally getting addressed in a powerful way. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently suggested that San Francisco become the first city in the United States to charge retailer suppliers of sugary beverages.
Also, for the first time ever (and at least a decade behind, in my opinion) the American Heart Association has taken a stand and called for a cap on added sugar consumption — with recommendations that most women limit their intake of added sugars to only 100 calories a day and that men take in only 150 calories a day. (Added sugars are those that aren’t naturally found in foods like fruits and plain dairy products.)
For a majority of women, that equates to less than one 12-ounce can of soda; men could have the soda plus a very small chocolate chip cookie.

The biggest single contributor to added sugars is high fructose corn syrup, which became a big hit with manufacturers in the 70′s.  Back then,  Americans consumed about 9 teaspoons a day of fructose, according to a 2008 study. By the mid-1990s, consumption nearly doubled to 14 teaspoons a day. Today, the average American guzzles about 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day, mostly as fructose, according to the National Cancer Institute. Tragically, the young consume the most – teenage boys average about 34 teaspoons of sugar every day (that is over 2/3 cup of added sugar).

What does this mean?

High fructose corn syrup is extremely unhealthy, disrupting metabolism and cellular communication in a way that is believed to be linked to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and diabetes. In a study of more than 6,000 people (the Framingham Heart Study), people who drank at least one soft drink daily had a higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome compared with people who did not often have a soft drink. The Nurse’s health study supports the negative effects of soda, demonstrating soda drinkers to average ten pounds heavier and be twice as likely  to develop diabetes over an 8 year time span.

Think diet soda is a better option? Think again. Diet soda drinkers tend to weigh more than regular soda drinkers, according to a study conducted at Perdue.

Unfortunately, even eschewing sodas doesn’t mean you’ll effortlessly keep sugars at bay.  Manufacturers cleverly slip sweeteners into all sorts of products you wouldn’t think of — crackers, spaghetti sauce, chips, sauces on frozen or packaged entrees, and almost anything they can get away with. The sweet taste is one that has a powerfully alluring effect on human beings, and food manufacturers make the most of this fact.  It truly is a case of “Buyer Beware” out there; label reading is an essential skill in navigating a grocery store these days.

Meanwhile, Mayor Newsom and others are looking at making it harder for us to get our hands on sugar. While suggested limits and taxes may be helpful, a nation addicted to sugar won’t be so easily dissuaded.

If obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome or other blood sugar diseases run in your family, it is important to begin to get savvy about your food labels to prevent a similar future. Make it a priority to eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your home, and be mindful that common dishes such as the pancakes and sweet and sour chicken you order will likely contain added sugars as well.  Become a sleuth at detecting hidden sugars and keep your intake of sweets down whenever possible.

Sources: Seattle P.I. October 12, 2009 (click the source for a list of the amount of calories from sugar in several food items)

There’s still this lingering misconception out there that healthy food is bland and boring.  Where did this come from?? is it a relic from the days when “healthy” meant press-board fiber cakes? Is it because people equate “healthy” with boring frozen meals that have been given a thumbs up by the American Heart Association?

Let me tell you, I love food and I love to eat.

And I love to eat healthfully. It makes me feel good and gives me the energy to do a lot of physical activity, run a small business, and maintain an incredible lifestyle.

My food is never boring. Anyone who has tried what I cook can attest to that (your comments below are appreciated! You know who you are!)

So let me please dispel any lingering doubt that healthy food is boring and bland. NONSENSE!

The key to tantalizing meals are accomplished by two things. BONUS: they can be used independently of one another with good results.

The first is quality. Quality food has amazing taste, hands down. Freshly picked fruit, vine-ripened tomatoes, halibut fresh off the boat…this foods are so incredibly tasty of their own accord that they do not need much additional “help”.

I grow herbs on my patio, choose only grass-fed or organic animal foods and opt for locally grown produce whenever possible. This not only ensures that my food tastes amazing but it also means I am getting more nutrition per calorie, because the food I am putting in my body has more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants when it is grown close to home by individuals who care about the quality of the product they bring to market.

The second key to amazing food is spices. Spices are my secret.  It’s the secret to my crazy-awesome lasagna recipe (only one person knows that secret other than I), the magic behind the power of my notoriously famous soups and the reason why my salad dressings rock the casbah. I use spices to take an ordinary muffin or cupcake and raise it to culinary heights that widen eyes and excite the palate.

Spices not only ensure that each meal is extraordinary, they also contribute powerful medicine to our meals. An herbalist once told me that if it is in the kitchen cabinet, it is medicinal. And looking in my cupboard, I can’t argue with her. Turmeric is a renowned anti-inflammatory, garlic and onion boost immunity, prevent cancer and assist in healthy cholesterol. Cinnamon stabilizes blood sugar…and it all tastes good!

If you are bored with your food I encourage you spice it up a little. A simple chicken breast at dinner can take your taste buds to Morocco, Bombay, Istanbul or Florence depending on how you season it.  Below are links to my favorite spice shops.  They have an array of custom blends to inspire and challenge the chef within and are staffed by seasoned connoisseurs of spice.  They are just as passionate about spice and food as I am and can offer lots of helpful suggestions on what to do with something new and exciting that you want to bring home.

If you do not live near these locations, they are willing to ship to you. And if you have a favorite spice shop in your neighborhood, please share the link in the comments section so others can benefit from access to greater tastiness!

World Spice Merchants, Seattle Washington <– hands down, Number One place to visit or order from. I love these folks! Check out the Osaka Salt Blend, the Thai Tofu Seasoning, and the East African Blends!

Summit Spice and Seasonings, Anchorage, Alaska <– Their Cajun Blend and Borealis Blast have been staples in my kitchen for years! (speaking of, I am out of Borealis Blend — I’d love it if my family would send some my way! *AHEM*) They are on the top of my places to visit when I am in Anchorage and offer incredibly friendly, thorough customer service in person or on the phone!

Other Places on my Hit List:

Penzeys Spices (various locations nationwide)

Spice Road Market, Portland, Oregon

San Diego Coffee, Tea and Spice, San Diego, CA

People often believe that weight loss is going to be a effortless bonus to living a more cruelty-free, planet-conscious lifestyle.

For some, this is definitely the case. When I became a vegetarian at 13, I dropped about 10 pounds without any effort on my part. I did gain it back, but I was still a growing child. Whenever the diet is restricted in any way, the odds for increased weight loss tend to occur.

Others find it harder to lose weight on a vegetarian diet, or have difficulty feeling full, satisfied, and energetic.  The differences between individual metabolisms and genetics mean that each person needs a different dietary lifestyle to have the health, energy and body they desire. For some people, a vegetarian diet is not suited as a life-long choice and a transition back into a omnivorous lifestyle needs to be done with attention paid to physical health, ethical beliefs, and any emotional implications of such a transition (especially if vegetarianism is due to ethical or religious convictions).

If you are a vegetarian and find it difficult to lose weight, here are some tips that work and take YOUR needs into account:

1. Vary Your Protein Sources: Protein plays an important role in satiety and retaining muscle mass on a low calorie diet. As a vegetarian, it is easy to rely on soy deli slices, soy cheese, soy protein, and other forms of highly refined soy to keep your protein needs up. The problem with this is that soy is very difficult to digest, 90% of it is genetically engineered, and the rates of soy intolerance (especially among vegetarians) is rapidly rising. Mix it up by including hemp or rice protein, quorn, eggs and dairy (if tolerated) and whole beans (canned or boiled) to stay satisfied. A benefit to the beans is the fiber which, as you’ll see below, is also an asset for weight loss.
2. Up the Fiber: This post details the benefits and recommendations in using fiber for weight loss. Adding vegetables to every meal, psyllium husk or ground flax to your morning smoothie, and consuming whole and sprouted grains will keep you satisfied for much longer. If you consume bread, Ezekiel 4:9 ensures you receive maximum fiber and nutrition in every slice – naturally!
3. Practice Mindfulness: regardless of what is on your plate, knowing how hungry you are and when you actually feel satisfied is the biggest secret to sustained weight loss. This alone prevents overeating, mindless nibbling, and being lured into unnecessary snacks and extra portions due to cues in our environment. In addition to food education, much of the work with weight loss clients is learning tools to increase mindfulness and identify sources of food cravings.
4. Get support: I cannot say it enough — supportive atmospheres increase your likelihood of success, regardless of the endeavor you are undertaking! Join a group, hire a trainer or nutrition professional, team up with a coworker, enlist your family members, but do what you need to to have the camaraderie and support to make your goal a reality!

These tips apply to anyone, regardless of dietary choices. Losing weight needn’t require hours of counting points or calories, nor does it mean limiting yourself to canned shakes or dehydrated, freeze-died diet meals. Instead of further disconnecting from your food, re-connecting to your meal and to yourself is how sustained weight loss can be assured.  If you are struggling to lose weight and need additional support, check out my services to see if a package can work for you, or contact me to create a more customized option to suit you, no matter where you live!

There’s always a big push to lose weight for the summer, and then we engage in all sorts of activities which encourage weight to come back on — heavy BBQ’s, travel to new and exciting places, summer parties and celebrations all centered around lots and lots of food.

The unscheduled nature of summer interferes with routines which keep weight more easily managed, and often people notice a couple of extra pounds in preparation for the winter months.

Given that we don’t opt to hibernate, this extra weight isn’t necessary! Here are some of my top tips to avoid gaining weight when traveling and enjoying summer festivities:

1) Grill It! Use your grill for good, not evil. Instead of ribs and hot dogs, grill a variety of vegetables, chicken kabobs and use a cedar plank to grill fresh fish. Use exotic spice blends for flavor and BBQ sauce on the side to dip your chicken in if you are sensitive to sugars.

2) Bring a healthy dish to potlucks so you can ensure a healthy option is available. Others will appreciate it as well!

3) Crowd out caloric drinks with water: Summer slushies, cocktails, and blended coffee drinks can have as many calories as your main meal. Keep caloric drinks to a minimum, and when you do have one, have a tall glass of water (with lime for flavor) before and after you have your high-calorie beverage.

4) Plan you vacations to include healthy options and physical activity: If it’s very hot, exercise in the morning or evening – stroll the beach at sunset, play in water parks with the kids, hike in the shaded woods. Pack picnic lunches, utilize grocery stores for healthy snack options, and plan ahead whenever possible. I often research restaurants in locations I am visiting to get an idea of options available to me. For road trips, this post may be useful to you.

5) Keep tabs on yourself! Don’t turn a blind eye. If you are prone to overdoing it on vacation or during the summer, keep tabs on your size with a specific pair of pants or measuring tape. Some clients find it helpful to keep a food log in high-risk situations to keep them honest and accountable. Do what you need to without sacrificing the joys of the summer months!

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays food carnival. Click here to learn more about sustainable eating and living.

I don’t do dairy.

Not unless I want to get into all sorts of digestive distress, anyway.

This brings up a concern, however…where do dairy-free folk get probiotics? (more…)

Why wait for the weather to change? Planting an indoor herb garden can be an easy way to introduce yourself to the joys of gardening and is a wonderful way for gardeners to get their gardening-fix even during darker, colder months. Tending to plants can be very relaxing, therapeutic, and rewarding. Harvesting fresh herbs for spaghetti sauce, stews, and broiled meats gives your food a flavor which rivals your favorite restaurants! It is far less expensive than buying herbs in the store, and since it is a living plant, you never have to worry about the excess rotting in the fridge!

What You Will Need:

• A Window – ideally with Southern exposure in winter. If you live in a dark place, you can use full-spectrum lamps to keep your plants happy!
• Herbs – choose plants which you will actually use (I rarely use marjoram, even though it grows easily). My favorites – basil, thai basil, lemongrass (not an easy one to grow), cilantro, and oregano. You can start from seed if you wish, or purchase starter plants from your nursery.
• Several small pots with holes for drainage – individual pots will allow you to keep an easier eye on each plant and its needs. If space is of concern, you can group them in one container, but growth may be compromised if your herb choices have differing needs.
• Organic Soil – Choose organic, compost-rich soil for your plants. It contains a wider spectrum of nutrients and beneficial organisms than standard potting soil.
• Plant food — worm castings, worm tea, PlanTea, or fish emulsion among others to give your herbs once a week.

For actual planting, this video is a basic how-to.

For some medicinal qualities of common herbs and spices we use in cooking, check out this blog post!

This post is part of FoodRenegade’s Fight Back Fridays, a blog carnival promoting the Real Food Revolution

Herbs have been used for centuries to not only flavor our meals, but to provide powerful medicine to keep the body healthy and strong. Below are some of the medicinal properties of herbs commonly used in cooking. Growing fresh herbs in your home is a wonderful way to not only give your food spectacular flavor, but boost your immune system, prevent food poisoning, and give your body powerful plant medicine!

Bon appetite!

Oregano: oregano is a strong antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal. The aromatic oils in this herb offer natural food preservation due to these qualities, and have been used for thousands of years to treat bad breath, arthritis, cough, wounds, and bacterial & fungal infections. Oregano also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities as well and may prevent cellular damage.

Basil: Basil is great for cardiovascular health, promoting lowering of cholesterol, stable blood sugar, and supporting the body’s ability to cope with stress. It contains triterpenoids (similar to ginseng, eleuthero) giving the body resistance to internal and external stressors. It has sedative, calming qualities and is often prescribed to alleviate anxiety (Holy Basil specifically is renowned for this). Traditionally it has been used for stomach aches, nausea, mouthwash, headaches, urinary complaints, and healing infection. Like oregano, it contains many antimicrobial properties and has powerful amounts of antioxidants.

Rosemary: a natural mood booster and energizer, rosemary has been used in aromatherapy for centuries to facilitate memory and boost mood. Medicinally, this herb have been used to soothe and facilitate the digestive tract and reduce anxiety. In ancient times, many Western cultures wrapped their meat in rosemary to retard spoilage. Rosemary can also be added to oils and used to massage achiness out of sore muscles.

Sage: Crushed leaves can be applied to wounds to speed healing. Sage is also reputed to be a powerful antiperspirant. It is the sacred cleansing herb of the Native Americans and is used to cleanse both body and environment of physical and spiritual impurities. Sage tea helps regulate menses and the herb in cooking helps reduce inflammatory conditions (arthritis, asthma, arterial damage). It also has been shown to improve brain function (citation)

Cayenne: as anyone who has tasted it knows, cayenne is potent! It has a strong ability to bring circulation and movement to the body, benefiting the joints (it’s an ingredient in many arthritis creams), heart, and speeding healing. Cayenne can be sprinkled in your socks on a cold day to keep your feet warm and is an essential addition to natural cold and flu therapies. It helps expel mucus from the body, kill infections and stimulates saliva and stomach secretions to improve overall digestion.

Cilantro: this herb is commonly seen in salsas and guacamole. Like the other medicinal plants listed here, cilantro is a great digestive assistant and reduces gas. It has been used traditionally to ease anxiety and (for what it is worth) one study with mice supports this. (Can we rule out the placebo effect here?) In the United States, the leaves of this plant are known as cilantro, its seeds are known as coriander.  Dodecenal, a compound found in the fresh leaves, is shown to kill the Salmonella bacteria. It seems logical that its popularity occurs in regions where heat (Mexico, India) cause rapid spoilage.

To get started on your own indoor herb garden, click here!

(This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays, a day where bloggers come together and share their thoughts on returning to a more natural, wholesome diet. Check it out !)

The Fat Free Phenomenon has got to stop.

Seriously. As a nation, we have not gotten more svelte and lithe with the advent of Snackwell’s have we?

Instead, by consuming fat-free, sugar-free, reality-free food, we have grown larger and larger. We are hungrier and hungrier. Why is this?

(more…)

I was reviewing a lecture given by Walter Willet of Harvard University and he shared some really profound information about the power of food and lifestyle choices and disease risk. All the data shared here stems from the Nurse’s Health Studies. The Nurses’ Health Studies are among the largest and longest running investigations of factors that influence women’s health.

Researchers taking a  look at the information gathered over the last twenty years wanted to determine how significantly diet and activity can reduce modern diseases of our time. They chose to make their criteria fairly reasonable for the average person to follow, yet scientifically validated for disease reduction. Based on what is known, the following factors reduce heart disease and diabetes:

• A BMI of less than 25. Basically, this puts you at a reasonable weight for your height. A BMI slightly lower than this is optimal, but it was determined that it was fair to ask for Americans to strive for a BMI of 25 if they were not there already.
• Non-smokers. I needn’t explain this one.
• 30 minutes of exercise a day or more (brisk walking is a great example)
• Follow a good diet. What does this mean?

1. A Low Glycemic Diet. This is a dietary lifestyle that chooses foods which do not raise blood sugar rapidly. Whole grains, lean proteins and lots of fruits and vegetables. Basically a whole foods diet with little white sugar, white flour, white rice, soda or candy.
2. A diet reasonable in good fats and low in bat fats. The percentage of fat itself isn’t as important as the quality of fat. Diets high in trans fats (the kind of fat we see as “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” oils on labels) are far more lethal to the body than saturated fats found in lard, bacon, and palm oils.
3. Consume fish at least twice a week – cold water fish is high in omega-3 fats, which are cardio-protective as well as brain protective!
4. Meet the RDA for folate — folate reduces homocysteine levels, protecting one from heart disease.
5. A diet high in fiber – conveniently, this is also found in foods which have a low glycemic lload – whole grains, fruits, and veggies. The soluble fiber in apple and oatmeal is well known to reduce heart disease. Fiber also keeps the rest of the body running smoothly, so to speak.
6. Limited alcohol consumption: 1 drink every other day or less.

Of the more than 200,000 participants in the study, only 3% met this criteria. And this 3% of the studied population had an 82% less likelihood of having heart disease and 92% less risk of Type 2 Diabetes!

To give you a rough comparison of what this means, the most successful and commonly used drug family to reduce heart disease – statin drugs – reduce your risk by only 25%. And along with the reduction comes a host of nasty side effects.

It’s information like this that inspired me into this field when I was a young girl. Most of the disease that we have in this country is largely avoidable by what we choose to put upon our plate! This is the most empowering knowledge! Each of us, every day, make a vote to improve our health or promote disease with every bite on our fork.

If you or someone you love has already been diagnosed, it certainly is not to late. The human body has an amazing capacity for healing and rejuvenation when given the right nutrition. Begin changing your diet by using the steps above, many which complement and assist one another, and enlist support from your family, health professionals, and friends. All recipes on my website are heart healthy – try one tonight!
It’s never too late to choose differently.

More Sources:
The Nurses Health Study
Willet, Walter. Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy. Free Press, 2001