I think about food ALL THE TIME!  When I’m eating breakfast, I think about what  my next snack will be.  When I’m making dinner, I think about what’s for tomorrow’s breakfast.  On Sunday, I’m thinking about Monday’s meals….  it never ends!!  No truly, It NEVER ENDS – because we need to eat every day!   And for many of us, we need to eat more, or more often than we do!

Could it be? As a nutritionist, in our land of excess, I’m suggesting people eat MORE?!  Ti’s true.  Tis true.  There is this interesting notion that says “I’m a good girl* if I don’t eat until lunch…I’m a good girl if I skip lunch and work instead…I’m a good girl if I have only a salad…” (insert ‘boy’ here where appropriate, though this concept may resonate more with women).

There are times when I’ve found myself feeling guilty, or ‘fat’ or just ‘yuck’ because of my forethought around food.  I’ve thought ‘maybe I’d be thinner if I wasn’t planning every meal & snack…maybe, if I could just learn to forget to eat‘ I’d be better off.’ I’ve been jealous thinking ’she obviously doesn’t think about food as much as I do! Why can’t I be like that?’

Moments like that I realize how disconnected I’ve come from my body; my mind is running without a care for the physiological needs of my body.  My body needs nourishment; it needs 3 meals/day and snacks too!  My planning & thinking ahead only supports this inevitable need – and it is inevitable right?  We truly can’t survive without food.   You’ve likely tested that survival state just by experiencing symptoms that remind you to eat: hunger, anger (hanger:), headache, fatigue, irritability… Your body is always talking to you.  The question is: ARE YOU LISTENING? Beyond these noticeable symptoms of hunger, when we don’t feed our body, our metabolism slows (yes that means weight gain), our ability to repair & regenerate is hindered;  our immune system is inhibited; our thinking becomes foggy; the list goes on…

Sure, there’s a balance here between planning & obsession; between BEing prepared & BEing in the moment.  Ideally, we’d listen to our bodies’ cues…understand when we’re hungry, feel what we’re hungry for, and indulge in that.  But the reality is, we’ve got busy lives & we don’t have all the options (food anyways) at our fingertips.  (Or at least we don’t always have the most healthful options at our fingertips).  So forethought & planning ahead becomes crucial…otherwise we turn to those less than healthful treats because they’re quick, easy, and comforting to our bodies that may have otherwise been neglected.

Does planning meals & snacks scare you? Intimidate you?  Is it because you don’t know how to do it? (It can be learned; it just takes practice!)  Or is it because you hold a belief that food is bad; thinking about food is bad, when you eat certain foods you’re bad…

I was recently listening to an interview with Kind Abdullah of Jordan.  He made the point that “when your stomach is full, you can make better choices.”  Sure,  in our situation we may not be dealing with the same threat of hunger as it relates to poverty, but in truth, when you starve your body of what it needs aren’t you inflicting a sense of poverty on yourself?   When you have the OPTION to nourish yourself in a way that supports your body, why wouldn’t you do it?    Let’s start BEing ‘good’ to our bodies.

Consider planning ahead.

• Meal plan on Saturday.  Grocery shop on Sunday for the upcoming week.
• When you’re cooking dinner, pack leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
• Always have a healthy snack in your bag or car.
• When you make a smoothie make extra & save in a jar in the fridge.

And remember the continual practice of:

• Eating when you’re hungry. Starving your body, starves your mind too.
• Starting to notice when you acknowledge yourself as  ‘good’ & when you acknowledge yourself as ‘bad’.  What are you doing then?  What beliefs do you hold in relation to your actions/thoughts?

These are just a few ideas.. but there’s lots more.  Share you Food Forethought ideas @ facebook.com/justbewellness

(thanks to Michelle for the hangry reference  & Marissa for the ‘forethought’ considerations)

HEALING IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

A month after the honeymoon trauma, I thought I was fine, and then BAM! out of nowhere Mr. Misery hit me like a ton of bricks.  How could this be?  I had been feeling fantastic!

Well there’s a lot that goes on beneath the surface…and if we don’t take care on all levels, it might just sneak up and  drag you down.  Out of nowhere I felt tired, got a cold I couldn’t shake, and my digestion was totally out of whack.  (Yes, that’s a euphamism for yucky poo, bloating,  and crazy stinky farts.  ewww.)

Ok, I’ll leave out the potty talk & you can read on to learn  3 THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD DO TO FEEL ON TOP OF YOUR GAME.

What I learned was that in trying to detox my body from the absorbed chemicals (not to mention the mental trauma),  my LIVER was working 9-5…and then 5-9 without a lunch break.   Happily, in light of this struggle back to health, there have been some amazing insights:

1) Not all foods, work for all the people, all the time.  Even the foods you consider ‘healthy’ might not be healthy if you’re eating them all the time. (All of a sudden I couldn’t digest fruit! and even my veggies juices were a no-no.  so sad.)  Learning to listen & rotate foods is key.  Yea, I know… are you one of those people that gets into a routine and eats the same things all the time? Most of us are, but that doesn’t make it a beneficial thing…

2) Getting support is key.  In my head I knew what needed to be done (removing all irritating foods and supporting my liver)… but hearing it from someone else (my own nutrition coach) suddenly made it seem plausible…like I could dive in and comitt to a plan.

3) It’s all connected! Our LIVER is our largest organ – it’s responsible for detoxing the blood, storing, reassembling & distributing nutrients as needed, breaking down fats… and guess what, it effects everything!!  When the liver isn’t working well, the rest of our systems aren’t working well. (Hence, my liver was stressed…I had symptoms of candida & dysbiosis, fatigue, brain fog, low libido, GI issues, disturbed sleep…blah blah blah)

SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOU??
It’s a reminder to acknowledge that soo much is happening in your body on a deeper level…so much that we can’t make sense of UNTIL it becomes a symptomatic problem that we can no longer ignore.   But you don’t have to wait until you feel like crap!

1) Rotate your food – eat a wide variety – try thinking in terms of colors – Skittles were not that far off when they said “Taste the Rainbow”

2) Get support – from a professional/friends/family/the web.  Get new ideas & be inspired to try new things (here’s on of my favorite blogs for healthy eating) & allow some else to guide you and hold you accountable.

3) Support your LIVER!  Focus on whole foods (meaning it doesn’t come in a box or a bag).   Beets, cilantro, lemon peel, broccoli, garlic, onions… these are all super foods for your liver.   And they’re all highlighted in our 10 Day Spring Cleanse!! In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the spring is the time to support the liver, because once the liver is working freely, the rest of the body will follow…and we can FREE ourselves from the winter blues (not to mention that extra winter warmth if you know what I mean:)

If you’re ready to lighten up!  click for info about our Spring Cleanse.

Could you use a lil’ help finding that joy with your relationship to food? I’m here….  ali@justbewellness.com 415.999.9404

Healthy Living…I Give Up; Find the Motivation for Your Health Goals

Coming back from our honeymoon, I was not expecting my first visit to be with the doctor.  But our (mis)adventure in Nicaragua included CPR & chemical burns that begged a lil’ more attention when we returned to the US.  What does this have to do with you & your health?  Read on…

Have you ever had the experience where you’re mid-activity, wondering ‘Why the heck am I doing this?!’ (Sometimes I get into a cooking rut, where I think, ughh, why don’t I just make frozen pizza or get take-out instead.)  We often get so caught up in the routine of things that we forget the point.  Asking this question is a great way to bring mindfulness into your life, so that you’re not doing things just to do them, but are connected to your purpose.   When you’re connected to your purpose you can move from a place of passion & authenticity, rather than regret and annoyance. (When I get into a habit of eating too much bread or sweets, I can feel it and realize pretty quickly why I make the effort to eat well in the first place.  Then choosing healthy foods actually feels good, not like a chore.)   If we can step back and ask ourselves the question “why am I doing this?” it may save us a lot of anxiety…because otherwise, it can take a set-back to make you realize why you do the things you habitually do.

Enter honeymoon story in brief: enjoying our final days of an adventurous tour around Nicaragua, we found ourselves on the Corn Islands in the Caribbean. A usual boat trip from one island to the other quickly became…rather unusual.  Rough seas, a young driver, too many people & perhaps just bad luck all added up to a capsized boat and all 18 passengers treading in open seas.  Shocking, scary, a moment where you ask “Is this really happening?” And a great moment to pray & practice your yogic breath & mentality!

The sliver lining to it all…my husband’s true colors shined as he performed CPR in the water, saving a life. (Yes, really).  And, I got to see first hand, what the point is of my efforts to living a healthy lifestyle.  As we waited to be rescued, I was marinating in the gasoline/oil mixture which I could feel slowly burning my skin.  The US doc assured me the 1st degree chemical burns wouldn’t leave any scarring, but might take 1 year to heal.  Sigh of relief, but also a sigh of disbelief… 1 whole year?!

Well POW! take that doc!  Within 2 weeks, the burns were hardly noticeable.   Yes! I knew I loved good food for a reason.  Your body needs all the nutrients all the time…and you never know when you’re gonna need them most! So building up your bank, is the best insurance you can give yourself.  You might not feel like you need these these things now; pizza once a week, a little bit of sugar everyday, what’s the big deal right?  Well the big deal is that the little things all add up to something big.   And if life throws a curve ball your way, having a strong foundation is critical.

So truly, you can see how making healthy choices is an investment in your life! The initial stages with chemical burns was not that fun…and I can assure you, that having healed, the quality of my life has skyrocketed.  So consider how do you want to insure the quality of your life? And could little changes help to build the foundation?

(Also let’s not forget the monetary value here…  rather than refilling  prescription creams  for a full year, I opted for natural coconut and olive oil and had to use them for only 2 weeks.   How’s that for incentive?)

Settling into the new year, and back  into my SF life has felt great – with a renewed perspective and motivation to keep doing what I’m doing.  Making healthy choices isn’t always easy, but in the end it always feels good. (And tastes good too!)

So how are you insuring the quality of your life? Take baby steps…what’s your vice?  See if you can go 1 day? 1 week? without any refined sugar/or chips or pizza….   But rather than focusing on the ‘taking away’, focus on what you’re replacing it with.  There’s lots of healthy options. BE inspired by images on my facebook page, or BE in touch for more ideas.

I just got back from an amazing trip to New England. The leaves were just starting to change, and there was that fall nip in the air.

Wedding planning for our big day in November, brought me to pumpkin patches & apple orchards.  Hello, hot mulled cider and cider donuts!! (yes, sometimes I do eat donuts

I have to say, one thing that I miss by living in SF is that Fall feeling in the air, and the apple-picking! Thankfully, even though we don’t have apple-picking out here… we do have apples! Even my favorites, MacIntosh and Granny Smith.

So yea, while getting an apple tossed into your trick-or-treat bag, was such a downer,  there are lots of ways to spice up apples for some satisfying sweetness.

Simple Recipe of the Month

Fall Green- Goodness Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 apple (try green granny smith)
• 1/2 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tbsp flax
• 1 tbsp vanilla whey
• 1 scoop super green powder
• 1 tsp spirulina
• 1/2 – 1 c. water

Blend all together. Enjoy asap. (less flax will give a smoother consistency)

What’s the best part of Apple Crumble?…The Crumble of Course!

Gluten-Free Crumble here’s a link for the recipe
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/health/nutrition/04recipehealth.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

Funny Prize

Q: Why didn’t the two worms go into Noah’s ark in an apple?

A:   (first person topost the correct answer on my JUST BE wellness facebook page gets a FREE apple PRIZE)

Ok, maybe not a well thought out party…. but it seems like everyone wants an invite to this kind of event.  I’m referencing the Jet Blue guy that lost his cool.   (If you’re out of loop watch this video)  He’s being called a cult hero, has hundreds of thousands of Facebook fans, and t-shirts made about him.   Intrigued with the public response to this story?   So am I.

Bursting like a wonka blueberry? Find the Release.

So truth be told, what do you really think of the flight attendant’s outburst?   I know I wasn’t outraged, and yea, you kind of feel for the guy – he  has to deal with rude people all the time.

Well, we all can relate, right?  We hold things in….we tolerate what happens ‘to us’…we don’t express our true feelings… then we want to explode & let it go!

We’re like Violet turning Violet in Willy Wonka. (come on, just for fun, watch

But really, who wants to explode like a giant blueberry?
Wouldn’t the healthier approach forgo the build up of tension and just maintain the balance so that we can ride the steady wave rather than the roller coaster?

This strategy can be applied to our relationship to food, work, home, etc.  In our modern world we tend to take on more than we should ‘chew’, and don’t support ourselves in dealing with the excess.   (In terms of food, have you ever been on a junk food kick… where you figure at this point, you might as well just keep eating junk until you can’t stand it, and have to eat something healthier?  Or maybe it’s not that extreme….maybe its just in that moment that you’re feeling full, but you’re still gonna eat that dessert…until you feel so full that you’re ready to burst at the seams).   This is the same action/attitude as taking on too much work on the job – whether it’s filling up with stress, or food…it’s all the same outcome; when we feel too full, we get to a place of disgust and overwhelm.

In our relationship to food, the pushing to the extreme doesn’t come with a happy release… it comes with the guilt, the shame, the sadness. the hatred.  Likewise the pushing to the extreme with work comes with overwhelm, anxiety, hostility…  The point is: food, work, life… we’ve got to find the release before we go beyond our limit.

So how do we find the balance before we get to that place that takes us over the edge?  Well there are little things we can do that make a big difference: commit to ‘releasing’ on a regular basis/commit to your own down time:  yoga, sitting & breathing for 5 mins/day, taking a walk, calling a friend.

And if those little things aren’t enough, and the blueberry is still growing and growing…then maybe it’s time to take a look at the cause of the ‘growing’ problem, and make a change.   Making that change all comes from a place of self-love.  Do you love yourself: enough to slow down? Enough to recognize when something isn’t working for you?  Enough to realize you’ve had enough? Enough to choose a way that will better support you?  Enough to say no?  Enough to get support?

Acknowledging your own worth is the first step to finding balance.  You deserve to be on the even keel…. you deserve to avoid the feeling that you can’t take it anymore – you deserve to feel good all the time.   (And you can feel these things – Violet escaped the pressure and so can you).