Monday, December 28, 2009

It's all a matter of perspective!


My daughter, Julia, sent me this picture this morning. She wrote, "I hope this makes you smile, Mommy." It did, but then I took another glimpse at the picture and saw an even bigger hidden meaning: We are a product of how we view ourselves. If we view ourselves as heavy and fat, we are. If we view ourselves as jolly, that's what we are. My boyfriend, Bill, of 5 1/2 years, may kill me for writing this, but he is on the, let's say, more jolly side. He is the biggest epicurean I know. He absolutely loves being social and eating. Knock on wood, he's as solid as an ox. Seriously, he's never sick or injured. Everyone knows him for his sense of humor. Often I half joke and say, "how am I going to get this JOOS business off the ground when you look like like this?" Then I think again what life is truly about: it's not about how fat or thin we are, it's about how we view ourselves and how much laughter we bring into our lives. A good sense of humor can go a very long way...and even can cure illness and disease.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Julie & Julia - The Art of Mindful Eating

I just watched Julie & Julia and I have to say, it was highly uplifting. I love the way both women thoroughly appreciated their food. In one of the first scenes while Julia is in Paris, a waiter filets a fish for her. She leans into the fish as he removes the bones, unable to wait another moment to dive her fork into the flesh. She places the plate just under her husband's nose. "Not bad," he seems to say, but Julia is beaming while she licks her fingers with each bite. How many times have we sat down and taken a moment to smell the aromas of the food we're eating? What are the spices that are used? How do the meld together?

We are so fixated on what we're supposed to eat that we often forget that one of the purposes of eating is to enjoy the experience.

If we took just a moment, just a pause, to bring the fork up to our mouth, smell the food and chew it...that is, appreciate the simple act of eating...I venture to bet that maybe, just maybe, that we wouldn't have such an obesity problem

So, during this holiday season, sit back, relax, chew your food and enjoy your company. This is the start to mindful eating and, through mindfulness, you will learn to trust what your body tells you it needs.

Have a Happy, Joyous and Healthy Holiday filled with laughter and delicious food!

Prevent Emotional Eating - Here's how!!!

I hear from countless people that their downfall around eating is boredom. We need to develop strategies to prevent us from turning to food when we're feeling bored, frustrated or angry.

There is a reason we turn to food - COMFORT! As I wrote in a previous newsletter, food doesn't talk back to us and it can be delicious. So, why not indulge? We all know the answer: In the short term, it tastes so good, but in the long term, our lack of control makes us feel miserable.

We need to develop mindfulness so that we don't binge and emotionally eat. This is one of the biggest goals of our JOOS Cleanse. The more mindful we become, the less impulse we are to eat emotionally. We need to increase the time between the impulse and the action, which, in this case is the eating.

Meditation is one of the key ways to develop mindfulness. Here are some other strategies:

1. Pause before you eat. Don't shove anything in your mouth. Taste the food. Is this something you really want to be eating or are you eating out of a negative emotion you're feeling?

2. Drink a glass of water before you eat. If you're going to a holiday party, have a few glasses of water before hand so you feel full when you arrive.

3. Each morning, take 2 minutes to write down an eating schedule for that day. We plan our meetings, kids activities, but how many of us plan for what we're going to eat during each meal? Be realistic in this plan.

4. Don't deprive yourself because deprivation leads to binging. The more alkaline forming foods we eat (i.e., fruits and vegetables), the less of an urge and impulse we have to eat processed, refined, sugary and fried foods. Alkaline forming foods should ultimately compose 60% to 70% of our diet.

5. Don't strive for perfection. If you fall off track, no big deal. Just get back on.

6. Do a 21 day JOOS Cleanse! It will reboot your system and help you to develop mindfulness.

I'd love to hear your ideas and strategies.

Also, I can help coach you through this. For a complimentary health history to get started on your path to more mindful eating,
Contact Lauri by Clicking Here.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Is breakfast really that necessary?

We've all heard how essential breakfast is for us, but I just came back from a seminar on Ayurvedic medicine with one of the top Ayurvedic practitioners in our country, Robert Svodoba, who made me think twice about this..in certain situations.

As human beings, we ingest food and eliminate the waste. That's our natual flow. If we don't eliminate, that means there's a blockage somewhere in our system. Dr. Svoboda suggested that we should not eat any food until we “eliminate” in the morning. Instead, he recommended to drink ginger tea.

This makes inherent sense to me. If we continue to eat when we're blocked, aren't we just adding to the blockage? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Monday, December 7, 2009

What do your kids eat for breakfast?

Breakfast means to "break the fast" from an entire night of not eating. This means it's a very important meal and can set our mood for the entire day. In Ayurveda, if you skip breakfast, you could end up being irritable throughout the day. Breakfast should be on the lighter side to stimulate your digestive system. By the way, the heavier meal should be at around noon when the digestive fire is at full force. This is the time to eat heavier proteins and larger amounts of food.

My children typically have for breakfast:
  • Fruit
  • Toast with ghee (Trader Joe’s has a bread called California Style Complete Protein, which means that it has the same complete protein structure as does animal meat. Ezekial bread is another brand we recommend that is also a complete protein.)
  • a Vega Shake with a banana and almond milk.
I’d love to hear your healthy breakfast ideas.