The most telling question of all: Do you feel like you're deserving?

Kate Middleton was the pinnacle of poise and regalness at her wedding today, but from what we've seen of her over the years, this is not a surprise. To me, she acts like she is deserving of a happy and fulfilling life and I say this in the most positive way. Her figure is deserving of every superlative. She has a beautiful, warm, captivating smile. No wonder Prince William fell in love with a woman of pure beauty and grace!

As I write this, I wonder how many of us feel like we're deserving of a life of ease with a beautiful figure and surrounded by a loving family?

I heard a trainer say that the clients who have the most success with weight loss are those who feel like they are deserving of it. Are you?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Excess weight around the waist = increased risk of disease

Here's a message from the National Institute of Diabetics and Digestive and Kidney Diseases that may prompt you to incorporate a healthy diet:

Where excess fat is located on your body may be another risk. If you carry fat mainly around your waist, you are more likely to develop health problems than if you carry fat mainly in your hips and thighs. This is true even if your BMI falls within the normal range. Women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches or men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have a higher disease risk than people with smaller waist measurements because of where their fat lies.

http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/tools.htm

Studies showing that deficiency in Vitamin B12 leads to brain shrinkage

Please read this important article by Dr. John Douillard, one of the top Ayurvedic pratitioners talks about how deficiency in Vitamin B12 can lead to a shrinkage in the brain that can cause dementia and other diseases. He also states that if you are overweight around the gut is an indication of a compromised digestion. Check it out:

http://www.lifespa.com/article.aspx?art_id=138

What are you feeding your children for healthy snacks?

Whenever I see a parent give their child a soda, I always wonder if the parent really knows how poisonous that soda is. A friend of mine, a smoker, is aware that smoking is bad for him, but believes it's OK to drink soda. Then he rationalizes, like many of us, everything in moderation. True, a soda once in awhile will probably not kill you, just like a cigarette. The fact is, how fast one becomes two and two becomes three, etc. because caffeine and nicotine are addictive.

My question is, why would you, and even more so your children, eat something that you know is actually hurt your health?

JOOS' philosophy is to eat 90% of your diet as whole foods with 60% to 70% of those as alkaline forming, plant rich foods. The remaining 10% have a piece of cake or a cookie (with no high fructose corn syrup)or a glass of wine. The 10% is very important because if we strive for perfection, we will surely fail.

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/the-worst-foods-you-can-eat/7/

In our household, we keep on hand Trader Joe's Seaweed Snacks, hummus, Boca Burgers, a variety of fruits and vegetables and whole grain crackers.

What you give yourself and/or your children for healthy snacks?

Re-launching JOOS Blog thanks to all of your encouragement

Dear All,
Hard to admit, but yes I do fall under that middle-aged category, but I can say that in many ways I'm grateful for being here. True, there are many mistakes I've made that, if I could have done over, I would most definitely have chosen another path. The fact is that those mistakes, as painful as they were, have put me on this path, so this is the path I have to follow, but hopefully in a more intelligent and skillful way with all the wisdom I've acquired over the years.

Borne from those mistakes came what I consider miracles: my four healthy, beautiful children who bring me the utmost joy and love every day and my business, JOOS, which, for me, is like living a dream.

As I embark on relaunching my blog, I'd love to write about what I care about most: being a role model for my children. This includes how to teach my children to live a balanced life where they feel fulfilled, confident, loved, safe and secure. That's obviously a tall order.

So, as I write, I would LOVE to hear your feedback, thoughts and advice so that we can all help each other. After all, as I've learned the hard way, there is no manual for being a mother so hopefully we can all piece one together.

Love,
Lauri