Eat Real: Fake Food Addiction

Fake food is addictive. I'm not talking about the plastic food from the toy isle, but the stuff that comes off the shelf from the grocery store. The prepackaged, shiny stuff marketed to us as 'easy, healthy, wholesome and fast'. I listened to a lecture this week that brought our current food and health crisis into perspective...

During the 1960's a 'beauty ideal' was marketed in America. We were told we weren't good enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough - enter the counting calories to our culture.

During the 1970's artificial sweeteners were marketed in America to address our concern with counting calories. These chemical sweeteners are highly addictive. If we become 'hooked' on something, chances are we will keep going back for more.

During the 1980's the low fat craze and carbohydrate counting hit. Again, more counting calories but now 'low fat' options (using margarine instead of buter) and cutting needed complex carbohydrates became common place.

Then comes the 1990's, now we have no time to eat, no time to cook and really don't know how to eat or cook anymore. Being stressed out became a status symbol. "Let's just do 'drive thru' tonight" became more than once in a while.

Here we are in 2009. Obesity, depression, cancer, heart disease are all at the top of our health concerns. Our children's generation is the first generation projected NOT to outlive our own. Our health care has to be 'reformed' according to our government. How about this food for thought - "The foods we eat are really drug substances and people have physical addictions to them." Julia Ross

Over the past year, we've kept a log of what we actually spend in relation to health care and what we spend on food. Everyone seems so concerned about cutting costs and groceries are at the top of the list. We are definitely spending more on food because of where we shop and the quality of the items, but we are spending a lot less on health care! It's a great trade off since I can sleep at night now... My kids were on 5 daily medications to just breathe and could not live without their blue box of mac n' cheese or the Friday night pizza. I wanted to change their diet and improve their lives, but I had to start with my own!

What changed in our home? Our food, our lifestyle, our mindset - our choices. WE HAVE CHOICES! We remembered that we have responsibility for our own health. We were addicted to processed 'food'. We had forgotten what real food was and how to eat real. Real food is not processed. It's found in the ground, off a tree, in a pasture. It is treated without chemicals and grown with sun, rain, respect and love.

The point I'm trying to make is this - don't wait for or depend on someone to fix your issues. You are the only one capable of changing your circumstances. Look to others for information and inspiration. Take what they have to offer and do the work yourself.

Take an honest look at what you eat and how you view your body. If only I could be a size 4, if only my thighs were just an inch smaller, if only... You see where this goes. What if how you are right now was good enough and you could enjoy RIGHT NOW and take positive steps forward to healthier living? What if you brought bananas to your preschool class as a snack instead of a box of fake-cheese crackers?

Let us stop berating ourselves for the bodies we have and take 1 positive step everyday towards loving ourselves. It might be skipping the mocha at the coffee shop (yes, skipping it is loving yourself) or going for a walk instead of watching TV. It might be canceling an appointment to spend time with the kids or not second guessing a decision. Whatever it is, let us make a loving choice towards ourselves right now.

Be Real: Email & Emotional Freedom Technique

Many of you have requested updates via email. Thank you for your patience as I figure out all this cool technology. To honor your requests, an 'email subscription' option has been added to the right. Enter your email address and subscribe. You'll get a confirmation email. Confirm it by clicking on the link provided. It's that easy!

Now onto the why you are here - empowerment! Here is another piece to the puzzle I've recently been reminded of...

The Emotional Freedom Technique can be learned by anyone who is willing and is easy to use on yourself and others. What I love about this healing technique is its simplicity!

It is based on the science of acupuncture except you use your finger tips instead of needles. This is great mind-body medicine. Our body is energy, everything is energy. The Chinese figured out the energy pathways in the body and we call them meridians. By tapping on 9 different points on the body, energy can be released to flow instead of remaining blocked. You state an affirmation while tapping. More information can be found here: Emotional Freedom Technique.

The premise is that blocked energy in the body is blocked emotion. Blocked emotion creates a state of dis-ease. By stimulating the meridians at these specific endpoints on the body, you can take something 'bad' and make it 'good'. You start by tapping on the 'karate-chop' point on your hand, the eyebrow, temporal lobe, under the eye, under the nose, chin, collar bone, armpit, rib cage, then the crown.

"When you use EFT to release any negativity and conflict in your energy system, you will naturally be vibrating in a more positive, uplifting space. Then the LAW of ATTRACTION, which is always working, will bring you more of the positive things that you have been asking for. It’s a perfect match." EFT Master Carol Look

You can use this to redirect pain, including painful thoughts. You can use it while manifesting and raising your vibration. You can use it to understand and redirect cravings. I started using this technique in June before certification in Reiki and Theta. It is powerful. And the beauty of it is that ANYONE can do it.

Don't be afraid to try out something new. You might surprise yourself and be good at it and actually like it! As more of us realize our true joy, we elevate the vibration on the Earth and cause a ripple affect that literally changes the world.

We touch each others lives in a positive way by sharing ourselves one person at a time, one thought at a time, one beautiful and focused prayer at a time.

Eat Real: Counting Calories

Someone asked me recently at one of my seminars how I felt about counting calories. I told her I don't count them anymore. But this practice is useful when you are just starting out loosing weight. It forces you to be truthful with yourself about how much and what you are eating. After a while, though, it can really make you crazy.

When I first started out loosing weight, I kept a calorie count of everything I ate. It showed me how many calories I was actually taking in. It was remarkable. Truly, I had no idea I was eating that much. And that's the thing, I wasn't eating that much, but the food I was eating was extremely high in calories.

After a year progressed and I saw the scale move down, my ego kicked in and started saying, "Well, if you cut more calories and exercise more, you'll loose weight". You know the rest. Yes, I did loose more weight and became sick, tired and moody all the time. You see, when you kick up your exercise, your body needs more fuel. Starving it in favor of a smaller pant size is not the way to health. Trust me. I was miserable.

What I've found to be true(and have been backed in my knowledge by the school I'm attending) is this - eat more vegetables, eat more fruit, eat less meat, eat proper portions, eat real food, nothing processed, nothing white, drink more water. The food our body needs is high quality and as close to its natural state from the Earth as possible. God did not intend us to eat processed foods devoid of nutrients. He created all the most perfect nutrients naturally and it grows outside!

So you see, counting calories can be a double edged sword. That is where loving yourself comes in. By not eating enough of the right foods, the body is not loved. It wants strength. We are meant to experience love and to show love to one another. That requires energy from the body. Our soul and these bodies have a symbiotic relationship in this existence. Honor them both and watch yourself take off!

Eat Real: Energy & Food (part 2)

Easy ways to increase your energy... This is a broad list and you have to figure out what works for you. Try one thing, or all of them - your choice!

Eat whole, real food
Include complex carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, grains & beans. Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down in the digestive tract because of their naturally occuring 'simple sugar' and fiber combination. This gives us sustained energy as opposed to an energy 'blast'.

Sleep
This is actually a vital nutrient. Our body grows and restores during sleep. It is a regeneration period. We digest the day (literally), repair damaged tissue, rest our brain and muscles. healthy sleep habits encourage hormone balance and reduce stress. Develop a routine that allows for 7-8 hours a night.

Water
We are an electrical system. Water conducts electricity. Without enough water, our blood becomes viscous (thick) and our current short circuits. How much? At least 1/2 your body weight in ounces a day. So, if you are 140lbs, that's 70 oz. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Many times our fatigue is our body crying for more water! We are 83% water. If you exercise or if it's hot out, you may require even more. Listen to what your body is telling you.

Increase physical movement
You don't have to go to the gym to move! Just go outside. Walk, run, go up and down stairs. Whatever your body will let you do. When we move, our lymph system wakes up. Our lymph system works the toxins out of our body. Our blood gets circulated because more oxygen is circulated. Oxygen powers the cells. Just move!

Go Outside
We spend so much of our time inside, infront of the TV or the computer that we forget that we are part of the Earth. It's part of our biology to be outside. Standing in the grass, grounds us, brings us back to 'reality' so to speak. The sun warms us. Just 15min. of sunlight provides us with 10,000-15,000 IU of Vitamin D - naturally! Give yourself a break and spend some quality time in the yard or walking around a greenway at lunch.

These are 5 things you can easily do. It really is that simple. If you think something is difficult, then that will manifest in your life. If you think it is easy and fun, well, guess what happens? Easy and Fun!

You are taking responsibility for your life and how you want to participate in it. The whole point of this blog and me going back to school for all this stuff is to empower you! Empower you to make a loving choice through your own God-power. Jesus said, "You can do all these things and more...", right? Guess what, He meant it. I believe in you. Now you just have to believe in you!

Eat Real: Energy & Food (Part 1)

If you accept the premise that positive thoughts, words and actions influence your life in a positive way, than you can accept the same premise as it relates to the foods you eat...

The Earth has consciousness, is energy and has a vibrational frequency. It rotates at a specific measured speed. Our human bodies are fueled by the Earth. It makes sense that if we eat food of the Earth, that our bodies will be in energetic harmony with it no matter how fast or slow it's rotating. In a Return to Love, it is stated, "the point of healthy food is that it supports us in existing the most lightly and energetically within the body. It is heavier, unhealthy food that ties us to the body. We take care of the body as a way of taking better care of the spirit."

Just as you know when you are being 'dragged down' when around someone who is perceived as 'negative', you are also 'lifted up' when you are around someone positive. Think of something you don't like, now think of something you do like. Do you feel different when you think of the two things? Most of us do. It's important to honor that feeling in our thoughts, words and actions. When we think of things that bring us joy, it moves us closer to love. Love and compassion are the New Age we are experiencing. Power and control are on the way out. Thoughts of joy, love and compassion are at a higher frequency than that of power, control and fear. This is not a coincidence. It's part of our evolution.

Let's put it all together - the Earth has vibrational frequency, thoughts and feelings of love and compassion are the highest vibrational frequency on the scale of emotions. Wouldn't it make sense that food that is not of the Earth would be at a very low vibrational frequency? Consider what you eat - is it from a box or off a tree? Animal meat that has been treated without love and compassion would have a lower energetic frequency than animal meat that has received love and compassion.

Think about it. Your soul knows the answer. Your soul is what is sending you the message to move beyond the ego fear which include power and control. Your soul is love and compassion. Sickness can be a message from the body to wake up. The body is saying "Hey, I'm trying to raise my vibration and you are holding me back. Correct your thoughts, correct your foods and we will all feel better!" So simple.

You are perfect already. Your subconscious is leading you to help you remember your perfection. Listen to your body, listen to your feelings. They will navigate you through your evolution.

Be Real: The Simple Things

We've had an incredible vacation! Our family spent our vacation 'back home'. We had the privilege of being graced with the presence of so many relatives. Many who traveled all the way from Canada and Maine to see us! I am overflowing with the love they have bestowed on my family and on me.

But, during this time, I also slipped back into some old patterns... looking at what I don't have instead of what I do have. This mindset enveloped me. It felt comfortable, familiar, easy - but it did not serve me the way it used to. I caught a cold, started blaming others for feelings that did not match my expectations. After recognizing this block and searching for answers, I found some simple ones. Thank GOD! Once I removed my expectations of how I thought things should be and opened up to receiving what God was offering, everything changed!

Just like any rehab program, I had to admit the problem and ask for help. "God, show me the way out of this hole. Help me change my mind. Correct my thinking." I started repeated "I love you, I'm sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you" over and over again in my mind until I fell asleep. Upon awakening, my mind had started to shift. By the end of the day, the shift had completed and my heart opened to God's healing love once again. This is what I learned:

- People share what they have.
- We are offered and can choose to receive what is in our highest good.
- Suffering is not a requirement for love or abundance.
- Preconceived, required expectations limit our capacity to accept possibility.
- It is a conscious decision to allow the receiving of God's Love.
- Focus on your abundance now, 'lack of' is an illusion based in fear.

The prayer, "I love you, I'm sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you" is from a book called Zero Limits which describes this Hawaiian prayer of Ho' Oponopono. It literally transformed my existence and gave me freedom from the vortex of fear and unhealthy thinking. I wish the same for you.

Eat Real: Healing Foods

When we started eating real food again, we were amazed at how good we felt. My husband and I also noticed that the kids didn't get sick as frequently and when they did get sick, they seemed to power through it so much better than before... So it got me to thinking and then researching.

There are tons of books out there about the healing properties of food. A couple of my favorites are onions, garlic, celery, and ginger. These were my 'go to' staples when we did get sick. However, since we've incorporated these foods and many others into our diet, we just don't get sick as often.

Here are a few examples of the medicinal power of foods:
(the list goes on! The following are excerpts from The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Food)

Onions: sulfur compounds, high amounts of flavonoids especially quercetin which has been shown to reduce platelet clumping and prevent some forms of cancer.
Garlic: natural antibiotic, antifungal, sulfur compounds which prevent blood clotting and allow for smooth blood flow, immunity-boosting compounds that can fight off colds and other infections, can prevent cellular changes that lead to cancer.
Celery: good for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, anti-inflammatory, great source of soluble fiber
Ginger: full of COX-2 inhibitors (which are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds), digestive aid, good for motion sickness

Kids are going back to school. Fall is right around the corner. Start thinking now about healthy choices you can make now for prevention. Experiment with adding these and other whole foods to your diet to crowd out the 'fake food' - the processed, prepackaged, white flour, white sugar, preservative packed stuff.

Something else we added to our diet on a regular basis was probiotics. This is a product you can buy at the natural food store. It is 'good' bacteria which feeds your intestine and colon. There are little hairs on the inside of your intestine and colon called villi. These villi are the means by which nutrients are absorbed into your bloodstream. Usually, the longer the villi, the healthier the intestine. Probiotics feed the gut which boosts the immune system because the villi are a healthy length. Lactobacillus acidophilus is just one strain if a probiotic. It is usually recommended to get a product with multiple strains. You can get more information here.

As you add more healthy, whole foods to your diet, you will notice a shift in your energy levels. This is because your body actually knows what to do with what you are feeding it! Real, whole food heals the body naturally. Love yourself enough to give your body what it needs.

Eat Real: Easy Ways to Eat Better

A few people have approached me and said, "I'm trying to eat better, but I don't know what to do." Here are a few of things you can do now:

Drink more water. At least 1/2 your body weight in ounces a day. If you are 140lbs, that means 70 oz a day of water. You are living electricity. Electricity uses water as a conduit. You will be less hungry and less fatigued. Check out the archive: Eat Real: Water- Recharge Your Body

Add fresh squeezed lemon to your water. It naturally detoxifies the body and alkalizes it. Check out the archive: Eat Real: The Power of Lemon.

Focus on adding in good foods rather than giving up bad foods. I was there, and I know how you feel, there was no way I was giving up my malt balls cold turkey! Some people feel like that about their coffee, cigarettes, diet soda... So, instead of focusing on giving them up, limited them daily, then weekly, then monthly. While you are slowly cutting out the bad stuff, add the good stuff - more fruit and vegetables. Add 2 or 3 fresh fruits a day and 3 to 5 veggies to your daily diet. As you add more good stuff, the bad stuff will start to become less appealing and will eventually dwindle out.

Use only natural sugar products and never artificial sweeteners! I can't stress this point enough. White table sugar is highly addictive. It was designed that way to keep us coming back to buy the products that use it. The same is especially true with artificial sweeteners - every one of them. All of these things contain levels of bleach and chemicals in them. Yes, bleach! Some even share the same molecular structure as DDT! Things to try instead: Honey, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Agave Nectar, Stevia, Brown Rice Syrup. These items have become so mainstream that you can pick them up at your local grocery store. Stevia and agave nectar don't affect blood sugar levels and stevia does come in packets, so it's portable.

When you are ready, make a decision not to eat anything white. White flour, white sugar, white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc... We've been brainwashed to think white is clean, is good, is pure. It's NOT! The original grain has been stripped of its natural vitamins and minerals, processed heavily, bleached (yes, again), then other chemicals have been added back that masquerade as vitamins. Hence, the term "enriched".

It's about how you feel, not how you look. Remember you are perfect already. You really are. If you want to loose weight, it really is because you don't feel well, not because you want to get into a smaller size. Think about how you feel in relation to the food you eat. Draw some correlations. Keep a journal. Write how you feel when you wake up, before a meal, after a meal, if you need to snack, before bed, during an argument, when you are driving. Then write down what you eat in a day - don't limit yourself, just write it down. You will see relationships.

Get Sleep. You need to sleep in order to function properly. It's just a fact of life on this planet. Go to bed at a regular time and wake up at a regular time everyday, even the weekends.

Exercise. Find something you like to do and do it almost everyday. Walk, run, bike, pilates, yoga, weights. Whatever it is, just move as much as you want and as much as your body will let you. Don't beat yourself up, it should be fun and give you pleasure. If it doesn't, rethink it and try something else.

Remember, how you feel is the meter by which you measure yourself. Make the inside feel good and the outside will follow. You are remembering your perfection!