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Articles by Daria Howell

Bring All Your Senses to the Table

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Tempting sweets

Have you ever walked past a glorious display of irresistible desserts in a restaurant window and been compelled to go inside and order one? I have. What about salivating at the aromas coming from a nearby bakery or pizzeria? Or can you recall the feeling of dipping your fingers into a bucket of buttery popcorn and hearing the satisfying crunch as you chomp it down?

When it comes to food, you might think that taste is the most important sense to consider. And while it definitely is important, it is by no means the only one that counts toward our satisfaction.

Close your eyes and think back to the kitchen of your childhood. What were your favorite kitchen aromas when you were growing up? You might say homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, or banana bread. Maybe it was beef stew or spaghetti sauce, or really anything with onions or garlic. I would guess the smell of pizza is appreciated nearly universally.

And when it comes to scents, who can resist the smell of coffee beans or fresh basil? Interestingly, Italian women would tuck a sprig of basil into their bodice as an aphrodisiac. And in ancient cultures, basil was regarded as a food of enlightenment. Mmmm. Maybe why I love it – but I digress.

The family cook – usually our mothers or grandmothers – would use food as a way to express their love. The tastes, smells, and textures of our childhood kitchen left indelible imprints on what we find soul-satisfying. Even if we have long ago left those preferences behind, we can be instantly transported back to those experiences when we catch a whiff of certain scents.

Yet scent is, again, just one sense that comes into play when we interact with our food.

In order for food to be fully nutritive, it should nourish all of our senses: taste, texture, visual appeal, mind, body, and soul – in addition to smell. It sounds like a tall order, but it’s something that we will want to pay attention to.

There are at least three ways that our senses serve our spiritual and physical health in regard to food.

  1. During food preparation.
  2. In the digestive process.
  3. In fulfillment of pleasure.

Food preparation is intimidating for many folks. Yes, it definitely helps to have basic cooking skills such as proper use of a knife, executing common techniques, and menu planning. When you bring all your senses to the effort, it can be immensely creative and joyful.

It’s important to notice freshness, color, aroma, and so on when you’re selecting your ingredients. Be familiar with taste profiles and how to combine the various flavors of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory or umami, to create a satisfying meal.

While chopping, be present with the task at hand instead of rushing through or letting your mind wander. Use your eyes and sense of touch to determine the size of the pieces you need. You can slow down and notice the textures and colors, imbuing the elements of the final dish with love.

As the dish is cooking, you’ll want to use all your senses to evaluate as you go – feeling, looking, smelling, tasting, and sometimes even listening. This is how you will know when the food is done cooking and ready to eat. Besides, it increases your reward in the process.

Feel the texture of the kale leaves as you massage them for your salad. Listen for the pop and sizzle of the mustard seeds as you prepare the curry. Observe the bubbles on top of the pancake when it’s ready to turn. And don’t forget to taste the soup or the stew or the spaghetti sauce as you go. Sometimes it’s acceptable to even sample the cookie dough…. 😉

The digestive process occurs in physiological phases, beginning with what’s called the cephalic phase. That means the sight, sound, smell, and thought of food serve to arouse the digestion and prepare the stomach for the breakdown of proteins.

Along with the five senses, it’s also important to pay attention to our sense of safety and calm. It’s why many traditions prescribe saying a prayer before a meal – to focus, calm, and bring in an emotion of gratitude. These, too, are all-important to the effectiveness of our digestive tract.

Neglecting this important phase makes it much more difficult for your body to do its proper job of assimilating the nutrients from the food you eat. Once again, our senses serve us in delightful and pragmatic ways.

Lastly, for the purposes of this article, our senses are the stars in the category of satisfaction, pleasure, and joy of eating. Eating mindfully is the best way to find true pleasure in our food.

Slowing down as we eat to truly savor the feast before us with our eyes, nose, and taste buds will reward us with true pleasure and joy. We’ll get more nourishment from the food we consume. We’ll be satisfied with less and will assimilate the maximum amount of nutrients from what we eat.

 

In celebration of all our senses, may I present an eye-pleasing dish rich in flavor, aroma, and enjoyment, inspired by the traditional dishes of India.

Chana Masala

Chana Masala

Chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce….

 

2 Tb. ghee

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1” fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 t. salt

1 t. garam masala

¾ t. coriander

¾ t. cumin                                                                  

¼ t. turmeric

¼ t. cayenne or to taste

Pinch of cardamom seeds (optional)

1 Tb. tomato paste

1 c. diced canned or fresh tomatoes

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained

½ c water

 

fresh squeezed lemon

chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaf)

 

Heat a large, non-reactive skillet over medium heat. Add ghee and allow to melt, Add onions and cook a few minutes to soften. Add serrano, garlic, and salt, and cook another minute.

Push the onion mixture toward the edges of the pan, and add all the spices to the center along with a small amount of water to create a paste. Sautée the paste for another minute or two until fragrant, then mix the spices in thoroughly with the vegetables. Add tomato paste and chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.

Purée sauce in a blender or food processor. Add spicy tomato sauce back to the skillet and add the drained garbanzos and half cup of water. Continue cooking, allowing flavors to blend, about another 10 minutes.

 Serve over rice with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and garnish with chopped cilantro. Approximately 4 servings

Why Are Processed Foods Bad For You?

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Andrea Nakayama, Functional Medicine Nutritionist and my Functional Nutrition teacher, likes to say that the four most important factors in our diet are quality, quantity, diversity, and timing.

Focusing on quality for a moment, think of it as real food vs. the ultra processed food that is a staple of the American diet.

It’s not just that there’s a big difference in quality when you compare processed foods with organic foods, animal products raised on pasture or in the wild, and whole foods — even so-called “healthy” processed options, i.e., sugar-free, gluten-free, low-fat, or organic, don’t stack up to real food.

But why are processed foods so bad for your health?

Listening to an interview with microbiome expert Tim Spector the other day, I learned why processed foods are so detrimental. It’s because of how they affect our gut microbes.

Our gut is home to trillions of microbes, known as the gut microbiota. The exact number of microbes can vary depending on a variety of factors, including diet, lifestyle, and genetics, but it is estimated that there are around 100 trillion microbial cells in the human gut.

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in our health, with functions ranging from aiding in digestion and nutrient absorption to modulating the immune system and protecting against pathogens. Some specific roles of the gut microbiota include:

  1. Digestion: The gut microbiota helps break down complex carbohydrates, fiber, and other components of our diet that our own enzymes cannot digest.
  2. Nutrient production: Certain gut microbes produce vitamins and other nutrients that our bodies need, such as vitamin K, biotin, and folate.
  3. Immune modulation: The gut microbiota helps regulate the immune system, preventing it from overreacting to harmless substances and triggering inflammation.
  4. Barrier function: The gut microbiota helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal lining, preventing harmful substances from passing into the bloodstream.
  5. Pathogen defense: The gut microbiota helps protect against pathogenic bacteria and other harmful microorganisms by competing for resources and producing antimicrobial substances.

Since the gut microbiome plays such a crucial role in human health, what’s bad for our bugs is bad for us! Disruptions to its composition or function have been linked to a range of diseases, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and even neurological conditions like depression and anxiety.

Which brings us back to food quality. It turns out that processed foods are detrimental in multiple ways:

    • They are absorbed more quickly, so our brain doesn’t register fullness as quickly and we tend to overeat them.
    • The refining process triggers bigger spikes in blood sugar (think increased body fat, energy crashes, and diabetes).
    • There is little fiber remaining in these products, which means they don’t nourish our microbes with their favorite food.
    • There are many chemicals added for taste and texture. Things such as glues, emulsifiers, and gums are unnatural and tend to stick the microbes together.
    • Our microbes don’t know what to do with artificial sweeteners, which are derived from paraffin and the petroleum industry. Our microbes in turn produce weird substances trying to break these things down. They are not inert or harmless!

In the interview, Mr. Spector concluded that quality is the most important factor when it comes to food.

So eat real food, avoid the processed stuff, and you’ll be well on your way to a younger-feeling, healthier you.

The Perfect Diet

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Photo by Total Shape on Unsplash

I don’t know about you personally, but I do know that much of the talk around the New Year involves resolutions for losing weight.

Normally I don’t think much about that subject personally, as I’ve always had a pretty good metabolism (hate me, go ahead). However, this year after experiencing several years of intense chronic pain and a bout of the infamous virus in August, my metabolism seems to have gone off the rails.

So the topic of diet seems like a good one to start the year off with.

First of all, let’s get clear. There is no “best” diet out there! You will always find an expert who is more than willing to vilify carbs, fats, too much or too little protein, or to recommend fasting for this or that amount of time or instead to eat every 2-3 hours. It can be crazy-making.

The fact is everyone is unique, everything in your personal history is connected, and all the things that make up your environment, habits, mindset, and spiritual life matter very much.

How do you begin to unravel all this?

There are some principles I want to highlight that I’ve learned in my functional nutrition training. When it comes to food and nutrition, you need to focus on quantity, quality, diversity, and timing. I would add to that: attention, attitude, and intent.

Here’s what I mean.

Most diets assume you must restrict calories – or quantity – to achieve any weight loss goal. In functional nutrition the goal is to consume the right mix of calories at the right pace in order to feel satisfied and to furnish the nutrition the body needs. Not overindulgence, but not denial either.

What is meant by “quality”? This must be the very best quality of foodstuffs you can afford (or grow). These are preferably organic, pasture-raised, wild-caught, unprocessed, and fresh or frozen. It’s also preferable if the resulting meals are home-cooked and prepared with love.

By “diversity” I’m referring to the microbiome-supportive choice to include as many different types of foods, especially plant foods, in all the colors of the rainbow. These include not only vegetables and fruits, but nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, and animal protein. It’s important to also make sure to include fat, fiber, and protein at every meal and snack. And let’s not forget prebiotic and probiotic foods.

“Timing” refers to the timing that suits your own situation. Intermittent fasting of varying windows of time is often recommended these days, which works fine if you are already healthy, not struggling with trying to heal your body, not pregnant, nursing, or otherwise hormonally compromised. For general digestive health, it is recommended to have an overnight fast of about 12 hours and to leave 4-6 hours between meals. This allows time for the body to send in the “janitors” (aka the Migrating Motor Complex) to sweep out the digestive tract and make way for the next round.

There’s also the situation, however, when blood sugar has been unstable for some time, that eating smaller meals closer together might be advantageous. Everybody is different!

To those four bedrock principles – quantity, quality, diversity, and timing – I add attention, attitude, and intent.

Most people are surprised to learn that digestion actually begins in the brain. It’s a physiological process called the cephalic phase, where the sight, sound, smell, and thought of food begins to prepare the body for digestion. The smells and sounds of cooking begin to turn our attention to the meal to come and are some of the great benefits of preparing food at home.

You can also devote some extra attention to your meal by being seated at a table and pausing, perhaps with your hands held over the food itself, taking it in with your eyes and blessing it with your energy.

By “attitude” I mean having an attitude of gratitude and appreciation for the meal before you. Thinking about all the fellow humans who had a hand in bringing that food to your table, to the earth itself for her bounty, and to the great designer of the whole delightful idea of eating for sustenance and pleasure.

I also include “intent” in this lineup of ideal diet tips. It’s important to chew with intent – intent to savor, to slow down enough to allow the food to break down and make it easier on the digestive system, and to release growth hormone into the saliva.

The Perfect Diet, then, factors in not only the quality, quantity, diversity, and timing of meals, but also the attitude, attention, and intention you bring to them.

Of course, there’s so much more to this subject than just nutrition and the when, what, and how. There’s personal non-negotiables, mindset, habits, relaxation, sleep, elimination, body image, cravings – in other words, it’s a lot to unravel.

If you would like to learn more, schedule a complimentary 30-minute Feel Younger Now Discovery Session, so I can understand your particular health challenges and suggest a customized plan to help you reach your goals.

Pumpkin Oat Pancakes

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Photo by Dan Torres

1 c. pumpkin puree
2 T. ground flaxseeds mixed in 6 T. filtered water
1/2 c. plant based milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. pure maple syrup
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. coconut or olive oil
1 1/2 c. gluten free oat flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. Celtic salt
1/2 t. each cinnamon and ground ginger
1/4 t. each nutmeg and cloves or allspice
1 serving plant protein powder (optional)
In a food processor, grind old fashioned gluten-free oats to make flour. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl or in food processor.
Combine wet ingredients (pumpkin through oil) in a large bowl.
Fold dry mixture into wet mixture and mix well.
Heat skillet over medium heat. When hot, spray with avocado oil spray and spoon about a third cup batter per pancake into pan.
Cook several minutes or until golden brown on bottom and edges are dry. Flip and brown other side.
Remove to a warm plate. Makes 8-9
Serve with blueberries, nut butter, and maple syrup. Or banana slices and toasted pecans. Or sautéed spiced apple slices.

Agelessness: It’s a Matter of Trust

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The definition of “aging” from the medical dictionary is sort of grim. It says it’s “[t]he gradual deterioration of a mature organism resulting from time-dependent, irreversible changes in structure that are intrinsic to the particular species, and eventually lead to decreased ability to cope with the stresses of the environment, thereby increasing the probability of death.”

Really!? Is there any hope for those of us who want to stay energetic, fit, and attractive as the birthdays pile up?

I’m here to say that I believe you can feel great, full of youthful energy, and confident in your appearance for the rest of your life. And that it’s not a matter of having great genes. 

Science tells us that genes can do only so much. They can be involved in cases of extreme longevity, but they are only somewhat involved in the typical aging process. That means…

How you take care of yourself is what makes the most difference.

And it’s not just about how you eat, sleep, and exercise. There’s a very important component that I want to point out—and this is a theme that runs through all of my offerings. We are spirit beings having a human, material existence. There is a consciousness, a Universal Intelligence, at work in every cell of your body. 

Your physical vessel is a beautiful temple of the Divine, an absolute sacred space. It deserves to be treated with the utmost love, respect, and care. In the words of Wayne Dyer, “If you don’t take care of your body, you don’t have anyplace else to live.”

It was Albert Einstein who said, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” What if you trusted that the Source of energy, the Intelligence that made and sustains your body, is friendly? 

If you believe that the Universe is friendly, then whatever shows up in your experience is asking for your attention and will ultimately benefit you.

What if you believe that your body wants you to be a vibrant, sexy goddess with the energy to make an impact on whatever you touch? That your body is a vessel for the ultimate expansion of human consciousness? And that caring for it is a sacred responsibility?

If it doesn’t feel that way for you right now, I invite you to consider that learning to trust the Intelligence of the body holds the keys to health, vibrancy, and beauty.

Trust (dictionary.com)

n. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing; confidence; confident expectation of something; hope.

When it comes to your body—or your mind or thoughts or emotions—you might have found your confidence slipping, especially if you’re gong through menopause or even beyond it. Is there a way to develop enough trust to be able to rely on your physical vessel, to have an expectation that you really can age very, very well?

Here’s a helpful framework I have found to cultivate more trust. I call it—well—T.R.U.S.T., which stands for…

        • Tune In
        • Release It
        • Upgrade
        • Slow Down
        • Transform

So how does it work?

Let’s look at the first step, which is Tune In. What do I mean by that? 

Tuning in is a way to honor yourself and your body’s intelligence and gain valuable insight. It’s presence. It’s awareness. It’s learning to listen.

It’s about being conscious of the sensations occurring in your physical body and being willing to feel them. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions about what you eat, how you exercise, how you handle your emotions, how you interact in relationships, and what you choose to do when you have a health challenge. 

How to tune in?

You can start by doing a simple body scan, noticing what’s there without analyzing or judging. Where in your body is something feeling out of whack? What about locating positive sensations like love, appreciation, or kindness, and taking some time to simply be with the energies that are present?

Do you have a meditation practice? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time in a day, but a regular meditation practice can be life-changing. I once heard Eckhart Tolle say that meditation is simply becoming aware of the inner energy field of the body. It’s a simple way to touch the sacred every day.

Another very accessible meditation style is known as HeartMath. It’s basically about breathing into the heart space and activating a positive, renewing feeling to bring about coherence in the system. There is a free course available at https://experience.heartmath.com. 

Some people prefer to use journaling to access their inner being. Journaling is very beneficial for the mind and spirit. There are many different ways to incorporate this practice into everyday life, but one of the most accessible is called stream of consciousness writing. This is where you just start writing and let it flow for a set amount of time. It’s a great way to uncover useful insights.

Many people have found that prayer is particularly supportive in getting in touch with their values, their reason for being, and their vision for their future. Prayer is a way to be in direct spiritual communion with Source energy.

And the last one I’ll mention—this one is a favorite—is bodywork. Biodynamic cranial therapy is particularly useful for tuning in to what is going on inside of you. All traumas, big and small, lodge in the tissues of your body and affect the natural rhythms of the body. The human body strives for health, and the presence of a good therapist brings presence and safety that helps your body’s intelligence emerge to balance those natural rhythms.

In the next post, I’ll explore what I mean by the “R” step: Release It. For now, remember…

By tuning into your body’s messages, you can begin to trust in your body and its Intelligence. That can help you make healthy living a habit, and that will make the ageless future you want to create a reality for you.

And I can help you with this! To book a free 30-minute consultation click here.

Too Much Stick. Not Enough Carrots!

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It doesn’t happen all the time, but the other morning I woke up after hearing this distinct pronouncement:

“Once God has given you the sovereignty of your dreams, his greatest delight is that you should express it.”

I thought it was so profound that I immediately wrote it down before I could forget it.

What is meant by “sovereignty”? The dictionary says it is “freedom from external control; controlling influence.” Some synonyms are autonomy, freedom, and self-determination.

The “sovereignty of my dreams” must be then that I have the controlling influence over whether or not those dreams are expressed. Not only that, though. It has to do with how those dreams are expressed. 

Are my dreams a burden to me? Something I have to do, requiring discipline and grit? For instance, if I dream of aging with SASS – Spiritually connected, Agile, Strong, and Self-reliant – I have sovereignty or control over how I go about creating that result.

Not even considering alternative methods, I could trust that conventional medicine has all the answers to managing the common discomforts of aging with pharmaceuticals and with procedures to replace worn-out parts. That doesn’t sound like fun to me, but to each his own.

“I discovered there are deep, hidden costs to seeing doctors and the medical system, as an oligarchy over your body. The price of relying on the outside world? Your self-trust. Specifically, your intuition.” —Ali Shapiro, health coach

Or I COULD hold a stick over my own head and force myself to eat a certain way that I don’t enjoy, move in ways that are hard and don’t make me feel good, take so many pills that I barely choke them down, and/or force myself to meditate every day frustrated that I can’t settle my mind.  

Maybe you’ve tried some of those methods?

As my coach said, “Too much stick. Not enough carrots!”

How about this instead?

Following my TRUST formula, which stands for Tune in, Release, Upgrade, Slow down, and Transform, you find that aging with SASS can actually be – dare I say it? – FUN.

Your Sovereign Self, Your Higher Self, Your True Self – whatever term you like to use – wants you to find delight in expressing your dream of a healthy, happy life. Your spirit self wants you to take care of your vessel in a joyful way. To be in your body, embodied, appreciating the moment-to-moment unfolding of your life and dreams. There’s another hefty carrot too:

“Happy and healthy people have a better chance to live with confidence and contribute value to the world than anyone else.” – James Clear

I’m here to help you create a path to a happy, healthy and a delightful, SASSier YOU. Contact me to schedule a discovery session to learn how.

How I Prioritize Caring for Me

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Women in general have a hard time with it….
How dare you think of prioritizing yourself when you have ALL THE THINGS to look after?
Is that how you see yourself? Are you someone who tends to put everyone else’s needs first? Are you feeling drained or stressed or less well than you’d like?

You do realize, don’t you, how ridiculous it is to pour from an empty pitcher? It’s the same with your own energy and reserves.

How can you possibly give your best if you’re not looking after your own health and well being first?

Are you wanting to learn how to get good at creating rituals that support your best self?

If you are, you’re going to want to begin by making very small changes that will slowly but surely change how you view yourself.

Here’s how I go about it.

In order to make anything into a habit, I have the what, where, and when already figured out.

One of the first things I do after I wake up is to drink two full glasses of water, one of which contains a bit of raw apple cider vinegar. This serves to hydrate my body (it gets dehydrated during the night) and helps alkalize the system.

I have room-temperature water ready and waiting on the counter from the night before. I have the ACV nearby. I know I’ll do it as soon as I step into the kitchen. Voila! An easy, no-thinking-required health-supporting habit.

I am a person who hydrates and alkalizes first thing!

My next what-where-when is to gather my phone with the meditation app “Insight Timer,” walk to my designated meditation space and sit for whatever time I have that day. This follows right after the water ritual. Meditation is fabulous for managing stress and not difficult if you start with only a few minutes and lower your expectations about quieting your mind!

I am a person who meditates every day!

No self-care plan would be complete without including some movement each day. Of course, your choice of workout or other movement depends on what lights you up. Forcing yourself to do something you detest will not be helpful.

For me, my what-where-when looks like deciding what my body wants that day – will it be yoga, core exercises, a few vigorous intervals, or maybe some resistance work (sometimes all of the above!)? Whatever I do, I change it up a little each day. It takes place in the same room and right after my meditation practice.

If you’re not already committed to a movement practice of some kind, I recommend starting with just five minutes of an activity you think you might like. It could be walking, dancing around the kitchen, or playing something silly with the kids or the dog. It definitely doesn’t have to involve a gym membership – unless that’s your thing.

I am a person who exercises regularly!

Of course, the same principles apply to any new behavior you want to make your own.

  1. Figure out why you want to make the change.
  2. Decide how you’ll incorporate it into your existing routine with the what, where, and when.
  3. Start doing the thing – but for just a few minutes. Keep at it.
  4. Shift in belief happens.

You see how a few minutes of anything practiced frequently will change how you see yourself? It’s sneaky!

And that, my friends, is how you and I prioritize caring for ourselves.

If you want my help shifting beliefs and habits related to your health, please fill out the contact form here.

The Power of Hope

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We’ve all felt some measure of overwhelm, exhaustion, and fear of the future this year. Would you agree?

There’s a lot going on. Especially with the pandemic, there’s a tendency for many of us to feel hopeless.

Yet, when everything seems hopeless, we miss out on precious moments of our lives.

I want to tell you the story of my son Brandon, who never lost hope.

From the time he learned to walk, Brandon was prone to getting bumps and bruises and cuts on his head. As he got older, his accidents became increasingly serious. When he was a teenager, he fell off a roof and was struck in the head by a 300 lb. piece of equipment.

He later totaled his dad’s car when it hit a tree head-on and narrowly missed jamming the engine through the dashboard. Around this time, he went from being an honor-roll student to failing most of his classes.

Unbeknownst to us, he began using drugs to self-medicate the distress he felt in his brain. I believe he had an undiagnosed traumatic brain injury that later manifested as schizophrenia.

There were many years when we lived the nightmare of his addiction to meth and other hard drugs. When Brandon was 32 years old, his father died. His stepdad and I took him in, because he seemed shaken enough to want to get free of the drugs.

That lasted only a short while before he couldn’t resist hanging with his drug buddies, flaunting our agreements and becoming surly. We were forced to kick him out.

I didn’t know for well over a year whether he was alive or dead.

One day I received a call from him. He had been accepted into a group mental health facility. He was clean and on medication for his schizophrenia-like symptoms. I was thrilled that he was getting help.

We set up an arrangement for him to come to my bodywork office once a week to receive craniosacral treatments and enjoy a Mom-made lunch I’d bring from home. Although it was a long journey by light-rail, he would faithfully keep his appointments.

We’d also have him come to our house for dinner sometimes and for holidays and other outings. We built a close, loving relationship during that time.

Whenever one of my other clients would see him in passing, they would always remark about what a loving heart he had. He was a bright light in a very distressed body.

The antipsychotic medications he was on caused tremendous weight gain so that he became morbidly obese. Those same medications caused unbearable side effects that he was then prescribed other medications to control.

None of it worked very well. He still was persecuted by voices in his head. He couldn’t tolerate noise and chaos without becoming panicked.

Yet he faithfully showed up every week for his appointment. Of course I was his biggest cheerleader. He would ask for advice on things that could help his condition, but given his lack of funds and living situation, there wasn’t a lot he could do.

He never gave up hope, though.

One day in February 2016, he came in and was very excited that his counselor had arranged for him to get acupuncture treatments, a gym membership, and he had applied to the local community college to take a class.

It looked like his life was really going to turn around.

As he was leaving that day, he turned to me and said, “You know, Mom, I still believe I can have the life of my dreams.”

I responded, “I know you can, honey! I love you.”

Those were the last words we ever spoke to each other. Late the next evening, police came to our door to inform us that my son was deceased.

Through my shock and heartbreak, stories came forward of how everyone in the group home had special regard for my son. His counselor especially told me how three of his clinicians used the word “Sunshine” to describe him. One said, “If only I could have that much ambition in my own life….” She, of course, meant hope and determination.

The counselor also told me that he had moments of relief and genuine happiness toward the end. He made the most of the opportunities for fun, learning, and healing that he had.

Despite the labels, despite the discomfort he endured, despite all his challenges, he left the world believing that he could still have the life of his dreams.

None of us is promised tomorrow. With hope, we can be strong for what we want. We can notice what is beautiful and nourishing right now. And we can find moments of relief and genuine happiness in our day-to-day life. That is the power of hope!

 

How Do You Eat?

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Have you ever tried your hand at making a mandala? I hadn’t, until a friend of mine invited me to an online workshop to learn how.

What I came up with was a handful of contrasting emotions that I attempted to portray in the design.

Come to think of it, these are all feelings I’ve been ping-ponging through my whole life. But at least some of them, I think, have been heightened since we’ve been hunkered down with the pandemic.

Have you thought about what happens in your body when you feel unsafe or alarmed?

Usually when I’ve talked with women entrepreneurs about their health questions, most of them tell me they just want to know what to eat.

Should they be keto? Paleo? Vegan? Low FODMAP? Low fat raw? What about nightshades and grains?

Maybe you’ve tried one or more of the above or some other that I didn’t mention. There’s certainly no shortage of opinions, recommendations, and scientific data available to consider.

However, it strikes me that almost everyone I know is in a state of high-alert right now. With fear of Covid-19, physical isolation, having to wear masks, work schedules disrupted, school schedules disrupted, and so many other activities curtailed, most of us are affected in one way or another. Not to mention all the other things going on in our world.

Whenever there’s a constant aggravation of our nervous system, the body gets stuck in a fight-flight-or-freeze state.

In that case, you can be eating all the right foods, taking all the right supplements, and doing all the things – and your body won’t make good use of them. You may not absorb the nutrients from your food or you may develop sensitivities you didn’t have before.

In the sympathetic fight-or-flight state, your body prioritizes survival above all else. Because of what occurs with the energy generators in the cells – the mitochondria – your energy is sapped, and your cells don’t repair themselves as well.

The body must be in a calm, healing state in order to make proper use of the carefully-chosen foods you put into it.

To access your healing parasympathetic state before you put anything into your mouth, put my TRUST formula into place:

  • Tune in to your body’s sensations and simply notice what you feel.
  • Release any tension that you detect with some gentle breaths and a calming mental suggestion such as, “Shoulders, relax. Belly, relax.”
  • Uplevel your stress-handling repertoire by exploring tools and techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, and tapping.
  • Slow down and really pay attention to your food, savoring each bite as you chew slowly and thoroughly. The adage, “Liquefy your solids and chew your liquids,” points to the fact that digestion benefits when foods are in contact with the saliva and digestive enzymes in the mouth for an extended time.
  • Thankfulness is a great antidote to stress. When sitting down to eat, pause in gratitude for the plants, animals, farmers, grocery stores, and all else that made your meal possible.

The more you can calm your nervous system, the more your energy will increase, the better your digestion will function, and the more likely you’ll be to make the exact right dietary choices for your body.

As for me, I need to focus on the “delighted, peaceful, confident” feelings of my mandala as I sit down to my made-with-love healthful meal. That’s the best way to get all the benefits.

 

5 Good Reasons I Don’t Do Keto

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Why Balanced Nutrition Wins Out Every Time

 

It may be all the rage right now, but it turns out the ketogenic diet is quite controversial. While its adherents claim great benefits in terms of weight loss and it’s sometimes recommended for neurological disorders and insulin-related conditions, apparently the research is far from settled.

 

In case you aren’t familiar with the diet though, it’s basically a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that puts the body in a metabolic state called ketosis. It changes the way the body uses fuel and is something that exists in people during starvation.

 

Instead of the usual fuel sources – glycogen and triglycerides, which are stored in the liver – the body is forced to burn ketones. Ketones don’t cause weight loss, though. They are signs that the body is unable to burn its triglycerides. If that sounds like it’s messing with Mother Nature, well, it is.

 

Here are five reasons why I don’t do keto and why I find it questionable.

 

  1. It eliminates an entire macronutrient.

    Our cells are made up of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Mostly eliminating carbohydrates means limiting fruits, legumes, grains, and even herbs. In the typical keto formula, carbs must make up no more than 5-10% of the total food consumed. Yet, even dried herbs can add 1-2 grams of carbs – yikes!

  2. It has unpleasant side effects.

While keto enthusiasts tout health benefits such as fewer cravings, improved digestion and gut health, and reduced inflammation, other experts suggest otherwise. A European study showed that folks on the lowest-carb diets had the highest risks of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and early death from all other causes.

The keto diet can cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, nutrient deficiencies, constipation and an actual increase in incidence of heart disease. It’s not safe for people with pancreas, liver, thyroid, or gallbladder issues. It can also contribute to disordered eating or worsen an existing unhealthy relationship with food because of its strict requirements.

  1. It’s unsustainable.

Because it restricts fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, it’s missing many vital plant compounds. Diversity in the diet is important for getting the fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants we need for a healthy gut and metabolism.

  1. It messes with your metabolic rate.

When you go off the diet, you gain the weight back but with less lean muscle mass to burn calories. That means you could have a diminished metabolism and more weight woes long-term. Oftentimes, any weight lost comes back with a little extra besides.

  1. It takes the enjoyment out of food.

    For one thing, it makes cooking really difficult. Even protein has to be limited to no more than 20-25% of total calories. This involves too much measuring and calculating in order to truly maintain a state of ketosis.And eliminating all grains, legumes, and most fruits just doesn’t work for me. I strongly advocate for the Mediterranean Diet, which is consistently ranked No. 1 for helping to improve longevity and ward off chronic disease. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein along with very tasty herbs and spices, making it delicious and enjoyable.

 

When the U.S. News panel of experts rank various diets, they look at how following the diet can influence longevity, ward off chronic disease, and how easy it is to follow. The Mediterranean Diet is top-ranked year after year. In contrast, the Keto Diet is ultimately not realistic or sustainable. In restricting almost all of an essential macronutrient, it doesn’t measure up on any of those criteria.

 

For clients of mine who want to eat clean and follow a diet that’s tailored to their needs, I’ll recommend a balanced, nutritious diet with as much variety and diversity as they can handle. It turns out to be the best diet for overall health that there is.

 

I’d love to know what your experience with the Keto Diet has been. You can let me know here.

 

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