Holistic Nutrition
Healing Occurs On All Levels – Find What Works For You
Inner reflects outer, and the Microcosm mirrors the Macrocosm.
If we wish to heal the planet, we must first Heal ourselves.
Healing comes in many different forms. We each respond to different stimuli in different ways. Some respond especially well to scent, while others may be extremely sensitive to it. Some prefer therapeutic touch, while others prefer not to be touched at all. Some people are primarily visual; some are more auditory. The list goes on and on. The beauty of Healing is the variety of ways which are available. Find the one that suits you best!
If we begin at the very basic level, it’s important to recognize the importance of Nutrition. Since everything is a form of energy, it only makes sense that you can maximize and make the most efficient use of your energy by supporting it with the Best Sources of Energy. Processed food definitely does not fit in with that paradigm. The differences are noticeable with everything from external skin conditions, to the functioning of the body’s internal systems. Though there are a number of different approaches to dieting and Proper Nutrition, nutritionists can agree: You Are What You Eat. On a physical level, one of the best ways to heal yourself and improve your physiological well-being is to nourish yourself with the foods (and herbs) that work best for you. That can be different from person to person, as we are all unique; however, there are general guidelines of –> Nutrition Do’s and Don’ts <– to get you started.
As you delve into your own journey of personal healing, you may find yourself feeling like an onion. There are often layers upon layers of things to work on, but with the work comes great reward. As we study ourselves more intently, we come to realize we are Physical beings, yes, but we are also Mental, Emotional and Spiritual beings as well. All of these aspects deserve our care and attention. It is simply the way to maintain balance. The better balanced we are, the more we can focus on (and attain) the things we want to do and be.
While the following serves as a few examples, there’s such a wide array of modalities to compliment all of our Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual aspects. For instance, Yoga is an excellent way to increase tone, physical endurance, and strike a balance between movement and stillness. Hypnotherapy is a wonderful approach for emotional healing. Psychology can be extremely powerful for mental healing. While Massage, Aesthetics, Nutrition and Reflexology work immediately on the physical level, they can also pave the path for other levels of healing as well. Life Coaching and Toe Reading are excellent for bringing awareness to all aspects; and truly all modalities are capable of healing far beyond what might realize is possible.
Whichever form you find yourself drawn to, rest assured they each come with a seemingly endless source of personal success stories and testimonies. The exciting thing about their use today is the growing science that supports it. Granted, not everything works for everyone, but you are sure to find something that works for 
you if you want to. The trick is tuning into yourself. No one can tell you what is best for you, that’s something only you can decide. If that sounds daunting at all (like swimming inside a vast, endless ocean) — not to worry. You really do know what best for you, and when you listen close enough you’ll finds out exactly what that is.
“If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself, if you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.” – Lao Tzu
Guest Author: Jen Awdry
What to Eat…Or What NOT to Eat – That is The Question
Most of us aim to eat some what healthy right? Well, the very basics of Good Eating is knowing WHAT you’re eating! There’s a lot of Fake Food on the market – in fact, most of it these days can be called fake or ‘modified.’ From chemical pesticides and fertilizers to genetic alterations, it’s safe to say Modern Food is not what it was even just 100 years ago. And, with that change comes a ripple effect of other changes that affect our lifestyles and ultimately, our quality of life. We might be living longer, but the ailments that plague us in the long term are, for the most part, preventable.
One of the most impactful ways to prevent disease is to pay attention to your diet. From the building blocks we know as blood cells, to your liver, plus everything in between and beyond—our bodies rely on vitamins, minerals and nutrients for proper function. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is almost completely void of those essentials and often, full of toxins instead. Have no fear! No one is confined to sub-par standards, unless they want to be. If you choose to stand for what you and your body deserve, please keep reading.
We can group most foods into 3 different Food Categories:
- Conventional
- Organic
- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Conventional Foods are original (genetically un-altered) foods that are usually grown with the assistance of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to maximize their yield. After harvesting, they tend to be processed and preserved with various additives.
Organic Foods are original (genetically un-altered) foods grown specifically without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, are minimally processed, and contain little to no preservatives and additives.
GMO Foods are genetically altered through their DNA to create new breeds of food items, resistant to factors that limit or lessen their yield.
GMO foods are the least beneficial of the three categories. In fact, they can be detrimental to your health and “several studies have linked them to serious health risks that range from infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.” (-the American Academy of Environmental Medicine)
Of these food types, organic contains the highest nutrient content and least amount of toxins. Special caution must be heeded with this labeling though: many natural foods are marketed as organic, and that can be misleading. The real Organic Foods will specifically say “organic” or “made with organic ingredients” on the label. Anything less than that (i.e. ‘natural’) is a general term that is widely used and rarely regulated.
It is your job as a consumer to educate yourself and make wise choices when it comes to the food you eat. Companies have no obligation to ensure your health, and the organizations that monitor food-production companies can be fairly lack on their requirements.
So, the following is a simple guideline to general shopping and what’s beneficial to keep your eyes on:
- The SKU code.
Conventional foods are four numbers long.
Organic foods are five numbers long and begin with the number 9.
GMO foods are five numbers long and begin with the number 8. - MOST fresh fruits in the US are not GMO, but if they are canned or packaged then they may be
- Conventional cows are often given an injection called the Bovine Growth Hormone, aka rbST or rbGH. The hormone helps them produce a greater amount of milk than they would otherwise produce without it. However, studies are finding health risks associated with the injected hormone and it has now been banned for use in New Zealand, Canada, the European Union and other places. The U.S. still allows it.
Dairy (in moderation) can offer a multitude of healthy nutrients, so to get your share of benefits, look for milk and dairy products that are made without the use of rBST or rBGH – it will say so on the label. The FDA requires all companies who go do so to also say on the label that it is not proven there is a difference between cows treated with rBST or rBGH and the cows that aren’t, but we know better. The choice is still up to you.
- The foods below are the most common GMO foods in the U.S. The top three listed (corn, soy and the sugar beet) dominate the food system, so unless it’s marked organic, you can assume it’s been genetically modified. In this particular case, assumption is a safety precaution.
- Corn
- Soy
- Sugar beets (which end up as common table sugar or granulated sugar. 90% of the 2010 crop was genetically modified.)
- Canola
- Cottonseed
- Hawaiian Papaya (most of the crop is GMO)
- Zucchini and yellow squash (only some of the crop is GMO)
*Many health-conscious people indulge in soy foods and products. When doing so, check to make sure it has “organic” or “non-GMO” listed on the label, or you risk the same slew of nastiness found in ordinary food!
Corn…. which comes in many forms, such as: corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, corn flour, corn itself, and more. Estimates sometimes as high as 90-95% of the food available on the market may contain some form of corn, which is THE MOST genetically modified crop in the country. Read the label – if you see it on the list of ingredients (sans the word ‘organic’), then think twice before you eat it. High fructose corn syrup should be especially high on your awareness – it has been linked as a primary cause to many health complications including diabetes and obesity.
Sweeteners – most conventional and GMO foods contain artificial sweeteners. They show up on the labels as Aspartame, NutraSweet, AminoSweet, and are basically the same thing as those packets of sugar substitutes called Splenda, Sweet N Low, or Equal. These sweet additions are actually not so sweet; to your body that is. They are now being tied to Leukemia, Lymphoma, and many other diseases. The artificial sweetener is technically a neurotoxin, and often found in diets drinks and foods.
INSTEAD – there are other ways to sweeten your food if your prefer the taste of sweet. Stevia stands as the best natural sweetener, directly derived (and unaltered) from the plant source itself. It might be a distinctive taste at first, but you can gradually introduce it to your diet in order to adapt to the unique flavor. To go this route, start out with ½ organic or cane sugar and ½ stevia, then gradually lessen the amount of sugar altogether. Honey is a great sweetener as well! If you truly can’t find satisfaction with anything other than pure sugar, opt for (organic) cane sugar.
The Valley is rich with places to get good food these days, you just have to know where to find them and how to filter the REAL good food from the not-so-good. The following offers a few places to start:
Local Farmers Markets …. The most recommended route of purchase. Here you will usually find the best price, support the local economy, and ask specific questions from the source itself! Find out where and how things are grown and get answers for any other questions you might have.- CSA Farms … this option can set you up for a routine supply of foods fresh off the farm, and in some cases, delivered directly to you! Get familiar with what’s in season and diversify your menu according to your weekly ‘bag of goodies’.
- Health Markets… Sunflower, Sprouts and Whole Foods are the most recognizable markets, found all over the valley. Individual stores like Luci’s Marketplace are also popping up around the area and offer good foods within a unique atmosphere.
Most importantly and above all else: consider your state of mind. Whether you are eating a healthy meal or something you picked up from the McDonalds around the corner— eat it with a sense of joy and gratitude, and your body will intuitively transform toxins into something useable. However, your mind is wise and cannot be tricked…. All things must be done in moderation. This tactic cannot replace the essential building blocks your body needs to be its best.
A final tool to consider using here is The Healthy Eating Wheel. This can really put it into perspective for you!
Here’s to you, your Health, and Happy Eating!
Written by Guest Author: Jen Awdry | Published by: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts
10 Tips to Help You Turn Your Refrigerator into a Healthy Salad Bar & Deli
You know you should be eating produce-dominated meals, but where do you find the time to prepare all those fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins? Our fast-paced lifestyles can make it seem like an ominous endeavor to get nourishing and delicious meals on the table on a daily basis.
The biggest stumbling block is not having Healthy Food on hand when hunger strikes. One solution is to shop, chop, prep, and cook food in advance of meals, before you’re ready to reach for whatever processed, packaged, and preserved food is within easy reach.
To get a running start for the week, set aside a four-hour block of time on Saturday or Sunday. You’re not going to make a week’s worth of food in one afternoon–the food wouldn’t be fresh, flavorful, or nutritious. (Although salad dressings, marinades, toasted nuts, salsa, chutney, and barbecue sauces will keep for two weeks, most other foods will not.
Your goal: turn your refrigerator into a healthy salad bar and deli and set up for the first half to three-quarters of the week. With a head start, it won’t take as much effort to keep the food flowing.
1. Shop ahead
To eat produce-dominated meals three times a day, you must purchase copious quantities of vegetables and fruits. You’ll want to fill every nook and cranny with fresh produce, and restock as your supply dwindles. If your refrigerator is amply stocked with fresh foods, you’re more apt to eat them than processed foods.
2. Chop ahead
Wash, dry, and chop an assortment of colorful vegetables for steaming, stir frying, simmering, sautéing, parboiling, or tossing into salads. Don’t chop every vegetable in the house, just enough for three or four days, then repeat.
3. Quit canning…but use jars
Canning calls for excessive salt and leads to significant nutrient losses. But don’t toss those jars––they’re perfect for storing chopped raw or parboiled vegetables, salad dressings, sauces, marinades, raw or toasted nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, melon or pineapple cubes, broth and stock in the fridge, and for shelving dried herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and baking supplies.
SIDE BAR: What’s so great about glass jars?
(1) They’re are non-toxic and won’t off-gas chemicals or leach carcinogenic phthalates (plasticizers) and xenoestrogens into your food;
(2) won’t retain residual flavors or odors from previously stored foods;
(3) are easy to line up in the refrigerator and pantry;
(4) allow you to see what’s inside at a glance;
(5) grab your attention, inviting you to eat more colorful foods, particularly produce prepped ahead (6) are inexpensive, durable, and
(7) an ecological alternative to plastic.
5. Label, label, label
Attach small squares of paper with rubber bands or use masking tape and indelible markers to note contents and date perishable items so you don’t keep foods around past their prime.
6. Spin-off
Make salads a daily do. Rinse greens in a bowl, drain, whirl dry in a salad spinner, then stash the container on the top shelf of the fridge. (Place a cotton placemat or dish towel underneath to absorb moisture if your spinner has openings on the bottom.)
For a split second salad, slice or tear lettuce leaves unless the leaves are small. Top with colorful raw, roasted, grilled, parboiled, or steamed vegetables, garnish or dress, and serve. For one-dish dining, add sliced, diced, or flaked fish, poultry, or meat.
7. Plump-up the protein shelf
Every day or two, transfer one or two packages of fish, poultry, or meat from the freezer (or grocery bags) to cake pans, loaf pans, or pie plates on a designated meat shelf with two or three meals in mind. After cooking, transfer another package to the refrigerator to allow ample time for thawing.
8. Double up
Bake, broil, steam, poach, sauté, roast, or grill fish, fowl, or meat with two to three meals in mind. Hard-boil eggs by the dozen. Slice leftover meat over a salad for one-dish dining. Add extra salmon to scrambled eggs with herbs, or a tuna-like salad. Make an impromptu stew with leftover lamb, roasted vegetables, herbs, and broth. Slather last night’s steak with barbecue sauce or herbed mayo.
9. Veg-ahead
Sauté kale, collards, or mustard greens, steam asparagus, or parboil broccoli and cauliflower with three meals in mind. Do the same when you roast, bake, simmer, or grill roots, tubers, squash, or onions.
Leftover veggies are perfect for pack lunches and great at room temperature. Serve warm roasted vegetables for dinner and the leftovers on a bed of salad greens. Purée Sunday’s baked squash to make Monday’s creamy squash soup with ginger. Turn baked potatoes into potato salad or a main-course salad with meat and salad greens.
10. Dress ahead
Scrumptious salads dressings will encourage you to take second helpings of vegetables. Make dazzling drizzles and dressings on the weekend. Store in wide-mouth pint jars or bottles saved from commercial dressings. Add your own label. Not just for tossed salads, these delicious sauces can top parboiled or steamed vegetables.
11. Go garnish
To add texture, flavor, and eye appeal, fill pint jars with minced parsley, scallions, chives, cilantro, arugula, or dill to sprinkle over poached eggs, soups, stews, salads, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes; add to an omelets, tuna, or chicken salad. Dry toast two kinds of nuts and refrigerate in glass jars, then chop or crumble over fruit and vegetable salads, cereal, yogurt, poached fruit, baked squash, or roasted roots.
Reprinted with permission from The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook by Rachel Albert & Don Matesz (Planetary Press, 2004) <http://www.TheGardenOfEatingDiet.com>
Guest Author: Rachel Albert is a natural foods chef, cooking instructor, freelance food and health writer and author of The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes & Sauces and co-author of the award-winning book, The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook. She leads group and private classes, cooking parties, kitchen and phone nutrition and cooking coaching sessions, and healthy shopping tours in the Phoenix metro area. She is a faculty member and teaches cooking classes at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, AZ, and at Desert Botanical Garden. Check out her blog for a list of upcoming cooking classes in the valley and for recipes, restaurant reviews, and resources: www.TheHealthyCookingCoach.com
You Must Change Your Mind to Change Your Habits
Holistic Nutrition is key component for optimal health. Chef Rachel Albert shares some Whole Cooking wisdom with SWIHA! Are you ready to explore some healthier possibilities?
Some people say they don’t like the taste of some of the foods I recommend––certain vegetables, fruits, or other things they are unaccustomed to eating. This can change. Your tastes aren’t engraved in stone. They are conditioned habits that can be changed with persistence.
Although your mind may prefer processed foods, your body certainly does not! Your body prefers Whole Foods with real flavors that come with a high nutrient density. The effects of advertising and familial habits have put your mind out of harmony with your body. Your mind must be trained to accept natural foods. If you practice eating wholesome unrefined foods, you will grow to like them so much that you may rarely, if ever, want anything else.
Unfamiliar foods are like strangers. You don’t know them and maybe suspicious of them, unless you are an extremely adventurous eater. When you try a new food (or present one to your husband or children), try at least three mouthful (and encourage them to do the same). Do this at least three days in a row and make sure to try at least three different recipes using that particular food. If that seems too difficult, then every time you try a new food, eat at least three mouthfuls; try the food at least three days in a row, then try the food again in at least two more recipes, eaten at least three times.
Yes, I just repeated myself! The only way to change your habits is through repetition. If you want better health, you have to make choices that meet your body’s nutritional needs. Some things will be unfamiliar at first, but your body will eventually thank you for making the change.
It helps to know more about how your sense of taste works and how malleable it really is. This will amaze you.
Your Sense of Taste
Have you ever eaten something that tasted bland to you, but seemed just right to someone else? Have you ever liked a dish that someone else thought was too spicy or too sweet?
You’re not alone. People think the taste is in the food. That’s only half right. How a food tastes to you depends on what you’re accustomed to eating. Taste is relative.
If you regularly drink soda or other sugared or artificially sweetened beverages, plain water might seem dull and uninteresting. If you eat white bread and white rice, you might find 100% whole wheat bread and brown rice to be heavy, dry, and bland. If you eat conventional sweets, you may find that fresh fruit or baked sweet potatoes don’t satisfy your sweet tooth.
Why? If you eat very salty or intensely sweet foods on a daily basis, your taste receptors will down-regulate. Your body shuts off some of your taste receptors because it no longer needs them. Then, if you eat more plain and simple foods, the flavors don’t register. The tastes are there, but you can’t sense them because your taste receptors have a higher threshold. You need more stimulation—more salt, more sugar, more spice—to notice the flavors.
Let me give you an analogy. If you regularly drink alcohol, you’ll have a higher tolerance for it than someone who rarely or never drinks. It takes more booze for you to get a buzz than it does for a nondrinker. We each experience the alcohol differently depending on whether or how much we normally drink. It’s the same with foods and flavors.
If you decide to reduce or eliminate sugar, it can take three0 to 90 days for your taste receptors to up-regulate so they have greater sensitivity. If you persist, you can reset your taste receptors. I’ve done it, and I’ve watched other people do it.
If you want to achieve better health, you have to make choices that meet your body’s nutritional needs first, and then have patience while your taste buds catch up. Your body will gradually begin to respond in noticeable ways. In the meantime, you have to use the power of positive intention to retrain your body and mind.
If you need help with this, consider enrolling in some of Rachel’s half day and 5-week cooking classes at SWHA. You’ll see, cook, sample, and make friends with new foods and recipes. If you are like most of my students, you will discover that you like many foods you previously though you didn’t care for and that you can be a good or even great cook armed with information and the experience of working with other enthusiastic learners.
Source: The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook by Rachel Albert & Don Matesz (Planetary Press, 2004) and Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes & Sauces by Rachel Albert (Planetary Press, 2008).
Both books are available at Healing Pages located at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe and online here: www.thehealthycookingcoach.com/books.html
All book purchases help support Rachel so that she can do the work she does.
Guest Author: Rachel Albert has been a natural foods chef, cooking instructor, and freelance food and health writer for 25+ years. She has led more than 1,000 cooking classes in 7 states and more than 300 of her articles published in national and regional publications, including Muscle & Fitness, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Oxygen Women’s Fitness, Men’s Exercise, Fit, Delicious Living, Living Without, Natural Health, Natural Home, Herbs for Health, Herb Companion, and Well Being Journal.
She’s the author of The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes & Sauces and co-author of the award-winning book, The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook. Chef Rachel is on the faculty at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe where she teaches two, hands-on, five-week cooking courses throughout the year and many half day cooking classes. She also leads group and private classes, cooking parties, dinner parties, kitchen and phone coaching sessions, and healthy shopping tours, and speaks to groups throughout the Phoenix metro area, AZ, area.
Visit her blog for new recipes, tips, cooking video clips, cooking class info, and product, book, and gluten-free restaurant reviews: www.TheHealthyCookingCoach.com.
Learn how to help SWIHA support Chef Rachel here: www.holistichealthandme.com/holistic-health-care/charitydonations/loving-donations-wanted-for-swiha-instructor-rachel-albert
Mind Body Wellness Conference 2011 Update!
Have you signed up yet!? It is less than a week away, and we are excited for the date! Allen Chips, DCH, PhD will be one of the inspiring and knowledgeable speakers at the Mind-Body Wellness Conference this Saturday and Sunday. Here is what he has to say about the event:
“I look forward to my participation in the Mind-Body Wellness Conference this year. SWIHA has a wonderful, educated group of staff and faculty who have a genuine desire to serve others, which according to Edgar Cayce is our highest purpose as a soul. The topics I will teach there will cover both transpersonal (life-cycle of the soul) and clinical (Ericksonian) hypnosis. Most sincerely, I’m looking forward to meeting those who are also aware of their divine plan for this important work.“
- Allen S. Chips, DCH, PhD
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