In my family, it’s an aunt and an uncle.  My friends?  Many….too many.  I had my own scare once, many years ago.  Fortunately turned out to be nothing.  But not to me.  It set me on a quest to figure out what I was missing, emotionally and physically.  What else do I need to do to strengthen my body and mind? I attended a movie last night, “Healing Cancer From Inside Out”. The first part is about the numbers, the money and the ego involved with the “curing” of cancer.  The second part is the “healing” of cancer.  The presenter [...]

Staple, a basic dietary item.  In my life, it’s not flour, rice or corn, it’s almonds, dates, a sprout bag (ok, that’s not food) and some sort of frozen fruit.  As long as I have these few items, I can eat for a day or more.   Of course, I have more than that in my kitchen, but I always have these items on hand and here are some great recipes for you to make with these items.  Nut Milk –Two cups water in your blender—-I use the Vitamix.  The BlendTec works well also.   I like my pulp as smooth as I can [...]

No doubt about it….feeling your feelings is a big part of getting healthy.  Healthy in the physical and healthy in the spiritual sense.  My saying is “Just Feel It”.  When I was young I stopped eating to get attention.  When I didn’t get the attention, I overate.   Then I just got lost in a sea of eating, not eating, stuffing emotions and denying emotions.  There is a difference between stuffing and denying your emotions.  Good luck figuring that one out.  Experiencing my divorce over 15 year ago, was when I could officially say I realized I hadn’t been feeling anything.  [...]

My 96 year old grandmother just passed away.  It’s very interesting to watch how we all want to avoid the “break-down” and prove to ourselves that we can get through an emotional time without the tears.  Or it could just not be the right time to cry.  Even at 96, her death was unexpected, so most of us were just trying to get through the service and everything that had to be done.  Once the adrenaline rush had dissipated, and we returned home, my daughter and I suffered through a 24 hour stomach bug.  That’s when the tears came and [...]

It’s that time of year again when everyone talks about resolutions.  I was never a believer in these.  Every night I make a resolution for the next day.  Every morning I reaffirm that intention.  The power of intention.  If you think it, if you believe it….it will become reality. Here are some ideas for you this morning(or afternoon or evening), it’s never too late to set an intention.  Before you start your exercise routine for the day, whether you take the stairs instead of the elevator or you work out at a gym, set an intention.  What do you want to get [...]

It’s certainly easier to go for fast food, already cut up, already washed items while you’re grocery shopping or looking for that quick lunch idea……BUT…. is that really the healthier choice? Let’s start with baby carrots.  In whole carrots, most of the nutrition is contained in or just below the skin.  In order to make baby carrots, this healthy portion is removed.   Then the carrots are washed in chlorinated water and some are even dipped in a stronger chlorine solution to keep their looks once in your local store.  If you believe labels,  “baby carrots” are carrots harvested while the vegetables [...]

What happens when you “go raw“?  Below are some great answers to that question.  These come from Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach.  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me sharing.  Because it’s nice to share. 1. You Wake UP! 2. You become more sensitive (things feel much better or worse depending on what they are) 3. You get to hear your own voice more clearly 4. You start to be kinder to yourself and the world around you 5. You start to believe in a more “magical” way of living and being (because you can feel it running through your veins) 6.  You [...]

The saying “Less is more” means that when something is understated or done in a low-key manner it is much more effective.  Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, furniture designer and architect, is often associated with the phrase and a proponent of simplicity and clarity leading to good design.   Let’s first get out of the way when less is definitely NOT more….like love, kindness and gratitude. Seven years ago I was just about half way into a month long yoga teacher training.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner consisted of a wonderful buffet line of healthy food options.  I was practicing yoga about [...]

A good question right?  I’m not just talking about excercise or eating right.  I mean pampering yourself.  Gentle yoga, breathing, a great bubble bath, sitting in front of the fire, meditating, singing, dancing. How about we take a moment to just breathe?  Sit upright, plant both your feet on the earth, and place your hands, palms up, on your legs.  Close your eyes.  (C’mon, this will only take a moment…turn your phone off, take a five minute break from your busy life)  Bring your attention to your belly and how the belly rises and falls with each breath.  Relax your jaw, [...]

We make many choices in the course of our lives.   When I decided to get pregnant, I made the choice to become a vegetarian.  I thought that was the right choice for my baby.  It turned out to also be the right choice for me.  My daughter was born 18 years ago.  At that time there weren’t a lot of choices or places to turn that supported my beliefs.   I didn’t want to give her dairy and I didn’t want to give her meat.  I’ll never forget at each visit to the pediatrician when the doctor would ask her if she was [...]