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March Madness

3/14/2017

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Image from www.forestwander.com
March, despite the arrival of Spring Equinox within it, can be a very difficult seasonal transition for the body and spirit.  Most schools (including mine) have their "spring break" and yet the weather often does not cooperate.  We're ready for sunshine, light jacket weather, and blooming bulbs.  Unfortunately the weather is often mercurial with snowstorms, heavy rains and ice.  In Northeast Ohio, we had temperatures in the high 60's in February (I hiked in a tank top one day) which encouraged the bulbs to pop up.  The snowstorm that hit the eastern half of the U.S. the past two days has certainly taken care of those.  And so it goes--we get a little lift, and are smacked back down into the cold, gray and damp of late winter, sort of like that old "whack a mole" game.  And then there's Daylight Savings Time--an hour lost!  This is March Madness after all.  Not the basketball kind, of which I know very little, but rather the winter to spring, cold to wet (before hot and dry) kind of madness.  

March is an important month to set yourself up for a lovely summer and fall.  What that means is "cleaning" house--doing a proverbial spring cleaning, but you need to know what you are up against!  We are literally being dragged (often kicking, screaming and complaining) from cold, dry weather into cold, damp and wet weather, or temperature ups and downs, or extreme rains, or very high winds, or all of the above in the course of a week.  This plays havoc with our lungs and sinuses, bringing on colds and infections.  In my case, high winds mean fever blister breakouts on my lip. Others have constant runny noses, or watering eyes, or headaches.  

Just as important, March can be a tough emotional transition to navigate.  You're getting cabin fever, but the weather isn't going to allow you to lounge outside with that latte quite yet.  Your beautiful yellow daffodils open up, only to be crushed by heavy snow. Your blossom trees freeze in an ice storm and you don't know if they'll set fruit or even survive.  You're slopping around in mud and slush and it seems like your boots will never be clean and dry.  You always seem to have an open umbrella in the hallway airing out.  

The remedy: Embrace the change with some smart strategies and some positive thinking informed by the knowledge of what this Month is all about (after all, it is named after the Roman god of war).  This means "greening up" your diet (and no, that doesn't mean shamrock shakes or green beer), doing some detoxing, seeking healthy heat therapies, moving as much as you can, and getting some extra sleep to help adjust to the time change.

 Good Breakfast Choices:
  1. “Thai” Smoothie (apple or pear, ginger, natural peanut butter, coconut milk, almond milk, frozen banana, cinnamon)
  2. “Gingerbread” Smoothie (apple, banana, ginger, almond milk, molasses, garam masala, cinnamon)
  3. Green Juice (Spinach or Kale, Cucumber, Apple, Mint, Ginger & Lemon)
  4. Fuschia Juice (Beet, Apple, Carrot, Lemon, Ginger)
  5. Stewed apples/pears (cook an apple, chopped large, in a small saucepan with a bit of water or apple cider, and a few cloves, add a lemon peel.  Feel free to add prunes.
  6. Oatmeal with maple syrup or stewed apples
  7. Corn mush with maple syrup or stewed apples
  8. Chia pudding—seeds soaked overnight in almond milk with vanilla extract, dried cranberries, almond slivers and unsweetened coconut—add cinnamon and nuts upon eating, if desired.
  9. Green Tea 
Good Lunch Choices:
  1. Green Salad—lots of veggies/greens with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
  2. Roasted or Steamed Squash, Steamed Greens
  3. Kitchari (seasoned lentils) and Greens
  4. Tonic Soup (broth with ginger and garlic) with Greens and mushrooms and green onions
  5. Vegetable Stir-Fry with Quinoa
  6. Artichoke with lemon/olive oil, steamed veggies with brown rice
  7. Edamame/Green Peas with brown rice, lemon, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs
  8. Pureed green pea/arugula soup
  9. Fish or tofu
  10. Green Tea
Good Dinner Choices: SAME AS LUNCH (or Breakfast)—these are all interchangeable!
  • Drink a cup of hot water with lemon first thing in the morning, followed by green tea throughout the day, a detox tea or lemon tea into the evening.
MOVE!!!  Take a walk outside or do a walk/exercise dvd inside.  If it’s rainy then grab an umbrella.  Go for at least 30 minutes.  Take in the weather, landscape, sights, smells and sounds.  If it's just too depressing, then do indoor exercise but do not skip it.

HEAT THERAPY: to combat all that cold dampness, drink lots of hot/clear liquids and if you have access to a sauna or whirlpool bath, use it.  If not, then run a hot bath (if your skin is dry and itchy, add colloidal oatmeal to the water).  Or, if you cannot take a bath, run a hot shower and add a few shakes of eucalyptus oil to the shower stall.  Use body butter or massage oil on your skin afterwards to ward off dryness.

SKIN THERAPY: My latest easy favorite, inexpensive Korean facial mask sheets, I put one on while having that hot bath.  

SOUL THERAPY:  Find some good reading material.  Now is a great time to delve into a spiritual book you've always wanted to read. Something by the Pema Chodron, or Surya Rama Das, or Eckhart Tolle, anything that examines life and your place in the universe.  It's also a great time to dive into the work of a favorite poet.  Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost---whatever you find feeds your soul.  I like to read a poem first thing in the morning while drinking my hot water, do it before opening email or social media.

MORE SOUL THERAPY:  Visit your local botanical gardens (it really can be a salve at this time or year), the art museum, a natural history museum, a concert or lecture at the library.  Give yourself the gift of more knowledge.  Water and nurture your mind.

Remember, April and May are around the corner, leaves will bud and open, flowers will bloom, sunny days will arrive, heavy sweaters will go back into the dresser drawers.

March into March like a gentle and wise warrior!
Happy Spring--

​Lisabeth


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Strawberries Fields Forever

6/19/2016

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Image from www.the-open-mind.com
This summer solstice falls at the same time as a full moon--a strawberry moon.  It officially takes place tomorrow evening and the moon may or may not be visible, and will unlikely be the pretty pink pictured above.  The name refers to the "monthly" (a word derived from moon) monikers that Native Americans gave to the lunar cycle.  The month of June is generally when strawberries came into season and therefore it was an apt name.  Strawberries were much loved in North America by Native American tribes, but were also loved in Europe too.  The species that existed on each continent were different but in both cases they were considerably smaller than those honking-huge berries we see in the store today!  They were about the size of a fingernail, deep raspberry red, and very soft when ripe.  I attended a native ceremony once where an indigenous woman brought a wild strawberry juice and the taste was light and subtle. Thomas Jefferson, that ardent horticulturalist, was somewhat obsessed by strawberries and was partly responsible for their cultivation in America (though, of course, it was European varieties that were brought over and planted).  The plant is a member of the rose family and if you look closely at the small white flowers you will see they resemble a very simple rose with five petals and a corona in the center,  The seeds, which are multitudinous, sit on the outside of the fruit when it develops, and this may be why strawberries can cause an allergic reaction in many people (my daughter gets contact dermatitis).  

Some farms will be advertising "pick your own" strawberries, or locally grown species may be available in your stores.  These are almost always preferable in taste to the commercially-grown berries, but you need to eat or process them quickly.  I have found that strawberries can very quickly make your car, or fridge, or kitchen smell like the inside of a dumpster! Commercial varieties can really be dicey in terms of quality.  Sometimes they are rock hard, white inside, and flavorless.  Other times, they are amazingly good.  Examine closely for color and perceived freshness but as Jerry Seinfeld said, "Fruit is a gamble, I know that going in."

I find that from Mid-May through June, I crave, crave, crave berries of all sorts.  They seem to satisfy a dual need for sweetness and juiciness.  I think it is the dryness of our winter homes and diets that make our bodies cry out for something sumptuous.  Even though our berries of today don't resemble the native species, they are still a great new age paleo food that provides a high fiber, highly nutritive, low sugar fruit.  

So enjoy these strawberry-themed ideas to coincide with the summer solstice.
  • Strawberries and cream were being enjoyed by English royalty as early as the 16th century (and perhaps why it is still popular/traditional at Wimbledon today).  If you don't eat dairy, you could substitute coconut milk.
  • Strawberries and yogurt are also nice, a drizzle of honey and Greek yogurt work great.  Vanilla yogurt also blends nicely.
  • Don't forget frozen strawberries (which are often remarkably good) for smoothies (no sense wasting fresh berries). They can be blended with vanilla or chocolate protein powder, a banana can be added for flavor and sweetness.  I don't recommend mixing strawberries and kale in a smoothie (though I see lots of recipes that do). Why?  Sludge colored smoothie!  Not appetizing and I believe food should feed the vision as well as the taste buds.
  • A high quality, no sugar added strawberry jam is a nice treat too.
  • Strawberries can be halved, mixed with a couple of tablespoons of honey and balsamic vinegar and roasted at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  The mixture can then be used on salads, yogurts, custards, etc.
  • Fresh strawberries, thinly sliced, are great in salads with almonds or walnuts or pine nuts--a homemade (not too heavy) balsamic dressing goes nicely with this.  Always grind some fresh black pepper on, it compliments the strawberries.
  • Again, if you eat dairy, you can make a great "free form" cheesecake of ricotta, drizzled with honey and topped with strawberries, perhaps with some chopped up walnut bits as well.
  • Strawberry kefir is also a nice beverage, provides great probiotics.
  • Listen to the Beatles psychedelic masterpiece, Strawberry Fields Forever.
  • Buy an old school Bonne Bell lipsmacker in strawberry.
  • Wear some strawberry nail polish on your toes.
  • Dye your hair strawberry blonde, or get one strawberry peek-a-boo red streak!
  • Buy something, anything, in bright red gingham.
For those interested in more history, I'm including a link to the Monticello website (Jefferson's Estate in Virginia). https://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/strawberries-arcadian-dainties-true-paradisiacal-flavor

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Happy Solstice and Happy Eating!

​Lisabeth
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Feeling Slovak

4/2/2016

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Slovakian countryside -- Image from edugeography.com
Last week I had Easter dinner at my parents' house, my folks are of Slovak/Czech background, so we had stuffed cabbage and potatoes.  My mother makes the absolute finest stuffed cabbage, and that is not just bias speaking. Hers are beautifully crafted with the tough cabbage rib cut back and only the softest, greenest leaves used.  They are expertly rolled tighter than a Gauloises (the famous French non-filter cigarette that resembles a handrolled) and bathed in a rich tomato gravy punctuated with just the right amount of sauerkraut.  She served them alongside boiled golden potatoes tossed with butter and chives.  Roasted whole carrots completed the meal.  I found myself enjoying that food more than any I had enjoyed in a while.  It was a reminder that our bodies carry within them the genetic and mental memories of our ancestral foods.  In the past I have flippantly remarked about how awful Slovakian cooking is, but I think in my more mature age I now have more of an appreciation for it.  It makes sense that our bodies respond to that which they've been programmed to know.  This isn't to say that I don't enjoy the food of other cultures (I love all sorts of ethnic cuisines) but I have noticed that foods from other areas of the world--while I love them--don't always love me back.  Nothing enervates me more than an Indian meal.  Chinese food makes me thirsty and sometimes even itchy (MSG?).  Too much cheese (French), no thanks.  Bangkok curry that's too hot? I wasn't built to handle it.  And so on . . . 

Having had the privilege to travel to Slovakia many years ago, I know that while the food was not gourmet, I had some very interesting items.  I remember the bean and meat soups being fantastic--truly first rate.  Salads consisted of lots of colorful purple cabbage and corn.  Potatoes were tasty. Poultry with velvety sour cream/paprika sauce can be sublime.  I'm thinking now about how I might incorporate more of the foods of my heritage into my diet in a healthful way. After all, my ancestors were sturdy farmers.  No one was skinny--they were barrel-shaped and strong because they needed to be. In the New World, and as later immigrants who were reviled by American-born citizens and other immigrants, they worked the steel mills and coal yards.  As a privileged academic (Slovaks quickly became committed to educating their children), I don't need the starches and calories they did to get through tough weather and harvests, but there are certainly things I might borrow.
  1.  The veggies most used: Roots (potatoes, carrots, radishes, turnips, beets), cabbage (green and red), onions and garlic.  And tomatoes and cucumbers in the summer.
  2. Fruits most often eaten are grapes, stone fruits (cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines) and apples.
  3. Dairy tends toward sour cream and soft cheese: Greek yogurt and cottage cheese would be healthful subs.
  4. Meats are most often pork, beef and chicken with lightly fried fish on Fridays.
  5. Sauerkraut and pickled beets, berry jams are popular too.
  6. Paprika: Hot, Sweet and Smoked offer great color, flavoring and variety.  Dill and caraway are also popular.
  7. Nut rolls and poppyseed rolls--Walnuts and chia seeds added to fruit and yogurt are a nice remembrance.
  8. Raisins--golden and dark, are popular too.  So many uses for these.
  9. Honey--especially used at holidays
It's interesting to me that the fruits I listed above are the ones my body truly likes best. Same with the vegetables--I digest them easily.  And all of those spices agree with me too. No hiccups or heartburn from too much heat.  My plan is to pay more attention to this.  To experiment more with using those spices, a dab of yogurt to cool my body, and the earthiness of those root vegetables in place of other starches (breads and rice can be too drying for me and lead easily to weight gain).  And like my sturdy ancestors, I benefit from walking/hiking and lifting weights (emulating the work of the field).

Every now and again, my mother will get the urge to make a pan of cooked lettuce with a light brown gravy.  It sounds odd to the modern American, but it takes her back to her childhood watching her grandmother cook and eating in her kitchen.  My mother still grows tomatoes and herbs and remembers her grandfather starting tomato plants under an old glass window--having collected the seeds from the fruit of the previous year.  She also claims their cabbage roses were unlike anyone else's--her grandmother would put broken china pieces in the ground to feed the soil.  

Think about your heritage and how the foods of your folks might feed both your body and soul.  What did they eat?  When? Why?  What spicing was used?  What occasions demanded special foods?  You might not practice those same rituals, but certainly there are ways to revise and borrow and bring some of your personal history into your life daily. As a history teacher, I'm enjoying rethinking my family's origins and how I can keep them alive and make myself more healthy in the process.

Take a happy culinary tour of your own history!  Lisabeth
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February 23rd, 2016

2/23/2016

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Leap into a New Age Paleo Lifestyle!

This year is a leap year--which means we get a "free" extra day. What will you do with yours?  Imagine you had one day left on this planet, and suddenly, someone gave you one more.  Would you spend it watching bad talk shows or a violent film?  Would you be pigging out on junk food? Would you spend it gossiping? What would you do with that day to make it your finest?  I have some ideas!
  • Smile and say hello to everyone you meet.
  • Pay for someone's coffee or donate to a local charity.
  • Go for a great long walk--preferably with someone you love!
  • Make a beautiful roast, or soup or stew--something slow-cooking, and low carb, that you can throw in the crockpot and enjoy by candlelight for dinner.
  • Watch an old movie you've always wanted to see.
  • Read a poet you've always wanted to "discover".
  • Bake a paleo fruit crumble, preferably with a child or partner or friend.
  • Play with your pet.
  • Watch the sunrise and sunset.
  • Call a friend or relative you haven't talked to since forever!
  • Do a puzzle or play cards.
  • Have a long, hot bath with some baking soda and a beautiful essential oil.
  • Meditate on the gift of this extra day.
Leap Year provides an opportunity to consider just how arbitrary time is (we can't even invent a calendar that captures the rotation of the earth around the sun accurately).  It reminds us that time is a fleeting human creation, yet it runs our lives and contributes to so much of our angst (over getting things done, aging, being late).  Stop (for at least 24 hours) worrying about efficiency and take the time to slow down and appreciate the day in a New Age Paleo way, combining the best of the past with the best of modern-living.

Happily Leaping with Joy for an extra day--Lisabeth

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Warm Winter Love

1/24/2016

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Henri Fantin-Latour, the master of painting roses
Winter can be challenging with the shorter days and colder temperatures.  The winter season would have been intensely challenging for paleo humans with the paucity of food and basic shelter.  We, of course, don't face such challenges so winter for us offers different issues with our artificial environments.  While I have no desire to be scratching about for meager food sources, or huddling by a fire to stay alive, our overheated, overly bright interiors filled with artificial light can wreck havoc on our natural rhythms. Add to this the fact that the lack of natural sunlight sends some of us into a more depressive mood and the winter can be quite unpleasant.  I've come up with some ways to inculcate some good practices and introduce/revive some good habits that will make winter easier to bear, and that will set you up for a lovely spring. I actually invite hibernation by trying my best to go to bed earlier and establishing cozy rituals.
  1. My first nightly habit is an early warm shower, followed by a thick application of almond/honey shea body butter.
  2. A cozy bathrobe can make a huge difference in terms of hibernating comfort.
  3. A diffuser (cold mist) with Four Thieves essential oil blend to ward off infections.
  4. A rubbing of oil in the nostrils to moisturize.
  5. Flossing!  A great habit to establish.  If your gums are sensitive then use Glide floss, worth the extra money.
  6. An application of facial moisturizer followed by a couple of minutes of using a Chinese jade roller (upward, outward strokes) to absorb it into the skin.
  7. Vitamin D, 3,000 IUE, with a meal
  8. I read in bed with an amber light in my reading lamp.  Warm and soft!
  9. In the morning, while it is still dark, I take a few minutes to meditate.  I don't worry anymore about setting aside 20-30 minutes, because then it doesn't happen and I feel guilty.  Instead, I light a couple of candles, along with some incense, I choose a 5-10 minute song on my phone and just sit.  I don't fret about the day's quantity or quality of meditation, I just let it be what it is.
  10. I read a poem, while having my first hot beverage of the day.  (See below).
  11. Drink lots of hot water throughout the day.  I start the day with a cup of boiled water spiked with a lemon wedge, then throughout the day I add either a fresh ginger coin or a shake of powdered ginger.  Warming and cleansing.  Vanilla tea is lovely later in the day.
  12. On the weekends, I walk at our local park, 4 miles each time.  I supplement my exercise throughout the week with indoor walking and weight workouts.
And, of course, I recommend you give your self some love by signing up for our February course.  In it, we look at three of the most romantic things in the universe: roses, chocolate and perfume.  We'll study their history, their uses, how they can make our lives more healthy, and how we can enjoy them more healthfully for the environment.  Or, go deeper--sign up for our Healing Traditions course.  Five traditions, Ten weeks, A lifetime of knowledge. 
http://www.newagepaleo.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

With cozy love and comfort,

Lisabeth
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New Year Reboot

1/2/2016

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From Godiva page on the history of chocolate
A new year is a great time to rethink your diet and start cleaning out the debris of the holiday season.  There are two paleo principles that work really well.  One: SIMPLIFY.  Stick to a limited menu of options.  By removing choice, you remove temptation and veering off-course.  Two: Record.  Journaling your food and habits makes you far more likely to stick with them.  When I was losing lots of weight (getting into shape after having my daughter), I not only recorded my food, but would circle and highlight, in yellow, what I had consumed that wasn't great.  Yes, I actually emphasized my mistakes.  This made me much more aware and accountable.  January is a great time for some stringency, but remember, we are still in the cold season (unless you live in a Southern clime).  Therefore, you need to think about your food choices in relation to winter weather.  For fruits, citrus is great, especially grapefruit (BUT check if you are taking medications, grapefruit cannot be eaten for example if you take cholesterol lowering medication).  For vegetables, think root veggies and cooked veggies over raw.  Think about using cooked greens for your salad base, for example, if you are going to eat a salad.  Smoothies should be less cold and pumped up with warming spice.  Warm eggs are good, baked sweet potatoes, warm vegetable soups.   Remove as much sugar and starch (pastries, breads, rice, noodles) from your diet as possible for this month.  Stick with whole, cooked foods, and good quality proteins (eggs, meat, protein powder).  Keep dairy to a minimum.  Switch out your coffee with warming teas.  Below see a few smoothie recipes to get you started!
  1. Chocolate Chai: Combine chocolate protein powder, nutmilk (I'm loving the low calorie unsweetened vanilla almond/coconut by Blue Diamond), a bit of stevia (I like English toffee liquid), and a teaspoon of garam masala (Indian spice blend), 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Blend--no ice or frozen fruit.  This keeps it "warmer", easier to digest and low in sugar.
  2. Hot Chocolate: Combine chocolate protein powder, nutmilk, a bit of stevia, a teaspoon of cinnamon (make it real Ceylon cinnamon for the full health benefit, Frontier's is great), and a PINCH (just a wee pinch, trust me on this) of cayenne pepper.  
  3. Vanilla Chai, same as the chocolate, but with vanilla protein powder.
  4. Thai Peanut: Combine vanilla protein powder, nutmilk, bit of stevia, a tablespoon of natural peanut butter, and a quarter size slice of fresh ginger.
All of the above will be made even more nutritious with the addition of a teaspoon of potato starch added (good probiotics and insulin-resistant starch).  Bob's Red Mill makes a readily-available product and it will last a long, long time.

And, if you interested in going deeper into self-improvement, consider our January "Fresh Start" course, or the "Healing Traditions" course.  I will run the super-low NEW AGE PALEO prices through January 15th.  http://www.newagepaleo.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Happy New Age Paleo New Year!
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The Holidays: Focusing on Fellowship not Food

12/11/2015

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As we prepare for the holidays, many of us many already be searching for the elastic band pants or the baggy sweaters as feasting excess leads to expanding waistlines.  I'm going to suggest some austerity: in eating, spending and partying.  What I love about this time of year is not the gifts, or gorging on caloric foods, or going to tons of parties.  I like the darkness, the cold, the turning inward, the focus on beloved family and friends, the candlelight, the scent of pine and spices, and the music (so long as it isn't that commercialized bubble gum junk you hear piped through stores).  I value contemplating birth, death, peace, cycles--the pace of the year and the cycle of life.  I suggest giving more handmade gifts, or gifts of thought.  A hand-copied poem on the finest paper with good ink, a drawing, and a loving note why you think the recipient will appreciate it.  For the truly overwrought person, how about a gift certificate for a massage?  A lovely, wholesome treat--see the recipe below for American Bark and Bite.  A gorgeous candle.  Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.  This concept should apply to your eating too.  Keep it simple, clean, festive but not foolish.  And, think of feeding your mind and soul as well as your body.  This is the spirit of the holidays--a time of heightened festivity, but also a time for paring back and being introspective.
  1. Cut out the alcohol.  Instead drink an orange-y seltzer water or have some pomegranate juice in a wine glass, or have a cranberry/seltzer spritzer dressed with a lemon or lime wedge.
  2. Make a healthful eggnog.  Blend nutmilk, a frozen banana, some butter pecan or toffee liquid stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg (lots of nutmeg).  It won't be yellow, but it will be truly delicious and healthy.  It's really the nutmeg that makes the nog flavor.  You can enjoy this without the fat and the heaviness of guilt.
  3. Make American Bark and Bite.  Melt high-quality dark chocolate, add raw pumpkin seeds and cranberries, and a dash (and I mean just a dash) of cayenne pepper. Spread on a parchment lined baking tray, before it sets grind some pink sea salt over it. Place in the fridge or freezer, then break into pieces.  Good for eating or giving.
  4. When snacking (especially at a cocktail party) go for the nuts and olives.  These are simple, paleo bets that won't derail your healthy eating. 
  5. Feed your body with a soak in the tub--add epsom salts and a lovely essential oil (citrus, rosemary or pine).
  6. Feed your soul with quiet meditation (early morning or evening, when it is dark, with candles) is especially expansive.
  7. Listen to beautiful music, live if possible.  Try a Celtic Christmas CD or playlist.
  8. Read something gratifying.  I like Madeline L'Engle's "Miracle on 42nd Street" (her musings on Christ's birth) or the poetry of Rumi or anything by Diane Ackerman.
Keep the holidays focused on healthy fun so that you need not start the new year feeling not so fresh and new!  For those who want a fresh beginning, sign up for our "Healing Traditions" course, or our January mini-course, "A Fresh Start".  --Lisabeth
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Being Thankful and Thoughtful

11/23/2015

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Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want
If you're paleo, or experimenting with paleo, you may be thinking about how you'll handle Thanksgiving dinner.  I have some thoughts on that which I'd like to share.  As mentioned in my bio, I've tried many different diets at various times in my life.  For several years, I was vegetarian.  At Thanksgiving, I ate my mom's turkey.  Here's my take--diets that are adopted by choice are not religious observations.  If you practice a religion that says not to eat pork, then by all means, skip the sausage stuffing.  Otherwise, lighten up!  I have a close relative who has become vegan and I know, without a doubt, that he'll be yapping away about how great it is to be vegan.  No wait, not just great, but morally superior.  No one wants to hear it.  Nor do they want to hear you yap about how great it is to be paleo.  I think at holiday gatherings you do the best you can to be reasonable about fitting your eating principles without turning it into a moral crusade.  Aunt Gertrude doesn't want to hear about how she'd lose fifty pounds if she put down the dinner rolls and Uncle Stan doesn't want to hear about how he could run a marathon if he quit drinking beer.  It isn't the time or place.  (And hey, vegetarians, really NO ONE wants to eat your TofuTurkey or Seitan roll).  Holiday meals are a time to exercise flexibility, not to set yourself up as an example of dietary rigidity.  It's not a time to try grain-free stuffing for the first time when your guests are expecting traditional stuffing.  If you're on your own, or your whole family is eating paleo, then fine--go for it.  But if not, then I say it is a time to be respectful of others.  No one likes a militant.  

Now, that being said, there are ways to navigate the Thanksgiving table that will result in less bloating, discomfort and regret:​
  1. Spend the next few days eating more lightly.  Smoothies, soups, salads, cooked veggies.  This is pretty easy.  On Thanksgiving day, just go with smoothies, tea and hot water up until meal time.  Get yourself in a place of hunger before enjoying a feast.  Go for a good long walk in the morning.
  2. Skip the dinner rolls.  Really, at a meal where you are likely eating more than normal filling up on bread is a waste of calories and carbs.
  3. Go for what you really love.  I love the turkey, my mom's stuffing (traditional) and the homemade cranberry sauce my daughter makes the night before.  I can eat sweet potatoes and other vegetable anytime.  So I focus on just those three things--nothing else hits my plate.
  4. Start small.  Yes, I like several portions/helpings--that's what makes it feel like feasting.  So I start off with a couple of bits of turkey, a tablespoon of stuffing and a couple of teaspoons of cranberry sauce.  I can fill my plates three or four times with that much and have eating a normal-sized plate, yet feel no guilt.
  5. Skip the alcohol.  I often take flavored sparkling water with me so that I'll have something festive to drink.  This year, I'll probably go with pomegranate or cranberry or orange flavored La Croix.
  6. Skip the appetizers, unless you're nibbling on a few veggies, nuts or olives.  Nothing more.
  7. For dessert, consider eating just the pumpkin in the pie.  I love pumpkin pie, but with most of them, the crust is just a soggy holder for the pumpkin custard.  So just leave it.  No reason you can't just eat the filling.  
  8. Have a nice cup of tea to end the meal, no eggnog or coffee filled with cream and sugar.  Save those calories for separate treats.
  9. An after dinner walk is nice too.  
  10. Regret nothing.  Even if you make a poor choice, practice self-love by not beating yourself up over it.  And take some alka seltzer with you.  I usually have one just as good form after a feasting meal.
Be thankful for your good bounty and for the ability to choose your foods.  Many don't have this option.  Most of all be thankful for the people in your life who make it all worth it!

​With gratitude--  Lisabeth


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Sweeping out the gunk!

10/27/2015

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Picture
From Mary Poppins, image from Broadway.com
A few days of not so brilliant eating have me clutching my belly and begging for mercy right now.  Time for a clean sweep!  I must admit, as someone who works a minimum of 70 hours a week, and who has just a month ago begun a year-long intensive independent study program (in global health), I cannot simply not eat.  A fast will not provide me the energy and clarity that I need.  I can, however, do my stomach a huge favor by eating softer, simpler foods that nourish instead of challenge my digestion.  AND, I can still do this while maintaining the principles of a low-carb, new age paleo diet.  This is a great plan in general for fall, but is especially useful after some over-indulgences, and thus great to have in the holiday arsenal!

Three-Day Tummy Saver
  1. Breakfast: Hot water with lemon and ginger, followed by green tea; Smoothie to sip throughout early morning.  -Smoothie choices include: Pumpkin, Gingerbread spice, Mocha, or Cherry Almond 
  2. Lunch: Chicken Vegetable Soup or Butternut Squash Soup
  3. Dinner: Baked Sweet Potato (topped with butter or ghee, sea salt and cinnamon (if desired), Steamed Greens, and Chia vanilla pudding (boosted with vanilla protein powder).
  4. Snack: Another Smoothie--same choices as above with 1/4 to 1/2 apple added for fiber.
  5. Sip warm water throughout the day, green/black or white tea when caffeine needed, and one detox or licorice/mint tea a day.  Pretty simple!
The protein powder of the smoothies/puddings adds the proper amount of daily protein.  The liquid/soft forms of all the food make everything much easier on your digestion.  And the warmth of the heated foods and the spices will also provide nourishing cleansing.  The smoothies and chia pudding are easy (you just need to plan ahead with the pudding, set it up the night before).  Baked sweet potatoes require only that you give them an hour to bake.  The soup is the most time consuming, but not really difficult and a decent sized batch will last the three days.  All in all, an easy at home "spa" plan.

Gingerbread Spice Smoothie:
  • Almond milk (preferably unsweetened)
  • A coin of fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
  • A teaspoon of cinnamon
  • A pinch of nutmeg (optional)
  • A 1/2 dropper of stevia liquid (I use butter toffee flavor)--do NOT add too much!
  • 1/4 apple
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder 
Happy Sweeping!
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The Squirrel Instinct

10/18/2015

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Picture
Hans Hoffman, 16th century in the style of Durer
This weekend I'm determined to continue good eating habits in the face of what promises to be an extremely busy and difficult work week.  How to do that?  Be a squirrel--prepare and store your food!  I did a quick shopping run (in and out in 30 minutes).  In that time I managed to gather up the fruit, veggies, cheese, nuts, and nut milks I would need for a week of good eating.  Once home, I unpacked the groceries and then set my mind to some quick cooking: A curried butternut squash soup, some celery sticks pre-cut to have with nut butters, some steamed spinach and arugula, a mocha chia pudding and some whipped up coconut milk.  These items with my kumato tomatoes, bags of salad mix, Tanka buffalo/cranberry bars, bags of cashews (snack size), Quest bars and a tin of lovely black/vanilla tea have me set for the week.  I have much work to do and can now pack up quick meals and snacks to afford myself a bit more time.  I can eat all the above knowing that I will be able to fit in my size 4/6 pants.  I can rest assured that there is a good mix of protein packed energy food, vitamins and minerals, and comfort food.  Spend some Sunday quality organization time setting yourself up for the week:
  1. A quick shopping run to get what you need 
  2. About an hour spent cooking and chopping  (soup, veggies, chia pudding)
  3. Think about your menus for the week
  4. Make yourself a to-do list for the week plotting out what you might tackle on which day
  5. Plan some time for self-care (a hot bath, a good walk outdoors)
  6. Plan some time for exercise--cardio/weights and stretching
  7. Try a week of tea not coffee
  8. Take a mug for drinking hot water throughout your day
  9. Aim for a target bedtime each evening 
Happy Gathering!

Lisabeth

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    I'm Lisabeth.  Having tried just about every diet to be my best self, I'm realizing that quality protein, whole foods, and no starchy carbs really is the only thing that works for me.  Join me as I take us on a journey to discover how we can go paleo in a modern new age..

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