One week

It really isnt that difficult to improve your health. Most of us know what foods we should eat and what foods to avoid if we want to keep our bodies looking good and our minds working well. Cut down on sugars and all refined foods. Cut down on meat and dairy products. What about all the packaged food that contain chemicals, preservatives and additives? Toss them out! Most people would then agree that healthier foods such as whole grains and vegetables and fruits should be consumed more frequently. So what is holding you back from reaching your goals? You already know what you have to do to achieve good health so why are you putting it off? This week try to make at least two changes to your diet and see how you feel. Slowly changes occur and once you realize that you truly have control over your body and life, the optimal health you dreamed of is just in reach.

In balance

Our bodies are naturally slightly acidic, but what happens when we become too acidic or to alkalized? The body isn't able to function properly and you may feel: tired, achy, angry, sluggish, or weak. Different foods provide us with either of these elements and it is important to keep the PH at a level 7 so that we can live a healthy and balanced life.
Acidic Foods are: meat, eggs, nuts and seeds, and some fruits
Alkaline Foods are: green leaves, milk products, bones, stems and some fruits.
The typical American has a body which is acidic due to the high consumption of meat and the low consumption of leafy green vegetables. Studies on chimpanzees have shown that they intuitively know how to combine acidic and alkaline foods together in order to keep their bodies balanced. If they eat a piece of meat they grab a piece of fruit and eat them together. This is something that is intuitive to humans as well, we have just been so programed to ignore the messages from our bodies. If this is something that is new to you try and pay attention to what you eat and see if your body may be out of balance. For more information feel free to contact me.

Paying attention to labels

We all want to trust that the food being manufactured for us by our country is healthy. Unfortunately, when it comes to our food we need to be skeptical of many different factors. When purchasing anything in a package read the labels before deciding to buy it or not. Remember you are what you eat, and nobody wants to be a multi-colored chemical! As a rule of thumb you don't want to eat anything that has more than 3 ingredients listed and you especially don't want to consume the product if there are words you can't pronounce. Steer clear of low-fat items and pay close attention when the front of the box makes health claims. If a food is really healthy they don't need to convince you. We all want to feel our best and this can be achieved by choosing whole, unprocessed foods. If you need any more information on how to read food labels or what to ingredients to avoid feel free to contact me.

Upcoming work

I have been hard at work getting everything prepared for some upcoming workshops. My first one is going to be on how to make easy raw desserts with out the need of dehydrators or juicers. I am also going to be offering a class on how to naturally detox/cleanse your body. Stay tuned for more information on both. Enjoy the sunshine!

Something new

Recently I decided to cut back on my morning coffee consumption. It's not that I don't love my morning cup, I do. The strong aroma and warm soothing coffee is part of my daily ritual. What I started to notice however was that midway through the day my energy levels were so low that I found myself contemplating having another cup of coffee. There is nothing wrong with having two cups of coffee a day but I'm young and in good shape and why should I need something outside of myself to boost me up? Some coffee consumption can be good for you but it can also wreak havoc on your adrenal glands and cause the body to undergo stress.
If you don't notice any negative effects from drinking your caffeinated joe, I would tell you to keep on drinking. For me however I need to take a step back and introduce something else into my daily ritual. Luckily, living in the hip neighborhood of Williamsburg I am surrounded by incredible juice bars and coffee shops offering alternatives beverages to satisfy my morning cravings. Just finished a deliciously sweet blend of carrot, apple, beet and ginger juice and feel completely awake and ready to conquer the day.
Why don't you try it and see how you feel? Instead of jumping straight for the coffee see what it feels like to have a natural juice, or a coffee alternative like a red, black, green or herbal tea. What about trying a chai? There are so many options and it's fun to experiment with your taste buds and body to see how different beverages impact your day.