In the spirit of the event, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my favorite healthy eating and nutrition-related resources (in no particular order). Please note, I love the library. It’s one of the first places that I seek out when I move to a new city (obviously, yoga studios are on that list of first places as well!). I’m a big proponent of borrowing books instead of buying them. I live in Boston, so I am linking to the Boston Public Library’s catalog. If you’ve never been to the library in your  neighborhood, GO! Magic happens there- I promise.

Grace’s list of favorite healthy eating and nutrition-related resources

Eat like a yogi:

The Shoshoni Cookbook by Anne Saks
Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners by Amadea Morningstar (this is on my list of books to read, but I’ve been told it’s amazing!)

Making raw food accessible to the masses:

Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo
Choosing Raw Blog by Gena Hamshaw

No more white sugar:

Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano

Looking deeper at your eating compulsions (for those of us who eat for comfort):

The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size by Julia Cameron

Michael Pollen. I love him (enough said.):

The Omnivore’s Dilemma

In Defense of Food

A holistic (mind, body, spirit: not just food) guide to health:

Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston

Fun at Farmers’ Markets:

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets by Deborah Madison

The FREE yoga class will kick off this dynamic foodie event at 6:30pm! Please join us for a delicious evening- a perfect opportunity to mix and mingle with the ENMA community!

Care to share any of YOUR favorite healthy living resources?

Choose love,
Grace

PS You don’t have to come for the whole thing. If your schedule only allows time for the movie: no worries! If you can only squeeze in time for the yoga class: sounds great! And if you just wanna chow down on some food: perfect-o! Make it YOUR night out. Customize the experience to suit YOUR needs.

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Mastery of the Palate
What I put in my mouth is a CHOICE with a consequence. Sugary carbohydrate foods make me feel dreary, sleepy, and unmotivated. Then they cling to my breasts, my hips, my thighs, packing on the pounds that weigh me down. I might think that sweets are comforting me, but they just leave me feeling out of control, wanting more, more, MORE! I must identify the deeper meaning behind the cravings. I will learn the difference between self-indulging versus eating to sustain my body. I injure my body when I overeat.

And here is the positive, upbeat, FEEL GOOD version:

I Love and Respect My Body!
Taking care of my body is a priority and helps me feel alive, happy, and proud! I am in control. I give thanks for the food that nourishes my body. How can I make a healthy and rewarding food choice RIGHT NOW?

And you guessed it: the reason I am posting this now is because I am in a terrible food funk.  Summer was filled with many, many treats, but my over indulgences have left me feeling heavy and unhappy.  Time to get back in the swing of healthy eating, when I feel and look my very best!

How can you make a healthy and rewarding food choice right now?

Choose love,
Grace

PS This is my 100th post!  How cool is that?!

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“The what?!” you might ask.

Honestly, I had to look up the definition of the winter solstice when I discovered that I had missed it. Sometimes I wonder if I might have grown up under a rock or in a cave? Nonetheless, I learned from wikipedia that: “The Winter Solstice…is the shortest day, and longest night, and the sun’s daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 each year in the Northern Hemisphere…Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.”

Happy Belated Winter Solstice, everyone!

I love this idea of celebrating new beginnings!  As 2009 comes to a close, I eagerly welcome a world of possibility in 2010. 

Truth #2: I have been eating way too much sugar, and my body isn’t very happy with me.  Anyone else understand my predicament?

This past weekend I attended a workshop on Ayurveda, which is often referred to as the “sister science of yoga”.  It was fascinating, and I am already planning to shift my health plan for the new year with the guidance of ayurveda.  The basics:
Ayur= life
Veda= science/knowledge
Soooo…Ayurveda= the science or knowledge of life
It’s all about balancing energy in and around our bodies by becoming conscious about the health choices we make, so we can live vibrant, active lives. Every person is made up of their own unique constitution, or energy. This constitution is a mirror of the seasons spring, summer, and autumn and their traits (ex. spring is heavy, cold, liquid, static, hard). The three seasonal energies in ayurveda are called kapha, pitta, and vata. Each person usually has a very strong constitution in one of the three and subtle amounts of the other two. Once you figure out what your constitution is, you can make health choices in order to bring your body back into balance. Treatments are given through diet, lifestyle, and herbal remedies. I am really looking forward to learning more at a 2-part session at Shine Yoga in January! 

Truth #3: Even as a teacher, I’m still asking questions.

This past Sunday I participated in a Jivamukti yoga workshop at the lovely Gratitude in Motion studio.  The facilitator/guide/teacher was the knowledgable, silly and very real Jules Febre.  Jivamukti yoga combines intense physical postures with sanscrit scriptures, principles of devotion and non-harming, music, and meditation to create liberation from separation.  Living liberated!  What a beautiful concept.  We are all connected, and the choices you make really do affect everything around you. 

The workshop teacher (Jules), and this powerful style of yoga, pushed us to really “feel the burn”.  I held poses longer than I’ve ever held them, and I went deeper than the deepest I’ve ever gone in some pretty intense hip-openers.  I was concerned for the beginners in the class- for fear that they would hurt themselves by going too far.  There was little mention of listening to our own bodies and knowing when to slow down, which made me realize how much I stress personal safety in my own classes.  I wondered if it was too “Western” a mindset to be so careful?  I wondered if it’s the responsibility of the student to take care of themselves?  In the old days, when Ashtanga yoga was first being practiced, Pattabhi Jois (the founder that brought Ashtanga to the West) would make you perfect a pose/asana before you were allowed to move onto the next one in the series (insuring safety and precision).  To me, this meant that he encouraged his students to build a foundation of strength and balance before moving on.  This idea of safety in yoga has given me something to ponder for the past few days.  Lately, I have found that I struggle to quiet the “teacher” mindset, even while taking a class for myself.  It’s hard to turn off the teacher inside me that is constantly taking notes and getting ideas from my life experiences.  But I am so blessed to be “living in the question” and to be given the opportunity to teach such an important practice.

One more thing…It was a super full workshop; we were all lined up with our mats practically touching each other.  For some people, this closeness is an invasion of privacy.  For me, it’s a beautiful exchange of energy that is meant to be savored.  I really appreciated this new experience, and I look forward to more practices and more growth at Gratitude in Motion.

What can you learn from your current new beginnings?

Choose love, 
Grace

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So I thought you might be curious about the foods that I choose when I walk through the grocery store. I am not a doctor, so don’t take my opinions as scientific fact, and I do believe that everyone’s body is different, so what works for me, might not work for you. But I think there can be a benefit in sharing some of my favorite foods with you; perhaps they might give you some new ideas or get those gears turning to help you think about your own nutritional habits!

Beverages:
I keep a SIGG water bottle at my desk and drink lots and lots of filtered water throughout the day.  Staying hydrated helps to cleanse my body of toxins!  I drink at least one mug of tea each morning to give me some variety.  I have completely eliminated soda or pop (for my mid-western readers!) from my diet because I try to steer clear from high fructose corn syrup and feel there are no nutritional benefits to soda.  I add lemon to my water at restaurants to jazz it up a bit.  And I don’t drink much fruit juice because I’d rather eat the entire fruit and get the added fiber!  I used to drink a lot of organic (grown/produced with no pesticides) cow’s milk, but lately I have been making fruit smoothies with unsweetened almond milk.

Breakfast:
I alternate my breakfasts between a banana and a cup of organic yogurt OR a bowl of oatmeal with raisins, ground flax seeds, and walnuts.  On the weekends my special guy will often whip up an omelet for me with the most delicious eggs in the world and whatever cheese/veggies we have on hand.

Lunch:
At lunchtime I usually bring leftovers from dinner the night before (I hate wasting food!) or alternate between lush salads with veggies, cheese, beans, and raw nuts (raw because they can lose many nutrients when roasted) OR a hearty bowl of soup (like my mother, I usually eat salads during the warmer months and soups during the colder months, listening to what my body craves).

Snacks:
I am a snacker- I graze throughout the day. I munch on raw almonds or walnuts, rice or corn cakes with nut butter (I try to make sure any kind of almond or peanut butter I get has no sugar added…), baby carrots or peppers with hummus, or hard boiled eggs with garlic powder.

Dinner:
Some protein (I focus on fish or chicken), a LOT of steamed veggies, and sometimes a little starch such as brown rice, quinoa, or barley. I’ve heard lots of good things about the nutritional value of sprouted bread, but my favorite taste is delicious spelt bread.

Pay attention to what you are picking up at the grocery store next time you’re there, and see if you can buy something new or different for a healthy upgrade to your diet.  It’s easy to snack on foods that aren’t healthy if they are readily available in your cupboard or refrigerator.  My special guy always reminds me that variety is key when eating well, so try borrowing some new cookbooks from the library to try out different recipes (my current loan is: The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen…I think it’s a brilliant vegan adventure!).

Oh- and my grocery stores of choice are Bigg’s, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s.

What are YOUR favorite healthy foods?

Happy nutritional exploring, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Choose love,
Grace

***Please note that none of the companies that I’ve mentioned above have paid me to advertise for them.  I just really like their goods/products and want others to share in the delicious joy!***

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Turmeric powder
Fresh pineapple
Odorless garlic softgels
Zinc capsules
Vitamin C tablets
Emergen-C fizzy powder
Insure Immune Support tincture
And lots and lots of rest!

I feel like a holistic pharmacist with all my bottles and powders and magic potions!

I cancelled almost all my plans on Sunday (the one activity I did was teach yoga in the morning because I missed last week since we were on vacation) in order to stay home and relax.

R-E-L-A-X.

A seemingly innocent word that is laden with guilt and challenge. Although my body is hurting and wanting me to slow down, my mind continues to race with all the things I need to do like sweep the kitchen floor, wash the dishes, fold laundry, etc. Whereas most people would find an excuse to not do household chores a welcome experience, I tend to feel like I am getting behind if I skip them for even just one day!

But there will always be something on my TO DO list. I will never CATCH UP. Life is a cycle and continues to move and breathe and flow and change. The challenge here is to learn how to be joyful in each moment, no matter what things need to get done. Because this moment is the only one that really matters!

So I settled into my bed to watch a taping of Jeff Dunham, a comic ventriloquist. Holy hilariousness! I was so grateful for the laughter that kept me company while I was recuperating. Laughing most definitely speeds up the healing process!

And on Monday I took the day off to literally “do nothing”. I was proud of myself for listening to my body telling me it was still worn out and still needed time to rest. And I was most especially proud of myself for actually doing nothing all day long!

What is your body telling you today, and are you listening?

Choose love,
Grace

PS Huge gratitude goes out to my special guy who took care of me on Saturday when I was starting to break down (before I headed to my own apartment to recover in solitude).

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