Energetic Eating

Do some foods make you feel good by just being there, all senses aside; are you comforted by their very presence?  I felt wholly satisfied yesterday as I sat in one of my favorite places, Five Points Bakery and Toast Cafe here in Buffalo, drinking coffee while a frozen loaf of sharp cheddar cheese bread sat wrapped in plastic on the table.  I had bought the loaf to bring to a picnic, and I am not certain I'll even have a piece, but it completed my morning to have made the purchase and sip coffee with my pre-sliced companion.  There is something emotionally fulfilling to me about baked goods; oftentimes I feel better having seen and smelled an item than I would have after having eaten it.  In simple terms,  Cheese Bread = Emotional Boost for me.  At times, this kind of emotional lift can benefit our metabolisms as a whole.  We hear and read that eating for emotional reasons can cause serious weight and health issues, and I agree that it can.  I can't depend on a loaf of bread nourish all of my emotional needs.  If I did, I'd feel like crap physically and psychologically, as well as accumulate extra weight.
So how do we feed our emotional metabolisms so that we feel and look good without tipping the scales toward food dependency or even addiction?

We can begin to tune in to our dietary needs (which change from day to day) by first paying attention to a single food item.  Simply sit quietly for a moment (or do this at the end of a non-meditation) and bring your awareness to your chest or heart center.  Think of a food item that you can't stand or that you've been eating way too much of lately while maintaining attention in your heart area.  You'll notice a hollowed-out sensation in your chest and maybe a bit of a pushing backward.  Release the thought and then concentrate on something you know is good for you or that you would really enjoy right in this moment.  You'll feel a fullness in your chest and perhaps a pulling forward.

As you continue to practice this exercise with a variety of foods (and at different times but with the same food), you'll observe various degrees of attraction toward or repulsion from them.  Allow this practice to guide your awareness of what you're eating, when, and why, and note how your culinary decisions are made and how they change.

Energetic Eating, as I'm calling it, is asking your mind, body, and energetic field what they holistically need in that moment.  A "Yes, m'am!" answer is expressed by your being pulled forward, or toward the energetic signature of that item, while a "No way, man!" is shown be a repulsion from that food's energy.

You might learn that you don't need grains as often as you'd thought, or, if you're exercising heavily, that you need more protein than predicted.  If you're a strict dieter, a cupcake could be a perfect ten for you when you least expect it.  After a couple of weeks, gauge how you're feeling (the number on your scale is irrelevant, especially if you've upped your protein and built muscle) and see if you can intuit your food desires even more precisely and quickly.

Note:  If you have been told that you have any food allergy or intolerance, consult your doctor before consuming anything that has been contraindicated in the past or that your physician has advised you to avoid.  I am not a doctor, and this post is not medical advice.

Just Relax, Man

Summer is short here in the Northeast.  It seems every year I have all weekends from June through August booked well before we even hit the solstice.  This means that summer can be relaxing, but it can also be rushed and overwhelming. On a really hot and sticky day (like today in Buffalo), just to eat your vegetables can be daunting (oh, the chopping, slicing, and chewing!).

If you are lucky enough to have air conditioning or not, being alone can not only make you feel cooler, but also calm the fires of the mind during a hectic work (or play) day.  We always talk and hear about the "little voice" inside our heads, but our heads (more specifically, our brains) can talk us into anything, whether is it positive or negative for us.  Our bodies, on the other hand, use their voice to warn us. They speak to us every day through aches and pains, rashes, and even broken bones.  Our bodies are the physical messengers for what is going on emotionally, energetically, and psychologically.  In solitude, a "non-meditation" such as the following will center you and bring awareness to possible causes of any negative feelings.

Quick, Calming Non-Meditation (Nonitation?)
Sit for ten minutes and do absolutely nothing. Look at your phone or watch periodically if you need to mark the minutes, but just hang out with yourself, in your body.  Sit inside your body, as opposed to in your head, that customized PC that keeps going and going.
Notice any part of you that feels off, different, sore, or is in some way asking for attention.  Try and make connections between it and other body parts, emotions, or behaviors.   If you want to keep going beyond ten minutes, be my guest.
Do this for a few days to discover which sensations recur, then use your brain to think about possible origins of the most bothersome.

Anything your discover can be useful in your healing and will definitely be positive for taking charge of how you feel.

One Leap at a Time

For a really, really long time, I was a huge fan of doing the very least amount of work to yield a result. It was like my life was a microwave and as long as I pressed the Easy Pop button, something fragrant, buttery, and vaguely satisfying came out of it.  And like when eating microwave popcorn, I was always left wanting more - never satisfied with life or the too easily obtained fruits of my efforts.  I tried an antidepressant to lift me out of my blues, and after a couple years of that not doing it for me (the operative word being for),  I ventured into alternative wellness in search of a "cure" for life's challenges. 

When I first began my personal wellness journey, I spent a couple thousand dollars on classical homeopathy over the course of five years.  In that time, I learned that the body is capable of healing itself (I was able to stop taking antidepressants), but I still had anxiety, fatigue, and a generally negative outlook on life.  I felt like a huge piece of my life puzzle was still missing, and when I was introduced to Total Body Analysis and Energy Healing, I knew that becoming a practitioner would help to fit the components of my life together.

All of my choices and experiences have led me to where I am now, and they've helped me realize deeper issues and identify how they were influencing my life. However, if I could have had a guide to owning my health, I would have snatched it up and followed it step by step because I knew I wanted to heal mind, body and "spirit,"  I just didn't know how to navigate that path.  I have always been food-centric, so to know that my approach to what I put into my body can positively influence my entire life is hugely empowering.  Food is the common denominator for living things, and it's a great place to start a guide on owning our health and our healing.  Today's post begins a series of steps toward building a commitment to holistic health, and you are ready to leap forward!

Giant Leap #1:  Leverage Your Veg

Since we all have to eat, and all food contains energy (not just calories, but frequencies that can be highly positive or negative for our bodies), put only what you know is good for you into your gas tank.

How do we know what the best foods are for our individual bodies and metabolisms?  Without a TBA consult, most people have trouble pinpointing exactly what will be most beneficial (or harmful) as far as diet, but two things we know for sure are that (most) fruits and vegetables are good and pesticides are BAD.

So for this first month of summer, your mission is not only to eat as many fresh (or freshly juiced) vegetables as possible, but also to select only organic incarnations of the produce on the following list from www.ewg.org.  You can buy all other produce conventionally grown.

The Dirty Dozen Plus

Apples

Celery

Cherry Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Grapes

Nectarines (Imported)

Peaches

Potatoes

Snap Peas (Imported)

Spinach

Strawberries

Sweet Bell Peppers

Plus:

Hot peppers

Kale and collard greens

Time investment:  Minimal (assuming you go grocery shopping anyway) - just wash and chop, add some organic, first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and you're all set.

Monetary investment:  $5-$10 increase per week (per person).

Hold the phone, Hann!!! You expect me to spend FORTY dollars more a MONTH on groceries?  Next you'll be telling me to give up Netflix to cover it.

Please, don't cancel Netflix!  What grocery items are you regularly buying that aren't clean fuel for your engine?  Orange juice or any other pasteurized juice is a great junk-food-in-disguise to omit from your shopping budget.  Try suspending the purchase of just one of those items if you're looking to save some dough.

 

Where will you be one month from now if you haven't tried this?  By avoiding the toxins stored in conventional versions of the above produce, you can actually allow your body to start getting rid of any from past consumption on its own.  Who knows what benefits you'll already start to feel when neurotoxic pesticides are no longer splashing around in your bloodstream?

Where will you be one year from now if you don't make the leap?  You will continue to fight a battle with the negative energy of chemicals having full run of your body (on top of anything else that might be overtly bothering you). You might have $500 more in your checking account.  Or you might not.

What will you have accomplished by buying and eating only produce that will give you nutrients and not pesticides?  A sense of completing a small challenge.  You'll feel those good neurochemicals that bust out when you've taken on something positive.  Most importantly, you'll have a strengthened commitment to your health, and you'll be ready to take our next action leap.

If you already abide by the Dirty Dozen list, incorporate a fruit into one meal a day and different vegetables raw into the other two.  You'll get a wide variety of nutritional benefits by doing this every day!

 

For the Fun of Fat

It's fun to try new foods, especially when you're getting into different uses for a healthy and satisfying ingredient.  To help clarify options when avoiding food "aggravators" when necessary while using a Total Body Analysis remedy, I blogged about wheat and flour alternatives.  I highlighted coconut flour as being excellent in baked goods without the potential consequences of gluten and as having healthy fat as its energy source.   I regularly enjoy "good" fats, not only because they diversify my diet so that I'm not relying too much on grains and other carbohydrates all day, but also because they taste awesome, keep me feeling full (I have a mind that's constantly looking for an excuse to eat again), and are fun.  Fun, like dark chocolate topped with goat cheese for breakfast fun.  And as with most forms of "fun," sometimes I just don't know when to draw the line.

I was hungry after the kids went to bed last night and wanted something simple and guilt-free.  So I made a "baby cereal" out of plain coconut flour, water, and cinnamon.  With enough water, it went down like Gerber rice and filled me up 'til morning...noon...afternoon.  Something had gone wrong in the digestion-elimination process.  Nothing was moving out and wicked, painful gas bubbles erupted up my back and through my chest like in an unburped baby.  I then decided to research eating uncooked coconut flour (when I'd eaten the "cereal" I had no idea if it was digestible in that form or even safe to eat), and I found that coco flo is used "raw" to thicken smoothies and puddings.  One or two tablespoons are usually mixed in to create a more viscous concoction, but I straight up ate about 1/3 cup of flour.  So, as I sit waiting for some sign of eliminatory life in my gut (mercifully, the gas bubbles have ceased), I can only fantasize that the umpteen grams of insoluble fiber I so cavalierly consumed are slowly sweeping out all the rotting remnants of high school chicken finger subs and raw cookie dough from my intestinal tract.

On that note, I will not provide you with a recipe for coconut flour, but rather one using another favorite form of plant-derived fat:  Coconut cream.  No one in my house had the opportunity to overindulge in this creation since I had (a little selfishly) rationed it out for the kids and myself (breakfast and snack!) and left the rest for my husband.  I didn't expect Mike to more than tolerate the cheesecake because of his picky nature, but I will quote him here:  "That cheesecake was awesome.  Incredible, Mojo."

"Awesome & Incredible" No Bake Cheesecake

  (grain and gluten free)

Recipe by Maureen Hann

For the crust:
2 1/4 cups almond meal

1/2 cup sugar (or ground sucanat or honey)
1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter

Pulse dry ingredients in food processor until combined.  Add oil and pulse until well mixed. 
Press mixture into a 9-inch tart or springform pan.  Chill or freeze until set.

For the filling:

8 oz. cultured organic cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup honey (raw, if you have it)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coconut cream

   (Refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk to separate cream from water.  Flip can over and remove bottom.  Pour off water and reserve for another use. What you have left is the coconut cream.)

Beat cream cheese, honey and vanilla.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, whip cold coconut cream until light and whipped cream-y.  Fold coconut cream into cream cheese mixture.  Pour filling into crust and refrigerate at least three hours. Done!

Easy Sprouted Flour Pancakes!

This morning, March 30, my kids and I woke up to a wintry wonderland at my parents' lake house. Outside, instead of calm water with a backdrop of upstate New York hills, there was a blanket of white as far as the eye could see.  In response to the dismally unseasonal environment my son said, "I need pancakes for breakfast."  And so this recipe was born from the last of my bag of sprouted wheat flour (yes, I travel with baking supplies).

Click here for my post about wheat and a sprouted flour chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Sprouted Wheat Pancakes

     Recipe by Maureen Hann

Makes about 12 pancakes

1 cup sprouted wheat flour

1/3 cup sucanat, ground (or sugar of choice)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup milk of choice plus 1/2 tbls. vinegar

1 egg

1 1/2 tbls. melted butter or coconut oil

  

Preheat griddle.  Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk milk mixture, egg, and melted butter or oil.  Pour wet mix into dry ingredients and stir until combined (add a bit of water to thin, if necessary). Cook on a greased griddle until golden on both sides.  

The Talk

This is another post about food.

I was eleven and in the bathroom, doing whatever eleven-year-old girls in the late '80s did (probably something involving a curling iron).  I know I wasn't texting or socializing via media. Maybe I was stealing a few private moments on the cordless phone, but what I did not want to hear was an innocent knock on the door followed by my mother's voice asking:  "Can we talk?"  I'll skip the awkward details of my "coming of age" conversation, but I will tell you it was a chat I did not want to have.  I did not want to think about why my body was changing or how my life would be different as a result, and I certainly couldn't process that everything was evolving, and that I had to evolve and adapt as well.

So, knock knock!  Can we talk?  Don't lock the door and turn on the shower - this is about food, remember?

As we go through life, we need nourishment to grow and maintain our bodily functions.  Our diet is a source of energy and nutrients necessary for daily life, but it can also be a cause physical and emotional complaints.  Total Body Analysis is all about shedding toxic layers to allow healing.  Some toxins we're born with and some we acquire over time from stressful situations, germs, the environment, and (you guessed it) food.   Processed, hybridized and pesticide-ridden items bring energetic frequencies into our systems that are not compatible with healthy human life.  Food can play another role in the hurting-versus-healing dichotomy:  Highly nutritive "healthy" whole foods can often be what I call "aggravators" - catalysts for disagreeable and sometimes life-threatening symptoms we experience and often try to treat with medication and/or elimination or "special" diets.  If a client is allergic to soy, for example, soy is an aggravator for her.  TBA allows us to antidote why she gets hives when she eats tofu, to address the root cause of her reaction to the soy, and when her body is ready, to detoxify (get rid of) the real problem.

In the modern world there are a variety of foods that can be aggravating as well as toxic to our systems. Over time, human beings have evolved and adapted to our environment, but more recently, we have been changing the food we grow and how it's propagated to feed our explosive population.  The result is crops that are easier to grow, harvest, and distribute, but are vastly different from what the human body has come to recognize as nourishment.  Although this hybridization and modification applies to myriad modern day crops, I am going to focus on the one most prevalent in many of our lives:  Wheat. 

Before we get into it about the glutenous grain, let it be known that I loooove baked goods.  Bakeries are one of the first (if not the first) things I check out in a new city, and our local cooperative bakery/café is one of my favorite places in the world.  I love the radiant heat of the ovens, the comfort of a cup of coffee and a soft, handmade breakfast treat, and the unmistakably appealing scent of toasty, powdery wheat alchemizing into... anything, really.

Wheat can be the culprit for a variety of ailments from digestive gas to "brain cloud" to muscle soreness. It may also not be simply that you eat wheat, but the kind of wheat, how it's been processed, and the amount in your diet.  Even if you are not having problems with wheat (or simply haven't noticed), for nutritional reasons alone, it is a good idea to consider replacing it (even whole grain sandwich bread for the kids) with a variety I've listed below.

Spelt!  Spelt is one of my favorite baking grains.  Its flour looks, feels, and smells like wheat, except it retains its ancient grain form - it hasn't yet been hybridized, its gluten is weak and can be much more easily digested, and many gluten sensitive individuals can easily tolerate it.  When baking bread, spelt can be hard to work with because its gluten won't give the structure of that of wheat flour.  But in muffins, cakes, and some cookies, spelt will fool even the most wheat-centric eater.  The only drawback is that in order to "unlock" all of its nutrients, spelt, like wheat flour and other grains, needs to be soaked or soured. Don't worry if you're not ready to climb down the rabbit hole of soaking and using sourdough starters, we can get to those in later posts.

As far as convenience and nutritional back for your buck, sprouted flour wins.  Sprouts=Vegetables.  Sprouted wheat or spelt = vegetable to your digestive system.  Sprouting the grains before grinding them into flour also reduces gluten and causes nutritive changes in the grain that produce digestive aids. No soaking or souring required here. You can purchase sprouted grain bread (and other sprouted goods) frozen in most large grocery stores.

If you use a lot of sprouted flour, buy it in bulk online (it is shelf stable for six months).  Or consider buying freshly milled spelt flour from a local farm or bakery and storing it in the fridge or freezer to preserve precious nutrients and prohibit rancidity.  Sprouted flour absorbs more moisture than unsprouted, so be careful in substituting in in recipes.  There are many great sprouted flour recipes in the internet.  I've included my own chocolate chip cookie recipe below. 

Coconut flour is a gluten-free "flour" made simply from the fruit of the coconut.  It's main source of calories is medium-chain fatty acids, which give quick and lasting energy without triggering insulin reaction like carbohydrate calories do. That means you won't crash after a couple of coconut flour scones for brekkie.  It's also high in fiber for that fully satisfied feeling after a meal.  Coco-flo can be found at most supermarkets, but cannot be directly substituted for regular flour; it needs lots of liquid and egg or a flax slurry to hold it together for baking.  Coconut flour does not have to soak or sour to get its nutritional benefits.  Like sprouted wheat or sprouted spelt flour, it can be used right out of the bag.  Don't be concerned about its price, because it absorbs so much liquid, you'll use at most one-third of the amount of wheat flour you'd normally need.

I employ all of the aforementioned flours and techniques, but, as I said, I loooove baked goods and this lends variety to my repertoire.

Here is a recap list of options for making a slow shift away from everyday "junk food" wheat toward a "cleaner" burning fuel for your metabolic fire:

Spelt Flour = Easiest to sub for wheat pastry flour (whole spelt for whole wheat, "white" spelt for all purpose or white pastry flour).

Can be soaked our soured for optimal digestion and nutrient assimilation.

Sprouted wheat or sprouted spelt flour = Digestible and nutritious right out of the bag.  Be careful subbing for regular flour as sprouted absorbs more moisture.

Coconut Flour = Gluten free.  Great (fat) energy source and can be used right out of the bag as well.

Enjoy these easy, sprouted flour muffins as a guilt-free and highly nutritious breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Sprouted Flour Muffins

  Adapted from Arrowhead Mills recipe

1 3/4 cup sprouted wheat or spelt flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil

1 cup milk of choice with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

1/2 cup maple syrup or sugar of choice

2 eggs

1-2 cups chocolate chips, nuts, or other addition

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.  Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients.  Stir wet into dry until combined and then add chips.  Bake 15 minutes and let cool until just warm.

Food? Food!

I love food:  Talking about recipes, dreaming up party menus, prepping the night before for warm biscuits after a morning run.   One thing I can't stand is feeling limited in what I can eat.  I research nutrition and the various dietary and culinary approaches to healthy eating, and I have found a balance that fits my family, our needs, and our busy schedule.  We eat all kinds of foods, and I make every effort to ensure that the ingredients are high quality and nutrient dense.  

However, eating a variety of foods (meats, grains, dairy, sweets) sometimes equates to overeating certain items for me. I love to go out for coffee in the morning, and we hit a café for breakfast as a family every Saturday.  It is during those times that I am reminded of how delicious a well-made white flour and sugar scone can taste with dark roast coffee, or the savory satisfaction of a buttered artisanal English muffin.  Those pleasures can often lead to allowing a slice or two of take out pizza for dinner, a weekday coffee shop rendezvous with a toasted pumpkin muffin, and a veritable snowball effect of processed wheat occurring in my gut.  Then I feel tired, bloated, sore, and generally unhappy while I stick to quinoa, beans, and nuts trying to rid myself of the junk my body is working overtime to digest and eliminate.  I don't have an intolerance to wheat, but too much of anything will eventually put a smackdown on your physical operating system.  However, I do love the W. Somerset Maugham quote:  Excess on occasion is exhilarating.  It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit - a perfect reason to overindulge.

On Saturday I diverged from the familial café breakfast and had a lovely brunch with my running gals.  We all brought a dish and gathered at the warm and welcoming home of our self-appointed social organizer (thanks, Amy!).  That the company was fabulous was a given, and the food covered all bases:  Savory, fruity, sweet, and hearty.  For us, eating food leads to talking about food, and that morning our culinary chatter was linked to healing.  We spoke about eliminating digestive issues with TBA remedies and the occasional need to avoid (not eat) a food for a short time while on a remedy to allow the body to heal.  Food itself is not the source of a digestive problem, but rather a trigger of symptoms.  So, until the body is ready to detoxify the cause of the issue, it is sometimes necessary to stay away from the aggravating food.  This is different from an elimination diet because in TBA we know (through advanced kineseology) which food(s) is not jiving with our frequencies, and to allow the remedy to do its job of supporting and detoxifying the body, we avoid the problem food so as not to disrupt the healing harmony occurring between the body's frequencies and those of the remedy.  Digestive problems are not the only symptoms that can be set off by foods.  Asthma, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, inflammation, sinus conditions, and multiple other complaints can mitigated or eliminated by a TBA remedy and avoiding aggravating items or food groups until the body is through uncovering and detoxifying the cause of the problem.  One friend was so happy to know that although her gas problems ceased while avoiding wheat when taking her remedy, she'll be able to enjoy the ubiquitous grain again soon with no issues.

We live in a world full of drive-thru lattes, "healthy" cereal bars, and other convenience items that, once in a while, can save the day for even the most well-intended and informed eater.  Should we limit our consumption of these "day-savers"?  Absolutely (I'll give you a list of awesome versus acceptable options for your pantry soon), but we don't need to live in the restrictive and isolating realm of food allergies and intolerances when we have TBA to figure out what's behind it all. 

Click here for details on TBA sessions and a free consultation.

Mindfulness Is Only the Half of It

This post is a follow up to my previous installment entitled New Year, So What?  In that post I discussed the value of choosing change and how Well Vibrations helps your body allow the transformation by identifying energy blockages and negative beliefs.  Today I am writing to stress the importance of clearing the energy in which lay our negative subconscious beliefs in order to enable change in our attitudes, health, and overall abilities to act positively.  Only then can we experience the follow through of positive change:  Our true selves reaching toward and achieving our goals and dreams.
I recently read Susan Albers' "Mindful Eating Pledge."  It caught my attention because of my own desire to think more about what, when, why, and how I am eating to facilitate nutritional balance and overall digestion and assimilation.
Albers advises (source):

1. Eat mindfully: I will be more aware of each bite.
2. Pace, not race: I will eat slowly and with intention.
3. When I eat, just eat: I will eat without distraction.
4. Calm without calories: I will find true comfort and soothing without food.
5. Eat less, nourish more: I will eat foods that nurture my body.

These recommendations make perfect sense; they are practical and each is simple enough to parse out and attempt to master systematically rather than simultaneously.  The only hitch is actually living them, day after day, bite after bite, and not worrying when we might give in to the next marshmallow craving or sweet potato chip binge.  That worry and temptation don't come from mental weakness or a desire to be unhealthy. They stem from inner, unconscious beliefs that we have assimilated over time from our families and schools, the media, and our own choices.  We don't and can't choose what negative energy our unconscious allows to form any belief, be it positive: "I am a fit and active individual" or negative:  "I will never enjoy exercise or healthy foods."
Those of us who have difficulty taking this pledge and following through on it (or any other positive life change) need to rid ourselves of the energetic blocks that are the root cause of our, in this case, inability to separate food from emotion and eat for the purpose of nourishing our bodies.
At Well Vibrations, I have created a protocol for clearing negative beliefs in the order of which our bodies and minds are ready so that positive changes occur with almost no effort from the client and results appear in all aspects of life.  Stop worrying and start achieving; it's all within you.