Fall In Love With Your Food

Eating. It’s one of America’s favorite past times and yet so many of us do it un-healthfully and without connection. Obesity is rising at a rapid rate. So rapid in fact, that the statistics are saying 3 out of 4 Americans will be obese by 2020. WOW, that’s staggering.

As a Vegan Chef and Wellness coach I have assisted and coached hundreds of people to change their eating lifestyle so they can live longer, happier and healthier lives. One of the main components I focus on when working with my clients is teaching them to reconnect to and love their food.

I’m sure many of you are thinking, “I have no problem loving my food!”  I get it and I believe that to be true, but do you think your BODY loves your food?? Loving our food doesn’t mean that we get to eat whatever we want because we LOVE it, especially if it’s not good for us. Loving our food means that our bodies love what is going into it and that it’s nourishment and fuel for us. Most Americans don’t nourish their bodies properly and it’s usually due to the fact that they are not educated about healthy eating. There seems to be an upsurge in the amount of people who want to know about and are engaging in healthy eating, but obesity is still a major problem in the US. So what can we do about this?

Well, to start, we can learn to LOVE our food. And when I say this, I mean LOVE eating healthy, whole foods that are mostly plant-based that will give us the most bang for our buck and the most nourishment for our bodies. We live in a world where so much more is available to us, and this IS one of the reasons that obesity and heart disease are on the rise, but there are also vast amounts of healthier options available to us as well. It’s almost as if there are no excuses anymore!

LOVING your food means choosing fresh bountiful fruits, colorful veggies, high protein grains & legumes and heart healthy nuts & seeds. LOVING your food means nourishing your body as best as you can so that it works optimally for you. LOVING your food means making healthy choices even when you want the “bad” stuff. LOVING your foods means growing it, cooking it and savoring it. LOVING your food means smelling it, chewing it slowly, sitting down when you eat and practicing gratitude that you are able to enjoy a meal that will nourish you.

A large majority of us have become so disconnected from our food because we are too busy living life and trying to manage our calendars, children, carpooling, work events, etc. and we’ve shut ourselves off to what food really means in our lives. Food keeps us alive…healthy food that is! Our bodies are the vehicle we have to get around in for our life on Earth so why not treat it with respect and love?  Why not feed it well so it feels good and operates from an optimal, balanced place? Why not plan what we are going to eat so that we won’t be caught in situations where we have to make unhealthy choices? Why not try new recipes that will spark our taste buds and get us back into our kitchens with our families.

I am guessing that most people really do want to be and feel healthy and cooking our food and connecting to it is one of the simplest ways. If you think you don’t have time to do this, then you are denying yourself the gift of health. Cooking your own healthy food is a recipe for longevity and vitality and who wouldn’t want that?

Do your research. Ask questions. Go to your local health food store or farmer’s market and connect with your farmers. Eat 90% whole foods that are unprocessed. Cut back on sweets, coffee, white flour and anything that comes in a box, bag or can. Make healthy choices one step at a time and this will lead you to a true love for what you put in your body on a daily basis. And you will FEEL amazing!

Losing the Weight of Your Emotions

When I begin working with new clients and I hear from them that they have tried every diet known to man with no “success,” I always know there is something deeper happening than their desire to lose weight. Of course their desire is valid, but usually it’s not just about the weight that they are carrying and they want to shed. They’ve struggled with yo-yo dieting and cleansing and many other avenues that they thought would get them healthy and lean, but they ended up back where they started or even further back.

The reason I became so interested in food and nutrition, is because I have struggled most of my life with emotional eating and a distorted body image. I must say, it hasn’t been an easy road at all and I have done so much work around deeper healing and looking into why I have this “issue”. Some days I have intense feelings that keep me up late into the night obsessing over the bag of rice chips I ate, or the ½ pint of coconut ice cream that I downed when I wasn’t even hungry.  I can also tend to obsess over body image issues…that my jeans are tighter today than they were yesterday, or my belly is not as flat as it was the day before, or if every calorie I put in my mouth is going to make me fat.  These times come much less frequent these days and I am not going to say that I have totally healed, but I have definitely dug into deeper parts of myself to see what is running these parts of me and learned how to give myself what I really need in those moments to move through them much more gracefully than in the past.

Eating is something we need to do to stay alive. It’s not like other addictions where we can give up said substance and still survive, even though it may feel like we are going to die without it. Food is our nourishment, our vitality, our life. If we don’t know how to relate to food and our bodies in a healthy way, then we will have issues with weight, overeating, under-eating and so much more. I think you get the picture.

Our emotions and feelings play such a big role in our lives. It’s so important to look deeper into these feelings we have around our body, eating and food as they will give us messages of what our bodies and our souls really need. It’s not about the next quick fix diet, or cleanse or fast. It’s about really going inward and asking your body what it needs, or asking your soul what it needs and most of the time that answer is – Love.

Loving ourselves is such a huge part of learning how to live with emotional eating. I don’t think this “addiction” ever fully goes away, but the more we learn to love ourselves, the more this little, or big, monster will calm down and take the proverbial back seat. I know that some of you may be thinking that you are not ready to look at what it is that is driving your overeating, or emotional food choices or body image obsession, but I am here to tell you that the only way out of this, is through this.

If you struggle with any of the things that I have mentioned, seek out help with a professional, start to write in a journal, begin to really get in touch with “WHEN you are eating, WHY you are eating and WHAT you are eating.” Start to notice what you put in your mouth and why. Is your body really hungry or are your emotions screaming out to you for something else? Are you craving love, attention and affection? If so, how can you give this to yourself? Maybe you could call a friend, or stop and take a few deep breaths – whatever it is that will help you really tune into what is going on internally, before you fill your mouth with an unhealthy food that will not nourish you in any way except to feed your “in the moment” craving for something else bigger.

Begin to really notice those moments when you have a craving and see if you can stop, take a breath and check in with yourself. Do you really want that sugary donut, bag of chips or chocolate bar? Or do you really want a hug from someone?  So many of our food cravings are brought about by memories of comfort when we were kids. So it’s normal to want certain foods if we are feeling down or sad, but the wise thing to do in a situation like this is to skip the food and find a way to comfort yourself. I know this sounds strange, but the love we give to ourselves and feel for ourselves is the most important love of all. So where and how can you start to love yourself more so that you don’t become slave to your emotional eating, which can lead to extra pounds, depression, shame and self-loathing?

Just one small, positive action can start to break the cycle…what will yours be?

Labels: Do They Help Us or Hurt Us?

I have been a vegan for quite a while now and I am also a vegan chef, so being vegan is part of my livelihood and I believe in it. For most of my life I have gone back and forth between the labels of vegetarianism and veganism. For a long time, these labels fed my ego and helped me to feel “powerful” in a sense. I felt better and “smarter” than others, because I was doing the “right’ thing. I was making healthy choices and saving animals at the same time. I would even go to the extent of preaching to others how they should be vegetarian and I judged them if they weren’t or if they ate unhealthy.

But, what I am finding now, as I live a healthier life and work closely with others to assist them in finding a healthy lifestyle that works for them, is that these labels do not matter and in a way, I am discovering that they can actually hold us back. When we label ourselves, we set ourselves up for minimal growth and also scrutiny from others.  I cannot tell you how many times I have been scrutinized by people when I eat out or when I make a decision to eat an egg, and listen to my body vs. following my label of vegan.  And, how many times I have looked over my shoulder to make sure no one sees me eating an egg or a bite of goat cheese! Our ego needs to give almost everything we do a name, and most of the time that doesn’t serve us. Think of any kind of label, even designer labels. Some people will spend thousands of dollars more on a designer label so that they can get attention or feel good. I personally know people who are addicted to designer labels and feel unworthy if they are not donning some expensive purse or piece of clothing. I am not saying this is a bad thing, yet it’s definitely an ego-based decision and doesn’t seem to allow for much internal growth.

When we live in a world of black and white, right and wrong, good and bad, I can understand labeling, but if we want to grow as a society and in our own personal lives, labeling leaves much to be desired.  Labeling can pigeonhole us into ONE way of being and thinking. Even political labels can do this. Yes, we all have our beliefs and there is nothing wrong with that, or, in fact, even right with that, they are just beliefs. And as human beings we get to make new choices and have new beliefs any time we want and that is the beauty of free will.  I have found that labeling myself a vegan has, at times, brought me much discomfort in the eyes of others. I understand that this discomfort is my own, and I also understand that I get to call myself whatever I want without buying into the judgments of others.

To me what matters most is that I am healthy, energetic and I am eating whole, plant-based, unprocessed foods and listening to my body by giving it what it needs. Also, that I am being of service to the world no matter what my label. For me veganism was a choice for many different reasons, which started with health reasons. As a kid I suffered from allergies, digestive issues and the like, yet it was also a natural progression that happened as I started to care more and more about what I put in my body and how I wanted to feel. The cleaner I ate and the more I cut out the processed foods, the better I felt. But I could’ve just cut out processed foods and continued eating meat, yet for me, my body really didn’t like it. Honestly, it grossed me out and I just didn’t want it anymore. So I decided to become first, a vegetarian and eventually a vegan.

What I realize now is that I don’t want to label myself as a vegan anymore. I know how much it means to me, but if I am following the “vegan guidelines” of how to be a “proper” vegan, I fall way short. Why? Well, because I still eat honey (something vegans frown upon), I still wear leather (and I am mindful not to buy new leather products), I will on occasion eat an egg if my body wants it, or even have a bite of creamy burratta mozzarella when I am in Naples, Italy where Buratta originates…When in Rome. I don’t want to be under the scrutiny of the vegan label anymore, and that doesn’t

mean that I won’t still claim I eat vegan, cause I do, but what I am leaning toward now is that I am a person who loves vegan food. I am a person who loves to eat plant-based, whole foods and I am a person who cooks vegan food for others and teaches others how to have more plant-based foods in their life.

Vegan, Vegetarian, Flexitarian, Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian, Pescetarian, these are all just labels that we use to describe the way we eat. One thing to know is that these descriptions of eating lifestyles don’t necessarily mean that we are healthy! And they definitely don’t always mean that we know what our bodies need or want. The key is to listen to what you really want and what resonates with you in your heart, not what others do. It’s about your own wellbeing and no one else’s.

I have learned that the way to teach is to lead by example and not from a place of preaching and self-righteousness, but from a place of my own authentic experience and how it has changed me for the better.

And on another note, I love, love, love animals and don’t think that they should be mass produced as they are and killed for food. I love the Earth and I know how the meat and dairy industry negatively affects the earth.  I became a vegan chef so that I could do my part and teach people how to eat healthier, while helping to save the planet as well and I am also aware that preachy vegans or people who judge others for their choices are not helping themselves or others. Everyone has to find their own path in their own time and we get to give them the dignity of that!

Planning - A Key to Happiness...

AS SEEN ON....There is a little old saying from a funny looking guy with specs, and I mean that in the most loving way, that goes something like this, “If you want to make God (or the Universe) laugh, tell Him your plans.” How many of us have planned something for months, days, weeks or even years only for it to turn out completely different than we wished or hoped?? I think that’s what Woody was talking about when he came up with those very clever words. As much as I agree with Woody on so many levels, I also think there are specific arenas in our lives that are very important to make a plan, and healthy eating and taking care of our bods is one of them.

As a wellness coach and nutritional educator, I teach my clients to plan their meals, plan their eating, plan their workouts, plan their cooking, plan their shopping, etc.  When it comes to health, Planning is the Key. You can’t be healthy without a plan. Well you could, but it would be hard and take a lot of work and you’d eventually get frustrated and give up.

The most important thing planning does for us, is gives us a structure which most of us need when we are learning anything new. Actually it even works when we aren’t learning anything new. It gives us a schedule – a way of being with ourselves that is committed. If you really want to eat healthy but don’t know how or where to start, planning will be the way to get you there. Of course pretty much anything new we try out has a learning curve, and eating healthy is no different. It’s about a commitment you make to yourself and your family, if you have one, to lead a healthier and happier life.

As I lead my participants through 30-day Vegan cleanses, I tell them that their key to success is PLANNING and it doesn’t just end with the 30 days, it’s a lifestyle choice! If they don’t do this, they will be stuck in the middle of the day with nothing to eat and then they will make an unhealthy choice. How many times have you done that??? And this doesn’t only apply to my cleansers, this applies to anyone who wants to eat healthy and take care of their temple that they have while being on this earth. It may not come easy at first, but aren’t you worth it?

Some people tell me it’s too much work. What? Too much work to take care of your health? They’d rather go through a drive-thru because it’s quick and convenient than make a choice to plan out their meals for the week. Well, let me tell you, the first choice will lead you to sickness, disease and possibly a heart attack.

This is not to say that you have to keep this plan for the rest of your life, in fact, it will eventually become habit. Just like driving through that greasy drive-thru became a habit when you’ve had nothing to eat. Keep in mind that all habits, good or bad, are created on our own. Some in childhood where we were taught to make certain choices, and some in adulthood out of pure laziness, convenience and not caring about what we put into our bodies.

This is about creating NEW, HEALTHY habits that will last you a lifetime and you need a plan to do that! I still do it, I plan out my food on the weekend that I will cook for the week, then I go shopping and buy the food and spend a couple hours in the kitchen, listening to some cool tunes, sipping some tea and chopping my veggies, not all simultaneously of course. This has become a way of life, and it’s a way of life that produces happiness. I look forward to it. Why? Because I’m healthy, I have no illness, I have no disease, I have energy, I have vitality…are those good enough reasons for you???

So when I say that planning is A Key to Happiness, I certainly think that all the benefits you get from healthy eating and the time you take to make sure you do so will bring you a happy belly, a happy body and in turn, a happy life!

What change will you make today to make a NEW plan for your healthy life??

A Bat Eating Ozzy Osbourne Goes Vegan...

I'm sure you have all heard that The Oz, and I don't mean the Wizard of, has gone vegan. When I heard this, I thought,  "how great to have another convert on board that is taking charge of their health." Whenever I learn about people going vegan, of course I am always excited because I believe so strongly in it and how it can change lives for the better and help to heal illness. I know because it did for me. I also feel a bit of concern inside because when most people go vegan they do it on a whim after seeing a movie or reading a book, yet they are not really educated on what going vegan means.

 Anytime a celebrity turns vegan it makes the news and it's the biggest news of the day. It's almost as if everyone is waiting for the "fall" of that person going Vegan. When Natalie Portman stopped being a vegan while she was pregnant, she got flack. When another celebrity went vegan after she got pregnant she was criticized. When did our food choices become such big NEWS other than the awful state of the obesity & heart disease in this country? That's what we need to see more of, not when a celebrity goes vegan but when an unhealthy, disease-ridden person takes charge of their life and decides enough is enough.

I've met many unhealthy vegans and vegetarians in my day and it's mostly due to the fact that they stopped eating meat but didn't know how to supplement their diet in a healthy way, so they used a lot of processed foods to do that. Eating & adding all these processed foods to their diet ends up making them sicker than before they became a vegan. Going vegan is not just about cutting out meat, well, to some vegans it is, but to me it's really about getting healthy through a plant-based diet. I wrote an article for the awesome Daily Love last week about labels, and how I've felt scrutinized through labeling myself a vegan, and how sometimes labeling ourselves can prevent us from really growing (you can read that here). This way of life is about health and nothing more. Being vegan doesn't work for everyone. We are all not cookie cutters and what works for me, certainly may not work for you. That is why you need to explore and educate yourself if you are thinking about a diet makeover.

My job is to educate others on a healthy eating lifestyle as I feel it truly is the most important thing in life. What you put in your mouth has everything to do with how you feel, what your body looks like and the state of your health. Of course, there are a lot of other factors, but what we eat is where it all starts. If we put bad food in, we feel bad. If we put good food in, we feel good. It's pretty simple really, yet so many of us just cannot get that equation right. Many genius scientists from the past were on to this way before we were. I know we have all heard the saying from Hippocrates, "Let thy food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food." This dude knew what he was talking about. Back in his day there were no processed boxed, canned or bagged foods. There was only food that came out of the ground and grew on trees or bushes. This is how our great-grandparents ate. Food healed us and it can still do so today, but we need to respect it and learn about and get back to the root of it.

I know the OZ has suffered with a lot of health issues and some..uh..dementia so I am truly happy he has gone vegan after seeing the awesome documentary, Forks Over Knives, which by the way, I recommend anyone reading this to watch it. I am really interested to see how veganism changes his life. He made a positive choice and that's a really great thing.

What positive choice can you make for yourself regarding what you put in your mouth? Before you label yourself a vegan, consider just cutting back on certain things, going slow, taking it one step at a time, adding more healthy, whole foods to your diet and then see how your body responds. I guarantee your life will get better and better and then you will start to make more and more positive, healthy choices!

GO OZZY...thank god the bats are safe!