Glory for Girls

My good friend, Brittany Clotfelter launched Glory for Girls this fall. It is a great product as it is all natural and very hip. Introduce your tweens and teens to it for healthy skin and lots of fun. Use the above coupon for 20% off your purchase. Go to http://www.gloryforgirls.com/ and use the code BFF to receive your discount.

Emotional Eating

Is it really dieting that is difficult or is it maybe that you are eating out of emotional needs that are not being addressed? I used to think I ate out of boredom and I do think I did sometimes. But then, my pastor started working on helping me to overcome bitterness and lack of forgiveness. This has been hard work. It is difficult to come to the realization that I really do hold onto bitterness and I really do have a hard time forgiving people. We can be bitter with our spouses, our parents, with life itself, with God. Life is not easy. We have so many things to work through and many times, instead of working through them, we eat or drink or do drugs or whatever we can do to help ourselves avoid dealing with our real issues. Once I realized that I was avoiding the hard work of forgiving and seeking forgiveness and instead holding onto things and acting as an addictive person instead of one who deals with her "things", I had an unexpected side effect. Firts of all, a huge weight has been lifted from me. Second of all, those things that I wish not to eat have ceased calling my name at all hours of the day. I don't have this anxiousness about me that I have carried with me forever, I presume. I am a happier person. I can see that when I give in to the temptation to eat things I know I ought not to eat or to drink more wine than I should instead of dealing with things that need to be dealt with, I become stronger. I do not wish to continue in the viscious cycle of having those things call my name, saying no, then giving in and then being mad at myself. Instead, I sit and think, am I hungry and if so, how can I best nourish myself. If I am not hungry...then why do I want to eat? What do I want to keep hidden down inside of me? Am I mad at myself, am I mad at my husband. Have I been forgiven, have a sought forgiveness, am I bitter? When we give in to the viscuous cycle, we make ourselves weaker and more vulnerable each time. It is just the same as letting in a little sin. Then we become desensitized to the little sin and we let a little more in until it is full blown, out of control sin. Little by little it takes a big toll on ourselves and those around us. I have been working really hard in this area of having an addictive personality. I have realized that when I am giving in to the temptations that damage me, I have nothing to give to anyone else. Now that I am dealing with my issues when they arise, my focus goes from being inward to being outward. I have much more concern for the needs of those around me instead of having a preocupation with how I am going to fullfill my immedeate needs of covering up those emotional hurts. I have so much more energy. Maybe before I was afraid to feel good. There are many reasons a person may be afraid to feel well. A good question to ask yourself is, "What you are gaining from your constant ailments and "inability" to lose weight." Start thinking about what you CAN eat to be healthy and not so much what you can't eat. Eating healthy gives you youthfulness, vitality, energy, inner strength, happiness, etc... It is amazing what self control can do for a person. It is also amazing what can happen to you if you begin to deal with your emotions that you have been stuffing for years. We all have them. Stop trying to lose weight and start trying to be a healthy person. The weight will fall off. I have never been able to stick to a diet to save my life, but when I focus on being a healthy person in all areas... physically, emotionally, and spiritually, weight is a non issue. I am not at all saying that all non skinny people are emotional eaters, but if you have the viscious cycle thing going on, you may want to look at why you eat more than you want to be eating. If you are always on a diet, that is a good sign that there are some deeper things you may want to look at. Sometimes it is necessary to get help in this area. Our pastor has been an amazing help to my husband and me. A good friend may be able to help or even a counselor. It's amazing what can happen when you become honest with others and yourself.

Giving Advice

We have had a trying last 3 years, very trying, and b/c of that we have received a lot of advice, some solicited and some not. I have learned a lot about giving advice through receiving advice and thought I'd share some of what I've learned. Many times when a person tells you about their situation, they are not looking for you to solve their problem. They are much more looking for a listening ear and most likely some empathy. In our latest trial, one person, namely my sister-in-law, Lisa, listened to me at one of my worst points during that trial and simply said sincerely, "I'm so sorry you are going through all of this, I had no idea." It had such a profound impact on me. Empathy goes a long way when you are struggling. It taught me a lot b/c many times when I have a friend who is hurting I might turn the conversation to myself and how I have somehow endured much of the same trials. That is not what a person needs to hear in the moment of discouragement.

Another good friend of mine, Crystal, had a great way of helping me to decide whether or not to take on a new business. I am currently looking into becoming a rep for CAbi, a clothing line that has a very personal approach and awesome clothing. This opportunity really excites me and what I have found is that most well meaning people tell me I should or should not do this. I know they are just trying to help and I do value their opinions immensely which is why I ask their opinion:) My freind Crystal had a different approach that was so helpful to me. She simply asked me some questions. For example, "What does Tobin think about you starting this business?" "Do you have friends that would do shows for you?" "Is the money you have to put into it something that you could lose if it didn't work out?" She even offered her support in saying she'd host a show for me. She asked if I had thought about waiting a little longer to make the decision. She did not ever say, yes you should do this or no, definitely don't do it. Her approach is the one that has really made me weigh the pros and cons and has been very effective in helping ME decide if this is right for me and my family. In turn it has taught me a ton about giving a friend advice:)

Top Fruits and Veggies to ALWAYS Buy Organic

These are the top fruits that are the most heavily sprayed with pesticides...strawberries, cherries, apples, Mexican cantaloupe, apricots, blackberries, pears, nectarines, raspberries, artichokes, grapes and fresh peaches. You should only purchase these when you can buy organic. The non organic vegetables to stay away from are spinach, hot and sweet peppers, cucumbers, squash, lettuce, green beans, celery and potatoes. Blueberries, chard and bananas are better choices when you cannot buy organic.

The vegetables that are less toxic from pesticides are: eggplant, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, radishes and avocados. Of course, organic is always better as there are many studies proving that they have much higher nutrient levels as well as being less toxic.

Some more fruits that are safer when non organic are oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, pineapple, melons, watermelons, papaya, mangoes, kiwi and plums.

Trying to Stay Healthy for the Holidays?

So many extra to-do's this month. So many extra germs flying around. Looking for ways to keep yourself healthy so you can enjoy getting ready for Christmas? There are definitely some things you can do to ward off all of the bacteria and viruses that are lurking around every corner just waiting to make you sick. Click the link below to to read my newest (short) article series on boosting your immune system, immune building foods, exercise, juice fasting and immune building supplements. Find out some simple changes you can make to give your body that extra edge it needs to combat the sicknesses of the season.
http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/17203.aspx

Body Fat/Bone Density Testing

In case you have ever been interested in knowing what percentage of fat you have on your body or would like to have your bone density tested, I have a great resource for you. You can go to http://www.bodyfattest.com/ or http://www.bonehealthtest.com/ . You can find out where Brian, the owner of the fat/bone density testing "mobile", is going to be on a given day and you can go get tested. He uses hydrostatic testing which is the MOST accurate way to be tested. This is a very good thing to do because it will tell you if your fat percentage is putting you at risk. He also consults on ways to change your percentage. He does bone density testing as well which is a helpful thing to track over time. I also have some great bone increasing information if you are interested. Contact me for the information at ilucia@verizon.net

Is There Really a Fountain of Youth?

The thought of being able to go down to the nearest hot spring, jump in and become young and healthy is obviously far fetched, but if I told you that there is a change you could make in your diet that really would keep you younger longer and also help you fight off cancer, would you do it? Well, there is!!!

Enter, enzymes. Studies show that adding enzymes to the diet will ward off cancer and keep you younger longer. Find out what foods contain enzymes and start adding them to your diet. See what happens. You have nothing to lose!!

Follow this link to read the full article and learn what research has found.

http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/15097.aspx

Just to tempt your palate a bit, the above photos are recent pictures I took of a couple of enzyme rich, raw meals I have made and thoroughly enjoyed:)

Diabetes: Is There Really A Cure?

I have been amazed over the years to meet many, many people who really do not feel that what they eat makes a difference in their health. Does what you put in your car make a difference in how it runs? Is your own body not extraordinarily more complicated than your car? Of course it is!

You may have heard about people eating a raw food diet. I just came across a trailer for a new documentary film that just came out. It is called "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days". If you are a person that does not believe that what you put in your body affects your health, you may want to view this film. Dr. Gabriel Cousens, MD and some of his colleagues found a good amount of people suffering with Type II Diabetes and put them on raw food for 30 days. They did not eat meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol or caffeine. They ate nothing cooked or processed. Every one of them was off of their medication in two weeks. Every one of them!!!! They could not understand why their doctors did not know about this. Hmmmm, I wonder if it could have anything to do with those drug companies that would not profit from people going off of their medications!

Not only did they cure their diabetes, but they felt better, lost weight and were happier.

Here is the link: http://www.rawfor30days.com/ReversingDiabetes2.html

Sprouts

Have you heard the hype about the research that has been done on broccoli sprouts? Are you wondering whether you should add sprouts to your diet? Are they really the nutritional powerhouses they are cracked up to be? Sprouts really can add a large amount of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, complete proteins and cancer fighting substances to your diet.
Read my newest article about sprouts, why you should eat them and how to grow them yourself.
http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/14262.aspx

The Cory Holly Institute

Cory and Tracy Holly are two people that I am incredibly fond of!! They work with Dr. Michael Colgan of the Colgan Institute in Canada and are mentors for me in that I subscribe to their Sports Nutrition Update and listen to their health teachings often.

http://www.coryholly.com/about/index.cfm

The Cory Holly Institute (CHI) is the premiere online Sports Nutrition Education Center. CHI publishes and distributes distance learning sports nutrition certification programs worldwide including courses, consultation, seminars, trade shows, audio, text and video education.

They have a new line of premiere nutritional products. The new product line (Cory Holly Signature Series) is manufactured and distributed from within the US (Alabama). It is available to anyone anywhere in the world.

From the homepage of www.CoryHolly.com the link "Supplements" will take you to the following link with all the product details and order info.

www.claytonnaturals.com

Clayton Naturals is a division of Clayton College. This is the institute that Cory was trained by and that I hope to someday be trained by as well.

Cory also does health consultations that I would highly recommend you do yourself as well as for your family. It will take all the guesswork out of your health concerns and challenges.

Personal Consultation
On a one to one basis, Cory can determine your functional health status, athletic condition, ideal body composition and predetermined genetic disposition.Talk to Cory about your health or athletic performance concerns and he will help you organize your diet, supplement and training regime so you can achieve your goals.Please email the Institute to book a personal telephone consultation. Rate is $150.00 USD per hour - one hour minimum. Payment in advance required. Special Rate: Five hours/ $500.00 USD

Resources You Want to Know About!

There are a few resources that I have found to be incredibly useful that I thought I'd share with you. Two are newsletters that I subscribe to and one is the American College For Advancement In Medicine http://www.acam.com/ . Below is the description from their website about who they are and how you can find a doctor in your area that is a member.

"The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) is a not-for-profit association dedicated to educating physicians and other health care professionals on the latest findings and emerging procedures in complementary, alternative and integrative (CAIM) medicine. ACAM is the voice of integrative medicine; our goals are to improve physician skills, knowledge and diagnostic procedures as they relate to complementary and alternative medicine; to support integrative medicine research; and to develop awareness of alternative methods of medical treatment. ACAM enables members of the public to connect with physicians who take an integrative approach to patient care and empowers people with information about integrative medicine treatment options. Celebrating more than a quarter century of service, ACAM represents more than 1,000 physicians in 30 countries. ACAM is the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the world dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of the integrative medicine industry. "

The next resources are e-newsletters that are jam packed with amazing, helpful, well researched and scientifically factual information that you will want to know about.

http://www.wrightnewsletter.com/

Below is the description of Dr. Wright from his homepage. He practices right here in Renton, WA.
"Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. has degrees from both Harvard University (cum laude) and the University of Michigan. More than any other doctor, he practically invented the modern science of applied nutritional biochemistry and he has advanced nutritional medicine for nearly three decades. Thousands of doctors respect Dr. Wright as the author of the best-selling Book of Nutritional Therapy and Guide to Healing with Nutrition, as well as other classics in the field. "

http://www.colganinstitute.com/pages/newsletter.html

Here is what the Colgan Institute has to say about Dr. Colgan:

"Dr. Michael Colgan, PhD, CCN, is one of the world's most popular scientific experts in nutrition. He is a best selling author and travels the world lecturing on anti-aging, sports nutrition and hormonal health."

I use Dr. Colgan's Power Program for my strength training. It is a very comprehensive program that not only gets in great shape, but it strengthens every area of your body and teaches how to properly stretch as well. I have never felt stronger. You can check out my bookshelf for information on his Power Program book.

Treating a Cold and the Flu Naturally

Here we are again, in the middle of cold and flu season. Do you want to know how to treat these pesky viruses naturally? If you are like me, you do not want to just suppress the symptoms that these sometimes debilitating viruses give you, but you want to avoid getting the cold in the first place or if you already have it, you want to get over it as fast as possible. I have written two articles about what I do at the first sign of sickness in my family at http://www.brighthub.com/. I am now the Managing Editor of the Alternative Medicine Channel on that site!!! Thank you to my friend Paul Pardi for recommending me for the position!!! If my articles are helpful to you, please tell your friends about them because the more people that view them, the more money I make!!!:)

I wrote one article on The Top Ten Natural Cures for the Common Cold and Flu. You can view it at http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/8525.aspx

I wrote another one on Holistic Remedies for Cough and Sinus Problems which you can view at http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/8516.aspx

I hope this information is helpful to you. I have already had a chance to try my theories out this year and they have worked perfectly both times I needed them!! I have perfected this medicine cabinet over the last 15 years and these are the products that really do work!!!

Also, if you have any quesitons about the products I mention or where to purchase them, comment below at the end of this article and I will answer your questions. I'd love to hear from you even if you don't have any questions.!!!

An Answer to Cancer

I just wanted to let you know about an interesting article that my sister pointed me to. It is in the Costco Connection Magazine this month. It is called, "An Answer to Cancer." It is written by a neuro psychiatrist who has fought cancer twice. He talks about how we are all born with cancer cells and that it is our job to make sure those cells do not become cancerous tumors. He says our bodies have a natural capacity to protect against cancer. He says it is possible to keep the cancer cells from becoming life threatening tumors with some simple changes. I wholeheartedly agree with all of these statements. It is simple to be healthy, but may not seem easy to make the necessary changes. One question I am asked a lot is, "Isn't it expensive to eat healthy?" Well, let me ask you this, would you rather spend the money now to stay healthy or would you like to get a disease and pay the medical expenses and experience the disabilities of the disease? In my opinion, you WILL pay one way or another. I am a big believer in having a garden, which will really cut down on costs.
Here is the link to the article...
http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200809/?u1=texterity
You have to click on "contents" at the top of the page and the article is called "Anti-Cancer" on page 37.
Thank you, Gina, for telling me about it!!

Go Easy on Yourself

It has been said that eating is one of life's greatest pleasures. I believe that to be true. I think that is why we all struggle with eating well, because eating not so well is just so much fun!! One thing I have struggled with and I hear so many people struggle with is being mad at myself when I "pig out" or just go a week of eating a lot of junk. I have really had to work on not beating myself up over my lack of discipline. I thought I would share some of what I have learned.

According to Steven R. Covey in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, "Good families, even great families, are off track 90% of the time! The key is that they have a sense of destination. They know what the "track" looks like. And they keep coming back to it time and time again."

He says that when a plane is flying, they have a flight plan, but due to bad weather, turbulence, etc... the plane is not even on the prescribed flight path most of the time!! The key is that the pilot knows exactly where he is going, and in the end, he arrives at the proper destination.

It was so freeing for me to hear that it is NORMAL to be off track and trying to get back on track 90% of the time. I thought it was just me that was not 100% organized, disciplined, nice, etc... on a regular basis! Once I found out I was normal:) I was so much more free to mess up and then say, OK, so what, I messed up or I cheated or I just simply had a little more fun than I would like to have had. I'm normal (whatever that means), now I am going to get back on track. At that point I usually have to force myself to go to the gym and eat really well for 1 or 2 days and then I experience the postive impact of feeling so good that I am right back on that track to health.

I also have taught myself to step on the scale after a big weekend or week of not eating as well as I'd like so that I have some feedback about what the "damages" were. I used to just get mad and eat more because I had already ruined it anyway. I learned the "feedback technique" from an e-book called, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It was brilliant. Messing up just gives you feedback and then you are free to decide if you want more of the same feedback or not and you can make any necessary adjustments as needed. A big part of eating healthy for me is that it makes such an enormous difference in my overall feeling of well being. I actually need more sleep when I don't eat well. I am less motivated. It can make me moody and those things all affect not just me, but my entire family. I think if you are only eating healthy to lose weight or look good, it is a lot more difficult to stay on track. Sheer will power usually fails. There really needs to be a greater motivation than weight loss, unless you are really motivated by that.

Set goals. Set weekly goals and monthly goals and a long term goal and tell yourself, when you fail the first time to achieve that goal, "OK, this is feedback." How can I change some things to do better next time? Don't beat yourself up. It only makes the attaining of a goal that much more difficult!! You cannot change the past, you can only make changes to make the future better.

21 Day Challenge

Would you like to join in the 21 day challenge? If so, comment below to join and I will add you to my list. I am thinking of beginning Monday, August 25 or Monday, September 8th. It will be a challenge to give up what tempts you and holds you back the most from experiencing health and wellness. For me, that means, coffee, sugar and wine. Those are my three downfalls and I would love to know what might happen if I gave them up for 21 days. I have heard that it takes three weeks to form a habit, so I am hoping to form a habit away from those three things so that I can have an easier time with moderation of them at the end of 21 days. I also want to know what the discipline of doing that will do to me mentally. I am going to add daily chlorophyll, enzymes and sprouts as well as a fresh juice daily to my regimen and just see what happens. Let me know if you would like to join me.

Keeping it Simple, the KISS principle

KISS stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. We like to complicatet things sometimes, but eating well and taking care of ourselves does not have to be so difficult. So, all you busy people who want to eat healthy and be wellthy, but don't have a lot of time or don't want to put a lot of time into it...how can you eat healthy? Here is my simple plan for eating well. I start my day with a workout. You can check out the book called The New Power Program to see what I do. I stick to the first cycle so far b/c it is only 4 days a week for an hour plus some stretching. You can move to different cycles and take time off too during the year. I kind of customized to fit my life. I also do about 40 minutes of some sort of cardio about 5 times a week. I like to power walk after dinner if I can fit it in. I really try not to ever feel bad when I miss a work out or can't fit in everything. I am a mom and wife first and the exercising is a big priority, but especially in the summer, I just have to do my best.

Anyway, after I wake up I usually eat a few soaked nuts (soaked in pure water overnight, explaination to come later) and some prunes or a few bites of yogurt. Then I work out for about 2 hours, very early:) , drinking A LOT of pure water and then I come home and have a good strong cup of coffee and a protein smoothie. See my daily smoothie recipe in previous blog. A couple hours later I eat a piece of sprouted grain toast such as Ezekiel 4:9 brand from Trader Joe's with some raw almond butter and a bit of fruit only jelly. You could also do a hard boiled egg with some fresh sliced veggies or toast with half an avocado and some tomato and sprouts with a little sea salt and pepper or some hot sauce on it. Then about 2 or 3 hours later I may have a peice of fruit and some soaked nuts, a salad with 4 oz. of lean protein or even another protein shake or just some protein powder in rice milk or nut milk which is made of 1 cup soaked nuts, 2 cups water and some pure maple syrup, blended very well in blender and run through a cheese cloth to remove the pulp from the nuts. For dinner I will have steamed veggies or a salad with 4 oz. of lean protein and possibly a couple glasses of wine, followed by a power walk if I feel like it. Another favorite snack of mine is some hummus with sliced veggies. I make some sprouted crackers in my dehydrator that are a great snack as well. I try to have things I can grab or make easily. I usually make a HUGE salad for lunch or dinner and do not put dressing on it and then I can save it and use it for lunches the next day, dinner etc.. and I don't have to spend so much time chopping veggies for every meal. My normal eating is really that simple. I do like a couple squares of sugar free dark, dark chocolate in the afternoon too. I get it at Trader Joe's. It's the low carb one, but I am not sure of the brand. It is sweetened with Maltotol.

If I gain 5 pounds because I have been doing a lot of "fun" eating, I do a fast. That way I can have fun when I want and know that I can get rid of unwanted toxins and weight very easily and quickly and make my body very happy and able to keep doing it's job of regeneration.

Too Busy to Eat Healthy?

If you answered "yes" to this question, maybe the better question is...Are you just too busy? The Pew Research Center did a survey about junk food and why people eat it and 73% of the respondents said that it is because of convenience. 44% said it's because it's yummy and 37% said it's because of heavy advertising. 24% say it's a matter of affordability and 14% say it's because of ignorance on eating healthy. I was surprised that only 14% answered that it was because they simply did not know how to eat healthy.


I think a lot of people would eat healthier if they realized what junk food was doing to their body. Look around you at how many people you know that have cancer, stroke, heart disease. It does not have to be this way. We cannot prevent everything, but we can sure make a big difference if we take care of ourselves. Think of how much more complex we are than a car, and if you put the wrong stuff in a car, it will not run. Why do we take better care of our cars than we do our bodies?


It is an obligation of parents to instill healthy eating habits into their children, but that is difficult if you were not raised that way and do not really know how to do it. It does take a lot of effort to sort through all of those books and figure out what healthy eating really means. I like the KISS principle...Keep It Simple Stupid!!! If eating healthy means living in the kitchen, then most people will not be able to do it. It is my goal to make this a simple thing. It may not be easy, but it is pretty simple to eat foods in the form that God gave them to us. When you eat, stop and think...is this God made or man made? Chances are that if it is man made, comes in a box, can or bag, it is not the best choice. It may not be easy to stop eating processed foods and refined sugar, but it is simple!!


Once you start putting a lot of sprouted and green food into your body, you will not crave the other things as much. I never make my kids finish all of their food on their plate because I want them to realize when they are full. What I DO make them finish is anything green or grown in the ground on their plate because I think the broccoli, the lettuce, the sprouts, the salad veggies, etc... are very important to their health. I often talk to them about having self control about what they put into their bodies because our bodies can only get rid of so much junk. Once that junk begins to pile up inside of us, disease WILL take over in one form or another.


As far as affordability, it does not cost a whole lot to plant some fresh lettuces and vegetables and sprouting things is very simple and economical, so these are two ways to keep healthy eating costs to a minimum. Also, CSA (community supported agriculture) is a way to support local farms and eat organically grown fruits, veggies and meats at a much lower cost. http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Azure Standard is another great resource for whole foods at a discount www.azurestandard.com/ as well as Trader Joe's.

Another thought is that if you eat less, you will save on your food bill. The more nutritious your food, the less of it you will need. You will save at the doctor as well!!

Again, if you answered "yes" to being too busy to eat healthy, maybe you are just too busy in general and can simplify in other areas of your life in order to have the time to feed yourself and your family healthfully.

Soak Your Nuts!!!

Do you love to eat nuts as much as I do? Maybe you have heard that they are good for you. Yes, they are fattening, so too many nuts is not necessarily good. They also contain protein, but in order to access the protein you actually need to soak the nuts. This only works with raw nuts. I do not recommend eating roasted nuts for health. I like to put a handful or two of nuts in purified water overnight and then I have soaked nuts for the next day. You can soak more and just pour off the soaking water and rinse them and then add more water and refrigerate them for up to three days. I like to put these on my salad for lunch instead of meat. I make a yummy viniagrette from olive oil, raw apple cider vinegar and sea salt and pepper. I use half an avocado, and some sprouts and you can't get much healthier than for lunch.

Anyway, back to why you need to soak your nuts for maximum nutrition...seeds, beans, grains and nuts contain something called enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme inhibitors block the body's absorption of the enzymes/proteins. The purpose of these inhibitors is to prevent premature germination. When you plant a seed, it needs water to germinate. Once the seed germinates, all of the nutrients in the seed become available for the plant that begins to grow. It is the same with nuts and seeds that we eat, the nutrients are not actually available to the body unless the nuts and seeds have begun to germinate. Enzymes are one of the most important foods for us to eat. I will do a blog entry on them a little later. For now, soak your nuts! Make sure you use good water, not tap water. If your water has chemicals such as chlorine, your nuts will become toxic!! Always pour your soaking water off the nuts and rinse them. I believe the enzyme inhibitors are in the soaking water, anyway, don't use the water!! I would avoid peanuts, but almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts are all great!

Daily Smoothie

I like to start my day with a smoothie. It's a great way to get lots of low glycemic berries into your diet and a great way to feed those muscles. Here's what I put in mine...
1 cup of purified water
A few TBS. of cranberry juice (not concentrate, Trader Joe's makes 100% cranberry juice)
1 cup of berries, like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc...
1 TBS. ground flax seeds, cold milled, not toasted, just raw
1 TBS. lecithin granules
1 TBS. Nutritional Yeast
2 scoops KAL stevia
1 scoop Bioplex 100% Whey Protein Isolate, unsweetened
A big helping of spinach
6 Spirulina tablets (I just drink these, I don't put them in the smoothie)!!

Blend and enjoy!!

Eat More, Lose Weight! Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is made up of a complex network of enzymes and hormones that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel. The work of the metablolism determines how quickly, or slowly, we burn our calories. The rate of metabolism varies from person to person.

The best analogy that I have heard about the metabolism is that it is like a burning fire inside of us. Our food fuels our metabolism and our metabolism converts food to fuel for our body. It is like a fire because when we give it food, like wood for a fire, it burns and when we do not give it food it's flame begins to die and it barely burns. In order to keep a fire going, we keep putting wood on the fire. In order to keep our metabolism going strong, we must feed ourselves often. Some people go without breakfast, then eat a little snack at some point and are "starving" by dinner and pig out and then eat dessert.

Well, because they have not kept the flame going, the fire is not burning effeciently and then a lot of calories are put into the body and they are not burned off very quickly. It's like putting wet wood on a barely burning fire. On the other hand, if you eat a small breakfast, say a whole fruit, non sugar smoothie with protein, then a small snack a couple of hours later, like a hard boiled egg with some fresh veggies, then a nice big green salad with fresh veggies and 4 oz. of lean protein, then a couple of hours later, you eat an apple and some raw nuts or seeds and then for dinner you eat a big helping of lightly steamed veggies and some lean protein, you have kept the fire burning all day and besides that, since you have put such good fuel into your body, you will be lean and full of energy. Imagine if you put lard into your car instead of oil and diesel instead of regular. How long would it be before your car told you you were using the wrong kind of fuel? Our bodies will take a much longer time to peter out, but eventually, if you do not put the right kinds of food in, and often enough, you willl suffer the consequences.

Some people really try to lose weight by eating less, but because by doing this they are slowing their rate of metabolism, it will not work. It is not just eating often that will do the trick either, it is eating the right kinds of foods often that make it all work properly.

Another thing to take into consideration is that the leaner you are and the higher your muscle mass, the higher your rate of metabolism will be. Just having muscle burns calories. So many people just do their cardio, which is very important, but that mostly burns calories just while you are doing it. If you build muscle, you burn while you lift weights and you burn all day long. So, doing both is so important. Two books I recommend to learn more about how to do this are The New Power Program, by Dr. Michael Colgan. I am using his approach and I have never felt stronger and been more toned in my life. I have only done his first cycle, of which there are three. The first cycle requires 4 days a week for one hour. He also teaches you how to stretch properly. Then I do 30 to 40 minutes on the elyptical, treadmill or I run outside or do some cycling. I really enjoy power walking as well, so I just do whatever I am in the mood for! Paul Chek has a great book called Eat, Move and Be Healthy. I have not read the whole thing, but Michael Colgan really likes his work, so I am trying to read that one now.

Oh, and one more thing...if you want to get very lean, add a 30 min. to 1 hour power walk in after dinner. I like to put the kids on their bikes and my 3 year old in the stroller and we all go out for some exercise and we get to spend time together that way. If you do two cardio sessions in a day, you will really increase your metabolism and get lean!! This is way too much for most moms, so one cardio session is what I mostly do and it works great.

Matthew 16:24-25

"Then Jesus said to His Disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it."

Maybe we have been trying to "save" our life(s). I am not sure. It is becoming apparent, though, after 2 1/2 years of SERIOUS trials, that maybe we have been doing just that and now God is litterally yanking parts of our lives away. Some days I literally feel that pain of parts of me being yanked away. I cry, and I cry a lot because it hurts, it is scary and I am not totally sure I am ready. But then, as a storm comes in, it also goes out and the calm comes. The verse, "when I am weak, then I am strong" comes to life and it feels like I get scooped up in HIS arms after my days of deep despair and He gives me His strength and I get stronger. I see all the good that is happening to me. I feel the growing pains and then I see the growth. It's funny that being pruned, being made smaller, makes you bigger. Being cut down, results in the bountiful bearing of fruit. Sometimes a plant must be stripped down to nothing when the pruning job is big. I think the pruning job on me is very big. At the same time, I am really seeing big change. God is so faithful to transform us.

I want to share a little of how He has done this in our life over the last two and half years because maybe my story will encourage one person and if that happens, then it was worth it to write.

It all started with the birth of our fourth child. I have come to beleive that every person has a number of children that becomes their breaking point in a sense. The number that makes them say, this is all I can do. Usually it is with child number 3, 4 or 5 that this happens. I was homeschooling when my 4th was born and 4 kids was my breaking point. Every time we got in the car, she screamed. Whenever I was making dinner, trying to help kids with homework and getting ready for hubby to come home, she screamed. I tried having her on my back, she didn't like it. It was a really stressful time and my husband was gone 12 - 14 hours a day. From the time she was 6 months until she was about 18 months, our stress level went higher than it had ever gone. We put the kids in school which helped, but still having two little ones at home and one that was a "consider it pure joy child", made it the most difficult year we had ever known. About the time our little sweetie turned 18 months, my husband's dad very suddenly passed away. It was out of the blue, he was 65. It was such a shock, as sudden death always is. Just as life seemed to be getting back on track, 6 weeks after Tobin's father died, my dad had a massive stroke that has left him unable to communicate to this day. At first, the doctors did not think he would make it and my family and I spent a week in intensive care just praying for God to save him. Our dads were the first things ripped suddenly out of our lives. Up until then, I must admit, we were both still pretty dependant on our families for support, advice and acceptance. Our dads were both a huge part of our lives.

These two experiences changed our perspective on life a lot. Max turned 10 and it opened our eyes to the fact that our children were growing up without Daddy. We saw that life was short. My husband decided to resign from Starbucks corporate after 8 years. He started his own mortgage business, Vintage Park Funding. http://www.vintageparkfunding.com/ That went very well for a while and then the mortgage industry and the economy turned upside down. Very soon after he started his business, we put our home on the market, it is still for sale. We registered the kids in school an hour and half from our house, thinking the place would sell. It didn't. My husband and kids commuted an hour and half each way to school last year. His business has gotten to the point where we are not making ends meet. He is now looking at a job at the kid's school as the development director.

At this point we are literally selling all of our earthly possessions to get by until he gets a job. I am studying to become a personal trainer so that if I must work, I can help people in a way that is very satisfying for me. I had to cancel my hair appointment. I love to have my hair look great. Giving that up, as silly as it sounds, was a huge thing for me. I sold my Louis Vuitton purse and wallet today. Tobin has sold a lot of his hunting gear including two duck boats. I have furniture on Craigslist. My bike is being sold. Everything we love is going. I cried so hard yesterday I thought I would die of hyperventilation. Then today, I woke up so happy. I feel free. My cell phone is even cancelled. I actually LOVE not spending a lot of time talking about pretty much nothing!!! I do still have my $30 per month gym membership, which I just pray I can keep, but I am even ready to do away with that if I must. The amazing thing is that I learning to be resourceful. I can now stretch a meal so far, I can serve company a dinner made of leftovers!!! These are huge learnings for me as I came from much abundance. Where we both grew up, we never really experienced the "making do" mentality. Today, as I adventured through the farmer's market with my girls and then the Grocery Outlet, I felt so happy and free to be finding ways to spend so much less money on groceries. God is so good to force us into learning things that we really would never learn any other way. I love to be HIS child and I love that He cares so much for us that He is willing to prune us down to nothing in order to transform us into His image. He is an amazing God. May we daily be able to sing, "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, It is well with my soul."!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sophia's Famous Granola

Sophia, my daughter, and I were making granola one day and we were talking and I really messed up the recipe. So, we just started adding things and experimenting and it was really good, so, Sophia's Famous Granola was born!!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8 cups oats, not instant
¾ cup Canola oil
Cinnamon, enough to cover bowl
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup Agave Nectar
2 TBS Stevia Plus, or five small scoops of KAL stevia. It will be bitter if you use too much!
2 tsp Vanilla
5 TBS Vanilla Whey Protein Powder or plain
After cooking, add:
½ cup almond meal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup coconut
1 cup walnuts
2 cups puffed grain cereal (optional)
1 cup chopped cashews
Real Salt or sea salt, Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt to taste
Dehydrated sprouts 1 - 2 cups (optional) I use dehydrated buckwheat sprouts
Raw, ground flax seeds ½ - 1 cup

Put oats in a large mixing bowl. Pour in oil, honey, agave nectar, stevia, vanilla and protein powder. Mix well with hands. Spread ingredients out on two cookie sheets. Place in 350 degree oven. Stir granola every ten minutes until done, about ½ hour.

Let cool, then add nuts, puffed grains and coconut, etc... Store in airtight container in pantry.

Detox and Cleansing

Fasting is a very healthy way to keep slim, healthy and young. There is a particular cleanse I like to do every few months that is called the Sonne's 7 day cleanse. I started doing this almost 20 years ago. I did not do it at all for 9 years while I was busy being pregnant and breastfeeding my babies. I get to do it again now and I LOVE it. My friend Moby usually does it with me. It is great to do with a freind because then you stick to it! Go to www.sonnes.com to check out the cleanse. I definitely use the Sonne's #7 and #9 which you can get at Supper Supplements or any health food store. I do not get the rest of the things through Sonne's. I trade off taking wheat grass supplements, spirulina and chlorella in between taking the Sonne's products. I also take probiotics, a good vit. C such as Super Bio C Buffered from Solaray. I take the Floradix, liquid Floravital Iron + Herbs. I also make a nice big fresh veggie or fruit juice in my inexpensive Hamilton Beach juicer that I got at Wal-Mart. It works really well and I use it a ton. A good base for veggie juice is carrot, beet, celery, spinach. I also add some parsley, ginger, garlic, lemon, tomato, cucumber or whatever else sounds delicious. I like to do an apple, grapefruit juice in the morning or apple cucumber. I stay away from oranges because their sugar content sends my blood sugar soaring.

Another great fast that I do is by Paavo Airola. He has a book called, How to Keep Slim, healthy and Young with Juice Fasting. I have done his version many times as well for 10 days and he goes into a lot of detail about how to do a fast including details about taking an enema which may sound like a big deal, but is not at all.

My Daily Cleanse

I start every day off with my cleansing tea made of the juice of half of a lemon, two scoops of stevia made by KAL brand. Stevia is an herbal sweetner that is VERY sweet. It will taste bitter if you use too much, but the two tiny scoops work great for this tea. I use one teabag of ginger tea. Ginger is a digestive aid, it boosts metabolism and helps to reduce toxic build up in your fat cells. Sometimes I even use a ginger/peppermint tea combination which is so refreshing. I also drink a cup of this tea before bed.

Hummus

Hummus is a yummy Middle Eastern dip. I like to serve it up with cut up veggies for a treat anyone will like. It contains raw garlic which is an incredibly healthy food because of it's anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Garlic also aids liver function. The recipe also contains fresh lemmon juice which benefits bile formation, essential for optimal fat metabolism and it also helps to cleanse the liver. Lemon juice also helps the body in the elimination of waste by helping to keep everything moving!!

1 1/2 cups canned garbanzo beans
1 -2 garlic cloves
1 TBSP raw Tahini
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 TBS cold pressed olive oil

Put all ingredients in the food processor and mix well. Enjoy with sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, sliced daikon radish, carrots and any of your favorite veggies.

Welcome to Wellthy Momma's blog.

My name is Maria and I am the blessed wife of Tobin and mother of 4 wonderful little miracles. They are Max, 11, Dominic 8, Sophia 6 and Isabella 3. What a journey, to learn how to be a wife and a mother. We are not born knowing how. It is our life work to learn and God gives us the amazing gift of husbands and children to help us grow and be conformed to HIS image. I am no expert, let me assure you of that. I constantly fall short. I am on a journey to becoming well in this life. I want to be able to truly say "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'" So, join me on my journey. Welcome, and thank you for visiting.

By wellthy, I do not mean I am rich financially. I am well because I have been forgiven and set free from the bondage of sin. Along the way, I have also learned a thing or two about physical health. I believe we were created in God's image and I beleive that HE blessed us with so many wonderfully amazing, colorful, flavorful foods in their natural form. I believe if we eat foods the way God intended for our bodies to ingest them, we will live a life with more energy, vitality and health. I personally have struggled for many years from lack of energy and one way I have combated that is by getting adequate sleep and eating a healthy, whole food diet. I have given birth to four children at home. Not one of my children has ever had a need to take antibiotics and none of them have even been to see a doctor in two years. I do not say that at all to brag. I just say it to show that if we feed them naturally, they will most likely be healthier. I am blessed beyond measure with healthy, wellthy children!!! They certainly do each eat their fair share of junk food, but it is not the norm in our life. I want them to learn moderation and I feel it is unrealistic of me to never allow them to enjoy some not so healthy food because that is just part of our culture. I talk to them a lot about why we might want to mostly feed our bodies healthy food and usually they crave something healthy to eat if they have had very much junk food especially on vacation. I love to hear them beg, "please, mom, can we just get something healthy?"

I have often been asked what I feed my family. I have created this blog as a means to share some of what I have been blessed to learn over the years. I hope this is an encouragement to you!! Here's to your wellth!! Oh, and one more thing...I do believe true wellth cannot come only from eating a healthy diet. If we are unhealthy spiritually, we cannot become healthy through a change in our diet. So along the way, I will also write about what I am learning on my journey towards Paradise!!!