Be The Best You Can Be

THE HEALTH & HAPPINESS CIRCLE

2009-09-20T12:08:00.005-04:00

NEWS FROM THE HEALTH & HAPPINESS CIRCLE

“Where the I becomes We”

I was delighted to co-host the first meeting on Monday of Millerton’s “Health & Happiness Circle” with Louisa Yap of Happy Carrot Health and Dr. Kristie Schmidt. Based on the premise that “Illness begins with I and Wellness begins with We” *, the evening was a powerful endorsement of how strong we become when we get together to help one another. It’s not surprising to me that a “happening” town like Millerton is in the driving seat when it comes to innovation – what a great idea to take personal control of healthcare rather than leave it up to Washington.

It is a scientific fact that there is a direct link between health and happiness and both of them are highly contagious conditions! Taking charge of our health is the most important investment we can make for ourselves, our families and our communities. As the charasmatic Dr. Oz puts it, it is our “civic responsibility” to be the very best we can be and spread our wellbeing around.

I just love his idea. This wonderfully diverse group of people were definitely good for my health. With this in mind, I’d like to share a few tasty morsels (forgive the expression) from the evening:

We live in a confusing world when it comes to food and it is no surprise that we can loose our way. The food industry produces 3,900 calories per person per day and they need us to eat all of it.

The result?

“Portion Distortion in Super Size Me Land”.

This is where the trouble starts because for many of us, if we consume more than 2,000 calories we start to stack on the pounds. The original size for a soda was 8oz (100 calories) today the “big gulp” weighs in at an astonishing 64ozs and contains a whopping 800 calories and over 47 teaspoonfuls of sugar. Our perceptions have become so distorted that when Louisa produced an 8oz cup to remind us what it looked like, it seemed ridiculously small. Food manufacturers are very cunning, they know that when we are presented with a large portion we tend to eat 30% to 50% more*.

Don’t hesitate to ask us if you are interested in learning some useful tips for safely navigating Super Size Me Land.

We also introduced the highly effective & groovy concept of

“Crowding Out”

i.e. add good things into your diet and crowd out the bad things. Both Louisa and I have found this to be amazingly helpful tool for our clients as well as our selves. There are two reasons why this works:

First, you are starting from a place of abundance rather than denial and we all know that if we are told not to have something it becomes the very thing we want!

Secondly, the more you eat healthy whole food the less satisfying and appetizing processed/junky type food tastes and the less you want it.

Don’t hesitate to ask us if you are interested in learning more about “Crowding Out”.

The next meeting of The Health & Happiness Circle is on Monday, 28th September at 6pm in Dr. Kristie’s office.

On the agenda – understanding the difference between good fat/ bad fat and good sugar/bad sugar – and why these are urgent matters.

If you would like to join the Millerton Health & Happiness Circle – please let us know as we only have a few places left. Or, why not take charge of your own health and happiness and create a circle in your own community? – We’d love to help you.

Don’t forget - “Ilness begins with I and Wellness begins with We”.

* Swami Sivananda
** “The Portion Teller” - Lisa R. Young

INFLAMMATION: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

2009-08-18T12:22:00.007-04:00

In a recent session with Joan, I proudly remarked that my fingers had become thinner. A whole ring size actually! This happened miraculously after I had added a number of anti-inflammatory foods to my diet.

During my training at The Institute For Integrative Nutrition in New York I had been fortunate enough to study with doctors Mark Hyman, Barry Sears and Andrew Weil.

They all had the same message - one of the most important things you can do to be healthy is to get rid of inflammation. Among other things it has been linked to heart disease. I made this shift because my Father died of his second heart attack at 68 and I have high levels of “bad” cholesterol and didn’t want to take drugs to lower it.

We are all familiar with inflammation. Bruise yourself and the signs are evident. It hurts until the swelling disappears. It is the body’s clever way of protecting the injury to allow the healing to take place. Here’s Merriam-Webster’s definition: “A local response to cellular injury that is marked by capillary dilatation, leukocytic infiltration, redness, heat, and pain and that serves as a mechanism initiating the elimination of noxious agents and of damaged tissue.”

What does inflammation have to do with health?

Besides the local inflammation that appears at the site of an injury, “silent” inflammation, often invisible, can occur in less obvious places. Many of the chronic conditions that plague our post-modern lives such as allergies, Alzheimer’s, asthma, obesity, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and migraine have inflammation at the root. This list also includes any condition ending in “itis” such as bronchitis, arthritis and so on. Coincidently I used to show signs of arthritis in my joints and in my hands and feet in particular. Now there’s no trace.

What has caused this silent epidemic?

During the last thirty years we have been eating less “whole” and more processed food. In particular increasing our intake of white (or refined) carbohydrates and omega 6 fats (e.g. vegetable oil such as corn and sunflower) while simultaneously decreasing the number of omega 3’s (e.g. fish oil/ flax seed). This confluence of events has created a nutritional firestorm that can affect every organ in our bodies.

Our efficient immune systems regard these highly processed substances – not as food but as something alien that the body needs protection from. It then goes on the offensive to eradicate the enemy and inflammation is the result. Unless we change the way we eat, the inflammation takes up residence creating permanent damage and chronic un-wellness.

Changing your diet can begin to reverse this process in a matter of days.

What should we eat? Here are some ideas:

1. Colorful fruits and vegetables

2. Beans

3. Whole grains (but watch out for gluten sensitivity in wheat/oats/rye/barley/spelt/kamut)

4. Omega 3 fatty acids (wild fish/flax seed)

5. Oils – Olive/Flax Seed/Walnut/Sesame/Expeller-pressed Sunflower

6. Lean animal protein (includes wild game)

7. Nuts (not peanuts) and seeds (walnuts and almonds particularly good)

8. Organic eggs from chickens living outside and free to roam

9. Turmeric

10. Garlic

11. Rosemary

12. Evening Primrose

13. Black current seed oil

14. Cinnamon

15. Cumin

16. Dill

17. Oregano

18. Coriander

19. Tarragon

20. Thyme

FOOD IN THE RAW

2009-06-17T13:30:00.011-04:00

“If we eat beauty, we’ll exude beauty” David Wolfe

There is something deliciously empowering about challenging assumptions. Many of our old ways no longer work, so what better time to change the way we do things? Here’s an example: “As we get older we’re bound to get sick”. Well that’s probably true if we fill ourselves up with processed and artificial food and stop moving around. Illness is not inevitable if we get smart about how we fuel our bodies and get wise about how we live. I have a friend whose fabulous 80 + mother is the first on the dance floor at any party. Who said shaking your booty is only for the young?

Here’s another one: “Food should be cooked”. In fact the “Raw Foodies” as I call them have a very different take. And it makes sense. No other species cooks its food! They advocate a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant food. Essentially it boils down to (forgive the pun!) the energetic difference between raw and cooked food. We have an “enzyme cascade” in our digestive systems and this needs to be in tip-top shape if we are to have healthy bodies. Heating food over 116 degrees kills all the living cells and that includes the enzymes.

Enzymes are vital for the chemical interactions that are occurring within us all the time. Essential to proper digestion they help to break down the food in such a way that our bodies get the best use out of it. On top of that they aid hormone function (we girls love that!) growth, repair, detoxification and make for a happy nervous system.
It makes sense that eating raw food gives you more energy and makes you feel more alive because it is more alive. The summer months are perfect for experimenting with some raw foods because they are abundant and there is the added benefit of keeping us cool in hot weather.

Here are some raw foods to try:

Fruit
Vegetables
Nuts
Seeds
Seaweed
Sprouts
Grasses
Herbs

Raw food isn’t for everyone. If you have a sensitive system the cleansing effect can be too rigorous and the fiber too difficult to break down. We are all different, so experiment and see what works best for you. If you’re unused to raw food, introduce a little at a time and see how you feel. Personally I enjoy lots of raw food in the summer, but as a perpetually cold person I find the find the cooling effect too much in the winter months.

David “Avocado” Wolf (photo at top) is the rock star leader of the raw food movement. Passionate, brilliant and charismatic, this extraordinary man can change your life. Visit davidwolfe.com to view his compelling video on longevity : "Immunity"

My Health Counseling Goddess girlfriend, Louisa Yap found here at
http://www.happycarrothealth.com
recently turned me on to an amazing "green" drink that she had been told about by Dr. Susan Epstein from NYC.

It is so groovy anyone can enjoy vegetables in the raw.

It's potency was assured when another of my sister Goddesses, writer Jules Dominguez, lost 4lbs in the first week of imbibing this delicious brew.
Now that rocks!

If you would like to be privy to the Green Goddess Elixir (ps its good for guys too!):

Send me an email and I'll share the recipe caroline@carolinephipps.com

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL: FOLLOW JOAN'S JOURNEY TO HEALTH & HAPPINESS

2009-06-17T12:14:00.007-04:00

Joan Osofsky President of Hammertown Barn
is so energized by the decision to invest in her self that she is writing about the experience on the company blog.

Why not Join her on the journey?

She'd love some company!

//hammertown.com/road-to-nutrition/

You'll pick up some great tips along the way.

Be The Best You Can Be: You Are Your Greatest Investment

2009-06-02T16:56:00.003-04:00

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

ABOUT

THE DIRTY DOZEN & THE GOOD GUYS

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Old Wives' Tale.

Or Does It?

Introducing The Dirty Dozen:

STRAWBERRIES
PEACHES
APPLES
SWEET BELL PEPPERS
CELERY
NECTARINES
CHERRIES
LETTUCE
GRAPES (Imported)
PEARS
SPINACH
POTATOES

What makes these THE BAD GUYS?

THEY SEEM SO DELIGHTFUL!

These are the fruits and vegetables that become the most contaminated by pesticides. Amazingly you can lower your pesticide exposure by almost 90% if you avoid the Bad Guys and eat The Good Guys instead.

(Forgive me for this, but it seems like a metaphor for life....more on this below......)

And now for The Good Guys:

KIWI
ONION
AVOCADO
SWEET CORN (frozen)
PINEAPPLE
MANGO
SWEET PEAS (frozen)
ASPARAGUS
BANANAS
CABBAGE
BROCCOLI
EGGPLANT

What makes these The Good Guys?

These are the fruits and vegetables that are the least prone to contamination. If you stick with The Good Guys it reduces your exposure to pesticides to less than 2% per day.

SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT PESTICIDES?

The toxic effects of pesticides on our bodies is currently under great scrutiny by the scientific community. Consensus is building that even small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can be harmful to our health and can be particularly damaging to the baby in the womb and growing children.

(Source: Environmental Working Group (EWG). For details as to how the lists were compiled www.foodnews.org

WHAT CAN WE DO?

1.Eat organic whenever possible

2. If buying organic is not an option, reduce the number of Bad Guys in your life and get together with The Good Guys (its no different to dating!).

2. Wash fruit and vegetables - (but be aware that this only reduces the levels of some pesticides rather than eliminates them)

3. Peel fruit and vegetables to help reduce exposure - (but be aware that valuable nutrients disappear with the peelings)

HELP IS AT HAND - RESOURCES

GET YOUR OWN GUIDE TO PESTICIDES IN PRODUCE - www.foodnews.org
You can download this great little guide for FREE and carry it with you in your purse.

HOW TO FIND ORGANIC PRODUCE IN THE GROCERY STORE:
Have you ever noticed that loose fruit and vegetables have a sticker with a number on them? This is known as a PLU or Price Look-Up Number. The International Federation For Produce Coding standardizes PLU codes for every grocery store in America.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

Non-organic produce have a 4 digit number that generally begins with a 3 or 4.
Organic produce have 5 digits and begin with a "9"

HERE'S A GREAT WEBSITE FOR FINDING LOCAL SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE: www.localharvest.org

HEAR ME ON THE RADIO

2009-06-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

If you would like to hear me as well as read me, you can tune into The Rick Schneider morning show on WKZE "Up and Running" at 9am on June 18th.

WKZE is a community radio station that promotes local business, healthy living and plays very groovy music. Based in Red Hook, NY - you can find it on 98.1FM. To find out more about WKZE: wkze.com

If you would like to have a health and wellness question answered on the air - send an email to rick@wkze.com or to me caroline@carolinephipps.com

I GOT THIS FEELING THAT SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT

2009-05-01T20:01:00.000-04:00

“Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right”

Stealers Wheel - “Stuck In The Middle With You” - 1974

How many of you have had the feeling that “something ain’t right” but you went ahead and did it anyway? This is the classic case of head before heart, of intellect before intuition. Our western civilization prides itself on the triumph of rational thinking over gut reaction.

So why do we have such feelings if we are encouraged to ignore them?

Personally I feel that following our inner guidance is a vital tool for leading a conscious and authentic life. Indeed for living a healthy life, for if we ignore our intuition it will be at the expense of our wellbeing. It’s our body’s way of getting our attention. What starts as a feeling, can lead to a symptom, which can lead to full blown illness, if ignored. I was watching the Woody Allen film “Manhattan” a few nights ago. In it Dianne Keaton asks Woody why he isn’t getting angry and he says with extraordinary clarity, “I don’t get angry, I grow a tumor”.

Such feelings can be frightening because they usually demand we change something we are doing. We don’t want to know what we know, for the very reason that may have to take action. And taking action as we know can be very difficult.

But when we take the plunge and take action, we can often save ourselves years of suffering, because instead of embarking on, or staying in, a situation that will not or does not serve us, we can cut to the chase and take the next necessary step on our journey.

I once took a job in the film industry in London because my head told me it was a great thing to have on my resume. But even before I started I “knew” that making commercials was a form of spiritual death for me. Three Ronald MacDonald ads later I had my worse fears confirmed, but I carried on anyway. Eighteen months later I did indeed have a nice entry on my resume, but it was at the expense of a great deal of wellbeing. Looking back from my perspective now it was simply a “waste” of 18 months when I could have been doing something worthwhile and living a healthy life.

Last July 4th, feeling that I needed some help with the course my life was taking, I decided on a whim to have a reading with a medical intuitive called Dr Mona Lisa Schulz. Not only does she have a reputation as an extraordinary psychic but she is also a renowned Neuropsychologist. I called the office and left a message. She rang back immediately and said that anyone who rang on a holiday clearly needed help!

She did an amazing reading over the phone, knowing only my name and age. She told me things I knew, things I suspected and things I was unaware of. At the end she asked me if I would do some homework.

“Sure”, I said, ever the willing student.

“I am going to give you a name and age and you are going to read this person for me. Susan 75. I'll call you tomorrow…”

As the phone went dead in my hand I thought, she has to be kidding me. Susan 75 could be anything from a golf crazy grandma, to a practicing judge, to a resident of a nursing home. The only tool I had at my disposal was to sit with a pen and paper and write what came in to my head. For once googling was not an option………….

Well as I sat there I “saw” Susan crammed into an over stuffed living room, on an over stuffed sofa, surrounded by beer, food and cigarettes with a giant television which was on all the time. She herself was over stuffed. Chronically over weight, congested heart, dreadful constipation and a rigid outlook on life. The words “my way or the highway” came to mind.

What a picture!

As the time for Mona Lisa’s call came around I was filled with trepidation. This was not a pretty profile. When she rang, I delivered my “findings” feeling somewhat ridiculous.

And do you know what she said?

“You have just described my mother. In the family we call her ‘My Way Or The Highway’.”

Mona Lisa wasn’t the least surprised that I had been so right. I was truly astonished.

I said, “Do you get all your clients to do their own reading?”

“No – I’ve never asked anyone before, but I wanted you to experience the importance of tapping into intuition so that you can inspire others to do the same…………Had I just told you that you are intuitive you wouldn’t have believed me. I had to show you. We are all highly intuitive beings.”

So in the spirit of the amazing Dr Schultz, I encourage you all to listen to that still small voice inside of you and pay it some serious attention. Make careful observations of your feelings. Try to align your head and your heart, for if you don’t your feelings will win out in the long run and ignoring them will make you sick. To paraphrase the 19th Century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche…You can intellectualize all you want, but it’s the feeling that’s the thing…………..

You never know where this will take you, but one thing I am sure of is that it’s a form of “spiritual rocket fuel” that will help propel you in the right direction and aid you in your journey.

Next time you have a feeling about something, stop and pay attention, it just might be important.

A Hard Day's Night: What Does Your Work Do For You?

2009-04-25T15:45:00.000-04:00

“It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog”. The Beetles (1964) - John Lennon.

What better way to illustrate the stressful nature of being over-worked, than these John Lennon lyrics from 1964? Everything we do in life either nourishes or depletes us, and with the amount of precious time we spend working, this aspect of our lives is of crucial importance. Americans spend on average 8 to 10 hours a day at work and in many sectors of the economy this number is on the rise. Even when we are lucky enough to have work we enjoy, we are often over-worked and our lives become unbalanced.

Things can get worse if your job is opposed to your values, doesn’t stimulate you or simply doesn’t interest you. I believe that there is a link between the increase in the number of hours given to working and the increase in our waistlines and our health and emotional problems. If we’re not getting fulfillment, meaning and joy at the workplace, then we are likely to turn to other things to fill the gap. This can lead to an over dependence on comfort food, but it can just as likely be alcohol, medication, distorted relationships or distractions like the TV or the Internet.

So, getting back to that “Hard Day’s Night”: In the song, the poor man’s only nourishment is provided by his woman. This is clearly not a balanced existence. It’s easy to imagine them both to be better off if he could work less, or even if he simply enjoyed his job more! Our bio-individuality means that our boats are floated in many different ways, and work means many different things to different people. For example, to many of us the business of just making money is a very limited view. To others it’s the whole point! In Hard Day’s Night the reason for it all is “to get you money to buy your things”. For some, jobs where we can help make the world a better place, or satisfy our creative impulse is just the ticket.

We often use distractions or misplaced emotions to alleviate our cry for help for genuine fulfillment, and this can lead to places that make things even worse, like addiction, isolation, and of course all the perils that accompany weigh gain – low self-esteem, diabetes, heart problems, cancer and stroke. Such an existence is, at best miserable and at worst, dangerous.

This brings to mind the expression, “our bodies hold great wisdom”, but what does this really mean?

While our brains can be the masters of denial, our bodies never lie. They have a way of telling us that things are going awry, often long before we get the message. Many chronic conditions can be indicators that the body wants a change. Migraines, headaches, asthma, eczema, digestive disorders, insomnia, depression……the list is vast. We need to pay attention to these signals that indicate “danger ahead”, for we ignore them at our peril and then suddenly we have a bigger problem on our hands. We would never ignore a warning triangle on the highway, so why are we so prone to ignoring our own selves? After all it is far better to break gently, than be forced into an emergency stop.

In part I believe it is because it fits our cultural profile to take a pride in overcoming our body’s messages. In England I grew up with the expression “soldier on” and it was a source of great pride to keep going in the face of all the odds. The Black knight in Monty Python illustrates this trait better than most. He has lost both arms on the battlefield and fighting on, while wielding his sword in his teeth, he utters the immortal words,“It’s only a flesh wound”. Indeed we actively cultivate and celebrate such warrior-like behavior in our society, while often understanding its absurdity.

Now, I’m not about to say we should give up the warrior in us. Indeed we need him to be successful. But what I am saying is that we must honor ourselves in a way that makes us strong, effective and healthy human beings who can make a profound and important difference to the world. If we’re not in good shape then we can become vulnerable in many ways. In Hard Day’s Night, the guy has put himself in a very precarious position in his most important relationship, by caring more about what he can bring home to his woman than about his own wellbeing. On the face of it, this may look selfless but in the end such behavior can tip into the unhealthy states of martyrdom and victimization.

“Finding the work you love, loving the work you find” is a phrase long coined by the recruitment business. In this frantic post-modern world in the middle of a recession this has become an even more pressing matter.

So what can we do?
Many of us find ourselves in situations that cannot be radically altered right now. We have the mortgage, the 401(k), the school fees, or the family business to run. Here the warrior needs some practical assistance to keep him atop his horse:-

1. Make a pact with your spirit that you know what the true situation is, and that you will make a big effort to do all in your power to make life more tolerable. Acknowledging the truth of things is a vital first step.

2. Make a comprehensive list of things that you like about your work and another list of things you would change if you could. There are many considerations here: colleagues, environment, remuneration, content, successes, disappointments, including the all-important question - does the work actually “matter” to you?

3. The next step is often a very hard one to take. Ask for help! It’s a strange thing, but no one knows what you need until you ask. How do you hope to have your dreams realized if no one knows what they are? Believe me, as an Anglo Saxon this is a very hard thing to put into practice and my culture is not alone in this. We have the idea we should be able to do it all ourselves, and if we can’t we’re falling short. Sound familiar?

4. Once you ask, you allow amazing things to happen! It maybe more flexible working hours, a raise, different office, a change in responsibility, etc. If you are a valued member of the team, then chances are you will create an improvement if you ask for it, and often this helps a business to be more dynamic because nothing ever stays the same. Things are always changing and, these days, often at a rapid pace. Challenging the status quo can be a good thing for everyone. I have a friend who had wanted a pay rise for a couple of years, rather than ask for it, she looked for, and was offered, another job. When she handed her notice in, she was offered a promotion and more money, if she would stay. She had no idea that they appreciated her at all and they had no idea she was unhappy. She had spent two years in this uncomfortable place getting more and more resentful.

5. Make your place at work, as comfortable as possible. Move things around in your work environment, add things from your life outside of work, like art and photographs that make you feel happy. Take a stretch break every hour and always eat lunch – and never at your desk. Eat whole and nourishing foods as these lead to whole and expansive thoughts. Even if it’s only for half-an-hour – take a break and try and get outside. The body craves fresh air, sunshine and movement.

6. Where ever possible align yourself with co-workers that you like and who inspire you. Try to keep contact to a minimum with those who are negative and bring you down. Feeling part of a team and experiencing camaraderie is essential to wellbeing. In Hard Day’s Night this is the feeling he gets when he says, “when I get home to you I’ll find the things that you do will make me feel alright”.

7. Work out when “enough is enough”. We are submerged in a culture of growth, growth and more growth. We must examine our actions carefully and learn to mark our boundaries with care. Learn to check in with ourselves (we have emotions for a reason after all) and to get to know when it’s ok to say “no” and when it is important to say “yes”. We must look at our default settings closely, as we often need to adjust a lifetime of habits.

8. Do your best not to blame your situation. Rather try and learn from your feelings about it. What does it say about you? Use it as a learning process and then you will not succumb to becoming The Victim or The Martyr in the mix. This puts you back on your horse and in control of the situation in a way that is very empowering.

9. Finally, remember these Universal Truths, “What you put in, you get out”. “What you pay attention to, you attract more of”. Even if you are in a bad spot, being warm and kind and open will ALWAYS help no matter how hard the circumstance. Try and remember what a kind word does for you, and then you’ll be reminded of what it can do for others. Kindness always has a ripple effect as it fans out from the source like a pebble thrown in a lake.

If you are in the lucky position to change your job but you have no idea what to do, here are a few tips to help you find the work you love (and they worked for me!):

1. Look to your childhood and make a comprehensive list of the things that you loved to do. This is a way to access the “true” you. The “you” that spontaneously did things, long before “real life” intervened.

2. Take a close look at your hobbies, interests and what you read and seek out naturally.

3. Try and remember the last project you worked on where you felt excited, alive and totally stimulated.

4. Look at your present job and make a note of the things that work for you and the things that don’t.

5. Then ask yourself the question, “Which one of the above activities would I spend the next 8 hours doing, if I could?”

6. Make a list of all the jobs you can think of that match these activities. Even if this leads you to an impractical place, try and incorporate more of these things into your life with hobbies, clubs, societies, etc. Try creating a group of like-minded friends and try some of your ideas out together to see if they hold up.

Above all, whatever the circumstance, be brave and pro-active in all you do. It’s your life and you have to do it everyday. No one can do it for you, but you. If we remember that everything is interconnected, then it helps us to grasp the point that if we are leading the best lives we can, rather than this being a selfish thing to do – it is rather a self-less thing, as it in turns makes the world a better place and helps make the “hard day’s night” a lighter load.

Cravings

2009-03-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

CRAVINGS

Cravings: What are they and what do they mean?

“All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt”. Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts Magazine by Charles Schultz.

Many of us view cravings as weaknesses. We should be able to assert our will over the “demons” in our lives that can take such a hold over us, shouldn’t we? We should be able to ignore the seduction of the Snickers Bar, shouldn’t we? If you look closely enough, you can almost see the devil horns sprouting out of the top of your potato chips, candy bar or Sid Slick chocolate ice cream. Well help is at hand, as I am going to put a whole new perspective on this “bad” behavior!

As with so many things in life, it’s all a matter of perspective. Instead of signs of weakness, in reality these are quite different indicators. Cravings are, in fact, important messages that your body is trying to communicate about getting itself back into balance. I know this takes a leap of faith, but we really do have to try and trust our bodies, as they are miraculous entities that hold great wisdom – if only we could listen.

Here are the 8 primary causes of cravings:

Dehydration: The first sign of dehydration is hunger. So 1st step is to drink a glass of water.

Dissatisfying aspects of your life: Look at your relationships, work, exercise program, social and spiritual life. Eating is often used to fill a void in one of these areas. Eg If you have had a satisfying and nurturing day at work you are less likely to fill the void with ice cream when you arrive home.

Biological imbalance: Eg eating too much sugar can have us craving too much salt. A tip here is to eat a well-balanced meal to put you back on track.

Looking back to childhood: Often we crave food that makes us feel safe and nurtured. Substitute these childhood treats with a healthier version. Eg My mum used to allow us one piece of chocolate a day around 4pm with afternoon tea – now I substitute the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk from my growing up in England for Black and Greens 70% organic chocolate.

Go with the seasons: Our bodies are smart and often give us cravings for foods that help us to balance out the elements. Eg salads in summer; hearty stew in the winter. Holiday time can often be accompanied by cravings for foods associated with the season, eg eggnog at Christmas, Pimms in July. Don’t be alarmed; such festive activities are part of the fun – but in moderation.

Poor nutrition: If our bodies do not receive the nutrients we need to function properly, we will suffer odd cravings. Eg we may crave salty food if we are deficient in minerals, we may crave caffeine if our energy levels are low.

We girls and our hormones: fluctuating hormone levels connected to our cycles, pregnancy or menopause can lead to very strange food cravings. I would love to hear from readers about some of these!

The Saboteur: When things are going well, we sometimes sabotage ourselves and crave foods that put us off balance and this can lead to craving after craving.

Try this experiment: When you get your next craving – stop and ask yourself, “What is really going on here?”

SOME OF MY ARTICLES

2008-12-19T10:31:00.005-05:00

1. Reduce your intake of fast food, restaurant food and highly processed food.

2. Throw away your bright white/easy to pour salt.

3. Use a high quality sea salt and check the label for nutritional content.

4. Make sure it is free of artificial color, additives, bleaching or chemicals.

5. Check out the color – pink, gray, red, brown. Anything but white!

6. Use in moderation. It will better satisfy your craving for salt and provide you with nutrients you need to be happy and healthy. What could be better than that?

Now What About Coffee?

“I have measured out my life in coffee spoons” – T.S. Eliot – “The Love Song Of J.Alfred Prufrock”.

In my practice as a Health Counselor, I am constantly asked about coffee. The subject touches a nerve. When I am asked what I do for a living, my reply is often met with a crinkle of the nose and accompanied by something like,

“I bet you don’t do anything bad – like drink coffee - do you?” Well I’m going to let you into a secret, I do! Like so many thi ngs in life, this is not a simple matter of good or bad.

In the interests of brevity, I will give you a short version of what proved to be a rather longer story than I would’ve liked. In my endless and fruitless search for perfection in my life, I decided to give up coffee drinking last summer. After all it is a drug – you do experience withdrawal when you come of it – particularly if you do it quickly. Now being a “headache person” as I am, can be tricky in a situation like this because one of the major symptoms of withdrawal is – yes you guessed it – a headache. What for a non-headache person would be a “bit of a headache for a day or two” for me could mean 3 days in a dark ened room begging for relief.

So I concocted a plan, which involved oh so slowly adding more and more decaffeinated coffee to my espresso pot over a period of 5 weeks. During this time my feelings of self-righteousness were closely paralled by lack of focus, fatigue and an increasing desire to stay under the blankets when the alarm rang. When the day finally dawned on a totally decaffeinated morning, suffice to say, the next three days were spent in a darkened room begging for relief. I held onto the idea that I had conquered this demon though. But once the headache subsided, I felt exhausted, uninspired, unfocused and longing to stay in my bed. All my fantasies about post-coffee living - great energy and a feeling of wellbeing - were shattered.

It didn’t deter me though – I soldiered on.

Finally, one of the wisest women I know, my acupuncturist asked me what I was doing in my life that was different. She said my body was all out of balance and my energy levels depleted. When I told her about my triumphant victory over my addiction, she said there are people who do well on coffee – the key (as with most things) was moderation. I flew home and ground up some real beans and immediately felt ready for Mt Everest.

There are over 400 million cups of coffee drunk per day in the USA. We are the largest consumers in the world. There is indeed some truth to the catch line “America runs on Dunkin’”.

After this experiment, I now give my clients the pros and cons of coffee, so that they can work out for themselves what best suits them.

We are all different and there is no “One Size Fits All” way of coffee drinking.

On the down side:
-Coffee increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure and can contribute to heart trouble.
-It stimulates the productio n of stress hormones, which can eventually lead to adrenal exhaustion.
-It can create emotional disturbances and blood sugar swings.
-Its acidity can cause gastrointestinal problems.
-It can inhibit the absorption of some nutrients.
-It may make it difficult for you to find neutral. It is not a good idea to keep going when the body needs a rest.

On the up side:
-Coffee is a great antioxidant.
-It can help you focus and be sha rper and clearer in your thinking.
-It can give you a much-needed boost of energy to move yourself forward.
-Some studies show that it can be beneficial for people with certain types of cancer, MS patients and amazingly, in the treatment of certain types of headaches.
-It can have a strong emotional component and can make you feel nurtured and connected.

SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

-If you drink coffee, do so in moderation.

-Always drink espresso – it uses the whole bean (and just like whole grains) it absorbs more slowly and releases less caffeine than filter coffee.

-Be conscious of your body when you drink it – it will assuredly let you know how it feels and whether it is happy.

Can Artificial Sweeteners Make You Fat?

Have you ever noticed that people who substitute sugar for the fake versions like Sweet’N Low, Equal and Splenda, aren’t necessarily the svelt and healthy human beings the advertising industry would suggest? Millions of us take this route on the path to health and wellness with all the best intentions in the world. How fabulous to indulge our taste for sweet things (and humans have always sought out sweet things – even before we started refining sugar) without the dreaded caloric implications. It sounds perfect doesn’t it? A wonderful version of action without consequence.

A new study by The Purdue University

throws much light on this apparent contradiction. Their findings have led to the conclusion that including artificial sweeteners in your diet actually does have a consequence for the body. Of course this story begins with a whole bunch of rats in a laboratory and the problems they encountered on such substances.

The rats were divided into two teams: The Sugary Food Team and the Sugar Substitute Team. Sadly for the rats they did not get to choose which group to join! Those eating the substitutes had larger appetites and got heavier than those on the real thing. After devouring their artificially sweetened meal, they would still be hungry and go back for seconds, thirds and so on.
Why is this?

Our bodies (and those of rats) are biologically programmed to associate a sweet taste with calories consumed. If this link is broken, by regularly providing the body with a sweet taste and no calories, our bodies get very confused and we keep searching for more food because we feel hungry.

On top of this sorry state of affairs, The Sugar Substitute Team didn’t experience the same metabolic increase that usually occurs after eating a meal, and so they used up fewer calories. This fusion of events, bigger appetite and a slow down in metabolic rate, added up to only one thing, fat rats. And this means that when we persistently play games with our biological responses by using sugar substitutes we may run the risk of weight gain.

What can be done? We know that eating too much sugar is bad for us. It enters the blood stream quickly and sends the blood sugar level way high and then it drops off rapidly. This leads to a rollercoaster of emotional and physical side effects. With this in mind, why not experiment with some of these delicious natural substitutes:

1. Agave Nectar

2. Brown Rice Syrup

3. Date Sugar

4. Raw Honey

5. 100% Pure Maple Syrup

6. Molasses

7. Stevia

Is Dieting Making You Miserable?

How many new diet books and theories can you recall hearing about recently? It seems that one week we should drink cow’s milk and the next week soy "milk" is the only way to go. One day coffee is highly detrimental to our health and the next day its miraculous antioxidant properties are good for you. You may have even been seduced into buying one of these books and trying out something new. Or be always on a diet and never keeping the weight off.

Intellectually we know that over 90% of “diets” fail, but the concept of a quick and easy fix is highly compelling.

Why are we so confused about what to eat at a time when we are bombarded with so much information? I find it helpful to remember that the publishing industry is in the business of quarterly profits and not our health and happiness.

A simple guide to this complicated maze is to understand that there is no “one diet fits all”. We never expect to have the same tastes in other areas of our lives, so why would we think that one-way of eating would suit all of us?

After all, we are all unique beings with different blood types, metabolisms, ancestry, jobs, ages and so on.

Here’s a simple start to healthy eating and weight loss

1. Drink more water

2. Eat whole grains

3. Choose a good quality protein

4. Add more fresh fruit and vegetables.

5. Oh – and move around a littlemore! I personally have found that my Nia dance class fits the bill perfectly for me in this regard – it’s such good fun that you forget its exercise. What could be better than that?

THE HORSE INSTITUTE

2008-05-19T15:07:00.006-04:00

I am a Facilitator at The Horse Institute located in beautiful Ancramdale, NY. This is the first Equine Assisted Learning Facility in The Tri-State Area. Founder of The Horse Institute is Marie-Claude Stockl who runs the facility with her husband, Larry. She is a world-class corporate trainer sought out by celebrities, CEO's and Executives here in the US and abroad.

The Horse Institute offers a unique and innovative approach to adult learning. Our beautiful horses are used in exercises on the ground that challenge creative thinking and improve communication skills. The programs are tailor-made and include such topics as leadership development, team building and personal development.

For more information about The Horse Institute: http://www.thehorseinstitute.com

2008-05-19T10:27:00.001-04:00

2008-05-19T10:26:00.002-04:00

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Respect Yourself: Be The Best You Can Be” with Caroline Phipps

Should I Eat Salt?

Are you confused about salt? You are not alone! It appears to be another one of those food subjects that has created a great deal of confusion.

There is nothing fundamentally bad about salt per se. If you look at the way ancient civilizations went about the business of nourishing themselves, they always included salt in their diets. This is because good quality salt can contain up to 92 minerals and trace elements and can be considered an effective dietary supplement.

Salt contains sodium and chloride. Sodium behaves as an electrolyte and assists in the healthy working of the body’s cell function and chloride helps the absorption of potassium and assists in the regulation of the body’s fluids.

There is consensus among the medical profession, however, that too much sodium leads to high blood pressure and pre-hypertension, both of which increase the risk of heart attack or stroke considerably. The typical American diet consists of nearly 4,000 mg of salt per day while the amount recommended by the W.H.O. is 2,400mg and 1,500mg for those at risk. To put these figures into context, one teaspoon of salt contains 2,300mg of sodium.

Fast food, restaurant food and highly processed food all tend to contain large quantities of salt. One of the biggest problems here is that most salt used in such food and in the majority of salt sold, is of the highly refined and processed variety. Your average white, easy pouring salt has been stripped of all its goodness. All of this madness is to make salt cheaper and prettier to look at than its more natural relation!

What can we do?

1. Reduce your intake of fast food, restaurant food and highly processed food.

2. Throw away your bright white/easy to pour salt.

3. Use a high quality sea salt and check the label for nutritional content.

4. Make sure it is free of artificial color, additives, bleaching or chemicals.

5. Check out the color – pink, gray, red, brown. Anything but white!

6. Use in moderation. It will better satisfy your craving for salt and provide you with nutrients you need to be happy and healthy. What could be better than that?

Please contact me for more information on how to moderate your salt intake.

Why not join me for a Health Counseling Appointment and learn more about my programs. Getting healthier and happier has never been so much fun! You can visit my website www.carolinephipps.com, email me at caroline@carolinephipps.com or call 845-677-4624. Read more!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Be the Best You Can Be - Coffee

Respect Yourself: Be The Best You Can Be with Caroline Phipps

Now What About Coffee?

“I have measured out my life in coffee spoons” – T.S. Eliot – “The Love Song Of J.Alfred Prufrock”.

In my practice as a Health Counselor, I am constantly asked about coffee. The subject touches a nerve. When I am asked what I do for a living, my reply is often met with a crinkle of the nose and accompanied by something like,

“I bet you don’t do anything bad – like drink coffee - do you?” Well I’m going to let you into a secret, I do! Like so many things in life, this is not a simple matter of good or bad.

In the interests of brevity, I will give you a short version of what proved to be a rather longer story than I would’ve liked. In my endless and fruitless search for perfection in my life, I decided to give up coffee drinking last summer. After all it is a drug – you do experience withdrawal when you come of it – particularly if you do it quickly. Now being a “headache person” as I am, can be tricky in a situation like this because one of the major symptoms of withdrawal is – yes you guessed it – a headache. What for a non-headache person would be a “bit of a headache for a day or two” for me could mean 3 days in a darkened room begging for relief.

So I concocted a plan, which involved oh so slowly adding more and more decaffeinated coffee to my espresso pot over a period of 5 weeks. During this time my feelings of self-righteousness were closely paralled by lack of focus, fatigue and an increasing desire to stay under the blankets when the alarm rang. When the day finally dawned on a totally decaffeinated morning, suffice to say, the next three days were spent in a darkened room begging for relief. I held onto the idea that I had conquered this demon though. But once the headache subsided, I felt exhausted, uninspired, unfocused and longing to stay in my bed. All my fantasies about post-coffee living - great energy and a feeling of wellbeing - were shattered. It didn’t deter me though – I soldiered on.

Finally, one of the wisest women I know, my acupuncturist asked me what I was doing in my life that was different. She said my body was all out of balance and my energy levels depleted. When I told her about my triumphant victory over my addiction, she said there are people who do well on coffee – the key (as with most things) was moderation. I flew home and ground up some real beans and immediately felt ready for Mt Everest.

There are over 400 million cups of coffee drunk per day in the USA. We are the largest consumers in the world. There is indeed some truth to the catch line “America runs on Dunkin’”.

After this experiment, I now give my clients the pros and cons of coffee, so that they can work out for themselves what best suits them. We are all different and there is no “One Size Fits All” way of coffee drinking.

On the down side:
-Coffee increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure and can contribute to heart trouble.
-It stimulates the production of stress hormones, which can eventually lead to adrenal exhaustion.
-It can create emotional disturbances and blood sugar swings.
-Its acidity can cause gastrointestinal problems.
-It can inhibit the absorption of some nutrients.
-It may make it difficult for you to find neutral. It is not a good idea to keep going when the body needs a rest.

On the up side:
-Coffee is a great antioxidant.
-It can help you focus and be sharper and clearer in your thinking.
-It can give you a much-needed boost of energy to move yourself forward.
-Some studies show that it can be beneficial for people with certain types of cancer, MS patients and amazingly, in the treatment of certain types of headaches.
-It can have a strong emotional component and can make you feel nurtured and connected.

TIP:
-If you drink coffee, do so in moderation.

-Always drink espresso – it uses the whole bean (and just like whole grains) it absorbs more slowly and releases less caffeine than filter coffee.

-Be conscious of your body when you drink it – it will assuredly let you know how it feels and whether it is happy.

Please contact me for more information on the ups and downs of coffee drinking.

Why not join me for your Health Counseling Appointment and learn more about my Programs. Getting healthier and happier has never been so much fun! You can visit my website www.carolinephipps.com, email me at caroline@carolinephipps.com or call 845-677-4624.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Can Artificial Sweeteners Make You Fat?

Respect Yourself: Be The Best You Can Be with Caroline Phipps

Can Artificial Sweeteners Make You Fat?

Have you ever noticed that people who substitute sugar for the fake versions like Sweet’N Low, Equal and Splenda, aren’t necessarily the svelt and healthy human beings the advertising industry would suggest? Millions of us take this route on the path to health and wellness with all the best intentions in the world. How fabulous to indulge our taste for sweet things (and humans have always sought out sweet things – even before we started refining sugar) without the dreaded caloric implications. It sounds perfect doesn’t it? A wonderful version of action without consequence.

A new study by The Purdue University has throws much light on this apparent contradiction. Their findings have led to the conclusion that including artificial sweeteners in your diet actually does have a consequence for the body. Of course this story begins with a whole bunch of rats in a laboratory and the problems they encountered on such substances.

The rats were divided into two teams: The Sugary Food Team and the Sugar Substitute Team. Sadly for the rats they did not get to choose which group to join! Those eating the substitutes had larger appetites and got heavier than those on the real thing. After devouring their artificially sweetened meal, they would still be hungry and go back for seconds, thirds and so on.
Why is this?

Our bodies (and those of rats) are biologically programmed to associate a sweet taste with calories consumed. If this link is broken, by regularly providing the body with a sweet taste and no calories, our bodies get very confused and we keep searching for more food because we feel hungry.

On top of this sorry state of affairs, The Sugar Substitute Team didn’t experience the same metabolic increase that usually occurs after eating a meal, and so they used up fewer calories. This fusion of events, bigger appetite and a slow down in metabolic rate, added up to only one thing, fat rats. And this means that when we persistently play games with our biological responses by using sugar substitutes we may run the risk of weight gain.

What can be done? We know that eating too much sugar is bad for us. It enters the blood stream quickly and sends the blood sugar level way high and then it drops off rapidly. This leads to a rollercoaster of emotional and physical side effects. With this in mind, why not experiment with some of these delicious natural substitutes:

1. Agave Nectar
2. Brown Rice Syrup
3. Date Sugar
4. Raw Honey
5. 100% Pure Maple Syrup
6. 100% Maple Sugar
7. Molasses
8. Stevia

Please contact me for more information about sweet things and if you would like a health counseling session and to hear about my programs. You can visit my website www.carolinephipps.com, email me at caroline@carolinephipps.com or call
845-677-4624. Read more!

Wednesday, February 4, 2008

Be The Best You Can Be – with Caroline Phipps

Be The Best You Can Be – with Caroline Phipps

Is Dieting Making You Miserable?

How many new diet books and theories can you recall hearing about recently? It seems that one week we should drink cow’s milk and the next week soymilk is the only way to go. One day coffee is highly detrimental to our health and the next day its miraculous antioxidant properties are actively good for you. You may have even been seduced into buying one of these books and trying out something new. Or be always on a diet and never keeping the weight off.

Intellectually we know that over 90% of “diets” fail, but the concept of a quick and easy fix is highly compelling.

Why are we so confused about what to eat at a time when we are bombarded with so much information? I find it helpful to remember that the publishing industry is in the business of quarterly profits and not our health and happiness.

A simple guide to this complicated maze is to understand that there is no “one diet fits all”. We never expect to have the same tastes in other areas of our lives, so why would we think that one-way of eating would suit all of us?

After all, we are all unique beings with different blood types, metabolisms, ancestry, jobs, ages and so on.

Here’s a simple start to healthy eating and weight loss-

1. Drink more water

2. Eat whole grains

3. Choose a good quality protein

4. Add more fresh fruit and vegetables.

5. Oh – and move around a little more! I personally have found that Pilates fits the bill perfectly for me in this regard – it’s such good fun that you forget its exercise. What could be better than that?

Please contact me for a health counseling session and to hear more about my programs. You can visit my web site www.carolinephipps.com, or email me at caroline@carolinephipps.com, or call me on 845-677-4624. Read more!