THE HEALTH & HAPPINESS CIRCLE

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

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

“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

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

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

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

“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.