It’s Not All About the Food

Here’s a recent client testimonial. This is an inspiring example of the tie between what feeds us in our life like relationships, career, and spirituality and it’s connection with food. I must acknowledge KT and her adventurous spirit for really living life on purpose. We can all learn from her about finding what feeds our soul.

I decided to have an initial consultation with Ali because I was feeling over-stressed, overweight, and generally unhappy with my lifestyle.  I had a history of disordered and emotional eating and I was tired of “yo-yo” dieting.  I wanted to understand how my food choices were affecting my body, my moods and my stress-levels.

In the beginning of our work together, Ali and I talked a lot about the incorporating ‘whole’ foods into my diet.  We worked on phasing out the processed foods and introducing more nutrient-rich foods like leafy greens, whole grains and lean proteins.  It was not long before I realized that I felt better and had a lot more energy!  Plus, I discovered my love for cooking!  I got a lot of great recipes from Ali and I found that preparing fresh meals at home tasted so much better!

In addition, I dramatically reduced my caffeine intake.  I had gotten into the habit of having three to four cups of coffee and/or soda a day, but once I cut that out, I noticed that my moods and cravings were much more stabilized.  A year later, I feel much better physically and I know that I will continue with these healthy habits for many years to come.

One issue in particular that I have always struggled with is emotional eating.  Prior to working with Ali, I thought that my emotional tie to food was a weakness or a lack of willpower.  With her integrative approach, Ali helped me realize that my emotional eating was triggered by a lack of ‘nourishment’ from other aspects of my life.  With Ali’s help, I focused my attention on activities and people that give me joy and inspire me.  By making a conscious decision to incorporate exercise, massage, meditation and quality time with friends and family into my life, I found that I did not need more food because I was already ‘full’!

In addition, I realized that my corporate job leaves me stressed-out, exhausted and personally unfulfilled at the end of the day.  Ali spent a lot of time helping me to assess jobs and careers that may better suit my needs and interests.  She helped me to assess my personal values and strengths.  In our work together, I realized that I wanted to make a career change for my overall health and well-being.  I have decided to start graduate classes this summer and I have never been happier!

After working with Ali for a year, I learned a lot about nutrition and the science behind different foods but I also learned so much more.  Ali’s approach was truly unique as she incorporated physical, emotional, and spiritual support into each of our sessions.  She is a coach, a counselor, a friend and a true inspiration to those who hope to find a healthier lifestyle!  With her support and guidance, I have found a happier, healthier me!

-KT, Philadelphia, PA

Another way to be Patriotic

I have a few grips in life that as I get older, make me laugh more than get all huffy and puffy like I did when I was younger. I realize now that getting angry and presenting facts don’t do much to change people’s minds who have their own anger and facts. It doesn’t work all the time, especially when it comes to health-care.

One thing that makes me curious all the time, especially since 9/11 is what it means to be patriotic. America was founded on a radical vision, intelligence, progressive ideas, separation of church and state and white guys trying to get out of paying taxes. Except for the later, these ideals are trashed in much of the media and on the Bill O’Reily right as either “elitist”, “liberal” or “socialism”. Especially these days as the debate on health-care heats up (I’ll write more about this later).

But what if we just re-instilled progressive ideas as a value? What if we took a conservative approach and got back to basics when America at one time was about the best and brightest, not about the biggest pocket book. Because in exchange for a few industries making huge financial profits, we are suffering catastrophic financial and quality of life calamities on a citizen level. For example, 1 in 3 citizens lives with chronic disease, 1 in 2 men will get cancer and 1 in 3 women will get cancer. And the outcomes of these diagnosis is poor: our health-care effectivness rating in 2000 was 37th (out of 191) and is currently ranked next to Serbias despite spending more than any other country.

What if we did whatever it took, like our Founding Fathers and Mothers and looked to what other countries are doing, many considered “third-world”, who have healthy and happy citizens? What if we considered all ideas – yes even from those “socialist health-care systems” who get much better results than America’s current corporate dominated health-care INDUSTRY?

Instead of getting defensive and simple-minded that America is “the greatest country” – what if we acted like the greatest country and did whatever it took to get this beautiful country back on track versus come from a place of fear? That is being truly patriotic.

But always preferring to be part of the solution than the problem, I’ve found a couple great answers from Slovenia. Part of my family origin is Slovenian, a beautiful country with beautiful people I had the pleasure of visiting in 2002.

My Aunt sent me this wonderful article from the Faster Times about what we in the U.S. can learn from Slovenia in terms of food and effect, health. You see, real health-care doesn’t happen in your doctor’s office. It starts in your kitchen with real food and taking personal responsibility for your health. It’s a perfect blend of being radical and conservative at the same time.

Check out the article here and then get to your farmers market! This time, the revolution starts in the kitchen.

Ali’s Intern Speaks

Ali’s note: Due to the busyness of my schedule, I asked my intern Kristina to write a blog post about her experience working with me this summer. I find that I can write and talk all about healthy eating but it’s in my client’s stories (and now Kristina’s) that people grasp the power of nutrition. Below is Kristina’s entry – I only made minor grammatical edits (and her review isn’t dependent on this either!).

What a crazy summer it’s been. Between the weather and the nice winning streak the Phillies have been on, (cross your fingers!) time is flying by.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Kristina and I’m Ali’s Intern. I found this opportunity through the business school at Temple University, where I’m studying marketing and public relations. Since this is going to be my third year there, I thought it was time to get some real world experience, which lead me to find the business development internship in the Health Counseling field. I thought this summer I would assist Ali in whatever she needed but never thought she would be able to help my health along the way.

Starting when I was young, I’ve always had health issues. At 13 I found out I had cysts all over my kidneys and ovaries that caused me extreme pain. Since the age of 15 I’ve been going to a chiropractor for my back. Starting dance at a young age added to the strain on my back and even affected my knees causing me to see a physical therapist so I could walk without pain. On top of that, I always believed I had arthritis in my hands and was allergic to random items like rhodium, purple dyes, and tree nuts that I thought gave me rashes. I’ve lived with it all, always exercising and eating right, and at 140 lbs. and 5’8, I thought I was healthy.

When I turned 20 by body stopped producing periods. Going from doctor to doctor, the only thing they could tell me was that the cysts on my ovaries and kidneys were not the cause. After a year of searching for answers, I thought I was just infertile and would have to live with the idea that my body could not have children.

After explaining this all to Ali one day in her office, she looked at me and said, “You’re allergic to gluten and most likely have Celiac disease” I didn’t even know what gluten was. Being Italian, I had eaten bread, pastries, and pasta all my life. Was I really allergic to the “healthy” food I had been eating all these years? Apparently in my case, whole grain doesn’t mean it is good for you. This was just the start of things I learned from Ali.

Since meeting with her I have stopped eating bread and pasta, switching to a Gluten-Free diet. Many college kids my age just care about their image and weight but for me it was much more than that. I was looking at facing infertility, arthritis, back pain, headaches, the list went on and on for me if I didn’t change my diet. Living on a limited budget has been hard to stay on track but I truly think if I can change my nutritional decisions, there is no reason why someone else couldn’t. I’ve even gone as far to make a Gluten-Free alcohol guide so I knew what my beverage options were instead of beer and cheap wines.

After being off gluten for a few weeks, many of my symptoms disappeared. I went home to my parent’s house and was really missing my Mom’s baking. I thought, “what if this is just making me feel better because all I eat is insanely healthy foods and I’m not really allergic to gluten?” I conducted my own experiment that weekend and ate as much gluten as I could in 24 hours after being gluten-free for two weeks. I’m talking about pizza, hoagies, bagels, cookies, pasta, and even a few beers. By noon the next day, I didn’t want to move. The arthritis in my elbows, hands, and knees were back. My head and back hurt, along with crazy stomach pains. I’m not a licensed doctor but I then decided I am without a doubt allergic to gluten. (Ali’s note: what Kristina did without realizing it is an Elimination Diet – removing the suspecting food allergy for 2-3 weeks and then adding it back in to see the effects. It’s the best way to test for food allergies, especially gluten and dairy.)

I appreciate medicine and all that doctors do to cure disease. But throughout my experience, I don’t need to go to one every time I think I have a problem with my body. Taking a pill and wanting an instant cure is not the answer. We as consumers rarely read the side effects of the medication we’re given and more often than not, the doctors don’t explain them to us. When I have a headache now, instead of reaching for an Advil, I think, am I hungry or tired? Your body is telling you something and in order to keep it in pristine condition, you need to listen to it.

Every day is different for me, and I still have yet to get used to going to a restaurant and asking the waiter if anything on the menu is Gluten-Free. I want a healthy life, free of disease at all cost. Being gluten-free doesn’t affect who I am but without it I’m happier. I actually feel 20 again, without the pain.

So my summer had turned out to be life changing, who knew? I joined Ali to help her expand her business but she gave me the life I didn’t know I could have. That’s pretty awesome to me.

Why don’t you ask yourself, how great do you feel today? If the answer isn’t fabulous, what are you waiting for?!

You May Have Grandma’s Genes But Not Her Environment

What a month! The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup and I traveled to Sweden as part of my Master’s program at the University of Pennsylvania.

But, before we go into more details, here are some updates.

I’m now on Facebook and Twitter. Find Ingredients for Inspired Living here and Twitter here. You’ll receive great recipes, news, and information to help you stay inspired and healthy.

I’m also offering my first Lounge and Learn teleclass on July 13 on how to transition into a gluten-free lifestyle. If you suffer from any kind of inflammation, high-cholesterol (read here how one of my clients dropped 4 dress sizes and her cholesterol 96 points from going gluten-free), stubborn weight loss or digestive problems, you should consider calling in to learn how reducing or eliminating gluten from your diet can dramatically improve your health. All the details are here, along with my latest NBC clip where I give an overview of gluten.

Due to a narrowing food supply and environmental stresses, gluten sensitivities are sharply on the rise. In Sweden, I studied their progressive (and no, it’s not socialist!) healthcare system and their environmental leadership. I observed how by protecting their environment, their health challenges are not at severe as what we face here in the United States.

During my travels, I was also reading The Secret History of the War on Cancer by Dr. Devra Davis. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone looking for common sense answers (backed by hundreds of pages of research) to the “Big C.” The issue has never been what causes cancer, but how to create confusion around this disease that allows companies to continue to pollute the environment and profit from their cancer-causing products (from cigarettes to artificial sweeteners).

All of this was occurring during the Pen’s incredible Stanley Cup win. This victory brought me back to the last time the Pen’s won the Stanley Cup in 1992 and I was receiving my first round of chemo. Part of what contributed to my cancer was pesticide poisoning and while it’s not surprising, it’s still sad, how little progress has been made in 17 years to clean up our environment from these carcinogens. Part of healing from trauma is using our experiences constructively and so I’m heightening my commitment to the environment; I hope this newsletter will give you some ideas on how you can too.

The seemingly disparate events above come together this month to debunk Myth #2: Grandma got away with eating and drinking what she wanted, smoked, and lived to be 90 and so should I. You see, when Grandma was growing up, her environment was much cleaner and safer. When Grandma was growing up:

There weren’t 5,000-plus untested chemicals floating around in her water or air.

The EPA, FDA, NCI, and NIH weren’t filled with “leaders” from chemical, food, and drug companies. This means there wasn’t chemotherapy waste or PCBs in her water and artificial sweeteners at her table (proven carcinogens made legal thanks to Donald Rumsfeld’s inside connections – check out The Secret History of the War on Cancer for all the details).

There wasn’t a sea of radiation from cell phones, wireless connections, and medical tests like CT Scans

The soil—from which she ate real, not processed food—was less polluted and thus richer, making food more nutritious

Sweets were a big treat and often available only on special occasions and in small portions.

Food intake wasn’t as narrow as ours with the base of most people’s diets coming from soy, corn or wheat.

She walked up the hill (both ways) on her way to school, thus getting in more movement. And with that walk, was there ever a mention of a 64 ounce diet soda, Slurpee or Oreos? No, because our food supply has changed more in the last 50 years than the previous 10,000!

She had a sense of community from her family and church/temple being nearby, which reduced isolation and loneliness.

All of the above culminates in a less invaded and thus much stronger immune system. And, when you’re strong, you can get away with more. Today, being strong involves standing up to special interests in order create an environment conducive to a healthy life for kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews and ourselves.

As Peter Hawken said in his inspiring commencement speech, “You are brilliant and the earth is hiring.” Here are 10 ways you can make a difference in your health and clean up the environment right now:

1.    Shop at your local farmer’s markets. (Philadelphia locations can be found here and locations in other cities are just an internet search away. Shopping at these markets cuts down on pesticide and herbicide use as well as green house gases from shipping your food across the country.
2.    Replace meat once a week with a vegetarian option like Portobello mushrooms. You’ll reduce your green house gas emissions by 700 lbs per year and save the amount of water it would take for a four-hour shower – each week!
3.    Go see Food, Inc. and take two friends who aren’t as food savvy as you.
4.    Support organic whenever possible. To learn about all the chemicals on and in your food, click here
5.    Stop buying bottled water. The plastic is destroying the environment and you’re getting scammed. Bottled water isn’t always regulated nearly as closely as tap water. I use an Aquasuana home-filter and use a Sigg bottle. Perfect solution.
6.    Investigate your skin care products here to see how toxic they are for you and the environment and then use the database to find better choices.
7.    Support organizations that are focused on disease prevention through healthy living and environmental stewardship. The Environmental Working Group or Organic Consumer Association are some great options.
8.    Figure out your carbon footprint here and then shrink that foot!
9.    Next time you read an article attacking common sense of complimentary medicine (like Newsweek’s recent article on Oprah), follow the political and money trail. And don’t just resign to being cynical, write an op-ed or support independent publications. There are amazing people doing amazing work out here. Go find them!
10.    Spend your time in nature versus destroying it. We aren’t off the hook simply because we buy a canvas grocery bag. Shop and consume less and be in nature more. You’ll be inspired and reminded of what a beautiful world we are renting. If you do this, the desire to tread more lightly will become part of your nature.

That’s all folks. I’m headed to the beach (on public transportation!) for some rejuvenation. Thanks, Mother Nature – what would we do without you? If we start making smart choices, we’ll never have to find out.

Be Well,

Ali