Seasons greetings!
With Thanksgiving already behind us and tons of sales, holiday songs, lights and health traps, the holiday season is upon us. I just got back from Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh. It was so nourishing to be with my family, eat the most amazing meals, including gluten-free stuffing my Mom made and slowing down from the lightning pace of what has become my everyday life. One of the highlights was also participating in Story Corps “National Listening Day”. I’ll tell you more about how you can use this for an invaluable (yet free) and precious holiday gift, but first here are some other updates:
1. My new website is launched! There are still some tweaks to be made, but my motto is “ progress not perfection”. So hop over to alishapiro.com and check it out. I’ll be making a few more changes to make it more user friendly, so bear with me as it progresses. I’ll be sending out an email next week that you’ll need to take action on if you still want to continue to receive my newsletter. If you don’t sign-up from the email I send you, you will not receive any more of my newsletters. This will keep me in compliance with the legality of email distribution. I hope you’ll continue to subscribe, as in 2010 my newsletters are going to be filled with new, rich, relevant and easy to implement ideas and information. As we will be more and more responsible for our health choices, it’s vital to stay informed. You can also sign-up directly on my new website, alishapiro.com.
2. My book The Roots of Going Green, Your Fork, You Power is officially available for sale! I’m happy to announce it will be part of the University of Pennsylvania’s new sustainability curriculum. How cool is that? Currently, you can get the e-copy here at my website and printed copies will be available in the New Year.
3. I am starting a new group program in the spring of 2010. It will fill up fast due to the rich focus, the content, and the fun we will have as you learn to take control of your eating and relationship with food:
“Making Food Your Ally”
A 10-week program on Tuesday nights from February 2 – April 16
From 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at Eviama Spa in Rittenhouse Square
Get ready for spring! The first 3 people to sign up will receive $100 off!
For more details and to sign-up, click here.
Onto simplifying the holidays.
Half the battle, and yes it can be a battle, to enjoying the holidays is keeping focused on what’s important. Even for those of us who enjoy keeping it simple, there’s still that collective pull to spend, stress and eat way too much. I think this year, though, people everywhere are ready for some good, wholesome and old-fashion love. One way to do this in an amazingly powerful way is to ask someone you love to share something in his or her life and then listen to the answers. Really listen and hear the story being told.
I participated in National Listening Day, the Friday following Thanksgiving. Story Corps, who sponsors the day, is a non-profit dedicated to preserving the oral history of Americans. I chose to interview my Mom. I selected about 15 questions from their website and recorded her answers. It was one of the best hours of my life. We’ve shared some amazing times together, and we both agree this was one of the best.
We laughed, we cried and we really connected. I’m going to burn this recording on a CD to inspire me and to give to my future children a reminder of what lessons the stories of my Mom’s incredibly resilient and beautiful life help teach. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about the experience now.
After the interview, my Mom said she could not believe what an emotional experience it was to have her daughter ask and really listen as she relived, through the questions, some important moments of her life. “Ali, she exclaimed, “what a spiritual, bonding feeling this evoked in us. I cannot believe the power of that wonderful hour with you.”
This holiday, I strongly recommend doing an hour interview as a gift for a family member or friend. The interviewee gets the gift of someone really listening to them (how often does this happen?) and the recipient and those listening to the recording, receive the lessons and experience of a lifetime. In our session, the questions my Mom felt were most poignant were when I asked her “Who has been the biggest influence in your life?, What was the most profound spiritual moment of your life?, When did you first fall in love?, How would you describe yourself as a child?”
Questions can be tailored to your individual preferences. You can probably think of a few questions of your own, but to get more questions, ideas, guidelines, and recording tips, visit the website, www.storycorps.org. It’s completely free, so much fun and a chance to connect.
Feeling a bond with someone, or something is one of the most important things for your good health. It’s what spirituality is all about – feeling like you aren’t all alone out here in this chaotic world .Whether it’s family, friends, nature, yoga, a social cause or church, get connected in a meaningful way.
My second tip is to stay healthy! Who has time to get sick? We already need 36 hours in a day and being sick takes days off your holiday plan while decreasing the quality of the season. You have an incredible amount of control in whether or not you get side-lined with a cold, flu or whatever else is going around. For six simple immune-boosting ideas, see my latest NBC clip here.
These are a few ideas to get you started. I have five more healthy ways to simplify the holidays with various gift and recipe ideas I’ll be sharing in mid-December. Remember to re-subscribe to my newsletter next week when you receive the opt-in email or by signing up on my website at alishapiro.com. You’ll be sure not to miss them! They include several yummy dishes and some of the tips I used to eat well and healthy over Thanksgiving. My health routine didn’t miss a beat and either should yours.
I’ll be back soon with more holiday ideas.
Stay warm!
Ali
A Personal Note from Me
It’s turkey time. I am already dreaming about the wonderful Thanksgiving getaway I’ll be sharing with my family at the “The Shapiro Local and Organic B&B”. It’s a Pittsburgh gem to where I often retreat. When the going gets tough, I go to Mom and Dad’s.
Being a health counselor, business owner, grad student, girlfriend, sister, daughter, and friend, I get busy. Throw in the holiday season and staying healthy can seem like another stress, even though I know my lifestyle habits keep me enthused and sane enough to see my life as rich with opportunity versus fraught with work.
There are a few great tips I’ve discovered that I want to share to help you during this extremely busy season. These will give you more time now, and when the holiday dust settles, make healthy habits an effortless part of your life. Before I get these tried-and-true tips, a couple of updates:
Upcoming Events with Me
For current and past clients, I am offering a “Staying Sane and Slim During the Holiday Season” teleclass. It’s a complimentary private class for current and past clients only and will be held Tuesday, November 24th at 7:30 p.m. I will send call-in details the second week of November, but mark your calendars now. If you don’t receive the information, please check your SPAM folder or email me.
In February, I will be starting a group program for those who want to learn the basics of healthy living as a moderate lifestyle rather than a time-consuming obsession. It will be a ten-week program meeting from February 2 till mid-April (a week spring break the first week of March) on Tuesday nights from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Eviama Spa at S.17th Street in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. It’s a healing and comforting space where you’ll join a community of people wanting to reboot from these crazy times by getting back to basics. The investment on your part is only $599, and if you bring a friend, you both will save $50. It’s an incredible value for all you’ll learn and accomplish. More details to come but email me now if you are interested. There is limited space and it will fill up fast. It will change your life!
Lastly, I have some exciting news. Many of you know I went to Sweden this summer to study sustainability. For my final course paper, I wrote an e-book about how our food choices affect global warming. In America, it’s the number one contributor to greenhouse gases, much more than cars. My professor, Dr. Alan Barstow, has asked me to present the book at a kick-off event for the Sustainability concentration in my Master’s program at Penn. In addition, I received an A+ (I’ve always been a sucker for good grades). My book, The Roots of Going Green: Your Power, Your Fork, will be available online on my website for purchase after the event on November 14. It would make a great holiday gift for someone interested in a quick, funny read that empowers readers to save themselves and the planet.
Creating Time for Your Health
Ok, enough shameless self promotion. I’ve been debunking popular health myths in my previous emails (all which can be found here) and this month, I thought it would be appropriate to visit the “Being healthy is hard work. I don’t have time.” If ever there was a time excuse, it’s during the two crazy months from Halloween thru New Year’s. Here are seven ways (four of them being attitude adjustments) to get yourself out of the “time crunch” trap:
1. Being healthy is not hard work. Like anything you start, there is a learning curve. But eventually, it becomes as automatic and addicting as stopping at Starbucks for a grande Pumpkin Spice latte. Feeling fabulous is something you’ll want more and more of, especially if like most Americans, you don’t realize how crappy you actually feel (many clients I work with never realized their lagging energy, stomach problems, and anxiousness weren’t normal). To make healthy habits easy and sustainable, select one thing a week you can do to improve your health. One thing. Maybe eat breakfast at home. Maybe start to eat breakfast. Maybe read a book on wellness. Maybe start exercising once a week. In week two, add something else. In three months, you’ll be brand spanking new. The self-confidence that comes from following through on your commitment will have you dreaming bigger.
2. Know what healthy living means. It’s not beans and sprouts, going hungry and slogging hours at the gym while doing exercise you hate. Being healthy is the exact opposite of being a martyr! It’s indulging in delicious food, working out smart not hard, doing less, living more and having the energy to do the things that make you thrive, not just survive. It’s quite freeing in that feeling great liberates you to accomplish more! Here are some fun and healthy ways to incorporate the flavors of fall I shared with Lori Wilson on NBC.
3. View time management in terms of energy management or time production. We all get 24 hours in the day. This is the only thing that makes us all equal. How we spend that time is what differentiates our lives. Taking time to cook or fit in a work-out usually means less hours exhausted in front of the couch or at the doctor’s office or waiting in line for prescriptions…or even complaining and worrying about your aliments and weight (this is no longer restricted to nursing homes across America!). You accomplish more when you take care of yourself. I think of my friend, Nicole, otherwise known as Dr. Lipkin. She is a maniac in the best way possible. The quantity and quality of her output makes me look like a lazy ass. Nicole does cross-fit five days a week, eats as healthy as anyone I know, makes time for all her friends and just got certified to drive a Vespa, all the while doing national PR for her first book launch, Generation Y in the Workplace. Her time production is through the roof. As Nicole says about making her work-outs, and diet a priority, “It’s not an option for me. Without quality workouts and an ample, satisfying and healthy diet, I don’t function adequately in mind, body or spirit. There are no good excuses for not making quality exercise and good food a priority–there are only bad excuses for not living the lives we want to live.”
4. Think self-preservation versus being selfish. Taking time for yourself and saying “no” to your endless “to-do” is healthy in and of itself. Stop trying to please everyone because you can’t. No one will miss you that much at the 99th holiday party and you’ll stop missing valuable sleep and a chance to recharge. In effect, you’ll also miss out on the sugar binge that keeps you going in the moment yet feels like a hang-over the next day. This goes for all year. Prioritize what nourishes your spirit or what’s the point of all this madness?
5. Cook on weekends. I am not a huge cooking fan, and I hate dishes. I love cooking as long as I’m doing it once or twice a week (which also means one set of dishes!) My fascination with food is how it fuels me to live the life I want to live, not in complicated cooking techniques. So on Sundays, I hit the farmers market, put the Steelers game on and do the two-step: cook for two hours to make two soups, two side dishes and two main dishes. I learned quick and easy ways to cook and add vegetables to all of these meals. Bam! Done for the week! If I get inspired, maybe I’ll cook another night. While I enjoy those couple of hours cooking, I find an added benefit is that cooking this way is faster than take-out or going out to eat (even living in a city where I can walk to a restaurant in two minutes!). I’m always five minutes of re-heating away from a delicious, fuel-powering meal.
6. Invest in a crock-pot. These machines make me know the Universe wants people to cook. You throw in a bunch of ingredients, walk away and come home to a warm, aromatic dinner you can eat for the rest of the week if you wanted. Soups and stews work especially well here.
7. Work-out smart not hard. Long hours at the gym are unnecessary and can sabotage your health goals, particularly weight-loss. Learn about interval and weight training. Find a trainer who understands this; google it; invest in my “Supercharging Your Metabolism” teleclass here where I provide the knowledge and examples of these work-outs; do whatever it takes. You’ll reduce your gym time, waistline and your risk for disease. Less is more.
If there’s a will, there’s a very easy way to being healthy. For those of you who feel it’s more the emotional side of the equation that’s getting in your way, I strongly recommend purchasing the recording of my teleclass, “Divine Secrets of the Unemotional Eating Sisterhood”, which got rave reviews last month. I had several people email me about “aha” moments they had and new perspectives on why they overeat. The holiday season is a huge source of overeating for many of us. If you want to be able to indulge in just one or two peanut butter blossoms or Christmas cookie cut-outs and not arrive January 1 with another five pounds to lose, I highly recommend this call. It’s available for purchase here. And you can download it to your iPod, so there’s no excuse about not having the time! All of the other calls I’ve hosted are also available for purchase here. It could be your one thing this week you do for you and your health.
As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, remember the gratitude piece of this season. It sometimes gets lost in the turkey, stuffing and too much pumpkin pie, yet it’s especially important during these turbulent times. Life usually cracks us open so the light can shine in. Make this time count. When we know better, we do better and in effect, feel better.
Gobble gobble,
Ali
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This Newsletter is written by Ali Shapiro and www.alishapiro.com. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to: ali@alishapiro.com
September Newsletter
September 1, 2009
It’s September 1 and I’m curious how we got here. Seriously. What a bullet train of a year it’s been. Somehow it got to be August and I realized, “Wow, I haven’t had one week of vacation all year!” That’s how consumed I have been with all that I’ve been juggling.
Fall is a time to reflect and refocus. For those ready to finally lose weight for good and ditch their dieting drama, my September teleclass will be about what the dieting industry doesn’t want you to know and the proven, scientific weight loss formula that those 5 percent of people who do keep weight off, including myself and my clients, know that you don’t. All the details are here. It’s going to be life-changing.
To give you an idea of some of the success I’ve had with the approach I’ll be discussing on this call, check out a former client of mine Sera’s story here . It will inspire you to really look behind your dieting drama.
This month I’m taking a break from debunking myths and hours of writing, researching and witticisms. I’m a little tapped out from an e-book I’m writing for my summer grad course on sustainability which point to our industrial food system as the largest contributor to global warming. Yep, before you get smug over your hybrid and recyling habits, look at your fork. More details to come about when that will be available. In the meantime, support your local farmers!
I’ll resume in October with my view on crappy health information that you need not digest. For now, I am just going to be. Because I write this newsletter a couple of weeks in advance, I want and need my one week of summer vacation which allows me to be “unplugged”. I’m recycling some blog posts to keep you on your toes and engaged in some of the most important health topics of our day.
If you are only going to read one, please read the conservative view on health-care reform written by Dr. Andrew Weil. It’s important because if we adopted true conservative reform (not what’s being peddled as conservative!), the system wouldn’t be overburdened or overpriced. Everyone could have access to quality care and we’d actually have a health-care system worth fighting for. Life would really be so simple if some people would just play nice in the sandbox and share!
A view of REAL conservative health-care reform
Before you go hating on Michael Vick
Exhale. I’ve had to do that a lot lately as I feel people have become particularly judgmental, especially without a whole lot of facts. I guess it’s a survival technique – and so is rest, relaxation and unplugging! So rest assured, I’ll be back in October fired up all over again.
Bring on fall and dem Stillers (for those not from Pittsburgh, that’s how they say it in Pittsburgh. It’s not a typo)!
Ali
August Newsletter
August 3, 2009
August already? The summer has flown by without much relaxation and I’m feeling the effects of maintaining such a crazy pace. The antidote? A week this month in Pittsburgh for organic food straight from Mom’s garden, workouts with Dad at the YMCA, yoga with old friends, and simply soaking in the suburban quiet.
Relaxation and time-outs may seem unproductive, but they help preserve energy and enthusiasm for life, but more on that when I debunk Myth #3 around health: I’m always exhausted and drained, but that comes with getting older.
First, a couple of updates:
1. My new Lounge & Learn teleclass series kicked off in July. What a success! DailyCandy.com picked up the new offering and the feedback on the “Living Gluten-Free Happy Belly” teleclass has been phenomenal. The recording and all the handouts are available for purchase on my website here. The second call, “Get Up, Wake Up, and Stay Up” will be August 17 from 7:30pm – 8:45 pm. If you have trouble sleeping and need more energy, this call is for you. The last teleclass sold out, so I strongly suggest signing up today.
2. My new website www.alishapiro.com is about to be launched (the old site is up now). I’m so excited! If you’d still like to receive my newsletter, you’ll have to sign up through this new site. I’ll let you know when this happens, but please note you’ll need to take action if you want to keep receiving my monthly health insights.
Both of these sentiments may be true, but they aren’t excuses for you not to be energized and excited about your life. I’m going to get a little harsh here—yes, many of you like using this myth as an excuse to justify how you feel and not to change. Well, I’m not going to let you and here are five problems and solutions to not let your age become an excuse for declining health.
Problem: You eat like crap (and have been for years). What you put in your mouth becomes the building blocks for your cells, blood, bones, and tissues. Your body cannot regenerate and run on high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and hydrogenated oils. Would you expect your car to run on sludge? You may get a temporary surge of energy, but gradually it wears down and eventually kills the motor.
Solution: Eat real food, not imitation food…now. Real food doesn’t come in packages and doesn’t have an advertising team convincing you to eat it. Real food has vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins and carbohydrates that regenerate your body and talks to your DNA about whether to turn disease on or off. The body is resilient and with a commitment to eating whole foods, you’ll feel better than you ever imagined.
Problem: You don’t understand your medication. While many medications are helpful in masking symptoms, most of them do not get to the root of your health problem and meanwhile are causing you all kinds of nasty side effects. According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, eight million people are hospitalized annually for disease brought on by prescription drugs and 17 percent of all hospital admissions are caused by the drug side effects administered by an MD. For example, inflammation often causes high cholesterol. So, while a drug may lower your cholesterol, your body is still inflamed by your diet, lifestyle choices, or an infection. So while your lab numbers may go down, there’s still a fire going on inside your body.
Solution: Work with a healthcare professional trained in functional medicine who can get to the root of your problem and not just mask the symptoms. Even diagnoses that seem irreversible like Lupus, IBS, and Chronic Fatigue can be corrected with cleaning up your digestive system. To find a doctor trained in functional medicine, click here. If it’s something diet and lifestyle related like IBS or high blood pressure, find a health counselor who can help you make better choices that’ll give you quality and quantity of life.
Problem: You can’t sleep anymore. Many people seem to have a difficult time falling asleep the older they get. Why? Added stress, poor diet and lifestyle habits make it more difficult to absorb the nutrients that help you sleep.
Solution: Watch my NBC clip on sleep tips here or join my teleclass on August 17. You’ll feel invigorated with new ideas and all the sleep you’ll finally deserve.
Problem: You never relax. You can try and fight your body, but it’ll always win. Unlike man-made laws, nature’s laws never change. You cannot go, go, and go and expect not to burn out. The body needs to rest because that’s when it’s repairing itself (rebuilding tissues, regulating blood pressure and blood sugar, and other maintenance work) in order for you to perform at your peak. Plus, what’s the point if life is one fire drill after another?
Solution: Reframe how you view downtime. We all have 24 hours in the day. Time is the great equalizer. How we manage our time is what defines us. If you think of life in terms of energy management versus time management, you’ll see why others seem to have it all while you are spending two hours a night exhausted in front of the TV, your lunch break at the doctor or weeks battling a cold or allergies. When you relax, you recharge. Taking an hour for yoga or 30 minutes to read a great book will give you a fabulous return on your investment in quality of energy, less sick days, and peace of mind (remember, quality of life matters as much as quantity!)
Problem: You are boring. Think about it, when was the last time you experienced pure bliss? Or when you were working hard at something you believed in? When’s the last time you laughed so hard almond milk came out your nose? Here’s a little hint: you can eat all kale in the world, but if there isn’t something in your life inspiring you to get out of bed in the morning, who cares? Who wants to live longer when you aren’t enjoying the life you have now?
Solution: Build a life that matters to you! Think about what feeds your soul. Somehow along the way, many of us traded in fun and free time for possessions and jobs that pay for stuff we don’t need. Having a life you love is like a sugar high that doesn’t end. Start with easy things: who can you spend more time with in your life that energizes you? What hobbies have you dropped or would like to try? Pretty soon, you’ll realize the Puritan’s had it all wrong and this fun thing matters if you want to be a better person. And who knows, you may be so giddy you move onto a job that reflects this new found happy person. To get inspired, check out KT’s success story, a client who realized her emotional eating was a spiritual journey to find a life aligned with her strengths and values.
When I work with my clients, they often realize by changing over to a whole foods lifestyle, their lives become more whole in the process. They want to relax and fun seems to find them and with the clarity, energy, and confidence that comes from firing on all cylinders, their lives match how they feel, not their age. Don’t become a victim of low expectations: Getting older really means getting wiser if you take care of your body and soul.
Ezra Taft Benson, a devoted farmer and steward of the land said, “When you are tempted to look elsewhere for greener pastures, just remember someone else is probably looking at yours. And if another pasture looks greener, perhaps it is getting better care and attention. Grass is always greener…where it is watered.”
I’m off to take my own advice. Lots of rest, relaxation, and fun exploring Pittsburgh with great family and friends. The fall will certainly be busy, so if I rest up now, I’ll be in shape for all the excitement life has to offer.
Be Well,
Ali
You May Have Grandma’s Genes But Not Her Environment
July 6, 2009
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
Ah, summer is here! Let fun and laughter begin. One thing that makes me giggle is when people ask, “Is this the health food section?”
“As opposed to the diseased section?”
Why “health food” gets singled out is because of the many misconceptions around healthy eating. That’s why over the coming months, I’ll debunk the top 11 myths around this topic. Starting with Myth #1 in today’s post: I can’t afford to buy all the fancy food that goes into a healthy diet. The bottom line is that healthy eating is not more expensive. To prove it, I’ll provide you with some valuable resources to keep your wallet fat and your body fit.
But, before we get there, some quick updates: I’m now on Facebook and Twitter. If you belong to Facebook, find me under Ali Shapiro, Ingredients for Inspired Living and on Twitter, I’m AliMShapiro. You’ll get consistent inspiration for healthy living and first access to juicy tips, recipes and upcoming events. Special thanks to my intern Kristina who is fearlessly leading me into the wild wild west of cyberspace.
Secondly, I’m starting to offer teleclasses. The first one open to the public (current and past clients will get a free sneak peak in June) will be on July 13. This teleclass will be about transitioning to a gluten-free lifestyle, who can benefit and how to do it. You’ll be shocked by all the havoc gluten can wreak on a person. To give you an idea, read T.P’s testimonial here on how axing gluten from her diet eliminated her debilitating PMS symptoms. More details to come. It’ll fill up fast, so if you are on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll get the news first.
Now onto saving some dough (100% whole grain of course!). Fruits and vegetables sometimes cost more than Tastykakes or a bag of Soy Chips. No one is arguing that. It’s because of an outdated farm policy that subsidizes some of the unhealthiest crops (sugar, soy, wheat, etc). But it’s important to look at food in the context of your entire life, not just the moment you are eating. So, here are the top 10 reasons why healthy eating isn’t more expensive.
1. When you eat an apple versus a Tastykake or a bland Lean Cuisine (i.e. whole food vs. processed foods) your appetite decreases since you are receiving more nutrition. Eating less = saving money. Nutrients fill you because your body has what it needs to perform. After all, the original purpose of food was (and still is) to fuel your body.
2. Your body will run optimally on good food. When this happens, you save on repair costs: heartburn, digestive and allergy medications, weight-loss programs, prescription drugs, and doctor visit co-pays. Not to mention the time and hassle of dealing with insurance companies and a much improved quality of life.
3. You can buy healthy food in bulk. Healthy food is many times cheaper because there are no advertising, packaging or marketing costs. One of my most basic roles as a health counselor is to be a PR person for fruits and vegetables. Because there is no big money in whole foods, there’s no big budget.
For example, at the Senate health care reform meeting, Dr. Mark Hyman cited the food industry spends $30 billion a year to educate us on why we should eat junk food. $30 BILLION! When you buy whole grains, beans, spices, and nuts in bulk, you end up feeding yourself and not hungry advertisers and executives who get bonuses the more people develop Type 2 diabetes from their crappy food.
As a side note, the Wall Street Journal did an investigative piece on if Whole Foods was more expensive than Trader Joe’s and other grocery stores. They found the bill was virtually the same, but people tended to buy specialty items at Whole Foods that noticeably increased the price of their grocery bill. The lesson here: Stay away from truffles and fancy imported cheeses and you’ll come out even.
4. Eating healthy requires you to cook, which is almost always healthier than eating out and it saves you a bundle. One client told me she had an extra $50 in her wallet at the end of every workweek just from cooking at home. Check out 100 budget and time-friendly healthy meals here for inspiration. Excuses begone!
5. Eating healthy = chewing, not inhaling. It’s simple and just a matter of retraining your jaw to chew 20-30 times. This is a very healthy habit and will maximize the nutrients you absorb. How many times have you eaten in front of a glowing computer monitor and been hungry an hour later? Much more information here from my latest NBC segment.
6. Farm fresh food is always a hit with your body. Join a Community-Supported Agriculture Share (CSA). A client of mine paid $330 for 13 weeks of fresh fruits and veggies – that’s $25.50 per week on fruits and veggies, the equivalent of one night of eating out.
7 and 8. Eat in season and being thrifty at your local farmers market does the mind, body and soul good by connecting you to the very people who grow your food. Click here to find out what’s in season and how to buy frugally at the farmers market.
9. Visit the grocery store Whole Foods’ website. This site shows how to shop there aisles on a budget, monthly specials and recipes to go along with the specials.
10. Checking out organic food coupon provider Mambo Sprouts here. Remember, however, that you want to buy more real foods than products.
As you can see, there are so many ways to eat well and cheaply. And once you start feeling great, you’ll understand beyond dollars, that there’s nothing in the world worth more than wonderful health. It changes everything.
I understand we all have different values. Some people balk at paying for good food but will think nothing of buying the latest season of clothing or over-priced product that promises to make you beyond beautiful.
But remember this: when you eat well, you are comfortable in your body, your skin glows against shiny hair, there’s a huge smile on your face and you have a je ne sais quoi about you. So the woman in the elevator who has a Chanel bag swinging from her arm, over-priced tank-top, bumble-bee Gucci sunglasses, and is comparing herself to you, is still going to think you’ve won because you look way better and, most importantly, you feel healthy.
And beyond the superficial, eating well is an investment in yourself. Yes, free-range meat costs more than conventional and organic foods can sometimes be pricier. But while you may have to spend a bit more upfront, the people who get ahead in life do this all the time. It’s why people invest in real estate or further their education – it pays big bucks!
But remember, with food, it pays in the short run too. You need to think of food as energy and the higher quality you ingest/invest, the more you and your life will be worth.
Next month, we’ll investigate why Granny got away with her chain-smoking, drinking like a fish, eating-whatever-she-wanted bad habits and lived to be 90 and why this won’t work for you.
Until July, catch me on Facebook and/or Twitter. Lots of great information to share throughout June, including details of my trip to Sweden!
Bon voyage on your cheap eats adventure,
Ali
Don’t assume…it makes an ASS out of U and ME
April 30, 2009
I was 23 and working in Paris when my manager showed me the A*S*S U ME play on words after I naively took some project “facts” at face value. I never forgot that lesson. And it’s one I’m thankful explorers of all types understand. From those who discovered the world was round (there’s debate about who gets credit) to women like my Mom who was the first woman in her family to go to college and in effect, gave her daughters a belief in endless opportunity and sons across the nation a chance to grow up watching girls do the same things they did.
Each time I travel overseas, further my education, and expand my business, I’m grateful to these trailblazers for allowing me to live with more choices than there are combinations of Starbucks lattes. Thank you for asking, “Says who?”
Right now, families, communities and our nation are being forced to re-examine many of the beliefs mistakenly swallowed as facts. Many are questioning how to define themselves without things they can no longer afford, how to trust government or Big Business and how in a land of plenty, how our health-care system has become one giant misfortune.
Contrary to all the reports about people being stressed out (minus those listening to fanatical views on the right and left), people’s health actually improves during a recession. We get back to what is important. We cook. We walk. We connect. Now is an ideal time to get your health and your life back into working order.
To help, I’m starting to unravel the top misconceptions (some call them excuses) I hear every day about living a healthy lifestyle. This will start today and continue in upcoming newsletters. And for those of you who used to believe this hypnotic rhetoric, I’d love to hear from you on what helped you chart a better course (and with your permission, include your comments in upcoming newsletters.) Don’t be bashful—I know you’re out there: you always stand out in a crowd because you genuinely feel great all around and have the accompanying glow to prove it.
Top 11 Assumptions About Healthy Living
1. Healthy eating is expensive (see my tips here on NBC on how to save money and your health).
2. My Grandma smoked, drank like a fish and ate whatever she wanted. She lived to be 90.
3. Healthy eating takes discipline and sacrifice. I like to enjoy what I eat.
4. Being healthy is hard work. I don’t have time.
5. There’s medication for that. Taking a pill is easier.
6. Nutrition can’t help me. I have high cholesterol, blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, IBS, Depression, Anxiety and MS (to name a few).
7. I eat healthy! I have Kashi for breakfast, a salad for lunch, Activa yogurt for my probiotics and put Splenda in my coffee…and always eat fat and sugar free.
8. I just can’t lose weight. I’ve struggled with my weight all my life and probably will forever. No matter how much I count calories or exercise, I can’t seem to get my weight under control.
9. My doctor said…
10. I’m always exhausted and drained. But that’s part of getting older.
11. [Insert ailment or disease here] runs in my family. It’s genetic.
Have you ever said any of these things to yourself or believe them on some level? I’ll start unraveling these myths over the next several months and, even if you don’t believe all of them, there will be fascinating information to help you look at your own health care in a new way. Regardless of how the winds of change affect the U.S. health care system, the ultimate responsibility will always be yours.
Don’t put the most precious asset you’ll ever own, regardless of a recession or plunging stock market, into someone else’s hands to manage. Definitely consult with experts and get support, but be in charge. Call the shots like Sherrill, a former client of mine, did. When we started working together, she was pre-diabetic and after five short months, she is off her medications and feels better than she ever has. Check out her story here and be inspired.
And then start challenging yourself and your assumptions about what you believe is possible for your health and your life. My clients and me – our stocks are rising. Are yours?
To a blooming May,
Ali
Spring is here!
After a successful detox, I feel like I just came out of the shop! My mood matches the sense of renewal accompanying spring. For those who want to reboot their own health, I’ll join two of Philly’s premier wellness professionals on April 25th to provide you with an ultimate health makeover. All the details to hit the reset button on your health are on this blog under “Events”. This workshop will provide the information and inspiration to achieve and sustain the loftiest of health goals.
The warmer weather brings sun dresses, tank tops and bathing suits. Regardless of how cute the outfit, radiant skin is the best accessory. Food choices make or break your complexion.
Here’s my recent NBC segment on this topic.
After viewing the clip, you can see I discuss food allergies. Because of genetic modifications to our food supply, overeating the same foods and an increase stress on our digestive system because of processed foods and environmental pollutants, food allergies are skyrocketing.
In this clip, I mention gluten, the protein found in wheat and grains in the wheat family (think spelt, kamut, barley, and rye). Some people think this is another fad-diet trick to drop weight. While it’s true many people do lose weight after eliminating gluten from their diet, it’s in large part due to inflammation levels dropping dramatically.
Food allergies and sensitivities of all kinds trigger inflammation in the body. Too much inflammation will prevent you from losing weight (we’ll discuss this cutting-edge science in detail at the Ultimate Health Makeover workshop) and in many cases, cause you to gain weight. But more than that, food allergies contribute to a dramatic decrease in the quality of life. If you experience constipation, diarrhea, anxiety, depression, asthma, disturbed sleep, PMS and/or lower immunity, you might want to examine if you have food allergies or sensitivities. The video clip provides a starting point on how to do this on your own.
Since cutting gluten out of my diet, my anxiousness and sweet cravings are down (you tend to crave what you are allergic too), while my focus, energy and optimism are flying high. I’ve seen several clients experience a dramatic turn-around in their own health once they go on low to no gluten diets. From eliminating debilitating PMS symptoms to clearing up skin rashes to dropping stubborn weight, they enjoy how wonderful they feel in their bodies more than working around glutenous foods. But as always, test it out for yourself if you suspect any food allergy. Your body will tell you the truth if you take the time to listen.
In the spirit of spring, try to look at things anew, especially the messages your body (including your skin!) are telling you.
Be well,
Ali
5 Quick and Healthy Cooking Tips
March 2, 2009
Bring on Spring!
February was cold and I’m starting to think my least favorite month of the year. Put a fork in me, I’m done! There were some warming moments: the Steelers 6th, yes, SIXTH Super Bowl win, my third NBC TV appearance and some exciting news I’ll be happy to share in the coming months.
I’ll give you a hint: the American spirit of optimism is being infused into health-care. People are getting the message – radiant health is our natural state. We are in exciting times! I’ll share more details of how this will be affecting my practice in the upcoming months. If you are a Big Food or Big Pharma company, you might want to start shaking in your boots!
I’m hoping March will bring sunnier and warmer weather. I know the last two days of February reminded us Philadelphians Spring is on the way! If you want to be ready, don’t forget to sign-up for the Spring Boot Camp workshop that starts March 11. Deadline to RSVP is today.
You’ll learn how to detox, the cutting-edge science on weight-loss, the mind-set for permanent health and life changes and much, much more. All the details are under “Events” on this blog.
So one thing I’ve learned juggling the roles of a health counselor, business owner and grad student, time is GOLD! Here are some great tips to help you quick faster and healthier:
1. Soak your whole-grains. This reduces cooking time and eliminates phytic acid, a coating on grains that inhibits nutrient absorption.
2. Water-boil your meat/fish versus frying. I started this because I wanted to avoid the carcinogens that result from grilling and frying. Then I realized, it makes cleaning the pan so easy! This saves at least five minutes and the mental stress of thinking about doing
dishes (which is a great inhibitor for many to even cook at all).
3. Chop onions and store in a glass container. Onions add flavor to everything from eggs to veggies. Chopping them can be time consuming unless you do it all at once. Trying chopping three onions at a time and storing them in a glass container in the fridge. They last for a couple of weeks but you’ll use them before they ever go bad.
4. Raid your hydrator drawer. Take all the root and sweet veggies (carrots, squashes, onions, potatoes) in this drawer, cut them up, throw them together in the oven, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 (oven temps and times vary) for one hour. Add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg for extra flavor. No need to run to the store or tend to this recipe. With a little creativity, you’ll have a veggie side dish that will last for days.
5. Crock-pot, crock-pot, crock-pot. No elaboration necessary. This machine makes me believe in miracles.
Cooking is a meditative and grounding process. I hope these tips help make it relaxing, simple and pleasurable too. Remember, the revolution starts in the kitchen!
Chin up,
Ali
