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Happy Valentine's Day!
In honor of the holiday around love, I've
included an
article below about our life-long
relationship with
food. Here, I'd like to touch on our life-long
relationship with ourselves. I've been
reading and
hearing and talking a lot about
loving ourselves. So what's the big deal?
Is this
some soft and fuzzy concept reserved for
those who
don't have anything else to worry about? When
you're stressed about the mechanic's bill, or
your
child's grades, or getting through your next
company
review, you don't have time to feel all
twinkly and
nice inside, right?
Well, you may not be able to change all of
the things
in your life that stress you. You may feel
frustrated
with yourself, you may blame yourself, judge
yourself, and beat yourself up for what's
going on
and how you're handling it. You may think it
wouldn't
make any difference to love yourself by
withholding
that judgement and blame and simply accepting
who
you are unconditionally.
I think it makes a HUGE difference. On the
surface,
your life would be much more pleasant without
the
record of self-punishing thoughts going
around and
around in your head. On a deeper level, you and
your life would change significantly. Think
about this: How
does any living thing respond when approached with
love? Children, animals, even
angry
customers react much differently when approached with patience and
kindness than
when they are
attacked with anger, blame, and disapproval. Could you expect a child to flourish, to grow into the best version of themselves, when showered with those kinds of messages? Same
with you. If your soul is the seed and your thoughts are the sun and water, what sort of life are you cultivating?
When it comes to nourishing this relationship you
have with
yourself, where do you start? The first thing you can do is listen - tune into your thoughts and become aware of the tone of how you talk to yourself. On another level, one of the
easiest and
most enjoyable ways is to begin to schedule
fun for
yourself. You may have fun running or
playing with
your dogs, getting a massage or going out with
friends, reading or taking a nap. Whatever
it is, put
something FUN on your to-do list every day.
Not once
a month, or once a week - every day! If you're
concerned about time, then start with small
chunks: a
15 minute cup of tea with a book, a bit of
horseplay
with the kids after dinner, 10 minutes of
dancing to
your favorite music.
For other ideas to help you get off the
self-critical
merry-go-round, read the article below. And
after the
valentines, the hugs, the boxes of chocolates,
don't forget to say "I love you" to yourself
with play every
day!
All the best in life and health,
Jen
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Soul Food
 Think for a moment of a food from your past, one that makes you feel great after you eat it, for seemingly no good reason. Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating a food like this, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious, and even though you wouldn't eat it every day, can be incredibly healing.
Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical wellbeing. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother's cooking or our country of ancestry. Our body remembers food from our past on an emotional as well as cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food's biochemical make-up.
Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. This month when we celebrate lovers and relationships, it's important to notice that we each have a relationship with food-and that this relationship is often far from loving. We restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. We ignore food, swallowing it whole before we've even tasted it.
What would your life be like if you treated food and your body like you would treat your beloved-with gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you. |
Food Focus: Chocolate
Valentine's Day and a box of chocolates seem to go hand in hand, just like the love-struck couple nibbling from the heart-shaped container. Besides its smooth, luxurious texture and rich flavor, have you ever wondered what makes chocolate so readily associated with love? Why not gift your sweetie with a tin of peanut brittle or a bag of craisins? You might have heard some of the many reports about the "health benefits" of chocolate. It turns out that the main ingredient of chocolate really does have a powerful effect on our brain chemistry and our hormones as well as our immune system.
The research that has been creating the health buzz around chocolate has been primarily done on the raw chocolate bean. Many people are familiar with the term "cocoa", but the correct name is cacao (kuh 'kow). The bean comes from the tree species "theobroma cacao" which translates as "food of the gods." Whoever came up with the name certainly knew what they were talking about!
Raw cacao is one of the healthiest foods on earth. The complete body of research is extensive, so I want to point out some of the most amazing health benefits this superfood can boast:
- It's an aphrodisiac (This is #1 in honor of Valentine's Day). Cacao contains arginine which plays an important role in the release of hormones in the body as well as acts as a natural healing agent and strengthens the immune system.
- It makes you feel happy! Cacao stimulates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain. Dopamine provides feelings of enjoyment, and is also released naturally in the body after sex and when in love. Cacao also stimulates serotonin production.
- It helps your heart! Cacao is a great source of magnesium which is essential for healthy heart function.
- It's one of the most antioxidant rich foods on the planet. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals in the body to prevent disease.
- It's a great energy booster. Cacao contains theobromine which acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system and has also been used to treat high blood pressure.
- It improves memory and brain function. The pleasure-inducing dopamine mentioned above also helps improve general mental function and improves your ability to remember people and events.
Again, the biggest benefits come from eating the raw cacao beans, which you can find at most health food stores or at www.sunfood.com/?q=cacao_nibs_gods . You may grind them in a coffee grinder and add them generously to smoothies, desserts, hot chocolate, or try the delicious spread recipe below!
While distinctly rich and flavorful, the raw beans are bitter, so it's a good idea to add a natural sweetener. If you do not eat cacao raw, the next best thing for your health is super dark chocolate sweetened with raw cane sugar or dehydrated cane juice. Many of the most popular brands will advertise a percentage on the wrapper to indicate the cacao content - the higher the percentage, the less sugar the chocolate. Some of the best brands are Dagoba, Chocolove, and Endangered Species chocolate - but my all time favorite is Green and Blacks (70% cacao to be specific). All of these can be found on www.worldwidechocolate.com or www.chocolatebar.com.
Sadly, milk chocolate does not boast the health benefits that its dark counterpart does. I know many people prefer milk chocolate but studies have shown that dairy and sugar actually inhibit the absorption of chocolates' powerful supply of antioxidants.
For more information, check out www.rawfood.com or the book "Naked Chocolate," by David Wolfe.
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| Recipe of the Month:
Chocolate Nut Butter Spread
PREP TIME: 5-10 minutes
SERVES: 1
Ingredients:
- 4 T raw almond butter (can also use regular
almond butter or peanut
butter)
-
3 T raw ground cacao nibs
-
2 T raw agave nectar or honey
-
1/8 t sea salt
1. Combine all ingredients
well.
2. Spread over any fruit. (Apples work great!)
3. Revel in healthy goodness!
To grind the cacao, use a coffee grinder.
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Rediscover Your Best Self
At Vital Touch Wellness we are committed to your life-long health and vitality. Our mission is to help our clients live their lives to the fullest, offering holistic health counseling, therapeutic massage, cooking classes, and nutrition workshops.
We have highly experienced and intuitive massage therapists on staff whose goal is to free your body from pain and tension and clear your mind of stress... so you feel uplifted and better able to take on your life with joy... long after you walk out our door!
As a holistic health counselor, I offer an individualized program to guide my clients through the confusing flood of information and research about nutrition. I help you discover which foods and lifestyle choices work best for you and your body to help you reach and maintain your goals. My mission is to inspire and empower you to nourish yourself from the inside out by integrating the best of traditional, eastern and western approaches to health! Come in for a free initial consultation with the coupon below, or forward this newsletter to a friend who could use some support improving their health. See my website for more details.
All the best,
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Jennifer McLamb, CMT, CHHC
Founder and Director,
Vital Touch Wellness |
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