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Happy New Year, !
Americans love resolutions. A fresh, crisp, positive mission feels great. Unfortunately, most resolutions become rear-view-mirror memories by the end of January. We start out strong and motivated. But day-to-day life takes over. And we allow our habits to run our lives again. But some people DO succeed in changing their lives. I get to see this all the time, and it's amazing! KC and LS lost over 20 pounds. BM kicked his sugar addiction to the curb. DP quit a job she was skilled at to create one she loves. MK stopped saying yes to cholesterol meds. MS reclaimed a consistent good night's sleep. FM stopped blaming her family for her habits and stopped buying junk food. LT forced candida out of her body. BG reversed her diabetes. ND reclaimed time to take care of herself - not just her family. I could go on and on! In this issue, I share some tips from my most successful clients. You might be surprised at what separates them from the pack. Let their wisdom help you to make 2011 your best year ever.
Don't let the cold leave you stuck in front of the TV or laptop, mindlessly sucking down orange, crunchy things. Winter is a great time to prioritize your health! Join us for a Whole Foods walking nutrition seminar or a cooking class or a weight loss class. Try a new recipe (this month's stew is one of my personal favorites). Explore a new food. Make choices that will create the future you want. Eat on purpose. Live on purpose.
Be Well!
Tracy |
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In This Issue
- Lovin' Legumes
- Tell Me The Truth
- Winter Cooking and
Weight Loss Classes
- Why Some Succeed
(and Others Don't)
- Apricot, Lamb, Lentil Stew
- What Inspires Me
- WFM Tour, Framingham
on Sat, January 22nd
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Lovin' Legumes
Do you think every meal needs to include a piece of meat in order to give you adequate protein? Well, think again! And open your mind to the wonderful world of legumes. This family of vegetables includes beans, peas, and lentils. Legumes are an easy way to add high-quality, plant-based protein to your diet. They are high in iron, B vitamins (especially folic acid), and fiber; plus, they are versatile enough that you may never tire of them. There are so many varieties of beans with unique tastes: kidney, black, canellini, cranberry, anasazi, adzuki, great northern, just to name a few. I personally love black-eyed peas and small, tender French lentils. A wonderful vegetarian meal option, legumes pair well with whole grains or nuts as the two foods together form a complete protein.
Buy organic, dried beans or peas or lentils, ideally in the bulk food section. Make sure they are fresh; old ones will not soften, even with thorough cooking. Remember to sort and rinse your legumes first, removing any shriveled ones and pebbles. Your purchase will stay fresh longer when stored in a cool, dark place (rather than on your countertop). If you buy canned beans, consider those made by Eden Organics who soak their beans before cooking, don't use harmful can linings (learn more about BPA dangers), and do not add ridiculous amounts of salt (unlike most canned bean brands) .
Concerned about gas? Some people do have difficulty digesting beans and legumes and develop gas, intestinal problems, or GI irritability. Don't let those concerns keep you from this nutritional powerhouse. Try soaking dried beans in cool water with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice for several hours before cooking. Adding another splash of vinegar in the last 15 minutes of cooking also renders beans easier to digest. Don't add salt until the very end of cooking. This soaking process also makes the legumes more nutritious by eliminating natural mineral binders.
 This month's recipe features lentils. High in many minerals and fiber, the rich earthy taste of lentils pairs well with the sweetness of apricots and the rich flavor of walnuts. My clients Marianne and Susan loved it, so I thought I'd share the recipe with all of you. You might also try sautéing cooked lentils with garlic, cumin, olive oil, and a little red pepper. Warm, satisfying fodder for cold winter nights. Enjoy!
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Winter Group Classes are Filling up: Join us!
Are you ready to make 2011 your healthiest year yet? Really?! Don't end up like the average American with a dead-in-the-water New Year's Resolution by the end of January. Give yourself or a loved one the gift of feeling better - and having fun while learning how to do it! Call 508-944-1407 or email tracy@eatonpurpose.com to register.
Eat and Cook on PurposeMost people don't eat on purpose. We eat by default, by convenience, at random, or even mindlessly. There are so many conflicting media and marketing messages bombarding our lives. Even those of us who try to make healthy choices are often misled by common health myths. Eating healthily feels hard, boring, confusing, restrictive, or just not fun. Well, it doesn't have to be that way... Join us to learn to Eat and Cook on Purpose. Every class includes fascinating facts and education to overturn many common health myths, a cooking demonstration with sampling, and nutrition handouts and recipes to take home - all in a relaxed, fun setting. $130/month (or $220 for 2 family members) for 3-month program.
Six biweekly Tuesdays from Feb. 1st at 6:30pm
Weigh Less; Live More!
Do you want to...
· Love the person you see in the mirror?
· Enjoy and savor your food without guilt?
· Not be a slave to your food cravings?
· Keep your weight loss off forever?
· Have more energy everyday?
You deserve this kind of life. This is weight loss without diets. No fads, no gimmicks. Just natural, enjoyable weight loss that's permanent because we make step-by-step changes that are compatible with your lifestyle and with foods you enjoy. And we work on the emotional health of your life and the critical mindset you need to help lock in your new healthy habits so they *stick* for good this time. $110/month (or $190 for 2 family members) for 3-month program.
Six biweekly Wednesdays from Feb. 2nd at 7:00pm
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Why Some People Succeed (and Others Don't)
Each year, I have the amazing privilege of helping hundreds of people to change their lives. To achieve amazing health and happiness goals. To create new futures. I am so grateful for the joy I get to experience in being witness to what people can do with their lives. And I have learned a few things about what separates those who eventually succeed from those who don't. As you consider your own 2011 goals, here are a few, critical tips from my most successful clients....
They want it. A lot. Overall, people who succeed in changing their lives aren't smarter or luckier than the rest of us. They don't have easier or simpler lives. They still have kids and pets and inlaws and busy schedules and demanding bosses and troubled relationships and bills to pay and hang-ups from their childhood. But making the change they want doesn't slot into their To-Do list somewhere between organizing photo albums and cleaning out the garage. It's at the top. Yes, the top. Above a whole host of errands and should-dos and have-to-dos and things they could choose to feel guilty about. They put themselves first. They stop waiting for time to focus on their goals; they make the time.
They don't expect it to be easy. For most people, change is hard. Wanting it is easy. Talking about it is easy. Doing it is not. Those who succeed expect to struggle. But they don't focus on the hard days, the slip-ups, or the missed opportunities. They don't worry about how fast or how perfectly they meet their goals. They bring some gentleness into their journey and make room for ups and downs along the way. Babies would never learn to walk if they got overloaded with guilt every time they fell down. I worked for an inspiring manager years ago who said, "Research shows that only one in twenty new ideas ever succeeds in being implemented. So let's get busy failing! The sooner we start tripping, the sooner we will get to the prize. Stop pre-judging everything. Just get going." Indeed. The only real failure is in giving up.
They tame the voice in their head. Even in situations where we are truly miserable, there is tremendous inertia in our lives to keep things the same. We all have egos. I think of them as sock puppets. Yours is  that voice in your head streaming a constant litany of commentary, judging, justifying and reinforcing our habits. Blah, blah, blah. In fact, the ego's job is to keep everything in our lives anchored to our past: "There's no way this is going to work. I just don't have the time. What if I inconvenience someone? What if they talk about me behind my back? I know I'm going to mess it up. See, there I go - failing already; let's have a cookie." Infants try hundreds of times to grab their toes before succeeding the first time. Do you think they would ever succeed if their self-talk along the way was, "See, I'm an idiot. This is never going to work. Why am I even trying?" Attempts to silence the voice tend to make it louder. Instead, make friends with it. Find some humor in it. Give the loudmouth a name. Then choose not to take it seriously. Remember that voice is about keeping you stuck in your past.
Congratulations to all my wonderful clients who made deeply impressive changes in their lives in 2010. Your persistence and commitment to yourself truly inspire me every day. We can all act to make 2011 our best year ever. We just have to choose to make it so.
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Walking Nutrition Tour and Tasting
Saturday, January 22nd
Whole Foods Market, Framingham, Jan 22nd, 9am
Don't wait!
Call now to register: 508-628-9825 |
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Tell Me the Truth
Hi Tracy,
We're so much more mindful about what our family eats now. It's great! We're trying to decide whether raisins or dried cranberries are a better choice on top of our steel-cut oats in the morning. What do you think?
Signed,
Fruitful Query
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In principle, it's no contest. Cranberries are the lowest-sugar fruit Americans enjoy, and grapes are one of the highest. Cranberries are also loaded with antioxidants and protect your kidneys (prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infections). But the catch is that you need to look for unsweetened dried cranberries (i.e. not Craisins™). Most brands are not just gently sweetened but are totally overloaded to be candy-like. In general, dried fruit is a great, whole, natural food. Especially if it is both organic and packaged without chemical preservatives (check the ingredient label). Remember, though, that fruit contains sugar. So portion size is important. A handful of raisins used to be an entire bunch of grapes. A handful of dried apricots used to be an entire fruit bowl. Never eat more dried fruit that you'd typically eat if it were fresh. This means a serving size of raisins is about a tablespoon (remember those little teeny red boxes when you were a kid?). Another thought to offer... Be sure to top your oats with some additional fiber, healthy fat, and protein. My favorite combo is a handful of almonds, a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seed, and a teaspoon of cinnamon. If you're looking to lose weight or body fat or to control your blood sugar or to reduce carb cravings, however, you will likely get better results choosing a higher protein breakfast. Experiment and see what makes you feel the best.
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Apricot, Lamb & Lentil
Stew
2 Tbsp coconut oil
4 lamb shoulder chops,
preferably grass-fed
1 large onion, peeled & diced
2/3 cup lentils
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 32-oz container beef or lamb stock (again, no additives or 4-5 cups of homemade similar stock)
2 medium sweet potatoes (scrubbed, not peeled), diced
½ cup dried apricots, diced small (without sulfur preservatives, so they will be dark brown or black)
½ cup walnuts, lightly toasted
½ tsp dried tarragon
Unrefined Seasalt to taste
In a large stew pot, warm oil and sear chops for ~4 minutes. Flip them and sprinkle onion in the pan around them. Stir to sauté onion and sear chops on this second side ~4 minutes. Pour stock into hot pan and scrape flavorful bits from bottom. Add lentils, vinegar, and tarragon, cover the pot, and cook together for ~30 minutes. Remove chops with slotted spoon. Remove meat from bones, mince and return to pot, discarding bones. Add rest of ingredients (potatoes, apricots, walnuts) and cook covered another 15 minutes. Stir well and taste for salt level and softness of potatoes and lentils. Fantastic on 2nd of 3rd day after flavors meld. |
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What Inspires Me
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."
- Amelia Earhart
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My name is Tracy Harrison.
I am a health and wellness counselor and the founder of Purpose LLC. I work with individuals and groups to help them make step-by-step changes to become healthier and happier.
Unlike most health fads and gimmicks, my clients make life-long habit changes. It's
easy and fun, so it sticks. Permanent results are possible! To learn more, please visit our web site. |
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