"Feed my mito-what-ia?!"  Yes, that's right--your mitochondria.  Let me explain:  The mitochondria is the part of a cell that creates energy for our bodies, and energy is key in cellular function and repair.  Supporting mitochondrial function is done in many ways, but most importantly it is done through a healthy diet and can ultimately help us ward off cancer, the flu, the debilitating diseases of aging and mood disorders such as anxiety, attention deficit disorder or even depression!

I am a huge advocate of eating nutrient-dense plants to support mitochondrial function.  Nutrient-dense plants are fresh and as close to raw as possible--the more we process our foods, the more we degrade or deplete altogether the nutrients that were once  the plant's natural state.  

 

If you would like to see for yourself just how powerful nutrient-dense foods are, check out the documentary called, Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days.  (You can find excerpts of this documentary on www.youtube.com.)  I find this documentary to be really inspiring.  The film features a handful of people with diabetes type II that were dependent on their medications to control their diabetes, plus one patient who had type I diabetes which is insulin dependent and usually onsets in childhood.  The entire group of six people were given a raw organic food diet that was plant based and if cooked, the heat was at temperatures less than 118 degrees. This, combined with an exercise program and group support at a retreat center in Arizona, resulted in a reversal of their diabetes and eliminated the need for medication in 30 days.  The one patient with type I reduced his insulin requirements amazingly, from about 70 units down to about 5 units. 

 

Another source of inspiration and information is in the work of Dr. Joel Furhrman, a former Olympic figure skating champion and author of Eat to Live, an incredible resource that calls our attention to the value of nutrient dense foods coming from plants or phytonutrients ("phyto" means plants).  Whereas we know of 13 vitamins and 60 bio-minerals, in addition it has been found that each plant food contains hundreds, if not thousands, of additional nutrients that are most always not contained in the types of supplements we  purchase over the counter. Certain plants have unique combinations of phytonutrients that compliment each other and help facilitate and augment the action of particular nutrients in the body.  

 

Supplements all by themselves fall short of meeting all our nutrient needs. To raise the bar one might think about increasing the amount of raw food in your diet.  This means plants that are closest to coming from the earth.  Ideal food groups include whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.  This means not having a lot of white processed flour where the nutrient-dense shell and germ have been removed and all that remains is the carbohydrate component of the grain.  This is like having dessert without having dinner or like shooting up with sugar--the body easily assimilates the carbohydrates from white bread and converts it into glucose again and in turn, quite quickly increases our blood sugar.  Also, nuts have a wonderful combination of phytonutrients that are unique to that plant type.  Seeds, often we forget about having seeds in our diet- sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, and even quinoa (seen in this month's recipe below) are all great additions to your diet. Finally, of course fresh, green and multicolored vegetables and fruits are the most nutrient dense of all plants.  We are striving for a rainbow array of colors in our diet- purple, red, orange, yellow, green and blue.  Ideally these would all be as fresh and pesticide free as possible, with minimal processing.

 

In my last few newsletters, I've spent some time discussing the importance of letting go.  We all can see the value in that and be inspired by others' stories, but when it comes to letting go of problems of our own, we're left wondering "How?"

 

When life throws us a challenge or situation that is painful, rather than reacting to the situation, we can always choose our response.  As I see it, there are two kinds of problems:  #1, the kind we can do something about, turning your complaint into a request, or simply "don't cry, fix it!"  Or, #2, the kind we cannot change, but can choose to embrace it and let go with kind acceptance.  This month, I want to begin to introduce you to a formula called the Sedona Method.  (Be sure to check out The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-Being by Hale Dwoskin and Jack Canfield at your local library or book store.)  My favorite part of this approach to this method of eliminating suffering is self check-in, in which you think of the problem at hand and ask yourself these three questions:  

 

 

1.  Would you let it go?

- In other words, ready or not, do you truly wish to let it it go?  If the answer is yes, then proceed to number 2...

 

2.  Could you let it go?

 -In other words, what would it take to let it go?  Can you visualize yourself being free of this burden?  If you can visualize what you need to let go, then proceed to number 3...

 

3.  When will you let it go?

-In other words, how much time do you need?  Are you ready now?  Or, do you need more time to progress?  What steps can you take to get there?  If you're ready now, then exhale and let it go!  If you know you need a little time, take the time you need to be accepting of yourself and the situation.  Suffering will wane with your growing acceptance.

 

All of these steps should be done with loving kindness toward yourself--including those times when your answer might be a resounding "No!"  If you continue to check in with yourself periodically, you might find that one day, when you're ready, your no will become a "YES!

 

P.S. Before or after the above, be sure to lighten up, rubbing your hands together, say: "Ahh-hahahaha!"  Then give yourself a hug :)  

 

 

 How does letting go improve your life?

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