How many times a week do you "grab a quick bite" for lunch, use lunch as an excuse for getting business accomplished or skip lunch altogether?

According to ayurvedic healers, lunch should be THE most important meal of the day. It's the time of day when your digestion is naturally at its peak, and your body best able to complete the digest-absorb- assimilate cycle.

Yet most of us eat the biggest meal of the day at night, often not long before we go to bed, and the body has to rev up and work hard to digest the food at a time when it should be trying to get into rest mode. Unless you're among the lucky few with a workhorse for a digestive system, eating heavy at night tends to result in undigested food clogging up your insides. You'll find it harder to fall asleep, your skin might break out, you'll gain weight easily, and you'll not feel as energetic as you should during the day. So take that lunch break, and eat your most substantial meal of the day around noon.

And when you have five to ten extra minutes, take the time to just sit quietly after the meal, savoring the experience, before you resume activity. This will direct your body's energy towards digestion before you draw it to other activities.

Does finding the time to sit down and have a lunch that is simple, healthy and tasty seem more like a dream then a reality? Contact Simple Balance for a Complimentary Health Consultation and we can talk about how you can make your health and wellness goals and your dreams start happening. You can schedule a Complimentary Health Consultation by clicking here . You may also set up an appointment by sending an e-mail to simplebalance@charter.net or calling 978-400- 6514. Programs can be done in person or by phone.

The following foods are good sources of fiber:

• Whole grains ( bran has the highest fiber). This also includes whole grain cereals and breads, whole grain pastas and brown rice
• Nuts and Seeds
• Legumes (such as peas, beans and lentils)
• Vegetables (especially leafy greens)
• Fruit

Curious if any of Simple Balance's Programs would be right for you? You can schedule a Complimentary Health Consultation by clicking here and scheduling an appointment. You may also set up an appointment by sending an e-mail to simplebalance@charter.net or calling 978-400-6514. Programs can be done in person or by phone.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. toasted sunflower seeds
• 1 whole wheat tortilla
• 1/4 c. hummus
• 1/2 c. mixed salad greens
• 1/4 carrot shredded
• 1/4 c. bean sprouts

If you would like to learn more about Simple Healthy Cooking you may want to sign-up for a Group Cooking Class. They are fun, informal and you get to see how healthy cooking is easier than you might think. Click here to go the Simple Balance calendar and see what cooking classes are coming up.

Free Talk:

January 23 - When Did My Parents Get Old?
Caring for Aging Parents
Presented by Anne Marie Rowse
Co-Sponsored by Simple Balance and the Maynard Community Chest

This presentation will focus on services available for aging parents including covered services, private care and will also cover the importance of Advocacy, Housing and Homecare options.

The presenter, Anne Marie Rowse is a principal of Senior Care Advisors, a private geriatric care management company. She has been involved with seniors for the past 18 years and is currently the town of Harvard's Representative, to one of Maynard Community Chest's Member Agencies, Minuteman Senior Services (www.minutemansenior.org). She has a BS in Rehabilitative Counseling, a Nursing Home Administrator license and has an MBA with a healthcare concentration.

For more information, or to register for this presentation:
Call Simple Balance at 978-456-8329 or
e-mail simplebalance@charter.net. You may also register by clicking here to go to Online Scheduling for Simple Balance. .

You can click on any of the classes or events below to get more details...

December 12th - Cooking Class: Healthy Holiday Appetizers - Kelly Bollman

January 10th - Class: Food and Nutrition, Tell Me More - Kelly Bollman

January 16th - Whole Food Shopping Tour - Kelly Bollman

January 17th - Class: Primary Food and Self-Care - Kelly Bollman, Donna Messina, Herb Pearce and Shelly Watson

January 23rd - Workshop: Enneagram Workshop with Herb Pearce, Find Out Your Personality Type

Janaury 24th - Class: Exercise, Get Started Now - Melinda Sowizral, Barry Bailey and Steve Thoman

January 30th - Free Talk: When Did My Parents Get Old?, Caring for Aging Parents - Anne Marie Rowse

Janaury 31st - Class: Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Kelly Bollman, Janet Beaty, ND, Matilde Flores, Dan Kopelman and Diane Schuster

Check out the calendar on my website, as new classes and events are being added all the time!

Giving the gift of health and wellness is a gift that can last a lifetime, so explore the possibilities....you may even want to let Santa know you would love a Health and Wellness Package this holiday. Click Here and find the Holiday Package that is just right for that special someone on your list or give them a gift certificate and let them choose exactly how they would like to use it.