nourish newsletter

Greetings!

 

Mmmm...I can feel spring in the air!

 

It is time to shake off the bundles of winter, stretch, open up, get outside to soak up some Vitamin D, refresh and reboot.

 

You may even notice you are starting to crave more vegetables - leafy greens and bright colors on your plate and less of the heavier, warmer dishes that winter calls for. Remember to heed the call of your body and pick up some of the seasonal local vegetables at your market each week and see how many fresh, natural colors you can include on your plate.

 

Hungering for some new, simple recipes to prepare with your local, seasonal veggies? Want to cleanse your pantry of less healthy temptations and stock up with healthier, yet equally delicious options? Looking for some guidance on understanding what your body is trying to tell you you need? Contact me for a complimentary nutritional power session and we'll get you right back on track! 

 

I'm incredibly excited to announce these UPCOMING EVENTS! And look forward to seeing you at them!

 

March 30, 7:15 pm

JOOS Sampling and Q&A at South Boston Yoga

Group JOOS Reboot to begin at SBY on Monday, April 4!

Break free from the winter blues! Come to SBY at 5:45 on Wednesday, March 30 for David Vendetti's fun-filled, smart yoga class and stay after for a JOOS sampling and Q&A with me about the JOOS Reboot and spring cleansing.

Sign up for a JOOS Reboot starting April 4 through the SBY Depot and enjoy the added benefit of community support and additional support from me through an online group throughout your cleanse!

 

I've teamed up with with spectacular health coach Kirsten Grieshaber of Savor Health to design a tantalizing workshop and webinar on cravings, as well as a first-of-its-kind Boston-area healthful supper club.  

Read on for event details, and links to register!

 

"Yes, You Can Eat That!"

The Supper Club to Savor, Nourish & Sustain

You try to eat well and make healthy choices, but you also love to indulge your taste buds at Boston's finest restaurants. You are forever bouncing between ordering a salad and appetizer or "being bad" for one night while you order what you really want. This old battle just distracts from your evenings of fun and food, so it's time to check it at the door!  

  

You can have it all - dining on delectable food and soaking up your surroundings while incorporating healthy, responsible food choices that fire up your taste buds and fuel you to your finest. And we're going to prove it to you!

 

Savor a guilt-free, nourishing feast at Boston-area's finest restaurants with the "Yes, You Can Eat That!" Supper Club. Each Club evening includes a mouth-watering, three-course dinner (with or without wine accompaniment) presented by the chef. Sassy, certified health coaches Kirsten and Marissa will explain how these sumptuous offerings fit the bill for healthy eating. Kirsten and Marissa will dine alongside you, so bring your questions and ideas to the table for a lively dinner discussion with new and old friends. 

 

Oleana 

134 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

7:00 pm

$75, 3-course dinner

$110 with full wine pairing

 

UpStairs on the Square 

91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

7:00 pm

$75, 3-course dinner

$90 with 2-course wine pairing

 

 Click here to register for either or both dinners!  

 

Tackling Temptation

Tips & Tools to Understand & Befriend your Cravings

It's like the cookie jar is calling your name and the french fries are flirting with you at every corner. The temptation is torture...but so is the feeling of eating the wrong things. Think you'll never gain control of your food cravings and get off this roller-coaster ride? Think again! In this interactive workshop you will learn what's Behind your cravings and what it takes to satisfy them     

 

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Saldare Body Therapy

12 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116 6:30-8:30 pm

$29 before April 26, $36 after April 26

 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Location: This is a webinar, so get cozy and logon from anywhere!

7:00-8:15 pm

$24 before May 10, $29 after May 10  

 

 Click here to register for the Tackling Temptations Workshop or Webinar.  

 


Kirsten Grieshaber (www.savor-health.com) and I are AADP Certified Health Coaches, and self-proclaimed food fanatics.We  love every part of the dining experience and delight in mindful indulgence. Through our health coaching practices we support and guide individuals and groups through workshops and customized programs to meet and exceed their unique health and wellness goals.

 

Check out the Nourish Facebook page here:Find us on Facebook 

 

 

Live abundantly!

marissa signature

Marissa Dana

 

In This Issue
Simply Inspired
Tempting Tidbits
What The...?
Simply Inspired

"...And you know what, somebody else doesn't have to lose for you to win. There is always enough."  

 

-Abraham

 
pebbles
 

 Some of my teachers and colleagues study and share Abraham-Hicks, with their students and clients. Abraham is a spiritual and inspirational teacher who tells us we create what we attract and the power is within us to create whatever wonderful things we want in our lives. Truly the power of positive thought.

I think we all  believe there is something to that. Even if it is just because we want to believe because it makes us feel good to believe that possibility is out there.

I love this quote from Abraham. It is a nice reminder to focus on the good - to realize that there really is enough to go around and we don't need to knock someone else down to get up higher, we don't need to make them feel bad in order for us to feel good - in fact we can really rejoice in the good of others and know that their joy and success can and will fuel our own. 

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Tempting Tidbits


It's been a busy time around here at Nourish lately and I've been all about convenience for meals, which c
TJs Spiced Beansan often be a slippery slope for many of us - some of the quickest convenience meals we are used to are not the best for us to maximize energy, nutrients and mood. But I continue to scan ingredient lists on some of the great convenient packaged goods at Trader Joe's to find some gems that I can use for quick and healthy meals. Here is one I've been fond of lately.

Eggs, Beans & Greens

1/3rd package of TJ's spiced soybeans or chickpeas  

2 eggs
1 generous handful of baby spinach or arugula

  

Scramble eggs in a bowl. Add portion of beans to a skillet. You shouldn't need any extreggs, beans & greensa oil as there is oil in the bean mixture. Warm on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Pour in eggs, toss in greens. Stir and fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Voila - in about 8 minutes you have a healthy, flavorful, filling meal good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

 

Got a great recipe or favorite TJ's item to share? Drop me an email - I'd love to hear and to share with Nourish readers! 


What The...?

Water, Water Everywhere

I'm confident that everyone reading this knows that water is essential to the life and health of our bodies and our planet. Seems simple and straightforward enough, and yet, there are still plenty of questions and even some confusion around water. So let's take a look at some of the questions.

 

How much water should I drink a day?

It depends. I know you would love an easy answer, but there isn't a quick-fix, one-size-fits-all answer to many of these questions because we are all unique individuals, so I'm here to help you to simply figure out the best answer for YOU. You know, give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime...So, anyway, it depends on what you are eating, how much you are exercising, how much salt* you consume, etc.

So the best way to go is to listen to your body. When you feel thirsty, drink some water. When you feel hungry, drink some water. You can often experience feelings of hunger when you are wateractually thirsty. Sending signals of hunger and thirst are some of your body's way of asking you for something - nutrients, minerals, etc., so it may try different ways to ask you for what it needs if it is not getting it! If you are not urinating throughout the day, drink some water. If your urine is not light yellow or colorless but more of a dark yellow color, drink some water. According to the Mayo Clinic, "...if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate. If you're concerned about your fluid intake, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian. He or she can help you determine the amount of water that's best for you."

And believe it or not, drinking too much water can be detrimental as well. When your kidneys are unable to excrete the excess water, the electrolyte (mineral) content of the blood is diluted, resulting in low sodium levels in the blood. This is really rare for healthy adults consuming a reasonably healthy and varied diet in this country. But something to be aware of for really active people like endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, who may be drinking large amounts of water.

Should I drink water with meals?

There are some different schools of thought on this, some think it assists with digestion, some think it inhibits digestion. Some will offer that drinking water before eating your meal can help with weight loss. True enough on this, drinking water before your meal can make you feel more full, thus decrease the amount of food you choose to consume. Be sure not to eat too fast so as to miss the feeling of fullness, and it is always a good idea to choose food and calories that are healthy, nutrient rich whole foods and you should be feeling great. As for helping or hindering your digestion, the jury is out, but here is something to think about: The body naturally produces saliva when you eat to assist with the digestion of your food. Saliva is produced when you chew, breaking down your food into more easily digestible pieces. If you are not chewing your food well, you'll likely experience more dryness in your mouth, experience more troubled digestion and feel the desire and need to drink more water with your meal. So my suggestion is to remember to chew your food well, and enjoy some sips of water with your meal as you need and desire. (Though I'm pretty certain a 32 oz soda consumed with your meal doesn't do anyone any good!)

What kind of water should I drink?

I don't think I get on a soapbox all that often, but I'm about to because I think this one is important. Please stop drinking bottled water! Why? Several of the bottled water companies are taking advantage of you and the marketing around bottled water and capitalizing on this trend. They're selling you the same tap water that comes out of your faucet and worse in some cases depending on your area's water quality. For more detail on this and the quality of different brands of water check out the Environmental Working Group's report on bottled water. We are also not doing our planet any favors with all the bottles we are dumping into the system - even with the increased focus and interest in recycling and all of the uses for recycles PET bottles. If you're interested, here is an interesting article on the recycling of PET bottles. Though some occurs locally, it has become quite an industry and much of it is outsourced to other countries, which can be efficient in some ways and counter-productive in others.

So please, find yourself a reusable water bottle you love - make it an accessory, something you enjoy carrying around with you. Get a water filter and drink filtered and tap water. Check out www.allaboutwater.org which explains the pros and cons of the different water filtration systems. To be honest, there is probably not a "perfect" clean water solution out there. We live in a world where there are toxins in the air we breathe and in so many of the products and environments we interact with daily, but you can certainly take steps to decrease and minimize your exposure and maximize your health - and filtering your water is one step.

*A quick side note on salt:

Though most of us don't have to worry about this and do indeed consume enough - or more than enough - sodium and salt in our daily diet, it is important to note that salt is necessary for our bodies to function - so don't be tempted to eliminate it entirely. One component of salt, sodium (Na), is involved in muscle contraction including heartbeat, nerve impulses, and the digestion of body-building protein. It is active in the absorption of other nutrients in the small intestine and is the major extracellular electrolyte responsible for regulating water balance, pH, and osmotic pressure. And it is important in nerve conduction. The other component of salt, chloride (Cl) preserves acid-base balance in the body, aids potassium absorption, supplies the essence of digestive stomach acid, and enhances the ability of the blood to carry carbon dioxide from respiring tissues to the lungs. And good quality sea salt is minimally processed, leaving you with beneficial trace minerals.

Ready to reboot, renew, and rejuvenate? Give me a shout to set up your complimentary nutritional power session, or to schedule your customized health and wellness program!