It’s Time to Step, Bust, and Break Out of Your Comfort Zone!

As I’ve been spending time getting ready to lead a group through my brand new Food Allergy Spy Program, I’ve been reflecting on how it feels to step outside your comfort zone and master a new skill. I’ve been stepping outside my comfort zone recently when it comes to art, and it’s been interesting to note the parallels between art and health.

Have you noticed that when you’re with like minded people and engaged in things you do well, you’re engulfed in a feeling of comfort? You feel accepted, valued, and confident.

Take the same YOU and put yourself in a situation where people don’t really have the same values and goals, or where you’re in a position of being less of an authority about the subject matter at hand and it’s a whole different feeling.

Why I’m Feeling Very Humble…

I recently started taking a pottery class. I’ve done it in the past, but it’s been a long time. I’ve noticed there’s a huge difference between how I present myself at my pottery class versus how I usually am during the day. 

During the day, I speak with people from a position of being an authority on the subject matter of nutrition. Usually, I am the teacher or I speak to colleagues who are on a similar level. Socially, I am comfortably surrounded with people who are passionate about being healthy and are familiar with concepts of natural healing modalities. It’s a place of confidence that comes easily to me.

At my pottery class, I am in the company of folks who believe in the western medicine model and have very different ideas about the importance of nutrition when it comes to health.

I am also a beginner on the pottery wheel and am humbled by how difficult even the basic things can be. Whenever my instructor gives a demo that appears to be easy and I confidently sit down to duplicate the process, half the instructions become muddled and I lose track of the order of the steps. I very frequently need to ask for help on very basic steps.

You Won’t Believe What I DIDN’T Say…

In this situation, my old shyness emerges and I start to feel self-conscious and inadequate. This is such a sharp contrast to how I feel when I am guiding my patients and students on complex nutrition and health topics.

Even when I overheard a couple of women talking about nutrition and sharing what I know of as blatantly inaccurate comments, I didn’t feel comfortable enough in that environment to say anything.

When I heard one say to the other that it would be better for a nursing Mom whose baby is allergic to cow’s milk to be switched to a non-dairy formula so she wouldn’t have to restrict her own dairy intake, I so wanted to say something. But I was not in the mood for a possible confrontation, so I ignored it.

What is Your Discomfort Holding YOU Back From?

Perhaps you’re feeling a bit outside your comfort zone as you learn and apply new diet and lifestyle habits in your zeal for restoring your health or reaching your ideal weight.

When you step outside your comfort zone, you set the stage for new doors to open up as you learn and master new techniques.

But it takes time and the process is accelerated by having a good mentor you can turn to for questions and guidance.

Why a Mentor Can Make a Difference…

For several years, when my kids were younger, I took pottery classes. I was just getting started on the wheel when my husband’s travel schedule made it difficult for me to continue the classes. So I found a used kiln and wheel and set up a studio in the garage.

Know what happened?

I only used it two or three times over the past 6 years! Without the mentorship of an experienced teacher to guide me, I found it too difficult. Watching the videos and reading the books was just not cutting it and all of what I had learned before was not helping because I hadn’t been practicing long enough to make it a habit.

Now that I am back in class with a teacher to turn to when I am confused or need help, I am making progress.

I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone in attending this class and so far, I’ve thrown 8 very imperfect pots. The more practice I get and the more guidance I receive, the better my skills will be.

Next week I’ll post photos of my pots in various stages of completion to my blog.

You Don’t Have to Struggle Alone!

It’s hard being at the early stages of learning a new skill. Working with a skilled teacher will accelerate my growth.

In what areas can you step outside your comfort zone?

• Maybe you’ve been tempted to join my Food Allergy Spy Program so you can learn how to eliminate the foods that are hurting you.
• Do you use food for comfort and crave certain food items?
• Perhaps you’re feeling scared about the thought of giving up your comfort foods as part of the process.
• Maybe you’ve been struggling for so long that you don’t believe it could help.

Rest assured, the comfort you’ll feel after eliminating the suspect foods is so much greater than the temporary distraction offered by your comfort foods.

And with my support and guidance you’ll get over the confusing parts much more quickly that you would on your own.

In the book, The False Fat Diet by Elson Haas, MD, the connection between food allergies and reluctant fat is explored. In it he describes elimination and provocation. I read many books like this in my years of struggling to regain my health. Finally, I got it all figured out. Yet, had I the opportunity to participate in a program like my Food Allergy Spy Program it would have saved me two years of suffering and countless dollars.

Afraid? Let’s Face Your Food Fears Together.

While the thought of an elimination diet may seem scary for you, it’s well worth stepping outside your comfort zone to do it. The process I have developed for conducting an elimination diet actually has side benefits, too. Most drug approaches to illness have side effects. FAST has side benefits. The elimination phase of the program is also great for strengthening your detox mechanisms and healing your gut.

Just a reminder, the FAST program starts this evening (Tuesday, January 17th, 2012) and it’s filling up fast. I only have a few seats remaining and then it’s filled.

If you can’t make tonight’s live class or decide to wait until tomorrow to register, you can easily “catch up” by listening to the recording, but you run the risk of the class filling up while you’re deciding. Also, the opportunity to get started for just $57 goes away tonight at class time.

There’s No Risk. Only FAST Benefits!

I want your total satisfaction and happiness. You can get started today and participate for a full week. If after next week’s Q&A Coaching call you feel unable to proceed, we’ll refund your money. It’s that easy.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I commit 100% to my program participants. I am invested in your success.

This program is loaded with opportunities to get my personal assistance with the process.

http://www.FoodAllergySpy.com

Since I will be training new coaches to help with the program in the future, this is the ONLY time the program will include so much of my personal attention. So step outside your comfort zone.

You can start with a tiny investment of $57 and there’s no risk.

Magic happens when you step outside your comfort zone. And you’ll be amazed at how much more quickly you’ll make progress with the support of an experienced and caring mentor… me.

I look forward to getting to know you!

http://www.FoodAllergySpy.com

How To Spend Less On Groceries and Still Eat Healthfully

Guest Article by Raederle Phoenix from The Vegetarian Health Institute

Would you like to spend less on groceries, while still eating a healthy diet? If so, this blog post can save you a few hundred dollars over the course of the next year.

Some of my suggestions are only relevant for raw fooders and raw food recipes. But some apply to folks who eat cooked food too.

Recipe Substitutions

The following are recipe substitution suggestions that will work for almost any recipe. But of course, use your judgment and consider the impact the substitution will have on a recipe.

When a recipe calls for…

• Dried fruit: Use the cheapest unsweetened dried fruit, which is usually raisins. Raisins have a much stronger flavor than dates, so if the recipe calls for dates, make it half and half with dates and raisins.
  
• Frozen fruit: Substitute some of the frozen fruit with frozen bananas. To freeze bananas, peel them and break them into pieces and put them in your freezer in a bowl or on a plate.
  
• Fresh fruit: Use what is in season and can be bought at a low price at your local farmer’s market. If it is peach season but the recipe calls for mangoes, use peaches anyway.
  
• Frozen vegetables: Use the least expensive frozen vegetables. The kind of vegetables generally won’t matter much, unless it’s a particular vegetable you dislike. If you prefer organic, select the least expensive organic frozen vegetables.
  
• Nuts: Substitute part of the portion of nuts with coconut shreds. In some recipes, as much as three-quarters of the nuts can be replaced with coconut shreds without much change to flavor and consistency. Make sure you use some of the nuts that the recipe calls for, however. Different nuts may have very different effects. Almonds and Brazil nuts are both unique and offer very particular flavors. Walnuts and pecans are sometimes interchangeable. Macadamia nuts and cashews are often interchangeable.

Avoiding Certain Recipes

Many recipes are out-and-out expensive no matter how you substitute. When selecting recipes, one can scan the ingredients and get a feel for how much it’s going to cost.

When selecting recipes to try out, avoid recipes that call for…

• A large amount of a specific brand-name ingredient.
• More than a quarter cup of nuts. (Unless using coconut shreds to cut the cost.)
• More than four cups of a non-dairy milk.
• More than two cups of a non-dairy yogurt.
• Large quantities of an exotic fruit that is imported from far away.
• More than two spices you don’t already own.

Avoiding Waste

Another way one can save is by avoiding waste. Sometimes when we don’t know how to preserve something we use trial and error and learn the hard way.

How to preserve extra fruit salad:

• Option 1: Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to the fruit salad. Use one lemon for every two cups of fruit salad remaining. Put in a dish with an air-tight lid and store in the fridge.
  
• Option 2: Put in the freezer to turn into pudding, smoothies or ice cream later in your food processor or blender. May also use a masticating juicer using the “blank” to create ice cream from frozen fruit.

What to do with pulp after making juice at home:

• Option 1: Add vegetable pulp to soups, breads, or salsa (add minimal amounts to salsa). Add fruit pulp to muffins, pies, breads, soups or salsa. (Be careful not to add to much. Pulp is almost pure fiber!)
  
• Option 2: Compost. Pulp breaks down fast and makes great fertilizer for your garden or for growing wheatgrass indoors.
  
• Option 3: Add seeds, nuts, oats, coconut shreds, spices and/or oils and blend in your food processor. Spread in your dehydrator at 110 degrees to make raw crackers, or put in your oven at a low temperature with the door slightly open to gently slow-cook crackers.

How to preserve extra cooked grains or grain-like dishes such as quinoa:

 

• Option 1: Store cooked grains in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two days.
  
• Option 2: Store cooked grains in a container in the freezer for up to a week.

To keep nuts, dried fruits and other “shelf-stable” foods fresh and away from bugs:

• Option 1: Store in ziplock bags within air-tight containers.
  
• Option 2: Store in the fridge in bags or containers.
  
• Option 3: Store in the freezer.

Leftovers & Wilting Produce

Another way to avoid waste is to “refurbish” your leftovers or wilting produce:

• With greens, such as chard, kale and spinach, you don’t want them wilted as a salad, but they are fine to throw in soup.
  
• Mushy over-ripe fruits are great in smoothies and desserts. Just cut away any spots that are really bad, and use the rest. Fruit can sometimes be bought “mushy” at a discounted price at farmer’s markets.
  
• Quinoa, rice, millet or other similar foods that have been cooked, stored, cooked again, and stored again can be turned into a new meal in a vegetable stir-fry.
  
• Over-ripe or drying-out citrus fruits may be juiced with an electronic juicer or a hand-juicer. The juice may be enjoyed plain, added to water for drinking, fruit salad for extra punch, or added to a dessert. If using an electronic juice, one may add cucumber, celery and/or carrots. (Carrots and oranges sometimes taste bad together.)
  
• Peppers and herbs that have been left out to dry, or dried in a dehydrator can be crushed and put into spice jars.

Party and Potluck Nibbles that Nourish

There are many who treat entertaining as an art. Carefully decorated dinner tables and meticulously planned meals can be the talk of friends and neighbors for years to come! Now that the holidays are just around the corner, you may have more parties to go to, potlucks to attend, or your own guests to serve and delight.

Which leads to the inevitable questions…

What do I bring?
What should I serve?
What can I make that’s both healthy AND will make people happy?

Rather than always wondering what to do for such events, you can load up with light-on-the-waistline raw food party and potluck dishes for your guests and hosts! These fresh, finger-food recipes, all part of our Raw Food University series, will not only delight the eyes and reward the taste buds of your friends and loved ones, they will also nourish them with nutrition!

All dishes are made from completely from living foods: 100% gluten-free and dairy-free! There are no sugars, no processed oils, no grains, and no cooking!

You can listen to an interview with Dr. Ritamarie and Chef Karen Osborne as they talk about making fun and fresh holiday dishes you can serve at your next party or potluck:

You’ll be surprised when you discover how quick and easy all of these raw food Party and Potluck nibbles are to make! Join us and ensure your next holiday party is one that’s memorable, healthy, and healing!

Staying Warm with Raw Foods: Hot Soup with Steamed Vegetables

One Dish Raw Food Meals for Summer: Pineapple Chipotle Salad

- by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

If your summer is keeping you busy and you want to include more raw food meals without spending hours in the kitchen, then all you need to do is find a few one dish meal recipes that deliver exciting and satisfying tastes.   I made this salad the other night after a busy day of work and rushing kids around to appointments.  It was quick, easy to prepare, and very delicious and satisfying.

The unusual combination of pineapple and sesame for the dressing is a delight to the taste buds.

Not only is this one dish meal for summer refreshing, light, and tangy, it’s a nutritional winner as it’s high in calcium and vitamin C!

Pineapple Chipotle Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup pineapple, cut into tiny cubes
• 1 cup pineapple plus core (for dressing)
• ¼ cup sesame tahini
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• Water to desired consistency

Directions:

Place all vegetables in a bowl.  Put pineapple core and 1 cup pineapple in blender with tahini, chipotle, and salt.  Blend and pour over salad.

It’s so much fun to put together the ingredients on hand and create a masterpiece.

We did something similar in the One Dish Meals Class on Sunday.  I challenged Karen to go through my refrigerator, choose some ingredients and make a recipe on the fly in front of the entire class.  The pressure was on!!!

She made an amazing Arugula Salad containing fresh mango slices, heirloom tomatoes, sunflower sprouts and a few other ingredients.  The videos from this raw food class will be up in a few days so you can watch Karen create on the fly and learn to make an array of taste tantalizing one dish meals.  I loved the Curried Cauliflower, Caribbean Mung Beans and Sweet and Sour Broccoli.  You can enjoy these delicious recipes and more here! 

Looking for even more recipes? 

•  Delicious
• nutritious
• quick and easy
• sugar-free
• dairy-free
• gluten-free
• trans-fat free 

Discover Deliciously Quick Lunch and Dinner Ideas!  Find out more!