Intention of the day: Om Anandam Namah, My actions are blissfully free from attachment to outcome. (Deepak Chopra) (or at least I would like them to be to free up space for peace!)
Read More“I could never give up cheese!”. I hear it all the time. It’s one of the first responses people give when they first ask about my plant-based diet. And to be honest, I might have said the same thing early on in my journey. But I learned a few things, and my perspective on a few things changed, and to be honest, I don’t miss milk at all. In fact, I see the removal of dairy from my diet as a great improvement in my life. First off, lets talk about perceptions. We are all taught that milk is natural , that it’s natures perfect food. I remember being told in a college nutrition course that milk was an ideal food because the protein profile found in milk perfectly matches what our body needs. And then there is the calcium. We need calcium right? And that means milk. So how natural is milk? For one, humans are the only animal that seem to drink milk past infancy. All other animals wean themselves off as soon as they are able to find another source of food. Humans are also the only animals that drink the milk of another species of animal. Ever see a cat sucking at the teat of a cow? I think not. And it doesn’t stop there. We are so comfortable with drinking cows milk, but what if I suggested that you enjoy a nice cold glass of dog milk with your cookies? Did you just gag a […]
Read MorePeople always ask “what foods should I eat organic?”. The list below is what I typically follow. Some people would say buy all organic. Some people would say buying organic is silly because how do we really know what the farmers are using and the regulation of that is questionable. I say if you know where it comes from that is even better. Your own garden, a local farmers market or a CSA (community supported agriculture) are also great options. If organic is not in your budget you can always get cleaner food by washing and peeling them well. For example, cucumbers can be peeled. This way it gets rid of the pesticides that are held onto by the skins. You can feel the difference between an organic and non- organic cucumber by the out side. Non-organic cucumbers tend to be waxier on the outside. You can also peel apples instead of buying them organic. Buying healthy and organic is not as cheap as the $1.00 McDonalds Hamburger but it will pay off in the long run! CLEAN 15 Onions Sweet Corn Pineapple Avocado Asparagus Sweet peas Mango Eggplant Banana Watermelon Tangerine Broccoli Radishes Onion Kiwi DIRTY DOZEN (Foods with the most known pesticides) FOODS TO BUY ORGANIC: Apples Celery Strawberries Peaches Spinach Nectarines Grapes Sweet Bell Peppers Blueberries Lettuce Kale Collard Greens This information is constantly changing and the lists are growing. The above information was most recently found at http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#ixzz2IMQ21gsJ
Read MoreSince beginning my spiritual journey and yoga teacher training I have had to read a lot. For those of you who don’t really know me to well, I am NOT a reader, to say the least. It is pretty much my least favorite thing to do. When I was going through my chemotherapy, my wonderful husband Tim suggestion I listen to some books on tape. Smart guy! It was great, during my four months of treatment I finished the entire Twilight Series and by the end thought I was a vampire (or at least I wanted to be one). When treatments were over and life got back to “normal”, that is when the real soul searching began and my quest for health, happiness and peace. So back to the reading thing. I recently finished (took me about four weeks but finished) “The Five Things We Can Not Change…and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them” by David Richo. This is what I learned: There are the five givens in life and this is them in there simplest form: 1. Everything changes and ends. 2. Things don not always go according to plan. 3. Life is not always fair. 4. Suffering is part of life. 5. People are not loving and loyal all the time. If we can just except that it is what it is, we can’t control things and be a “yes” to these givens, then maybe we would suffer less, laugh more and respect ourselves and others for […]
Read MoreI often get the question, “Can you give me some of your green smoothie recipes”. The truth is, I don’t really follow recipes. I have a bunch of ingredients, and mix and match differently every day. In the beginning adding lots of greens is hard because you’re not used to the taste. But as you go, you can increase the greens and decrease the fruit. You don’t want to have too much sugar in the smoothie. Just use as little fruit as necessary to make it taste good. When searching around the internet for some recipes I can across this page. It’s a good primer on the basics of smoothie making. That said, here are some typical smoothie I’ll make: Coconut water Avocado Kale pineapple Ginger root OR Coconut water Avocado Spinach Banana Strawberry After you get the basic ingredients working for you, you can start adding other stuff to add to the taste of add other healthy stuff in: Spices Cinnamon Turmeric Seeds Chia Hemp Flax Pepita (pumpkin) Nuts Walnuts Almonds Other Beets Beat Greens Swiss chard Bok Choy Mango Orange Blueberry Raspberry So what about you? Do you have any “recipes” or hints for great smoothie making?
Read MoreRecently, some good friends of ours got the terrible news that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember so well when we got the news. It’s such a blow to your world. So many questions and fears immediately start filling your head. One that seems universal is the question, “what will happen to my hair?” On the eve of is wife shaving her head, my friend emailed me for a quick pep talk to help them through it. Here is what I (a bald man), had to say. Ahhh, the hair. Yeah, it’s a bit shocking to see at first. You’ll see bumps and scars that you never knew were there. And it’s going to be as bright a white as it can be. It’s not an attractive look on a woman. I look back now at pictures of Aimee when she was bald and am startled. But I don’t remember giving it too much thought back then. Maybe the key is how you look at it. Loosing the hair is not a sign of sickness, but of health, or at least progress towards health. If your wife ever was “sick”, surly it was when the cancer was in her, before being removed by surgery and drugs. It’s not a sign of something being wrong, but of something being right… The chemo is working! Your wife is taking powerful drugs, and they are doing their job, killing off any fast growing cells that could be cancer. The hair is […]
Read MoreToday I got to watch my oldest son graduate from Pre-K. It was the first of what I am assuming are going to be a lot of graduations. The best part of today was the fact that I actually got to see it. When I first heard my diagnosis I was pretty scared. But it wasn’t until about the 50th phone call that I realized cancer could potentially = dying. During the initial stages of my diagnosis, I got the impression that my cancer was pretty straight forward and “treatable”. But really, I had CANCER. Cancer kills people every day. It hit me, during a conversation I was having with a very close friend that I may actually die. I know we are all going to die someday but I could potentially be dying. How could that be? I was only 38, had finally found the man I loved and respected who loved and respected me back and had two very little children. I couldn’t die now, I was just getting started. I remember saying to my dearest friend, that she would have to look out for my children and Tim. How would they manage? Who would take care of them? How was this actually happening to me? That question I asked myself several times a day. I am a good person, why me? What had I done wrong. But then I would suck it up put on my happy face and look at my children, play with them, hold […]
Read MoreWho really wants to go for a mammogram. Before I got pregnant with Wyatt, someone suggested, (I think it was my mother), that I go for a “baseline” mammogram. I was in my early thirties but had a family history of Breast Cancer. How bad could it really be? I remember asking my mother and she described it to me as if I were lying down on the driveway and having your breast be run over by a car. Perfect image in my head to start the adventure. So some time in 2005 I went. It really wasn’t half as bad as my mom made it out to be. Life went on and I had Wyatt, I breast fed him for 10 months. The beginning was awful, it hurt and my nipples were raw and raging. At one point I even got mastitis and poor Tim had to “milk” it out of me. That is when I knew I truly met the man of my dreams :). Then came Nate and I nursed him as well again not so comfortable but I did it anyway. When I was all done with the breast feeding, I figured I should go back for another mammogram to check up on the girls. You are supposed to wait some period of time after you stop nursing, so I did and about 9 months later I went back. This time to a new place. I remember sitting outside the office on the phone with Carlene […]
Read MoreWhen we are born, some of us have hair some of us do not. Some heads are very round, some bumpy, big foreheads, little ears, big ears, all colors and textures. As we grow so does are hair. We either like it or we don’t. When I was in high school all I wanted was curly hairs. So I went to the salon and got curly hair. I kept it long, cut it short, at one point one side was short and the other long (even have pictures some where to prove it). The color of my hair started as dirty blond, turned a little browner naturally and then came the hair dye. First at sleep away camp I used a little Jolen lip bleach, with a touch of lemon. Turned out it works well to get blond, my only problem was the application was sloppy and I looked like a skunk. Rosewood was my second, it was a brown with a hint of red. My best friend Carlene, applied it to my hair while we roasted on the roof of our apartment. When I moved to NYC after college I really needed a change so I went black. NOT a good idea, had to have it stripped out of my hair to get my real color back. Then came the short pixie cut with bleach blond. So as you can see I am all for hair change. EXCEPT when it is not by choice!!!! When Dr. Lo told me […]
Read MoreSo my first triathlon was 4 days prior to my diagnosis. It was a great experience and I did it because I wanted to get back in shape after having my babies. I did not have any special training plan, just went out each week and swam, biked and ran as often as I could. I did pretty good finishing the 2009 Ironclad Sprint Triathlon in Glen Cove NY, my hometown n 2 hours and 2 minutes. Immediately after my treatments were over I was given the opportunity to get back in shape with a “free for cancer patients” program at a place called KT Health and Fitness. It was provided by Stamford Hospital’s Bennett Cancer Center and was an amazing start to my recovery. My trainer, Brian, provided me with the support, encourage and strength training I needed to get back in shape. After I was done with the three months, three times a week of free training, I signed up for a masters swim class at our local JCC. There I was able to build on my swimming skills and towards the end of the class we did a mock triathlon which was great. After having my last surgery in May of 2010 and feeling all banged up again I needed a new goal. So again I took a swim class and got back to the gym. This year I signed up for 4 triathlons in honor of my four months of chemotherapy to raise money for Stamford […]
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