March 2007 – Vol 2, Issue 3

In This Issue
 
Get Slow
Food Focus: Oils and Fats
Recipe #1 of the Month: Savory Tahini Sauce
Recipe #2 of the Month: Avocado Dip
Upcoming Events
Make Your Health a Priority!

If you’re like me, you’re just itching for spring to start. Could be because we’re moving the clocks ahead several weeks earlier then usual. Could be that I’m restless and in more need of warmth and sun. Whatever the reason, March is a great time for new beginnings and the promise of good things to come. During National Nutrition Month, I encourage you to eat like your life depends on it because it does. What we eat, how we prepare it and the speed with which we eat all impact our overall health. Focus on taking time to care and nourish yourself, slow down and enjoy the road to extraordinary health and well being.

In great health,
Wendy

There is more to life than increasing its speed. – Gandhi
 
 
Get Slow
 
Who doesn’t feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? We spend each moment in a rush, going at breakneck speed, and end up exhausted. Somehow these days full of duties, obligations, and busyness have begun to stack up and become our lives. We spend our time doing things we don’t really want to do, but feel we should. We’ve come to believe that being productive and crossing things off our to-do lists is the ultimate goal.

The truth is, life on Earth is a brief gift, and our time is too precious to be used like this. If we want our lives to be balanced and healthy, we need to lessen our load and take more down time. This means planning less in day, prioritizing those things that make our hearts sing and de-prioritizing those things that do not call to us.

If we can’t lessen our load, if we must accomplish many things each day, we can still change the quality with which we do things. How can we transmute that sprint for the train into something delicious, instead of the usual gripping and tightening experience? Where can we find ease in the midst of stress? How can we cultivate the art of going slowly?

Take a few moments before you climb out of bed in the morning to remember your dreams and to think about what you want from the day. Leave your watch on the bedside table. Take the scenic route. Sit for a moment with your eyes closed when you start your computer. Check e-mail only twice a day. Don’t pack your schedule so tightly that there’s no time for a short walk. Light candles before you start to cook dinner. One moment here and there for slowness; it can be done and must.

Adapted from an article by Marco Visscher & Jay Walljasper, Ode Magazine, Issue #15 www.odemagazine.com
 
 
Food Focus: Oils and Fats
 
Not all oils and fats are created equal. Heavily processed, hydrogenated, “trans” fats and oils used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body. However, fats and oils from high-quality sources and whole foods can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair and nails and “grease our engines” to keep the body functioning fluidly. Our bodies also need fat for insulation and to protect and hold our organs in place.

A healthy percentage of high-quality fat in a meal gives us lasting feelings of energy, fulfillment and warmth. When there are excess fats and oils in the diet, especially heavily processed fats, symptoms can include weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, liver strain and an overall feeling of mental, physical and emotional heaviness. Signs of insufficient high-quality fats are brittle hair and nails, dry skin, hunger after meals and feeling cold.

There are many sources of healthy fats and oils. For sautéing and baking, try butter, ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil, because they do not break down when used at higher temperatures. When sautéing and stovetop cooking at moderate temperatures, try organic extra virgin olive oil. Oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings on top of salads, veggies or grains. Other healthy fats are found in whole nuts and seeds and in their butters like almond butter or tahini. Whole foods such as avocados, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fats, along with wild salmon and omega 3-6 organic eggs. Experiment with these healthy fat sources and see which agree with you and leave you satisfied.

When selecting oils, buy the highest quality organic products you can afford, since cooking oils are the backbone of so many dishes. Good words to look for on the label are organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin and unrefined. Words to avoid are expeller- pressed, refined and solvent extracted and cold- processed.
 

Recipe #1 of the Month: Savory Tahini Sauce
 
Prep time: 5 minutes Yields: 1 cup
Ingredients: 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste), 1/4 cup water, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce), 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced, pinch of cayenne (to your taste)
Directions:
1. In a bowl briskly whisk together the tahini and water until combined. It will look separated at first: just keep whisking!
2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until combined.
3. Adjust flavors to your taste. Add additional water if you want it thinner.
4. Serve over grains and greens.
Note: Tahini sauce keeps refrigerated for up to one week.
 

Recipe #2 of the Month: Avocado Dip
 
Prep Time: 3 minutes Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients: 1 large peeled and pitted avocado, 2/3 cup plain yogurt, goat yogurt or soy yogurt, 1 diced tomato, dash or two of cayenne pepper
Directions:
1. Mash avocado with a fork until very smooth.
2. Add yogurt, tomato, cayenne. Blend until smooth. This may be done in a food processor, in a blender or with a fork.
3. Add sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste.
4. Serve chilled with mixed raw vegetables.
* Best made a maximum of 1 hour before serving.
 

Upcoming Events
 
Self-Care for the Soul
Tuesday, March 13, 6:00 pm, Home Instead Senior Care, Branford, CT
You are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, however, year after year, you’re the last one on the list. You don’t eat right, you feel anxious, tired and even moody. Yet loving self-care is totally within your reach. How? I’ll be sharing my favorite self-care secrets, tips and indulgences with caregivers at Home Instead Senior Care.
“Eating for Energy and Effectiveness” on the Wednesday Café – FREE teleclass
Wednesday, March 14, 12:00-1:00 pm
Michelle Huse, MBA, founder of Total Business Fitness (www.TotalBusinessFitness.com), coaches visionary women business owners in building 5, 6, and 7-figure businesses. Michelle believes a “fit business requires a fit owner,” and she takes a holistic approach to business, integrating body, mind, and spirit. Total Business Fitness offers a free community for women business owners. Michelle hosts “Wednesday Café,” a free, weekly, virtual tele- gathering for community members, where invited experts share tips and tools on business and life topics.
Join us for an interactive hour in which we’ll be discussing how we can create lasting energy, get more in touch with our bodies and be more effective in all parts of our life. Plus you’ll learn the secrets about how I stay energized throughout the day. To listen or participate, you just need a phone! Go to www.TotalBusinessFitness.com and register in the yellow box.
Calling all Real Estate Agents: Let’s Get Healthy at the Health Body, Healthy Business Seminar Series – FREE!
Wednesday, March 21 – 12:00-1:30 pm, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, 900 Chapel St., New Haven, CT
Are you a local real estate agent always on the go? Then join me for the Healthy Body, Healthy Business series that’s designed to help you expand your business and grow your income by starting with you! This month’s topic is entitled Healthy on the Go and focuses on how you can create simple, nutritious and efficient eating solutions that keep pace with your busy schedule and keep you healthy. Sponsored by Kim Hafford of Washington Mutual Home Loans and Edna Colucci of the Colucci Law Firm, LLC, this free series includes a healthy lunch, great learning environment and information to keep you healthy. For more information call 203.641.0653.
Oasis in the Overwhelm at the Connecticut Valley Litho Club.
Friday, March 23, 7:00 pm, Colonial Times Restaurant, Hamden, CT
We all get stressed out at one time or another and could benefit from learning strategies to create calm, get focused and de-stress. I’ll be speaking to a group of professional printers, helping them to create calm in the midst of chaos on an ongoing basis.
Family Friendly Foods: Five Foolproof Strategies to Keep the Family Healthy – FREE
Saturday, March 24, 11:00-12:00 pm at the African-American Women’s Summit, Wexler School, New Haven, CT
Think it’s impossible to keep the whole family healthy and satisfied? Wondering how to make vegetables appealing for your second grader or teenager? Join me for this free workshop, part of the African-American Women’s Summit that’s sure to inspire you and get the entire family jazzed about healthy eating. And leave with some fantastic tips and healthy recipes to boot!
Yale University Bouchet Conference on Diversity in Graduate Education
Saturday, March 31, 4:30 pm at Hall of Graduate Studies, New Haven, CT
What’s better then a sampling of healthy snacks after a day of stimulating learning and sharing? I’ll be doing a cooking demonstration and will have lots of helpful information available for graduate students and faculty at this afternoon event.
 
Make Your Health a Priority!
 
Tired of being tired, lacking energy and missing your health “mojo?” Join me for a complimentary health consultation to explore better health and learn more about the programs I offer. What can you gain from working with me? You will learn to be present, focused, peaceful and in touch with your body. You will take care of yourself as you take care of others. You will learn to be first on the list, not the last! Call me at 203.641.0653 to learn more and schedule your appointment today.
Read on…
 
 
Forward to a Friend
It’s such a pleasure to help those closest to us become happier and healthier. Please forward this newsletter to friends, family members or colleagues who might be interested and inspired by it.
Sincerely,
Wendy Battles
Healthy Endeavors
 

Filed under: Newsletter Archive