A Delicious Life

I just found out about this internet radio show that will air today at 2:30 pm - Connie Bennett, author of sugar shock and creator of the Sugar Shock blog will be interviewing Dr. Mehmet Oz today about his new book - You: Staying Young.

Details about the broadcast can be found here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/StopSugarShock/2007/10/30/how-to-stay-young-with-dr-mehmet-oz

Call in number is: (646) 716-7312

What is it you want? More money? Maybe a million dollars? Oh, what’s that? - a billion dollars? Ok.

First you have to know if you’re ready to have more money in your life. How do you figure that out? Look at how you’re handling money now:

How is it coming? Does it go out faster than it comes in? Are you living from a place of lack? Or are you in denial about how much you have (over)spent?

Next, you need to change your focus from lack or denial to that of abundance.

Be thankful for everything that you already have. Appreciation for everything you have naturally raises your vibrations and helps bring more of what you want into your life.

Then, raise your energy even further by changing your focus from lack to abundance.

I was listening to this great new Audiobook I just got, called “Excuse me, your life is waiting!” by Lynn Grabhorn - which is all about the Law of Attraction. In it, the author talks about a game that you can play that will help raise your energy and prepare yourself to receive more in your life.

Take a $100 bill and put it in your wallet. Then go shopping.

On your shopping trip, look at everything that you could possibly by with that $100 and note it to yourself. Say yes to, and delight in, everything that you could possibly buy. For example:

Wow, I could get that awesome pair of jeans! Or that new iPod! Or that set of art supplies! Or 8 new CDs! Or that cute pair of shoes!

You don’t need to actually buy these items to claim them. You just need to purchase them in your mind with your $100 and feel the excitement of having everything that you want.

When I heard this game being described, I had an instant flashback to childhood when I used to play this exact game with my sister. Only, I didn’t know I was playing it - I just knew it was a fun thing to do.

My mom used to get the gigantic Sears catalog that had about 300 pages in it of all sorts of goods. My sister and I would take it and immediately turn to the toy section. Then we would go through it, page by page, claiming each item by trying to hit it before the other one did, saying, “That’s mine!” as we hit each item. It must have worked for us, because not only did we never lack for toys, Christmas was always the best holiday because it was such a toy extravaganza.

To really learn how to have a millionaire mind, I highly recommend the Millionaire Mind Intensive. There’s one coming up in the New York area very soon - let me know if you’re interested in it and I’ll be happy to tell you all about it.

A kichadi is a warm Indian one-pot meal that is usually made with beans, vegetables and flavored with spices that are supposed to help digestion and assimilation. There are many different kichadi recipes out there that will help tone different parts of your body - they have ones for the lungs, liver and gallbladder, intestines, kidneys, etc. This particular recipe helps tone and soothe your digestive tract. It’s also a good way to gently cleanse your body, or to nourish yourself if you’ve been ill or under the weather.

Digestive Kichadi
Prep time: 1 ½ hours
Serves 3-4

-Vata, +Pitta, -Kapha*

½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil
3 bay leaves
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp dry oregano
½ tsp sea salt
1 stick kombu
1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
½ cup basmati rice
¼ cup split mung dal
4-6 cups water
3 cups fresh vegetables, such as carrots, zucchini, or summer squash, diced

Wash the rice and beans until rinse water is clear.

Warm the ghee in a medium saucepan. Ad the cumin seeds, bay coriander and oregano. Brown slightly, until aromatic (you can smell them). Stir in turmeric, rice and dal. Add water, salt, kombu, and ginger. Simmer covered over medium heat until beans and rice are soft, about 1 hour. Wash and dice vegetables. Add them and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes more. 

*Pitta can garnish generously with fresh chopped cilantro to neutralize this effect. If Kapha is making this kichadi for themselves alone, the ghee or oil can be cut to 1 teaspoonful. Additional ghee can be added after cooking if other doshas, especially Vata, are to be sharing in the eating.

Recipe from the Ayurveda Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar

A few months ago, Johan Groundstroem from Sweden got on the scale and was disturbed by what he saw. So disturbed that he decided to go on a diet. But not an ordinary diet - a hamburger diet.

You see, he wasn’t interested in eating all that health food like “algae soup and seaweed stew.” He wanted to eat food that he enjoyed. So he contacted the Swedish hamburger chain Max and asked for sponsorship. They agreed, and Johan became the Jared of Sweden.

Now 31 kilos (68.3 pounds) lighter, achieved in just 100 days, Johan has exceeded his weight loss goal of 20 kilos in 90 days. He’s shared his story on his blog, Minimize Me - and garnered media attention for it.

Now, you don’t have to give up your favorite foods to lose weight, but you do need to create a plan and stick to it. Johan’s suggestions:

1. Adopt a target and a menu - STICK TO IT AND DON’T CHEAT - EVER!

2. Motivation - Who could possibly backtrack on a weight-loss programme if they have nailed their colours to the mast on a website? In my case, it attracted a lot of attention and I’ve had to promise not to go over 100 kg again!

3. The food - Eat something you really like! Forget the algae soup and seaweed stew! I will continue to eat hamburgers, but with a side order of salad, water or milk instead. The difference is that I will now have to start paying for my hamburgers, isn’t that right Alexandra (wink wink).

4. Ask someone for help - A friend, a dietician, a personal trainer. Find a weight-loss pal! I have made lots of new contacts via my site, and these have meant an awful lot to me! Lise, you are a star - better motivation is hard to find!

I gave a speech at my Toastmasters meeting this evening based on a quote that I received in e-mail today. The quote:

People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going

-Earl Nightingale, author The Strangest Secret, Lead the Field.

Imagine hitting the open road without a map to reveal where you’re going. It’s the same with trying to succeed without explicit goals established. But once you take the time to write down your goals and action steps to obtaining these goals, you’re more likely to find the professional and personal successes for which you strive.

After receiving it, I realized that I made some major mistakes when I set my goals this year. And I wanted to share some thoughts about how to set better goals so that people don’t make the same mistakes that I made:

1. Get clear on what you want

The more detail you can visualize for a specific outcome, the more likely it is that you can make it happen. That’s because you can actually “see” it in your mind.

When you can visualize yourself shaking the hand of your new boss as you get the job offer, crossing the finish line of the 5k run doing your best time ever, or approaching the podium to receive your first award for Best Table Topics, the goal is so clear to your mind. You can almost see your future before it happens. Visualizing each detail helps you create your own future.

Even if you don’t have all of the action steps that you need to take, the clearer your goals are, the easier it will be for you to achieve them.

2. Write them down and post them somewhere visible

Writing down your goals is a powerful act. Once you translate your thoughts into ideas that go on paper, you are much more likely to achieve whatever it is you set out to do. When you can see it on a regular basis, you are constantly reminded of what it is you want to achieve. That way, it never strays from your mind.

The good thing about at least writing down your goals is that you can sometimes still get them accomplished by just putting them out into the universe. You make them real by taking them out of your head and putting them on paper. Even though I had lost track of my goal list, I had accomplished about half of my goals. But just half – imagine what would have happened if I had posted my list somewhere that I could see every day. What might I have done?

3. Refine your goals

Sometimes you may not have all the details, or once you start working towards a goal, you’ll see that it’s not exactly what you wanted in the first place. That’s ok. It’s better to start acting and correct your direction as you are making progress than it is to wait until you have all of the details.

You could wait forever for the perfect plan to suddenly come to you, and then where would you be? You’d still be at square one, waiting for inspiration. Meanwhile, you would not have learned by experimenting with what wasn’t quite right. Better to fail forward fast than to wait until you perfect your vision.

4. Set time limits

It’s not about just wanting to accomplish a goal; it’s also important to define when you want to accomplish it. When do you want to be a published author? When are you planning on achieving your competent communicator designation in Toastmasters? By when do you want to make a million dollars? All of these time frames will help you determine what steps you need to take and by when you need to take them to achieve everything you want in life.

Attached to my tea bag this morning was this quote:

“To be great, feel great and act great.”

The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like - so, accordingly, if you feel and act great, you will become great. This is the theory.

But even if you don’t believe in the Law of Attraction, don’t you feel better when you’re focused on what’s working? Or, as I like to ask people, what’s new and good in your life?

If you take a look at whatever that is, your mood will naturally lift, and you will smile more often. As you walk down the street, your smile will attract other smiles - your positive energy inspires others and causes them to smile, too. And then, there you are, all silly-grinning, wondering why you’re so happy. And it was all because you started thinking about the new and good things in your life.

Are you suffering from headaches or migraines? If you take pain medication regularly for head pains, you may be suffering from rebound headaches. This article in the New York Times discusses a recent study that shows the very cure for headaches can sometimes actually be the cause of them, too.

As a headache sufferer, I know how frustrating it can be to have regular attacks. Sometimes headaches can be caused by other things you’re consuming - or neglecting to consume.

Here are a few different reasons why you may get a headache and some simple tips for curing them without aspirin:

1. Dehydration - Many Americans are chronically dehydrated. If you’re not drinking at least 6-8 glasses of water - not tea, not coffee, not fruit juice, just plain, simple water - you may be dehydrated. And as simple as it may sound, water can sometimes get rid of your headache. Try drinking one or two glasses of water (8oz glasses), wait for a little while, and see how you feel. You may find your headache disappears on its own.

2.  Stress - If you are worried, tension builds in your body, often causing muscle tension, fatigue and physical stress. To release tension, try deep breathing exercises, taking a relaxing walk, or meditating. You may also be able to relieve stress with laughter, working out, or some distracting activity - watching a funny movie or TV show. Allowing yourself to release tension will often release you from your headache, too.

3. Migraine - now these are a little more tricky. There can be many reasons why you get migraine headaches. Sometimes it’s from a food allergy or sensitivity - to know if you have this, you would need to go through an elimination/provocation type diet to check different sensitivities. Sometimes, migraines are an indication of having weak energy in your liver - if this is the case, you can do a liver-cleansing diet and take liver-supporting herbs such as milk thistle. Sometimes migraines are related to stress or come on as a psychosomatic response to something with which you do not want to handle. For stress, some of the self-care exercises described above can help. For psychological headaches, you will need to examine the roots of the issue - from what is your body is trying to protect you? You may need to consider professional help for dealing with this kind of issue if you are not able to examine the roots on your own.

Yesterday, I did a food demonstration at the Greenpoint Greenmarket in McCarren Park. I met a lot of great people shopping for local produce, and many got to sample the recipe that I prepared (see below). I made a variation of it with Napa cabbage instead of Bok Choy which worked just as well. I also added in a crunchy pear for a little different taste. Most everyone seemed to like it. Try it for yourself and see what you think - and let me know if you do.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yields: 3-4 people

Ingredients:
5 stalks of bok choy (about 1/2 a head), thinly sliced
1 granny smith apple, sliced
1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)

Dressing
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
2 teaspoons honey or brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Either eat immediately or chill for up to 1 hour and add the apples just before eating.

Variations:

• Use cabbage instead of bok choy.
• Use carrot slices instead of onion.
• Add fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, mint or scallions.
• Double the dressing ingredients and use on leftover grains.