OneHealthyGirl.com - Carla Golden's Get Healthier! Blog

I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE...FOR THE 5 MILLIONth TIME!

My dear AC passed along a flyer which has stolen my heart away. That's the trouble with me...I fall in love so easily. This explains why I'm generally in a neurotic state. There are so many ideas, businesses, grassroot causes and ideals by which to get swept away! I do get swept away and fall hopelessly behind. Then I catch up just to get swept away again. It's a crazy way to live, isn't it? But I don't know any other way and I guess I really don't mind, otherwise I'd change. 

This time it's Dr. Will Tuttle's World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony. It "sheds light not only on the underlying causes of war, injustice, and exploitation, but also offers valuable insights into precisely how we can each contribute to world peace and a revolution of consciousness. His research is based on a new understanding of the far-reacing implications of our food choices, as well as ancient wisdom eaching that have been suppressed in our culture."

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I advocate abstaining from flesh foods. I've tried to share my now staunch opinion while trying not to offend too many people. (I'm learning that food is politics, religion and culture on a plate and can be VERY controversial!!) The more I learn and understand, the stronger I feel about reducing the killing of animals. I believe that if we each had to kill with our own hands any meat we would eat, then more people would instantly become vegetarian. Most of us are repulsed by killing, but somehow we avoid those feelings when someone else kills for us and provides the flesh in a convenient package on a store shelf. It's still a dead animal you are purchasing.

Our individual bodies and our personal ethics are microcosoms of The Big Picture. If we can collectively kill a chicken, then we can collectively kill another human. Until we value ourselves, or neighbors and even our enemies as fellow human beings then we will continue to slaughter animals. Can we not collectively learn to value the lives of innocent animals and eventually better value each other and find world peace?

You may say that I'm idealistic, a dreamer or a Pollyanna. But it takes keeping a vision of Universal Love in focus in order to have any hope of one day getting even a wee bit closer. You don't think about just doing well before a big game. You think about winning. In the case of Universal Love, however, we all win. What happens to be good for the animal is also good for the planet, good for your body and easier on your wallet in the long run (excerpted from my Economic Crisis Diet). I'm keeping this vision in focus and hope to do my part in attracting others to follow.

Americans are addicted to flesh consumption (I won't even get into sexual exploitation but it's rolled in there too). Just because we can physically eat meat, doesn't mean that we should. It's the Omnivore's Dilemma. There are compelling arguments for and against the human physiological capabilites of meat eating. Regardless, ethical and environmental issues which support a meatless diet trump those arguments as far as I'm concerned. 

We will not ever be truly free and full of love until we can treat animals and other humans the way we wish to be treated. The Golden Rule applies to creatures too!

Dr. Tuttle advocates the vegan diet. I'm not there yet, but hope to gravitate to that level before too long. I will have to let go of my beloved Caesar salad (anchovies...my only meat....and Parmesan cheese), the occasional butter, sour cream, goat cheese and yogurt. Perhaps I'll be inspired to make the change when I hear Dr. Tuttle speak in Bluffton, South Carolina on Sunday, May 3rd from 11:45 to 1:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Lowcountry. His talk follows the Sunday service which will also be lead by Dr. Tuttle starting at 10 am. If you'd like to carpool from Hilton Head Island, please let me know!

www.WorldPeaceDiet.org

Live Light, xo-C.

TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR SMART MOVES!

We're all feeling the economic crunch. Everywhere I go people are comiserating with the changes we are experiencing and feeling. But most people I meet also seem, like me, to be enjoying the enhanced sense of community, getting back to basics and simpler times. The bigger, better, faster lifestyle is exhausting and, oh, so yesterday.

I certainly am not discounting those who are hurting severly - unable to feed their children or themselves, find work, or receive health care. Aren't these the basics? I can help you with two....maybe even three of these basics. 

I know logically - and believe in the soul of my heart - that the basis of health is nutrition. Change what you eat and change the way you feel...for better or for worse. What if you could learn to make smarter food choices whereby creating a reduction in insurance and medical needs? I believe it is possible. Eating smarter can save you money in the long run. Invest in yourself up front by practicing prevention.

The poor food choices we make year after year can lead to less than ideal health situations...high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, lethargy, headaches, cancer, insomnia and autoimmune diseases. Stress (external or nutritional) exacerbates these situations leading to more frequent doctor visits and need for medications. 

I will continue to write and report on various ways to change everyday eating habits. Remember my Economic Crisis Diet? Remember too that it's alternative title is the Silver Lining Diet because if the principles within can be embrace and adopted through this economic downturn AND maintained when the economy revives, you will be in a strong position to be more in control of your life by being a better manager of your health. This ecomonic crisis could be the kick in the butt you need to get healthy once and for all!

I am now offering my services on a personal basis to spend time with you in your kitchen editing your refrigerator and pantry while teaching you (verbally, visually and with written materials) what food stuffs to avoid and which to seek. Then we will go grocery shopping together and restock your home with better options. This three to four hour make-over, which could end up saving you thousands of dollars in the long run by avoiding or reversing disease, I offer at $250. I could even be hired to do your shopping for you, but I'd really love for you to want to understand how to make solidly healthy food choices yourself. Being able to wisely discriminate between bad and good food will be your salvation.

Remember, I am not a doctor, but I have lived the story. I was, at a time in my life, emotionally addicted to food as a full-fledged bulimic, dependent on anti-depressants, wrecked my hormones with birth control pills, a smoker for 16 years and was on acne medication because my complexion (an exterior reflection of my interior health) was so horrid. The turning point was when I started reading about vitamins and became more mindful of food choices.

I have been a health nut for over ten solid years (and get nuttier by the year!) and will be starting my course work this week to begin my journey to obtaining a PhD in Holistic Health and Healing. I would love to help you, in a customized way, find your personal freedom by sharing what I know about food with you. Who knows....maybe you'll be so inspired by your own personal transformation that you'll, in turn, offer your services to others as I am now.

Contact me if you'd like to go shopping with OneHealthyGirl!

Live Light, xo-C.

PS - Words in blue are links...click them!

PPS - Don't forget to make your daily vote for me on StartUp Nation's Leading Moms in Business Compeition here! (I will only be a nuisance about this through March 31st.)

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #10

Finally, you say, she's covering the last Economic Crisis Diet pledge. Finally! 

10. I pledge to explore my emotions (stress, anxiety, fear) rather than turning to food, drink or recreational drugs for comfort. 

WHY?

YOU: Stable, healthy emotions will get you much further in life than another round of sweets, fats, salts, booze, beer or smoke. Have "fun" in moderation by choice, not by dependence.

Be honest with yourself. Are you emotionally attached to what you habitually stick in your mouth? Can you go a day, a week or a month without it to prove it to yourself? You will enjoy 100% personal emotional freedom when you seek nothing outside of yourself to calm your fears.

Is this economic crisis scary? Sure. Scarier for some more than others. I think we are all seeing people around us and/or ourselves being affected by the trickle-down in some way. Now is certainly not the time to treat your mouth like a monetary garbage can. Keep your mouth closed and your money in your wallet. You will benefit two-fold.

WALLET: Vices aren't cheap financially as well as emotionally. Your hard-earned money is better spent on the investment of psychotherapy, journaling, self-help books or a healthy, harmless habit.

“The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside as fate. That is to say, when the individual remains undivided and does not become conscious of his inner opposite, the world must perforce act out the conflict and be torn into opposing halves.” DR. CARL GUSTAV JUNG

What is playing out in "real life" today is the shadow of the collective unconscious in which WE ALL play a part. To simplify, there are two root feelings: fear and love. All other feelings stem from one or the other. When we, as a group of people, feel unsatisfied inside (fearful, lonely, depressed, envious, anxious, etc. which are all fear based.) we look to the outside to fill those empty, uncomfortable spaces. We eat, shop, gamble, drink, fornicate, steal, starve, or obsess in excess in order to ignore or numb the emotional pain. 

So, we've overspent. Now, we're paying the price. Consequences. The pendulum is swinging the other way. We have tried to fill our empty lives with big houses, expensive cars, electronics, vacations, clothes, toys, food, jewelry...you name it. If you're reading this blog, I can guess that you have more than you need....just like I do. 

But the beauty of this time is that we are being handed a gift: time to reassess our priorities. We are being given the opportunity to find and secure happiness without spending money. How many brave souls will start looking inward? It is only inside where authentic happiness resides.

Here's help: The Shadow Dance

PLANET: Discarded toxins and packaging from excessive, non-vital consumption is just polluting the planet as well as your body.

Garbage is garbage. Don't treat your liver like a landfill. 

Live Light, xo-C.

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #9

9. I pledge to drink more filtered tap water.

WHY?

YOU: Less exposure to plastic (exposed to heat in transportation) is crucial to the health of your water. Filter your tap water to keep it available and relatively clean. If we don't use it, we'll lose it and municipal water should always be flowing to the citizens. Yes, there is some ICK! in tap water, but do your research and find a great filter - ideally for the whole home/office/school.

• Bottled water contains disinfection byproducts, fertilizer residue, and pain medication

• Bottled water is full of oil. Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 cars for a year. To put it another way, the entire energy costs of the lifecycle of a bottle of water is equivalent, on average, to filling up a quarter of each bottle with oil. (Pacific Institute)

• Tap water is more highly regulated than bottled water and over 90 percent of water systems meet EPA's standards for tap water quality.  (If the taste or color is a little off from your tap, your pipes are probably at fault—a simple filtration system should do the trick to take both aesthetic problems away.)

WALLET: Bottled water is so much more expensive than utilizing reusable bottles of tap water.

• Drinking the recommended daily amount of water using bottled water can cost an average of $1,400 per year; drinking the same amount from the tap costs around 49 cents for the year. (NY Times)

PLANET: Bottled water has been one the worst paradoxes of recent times: polluting the planet with discarded plastic in the name of ingesting clean water. Even recycling the plastic (which happens to a very small ratio of plastic bottles) still requires unnecessary and pollutive plastic production.

• New American Dream's 5 Step "Break the Bottled Water Habit"

• Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up (NY Times)

Live Light, xo-C.

More Resources:

Reuseable Water Bottles and Water Filters

Tappening.com -  "Think Global. Drink Local."

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #8

8. I pledge to embrace that "I am what I eat" including the ingredients in the food AND the values in the company creating the food. Keep it real and honest!

WHY?

YOU: If the company that creates your food doesn't have a heart for the planet, the employees, the plants, animals and environment, do you think for one second that they care about your health? If they'll exploit one resource, they'll exploit you.

The bigger the company, chain or franchise, the greater the chance that someone along the way is being exploited whether it's the employee, the resources (plant or animal), the environment (pollution) or your health in order to keep the products affordable by most.

I learned something during a job a while back that I never forgot and it really applies to everything, including food. Pick any two: cost, time or quality.

If you want something cheap and quick, you must sacrifice quality.

If you want something quick and of high quality, expect to pay handsomely.

If you want something of high quality and low cost, expect to be very, very patient. 

This last scenario usually applies to eating well on a budget. Ample time is required to find and select the food and then to prepare the raw ingredients. 

What are your  priorities?

WALLET: Do we need 78 choices of cereal? 83 choices of chips? 17 peanut butters? 67 loaves of bread? Narrow down your favorite, respectable companies and make your shopping that much easier. You'll be less tempted to buy less honorable brands and impulsively blow the shopping budget.

Do your research. It was so disappointing to learn that the one green "super food" juice that my daughter will drink is made by a company owned by Pepsi. Either you're a company in favor of promoting wellness, or you're not. 

Here are some charts:

Which Largest Food Producers Own Your Favorite Organic Snack

Who Owns What in the Organic Food Industry

PLANET: R-E-S-P-E-C-T is R-E-S-P-E-C-T whether it's for the cow, the green bean or your liver. 

Well cared for and well tended food in general have more to offer a body nutritionally, vibrtionally and spiritually. Respect your food. Respect yourself. As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. Be real, be honest, be whole....and be nourishing. 

Live Light, xo-C.

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #7

7. I pledge to breast feed my infant until s/he can comfortably eat what I eat (mashed or diced).

WHY?

YOU: Greater connection between mother and baby, nature's perfect food for a growing baby complete with immunity and healthy fats, chemical chain reactions to stave off post-partum depression, aides in maternal weight loss and helps hormonal balance.

There are very few arguments AGAINST breast feeding and so many reasons supporting it. Then why do most babies in this country get breast fed on average less than the suggested six months after birth? Does it require commitment and determination on behalf of the mother and complete support by those around her? You bet! Is it oftentimes easier to let someone else bottle feed the baby than to be hooked up to YET AGAIN? You bet. Can it feel like the mere life is being sucked from you by the end of the day? You bet. 

I breastfed our daughter for 25 months and while it made life so much easier in some respects, it also made boundary issues very complex. But it was all worth the profound experience and I'm proud to say that our 7 year old has never been on antibiotics. Yes, I do attribute the long term breast feeding and our continued viligant household food policies to her strong body and fortified immune system.

Plastic baby bottles have been determined to be leaching petrochemicals into the liquid contents. If you're going to bottle feed your baby pumped breast milk, use only glass bottles.

Now with melamine showing up in formula, there is no way I would consider feeding it to my baby. Goat milk is a natural alternative if you can't breast feed.

90 Percent of U.S. Infant Formula May Be Contaminated with Melamine; FDA Abruptly Declares Chemical Safe for Babies

Breast-Fed Baby May Mean Better Behaved Child

Breastfeeding can Reduce Infant Infections and Health Care Costs in the USA

Study Shows Misleading Health Claims on Food for Children

WALLET: It's free!

Breast feeding reduces the chances of post-partum depression. No required anti-depressants - check!

No bottles and no formula to buy- check!

Breast feeding demands equal calories from the mother's body as while pregnant. Free weight loss assistance - check!

PLANET: Empty formula containers = trash.

No trash. No problem.

Eco-Mama: Why Breastfeeding is Best for Babies ... and the Environment

Live Light! xo-C.

Additional Resources:

Mothering Magazine: Breastfeeding Articles

La Leche League International

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #6

6. I pledge to eat out only in restaurants that serve wholesome, nutritious food. (Don't kid yourself - fast food is NEVER nutritious.)

WHY?

YOU: The higher quality food, the more nutrition potential. Cheap food is made from substandard ingredients and mysterious additives.

The first biggest gamble when eating out is that we are  rarely provided with the details about the ingredients in the food on the menu. From fast food restaurants to fine dining, we are generally assuming that what we are ordering is what we're getting. We are unaware of any added sugars, salts, MSG, thickening agents, margarine, etc. that are employed in the kitchen to make the food taste yummy. 

You would probably fall out of your chair if you knew what you were actually eating. 

Here's a guide for nutritional information of some of the more popular fast food restaurants. Knowing the nutritional numbers is just part of the picture. Knowing what "food" comprises those nutritional stats is the other part of the picture...but rarely obtainable. 

According to Michael Pollan, there is more processed corn in a McDonald's chicken nugget than there is chicken!!

WALLET: In support of independently owned, local restaurants, chose those which offer vegan, vegetarian, organic, raw and/or local food options.

Organic Restaurant Directory

Vegetarian Restaurant Directory

Raw Food Directory

PLANET: Really, does the world need one more McDonald's? KFC? Starbucks? Pick your chain, I don't care. Just boycott it and the massively destructive practices of offering unhealthy products on every corner. 

Hidden Health Dangers: The Fast Food Lie

Dangers of Fast Food

Live Light, xo-C.

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #5

5. I pledge to eat less meat.

WHY?

YOU: Studies have indicated that regular consumption of conventional, mass produced (beef, chicken, pork and seafood) meats offers an unhealthy dose of antibiotics, growth hormones, heavy metals, and possible exposure to cannibalistic diseases (such as Mad Cow Disease).

Study Shows How Meat Spurs Cancer Growth

WALLET: Meats can be quite costly. Cheap meats should be avoided because the quality is too questionable.

"To make the ''eat less'' message a bit more palatable, consider that quality may have a bearing on quantity: I don't know about you, but the better the quality of the food I eat, the less of it I need to feel satisfied." Michael Pollan, Unhappy Meals

The Climate Friendly Diet

PLANET: A disproportionate amount of land, corn, soy and antibiotics are consumed by the meat production industry whereby creating an inordinate amount of run-off water pollution and greenhouse gases. 

NoImpactMan: Why Eating Less Meat Helps the Environment

UN Says Eat Less Meat to Curb Global Warming

And if you need one more reason to not eat meat, refer to the video on this blog post. 

Live Light, xo-C.

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #4

Pledge 4 of 10 of my Economic Crisis Diet:

4. I pledge to compensate for the increase in food prices by eating less: smaller portions, fewer meals.

WHY?

YOU: Possible fat storage loss, increased energy levels and more efficient assimilation of nutrients, not to mention the decrease chances of lifestyle diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol.

Scientists are showing that a key to longevity is a restricted calorie diet. By that, I mean eating less on all levels as a lifestyle, not starvation nor depravation. Our food portions - especially in restaurants - have gotten out of control. We're so accustomed at this point to filling our plates from edge to edge that we think we're getting cheated out of food at fine restaurants serving respectable, healthful portions.

We need far less food then we've been brainwashed to believe. Consider cutting out one meal a day or splitting your meals in half. If you really want to reset your clock, so to speak, go on a fast. A piece of fruit looks like a feast afterwards!

Get started with these guidelines.

WALLET: As prices of food go up and your consumption goes down, your bill remains about the same.

There's no doubt that everyone's food bills have gone up. By purchasing nutritionally optimal foods regardless of price - organic, raw, local wholesome foods are worth the investment in your health - but eating less frequently, you're surely bound to come out even, if not ahead financially. 

Growing children should not have their calories restricted. Help bring into their awareness when they're eating for hunger or out of boredom. Teach them while they're young which foods support their bodies and which do not. Wholesome eating will keep them "full" longer because their bodies are being satisfied. Empty, artificial calories will send a body on the hunt for food that quenches and won't stop until it is. Getting the good stuff in from the beginning saves time and money.

PLANET: The fewer resources your mouth demands, the less taxing the resource production and processing on Precious Earth.

Less is more. The bottom line solution to any over-consumption problem is to consume less. Period. 

"...gardening consumes less land and resources than raising animals, a soybean-based tofu burger impacts the environment four times less than a chicken burger and 14 times less than a beef burger." Jim Merkel

Live Light, xo-C.

ECONOMIC CRISIS DIET - PLEDGE #3

Moving on to Pledge #3 of my Economic Crisis Diet:

3. I pledge to bring home (or to work or send with my children to school) all my food in reusable bags in reusable or recyclable containers (preferably not plastic).

Why?

YOU: The less contact your food has with plastic, the better, especially when heat is involved.

Safe plastic? Unsafe plastic? As far as I'm concerned, all plastic should be avoided. However, I do understand how difficult this is to do in today's world, but we can make an effort. Reduce the use of cling wrap, plastic bags, plastic tableware and utensils ESPECIALLY when warm/hot food is involved. Heat helps the petroleum chemicals from the plastic leach into your food. 

The first step is to become aware. Notice all the plastic around you in stores, in the kitchen, at work and elsewhere in our lives. Wonder how it was done before plastic. Wonder if those items are still available. 

ReusableBags.com  is an excellent site for obtaining reusable shopping/tote/lunch bags, reusable beverage and food containers. Choose natural materials. A reusable plastic thing is still plastic. 

If you find it difficult to let go of Ziploc baggies at lunch time, consider at least reusing them buy washing and drying and keeping them out of the landfill for at least several runs. Gaiam.com has an excellent coutertop bag dryer for this. 

WALLET: Many countries and states are now charging for plastic and paper bags. Might as well start using your own and be in the habit before your rules change.

Get ahead of the curve and help our country transition away from disposable bags. Show your fellow shoppers how easy it is to BYOBag. It may feel a little odd at first, but you'll eventually feel quite comfortable after a while in the grocery store. However, it does still feel a bit weird at a clothing store, but don't be surprised if they too begin wanting to sell you their branded reusable bag. 

WARNING: Do not let reusable shopping bags become the new water bottle (ie: an initially good idea that was marketed to ridiculously contradictory, backfiring levels). Resist the temptation to buy the next cutest shopping bag even though it is reusable. Walk back to your vehicle and retrieve the forgotten reusable shopping bag before buying another for convenience sake. (Trust me, you'll have to do this only a handful of times to learn to not to forget!) Any given family probably doesn't need more than ten bags in their collection at any one time. Keep some in your trunk, in your purse, on your keychain, in your bike bag, in your school backpack, in your gym bag....integrate them into your life. 

PLANET: The less non-degradable plastic in landfills, the better for the future of Earth.

Plastic takes decades to decompose, if ever. Rather than continue to help create tomorrow's plastic wasteland in which to live, let's slow the trend and get back to using non-disposable, natural material food carriers.

One day you will wear out your reusable food gear. Make sure it's repairable or biodegradable to begin with. 

Additional Resources:

FakePlasticFish.com - an excellent blog about all things plastic and related

LifeWithoutPlastic. com - lots of non-plastic food and beverage storage options

Living Plastic Free Blog - EnviroWoman's year (2007) of living virtually plastic free

Life Less  Plastic - what one girl is doing to be mostly plastic free  -  list of actions

Live Light, xo-C.