*Scroll to bottom for information on reading nutrition labels!

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OCTOBER 2008

As Fall leads us to cooler weather with its celebration of beautiful colors and falling leaves, I find myself contemplating the many gifts the year has brought.  Personally, some of those gifts have been a result of "letting go" of the known and embracing the mystery of Life.
 
Speaking of gifts, our first baby (a boy) is due in just about 8 weeks and nothing provides me with the challenge to be "zen" and go with the flow more than being pregnant!
 
Our food focus this month is "root vegetables" with a simple recipe to try. Root veggies are very grounding and warming for the body. Since apples are in season, I've also included nutritional info and a link to a recipe for apple-walnut salad.
 
The contemplative article this month explores commitment vs. circumstance.  How do we stay grounded in our commitments and remain rooted to what we value when life unfolds in unexpected ways?

I hope you find these offerings beneficial-thank you for tuning in, and may you enjoy radiant life.

Namaste,
Kendra

 Powerful Question of the Month:

Is my commitment bigger than my circumstance?

Commitment is what
transforms a promise into reality.
It is the words that speak
boldly of your intentions.
And the actions that speak
louder than the words.
It is making the time when there is none.
Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year.
Commitment is the stuff character is made of the power to change the face of things.
It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.

– Author unknown

This is one of my favorite quotes, and I have kept it posted on my fridge for years now.   It is a reminder for me that life's circumstances, including health issues, financial struggles, basic lack of time, and unexpected  curve-balls, will pass.  But my commitment to my intentions and values can provide an unwavering sense of solace and security, a focus on what I CAN control in the midst of uncertainty.

A few years ago I participated in a residential, dorm-style yoga teacher training for one month.  Right in the middle of the program, I was bitten by something that caused anaphylactic shock.  I ended up in the hospital with my eyes nearly swollen shut, lips that rivaled  Angelina Jolie's (but believe me, were on the wrong sized face-not pretty!) and a fiery itch that emanated from under my skin for over a week.  My limbs were filled with fluid and I was given Benadryl and other drugs in an attempt to control the symptoms.   My classmates expected me to go home, but I had decided that no matter what, I was there to finish the training and embrace the gifts of growth presented to me. My intention before the program was to "unwavering commitment."  And so I showed up to class, (which went from 6am-9pm six days a week) practiced yoga within the limitations my body presented, and actually flourished! I believe the gentle stretches that I was able to do helped flush toxins out of my body more quickly. Being seen by my classmates in a state of "ugliness" and vulnerability allowed me to settle into the deep beauty of my spirit. Students shared with me that the process was an inspiration to witness. Like many people, I can tend to be all or nothing-either you do it or you don't, and don't bother trying if you are not going to give it your all.  But I realized during that particular experience that our "all" is going to change from day to day, circumstance to circumstance.  The best we can do is work within the support AND limitations we are given.  Often we find that our authentic gifts arise within limitations and vulnerabilities rather than in the known strengths we always go to as our default.  We also  find that we may need to ask for "outside"support, which may be a new and uncomfortable practice. When this happens, we get to experience  our connection with others and a more whole version of ourselves.
 
Lately I have found myself repeating to my clients, "Let your commitment be bigger than your circumstance."  Regardless of your real or perceived obstacles, stay connected to your intentions and values. What is it you want to create in your life?  Health?  Prosperity?  Intimacy? Connection?  You can find ways to nurture your values and feed your intentions even if you are only taking small measures.  Know that each moment is a moment of choice.  Every day that you choose in favor of your goals you tip the scales toward living the life you want.  Transformation is possible and although it sometimes happens overnight, it usually takes time and commitment.  I am much happier when I am living in that space of commitment, despite circumstances.  It's powerful, it's inspiring, and it's alive with possibility.
 
 
For more information on discovering, exploring, and working with your values/intentions, check out:
 
Mastering Life's Energies, by Maria Nemeth, Phd
The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz

Food Focus: Root Vegetables

The roots of any plant are its anchor and foundation; they are the essential parts that support and nourish the plant. Root vegetables lend these properties to us when we eat them, making us feel physically and mentally grounded and rooted, increasing our stability, stamina, and endurance. Roots are a rich source of nutritious complex carbohydrates, providing a steady source of necessary sugars to the body. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods, they regulate them. Since they absorb, assimilate and supply plants with vital nutrients, roots likewise increase absorption and assimilation in our digestive tracts.
 
Long roots include carrots, parsnips, burdock and daikon radish. Round roots include turnips, radishes, beets and rutabagas. Long roots like burdock and daikon are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body and increase mental clarity. Round roots are nourishing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and can help regulate blood sugar, moods, and alleviate cravings.
 
Recipe of the Month:
Roasted Root Vegetables
 
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25-35 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
 
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
2 parsnips
2 carrots
2 turnips or 1 large rutabaga
1 daikon radish (or substitute/add in your favorites, like squash)
olive oil
salt and pepper
herbs: rosemary, thyme or sage (fresh if possible)
 
Directions:
1.   Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2.   Wash and chop all vegetables into large bite-sized pieces.
3.   Place in a large baking dish with sides.
4.   Drizzle with olive oil; mix well to coat each vegetable lightly with oil.
5.   Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs.
6.   Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes until vegetables are tender and golden brown, checking every 10 minutes to stir and make sure veggies are not sticking.
Note: Any combination of vegetables will work. Roasting only one kind of vegetable also makes a nice side dish.
 

APPLES REALLY CAN KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY!
 
Craving sweets as the season changes?  Apples are in season and there are some amazing types to choose from.  In addition to being delicious and crunchy, apples are high in fiber and vitamin C.  They are surprisingly filling because of the amount of fiber they contain. One apple is 10% of your daily requirement.   Apples contain soluble and insoluble fiber, which keeps your heart, bowels and cholesterol levels very happy.  The fiber in apples actually latch onto LDL cholesterol in the digestive tract to move it out .  Apples also contain pectin which help push out heavy metal toxins like mercury. As if this wasn't enough, flavonoids are abundant in apples, helping to  prevent heart disease.  Apples have even been found to strengthen the skin's protection against ultraviolet rays and to decrease post-menopausal bone loss.  What powerhouses!
 
My favorites are Braeburn, Honey Crisp, and Fuji, which I use in place of the ones listed in this recipe:

Apple-Walnut Salad Link

NUTRITION LABEL TIPS...

 
How to Read a Nutrition Label
What you don't notice on nutrition labels can hurt you.
By Leanna Skarnulis, WebMD Feature    
Reviewed By Brunilda  Nazario, MD

Remember being a kid and tearing open the cereal box to get the special decoder ring? Today's cereals should come with a ring you can use to crack the code of their nutrition labels. For those who understand its secrets, the nutrition label holds valuable information for winning the war on fat. Since there is no special ring, we'll give you the skinny on reading nutrition labels.
Beware of the Front Label Tease "Heart Healthy!" "Enriched With Calcium and Vitamins!" "Low fat!" The front label is where manufacturers can say whatever they want. But when you look at the nutrition facts on the back you might wonder if the two labels refer to the same product. "Speed read the front label and go straight to the nutrition facts," says Kerry McLeod, author of The Last Diet Book Standing. She tells WebMD why the following front label terms should be red flags:

• Fortified, enriched, added, extra, and plus. This means nutrients such as minerals and fiber have been removed and vitamins added in processing. Look for 100% whole-wheat bread, and high-fiber, low-sugar cereals.
• Fruit drink. This means there's probably little or no real fruit and a lot of sugar. Instead look for products that say "100% Fruit Juice."
• Made with wheat, rye, or multigrains. These products have very little whole grain. Look for the word "whole" before the grain to ensure that you're getting a 100% whole-grain product.
• Natural. The manufacturer started with a natural source, but once it's processed the food may not resemble anything natural. Look for "100% All Natural" and "No Preservatives."
• Organically grown, pesticide-free, or no artificial ingredients. Trust only labels that say "Certified Organically Grown."
• Sugar-free or fat-free. Don't assume the product is low-calorie. The manufacturer compensated with unhealthy ingredients that don't taste very good and, here's the kicker, have no fewer calories than the real thing.

The Nutrition Facts Label
Serving Size
Start your label reading adventure by looking at the "serving size" printed right under "nutrition facts." Portion control is an important part of weight management, but don't expect food manufacturers to make it easy for you. Pop-Tarts, for instance, come two to a package. The label says one serving is 200 calories. The catch is that's for "one pastry."

Label reading is easy when a package states there are one or two servings. It's the fractions that will send you to the calculator. For example, the label on a 6-ounce can of StarKist Tuna in water says one serving is 2 ounces (drained) so you might think the can holds three servings. But because you drain off some weight, the can actually contains 2.5 servings.

And how realistic are those printed serving sizes anyway? The South Beach diet recipe for South Beach Chopped Salad With Tuna calls for a 6-ounce can of water-packed tuna, and that's for a single serving of salad.

Calories and Calories From Fat
Next you'll see how many calories are in a serving and how many of those calories come from fat. A 2-ounce serving of tuna has 60 calories, 5 of which come from fat. If you eat the whole can, multiply these amounts by 2.5 for a total of 150 calories and 12.5 fat grams.

Nutrients by Weight and Percentage of Daily Value (%DV)
If you're counting fat or carbohydrate grams, you're familiar with this part of the label. It shows how much of each nutrient is in a single serving by weight in grams and by %DV. This symbol refers to the recommended daily allowance for a nutrient based on a 2,000-calorie diet (you'll see that some nutrients, such as sugar and protein, don't have a %DV). Fats are listed as "Total Fat" and also broken down so you can see how much is saturated fat, i.e., the kind you especially want to limit. Unfortunately, the label doesn't distinguish between natural sugars, such as those found in fruit, and added sugar. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition says the first nutrients listed on the label --total fat, cholesterol, and sodium -- are the ones most Americans get enough of or too much of in their diets. And one of the most overlooked nutrients essential for good health is fiber.

Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are listed by %DV only. Pay particular attention to vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. They're listed first. The FDA says most Americans don't get enough in their diets.

Ingredients
Ingredients are listed in order from the greatest amount to the least. Just how much of a "fruit breakfast bar" is fruit? McLeod advises leaving the product on the shelf if the terms "enriched wheat flour" or "sugar" appear before "fruit." She also offers this rule of thumb: the fewer the ingredients, the better. "If there's a long list of scary ingredients you can't pronounce, you might want to put it back." Some labels also show you the total recommended daily allowances of nutrients for a 2,000-calorie diet.

The Important Term That's Not on Labels
A desire to lose weight may be the main reason you pay attention to what you eat. But eating to promote good health should be a consideration as well. Labels can help. In 1993, the FDA required manufacturers to list saturated fat and cholesterol on nutrition labels. Now the issue is trans fats.

Studies show these trans fats sabotage good cholesterol and boost bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoproteins that clog arteries and cause heart disease. They're also suspected of playing a role in diabetes and cancer. But you won't find trans fat listed on many nutrition labels, at least not yet. The FDA has given manufacturers until January 2006 to list them. Some manufacturers have already complied. Meanwhile, the code words to watch for in the label's ingredients list are "partially hydrogenated."

Trans fats are everywhere you find processed foods. McLeod, who lives in Gainesville, Fla., reads -- and understands -- nutrition labels. But she didn't always. "I thought I was eating nutritious foods." She was shocked when she pulled the packaged foods from her pantry and refrigerator. "I threw out most of it. Trans fat was in almost every single packaged food item in my house."

Label Reading on the Run
On your way home from work you stop at the grocery store to pick up dinner. Researching labels isn't a priority. You want to grab the goods and go. Here's a label-reading shortcut. First, ignore the "sell" on the front. Go straight to the back and look at %DV. According to the FDA, you should look for nutrients you want, such as fiber, to represent 20%DV or more, and nutrients you should limit, such as fat, to represent 5% or less. Next look at serving size. If you'll eat twice that amount, then double the %DV numbers, or if you'll eat half the amount, then halve the %DV numbers. Remember that DV is based on 2,000 calories a day. In general a diet containing 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day is what is recommend for most women trying to lose weight and a diet containing between 1,200 and 1,600 should be chosen for most men trying to lose weight.

When you're in a hurry, maybe the best you can do is compare three brands of the same product, such as chili. Thankfully, manufacturers tend to standardize serving sizes. For chili, it's 1 cup. So when you check the different brands for %DV it's easy to see which packs more of the nutrients you want and less of those you don't want.
Published Aug. 9, 2004.