Kickstart Your Way to Radiant Health

A new moon cycle is upon us, and I have been through a whirlwind the past 4 months and so am advocating for change this month on a cellular level. What is one way – and a powerful way – to change your body and your life?

EAT CLEAN, WHOLE, ORGANIC FOOD. This is my normal m.o., of which eating clean, using food to detox and eating the right food to heal make it easier to weather the changes of life. However, four months ago, I veered away from my resolve to be optimally healthy – to take care of my dad who is going through a major life crisis. I have learned tons of lessons during this phase, most of which are hanging out around my energy desperate for a place to sink in. I can try to shake it off by dancing, staying up late, writing about how bad I feel or endless processing. I also know what works and that the process of detoxification is rather simple. It is to come clean on the inside and the outside will shine with radiance. Feminine beauty can be created through a whole foods diet, and all of the shame, grief and overwhelm can be integrated through eating clean,  getting moving, sleeping and repeating these actions on a daily basis.

I will guide you here – for now this is a FREE cleanse – you will be able to access anytime through my blog @ createradiance.wordpress.com. And also I will have it up on my site www.createradiance.com.

Things to consider for the cleanse:

  • How busy you are
  • What your goals are
  • Who may get in your way
  • Possible excuses

From there, you may choose the length of time you want to devote to purifying your body and how much you are willing to release will depend on this. This is a kickstart to your radiance.

Pre-cleanse it is important to prepare your mind and body for the de-sludging process. You want to make sure you have ample time in your schedule to cook and shop, as well that you will be courageous enough to keep the commitment to yourself to be clean, inside and out. The outside counts also, and you may notice that as soon as you clean out your diet, you will notice things in your life that need detoxing as well, such as clothing and clutter. Clean insides sensitive you to your environment, and make you resonate with a higher vibration. With that comes the knowing what needs to stay and what needs to go. This cleanse is about improving your life from the inside out, so this is just food for thought (and with knowledge you may be motivated to listen to your hunches and clean out your life:)>

My day one looks like this. Fortunate to be on day two of my moon cycle, and in a place of needing rest, so I’ve been able to be @ home for most of the day.

Morning:

walk, 30 mins

breakfast: kitchari with turmeric, mustard seeds, fennel, garlic and cauliflower, coconut oil

lunch: kitchari with turmeric and beet greens, garlic, coconut oil

snack: 1 T peanut butter, coconut water

dinner: kitchari with kale

Disclaimer: This is not a mono-cleanse. I don’t suggest eating kitchari for days on end to purify your body and enhance your natural beauty. According to Ayurveda, mung bean kitchari is the most balancing dish and a very cleansing meal to consume. It is super energizing, grounding and nourishing and tastes delicious. Here is a basic recipe for kitchari, a detoxifying meal you may enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

KITCHARI:

  • 1 cup of mung beans or red lentils, rinsed
  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 2 cups chopped vegetables
  • 1/2 t tumeric
  • 1 T coriander
  • 1 t mustard seeds
  • 1/2 t fennel seeds

Bring beans and 4 cups water to a boil. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Add rice. Add vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Add spices and cook until fragrant. Add to cooked bean, rice, vegetable mixture. Enjoy warm. Garnish with cilantro and ginger.

Curry Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

Coconut milk is my new love. Creamy and sweet and oh so fatty, it hits the heart right in between the om and the ah. It’s like the perfect balance of the yin and the yang, or not really, because there is nothing yang about it. You can use it just like you would cream or a heavy milk, yet with a nutrition profile that is astounding. Without regard to the fat content, coconut milk has many benefits that will send your heart soaring and your taste buds gleaming with an inner smile all the way down to your belly.

Benefits of Coconut Milk:
Following are some of the health benefits of coconut milk:

Manganese Ya! Manganese is an amino acid that gets sucked out of your body due to glucose intolerance. I attribute many blood sugar imbalances to the intoxication gluten can cause, yet it may not be 100% for you if you are reading this and hesitant to believe it. This is my experience and a testimony from years of personal and professional research, and so if it does not resonate, leave the rest to discover for yourself! Manganese is in coconut milk and so you may assure your bones and brain they can have a party because the coconut is going to offer you one! As well, grains, legumes and nuts provide manganese.

Flexifies the skin and blood vessels! No one wants to find their blood has become stagnant, their veins hard to access or their circulation cut down to only in their torso. You want strong arms to support your body, arms to help lift you up (and hands to express through). The copper and vitamin C in coconut milk will encourage flexibility in the blood flow of the body, which means everywhere so drink up!

Your Daily Boost! Coconut milk is high in phosphorus which strengthens bones. So practice yoga and drink/cook with coconut milk for strengthening bones and preventing bone loss.

Keep your blood-a-flowing! Anemia is a common cause of lethargy and over-exhaustion due to a lack of proper mineralization. One cup of coconut milk offers 1/4 the RDA of iron.

Free your mind and the rest will follow! Stressed out in your mind or body? Check your magnesium, perhaps the cause of pain in your neck or back is that your diet is causing your nerves to withdraw from their natural flow of beauty. Coconut milk provides plenty of magnesium to relax your muscles and send healing sparkles of light to those areas which maybe harboring the plague of your current situation. Perhaps coconut milk in some soup tonight?

Full Belly, Full Heart! Coconut milk provides plenty of fiber, which fills you up quicker and may aid in reducing the need to eat more than your body is ready for. So eat more fiber (coconut milk!), ultimately eat less overall.

Silly Seli – what? Selinium is an important antioxidant which reduces inflammation in the body, especially surrounding the joints. So, more coconut milk, especially if you have arthritis – it is observed the people with low levels of selenium may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

Pot-ass-what? Potassium, or foods containing potassium (if you break that word apart, it’s funny, right?) is a blood pressure reducing-agent that comes naturally in coconut milk.

Immune me, please! I spent a semester in college in Tanzania and once was forced to lie back @ camp and miss a day of beach hiking (hiking on beaches to “island hop” around various un-inhabited aka desert islands) due to a major fever. I went hiking on my own and came to a village known for it’s incidences of elephantitits. That’s another story, but for now, know this: they gave me coconut to drink and said it would take my pain away. It did, however my taste buds weren’t quite mature enough to think that coconut milk was magical. Once I broke through to the other side, now my immune system is in high gear and I haven’t been sick since (in 10 years!).

Zinc your taste! Zinc is the key to healthy taste buds, as well as plays a role in promoting the health of the prostate gland. DRINK MORE COCONUT MILK!
Now for the main squeeze :

Butternut Squash Curry Soup featuring Coconut Milk
Ingredients:

1/4 cup onions, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 T ginger
1/4 t curry powder
1 t coconut oil
1 c butternut squash
1 t coconut oil
1 cup water
1/2 t sea salt
2 T coconut milk

Heat oil until smoking. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant and clear. Add curry powder, saute 30 seconds. Add squash and water. Simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until squash is soft. Blend. Add coconut milk (optional). Simmer for 2 minutes. Add more coconut milk for a creamier consistency. Serve warm, garnished with cilantro.

Super yum.

Eating Disorder or Identity Crisis

I hate to admit that the theme for this post came from a search from a previous post, but I do like to know what people are interested in and how what I know may resonate what you want to read. The topic of whether you are struggling from an eating disorder or going through an identity crisis hits very close to the center of my heart.

First, a coach I have worked with in the past, Heather Fougnier – who is recovered from bulimia and helps women to recover, as well as is a business coach, reminded me that if I am struggling with any aspect of my eating disorder, a new door may reveal itself for me to walk through. This does not mean that if you are in between jobs, school, relationships or on vacation, that you should make it a time to over or under eat. It does mean, that a lack of structure in one’s life may make it more difficult to maintain structure in all areas of life – unless, you are doing it for survival and understand fully the consequences of not taking care of yourself.

There are simple, practical ways to set aside an unhealthy relationship with food RIGHT NOW. If you are struggling with anorexia, bulimia, compulsive over-eating and are at risk, I do not claim to be diagnosing your condition or able to treat you, but I can offer you healthy habits to add in TODAY to start to feel better. And, in my 14 years of recovering from anorexia, bulimia and any form of eating disorder there is, I know that #1 way to maintain a recovery mindset is through balanced nutrition. THis is a matter of feeling starving and wanting to binge, starving and wanting to keep on starving or overeating and not wanting to stop, there is one way to heal all of these conditions and it is by getting enough of the right foods to eat at regular intervals and doing so with mindfulness and compassion.

When I first started recovery, and at points I still practice this when I remember to it is to say a blessing over your food, and when you do to remember any one who has ever struggled with an eating disorder or who is currently struggling. This can look like: Please bless the lives of all those men and women who have ever and are currently struggling in their relationship with food. Help them to breathe deeper, eat more mindfully and be nourished by the food they put into their bodies. Doesn’t it feel better to acknowledge you are not alone in the struggle? It has for me and I bet it will for you also!

What are some other ways we can move beyond having the eating disorder as an identity? See it as such. When you are not fully taking care of yourself, there are many things that might have triggered you to get off course – mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. We are multi-dimensional people with holistic needs. The food is one piece out of the pie, but it is a necessary and vital piece which makes the other pieces fall into place mmore effortlessly. Imagine when you are satisfied by a meal are having been starving to eat and how much better you feel and easier it is to think and feel! When you are under or over fed, this may not be the case. Overeating can cause the same symptoms of lethargy and sleeplessness, combined with anxiety and depression, all of which lead to feeling confused about what to do and what you may need to get back on track.

So, to move toward your goals today, start by balancing your plate. What does a balanced plate look like?

A meal should have:

  • 1-3 servings of starch, preferably gluten free (whole grains or whole grains crackers/breads)
  • 3 servings of protein, about 15-25 g of protein
  • 2-3 fats – up to 1 T oil (coconut, flax, olive, ghee)
  • veggies – as many as possible, preferably most of your plate

A snack:

  • 1 starch (ie fruit, crackers, rice cake)
  • 1 protein (cheese, nuts, hummus)

Eating every 2-3 hours is a smart way to keep your brain supercharged and blood sugar stabilized. Doing so is your ticket to a healthy recovery and a life of healthy, sustainable nutritional habits.

Why Go Gluten Free

I have struggled with this question. I have been gluten free, and I have been gluten-ous. I have experimented with food and tried to take it all in and learned that I cannot always take in what I think I want. I have been on a journey through my digestive system, which had me avoiding filling up for years, which whip-lashed me into years of bulimia. My healing path has urge me to move towards greater levels of health and wellness.

I find that when I avoid gluten, I feel better. I tested negative for celiac, but I have an obvious gluten intolerance. I recently explored going back on gluten, and it was honestly not a conscious choice. I am in a transitional period and under a lot of stress, so I reached for the foods that support the outer conditions of not feeling grounded or knowing what is to come. I have learned that I love familiarity, regular surroundings. I have grown out of stepping so far outside of my comfort zone. My adolescence was a series of trips around the world to figure out how other cultures live to discover broader ways of being happy and healthy. I always learn a lot, but for where I am now, I find it more necessary to be contributing to the greater good.

So, this period of discomfort and weight gain has been my mind-body attempting to move towards greater unity. I am grateful for what I have learned, and continue to evolve my perspective of how good life can be when I take care of myself.

I know that gluten does not take care of me. I have found ways to satisfy that craving for glutenous treats, and love getting in the kitchen creating recipes!

Here is a breakfast recipe for having a delicious gluten-free day!
Brown rice porridge

¼ cup brown rice or brown rice farrina
¼ c sliced apple
2 dates, minced
10 almonds
1/8 t cinammon
dash sea salt
1 t molasses or maple syrup
1 t ghee

Add cereal, apple, dates and almonds and cinnamon to pot. Cover with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and add a dash of sea salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sweetener and ghee and serve warm. Yummy! This breakfast is very sweet, nourishing and grounding.

Gluten Free and Happy to Be

You may be reading this because you have gone gluten free due to a health condition, or a current trend in dietary theory led you to discovering the impact that going gluten free can have on your life. Any information you are reading here comes from personal experience, along with research I have done on gluten free living. I suffered with ill health for many years, and was in a healing crisis when I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. Besides that, I could not hold on to weight, my blood sugar was all over the place, I had severe anxiety followed by depression and finally had a series of seizures. All of this and I still did not get it, neither did doctors. I was told “anorexic”, after having no problem consuming as much food as possible. I spent an exorbitant amount of time and energy on trying to find foods that agreed with me, and I settled on soy and a grain based diet, only to discover I was allergic to soy, and many of the foods I was eating. No wonder for the strange health conditions which seemed to be popping up all over the place!

Then I ran into an ex-boyfriend, who, when we were together, liked his beer and hangovers, while I was a bulimic in action. Together, we suffered silently separately, but came together and thrived on the possibility of not having to be alone and miserable. He had been diagnosed celiac, and told me about his recovery process. At the time, I was severely underweight, and still trying to figure out the food. And then…I cut out gluten. My symptoms went away, my weight normalized, and I found a way of eating that worked for me.

Here is how I went gluten free.

1. I cut out gluten.
2. I felt better.
3. I felt much better.
4. I learned to cook without gluten.
5. I felt free around food, less moody and compulsive, grounded with a flow in my spine.
6. I continue to feel better following a gluten free lifestyle, which does not include restricting the delicious options available.

The rest is history. Every day, I create, convert and customize recipes that fit in with the gluten free living. Some work, some need work, but there is always room for more gluten free options in the world. I am currently offering a Chi Bar–a gluten free, dairy free, soy free, sugar free energy bar that is spreading like wildfire. If you want to learn more, or order one or a dozen, email me @ waller@createradiance.com

Stay tuned for my new website, coming out in the next week, which will offer gluten free guides, guidance, recipes, relaxation techniques–a sort of healing reservoir for recovering your health from an addiction, stress condition, or life in general.

WIth love,
Waller

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BUDDHA’S DELIGHT

Not so sure the Buddha ate grain, but was the Buddha gluten-free? For anyone out there following a gluten-free lifestyle who has recovered health and well-being since going gluten free, you may agree that the Buddha must’ve been gluten free. To have been clear, compassionate, grounded and serene, the Buddha had an evolved digestive system and most likely ate foods that agreed with his system. It is doubtful he was ingesting too many processed flours and sugar products.

After going into the forest and leaving behind a life of riches and material, the Buddha chose the simple life. Wonder if this impacted the Buddha’s dietary choices?

No one diet works for anyone, nor does one dietary theory work for any unique constitution over an extended period of time. Even if you are not gluten-free, and not interested in cutting things out of your diet, have you tried adding things in and seeing how you respond? Your digestive system will love you for the addition of whole grains. Your energy will improve and your overall radiance level will be enhanced, especially if you chew well!

Whole grains are a nourishing way to eat your way to radiant health. People who eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Grains provide many nutrients that are vital for the health and maintenance of our bodies. Whole grains are a great source of folate, B vitamins, and zinc, all of which improve brain function, including memory.

Buddha’s Delight
1 cup amaranth
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
2 t salt
2 t cumin seeds
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t coriander
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 cup cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime

Heat oil in pan. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add a salt and cumin seeds. Saute 2 minutes. Add rest of herbs, along with amaranth. Saute 3 minutes.
Add 2 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.
Garnish with lime juice and fresh cilantro. Simply divine.

Amaranth is a high-protein, mineral-rich, gluten-free grain. When cooked, it has a gelatinous texture and makes a delicious hot breakfast cereal.

Amaranth helps prevent and treat osteoporosis due to high levels of calcium, magnesium, and iron.

Recipe for Radiance

This morning I have been working on creating brochures and flyers for the upcoming cooking classes, groups and workshops I am offering in and around Nashville.
These include a series of gluten-free healthy living cooking classes at Whole Foods Market Cool Springs Saturday January 10 and 31, and Sunday January 25. Call today to register as space is limited and going fast! 615.618.6556
I will also be available this coming Wednesday, January 7 and Tuesday, January 20 at Whole Foods in Franklin, TN from 1-3 pm for free health consultations and to learn more about Create Radiance Wellness with some simply divine gluten free samples for you to try!

Here is today’s recipe for radiance, created for you who love fish, balance and are looking to create radiant health in 2009!

Poached Red Snapper Extraordinaire:

1 lb red snapper
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch spinach
2 cups brown rice noodles, or noodles of choice
1/4 cup cilantro
1 T lime zest
1 T+ sea salt

Bring water to a boil. Add 1 T olive oil and 1 T salt. Add snapper, cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until cooked throughout.
Meanwhile, heat 1 T oil in skillet. Add minced garlic and saute 3 minutes. Add rinsed and sorted spinach, cover, and blanch 2 minutes. Add a generous dash of salt and noodles of choice and saute 1 minutes more. Toss with cilantro and lime zest and prepared fish.
Serves 4.

If you enjoyed this recipe, and enjoy learning about healthy living, you may benefit from a Radiant Health Consultation, done live or over-the-phone as an opportunity for you to dream, plan and live your healthiest life starting today. Through January 10, 2009, a consultation is just $45 ($75 value). Register here today.

Transform Your Life In 2009

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Are you where you want to be?
Do you wake up in the morning ready to face the day in a positive way, or are you resisting what is showing up for you?
Do you have a healthy body image, or are you a compulsive eater or exerciser and, if so, are you comfortable where you are? Could you use some yoga this year to enhance your wellbeing? Are you ready to take advantage of the opportunity to recreate yourself this year with a Whole New You?

Each day offers an opportunity for you to transform your limitations. You can wake up and go to a job you hate, complaining about what’s wrong around you or you can find what you love about your life and look for the opportunity to create a life you love and love the life you are living.

Perhaps you are visiting this blog because you have some level of gluten intolerance and have been forced to go gluten free. Or, perhaps you have chosen to go gluten-free simply because you feel better, you are more available to yourself and your friends and family when you avoid gluten and you understand how important it is that you feel healthy in your daily life. Perhaps you are just wanting to learn ways to be healthy.

Wherever you are on the health spectrum–sick and suffering, overweight, depressed, happy and satisfied or just seeking Truth–congratulations for making it to the beginning of the rest of your life!

2009 marks the beginning of your journey–where you have been collecting data for how to live and NOW marks the opportunity to become healthy, happy and physically fit using the energy stored up inside from 2008.

Create Radiance Transformational Workshops offer you the opportunity to awaken to your well-being through mind and body fitness from the inside out. You will be guided through processes to uncover blocks to your limitless flow of well-being, discover what you really want in life, and recover the gifts that you are here to use in your daily life.

Start really living now with a Create Radiance Consultation, done over the phone from the convenience of your home sofa or office, to get to know who you really around beyond your current stress or struggles and start to live in the possibility of your radiance.

Do you want to get in the best shape of your life this year? Ever thought about getting a group of your friends together for a yoga class, pilates class, or to motivate each other to get fit from the inside out? Create Radiance offers group coaching–for a common goal, of losing weight, gaining strength or flexibility, getting toned inside and out. Get together one or all of your girlfriends for a personal journey to create your healthiest and happiest life in 2009. Call or email today for more information.

Call 615-618-6556 or email waller@createradiance.com to schedule a private yoga, pilates, private or group coaching session, or to find out more about upcoming workshops, retreats and cooking classes.

Upcoming events:

Create Radiance Transformational Yoga Workshop

Saturday, January 17, 2009 2-4 pm
STEPS, Inc. 21st Avenue Nashville, TN

For the beginner to seasoned yoga practitioner to take your yoga to the next level by using your practice to enhance your well-being.

Whole Foods Market Cooking Classes
Franklin, TN January 10, 25, 31 1-3 pm
This is a free interactive cooking demo offering you tips and inspiration to create delicious and healthy, gluten-free and sugar free meals for your whole family.

New Year New You
Transformational Workshop
Sunday, January 18, 2009 1-3 pm
The Lotus Center Berry Hill Nashville, TN
Uncover blocks to your ideal weight
Discover ways to make 2009 your healthiest and happiest year
Recover your well-being and learn how to create a radiant life

Current Specials:
New Year, New You Detox Program
Would you like to feel better than ever before, start the year in a positive way, clean your body out and look your best?
This program is for people who are serious about creating wellness in 2009.
$500 includes:
3 Health Counseling Sessions
2 Private Yoga sessions
3 Colonics
1 Ionic footbath
Detox your body and get clear on what you really want to create in 2009.

Go within.
Transform Your Life.
$250 includes:
2 private yoga and pilates sessions
2 health counseling sessions including a food and fitness plan

Make this year your healthiest and happiest year yet. Enroll today by calling 615-618-6556 or email.

Gluten Free Birthday Cake

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Happy Birthday!!!!
My dear friend, Jessica Pruitt is having a potluck birthday party this evening. She is an agave nectar addict, seriously adds the stuff like water to her tea, oatmeal, toast. She could be blogging about the many uses of agave nectar.

I made this sugar free, gluten free, dairy and casein free, agave sweetened chocolate birthday cake. You may wonder how there would be any remaining ingredients or flavor at all, until you try it! It is a lightly chocolatey simply divine chocolate cake! Feel free to use frosting of choice.

Dry Ingredients:
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk (I used hemp milk, you may also try soy, almond or rice)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8″ square baking pan. Dust pan lightly with flour.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
3. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add milk, oil, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Whisk together until well incorporated.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not overbake!!
6. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting with your favorite gluten free chocolate frosting.

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Pumpkin Flan

It was divine. The pumpkin with the simply divine chocolate sauce combination. but mostly, the company of family by the fire, indulging in celebration during the holiday season. Singing songs, bringing cheer into one another’s lives, playing Santa, and then…the dessert.

Pumpkin Flan
Vegan, delicious. Thank you Karina for the recipe, that I converted to be a bit more vegan, sweet and divine.

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl or blender, add:
1 can pumpkin
1 cup plain hemp, rice, almond or soy milk (I used vanilla almond)
2 teaspoons vanilla (can use bourbon vanilla or almond extract)
2 tablespoons light olive oil
1/4 c flax meal + 3 T water (or 1 egg)
1/2 c agave nectar
2 T maple syrup
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Blend all the ingredients well with an electric mixer, blender or in a food processor. Pour into a greased pie pan and smooth over evenly. Bake in a preheated over for one hour or until it is firm, yet still gives when touch. The flan will collapse a bit as it cools.

Makes 8 slices.

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