In my upcoming ebook, The 50/50 Diet Plan I touch upon this subject and give you a few tips.

Here is the excerpt:

Kids

I was so very blessed to learn a lot of this information early on when my daughter was just a baby and even some prior to her birth. I was able to breast feed her long-term which I feel greatly benefited her health. I also learned that kids actually love fruits and veggies and that these are ideal first foods. She had lots of bananas, avocados, green juices, green smoothies early on and continues to eat a primarily vegetarian diet with emphasis on raw fruits and vegetables. We have had great success with this diet and her health is wonderful.

But if you are new to all of this and have kids who have already begun to have preference for foods you wish they didn’t, I will give a few words of advice:

• Take your time, kids will sense your rush and desperation. We all know kids hate to be forced into anything.

• Teach and lead by example. If you are feeling good, looking good and having more patience with them as a result, they will notice. And it is quite possible they will be more interested in what you are doing if you are not trying to shove it down there throats. They will want to know what is making Mommy and/or Daddy so happy!

• Have fresh fruits and veggies around all the time. Offer these as snacks. Have salads with every meal and let them decide what they want to put in them. Your kid ate three apples, two carrots and a half a cucumber for snack and isn’t hungry for dinner? This is okay. The nutrients they have just consumed are so very beneficial to them. When my daughter was three, she ate an entire cantaloupe for dinner one night. She just kept asking for more. Then she wasn’t hungry for anything else. We often think in our society that a meal as to include protein, starch, and vegetable for us to get complete nutrition. Trust me, when your kid is hungry, they will eat. And better that they eat something with lots of nutrients than trying to stuff them with anything just so they will eat. Please know that I am not saying that eating cantaloupe for every meal, every day is what to do. I am not. But if a child eats a few meals a week that are just fruits and veggies ~ this can be very beneficial to them. And yes, The 50/50 Diet Plan is great for kids too. Some time in the future I will come out with a version specifically for kids but for now, the basic plan is good for them as well.

1. Fruits and veggies. I will be promoting a 50% uncooked fruit and veggie diet. Eating fruits and veggies is probably one of the best things you can do for your body. Vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants helps our bodies work optimally. The 50/50 Diet Plan is going to show you how fun and easy this can be!

2. Exercise. Ya gotta do it. We must move our bodies every day. But it does not have to be time consuming or boring. Find what you enjoy doing, and do that. There is no perfect exercise. The perfect one is the perfect one for YOU. As part of The 50/50 Diet Plan you will be encouraged to exercise every day. We will start with walking 20 minutes every day and build up to more as well as finding your favorite exercise to add in for example yoga, swimming, dancing, weight training etc.

3. Appreciation and Gratitude. I believe without this very important piece of our health foundation, we cannot be 100% abundantly healthy. The art and momentum of living in appreciation and gratitude is easily created with a daily practice taking only minutes. I look forward to sharing with you exactly how.

4. Meditation and Mind-relaxation techniques. Quieting the mind has massive health implications. Spending even just a few minutes a day breathing and focusing on nothing but breath allows for peace to filter into every aspect of your being.

Combine all 4 and you are one healthy kid!

My 8 week plan will not only get you started but keep you going for your whole life.

This is the foundation from which to build on.

Stay tuned for The 50/50 Diet Plan e-book release!

For more info visit:

www.the5050dietplan.wordpress.com

I was so very sad in September to not have the spring water experience I was hoping for.

But I stood strong and at the end of December, I called Poland Springs to cancel my monthly deliveries of 5, 5-gallon water jugs.

The Poland Springs rep said, ‘What are you going to do for water?’

‘I am going to collect my own spring water!’ I said, ever so joyfully.

Silence.

‘Oh…,’ said the PS rep.

Poor thing was so confused. I did tell him about Daniel Vitalis’ website www.findaspring.com. He still seemed confused yet taken by my enthusiasm and wished me good luck.

I had planned to head west again (west of where I live that is, which is a bit past Worcester, MA) to another spring someone had suggested. When I checked in with her about it, she informed me that she had been recently (it is winter here) and there was no water coming out of the pipe. Frozen? Source not producing? I don’t really know about any of the details of how this all works, just know that I want to collect fresh spring water and I want to do it really badly.

Especially now since I wasn’t getting any more Poland Springs water.

So, back to the website to see what would be closest to me.

I picked Hingham, which is about a half an hour south of Boston, just under an hour from where I live.

On a snowy Tuesday, my 5 year old and I headed out to collect our spring water.

I love this kind of adventure!

We met some other folks collecting water too. They had been using this as their drinking water for 35 years and believed at some point the source of the water was traced up to New Hampshire. Once it does reach this state park, it does go thru a filter. That is a good thing, I guess…not sure.

Water quality of this source is good. There is a slight metallic taste but overall enjoyable. I had found that the PS water I had been getting often had a plastic-y taste and that is NOT good for ya! I’ll take slightly metallic over plastic-y any day.

I look forward to the spring season when I will head west again to use the source that a friend recommended. I do have a fantasy of drinking water that taste like nectar of the gods. It will happen, I just know it.

I will keep you posted.

And just a little post script here…

I do feel ever so blessed to have this as my biggest (self-induced) challenge. Especially in the wake of the recent earthquake in Haiti where ANY water is hard to come by. I think of that all the time and again, feel so very lucky. My thoughts and prayers do go out to all those affected by this horrible tragedy and hope that all the money raised in these weeks by so many people can help rebuild what was lost. And I especially hope that they can all have access to clean, good water.

Ok, now we can begin todays ramblings…

After the birth of my daughter five years ago when my 3-year graduate degree finished as well and I no longer worked in the restaurant business, there I was. Just me and junior (my hub worked, A LOT). I didn’t know it at the time but I was lonely.

I was no longer apart of anything (yet at the same time was a part of something huge and universal, motherhood). I was no longer bonding with classmates over annoying teachers (not you Miss Rachel!!!) or exams or acupuncture patient ills and treatment protocols. I was no longer working nights, going out after and being a bit debaucherous with co-workers (you know who you are).

I never really bonded with other moms too much and the ones I found who I absolutely loved, I completely smothered and scared away. My alternative way of thinking about raising a child made it challenging to find others (esp. early on when your views and practices are still being fine-tuned and not totally solidified and you sometimes might make broad and general statements that make you look like a freak) who you want to hang out with and share the process with.

Now, a few years later, I still have not found my tribe. I think it is because I like so so so many things but do not identify myself strongly with any of them. For a while I was diggin’ the raw food community but found (for me personally) the label confining. Also, I think when you identify yourself with something, because our society loves labels so much, you are expected to be a certain way or that you only do certain things. That irks me quite a bit.

Here are some of the things I love:

cats, dogs, food, punk rock, ridiculous pop music, justin timberlake, kelly clarkson, jack white, dave grohl, anything or anyone who is on the fringe of what our society feels is normal, suburban life!, chardonnay, green smoothies, green juice, boxing, yoga, hanging out with the guys, night in with the gals, noise, quiet, fasting, eating…you get the point.

And again, I do not identify myself strongly with any of it. I can take or leave any of those things. I think it makes me feel lonely. Awwww, poor me!

That is why I think I like the internet so much. You can poke around and check out all kinds of things. Especially on Twitter. I think my tribe is Twitter. I have found some really great people on there and get to connect with all kinds of people who like all kinds of things. So thank you, my twitter friends!

Or maybe my tribe is one of fandom. I am a big fan of a lot of things! Things like the people in my life who have stuck with me for so many years (no matter what kind of ridiculous things I say or I am into), my new internet friends, music, food and hobbies of all kinds. I am just an enthusiastic fan of, well, life!

Do you have a tribe? Are you a loner? Any of it make you lonely or ridiculously happy?

Let me know.

Well, here is what I have been thinking.

While I am not condoning any behavior nor do I really know what goes on in anyone’s life, I am thinking this…

Is there space in someone’s life who is so so so so very disciplined and successful and image conscious to have some down-time and to let their hair down?

Possibly not.

So maybe they then chose deviant behavior to balance out all that constriction of hardcore discipline.

Maybe they don’t even actually choose it, they are pulled by some unseen force.

This is how I often think about being healthy and having healthier habits.

In my mind, I put these things in a box. This box is where I will get up at 6am, do some meditation and yoga, then I will eat only organic, raw foods all day and smile at everyone, love everyone. Bliss will, of course, ensue.

Well, I never even get there because this box I have created in my mind makes me feel very constrained and as if I do not have any freedom. So then, before I even get started, I am planning on how I can deviantly get the F out of that box (one that I created all by myself!).

It is just exhausting.

So I (try) and opt for the balance and flexibility of intention on creating a space in my life, where most of the time, I can do the things that make me feel good.

But here is my biggest pitfall.

I LOVE extremes! So hardcore discipline as well as hardcore deviance (to a degree, I am not that crafty) actually APPEAL to me!

So how do I create discipline without it being extreme, yet extreme enough to get me charged up and excited and balance so that when I sway a bit, I do not fall flat on my face?

Kids, I do not know the answer.

But I do know that I do not want to wrap myself up so tight that I F up real bad and feel like shit all the time ~ mentally, physically and spiritually.

So I breathe. Taking one step at a time.

And add in some patience, green smoothies, short mediations, daily appreciations, an occasional night out, intentions and rinse and reapply.

There was more excitement than I can say.

I first got excited by this idea of gathering your own spring water from Daniel Vitalis when I attended his and David Wolfe‘s Springtime Superhero Seminar last spring. It just clicked with me. Getting as fresh as you can spring water is healthy for you. So much healthier than bottled spring water and certainly tap water. 

My excitement mounted even more when I checked www.findaspring.com recently and saw that someone had posted a spring not too too far from where I live.

So this morning, I headed out, video camera in hand. First to a beer and wine making store to buy some glass gallon containers. Then further west to the spring. It was a beautiful New England fall day and all felt right with the world.

When I reached the spring, which was easy to find, an elderly gentleman was loading his newly collected spring water into his car. The water was flowing from a pipe coming out of the land. He told me he had been gathering this water for 30 years and that the source was an underground spring up in the mountains.

I quickly got my jugs (the water ones, of course) and filled them up. Then I took a sip from my hands. I expected it to taste a bit better but was not dismayed…yet. Then I filled my small water bottle and got into the car and drove off. Still very excited about my find, how it was not far from my home and how I could now call Poland Spring and cancel my monthly orders! 

Then I took a sip of my newly foraged water. I was still not moved by its’ taste. I had really expected it to taste, well, perfect. It didn’t but I was still okay with it all, I was still, as I may have mentioned, excited.

Then I took the cap off my water bottle and took a whiff. The description of ‘rotten eggs’ does not really do this smell justice. Now, sadly, excitement diminished.

What did this mean? Bacteria? H1N1 (kidding)? I was eager to get home and google ‘smelly spring water.’

And google I did. Sulfur smelling spring water is not a big problem and usually not hazardous to consume. It is usually created by hydrogen sulfide and if you have this situation in your well water, for example, you can purchase things to remove it. But there are times that because of the presence of hydrogen sulfide it can create the proliferation of other bacteria and in turn can create potentially hazardous water. To quote one website: “In addition to the hydrogen sulfide gas they produce, sulfur-reducing bacteria also generate slime that can promote the growth of other bacteria and clog wells and plumbing.” Source: www.uldrinkwell.com

I kept smelling the water to be sure of the smell. Um, it was hard to convince myself that this was something else or not really so bad. It was gross. So even if it would be ‘okay’ to drink:

1. I am not driving 1.5 hours every week for ‘okay’

and 

2. The smell is enough to deter me from wanting any!

***Big sigh***

But my spring water dreams are far from over. There is another spring a bit farther which I may venture out to next week. 

Stay tuned!

Stay hydrated!

Please feel free to leave your comments or suggestions.

I have had such a wonderful experience with Feng Shui and Christine Conway, I just cannot say enough positive things about each of them.

So let’s start from the beginning. Last fall I went to a Oneness Blessing at the home of Andy Migner (as a side note, this is a monthly event that you should not miss, more info here). I sat on a couch and while I was waiting for the Blessing to begin a woman sat next to me. We started chatting and wound up exchanging business cards. I was not sure why at the time but I knew I really liked this woman and had a feeling we would be collaborating in the future.

As someone who has studied Chinese medicine and many of the theories of energy and chi, I really wanted to share some of it with the world in fun and eays ways. So when I met Christine and found out all about her business and her passion for Feng Shui, I was excited to get her on my show.

Christine came to the house to do a Feng Shui consultation and I immediately put all her suggestions to work. And just to let you know, her suggestions are simple, easy and really work with you, what you have going on and what your goals are. Be sure to check out our first Feng Shui video (blog too) here and see the results of some of the changes we made.

On our second visit we worked on two areas, my career and helpful people area.

Check out the video here to see the suggestions Christine made.

Here is what has happened since making just a few of the changes:

About a month ago, my husband and I were contemplating a move closer to the city (Boston). After much consideration, we decided to stay mostly because we really love the town we live in and our neighborhood. So working on the house and really making it clutter-free and a truly positive place to live became my goal. 

After focusing on the career area and the helpful people area (just a little bit too!), the day after we made our final decision to stay in our town, I got an email from an acquaintance who runs a similar business to mine. She was leaving her office in the downtown area of our town (a 5 minute walk from our house) and wanted to know if I was interested in taking over her lease. 

I had always thought about having an office and true ‘home’ for my business but I knew it had to be right. Well, this office is more than just right! Kelly Bollman whose office it is, was teaching raw food classes and had built a class area and beautiful kitchen with absolutely everything needed to teach classes. There is also a practitioner room so I can do acupuncture. 

This helps my career as well as simplifies and enhances my life! Pretty great, huh? And as for ‘helpful people,’ I believe Kelly Bollman fits that description and then some! I cannot thank her enough for thinking of me and helping me out through this transition.

I have placed a small metal container (purchased at my fave local store, Dunia) in the helpful people area of my home and place intentions and gratitudes in it every few days. I love doing it and it seems to be working great! I also placed a wind chime, as Christine suggested, on our front porch. 

So a big thank you to Christine. Be sure stay tuned for more highlights from my feng shui and de-cluttering adventure as well as more collaborations between Christine and I!

I was talking with my girl Erika of Blissed Out Chocolates the other day about my idea for a blog article on raw cacao (the picture above is of a fresh opened cacao pod, right from the tree).

There is a lot of info out there about cacao and whether or not it is a true superfood or if it is a healthy or unhealthy substance.  I wanted her opinion, although since she is the creator of a raw chocolate company, I had a feeling I knew what she would say.

She sent me this great article and I could not agree more!

Cacao: Superfood or Super Foe?

By Erika Martin

I remember it clearly. The sun was setting, reaching its long rays around the cloud it was setting behind.  The light was different, clearer.  I was different, happier with a sense of connectedness I had never felt before.  Everything radiated brighter and clearer than I had ever.  I was driving back home to Boston after a weekend long raw food seminar. What were these feelings surging up from within and where did they come from? They were bliss, happiness, appreciation, and unconditional love.  They came from chocolate, raw chocolate: cacao, from the last dish we ate that afternoon was a rich, cacao pie (still the best one I’ve ever had). 

Years later, a storm of controversy surrounds this favorite food of mine.  Some say it’s a superfood, some say it’s a super foe.  Let’s take a look at what each of these means.  What is a superfood exactly?  Though the term “superfood” is not acknowledged by any governing dieticians or nutritional body, the term superfood has come to mean, “a natural food regarded as highly beneficial because of its nutrient profile or its health-protecting qualities.”  What are the highly beneficial qualities of cacao?  It has over 300 pharmacologically significant compounds.  It is the number one source of magnesium over all other foods.  This is an essential element that 80% of America is deficient in!  It has Vitamin C, Protein, Iron, and slew of nutrients.  Plus, it has Phenylethlamine and Anandamine, which are MAOIs, meaning they are natural antidepressants. 

On the flip side, there are those that speak to the abuse, over consumption, and negative effects of cacao.  Cacao does contain both caffeine and theobromine, natural stimulants. When consumed in copious amounts, these can overstress your kidneys and adrenal glands.  Other points that are brought up are 1) is raw cacao really raw?  2) Charismatic purveyors are only touting it to make money.

Consumed and practiced in moderation, cacao can have stimulating and beneficial results. As with any food, drink, sport, or activity overdoing leads to overstressing the body. When I went raw, it was only under the condition that I could have wine and chocolate, my two vices.  Having a cacao smoothie a day as a treat enabled me to easily transition from a SAD to a RFD.  Would I be eating as many fruits and veggies today if it hadn’t been for cacao?  I think not.  

From everything I’ve read to everything I’ve experience first hand, the controversy surrounds the advocates and their enthusiasm for cacao rather than cacao itself.  This causes a great divide between a diet and lifestyle that promotes itself as an easy, simple way to eat your way healthier and happier.  Who are people to believe if everyone is arguing?  The biggest piece of advice I have to offer is this:  Moderation is the key to everything.  Listen to you body and you will intuitively know what to do.  

I think Erika brings up some really good points especially about moderation.

If I eat too much cacao (like adding 2 heaping tablespoons to a smoothie), I get jittery, the complexion on my face gets red, I break out in small pimples and I get a bit of gastro-intestinal distress ~ and this all happens when I consume caffeine as well. But if I have a little delicious truffle or small piece of raw chocolate pie, I do not have the same reaction. And those little treats make life a little more fabulous, I think! And certainly more healthy for you than a donut or chocolate chip scone!

Here are a few video links to show you the two sides to the story of raw cacao.

Then you can draw your own conclusion ~ because only YOU know what is best for YOU!!!

David Wolfe, author and superfoods promoter talkin’ cacao and superfoods:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqWu-qfN5rk

David Wolfe talkin’ superfoods and making some AMAZING points about diet and incorporating more healthy foods into your diet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrNLAIoS-TA&feature=related

Paul Nison ~ cacao is NOT a health food:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz_XezJ8cMY

Paul Nison and Matt Monach debate the benefits of raw cacao:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfsOZ0C8jlA&feature=related

Got an opinion? Let me know what it is below! 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Adrienne

She is just great and if you are feeling at all lost in your life, you know what you want but you just can’t seem to get there or you are ‘there’ and it does not quite look like you expected ~ Leah is your gal. She can help you have the life you desire, quickly, fairly easily and with focus on fun and abundance! And what is really great is that she encourages you to do what makes YOU feel good. Not doing what it is you feel you are ‘supposed’ to do. ‘Break free from your pre-packaged life’ one of her tag lines read and ‘let your freak flag fly!’

Sign me up!

So I did.

I signed up for Leah’s 8 week Get Real Program.

A wonderful investment.

We worked on what I could do to get out of my own way and really make the most of my time. Whether or not it was when I was busy or when I was in a bit of a slow period (my downfall). By focusing on what it is I want ~ the big dream ~ and how that makes me feel (good and excited), I was able at any moment, no matter what was going on, to focus on that. 

The results have been that I now know that when something that does not feel right comes into my life (business or otherwise), I put it next to the vision of my dreams and if it does not fit ~ it goes. Ba-bye. This makes saying no (which is not always easy to do) easier and getting rid of things that suck up time and energy easier to let go of.

I just keep going back to my goals and what makes me feel good.

Down time is now a more effective time period because even if I am not exactly productive, I am still creating a pattern of what is working and becoming aware of what is not. Therefore, when I come out of my down period, I am more productive because I have been focusing on what it is I want. 

And more of what I want seems to be effortlessly coming my way.

I tell this to my clients and class participants all the time, focus on appreciation, abundance, love, your true desires and those good feelings you are cultivating create momentum in your life. You see results because of this energy shift. You make room for more of it to come in.

Leah is a fabulous coach. We had fun. We laughed. I got to cry too. She gave me a helpful new perspective on something I have been struggling with for a while. She is encouraging. She wants you to be exactly what it is you want to be. Whatever that means. No judgements, no ‘box’ of conventionality here. Go for it! Have fun! 

Abundance in all aspects of your life is your birthright.

Amen!

Thanks so much Leah!!!

www.defythebox.com