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Where we left off…

The first post of this series focused on the importance of the Amazonian rainforest, the vital role it plays on the planet and a bit about a particular palm tree that grows there. I concluded the post with this fact:

“These same trees also yield the dark purple Acai berry (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee), which has high nutritional value and antioxidant benefits.”

In this post, you’ll be learning more about Acai — a true Wellness Gift from the Amazon.

Acai – What’s the buzz about?

Everywhere you look you see something compelling about Acai. Oprah.com lists Acai as “the world’s No. 1 superfood”. The London Times says, “Acai (has) the nutritional content that makes other fruits blush with inadequacy.” Every major juice company is on the bandwagon and you even see Acai juice blends for sale at Costco. But how do you get to the heart of the matter? How do you learn about the berry itself?

From confusion to clarity

My intention in this post is to help you sort out the facts about the powerful nutritional implications of that small purple berry — the Acai berry!

In putting the following section together, I got information about Acai from naturalstandard.com (a scientific subscription service), scoured my notes from nutrition school, dissected Wikipedia’s entry on Acai Palm, and read the book “Acai—An Extraordinary Antioxidant-Rich Palm Fruit” by Alexander G. Schauss, PhD., FACN. I hope what I’ve uncovered and synthesized helps increase your understanding of Acai.

Acai and Antioxidants 101:
17 Facts You Need to Know

1. The Acai berry grows on a palm tree in the Amazon, known by its Latin name as Euterpe oleracea. The indigenous people living in the Brazilian Amazon call the berry and the palm tree, “Acai”.

2. Acai pulp is mixed into numerous foods by indigenous peoples of the Brazilian Amazon, and consumed at almost every meal. Additionally, these native people drink up to 64 ounces of fresh Acai juice/pulp daily, a practice that has been documented to go back at least two centuries.

3. The dark purple pigmented Acai berry is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential omega fatty acids.

4. The Açai berry’s fatty acid profile is similar to olive oil. Specifically, its essential fatty acid & omega profile includes:

• 60% Oleic (omega 9) - a monounsaturated essential fatty acid which helps to lower LDL (harmful cholesterol), while maintaining HDL (beneficial cholesterol).

• 12% Linoleic (omega 6) - a polyunsaturated essential fatty acid which has also been found to lower LDL, while maintaining HDL.

5. Acai has a protein profile similar to an egg.

6. Acai contains the leading source of anthocyanins–often reported as 30 times that of the protective potential of red wine.

7. Anthocyanins are known for their strong anti-inflammatory qualities.

8. Acai is an excellent source of dietary fiber.

9. Acai has a low glycemic index.

10. Acai contains large amount of trace minerals (Co, Cr, Cu, Mo) and macro minerals (Ca, Fe), and generous amount of vitamins including vitamin E.

11. Acai has more than 16 phytonutrients and antioxidants. A strong concentration of antioxidants helps combat premature aging.

12. Antioxidants help eliminate free radicals in the body. Free radicals are produced by the body in response to oxidative stress. These free radicals react with proteins, lipids and DNA in the body and cause oxidation. Oxidation of these biomolecules can cause damage, disrupt function, lead to aging and/or lead to disease.

13. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capaciy (ORAC) assay measures the antioxidant capacity of a food for its ability to manage the peroxyl radical, which is the most dominant free radical produced in the body.

14. The higher the ORAC score, the stronger a food is in its antioxidant capacity. Dr. Alexander Schauss, PhD, FACN says we could just call the units of ORAC the “anti-aging points”.

15. The USDA has analyzed the antioxidant capacity of 278 fruits, vegetables, nuts, and plant foods, including Acai, using the ORAC.

16. Freeze-drying is the superior method of preserving the nutritional, phytochemical and antioxidant capacity of Acai.

17. At an ORAC score of 1,027 units per gram, freeze-dried Acai is the highest reported ORAC of ANY food reported in the scientific literature. (Blueberries and cranberries, well-known antioxidants, score 90 ORAC units by comparison.)

Freeze-Dried Acai boosts nutritional wellness

When I wrote a product review back in February about the Republic of Tea’s® Green Tea with Acai, I reported about my limited experience with the tea blend. I hadn’t yet explored the specific world of Acai to the extent I have now. I knew that Acai was considered to be a superfood and knew it was high in antioxidants, but I hadn’t been a consistent consumer or done any extensive research. Well, things are different today. I have done the research on Acai, and I am a grateful and much-benefited consumer.

I can say now that we are indeed blessed. We are lucky to be able to consume the freeze-dried pulp and juice from the powerful little purple Acai berry. With advances in technology and distribution, we are able to do so just as the indigenous people of the Amazon have been doing for ages. This powerful antioxidant is just what we need to boost our nutritional wellness levels.

Next Post

Tune in for Part Three of this series later this week and I’ll tell you about my personal experience with Acai.

Tags: Acai & Rainforest, Wellness Coaching, General Wellness Tips, Nutrition by Erica Ross-Krieger
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“If you are thinking 1 year ahead, sow seeds.
If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant trees.
If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people.”
http://www.savetherainforest.org

Introduction
What began as a simple post about a small purple berry from the tropical rainforest of the Amazon, has grown into a 3-part series. I found I couldn’t just talk about one berry without starting from a much bigger perspective.

No Small Matter
See, for me, anything pertaining to the Amazonian rainforest opens up a conversation that is almost as expansive, powerful and important to our existence as the entire region itself. So welcome to Wellness from the Amazon, Part One: Seven Things You Should Know About the Rainforest.

Entering the Territory
I enter this conversation with the same respect and awe that I would enter the rainforest were I traveling there with you today. I did my best to be thorough in my research, to check my facts, and to remain as neutral as possible throughout the series. Any errors are my own and I welcome input that will help me correct them.

Pachamama Alliance
My awe and respect for the tropical rainforests of the Amazon began many years ago when my husband Steve and I were introduced to The Pachamama Alliance. We were so moved by their commitment to partnering with the Achuar, (the indigenous people of Ecuador’s rainforest region), we made our own commitment to contribute what we could from that moment on. Pachamama’s mission statement appears below:

Continued Education
Our commitment and understanding about the rainforest has grown through the years. In addition to the work of Pachamama in Ecuador, we’ve also learned about other rainforest areas of the Amazon and efforts underway that help preserve the Brazilian rainforest. Through it all, we’ve come across a number of facts and resources that would be our honor to pass along. The list appears below:

 

7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE RAINFOREST

1. The Amazon rainforest covers over a billion acres and encompasses areas in the Eastern Andean region of Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia. If the rainforest were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world.

2. More than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. It is often referred to as the “Lungs of our Planet” because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen.

3. More than 50% of the world’s estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical rainforests. One-fifth of the world’s fresh water is in the Amazon Basin.

4. The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified more than 2000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. Twenty-five percent of the active ingredients in today’s cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest.

5. Human-caused deforestation (including logging, mining, heart-of-palm harvesting) is destroying our rainforests. If such deforestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate nearly 80 to 90 percent of rainforest ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020. Research shows that this destruction is the main force driving a species extinction rate unmatched in 65 million years.

6. Harvesting the 100-foot Euterpe oleracea palm trees in the Brazilian rainforest or in Ecuador for hearts-of-palm is a big contributor to deforestation there. Once the heart-of-palm is cut from the tree (for sale at market), death of the entire tree is not far behind.

7. These same trees also yield the dark purple Acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee), which has high nutritional value and antioxidant benefits. Teaching people that harvesting the berries, instead of the heart-of-palm, will help protect and perpetuate the remarkable ecosystem known as the Amazon in which Acai palm trees grow.

Resources for Learning More

A. Websites:

The Pachamama Alliance –
http://www.Pachamama.org

The Nature Conservancy -
http://www.nature.org/rainforests/explore/facts.html

Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Tree project –
http://www.plantabillion.org/

SavetheRainforest.org
http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_007.htm

B. Books:

Lessons of the Rainforest
by Suzanne Head, Robert Heinzman
Published by Sierra Club Books
ISBN: 0871566826

Rainforest
By Ben Morgan, author, The Rainforest Foundation, foreword, and Thomas Marent, photographer
Published by DK adult
ISBN: 978-075661940

C. On-line Video:
Story of Pachamama Alliance
http://www.pachamama.org/content/view/262/97/

The next installment of this series will pick up from here - with a discussion about the powerful nutritional implications of the Acai berry!

To Your Wellness,
Erica

P.S. I’d be delighted if you’d like to share additional resources pertaining to the rainforests of the Amazon with us. Of course, I adore all comments!

Tags: Acai & Rainforest, General Wellness Tips, Nutrition, Matters of the Heart, Spirit by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Even though I come from a family of avid golfers, and grew up with the game surrounding me, I am not a golfer.

What I do have though is a profound respect for those who do play, a love for the aesthetics of beautiful golf courses and an unexplainable obsession for watching masterful golfers and gleaning lessons I can apply to my own life.

So yes, I was glued to the TV for days watching Tiger Woods win this latest U.S. Open. Especially the round on Father’s Day, the play off round on Monday and the subsequent sudden-death game that resulted in his win. The man never ceases to amaze me.

I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned from watching Tiger play this past week and how I will put it to use. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. I’m not privy to the inside of Tiger’s head…if I were, I’d guess that his mindset FROM THE OUTSET of this U.S. Open was: “I’ve WON the 2008 U.S. Open”.

2. Like a pilot with a specific destination (let’s say Kansas), he knew where he was headed. He had a clear intention. In fact he already saw in his mind’s eye that he had arrived at his destination.

3. Also like a pilot, he had to do course-correction along the way. I imagine when a shot didn’t go as planned, even let’s say an hour before the tournament ended, he didn’t say to himself, “Oh crap, I’m not going to win now”, any more than the pilot would say,”Oh crap, I’m not going to land in Kansas” when the wind shifted a bit and the course had to be altered an hour before landing. I’ll bet instead Tiger’s thinking went something like:

4. “Okay, now what? Since I see myself as ALREADY HAVING WON THIS THING and I project to an hour from now when I am holding that trophy, WHAT DID I DO AT THIS POINT SO I WOUND UP WINNING?”

5. And then he just did the next thing he had to do…he did the next thing that his “winning script” (which was written in terms of the future) already said had happened to get him the trophy. He put ALL HIS FOCUS ON THE SHOT HE WAS TAKING AT THE MOMENT, knowing IT WAS IN SERVICE TO THE GOAL HE HAD ALREADY ACHIEVED IN SOME FUTURE STATE. In the present, he isn’t griping that he has to get out of the sand trap or rough (okay, maybe for a split second) but then, he immediately focuses and just gets out because he knows that’s what will have happened in the script of his already having won that trophy.

6. I truly think he enjoyed the process. (Okay, maybe not the knee pain, but certainly the chance to focus and apply his skill.)

7. In my own life, I have a few “trophies” that I want to attain or cultivate. Some are intangible trophies like peace and joy. Others are tangible like a clear business goal and a fitness goal. I am committed to spending time each day seeing the future “script” of myself as already in possession of these things.

8. And I am committed to simultaneously focusing on each task in front of me that is a part of that “script” with mindfulness.

9. I am committed to shortening the time I spend griping about unexpected sand traps. (I mean really, yes I might be bummed, but how much preciouis time do I want to hang out there?)

10. I’m committed to refocusing on the needed course correction that is already a part of my future success script. (My friend and financial mentor, Loral Langemeir, calls this future pacing.)

11. I’m committed to enjoying the process.

I sure have no inkling whatsoever to pick up a golf club, but God, I love golf. And thanks, Tiger. You’re the best business and wellness mentor I’ve ever “hired”.

How about you? Love to hear if any of this makes sense in your life…

Tags: I've Been Wondering..., General Wellness Tips, Spirit by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Wellness - a small word with big implications. So big, that some people are overwhelmed by the idea. Overwhelmed because they think they have to take big steps, make major shifts, and do so all at once, right now. It’s no wonder.

Just reading the front cover of a popular wellness magazine this morning, I saw admonitions that I, while reading this one issue, should: “Change the Way I Eat; Change the Way I Exercise; Improve My Meditation Techniques; Revamp My Yoga Practice; Hire a Personal Trainer; Achieve My Ideal Weight; Stay Calm.” Yikes!

Of course, you could get equally overwhelmed by reading every single post I’ve put on this blog and expect yourself to implement everything – and implement all of the tips all today no less. But that’s not the way I approach wellness in my own life, and it’s not the way I want to promote wellness here. I’m a big believer in keeping things meaningful and simple.

Keep it simple.
You can begin to make a difference in the wellness of your life and business with your next breath. You already have the blueprint for doing so within you. With simple attention and a commitment to your inner nature, you can begin today to uncover or rediscover that blueprint.

5 Simple Ways to Bring Wellness into Your Life

1. Honor your breath.
Right now. Without changing a thing, what do you notice about your breath? Is it shallow? Fast? Slow? Your breath is the source of your life. Taking time to notice it each day, in the midst of business and personal life tasks, is a powerful way to honor your inner nature.

2. Clarify your values.
What’s important? Personally and professionally, what do you value? Efficiency? Joy? Education? Recognition? Identify your Top 3 Values and post them on your calendar or dashboard. Refer to this list as you make choices throughout your day, especially the choices you know will impact your overall wellness level.

3. Make a mini-assessment in 1 hour. Assess your life, your business and your actions.
Are your values evident in your personal and professional life? Are you walking your talk? Take your Top 3 Values and spend an honest hour with yourself as you assess your life and business. Is there one small but high-leveraging change you can make? When and how will you do it? Go ahead. Shift something right now.

4. Discover what you love.
What makes your heart sing? What fills your soul at this stage in your life? Sometimes we get stuck in routines and wake up to find we are far away from doing what we love. Tame the Gremlin® that tells you that discovering what you love takes a lot of work. Keep it simple. If you had plenty of time and money, what would you be doing? Why? Take some time to write your answer (or speak it into a tape recorder). Find a way this week to start doing something you love. Review this tip often.

5. Focus on your strengths.
What do you do well? What comes easily? Are you overlooking any personal or professional strength that others see? List your Top 5 Strengths. Now ask 2 people (whose opinions you respect) to do the same for you—have them include any character attributes, business practices, or life skills they admire. Combine the information. Keep the final list handy and review your strengths often.

Bonus Tip: Read Something Inspirational
It’s amazing to me that the simple act of reading a short haiku, a small poem, an ancient fable, or an inspiring essay, can open up new space in the day. Find a collection of your old favorites, or discover a new one. Place Seven Sacred Attitudes® on your nightstand for easy morning or evening inspiration.

Invitation: Choose to take one of these simple tips and start cultivating wellness with your next breath!

Keep us posted: I haven’t done a few of these myself in awhile, so I’ll be looking at #5 today. How about you?

Tags: Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business, General Wellness Tips, Spirit by Erica Ross-Krieger
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What’s a picture of a skull and crossbones doing on a Wellness blog?

Well, I hope you know me well enough by now to know I’m not big on scare tactics, and tend instead to focus on the things we CAN do to increase our wellness quotients…but today, I’d like to opt for providing a useful warning. It comes from a situation I faced this morning.

Today, I asked my new assistant to be sure to choose the organic produce when she did our grocery shopping. She had only been on the job an hour, wasn’t used to our shopping M.O. and had a question for me as I handed her the list of things I wanted her to get. “What if they don’t have organics for every item on the list?” she asked. “Should I get the conventionally grown instead, or skip the item all together?”

It just so happened I had two lists tucked into a cookbook that I’d put there a while back — lists of pesticide-ladened foods and those less likely to be as dangerous if not organic. They were given to me by a nutrition colleague, Gerry Tribble. I’ve pretty much committed them to memory, but it dawned on me that my assistant wasn’t the only one who could benefit from seeing the lists. I handed her the paper copies and made this one for you:

Researchers from a variety of backgrounds agree that these are the 12 most pesticide laden foods:

The Dangerous Dozen
Apples, Celery, Grapes (imported),
Peaches, Potatoes, Spinach,
Bell Peppers, Cherries, Nectarines,
Pears, Red Raspberries, Strawberries.

Avoid these foods when you cannot get them as Certified Organic*. I also avoid non-organic root veggies such as carrots and onions because the commercial pesticides leach into the soil and stick around for a long time.

Commercial pesticides are linked to disrupting nervous, mental and hormone functions. Chemical Pesticides can also increase the risk for developing leukemia, brain and soft tissue cancers.

Here’s a list of foods that are OK not to buy organic as few chemicals are
used during the growing process:

Few Chemicals Used During Growing Process
Asparagus, Bananas, Broccoli,
Citrus, Kiwi, Melons,
Papaya, Peas (sweet), Avocados,
Blueberries, Cauliflower, Grapes (Calif),
Mangos, Pineapples

by Gerri Tribble, N.D.

*As long as I’ve wandered on over to the “Certified Organic” territory, I thought I’d pass along a small tip. Organic.org has a useful article to help you make sense of organic labeling. Hope it, along with my lists, to make your grocery selection a bit easier this week.

Now off to eat some Organic pears and walnuts. How about you…what’s your healthy snack of choice today?

Tags: Wellness Coaching, General Wellness Tips, Nutrition by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Who knew family game night last night would lead to a blog post on the WellnessCoach blog? Not me. But I will use anything in front of me as a metaphor if I think it will help me shift and broaden my perspective on wellness. And today, I’m looking at a board game.

I believe the designers of Monopoly® were on to something when they put the “Free Parking” space on the game board. I think it was a subtle reminder to take time out and do nothing. A subtle reminder to heed the following quote in our daily lives:

“Now and then it’s good to pause
in the pursuit of happiness
and just be happy.”

- Guillaume Apollinaire

At least that’s how I’m thinking about the “Free Parking” space today.

And if you’d like to join me in this line of thinking, feel free to use this blog post as a “Free Parking” spot for yourself today. In your pursuit of happiness, your rush to read blogs, gather new information, and all matters you face, take a break.

Right here.

Right now.

Take one deep breath.

Close your eyes and just feel the joy of taking that breath.

Yes, just like that.

Take this one moment to be happy, right here, right now.

For this one breath.

Namaste

Tags: Wellness Coaching, General Wellness Tips, Spirit, Mind by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Thanks for tuning in for the 4th post in this Wellness Product Review Series. We’ve now looked at products from the Detox Diet Front, the Fitness Front and, in the previous post about Acai Green Tea, from the Healthy Food & Beverage Front. Today, I report on products from another Front altogether.

If you’re a new reader, a scan of my posts will tell you that my view of Wellness encompasses a substantially large arena. My definition of Wellness includes paying attention to the quality of what we put into our bodies, minds, and spirits as well as what we put into the world around us.

On that note, today I’m turning my attention to Earth-Friendly cleaning products that will bring wellness to your outer world and in so doing will contribute to your overall wellbeing.

As a reminder, here is the key to the rating system I use:
☺ ☺ ☺ = Great product. I’m using it and love it. Go get it. (Or make it:)
☺ ☺ = Good product. I’m using it/own it. You might want to try it.
☺ = It has merit, but I’m not personally using it. Use with caution.
☹ = Don’t bother.

REVIEW FROM THE EARTH-FRIENDLY CLEANING PRODUCTS FRONT:

While the non-toxic carpet cleaning methods used by our Stanley Steemer guy are wonderful, I don’t call him every time a tomato-sauce- ladened plate dumps on the carpet or a glass of red wine gets knocked over. Here’s what I use when I’ve had one of those days:

Folex® Instant Carpet Spot Remover

Product Description: “Folex is a Water Based Non-Ionic Surfactant. Water Based means that it uses water to wash the stain away, for safety, and virtually residue free cleaning. Unlike soap, solvents, or oil based cleaners that can be smelly, toxic, flammable, leave a sticky residue, or damage the carpet backing. Folex is also: Non-Flammable, contains no solvents of any kind; Odor-Free, no unpleasant chemicals; and CFC and Petroleum Free.” [Folex Website Description]

Price: $7.99 (At Safeway. And I see Home and Beyond sells it for $6.88)

WellnessCoach Assessment:
I’m not sure there is much more to say, so I’ll re-iterate: Water-based, Non-toxic, Non-flamable, Odor-free, CFC and Petroleum-free. Plus it really works, which is probably why it’s been around 30 years.

My Personal Experience:
I swear that my housekeeper’s cleaning concoction (a solution of baking soda, vinegar, and water) cleans most things around my home and office. But it just doesn’t do the trick for getting stains and spots out of white or light-colored carpet. That’s a job for Folex (and no, I don’t get paid for the promotion, I jut believe in the stuff.) I’m extremely sensitive to fumes, toxic cleaners, etc., and I think the earth just might be too. So when I use this, we both win:)

Overall Rating: ☺ ☺☺

Earth-Friendly Products you Probably Have on Hand:

- A solution of vinegar and water will clean mirrors and glass
- Vingar, baking soda and water clean most cleanable surfaces
- Salt and vinegar clean copper pots and other things copper-made
- Line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil, sprinkle in baking soda, set your sterling silver jewelry or utensils in the dish, pour boiling water over the top an voilka - clean and shiny and a smiling earth.

What tips do you have? Please share!

P.S. A big winter thank you to the folks over at the Liz Strauss Open Mic night. They don’t know it but they helped keep me on track tonight. Thanks to Liz, Tim, Eric, Erik, Glenda , Karen , Suzie and Brooke

Tags: Product Reviews, General Wellness Tips by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Welcome back for the next installment in my Wellness Product Review Series. Last week, I reported from the Fitness Front with a review of the Yoga to the Rescue DVD. Today, I’m reporting in with a short snippet from the Healthy Food and Beverage Front. (Just a moment while I take a sip of tea here…. Ahh.)

Okay, here’s a reminder of the rating system I use in this series:

Rating key:
☺ ☺ ☺ = Great product. I’m using it and love it.
☺ ☺ = Good product. I’m using it. For now.
☺ = It has merit, but I’m not personally using it. Use with caution.
☹ = Don’t bother.

REVIEW FROM THE FOOD & BEVERAGE FRONT:
If you’re a green tea lover, and also keen on getting an extra share of super antioxidants from acai (ah-sigh-ee), this just might be your new favorite tea.

Acai Green Tea by The Republic of Tea®

Product Description: “Acai berry is one of the most nutritious fruits in the world. For centuries, inhabitants of the amazon rainforest have gathered these berries from the acaizeiro palm tree for their powerful health benefits. This deep purple fruit has the rich flavors of concord grape and ripe blueberries…Green tea has been revered for centuries in the Far East for its health-enhancing properties.” Republic of Tea®

Price: $9.50 U.S. for 50 Tea Bags

WellnessCoach Assessment:
Acai, a “superfruit”, is rich in the antioxidants known as polyphenols. So is green tea. Putting the two together was brilliant on the part of the Republic of Tea (and no, I’m not paid to endorse them:) You’ll find tons of research that shows these polyphenols will help guard the body against the harmful molecules known as free radicals (which can cause heart disease, premature aging, and certain forms of cancer.)

My Personal Experience:
I’ve been drinking this tea fairly consistently since I got it last month — say an average of 2-3 cups a day. I like the flavor – a bit tart and a bit sweet. I don’t use a sweetener in it, but I don’t use one in any tea. It tastes heartier than straight green tea, and if you’ve ever had straight acai juice, you know what I mean. (If not, you can buy straight acai juice at the health food store and test it out…and let me know what you think.)

Anyway, since I’m a plain-green-tea lover by nature and don’t always want the addition of the acai flavor, I stick to straight green tea in the morning and sip this tea throughout the day. I like that this Acai Green Tea gives me a double dose of antioxidants, so I plan on keeping it in my weekly tea regime for now.

Overall Rating: ☺ ☺

Stay tuned: next in the series, I’ll review an environmentally-friendly cleaning product your carpet and spills shouldn’t be without. I know I said I’d do it this time, but cold weather blew in and a mug of the tea was calling my name…you know how it is:)

Got Wellness Products You Recommend? Add a comment and share!

Tags: Product Reviews, General Wellness Tips, Nutrition by Erica Ross-Krieger
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This is the first in a series of four posts where I’ll give you my review of a Wellness product, book or approach that’s recently come my way. I’ve tested, tried or read and reviewed each one thoroughly, and I’ll give you my professional and/or personal experience with one product per post.
Rating key:
☺ ☺ ☺ = Great product. I’m using it and love it. Go get it.
☺ ☺ = Good product. I’m using it/own it. You might want to try it.
☺ = It has merit, but I’m not personally using it. Use with caution.
☹ = Don’t bother.

1. Review From the Nutrition Front:

Detox Diet & Book: The Fast Track Detox Diet
by Ann Louise Gittleman, PH.d., C.N.S.

Book & Detox Diet Description: “Gittleman’s easy-to-follow program includes seven days of adding healing foods to your diet to prepare for the detox process; a one-day fast featuring her spiced Miracle Juice, designed to stave off hunger and flush out toxins; and three days of eating healthy foods to seal in the result of the fast…” (From the book’s back cover.)

Price: $12.95 U.S.

WellnessCoach Special Note: My clients know my stance on fasting, diets for weight loss, and toxins in food and the environment, but I haven’t really come out with my opinion here on the blog before…so here it is:

Eating organic and using personal and home-care products that are toxin-free is critical; nutrition education and exercise are critical components of the weight-loss story; but weight loss is a much bigger conversation than just diet and exercise; a Blood-Type approach to nutrition is important; fasting is such a loaded topic that I don’t keep it in my Nutrition Educator or personal vocabulary; and the real key to weight loss is getting to and dealing with the issues that are at the heart of the matter for each individual.

But…
That said, I agreed to review this book for a number of reasons. First, it appears its main focus is detoxification, not just weight loss. Next, in nutrition school I was a big fan of Ann Louise Gittleman’s 1997 book, Your Body Knows Best. I liked the introduction to her blood type-based approach to nutrition and individual metabolic considerations. So I wanted to see if the same thread of her nutritional expertise was apparent in this new book.

Also, several new clients asked my opinion on the Fast Track Detox Diet book, and I like to keep up with current nutritional literature in the mass market, so I bought a copy. Then in early January, in her Slim People in Progress blog, Denise Wakeman asked if anyone had experience with the Detox Diet or the book. I commented back and said I’d get to reviewing it. So Denise, this one’s also for you and your readers☺

WellnessCoach Assessment:
Nutrition expert Ann Louise Gittleman does a phenomenal job spelling out the harm that pesticides, fertilizers, synthetic additives, and pollution in the environment bring to our health. She makes a strong case for the need to internally cleanse ourselves regularly with an age-old tradition of a detox fast, but one that is also based on sound nutritional principles.

In all the years I’ve assessed detox diets, I can say I haven’t seen one so thoroughly presented, nor one that covers the myriad of issues (body/mind/spirit) that are involved in the world of detoxification diets. The plan even includes: a plan for journal entries for the emotional level along with breathing exercises; recommended pro-biotics; different approaches for those with different goals; supplements for each approach; cosmetics to avoid; recipes; resources and contact info for detox diet supplies; visualization tools to use; and Bach Flower remedies to include.

My Opinion in a Nutshell
So, how do I put this together with the Special Note I wrote in the block quote above, where I say I’m not a proponent of fasts? This way:

- Above all else, if you choose to fast, engage a licensed health practitioner to supervise any fast you undertake. In my view, this goes for everyone, not just those who have health challenges, are elderly, or have compromised immune systems.

- If you think you want to use the plan in this book, give your health practitioner a copy of the book to read thoroughly so both of you are familiar with the approach. Be sure you have read it thoroughly as well.

- If the decision you make together is for you to follow the plan, schedule regular sessions with your practitioner during the entire process. Stay in touch throughout.

- If you do go forward, don’t skip any of the steps outlined in the book, unless your practitioner specifies that you do. The prequel to the fast is a critical component and so are the recommended protocols for supplements, fiber, pro-biotics and recommended amounts of water to drink.

- Consider having a Detox Diet buddy that is going through the same process, so you have additional support. This person also needs to get health supervision.

- Go Organic for as much of this approach as is possible if you are going to do this.

- Skip Path A – the Fastest Track – and Opt for Path B, The Cheater’s Path, (I wouldn’t have called it that…I’d have called it the we’re-all-human Path…but hey, it’ not my book). Again, your practitioner’s advice is vital. I just don’t see a need for the “fastest” anything.

- If you review the whole book and decide to skip the whole Detox Diet (my vote), there is strong merit in doing the Emotional Detox component (chapter 7) on its own.

Overall Rating: ☺
Note: The book itself is thorough, well presented, and comprehensive. As I said though, I’m not a fan of fasting or diets and this didn’t change my mind. Does contain other useful information though.

My Personal Experience:
Well, as you now know, I’m not a proponent of fasting, so you won’t see a personal report of my own fasting experience here, because I don’t do fasts. But you do have my assessment of the book’s approach from a Nutrition Educator’s view, and that’s what I can offer.

I will also say that I’m a strong proponent of doing what we can to keep harmful toxins at bay, whenever possible. I live by my own advice to clients and yes, I: Take a Blood-Type approach to my own eating plan and approach to supplements; drink lots of pure water; eat all organic at home and as often as possible when eating out; avoid toxic cleaning and personal-care products; and engage in regular “Emotional Detox” work by using the Gremlin-Taming® method (designed by Rick Carson, author of Taming Your Gremlin®).

A Bloggy Note:
This review was initially going to be a short list of Wellness Tools for you to try, without my own bias. My thanks goes to blog guru, Chris Garrett, for the advice he gave in his January 21st post that bloggers should marry their expertise with personal experience. As you can see, I’ve taken his advice to heart…and I had fun doing so. I’ll be doing 3 more of these reviews i this series, and I’m bound to do more over time. Stay tuned.

Tags: Wellness Coaching, General Wellness Tips, Nutrition by Erica Ross-Krieger
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December 22nd marks the 2007 Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and that means Winter is officially upon us where I am at this shortest day of the year.

It’s also the day when I know we are heading toward more daylight and somehow that always lifts my spirits.

I make the Winter Solstice a private celebration each year with a mug of tea, my favorite pen and my journal. I use a series of questions once put forth to me in a workshop by cultural anthropologist and author, Angeles Arrien, to review the lap that I just traveled around the sun this year. As I’ve done for years, here’s what I’ll be contemplating tomorrow:

Year in Review
as asked by Angeles Arrien

A. This last year
In Myself, My Relationships, My Work, and My Community:
1. Where have I been strengthened this year?
2. What has softened in me this year?
3. What has deepened (integrated or fallen into place) this year?
4. What has opened (what’s new, what have I learned, where am I being stretched) in my nature this year?

Regardless of where you are in the world, or what holiday you celebrate, I wish you much peace and many “sacred moments” today, this season, next year and beyond.

What held meaning for you this last year? Let us know in a comment!

P.S. I also want to point out that new little icon over on the lower end of the right sidebar, under Tools for the Journey…the blue one that says RoadID. It will take you to a site that showcases a product I have fallen in love with. It’s an ID bracelet (comes in many cool colors, too) that you can wear while running or outdoors. The vital information you have engraved on the tag could save your life if you got stranded or hurt. But wait, there’s more…

You can alternatively engrave your 2008 goals on the bracelet, and wear it to remind yourself to keep on track. But here’s the thing…

Who are you???
I am not the originator of this idea by any means. I have to thank the person who mentioned it in his blog recently. And here is the embarrassing part. I can not for the life of me remember who that was. And I even went and bought 6 of the ID’s using his $1 off gift, and then became an affiliate.

So, yes, head to the site and check out the ID tags. Get some for yourself and your friends…you could be saving lives, or the life of your business. But if you know who also mentioned this in their blog recently, or if it is you, please let me know. I am grateful for your tip and owe you major blog link love.

Tags: Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business, General Wellness Tips, Announcements by Erica Ross-Krieger
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