A Pain in the Neck

Well, this week was a weird one. I randomly woke up and coughed my way into a pinched nerve Wednesday morning. That was fun let me tell you. I spent the entire day horizontal alternating ice packs with heat.

It is, and has been, my firm belief that back/neck pain is a result of your emotions. And for those of you who don't believe in the mind body connection, it is real. It has been thought that our brains are separate from our bodies in some way. But I beg to differ. If you could actually see the nervous system, it touches every part of our body. If you were to isolate you would see that it is literally as prominent as our veins. How do you think you feel pain when you burn your finger? Nerves.

So then how can our emotions effect our health? Well, emotions are chemical reactions that take place in our brain due to the types of thoughts we are having. But emotions cause physical feelings too. Think about when you lose someone you love, you actually hurt. Or when you are nervous about something your stomach becomes nauseous. Everything is connected.

I know exactly why I got a pinched nerve. I was already under stress (self imposed I might add), which I hold in my neck and shoulders. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed due to some really kreeeepy and upsetting dreams (happens more often than not) and then I had some things that I didn't want to deal with. So I stuffed all that, and voila! Pinched nerve in my neck.

The Moral: It's better to speak your mind even if it will upset someone else than to stuff it and end up with paralyzing neck pain. 

Officially over it

he would have fit right in w/ us last weekend

I do this to myself all the time. I still think I can party like I am in college. Well, reality has a way of telling you what's up when you don't follow it's rules. I always wondered when I was younger why adults don't drink that much, if at all. I know now. It's because it takes 3 times as long to get over it than it used to. 

I was at a bachelorette weekend (keep in mind I stopped drinking Saturday after dinner and literally drank 10 waters after that) and I am still recovering. I AM OFFICIALLY OVER IT! The amount of fun I have when I drink pales in comparison to the S-H-I-T that I feel like for days after. 

In light of my impending 30th birthday, I am feeling that I need to really stop acting like I am in college. I need to take care of myself so I don't end up looking prematurely haggard. 

Just some thoughts on this beautiful Tuesday. Tomorrow I'll be back to normal.

I'M SHOCKED! GMO's found to be deadly over entire lifespan

I have thought for a while that GMO crops are going to be found harmful to our health. Looks like they have. I hate to say I told you so, but ...

This video is short, but if you are looking for more evidence there is tons of it out there. Just look around for a few minutes. This is pretty serious stuff, and I hate to see the "unexplained" rates of cancer skyrocket in the years to come. 

The best thing you can do is get rid of and stay away from the big GMO crops: 

• corn (found in almost everything)
• soybeans (found in almost everything)
• canola (vegetable oils)
• sugar beets (refined white sugar & molasses)
• conventional meat (fed GMO corn and soy)
• farm raised fish (fed GMO corn and soy)

CHECK FOOD LABELS! Unless it is labeled "certified organic", "GMO free", or in the case of meat "humanely raised" those ingredients are more likely than not genetically modified. If I hadn't done this already I would start today: slowly stop buying food products with these toxic ingredients and start buying real food that will help you counteract the effects likely already underway from the 15 + years of eating GMO foods. 

The more I learn, the more clear it is that real food does not make people sick. Food like ingredients and food "products" make people sick. Heavily processed foods make people sick. Sugary foods make people sick. Fake foods make people sick. Every now and again is fine, but all day everyday people eat junk food and it adds up. People are paying the price down the road for fast, cheap food.

Who's going through their cabinets tonight?

Checking In

Well, I'm off for another bachelorette weekend with the most amazing people! But before I go, I thought I would do a little checking in since it's been a while. As those of you who read this blog know, I went through a bit of a funk in the past few weeks. I felt stuck, slightly bored, and frustrated. Thankfully I'm out of it and things are looking up!

While I was in said funk I got so fed up that I started doing anything I could to snap myself out of it. One of the things that I did was start reading Spontaneous Happiness by Dr. Andrew Weil. It was not what I expected, but it helped to know that other people go through the same things that I do (i.e. spontaneous bad moods that last weeks). The book is called Spontaneous Happiness, but there was a lot of talk about spontaneous unhappiness.

Anyway, in his book he asks a series of questions so you can figure out where you are. Read on...

Q: Do you have any illnesses? Symptoms that concern you?
A: Not that I'm aware, but my right elbow mysteriously started hurting about a week ago and was made worse when I tripped and superman-ed the boardwalk the other day. LOL thankfully it was in the afternoon when no one was really around.

Q: Are you regularly taking any dietary supplements or herbal remedies?
A: Yes, FIBER! You don't want to know what happens when I don't.

Q: Are there any illnesses that run in your family?
A: Yes, cancer, both sides, various types; also thyroid issues.

Q: On a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being very unhealthy and 10 being very healthy, rate your present state of health.
A: Well I have always been prone to getting sick very easily, and have to seriously watch how I take care of myself, but in the grand scheme of things I would consider myself a 7 or 8. Compared to the "typical American" I would consider myself a 10.

Q: Have you ever been diagnosed with a mood disorder?
A: Lol, no but if a doctor could read my thoughts at the height of my PMS episodes I'm sure I could be diagnosed with multiple mood disorders.

Q: Have you ever suffered from depression or anxiety?
A: YES & YES. Mild bouts of depression have coincided with the times that I have had really bad general anxiety. Thankfully, I learned how to get rid of the daily anxiety I suffered with, and when if flairs up I can usually talk myself out of it.

Q: Do you think you eat a healthy diet?
A: On the weekdays yes, weekends are questionable. But I'm sure everyone thinks they eat healthier than they do.

Q: How much caffeine do you consume?
A: Hardly any now. I have always been a big coffee drinker (I LOVE IT!) but when I went through the attacking anxiety program I learned that caffeine is a big anxiety trigger so I decaffeinated myself. Now I only drink half calf if I absolutely am exhausted and can't take a nap.

Q: Do you have good friends?
A: YES! THE BEST!

Q: Do you get stuck in thought patterns that make you depressed or anxious?
A: Ummm, yes and yes. I am a pro at playing out a scenario in my head before it happens, and twisting myself up imagining the worst. It never happens in real life the way it happens in my head. Now when I catch myself doing that I say, "STOP! You're doing it again" (in my head of course). I don't talk to myself out loud thank god.


This was just a few of the pages of questions. It's good to write these things down in black and white. It's nice to be honest with yourself and really know how and why you feel the way that you do, see how far you've come and be able to laugh at yourself from time to time. 

Off to have some much needed fun with the girlies at the beach!

How many meals should we be eating a day?

I get asked this question from time to time so I thought I would explain my views on how messed up America's eating habits are.

When I was a kid, we ate 3 meals. Breakfast, lunch, and an early dinner (by 6 pm). If we were hungry at 8pm we had a choice of fruit or to wait until breakfast. Somehow since then it has become fashionable to eat 6 smaller meals a day. Where this came from I am not really sure, but it is definitely an American-made concept.

I have tried this at least a few times and have stopped almost immediately because I felt like the only thing I was doing was eating- all day long! It was like I spent so much time managing when I was going to eat that it was annoying and I felt like I couldn't get anything else done because I was always eating.

Since attending nutrition school, I have come to think that not only is eating 6 times a day a little ridiculous, it is completely unnecessary, and actually detrimental to losing weight (which is the argument that trainers use when they tell you to eat smaller meals more frequently).

In a nutshell, your body will not burn fat if it is constantly getting fed. Fat is stored to be used as energy, but it only burns it if there is no food in sight. So if you can train your body to go longer between meals you actually have a shot at burning your fat stores for energy.

This brings up another aspect of eating 6 meals a day: night eating. Inevitably if you are eating 6 meals a day, you are more than likely eating later than you normally would to get that last meal in. Night eating is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to lose weight. It's ideal to go to bed on an empty stomach (slightly hungry but not starving) because then your body burns it's fat stores all night long. Everyone is different, but the ideal time for me to stop eating is 6pm, and I usually eat a large lunch and smaller dinner. When I do not eat a large lunch I go into the late afternoon starving, ravenous, and capable of eating everything. This is what I have been working on...eating my big meal during the day.

I have been chipping away at this over the past few months, and have seen tremendous results (along with all the juice I drink). I gave up the idea that I need to kill myself at the gym everyday and little by little have changed my eating habits. I have seen more weight loss from changing my eating habits than I ever did from spending hours at the gym. Now, a few times a week I go for a six mile walk (more like stroll most days) and an occasional run if I do not have the time to walk.

Changing one's eating habits is tough stuff, especially if you are addicted to sugar, caffeine, etc., but I promise if you just start where you are and make little baby steps you can see lasting weight loss without killing yourself at the gym.

And the most important thing to remember is: IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY DON'T EAT! (regardless of what you think you have to do...you don't have to do anything...you are an adult...eat ONLY when you are hungry!)

NYC soda ban wrong on so many levels

I know this is a few days late...some may consider it yesterday's news... but it's worth mentioning for a few reasons.

First of all any time the government steps in to "fix" a problem they unknowingly create 10 more. They think that banning regular sodas will fix the obesity problem when it is not the government's job to fix (nor do I think it will create any positive effect what-so-ever). If people want to be obese let them. If they want to drink themselves into an early grave let them. Who are we to judge how someone else is supposed to live their life? This may sound like I don't care and am a little cruel, but I assure you that is further from the truth. I just don't believe that the government's place is to tell us what is or is not healthy for individuals or the "public" (which is just a group of individuals).

This will be the case with banning high fructose corn syrup (in regular sodas). The fact of the matter is that aspartame in diet soda's is just as bad as, if not worse than, high fructose corn syrup. No it doesn't make you fat, but according to many it is considered a neurotoxin. Which means that since regular sodas are being banned, people will be forced into drinking more neurotoxins aspartame.

HFCS may cause diabetes and obesity, but aspartame causes neurological damage and early-onset Alzheimer's. But that's just what New York needs, it seems: A wave of crabby soda-drinking senior citizens who are half blind and can't remember where their apartment building is located. (Or has that already happened?) - Natural News

Boy am I glad that I stopped drinking soda a long time ago, because either way you go- regular or diet- it is completely unhealthy. Once in a while is ok, but the way some people drink soda :/ ... it's bad.

Health Effects of Aspartame

Eye
-  blindness in one or both eyes
-  decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
-  pain in one or both eyes
-  decreased tears
-  trouble with contact lenses
-  bulging eyes 

Ear
-  tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound
-  severe intolerance of noise
-  marked hearing impairment 

Neurologic
-  epileptic seizures
-  headaches, migraines and (some severe)
-  dizziness, unsteadiness, both
-  confusion, memory loss, both
-  severe drowsiness and sleepiness
-  paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
-  severe slurring of speech
-  severe hyperactivity and restless legs
-  atypical facial pain
-  severe tremors
-  Psychological/Psychiatric
-  severe depression
-  irritability
-  aggression
-  anxiety
-  personality changes
-  insomnia
-  phobias 

Chest
-  palpitations, tachycardia
-  shortness of breath
-  recent high blood pressure
-  Gastrointestinal
-  nausea
-  diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
-  abdominal pain
-  pain when swallowing 

Skin and Allergies
-  itching without a rash
-  lip and mouth reactions
-  hives
-  aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma 

Endocrine and Metabolic
-  loss of control of diabetes
-  menstrual changes
-  marked thinning or loss of hair
-  marked weight loss
-  gradual weight gain
-  aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
-  severe PMS 

Other
-  frequency of voiding and burning during urination
-  excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
-  increased susceptibility to infection 

Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all
-  death
-  irreversible brain damage
-  birth defects, including mental retardation
-  peptic ulcers
-  aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
-  hyperactivity in children
-  severe depression
-  aggressive behavior
-  suicidal tendencies  

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
-  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
-  Epstein-Barr
-  Post-Polio Syndrome
-  Lyme Disease
-  Grave’s Disease
-  Meniere’s Disease
-  Alzheimer’s Disease
-  ALS
-  Epilepsy
-  Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
-  EMS
-  Hypothyroidism
-  Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
-  Fibromyalgia
-  Lupus
-  non-Hodgkins
-  Lymphoma

- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) 

If you think you are addicted to soda, try replacing one soda a day with water...every week replace one more soda with water until you are just drinking water. Try to watch for any positive changes in how you feel. I bet you will see a difference.

Garden Oppression

I heard about this story somewhere along my travels and it popped into my life again so I thought I would write about it because it makes me mad, and sad, and happy. This mom decided to turn her front yard into a garden where she can grow her own food. Shortly after that she was hit by a S-H-I-T storm of flack from the local government who claimed her garden was an eyesore and not in compliance with local zoning regulations.

"I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time planning, researching, advocating, documenting, and otherwise defending my front yard urban garden. Moments I could have better spent with my infant son, Kae. He arrived on February 4th, 2012, and at seven pounds even, weighed as much as my heart. Within a month of his arrival, I had decided to turn a large portion of my front yard into an edible landscape. Though it has been a battle ever since, I have no regrets. He was my inspiration to begin with, and it has been my sole motivation to protect his health and freedoms. This has become a cause, not an endeavor. I broke ground when he was 35 days old. 

A lawn, though seemingly lacking, has quite an ecosystem lurking just below the surface. Insects and worms that aerate, living in harmony with beneficial microbes among the roots of the ever browning zoysia grass. Rather than removing the lawn, I amended it into the earth. I could only go about 4″ deep the first time I cultivated the 25′x35′ area. I worked under the topsoil three full times before the sod had broken up and spread evenly. I then added roughly 15 lawn and garden bags of various tree leaves I collected. Last fall’s foliage was evenly dispersed and tilled into the ever improving “dirt”. Composted goat and horse bedding finally killed the 10 years young tiller. In all, every inch of the now redefined “soil” had been overturned roughly 8 times. 

In hopes of making my garden an art form and not an eyesore, I installed a mulch border around the entire perimeter of the soon to be yarden. This was held in place by heavy duty lawn edging, meticulously   wrapped around the outer edge. I sowed the seed of each edible and medicinal plant within. I positioned a flower and ornamental amaranth row along the sidewalk. I placed lush herbs to the east, squash and melons to the west. In between, rows of bush beans, various peppers, and more than a dozen tomato varieties. Hundreds of non- GMO, heirloom seeds. Towards the house, two small corn patches, infused with vining beans, and several grains including chia, flax, camelina, sesame seed, oats, and another amaranth. More than fifty different species and varieties, all sown strategically to benefit both themselves, and the outlook of the neighborhood. 

I’ve since laid landscaping cloth and wood mulch around many of the plants, and along the walk paths between. Weeding has been minimal, and watering has been greatly reduced by mulching. I’m pulling my first meals from previously unused space. Several pounds of green beans, a couple peppers, and various herbs have graced my dinner table so far, along with salads of amaranth and other greens. As dozens of quarter size tomatoes began to swell in the summer heat, I built a double trellis to support their ever increasing weight. Nearly everything is in bloom, and the beauty of the space intensifies more and more with each passing day."

On top of wanting to grow healthy cheap food for herself and her family, she is facing real illness and needs the healthy food that she is growing. It makes me mad that our government has come to harassing people who want to grow their own food on their own property. It makes me sad that she has to deal with this on top of being a new mom and trying to make herself healthier. It makes me happy that she is fighting them every step of the way. If you feel the way I do go over to her blog vegetableyarden.wordpress.com and drop some words of encouragement.

I hope she keeps fighting, wins, and continues to grow her own food.

WARNING: Pickles that can kill

A few weeks ago when I made a HUGE batch of pickles I used a recipe that called for garlic, onions, and dill. This recipe made the best pickles I've ever tasted, however, I was informed by my mom that garlic if stored in liquid can cause botulism. I've heard of this term once or twice in conversation with canning tomatoes, but I never really paid much attention to it. 

Well, now it has caught my attention, since I have to drain and re-jar 7 giant bottles of pickles. I left the garlic in the jars thinking it would enhance the flavor, but little did I know that it could cause botulism.

Botulism, if you aren't aware, is a bacteria that grows on certain vegetables when stored improperly. It is deadly, and will kill you rather fast- like in days.

So, if you made my pickles I'm sorry, but you are going to have to take the garlic out of the jars, just like I did. This is especially important if you are jarring and not keeping them in the refrigerator, or not planning on eating them right away. Here is a warning I found:

BOTULISM WARNING 

Regardless of its flavor potency, garlic is a low-acid vegetable. The pH of a clove of garlic typically ranges from 5.3 to 6.3. As with all low-acid vegetables, garlic will support the growth and subsequent toxin production of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum when given the right conditions. These conditions include improper home canning and improper preparation and storage of fresh herb and garlic-in-oil mixtures. Moisture, room temperature, lack of oxygen, and low-acid conditions all favor the growth of Clostridium botulinum. When growing, this bacterium produces an extremely potent toxin that causes the illness botulism. If untreated, death can result within a few days of consuming the toxic food. 

...WHICH MEANS YOU ARE AT RISK OF GETTING SICK FROM STORING IT THE WAY YOU DO.
STORING GARLIC.

Commercially, garlic is stored near 32 degrees F. However, most home refrigerators are too warm for ideal long-term storage of garlic. Instead, store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place in well-ventilated containers such as mesh bags. Storage life is 3 to 5 months under cool (60 degree F) dry, dark conditions. 

WHICH MEANS YOU CAN SAFELY KEEP IT IN A COOL DRY PLACE AT HOME INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT IN OIL. 

FREEZING GARLIC 

Garlic can be frozen in a number of ways.1. Chop the garlic, wrap it tightly in a plastic freezer bag or in plastic wrap, and freeze. To use, grate or break off the amount needed.2. Freeze the garlic unpeeled and remove cloves as needed.3. Peel the cloves and puree them with oil in a blender or food processor using 2 parts oil to 1 part garlic. The puree will stay soft enough in the freezer to scrape out parts to use in sautéing. Freeze this mixture immediately - do not store it at room temperature. The combination of the low-acid garlic, the exclusion of air (by mixing with oil), and room-temperature storage can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum.  

THESE ARE THE SAFER OPTIONS, BECAUSE STORING IT IN OIL TAKES AWAY ITS OXYGEN(DROWNS IT) AND THEN IT BECOMES DANGEROUS TO EAT.

STORING GARLIC IN OIL 

Extreme care must be taken when preparing flavored oils with garlic or when storing garlic in oil. Peeled garlic cloves may be submerged in oil and stored in the freezer for several months. Do not store garlic in oil at room temperature. Garlic-in-oil mixtures stored at room temperature provide perfect conditions for producing botulism toxin (low acidity, no free oxygen in the oil, and warm temperatures). The same hazard exists for roasted garlic stored in oil. At least three outbreaks of botulism associated with garlic-in-oil mixtures have been reported in North America.  

By law, commercially prepared garlic in oil has been prepared using strict guidelines and must contain citric or phosphoric acid to increase the acidity. Unfortunately, there is no easy or reliable method to acidify garlic in the home. Acidifying garlic in vinegar is a lengthy and highly variable process; a whole clove of garlic covered with vinegar can take from 3 days to more than 1 week to sufficiently acidify. As an alternative, properly dried garlic cloves may be safely added to flavor oils." 

SO IT IS SAFE TO SUBMERGE THE GARLIC IN OIL AND THEN FREEZE BUT NOT REFRIGERATE OR LEAVE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. 

Now it says above that it acidify garlic in vinegar is a safe way to prevent botulism, which my pickles are in a lot of vinegar, but I'm not going to take the chance, and you shouldn't either. I read that in order to acidify garlic properly it must be soaked/submerged in vinegar for 3-7 days. (Which I did not.) I'd err on the side of caution and do it for a full 7 if you are so inclined to do this.

Operation-remove-garlic-from-pickles is about to start. 

FINALLY! I got food out of my garden

It is September 13th. The garden just started pumping out food that I can cook with. (I officially picked enough cucumbers to make 4 gallons of pickles.) Hopefully it does't get much colder and kill everything that I am hoping to gather. Today I got a bunch of tomatoes (some ripe some not), an eggplant, peppers, hot peppers, more cucumbers, and zucchini. I also have a giant amount of fresh herbs I need to start using.

There are plenty more eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes that should be ready in about a week. We also have 1 watermelon and 2 cantaloupe melons that I guess I'll have to pick soon. The one watermelon I picked last week wasn't close to being ripe enough. We'll see in a week!

So in honor of the "harvest" I made the 1st giant pot of sauce of the season. I fully plan on eating this until I'm utterly sick of it in about 2 weeks.

• olive oil- a lot!
• 6 lg. tomatoes
• 2 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 hot peppers (this may be too much if you don't like spicy)
• basil, thyme, rosemary, sage
• salt & pepper to taste
• sugar to taste

Cut everything up, put in giant pot, simmer for at least an hour, season, and eat!!! The great thing about sauce is that you can make it with anything or everything. I don't think there has been a time that my sauce came out the same twice in a row. And don't be afraid to load up the olive oil. It is a healthy fat that helps your body assimilate the nutrients in the sauce. Hope this inspires you to get in the kitch!

I may not be Italian, but I make a mean sauce :)

Staying at emotional sea level

I am reading Spontaneous Happiness by Dr. Andrew Weil because I have been in a perpetual Debbie Downer mood now for a few weeks and it's pissing me off. So I'm doing everything I can to get myself out of it.

Let me just preface this post with this statement... I know I have no real problems. I'm not sick, no one in my life is sick or dying. I love what I am doing and feel fulfilled professionally. This has been making me feel even worse because I know there are people out there with real, serious problems. 

With that being said, I am now immersing myself in all things happy. I am probably about half way through this book, and although he has some valid points (which I will get to in a few sentences) it is a very technical book. Buyer beware...there is a lot of talk about the brain and neurochemicals and all that sort of stuff. Some of it is over my head, but I get the gist of it.

One of the things that he talks about is the fact that bouts of mild depression (or prolonged bad moods) are actually quite common and normal. He talks about how the state of our emotions can be compared to a boat in the ocean. The waves fluctuate and the boat is in constant motion from the top of the wave to the bottom of the wave.

"I believe that it may be normal, healthy, and even productive to experience mild to moderate depression from time to time as part of a variable emotional spectrum, either as an appropriate response to situations or as a way of turning inward and mentally chewing over some problems to find solutions. I still value my occasional periods of depressed mood as sources of intuitive knowledge, inspiration, and creative energy, and when I come out of them, I feel more vital and am more productive. I have found strategies to help me get through them, and I'm much relieved that I no longer get stuck in them." -Dr. Weil

I happen to be at the bottom of the wave right now. So I keep telling myself peaks and valleys are normal. I'm just in a valley right now, which has happened to me before and I've come out of quite successfully.

What do you do to get yourself out of a funk? I'm looking for some creative suggestions.

Featured on the Institute for Integrative Nutrition's blog!

This was super exciting news to wake up to yesterday morning. I wasn't fully prepared to handle the amount of emails and comments I got in regards to this so I spent most of the day replying back to people about Raw Generation- not a bad start to this week!

Here's the blog post featuring me and Raw Generation.

Health Coach Starts a Family Juicing Business
Posted on September 8, 2012 by Dorry Tolson Original Source 

At Integrative Nutrition, we are honored to play a role in helping you discover your passion for healthy living. Each student takes a different path after graduation, and today we are shining our spotlight on 2012 graduate Jessica Geier.  

Jessica’s interest in health and nutrition began when her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. She channeled her nurturing spirit by preparing nutritious, healing meals to help her grandmother through treatment. Jessica has since paired her education from the Health Coach Training Program with her father’s entrepreneurial background, and together they created a fulfilling new business in Neptune, New Jersey!  

What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition? 

I finished my graduate degree in 2007 and immediately jumped into a job as an architectural intern. I knew right away that this work wasn’t fulfilling, but I stuck it out as long as I could. After nine months, I quit my internship and tried out a couple of other jobs. It was exciting at first, but after the learning curve wore off, I was right back where I was before: feeling like I wasn't doing what I was meant to do in life.
After those jobs, I started working with my father. He is an entrepreneur and at the time, he had a few small businesses that I was helped him systematize. I started to get that same feeling again, and realized it was time to find a fulfilling career.  

What led you to explore the Health Coach Training Program? 

Just after I started working with my father, his mother – my grandmother – was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She moved in with my dad and I took over the role of cooking. I started researching everything I could find to learn about feeding her nourishing meals that would keep her strong to get through chemo.  

This is where my understanding of food and health began to change. After she passed away, I realized that I needed to change the way I was taking care of myself, or more accurately, not taking care of myself, so that I could prevent disease in my future. I was scared because cancer runs on both sides of my family.  

How did your life change after enrolling? 

Shortly after I enrolled in the program, I knew I was in the right place. I met people who were on the same page with me, people who believed the same things that I did. As I learned new information each week, I became more confident that I was doing the right thing. I was doing something that I felt proud of, something that would change my life and the lives of those around me.  

For the first time I was incorporating what I love – cooking and food, with something I believe in – nutrition and healthy living. I knew I could create a career in Health Coaching that would allow me to do what I love every single day.  

What are you doing now? 

Around the time I enrolled at IIN, my father and I were talking about what business we wanted to develop. We were exploring a few options, but the one that I was drawn to was a fresh pressed juicing company. At that time I was sharing with him everything I was learning about the benefits of food on our overall health, and he was starting to get on board. It didn't take much to convince him that juicing was the way to go. Thus, Raw Generation Juices was born!  

It’s wonderful that you had the courage to start your own business! Did you ever experience any doubt, and if so, how did you work through it?  

I was confident about the growing market for fresh pressed juices, especially with my newfound network within the Integrative Nutrition community. I knew that my role as head of marketing would be something I could really dig my teeth into and enjoy. 

What makes Raw Generation unique? 

Before we started our company, my father was an on again, off again juicer. After a while, he became discouraged with the time it took and the mess it made. He had looked for a company that sold leafy green juices, but there were none in our area! This was one of our motivations to start Raw Generation.  

Tell us more about the products you offer. 

Raw Generation sells leafy green vegetable juice blends. We started focusing on the dark green leafy vegetables (kale, collards, spinach, Swiss chard, & wheatgrass) because of the immense health benefits they offer. We currently offer a few signature blends, and we will be expanding our line while keeping all of our juice blends at least 50% leafy green vegetables, including organic wheatgrass juice.  

What do you love about your work? 

I love that I can get up every morning and honestly say that I am spreading health and happiness in the world. I am also helping myself become healthier on a daily basis. I had heard that when you are doing something you love, it doesn't feel like work. I believe that now. 

Seeking Motivation

I've been in a funk lately. I am trying to pull myself out of it, but it's been a slow and not so pleasant process. By trying I mean I'm basically forcing myself to do things that I know I should be doing (working out, eating right, not sleeping my life away) and forcing myself to do the things I have to do (working, eating) and force myself to do the things I should want to do (being out and about).

I keep telling myself to "act as if" and eventually I will feel better. I guess it's working because I do feel better than I did a week ago.

I've also been looking for different things that I can do to get outside of my "box". Last night I went to a raw food group meeting with Victoria Moran as the guest speaker. I went specifically because she is an excellent speaker and very motivating. After 2 hours of listening to her I felt better. I feel more like myself again. Further proof that I need to seek out more people that will motivate me.

If you are in the Ramsey, NJ area and are interested in learning more about raw foods/healthier living there is a great Raw Food Support Network run by Karen Ranzi.

Anyone have a fix for a funky mood that you can't beat?

Note to my garden that hasn't produced much of anything

Dear Garden,

I'm not sure what happened this year, but you didn't produce as much as you could have. If we depended on you we would be starving. 

With love, Jess

Whatever is going on it is not cool. With the amount of work I put in planting all sorts of things, we only got some strawberries in the spring, 2 ears of corn, some string beans, and a ton of cucumbers. The tomatoes are there, but not ripening, and the peppers and eggplant are just starting to produce. The carrots are not growing past little nubs. We may get enough cabbage to do something with...hopefully!

I am seriously hoping we don't get a hurricane before I can harvest all this stuff so I can feel like I got something out of all the effort besides jars of pickles (SOOOO good by the way!). If you want to make really good homemade kosher dill pickles read this. 

Hopefully next year we will get better results!

Stocking up for Fall

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend! The weather didn't cooperate for my 3 day beach binge but that's ok. I had one great beach day and two lazy days of sleeping and going for long lunches with my sister. And so I am back to business. No more "it's summer" excuses :(

Since I barely cook in the summer, my pantry is seriously lacking some things. I need to stock up because with cooler weather coming, I need to be prepared to cook myself some warming foods.

What to stock your pantry with:

• beans
• grains (rice, quinoa, barley)
• raw nuts- all of them
• dried fruit
• Amy's organic soups (for those days when I'm just too damn busy)
• canned vegetables
• cooking oils (olive, coconut, almond)
• restock spice cabinet
• meat from the farm

With those things, I should be able to successfully make just about any variation of soup, stew, or sauce that I can think of. As much as I hate when the warm days disappear, I do look forward to the change of seasons. 

What is your favorite cool weather meal?