If you suffer from Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea, eczema, weight loss problems, urinary issues or allergies – this episode is for you! Today we’ll be talking about biotics – probiotics, antibiotics and prebiotics and how they affect ALL of these issues.

The Biotic Woman

Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive. We can rebuild him. We have the technology… I know, we are talking about BIOTICs not BIONICS and I quoted the intro to the Six Million Dollar Man, not even the Bionic Woman – but there is no clever intro to the Bionic woman and after I read the “Six Million Dollar Man” intro I found it rather appropriate for this episode and that is because YOU can be rebuilt too, whether you’re a man or woman by adding probiotics and prebiotics into your diet. So first, I’ll explain what probiotics are, why they are important and then what to look for when purchasing one.

Probiotics are the GOOD bacteria and yeast that live in your gut. Most of the time people associate bacteria as a bad thing, but there are good bacteria as well. The root of the word comes from the Greek word “pro” which means to promote and “biotic” meaning life. Probiotics help move food through your body and assimilate valuable nutrients like calcium and B vitamins. They keep your digestive tract healthy –and because 70% of your immune system is in your gut – that’s really important! Antibiotics are the chemical substances which, have the ability to kill disease causing microorganisms. They are effective against bacterial infections, not viral infections. The problem is, while antibiotics are effective in killing off bad bacteria, unfortunately, they will also kill off the good bacteria in your gut as well. They may also be responsible for adding to your abdominal fat! Remember that antibiotics are used as growth promoters in livestock... particularly to increase body fat levels and fat marbling of meat. It wouldn't be a far stretch to correlate this to increased visceral fat in humans as well. And just one more reason to buy organic meats that have not been injected with antibiotics – you are what you eat, eats! Whether you’ve taken antibiotics in the past or if you are currently taking antibiotics to treat a chronic bacterial infection, it is VERY important to also be take probiotics to keep those lil friendly bacteria going or to rebuild what has been lost. Just don’t take antibiotics and probiotics at the same time or the antibiotics will eliminate the beneficial bacteria immediately. You’ll want to wait at least 3 hours to take a probiotic after ingesting any antibiotics.

So where can you find probiotics? You can get probiotics in some foods and also in supplements. The probiotic I take is called Prescript-Assist and also includes PREbiotics which feed your PRObiotics. (I know, one more thing). Some sources of PREbiotic foods are raw dandelion greens, raw garlic, raw or cooked onion, and raw bananas. Some examples of PRObiotics in foods are: yogurts, and kefir, which is kind of like drinkable yogurt in texture, fermented foods, like sauerkraut (not canned), kimchi, miso and kombucha tea. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of some of these foods. I hadn’t either before I became a health coach. But most can be found in your local grocery store and it is important to have a variety to make sure you are getting the various strains of friendly bacteria and other microbes. It is important to note that not all yogurts or kefirs are created equal. Some yogurts will advertise as a source of probiotics, but are also full of sugar and if it’s been pasteurized, any live cultures will have been killed during the process, which eliminates any health benefits. For a complete description of what to look for, please visit my website at www.supersimplehealthy.com/downloads and look for the list called “Probiotics Review”.

Here we are back again! Last episode we were talking with Greg Schweitzer about how to reduce stress. The holidays are coming up and they certainly bring with them a lot of stress. During the last episode we talked about what meditation is and how it can help and now we are going to listen to specific examples of exactly how meditation has changed people’s lives. I’m sure will be fascinating to hear!

One Simple Stress Solution – Part II

Before we begin again I need to give a shout out to my youngest son, Ben, who just had a birthday. It was his BIG 1-0! So Happy Birthday Ben! And also to my mom – IDK if she’d want me to share her age, but she’s still with us and I’m certainly glad for that (And I’m sure she is too!) So happy Birthday mom! Welcome back Greg! You’ve been teaching meditation for over 40 years now and I’m sure you have countless stories to tell.

A utility company executive attended an introductory class on Effortless Meditation and in the middle of the talk, he said “this sounds like it would be perfect for my company, stress related ailments are going through the roof.” A day or two later, he called and asked if I would come into speak to people at the company who were interested. He said he had told them that he found a way to reduce stress. He told them that it was a mental technique, meditation.

Of course, I was delighted to speak to those interested. 50 people attended my talk, and the manager introduced me and told everyone that this meditation is a tool that they could use for the rest of their lives. He said one thing that he liked about it is that he didn’t need to drive across town to a gym to use it, and he didn’t need any equipment. He said he didn’t need to take a shower after he was done and he didn’t need to take his shoes off to do it. He said that it sounds very practical. Then things got really exciting because he told everyone that if they wanted to do this after hearing me speak, they would do it. This guy meant business. After I spoke, 40 of the 50 people who attended said “Sign me up!”.

After the first group of 12 went through the EM instruction, the manager called me as said that people were saying that this was the best training that they ever had. A couple weeks later, I was invited to do more EM introduction classes as others in the company were inquiring about this. More and more enrolled; I taught meditation practically every day for the next 6 months at this company.

At one point the Human Resources Director was quoted in the company newsletter as saying, “this is good for the company, people are more alert, more productive.” After a few weeks, they built a room in the offices to support people who wanted to meditate in the workplace – they called it their “quiet room.”

Meditation has a profound effect on the mind as well as the body. These people were more alert and productive at work; research on student’s shows that their IQ scores go up, grades improve and learning ability increases.

You know I’m sure there are people listening who are thinking – why is she even talking about stress and meditation when she’s a health coach? And what people don’t realize is what a HUGE factor stress is, not only on our overall health, but on your digestion. It has a big impact on whether or not your food will work for you or against you. Thanks again for being here Greg. I know meditation has made a big difference in my life. And I know you have SO many more stories you could share.

• Once again, to get in touch with Greg Schweitzer, please give him a call at 610-670-6700, visit his website, www.StressReductionResources.com or you can find his information on my website www.supersimplehealthy.com/downloads - look for the "Simple Stress Solutions.doc"

• For information on Greg’s EM courses in the Lehigh Valley, also see www.TwinPondsCenter.com.

Until next time: Keep it simple. Be Healthy.

I can’t believe summer is almost at a close again. Just one more week and I’ve already seen Christmas decor in some of the stores! While fall is probably my favorite season, it is also the pre-cursor to the holiday season and the inevitable stress that comes with it. Today, I have with me Greg Schweitzer Director of Stress Reduction Resources who will be talking about one VERY simple solution for keeping stress at bay – ANY time of year!

One Simple Stress Solution – Part I

Hey Greg! Thanks for being here today! For most people, managing stress is a HUGE issue, so I’m sure this will be a popular episode. But before we continue, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

I feel very fortunate that I found meditation 43 years ago. At the time, I was a stressed out Industrial Engineer working for Kraft Foods in the Lehigh Valley. One evening, a friend invited me to join him at an introductory lecture on Transcendental Meditation®. I liked what I heard at the lecture and decided to give meditation a try. I’ve been meditating every day since – usually 15 – 20 minutes – and it’s changed my life, maybe saved it.

Ok, thank you for that. So let’s just jump in here. First, since you teach people how to meditate, can you explain exactly what it means to meditate, and then specifically, how it might impact a person’s stress?

There are many styles of meditation. Today, I call what I teach Effortless Meditation™ (EM). During the meditation, your mind begins to settle down, becoming quieter. When the mind gets quiet, the body begins to rest deeply. The deep rest during EM melts stress away, it releases the pressure and tension inside.

One of the things I really like about your program is that you make meditation so simple. I know a lot of people have heard about meditation and some have tried it and get discouraged because they can’t seem to “empty their mind”. What do you say to people when they tell you that?

We don’t have to try to empty or quiet our mind, because it is already quiet but not on the conscious thinking level (the surface of the mind.) An illustration helps; the ocean is turbulent on the surface – lots of waves especially during a storm but even then, the ocean is quiet and peaceful at its depths.

With a good technique and good instruction, you can learn to dive inside the mind and EFFORTLESSLY experience a calm, peaceful mind. That’s what I teach people to do. This meditation practice is effortless – that’s why I call it Effortless Meditation. Everyone is successful with it. In my 40 years of teaching, no one has ever said that it doesn’t work.

OK Greg. Unfortunatley, we are running out of time! We only have 5 minutes here, and I’d love for you to share some of your success stories of how meditation has helped in different areas of people’s lives. So I guess what we’re going to do is to split this into two episodes! Be sure to tune in next week to hear all about what meditation can do for you!

And in the meantime, if it’s already peaked your interest, please feel free to contact Greg on his website at: www.stressreductionresources.com, on my website: www.supersimplehealthy.com. or you can find him at the Twin Ponds Integrative Health Center right here in the Lehigh Valley!

Until next time: Keep it simple. Be Healthy.

I can remember when, back in the 80’s soy was the next biggest health food, thought to help prevent breast cancer. But did you know, it can also cause a myriad of serious health problems? INCLUDING cancer! Today I’ll be talking about the good, bad and the ugly of soy.

Bad Soy!

Soy was first introduced back in the 1980’s as something that could help prevent cancer, specifically breast cancer. And some types of soy CAN be good for you and this is where it gets confusing. First I’ll review why soy is bad for you, and what kinds you want to avoid. Then we’ll go over the good stuff.

Here are 3 of the biggest problems with soy:

1) First, soy contains phytoestrogens which is the plant source of the hormone estrogen. When men consume excessive estrogen it can lead to more feminine characteristics and lower testosterone. In young boys, genitals may not fully develop and for young girls, can result in premature menstruation. It can also have an effect on the brain and nervous system development in infants. – So NO Soy Formula please! In adult pre-menopausal, women, excess estrogen can increase your risk of polycystic ovary syndrome, cervical cancer and breast cancer.

2) Secondly, about 95% of the soy crops here in the U.S. are genetically modified (GMO). The American Academy of Environmental Medicine cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how the genes inserted into GM soy, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us.

As JJ Virgin points out in her book “The Virgin Diet”: “The big companies have figured out how to genetically modify soy so it can be sprayed with a potent herbicide that kills everything around it without destroying the soy crop. These poisons go into the soybeans and then into the persons who consume it. Or the soy is fed to cattle or farm-raised fish and then consumed by people.” Either way, it finds its way to you. One important thing to point out here is that genetically modified foods kill off the good bacteria in your gut, which has a damaging effect on your immune system and can lead to serious illness.

3) And third, soy is bad for your thyroid. When people eat soy every day, their thyroid-stimulating hormone (or TSH) becomes elevated which is an indicator of hypothyroidism.

In short, stay away from soymilk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, soy protein like tofu or edamame, soy protein powders, energy bars or shakes, soy veggie burgers, soy sauce, or teriyaki sauce.

So what kind of soy IS GOOD for you? Well, in women over 50 or those who have gone through menopause, excess estrogen can be a good thing. But here, you still want to look for non-GMO, or fermented, organic soy products such as miso, natto, (nah-TOE) tempeh, and tamari sauce. Fermenting a food increases its probiotics which help boost your immune system and can help women in this category to alleviate hot flashes and protect against the development of cancer. One exception is soy lecithin, which is a common ingredient in some supplements, protein bars or gluten free foods because soy lecithin is protein free and used in such a small percentage.

To recap: Stay away from processed soy products and any soy that is GMO. If you’re going to eat soy, make sure it is organic, and in it’s fermented form. And if you need a dairy replacement, try almond milk, coconut milk or goats milk products. As always, any questions, send me and email or leave a comment!

Until next time: Keep it simple. Be Healthy.

Stop burning the midnight oil and start sleeping your weight away! Believe it or not how much sleep you get has a huge impact on whether or not you will be able to lose weight. Today I have with me Ronee Welch, an expert in the health field who helps her clients to shed light on the importance of sleep and teaches them to catch more Z’s in order to let go of those extra pounds.

The Connection between Sleep and Weight Loss

Ronee welcome! I am so glad to have you here! Before we go further, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started in this area of expertise?

Thanks for having me! I’m Ronee Welch, and I’m the owner of Sleeptastic Solutions. I’m certified in both child and adult sleep, as well as being an infant massage educator, lactation counselor, and parenting coach. I’m married with 4 children, ages 5 through 17. So I actually started Sleeptastic Solutions with the intention of just helping parents teach their children how to sleep independently through the night. But very quickly, I realized that for some parents, their sleep issue didn’t go away after their child was sleeping better. Many parents and adults of all ages have trouble sleeping, so I decided to learn more about all the things that affect our sleep and see how I could help children, teens, and adults.

So when talking about weight loss it’s hard for many people to see the connection with sleep. Can you tell us more about why it’s a key factor?

Sure. When we’re sleep deprived, the last thing we are thinking about is cooking a healthy meal! In fact, the less sleep we get, the more our bodies crave the bad stuff, like salty, sugary, and fatty foods. You are also going to have a hard time with wanting to exercise, if you’re tired. And if you don’t exercise or keep active, then you’ll have a hard time losing weight.

How do you know if you’re not getting enough sleep? What sort of symptoms would a person have?

Well, the first thing is that you feel very sleepy in the morning and throughout the day. Other symptoms include mood changes, memory problems, trouble concentrating, a lack of focus, being easily frustrated, and short-tempered.

So, can you give a couple of simple tips you might tell your clients to help them get more sleep? And what if they work a night shift or have a young child that wakes up in the middle of the night?

I’d be glad to! There are many things that affect a person’s poor sleep, but I’m going to give you 5 simple tips now to get you started on the basics. You can learn more about why these things and others are important if you check out the Teens and Adults Services portion of my website. So…

1) turn off electronics at least 30mins before bed so you don’t suppress your melatonin production (that’s what helps to make us sleepy)

2) have a regular bedtime that allows you to get about 8hrs of sleep each night

3) have your bedroom dark with a room temperature of about 65 degrees

4) avoid big or heavy meals late at night, as they can make your sleep restless

5) avoid having energy or caffeine drinks within 6hrs of bedtime, because the effects of it can take that long to stop being felt and it can actually take up to 14hrs to leave your system altogether

If you work night shift, these tips are still very important. Added to that are ear plugs or a white noise machine to help with daytime noises, as well as dark curtains and a sleep mask to trick your mind into thinking its night.

And if you’re up because your child is waking you up, then you need to work on helping your child learn these same skills so you can all sleep well! If you need help getting that done, just let me know!

You can visit my website at www.sleeptasticsolutions.com, where I have free resources, tips, and blogs. I also offer free 15min phone assessments, where we can discuss your unique sleep situation either for your own sleep or your child’s. You can set up your call directly through my website or you can call me at 484-951-0902.

Welcome to the Super Simple Healthy Podcast! This is Christina Moyes.

Got Milk? Got Cheese? Got disease? It has been touted as healthy and one of the essential food groups, necessary for developing strong bones and teeth and preventing osteoporosis. But, there are many who say that dairy does more harm than good. Can consuming dairy products lead to serious health problems? That’s what I’ll be talking about in today’s episode.

Dairy, Dairy, Quite Contrary

Dairy has been listed as one of the major food groups on the USDA food pyramid for as long as I can remember. So HOW could anyone say it’s not good for you? First, we’ll examine the purpose of dairy, then some of the concerns around it, what steps you can take to decide if it’s right for you and finally how to really build strong bones. Let’s start by examining cow’s milk as that is the basis for most dairy products we consume in the U.S.

The purpose of any animal’s milk, human or otherwise, is to help their babies grow bigger. Cow’s milk is intended to help a baby calf grow from 90lbs at birth to a 1000lb heifer in just two years! Compare that to humans who are 6-8 lbs at birth and take 20 years to grow to full maturity at 100-200lbs. Milk is a medium for transporting insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is strongly implicated in prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, premenopausal breast cancer and lung cancer. In nine separate studies, the most consistent dietary factor linked with prostate cancer was a high consumption of milk or dairy products. Other studies have proven that dairy products are a leading cause in problems like irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, mineral, nutrient, and amino acid deficiencies. And even more studies have shown that, in countries that consume little or no dairy, rates of osteoporosis are much lower than here in the U.S.!

As this is a 5-minute healthy bite – there are many more details around this subject in my latest newsletter. Feel free to hop on and subscribe at www.supersimplehealthy.com.

Did I ever mention that when I was a kid, I was the best milk-drinker in my house? I also started having bad acne at the age of 9 that didn’t stop until I was almost 30yrs old. And that’s because I started on a new skin care system that managed the symptoms of the acne, but didn’t heal the source of the problem.

Up until about 5yrs ago, I ate dairy on a regular basis. I ate everything from milk twice a day to cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. I also suffered congestion every morning and chronic fatigue. By themselves, these symptoms may not seem like a big deal. But these are indications of inflammation within the body. When you have a cold or a skin problem – a rash, rosacea, acne, psoriasis that is your body trying to expel toxins! When we suppress these symptoms with over the counter drugs we are literally pushing them back into our system. Take the hint and play detective. Look at your diet and lifestyle and make some adjustments.

To determine whether dairy is something you personally want to avoid, try taking it out of your diet for 2 weeks. You will need to take out ALL dairy products, not just milk. After 2 weeks, try having a glass of milk with a meal or a cheeseburger, but don’t overdue. You may not have an immediate reaction. Symptoms of dairy sensitivity can show up anywhere from an hour to 72 hours later. For a complete list of symptoms to watch for, visit my website at www.supersimplehealthy.com/downloads. The good news is, a food sensitivity CAN be healed over time. It does not mean you can NEVER enjoy dairy again. For additional support around this or other health related issues, visit my website and click on “schedule now” to set up an appointment either in person or over the phone. And last but not least, to build strong bones, focus on these 4 Simple things:

Don’t smoke, avoid excessive alcohol, limit caffeine and increase exercise!

Until next time: Keep it simple. Be Healthy.

Ever have trouble getting your kids to eat healthier? Nah! Me neither. My kids BEG me to let them eat Broccoli! In today’s episode I’ll share some simple strategies and tips for helping you get your kids to eat better, feel better and set them up for a future of good health.

Begging for Broccoli

Ok. So it’s not entirely true. My kids don’t actually BEG me to give them broccoli. But I will say, they probably eat healthier than most kids their age. This episode could be interesting and I almost feel like whispering because my boys are actually in the studio here with me today listening to all of this – so I’d rather NOT give ALL my secrets away! However, I will give a couple of tips that will be helpful for you. First I’d like to briefly talk about why this is SO important and dear to my heart.

I love my children and I’m sure you love your children too. And like me, you want them to grow up to be strong, confident, caring individuals that go on to share their gifts with the world. And the obvious answer to the question of why would you want to make sure your kids eat healthy, is that you want all of those things for them. But here is the reality.

The number of overweight children ages 6–19 has more than tripled since 1980. Given current trends, one out of three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes over the course of a lifetime.
 Yet many chronic diseases could be prevented, delayed, or alleviated, through simple lifestyle changes. 


The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that eliminating three risk factors – poor diet, inactivity, and smoking – would prevent: 80% of heart attack and stroke, 80% of type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancer. In regards to autoimmune diseases, Virginia T. Ladd, President and Executive Director of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, stated:

Quote, "With the rapid increase in autoimmune diseases, it clearly suggests that environmental factors are at play due to the significant increase in these diseases. Genes do not change in such a short period of time." End quote.

I think you get the picture. So here are my top 3 strategies for starting kids on a healthier diet:

1) Keep it simple – start with one or two things at a time. I started by cutting out all the sugary cereals and looking for cereals with less than 6g of sugar per serving. And introduce one new vegetable per meal – they can help you pick something out at the grocery store.

You might even let them help prepare it. Try adding a small amount to their plate and before they can leave the table or enjoy seconds or have a dessert, they have to eat it all. It’s a small amount to begin with!

2) Don’t give up. My kids argued and didn’t always eat what I gave them. Now they try anything I give them at least once. The important thing is NOT TO GIVE UP. Often times it’s an acquired taste or a certain way you prepare it the 5th time around.

And before I tell you the last strategy I have to tell a quick story about when my oldest son Cooper ... So my third strategy is:

3) Take an honest look at YOUR relationship and attitude toward healthy eating, especially when it comes to vegetables. For your kid’s sake. If you’re not already, start experimenting and STOP lamenting over eating healthy. They will adopt your attitude. If you want to learn how to make cooking healthy SUPER SIMPLE and delicious, please contact me or visit my website and click on “schedule now”. I host Healthy 101 Cooking class at Twin Ponds Integrative Center in Breinigsville, PA. Check my website for dates and times or set up a party with your friends!

Until next time: Keep it simple. Be Healthy.

Parenthood IS WONDERFUL but can be challenging to say the least and although no license is required to become a parent, there are certainly hundreds of books trying to help guide us through this maze. Today, I have a special guest, Suzanne Hastie (licensed professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist) who is going to give us a couple of simple clues that your child shows you by HOW THEY MOVE that will give you better understanding of what they are communicating and how to deepen your connection with them from as early as birth!

Understanding Movement to Deepen Connection

Welcome! I am so excited to have you here! Before we dive in, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

Thanks, Christina, I have been practicing as a therapist with children and families for 27 years. I have special expertise in nonverbal communication and developmental movement that can really help parents understand their children better as well as themselves. I studied with Dr. Judith Kestenberg, a noted psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, & researcher who spent her entire life studying the movement of parents’ and children and its’ meaning. Her work informs what I do now.

Why is it important for parents to learn how to read their child’s movements?

Well, so much of communication is nonverbal—becoming more conscious of it helps parents form better attachments with their children and vice versa. Better attachments help children feel accepted, understood and more secure; they also help children to better accept limits from their parents’ and to develop emotional intelligence.

Can you give us a couple of examples of what movements parents can look for – maybe one for an infant and one for an older child and what those movements may indicate?

Certainly--in the first year of life, there are two main rhythms—both begin in the mouth—the first is sucking—we see it during breastfeeding, taking a bottle, when babies bring fingers & other objects to their mouth, this rhythm helps the baby take in nourishment, self-sooth, and attach. The second rhythm is snapping/biting; this rhythm helps the baby literally bite down (to relieve gum pain from teeth coming) and become aware of being separate from their parents.

For older children between 4 and 6 years, jumping and spurting/ramming rhythms are in full force. Children this age jump everywhere, interrupt, intrude, show off. They’re super excited; they love superheroes. As their jumping & intruding becomes more developed, they can start acting aggressive and even enjoy ramming into their parents’ or others—which can be challenging. A helpful hint for parents of children who are 4-6 is to give them outlets for their high energy. Give them opportunities to show off, be a superhero or shoot baskets. Let them intrude into the world, but to do it in ways that are safe.

And finally, is there any advice for parents of children over 6 or is it really something you need to start to learn when they are young?

Well thank you so much Suzanne, I know this is just the tip of the iceberg of what you have to offer. For more information or to sign up for one of Suzanne’s amazing workshops we are starting a new series of Workshops in September called “Connect and Create”. It will be held Tuesdays from 11:30am-12:30pm at the Twin Ponds Integrative Center in Breinigsville. For a list of dates, times, and location… visit my website, www.supersimplehealthy.com and click on “Schedule Now”. Or you can email Suzanne directly at: [email protected]

I am sure I haven’t shared this before, but I am a single mom. Every other week I have my kids and believe it or not, it’s harder for me to make meals when they aren’t with me. I’m just not forced to bring food in or go out to the store as much. When they are with me, time is extra short, often scooting out to the next activity. Today I’m going to share with you a couple of my secrets to making simple healthy meals when my kids are with me and what I do when they are not.

Secrets to Simple Healthy Meals

Whether you’re single, have kids part time or full time, finding time to make a homemade meal is tricky. Why is it important to make meals at home? Fast food and take out is ok once in a while. We usually order in once a week and I like to go to brunch on Sundays. But the biggest reason I don’t do it more often is simply for my health and the health of my children. Fast food uses ingredients that do damage to the body leaving it weaker and more susceptible to illness and a host of other health problems. No thanks. When you cook at home, you chose what goes in. It’s that simple.

Believe me, if there were healthier options for eating out, I’d do it more often. But there aren’t. So, how do I make breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family 19/21 meals each week?

I keep it simple. Fortunately, my boys are old enough to fix themselves breakfast. I keep some healthier options for cereal on hand, and protein shakes and I teach them how to mix in other ingredients for added benefits that don’t taste like you’re eating grass. For lunch they do the sandwich thing. I’m hoping to be able to wean them off of those someday, but until then, I do the best I can. I use organic peanut or almond butter and instead of jelly, I’ll often add banana slices, apple slices or strawberry slices. Other options are adding raisins, coconut flakes or drizzling raw honey on top. For variety, I may give them organic honey roasted or smoked turkey breast with mustard, sliced tomato, pickles and some kind of green. Sometimes I’ll even add a little bacon!

But the most often asked question I get when my boys are with me is: “What’s for dinner”? When planning my meals for the week, I have a simple formula. For instance, most Tuesdays are “taco Tuesdays”. I’ve taught my older sons how to cut up onions, peppers and tomatoes so they help me out and save me some time. For variety, we may change the meat from beef to ground turkey, chicken or even shrimp. For those of you who remember: Wednesdays are “Prince spaghetti days” – although we don’t use that sauce, it’s just a simple reminder to have our pasta or vegetarian meal that night.

My last tip for today is to make every meal in excess. Don’t make just enough, cook ALL of the vegetable or ALL of the meat at once. Don’t save some for another day. What tends to happen is something unexpected comes up and you’ll dash out the door, leaving the veggies to eventually rot in the refrigerator and you are forced to pick up take out on the way. Instead, you’ll have leftovers and can mix and match later in the week, even if you’re dashing out the door. In my 30 minute meals class I teach how to easily transform one dinner into another.

When I don’t have my kids I make myself a lot of Buddha bowls. It’s a simple combination of one green, one grain, one vegetable, one protein and one sauce. I make a bunch, and eat different mixtures all week. Really helps to clean out the refrigerator too!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Please leave your comments on iTunes and feel free to share your favorite episodes!

Until next time: Keep it simple. Be Healthy.

If you have tried countless diets, cutting calories and increasing exercise, acting under the “eat less, move more to lose weight” philosophy, this is going to be a treat. Today I’m going to tell you about an approach that says you can eat what you want, move less and still lose weight.

Slow down to increase your metabolism!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: People are not calorie banks but chemistry sets. Most often, when someone finds out I am a Holistic Health Coach, they start asking me questions about what they should eat or apologize for what they eat now. What is often ignored is the key word “Holistic” and the concept that it is more than just food that has an impact on our health. In fact, it is much more. Being able to burn calories and sustain a healthy weight isn’t just about WHAT we eat, but WHO WE ARE BEING when we eat.

In Marc David’s book “The Slow Down Diet” he explains that metabolism is defined as “the sum total of all of the chemical reactions in the body, plus the sum total of all our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and experiences.” Research in the mind-body sciences has demonstrated clearly the connection between what we think and feel and the chemistry of the body. Stress, relaxation, pleasure, depression, prayer, pets and other people have a profound effect on our lives. You could probably think of a time in your life when you were feeling down, had low energy and felt a bit sluggish then someone calls you and says they have two tickets to your favorite band and you’re going! Suddenly your adrenaline kicks in and you can feel your body start humming again, you feel more alive and in a great mood. That’s how quickly your metabolism can change.

We lose power when we surrender our dignity and inner authority to a job, money, hurtful emotions and a life of speed. Personal power and metabolic power are one and the same.

I highly recommend reading Marc David’s book. In it, he goes into much greater detail than I can in these 5 minutes, but here I will give you three strategies for turning on your metabolic power:

First, upgrade the quality of your food. Remove any processed, low fat, artificially sweetened, sugar free foods in exchange for nutrient dense, whole foods and organic produce, meats and dairy when possible. For more about when to buy organic, listen to the previous episode #4. When the body is receiving the nutrients it desires, it doesn’t call for more.

Second: don’t skip meals. Did you know that the body naturally metabolizes food most efficiently around noon? So, eat a good quality breakfast, a larger, good quality lunch and a small, good quality dinner. Give the body a chance to digest while you sleep and avoid eating late at night.

Lastly, SLOW DOWN and ENJOY your food. It may sound weird, but practice breathing deeply, put your fork or sandwich down in between bites. Rushing through puts the body in digestive stress which decreases it’s ability to burn calories. Pay attention to things like the smell, texture and taste of the food. In short; be present while you’re eating. Human beings always seek pleasure over pain and eating is one of those great pleasures. But when we rush through it, we miss the experience and the body thinks you skipped it, making you want to eat more. So take time to eat and enjoy!

If you ever need help with your kitchen skills or simple healthy meal ideas, just log onto my website, www.supersimplehealthy.com and check out the list of cooking classes by clicking on the “Schedule Now” button.

Until next time: Keep it simple. Be Healthy.