Recipes for Your Perfectly Imperfect Life Everyday Ways to Live and Eat for Health, Healing, and...
Transcript of Recipes for Your Perfectly Imperfect Life Everyday Ways to Live and Eat for Health, Healing, and...
Copyright©2019byKimberlySnyderAllrightsreserved.
PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyHarmonyBooks,animprintoftheCrownPublishingGroup,adivisionofPenguinRandomHouseLLC,NewYork.crownpublishing.com
HarmonyBooksisaregisteredtrademark,andtheCirclecolophonisatrademarkofPenguinRandomHouseLLC.
PHOTOGRAPHCREDITS:YlvaErevall:cover(top,bottomright);1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32(topleft,bottomright),33,34,35,36(top,leftandright),37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49(both),50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58.VictoriaWallHarris:cover(bottomleft);59a,59b,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81(topright,bottomleft),82,83(bottom,leftandright),84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91.JohnPisani:92.Fromtheauthor’scollection:93,94,95,96.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataNames:Snyder,Kimberly,author.Title:Recipesforyourperfectlyimperfectlife:everydaywaystoliveand
eatforhealth,healing,andhappiness/KimberlySnyder.Description:NewYork:Harmony,2019.Identifiers:LCCN2018012442(print)|LCCN2018021836(ebook)|
ISBN9780525573722(e-book)|ISBN9780525573715(hardcover)Subjects:LCSH:Detoxification(Health)|Nutrition.|Self-care,Health.
Classification:LCCRA784.5(ebook)|LCCRA784.5S682019(print)|DDC613.2—dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2018012442
ISBN 9780525573715EbookISBN 9780525573722
CoverdesignbyJenWangv5.3.2
prh
Dedicatedtomybeautiful,extraordinarymother,Sally.Yes,Mom,Ipickedyou,andIambeyond
gratefulforyou.Ourloveiseverlasting.
contentspartI:ThePerfectly
ImperfectLife
INTRODUCTION
LAYINGOUTTHELIFEDETOXPLAN
CHAPTER1
CLEARINGTHEBLOCKSTHATHOLDUSBACKAn“And”LifeANewWayofLookingatPerfectionMyJourneytoHealingYourIncredibleJourney
CHAPTER2
FLOWING(RATHERTHANDROWNING)ImposterinRomeTheFeelings-InflammationLinkCuringSelf-Judgment
CHAPTER3
(TRULY)LOVINGOURBODILYTEMPLESLettingGoofBloating—andLettingGoinLifeOurAmazingandImperfectBodiesWhenEatingGetsDisorderedGoingNotSoAccordingtoPlan
CHAPTER4
RAISINGOURVIBRATIONBeautyScarsApprovalAddicts
CHAPTER5
HAPPY,NOTPERFECTNope,IDon’tAlwaysEatPerfectlyWe’reAllaMess(AtLeastaLotoftheTime)GuiltCleanse
CHAPTER6
EVERYONEWEMEETISONAJOURNEY,TOOPeace,Family,andFoodChoicesDealingwithBitchinessClosingThoughtsonLife
partII:RecipesSMOOTHIESANDBOWLSSALADSSTARTERSANDSIDEDISHESSOUPSANDSTEWSENTRÉESBRUNCHKIDS’CORNERDESSERTSANDBARS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I
ThePerfectlyImperfectLife
INTRODUCTION
layingoutthelifedetoxplan
There’satwo-thousand-year-oldadagethatsays,“It’snotwhatgoesintoamouththatdamagesaperson;it’swhatcomesoutofthemouththatdamagesaperson.”WhileI,andjustabouteveryscientistintheworld,woulddisagreewiththisstatement—thereareplentyofcarcinogensandterriblefoodsthatdodamagetoourbodies—thereisanelementoftruthtothesewords.Nomatterwhatweputintoourbodies—organicvegetables,superfoods,thepurestwater—it’sthethoughtswethink,thewordsweuse,andtheactionswetakethathelpdefinewhoweareandthatultimatelyshapeourlives.
Personally,Iknowalotofpeoplewhoeatthebestfoodsandhavewhat
manywouldcallaperfectbody(especiallyincarefullyposedInstagram
photos),buttheyaren’tthenicestpeople.Theycanoftenbepetty,mean-
spirited,anddownrightmiserable.I’vealsometalotofpeopleoverthe
yearswhobasicallyliveonprocessedfood,usetoxicproducts,andcan
barelymovewithoutgettingoutofbreath,yettheyarethesweetestpeople
withthebiggesthearts.Asanutritionist,Iwouldneverwantanyoneto
sustainthemselvesonjunkfood,butwhomwouldyouwanttohangout
with?Ithinkyouknowwhatmyanswerwouldbe.
Iamnotpassingjudgment,and,ofcourse,mostpeoplearen’tso
polarizing.Ijustwanttoillustratethatweallhavepartsofusthatneed
mending.Noneofushaveitall.Andifyoupayattentiontoadvertisement
messages,clearlyyou’llseethatmarketingpeopleknowthisaswell.Ads
mayshowsomeonewhohasaso-calledidealshape,abeautifulfamily,and
flawlessskin,butthereisalwaysanimplied“youaremissing(thisone
thing)…,”too,socompaniescansellittoyouandultimatelyturnaprofit.
I’mheretotellyouthatyou’renotmissinganything.Youdon’teven
needthisbook,butIhopeyou’llreadonbecausewhatIhavetosayis
important.
HereintheWestweareconditionedfromanearlyagetothinkthat
we’reimperfectonthedeepestlevel.Sometimesthatcomesfrom
advertisers,asmentionedabove,sometimesfromfaithtraditions,sometimes
fromtherulesofsociety,sometimesfromourownfamilyandfriends(who
arealsoconditionedtobelievetheyareincompleteandmissingthings).
But,thetruthisyouareperfectregardlessofalltheimperfectionsyou
mighthave.Why?Becauseyouarealiveandyouarehereinthisvery
moment.Thefactthatyouhavelifemeansyouhavedignityandyouare
partofthiscommunitywecallhumanity.Youhavethecapacitytogive
andreceivelove,whichisthemostpowerful,limitless,perfectforce.The
lovethatisinherentlywithinyouisyourperfection.
It’snotnecessarilywhatweeatorhowbigorsmallourbuttsare,but
whatwethinkaboutourselvesandtheworldaroundusthatoftenmakesus
feelconnected,whole,validated,andstrong.Butthesearejustthoughts
andperceptions.Andguesswhat?Oftenthoughtsandperceptionschange
intheblinkofaneye.Haveyoueverbeensuperhungryandmoodyand
feltcrappyaboutlife,onlytoeatafreshlunchandfeelelatedabout
somethingyouweredepressedaboutjustanhourago?Eatinghealthilyand
takingcareofourselves,likegettingenoughsleep,surelyhelptomakeus
feelbetterinmanyways.Butthatisnotallthereistowellness.
We’velearnedoverthepastonehundredyearsthathowandwhatwe
thinkinfluencesallpartsofwhoweare.Notonlythat,butsimplychanging
thewaywelookatourselvesandtheworldarounduscanleadtopowerful
emotional,physical,andpsychologicaltransformations.
Hence,RecipesforYourPerfectlyImperfectLifeisaguidetoinnerandouter
transformation,whichmaynotbeinstantaneous,yetitcanhappen
relativelyquickly,aswe’llseeinthepagesahead.Thisisabookthat
containsusefulnewsonnutrition,lifelessons,andrecipestohelpyou
embraceyourperceivedimperfections—whethertheyincludebeingten
poundsoveryourdesiredweight,havingatoo-largenoseorroughskin,
beingeasilyannoyedornotassertiveenough,notbeinginthe“right”place
inyourcareerorfamilylife,orsimplynotfeelinggoodenough.Ultimately,
Iwantyoutoexperiencetheperfectionalreadypresentinyouandinyour
life.Thisbookwillteachyouhowtostayanchoredtoapermanentinner
sourceofpower,allowingyoutoclear“lifeblocks”soyoucanexperience
yourmostbeautifullife.
PartIincludesanumberofLifeDetoxRecipes,whicharepracticaltips
aboutlifeandfooddrawnfrommyownpersonalstoriesandthoseof
peopleIhaveworkedwithovertheyears(withnameschangedforprivacy,
ofcourse).Theseareofferedtodetoxyourlifeonadeeperlevel,helping
youbreakthroughemotionalandmentalblocksthathaveaneffectnot
onlyonyourphysicalhealthandbeautybutalsoonyourabilitytobetruly
happy.Isharesomeofmymostvulnerablepartswithyouonmybumpy
pathtoself-acceptance,includingthroughthestoriesofmyson’snot-as-
plannedbirthstory,showingemotioninpublic,andrehabbingthe
perfectionistaddictinme.Thisisallinanefforttoshowyouthatlifecan
sometimesbeamess(thatis,Icanbeamess!).Andthat’sokay,because
it’sinthatmessthatwediscoverwhoweare.
PartIIincludesmorethanonehundreddeliciousrecipesthatare
nutrient-dense,energizing,cleansing,andnourishingonmanylevels.All
theserecipesareplant-based,gluten-free,andproperlyfoodcombined,a
conceptbasedinmakingdigestioneasierinordertofreeupmoreenergy
(seethispageformoreinfo).Nomatteryourcurrentdiet,workingthese
recipesintoyourlifeisaneasy,surefirewaytoraiseyourvitality,health,
andhappiness.Last,ifyouwanttolearnmoreaboutthestudies,articles,
andbooksImentioninRecipesforYourPerfectlyImperfectLife,goto
mysolluna.comfordetails.
I’msoexcitedtobeonthisjourneywithyou.Detoxingself-doubtand
confusionclearsthewayforyoutoenjoyyouramazing,delicious,perfectly
imperfectlifemorethanyoueverrealizedpossible.
Ifyouwanttobecomewhole:Unlessyouacceptyourself,youcan’tletgoofyourself.
—StephenMitchell’snotesonLao-tzu’sTaoTeChing,chapter21
CHAPTER1
clearingtheblocksthatholdusback
An“And”Life
Weliveinaworldoverrunbythewordor.Traditionally,we’vebeentaughttoclassifythingsasoneortheother.Goodorbad.Healthyornot.Fatorskinny.Beautifuloraverage.Thissmallwordmightnotseemlikeabigdeal,butitdictatesthewaywethink,experience,andultimatelyembraceorrejecttheworldaroundus.Butwedon’thavetobuyintoan“either/or”existence.Instead,wecanshifttotheall-encompassingwordand.
Ourlifejourneysmaygoprettywellsometimes,likethedayswhenwe
hitallthegreenlightsandgetapromotionatworkandtopitoffwitha
superfunnightoutwithfriends.Andsometimesnotsomuch.Big
challengesoftenpopup,wefallofftrack,andsomedaysnothingseemsto
goourway.Lifeiscertainlynotblackorwhite.WedrinkGlowingGreen
Smoothies(akaGGS;thispage)andsometimeseattoomanycupcakes
whenwegetstressedatwork.Wecanbebothhappyandsad,depending
onthemoment.Wecanbecalmandsometimesreactive.Wecanbe
healthyandalsoinneedofhealing.
Whenweembracean“and”life,wedon’thavetofeelbadwhenwe
screwup,nordowehavetojudgeourselvesorothersbecausewhatoften
seemslikecontradictionisallpartofourjourneytowholeness.Eatingthat
cupcakedoesn’tinvalidateourpursuitofhealth—wecanchoosetofollow
rhythmsofeatingcleanandwecanenjoyadessert.
The“either/or”mentalitypushesustojudgeeverything,toslotthings
intocategories.Beingoverlyjudgmentaldoesnotfeelgoodtoanyofus.
Whenwe’reconstantlyjudging,wefeeltenseandrestlessinsteadofcalm
andpeaceful.Thisdoesn’tmeanweshouldn’thaveopinions,nordoesit
meanweshouldn’ttrytomakegooddecisionsorstandforacause.Itjust
meanswedoourbestandreserveouropinions.Wecanbehumble,
knowingthatwedon’tknowthewholepictureofwhat’s“right,”forusor
anyoneelse.Lao-tzu’sTaoTeChingteachesus“Doyourwork,thenstep
back.”Thinkaboutsomeeventsinlifeyouhaveexperiencedthatseemed
likeadisasteratthetime,whichthenturnedouttobegoodforyou.
Maybearelationshipspontaneouslycombusted.Youfeltterrible.You
thoughtyourworldwasover.Yourmindjustkeptgoingincircles,and
youthoughtlifewouldneverbethesame.
Thenafterafewmonthsandalotoftumblingoveryourownemotions
(andcryingintoyourpillow),youmeetsomeonewhoturnsouttobe,for
lackofabetterphrase,yoursoulmate.Youneverwouldhavemetthat
personifyouwerestillinyourpreviousrelationship.Ormaybeyou
experiencedtheflipside.Sayyoustartedworkingatyourdreamjoband
experiencedtheflipside.Sayyoustartedworkingatyourdreamjoband
youfeltlikeallthestarsaligned,andthenafterafewweeks,itturnsout
thatyourdreamjobisreallyanightmare.Whatyouthoughtwasthebest
thingintheworldturnedouttobenotsogreatafterall.
Likemanythings,ourjudgmentscansometimessetupimpossible
standardsthatpreventusfromseeingclearlyoractinginwaysthatare
beneficialtous.Thinkhowmuchbetteritfeelstoobservewhat’sinfront
ofyouwithoutmakinganegativepassingcomment,withoutcastinga
verdict.Someofyoumaybebalkingnow.Youmightthinkpassing
judgmentdoesn’treallyaffectyourlifeinanegativeway,ormaybeyou
evengetariseoutofit.Butforamoment,contrasthowitfeelsonarainy
daywhenyoujustobservethecloudsandrainfallingoutsideyourwindow
withhowitfeelswhenyoulookonthesamescenebutyou’reangryor
depressedbecauseyouhadhopedforasunnyday.
YogamasterParamahansaYoganandateachesusthatconstantly
comparingwhatyoulikeagainstwhatyoudon’tlikeisamajorcauseof
suffering.Again,Idon’tmeanthatyoushouldn’tgetexcitedorhavegreat
expectationsaboutthingsinyourlife.I’mnotsayingyoushouldbesome
kindofrobot,butlifecanfeelsomuchmorerelaxedandhappywhenwe
embraceaworldthatcanbemanythingsatthesametime,including
imperfectandperfect.
ANewWayofLookingatPerfectionAllofus,nomatterwhoweare,fromcelebritiestoworkingmomsand
dads,areundeniablyflawed.Wemakemistakes,saythewrongthing,
we’remoody,sometimesweactinappropriatelyorhaveemotional
meltdowns;wemightdrinktoomuchorobsessoverwhatweeatallday
insteadoffocusingonaworkproject;wemightshowahappyfaceinfront
ofthepeopleweworkwithandthencriticizethemtoourfriendover
dinner;orflipsomeoneoffonthehighwayandletlooseadiatribeof
obscenitiesthatwouldmakeourgrannyhaveaheartattack.
Butjustasweareundeniablyflawed,wearealsoundeniablyperfect.
Notperfectinthewaythewordperfectispopularlyused.AsinHerhairis
soperfect.Shehassuchaperfectlife.Everyoneinspinclasshassuchaperfectbody.
Hehastheperfectjob.Theseareallself-imposedstandardsfordefining
perfectionthatchangewiththetimes.Liketrends,theyareephemeraland
seasonal,heretodayandgonetomorrow.Justafewyearsago,perfection
forawomanwasdefinedassomeonewhowassuperskinny.Foratleastten
years,almostalljeancompaniespromotedtheskinnyjean,apairofpants
thatfitonlyasmalldemographicofthepopulation.Today,mediatrends
seemtohavechangedallthat.Now,forsome,a“perfect”bodyiscurvy
withabig,roundedbuttthatwouldneverfitintoapairofclassicskinny
jeans(unlesstheyaresuperstretchyinthebottom!).So-calledphysical
perfectioninthissenseisreallyjustjudgmentintheeyeofthebeholderor
selfie/belfietaker.Whyholdourselvestoastandardthatissimultaneously
fleeting,impossible,andarbitrary?
Yetnomatterwhatwelooklikeorhowscrewedupourlivesmightbe
financially,professionally,psychologically,orevenspiritually,itdoesn’t
takeawayfromthefactthatwearealiveinthehereandnow.Justthefact
thatyouhavelife,thatyouareabreathing,feeling,thinkingcreaturewho
laughsandcriesandeatsandmovesinsomewaymeansyouareperfect.
Thereisanessence,atrueandgoodessence,thatisthecenterofwhowe
are.Thisabilitytoempathize,connect,andloveothersmeansthereis
perfectloveinsideyou.Thiscanbehardtoacceptbecauseofallthe
perfectloveinsideyou.Thiscanbehardtoacceptbecauseofallthe
conditioninghumanshavegonethroughduringmillionsofyearsofsocial
evolution,butit’satruththatIamlivingbynowinmyownlife.
Imean,thinkaboutthis:Whatmakesyouimperfect?Maybeyouthink
youreyesaretooclosetogether.Whoeversaideyesneedtobeacertain
distanceapart?Whomadethatdecision?Maybeyouwerebornwitha
learningdisabilityandotherpeoplelookedatyoujudgmentallywhileyou
weregrowingup.Whosaidthatlearninginadifferentwaymakesyou
imperfect?Who?Seriously,Iwantnames.Maybeyourparentscalledyou
plainorsaidyouweren’tgoodenoughwhileyouweregrowingup?No
offense,butwhoarethesepeopleandwhomadethemexpertsonwhat’s
beautifulornot?WhylistentothatBS?
Somaybeyoudon’twakeupat6a.m.toworkouteveryday,maybe
youdon’tfinishyourto-dolisteveryday,maybeyouonlygetthroughone
dayofthe30DayRoadmap(ourSollunahealthy-eatingvideocourse),
maybeyoumakemistakesatwork,maybeyoudon’treacheverydeadline.
Takeallofthisinstride.Idon’tcareaboutthesizeofyourbankaccount
orsocialmediafollowing,orwhatyoulooklikeorwhatyourjobtitleis.I
don’tcareifyou’reoverweightorhaverippedabs;noneofitmakesyou
betterorworsethananyoneelse.Whatmattersisthatyouhaveaheart,
notjusttheorganthatbeatsinyourbodybutanessencethatisconnected
tosomethinggreaterthanus.Surewecanalwaysimproveourlives.I
mean,that’swhatI’vededicatedmylife’sworktoward:helpingothersto
feelbetterphysicallyandemotionally.Yetregardlessofourso-calledflaws,
wearealreadywhole,withavaststorehouseofpotentialinsideusto
expandthatwholenessinordertobecometrulyhappyandhealthyandto
helptheworldbeabetterplace.
theamazingwisdomofourbodiesSomeapproachestonutritionprescribedozensanddozensofsupplementstomakeupforallthatis“missing.”Andwhiletherightnutrientsare,ofcourse,key,weachievetruevitalityandwellnessbysupportingourbodiesindoingwhattheynaturallyknowtodo.Weneedtoremoveobstructionsliketoxins,chemicals,andpesticidesthatkeepourbodiesfromworkingtheirbest.Thereisabigdifferencebetweenhyperfocusingonwhat’smissingversusfocusingonsupportingthenaturalintelligenceofourbodies.
Oneofthemosteffectivewaysforustosupportourbodiesistooptimizeourdigestionwiththerightkindsofprobiotics,digestiveenzymes,andoxygencleanseaids.Thesehelpusabsorbnutrientsmoreefficiently,which,inturn,elevatesourenergy,health,andmoods.Ongoingdetoxificationprotocols,whichincludeeatingafiber-rich,totallyorlargelyplant-baseddiet,arealsoimportant,yettheyarejustasmuchaboutcleansingoutwhatweighsusdownasthenutrientstheysupply.
Nowlet’sturnourattentiontoour“imperfections.”WhatamItalking
aboutwhenIusethisword?Ourimperfectionsareourquirks,survival
techniques,copingmechanisms—allthewaysthatweareworkingthings
outonourjourney.Thesecanincludeimpatience,stormybehaviors,a
tendencytobeenvious,theinabilitytoexpressourneedsclearlyortolet
goofpainorresentment,orburstingintotearsatanykindof
confrontation.We’reallinprocess.Wemakemistakes,hopefullylearn
fromthem,andmakenewmistakes.Sowhat?Keepmovingforward!
Whenwefeelbadaboutourimperfections,guilt,shame,anger,anxiety,
andpoorbodyimagecomeintoplay.Whenwethinkthatwehavetobe
somethingotherthanwhatweare,wedisconnectfromourselvesandfrom
others,andfromeverydayaspectsoflife,includingourfoodanddiets.
Don’tgetmewrong.Idon’tthinkweshouldbeneedy,irritating,or
emotionalbasketcaseswhospillournegativefeelingsalloverotherpeople.
emotionalbasketcaseswhospillournegativefeelingsalloverotherpeople.
Weneedtocarryourselveswithstrengthanddignity.Foodisaneasy
targettooffloadourbadfeelingsaboutourselvesandourbodies,anditcan
alltooeasilybecomeenemiesandweaponsthatpunishandcontrolus.Yet
whenwefeelcontentwithourperfectimperfection,wefeelmotivatedto
makehealthylifechoices,andfoodanddietbecomewaysofself-careand
self-nourishment.
So,here’salittlehomework.Itwilltakejustaminuteortwo.Thinkof
thingsthatstressyouout.Maybeyouhadachildacoupleofyearsagoand
can’tgetridofthatmombelly.Ormaybeyou’resoworriedaboutmoney
youlieawakeuntil2a.m.everynight.Wherecanyouembrace“and”
over“or”?Forexample,can’tyoustillbeandfeelbeautifulandcarryafew
extrapoundsaroundwithyou?Canyoubeconcernedaboutyourfinances
andstillbefunnyandoutgoing?Trytolookatopposingpartsofyourlife
andpersonality,andinsteadofsayingsomethinghastobe“either/or,”see
ifyoucanusean“and”mentality.Loosenthegriponlabelingissuesasone
thingoranother,andseehowmuchmorepeacefulyourlifebecomes.
liferecipesOneofthemostpowerfulthingswecandoistoembracetheideathatwearebothperfectandimperfect.Weareinherentlyalivewithabodythatagesandtransformsovertime.Butwealsocarrywithinusanessence,apartofusthatisperfectandunchangeable.Allofushaveimperfections.Wemightscrewthingsupfromtimetotime,butweareallonajourneytodiscovertheloveandtrueessenceatthecoreofwhoweare.Althoughwe’vebeentaughtthatthingshavetobeoneortheother,actuallythesetwostatescoexistwithineachofus.
Choosingtolivean“and”lifemeansholdingourjudgmentincheck.Thisisforusandforothers.An“and”approachtolifeisinclusiveandfeelsopenandfree.Thinkingthatthingshavetobeonewayoranotherispolarizingandstressful.Whoneedsthat?Wecanchoosetoletallthatkindofthinkinggo,andfeelhappier.
lifedetoxrecipes
lifedetoxrecipesWecanalllivewithourchallengesandimperfections,yetstillleadalifethatiscentered,balanced,andconnectedtoourselvesandothers.
Whenwestarttofeelalittleoff-balance,agreatself-carepracticeistoeatacleansingandnurturingsoup,whichisfullofeasilydigestednutrients,aswellasfiberandliquidtohelpyoufeelsatisfiedandpresentwithinyourbodywithoutfeelingheavy.
Herearetwoparticularlygreatoptions:
» GINGERCABBAGECLEANSESOUP(thispage).Thissoupcontainsginger,awarmingspicetoenactdigestiveandenergeticchange.Cabbagehasnaturaldetoxifyingpropertiesandnourishesyourgutwhilereducinginflammation.
» CURRIEDRADIANCECARROTSOUP(thispage).Thissoupispackedwithbeta-carotene-richcarrotsgrowndeepdownintheearth,thefoodequivalentof“earthing,”orbalancingourenergythroughconnectingwithnature’senergy,aswellasspicesandherbsthatimprovecirculationandintegrationofnutrients.
MyJourneytoHealingEverlookatsomeonewhoissuccessfulprofessionallyorpersonallyor
socially,orwhatever,andsecretlyaskhowsheseemstohaveitall
together?Wecomparetheirlivestoours,atleastastheirlivesappeartous
insocialmediaandonpaper,andlamenthowourlifeisunglamorous,
messedup,andboringincomparison.
I’vehadmyownlevelofsuccess.I’vebeenmorethanfortunate.
ThroughouttheyearssomepeoplehavesaidtomehowamazingitisthatI
haveitallfiguredout.IalwayschucklewhenIhearthis.Whileanyone
canreadaboutmypubliclifeonline,itdoesn’treflectthewholestoryat
all.Forallthelegitimatesmilesandexcitement,mylifeislikeanyother
life.Idoubtthings,feelinsecure,struggletolovemyself,andstill
occasionallyfeelbodyshame.
CampinginMozambiqueduringmyaround-the-worldjourney.
AsI’vesharedinmyfirstbook,TheBeautyDetoxSolution,andonmy
website,forafewyearsIwasonanintensepathoflearningasIjourneyed
aroundtheworld.Thewanderingwasreflectiveofwhatwasgoingonin
mymind,whichwasdeeplysearchingandseekingandquestioningpretty
mucheverythingIhadeverbelieved—fromwhatIknewaboutfood(atthe
timeIwasahard-corecalorieandprotein-gramcounter)tospirituality(I
wasraisedCatholicandhadnevertriedmeditationoryogaorbeen
exposedtoEasternphilosophyatthatpoint)towhatsuccessinlifereally
meant.YoucouldsayIwasonakindofvisionquest,thoughIhadnot
preplannedforthattohappen.
Iendeduptravelingfarandwide,workinginAustralia,then
backpackingtheworldforaboutthreeyears.IcampedacrossAfricafor
months,livinginatentandcookingwithacampingstove,travelingina
beat-upcar,zigzaggedacrossChinaonthird-classtrains,livedinshack-like
bungalowsinSoutheastAsiawithoutelectricityorrunningwater,practiced
yogainashramsacrosstheHimalayasandalongtheGanges,meditatedat
Buddhisttemples,sleptonthefloorsofrandomfamilies’gers(nomadic
tents)whenIexploredtheGobiDesertinMongolia,andtrekkedaround
ruins,floatingislands,andrainforestsinSouthAmerica.IsummitedMount
Kilimanjaro,climbedtheHuangshanmountaininChina,andhikedthe
AnnapurnatrekinNepal.
Iimmersedmyselfinlocalcultures,oftenusingmyhands,smiles,and
musicforcommunication,andIcommittedmyselftodiscoveringwellness,
dietary,andbeautypracticeseverywhereIwas.YetIstillhadnoidea(and
Imeanzeroidea)howtherestofmylifewasgoingtoturnoutandhowI
wasgoingtotranslatealltheamazingknowledgeIwasabsorbingintoa
career.
ImovedtoNewYorkCityaftermyworldtravels,totallybrokeyet
burstingwithpassion.Istartedmyblogandcontinuedtolearnabout
nutrition.TherewasatransitionperiodwhenIhadtobesuperscrappyand
takemanykindsofjobstopayformytinyrent-stabilizedapartment.This
wasallbeforeIstudiedtobecomeanutritionist,builtupaclientlist,
landedmyfirstbookdeal,andcreatedawholelifestylephilosophy.During
thisperiod,therewastremendousself-doubtandinsomnia.Iquestioned
whetherIhadmessedupmylifebynotgettinga“real”jobrightwhenI
graduated,likeeveryoneelseIknewfromcollege.
Besidesmynutritionwork,Itaughtgroupandprivateyogaclassespart
ofthetime,andeveninthedeadofwinter,Iwouldwalkthirtyorforty
minutestogettothenextclient,asthereweremonthswhenIcouldn’tpay
foranunlimitedsubwayticket.IalsoworkedatarawfoodcaféintheEast
foranunlimitedsubwayticket.IalsoworkedatarawfoodcaféintheEast
Villageandhadabriefstintinrealestateandanevenshorteronein
multilevelmarketingwithmymom,whichinvolvedJapanesewaterandair
filters.Totallyrandom,Iknow!Ioncetookanofficejobatalargebeauty
company.Idespisedthecompanyculture—whatthewholecompanystood
for—andIwasboredwithmydailytasks.Ilastedonlythreemonths.
IwasonapanelrecentlyandwasaskedhowIpulledthroughhardtimes
whenbeginningmycareer.MyansweristhatevenwhenIwasstarting
out,afreshlylandedbackpackerhustlingtosurviveinfast,unrelenting
NewYorkCity,Ikepthelpingothersasthecentralfocusofmywork.I
startedmyblogtosharewithothershowtofeeltheirbest.WheneverI
wroteanarticleorgaveatalkortaughtaclass,Istayedconnectedto
givingtoeachandeveryreaderorlistener.Andlookingback,whenI
falteredfromthatandstartedoverworryingaboutthebusinesspart,
everythingsuffered.
Sono,Idon’thave“it”figuredout,butIdogenuinelybelievethat
keepingthefocusonserviceandlovehashelpedmeactualizemydreams.
Ittranslatedintococreatingthevisionofmylife,whichincludeswriting
books,buildinganincrediblewellnesscommunity,andfoundingand
runningSolluna,abusinesswhereIgettodevelopproductsandcontentI
loveandamhonoredtooffertoourcommunityandworld.AndIgetto
workfromhomesoIcantakecareofmyyoungson.
Onthedeepestlevel,beyondwhatIwasdoingintheworld,myown
innerhealingjourneyhasbeenongoing.Itstartedwithmyaround-the-
worldjourney.IthasacceleratedinthepastfewyearsasI’veconfronted
lifeatitsverycore,experiencingthebirthofmyfirstchildandthepassing
ofmymother.
YourIncredibleJourneyYou,too,areonaone-of-a-kindjourney,unlikeanyoneelse’s.Thereis
realpowerinacknowledgingtheuniquenessthatisyou,andthestampof
yourlife.Youareyourmostbeautifulwhenyouapologeticallyownyour
lifeandgetcomfortablewiththefactthatnooneelsecanwalkyourpath.
Itisyours,andnooneelsecanbeyou.Comparingortryingtolookorbe
likesomeoneelseonlywatersdownyourpoweranduniquebeauty.
We’vebeentaughttohidepartsofourselves:toprojecta“perfect”
imagebylookingacertainwayandappearingtohaveitallfiguredout.
Whenwespendallthisenergyconcealingsomepartsanddressingup
otherpartsofourlives,it’sexhausting.Andwethenoverlystressabout
ourimperfections,becauseweareputtingsomuchfocusonthesurface
partsofourlives.Yetifweshifttostayingmoreconnectedtothe
perfectioninsideofus,tothelovethatconnectsustoeverythingelse,our
appearancesdon’tseemdirelyserious.
It’snotthatwedon’tcareabouthowwelookorwhatwedo—because
forsurewedo.It’sjustthatwecanbesomuchmorecomfortableand
joyfulwithinourselvesdaytoday.Andthat’swhatreallycounts:ifwe
definesuccessinlifebyhowtrulyhappyweare.Sure,wecandisplaya
“perfect”job,house,marriage,body,andsoonontheoutside,yetifwe
aremiserabledeepdown,doesanyofthatreallymatter?Otherscansense
thisshiftinus,thisincreasingsenseofease,anditstartsachainreactionfor
otherstobemoreacceptingofthemselves,too.Wecanhelpmakethe
worldbecomebrighterandlighter,startingwithourselves.
It’sasimpleyetbigconcepttoreallyembody.Keepreading,becausethe
ideasandpracticeswediscussinourjourneytogetherthroughoutthisbook
aregoingtohelpyouintegratethetruthofhowamazingandgoodenough
aregoingtohelpyouintegratethetruthofhowamazingandgoodenough
youtrulyare,onceandforall.
lifedetoxrecipeSinceincludingthegoodofothersinyourgoalsandaspirationswillhelpactualizeyourowndreamsintoreality,trymakingbig,nourishingone-potorbakedmealstoshare.Itfeelsgreatandhelpstoboostthingsenergeticallyinapositivedirectionforyou.
Herearetwoexcellentrecipestosharefromonebigpotorcontainer:
» ONE-POTLOVECHILI(thispage).Fullofprotein,minerals,fiber,andantioxidants,thisisaneasymealtoputtogether,alongwithyourlove,anddishitupforacrowd.
» JAMAICANSOULFOODSHEPHERD’SPIE(thispage).Thisisanourishingrecipefullofnutrient-denseveggiesanddigestion-stimulatingherbsandspices,includinganiseandcumin,andcalming,blood-sugar-balancingcoriander.
MorningPractice
DRINKHOTWATERWITHLEMON:Thissimple,powerfulpracticehelpstocleanseanddetoxifyyoursystem.LemonssupplyvitaminC,aswellasenzymesthathelpregenerateyourlivertissue.
MEDITATIONORSTILLNESSPRACTICE:Thiscantakemanyforms,fromsimplylisteningtoyourbreath,praying,settingintentions,practicingmeditativetechniquestofollowingasadhana,oradailyspiritualpractice.Whateverformyoulike,committothis“youtime”inthemorning,whichconnectsyoutoyourbodyandself,andcanhelpwitheverythingfromwardingofffoodcravingstobeingmoreintunewithyourtruehungerandnutritionalneeds.Italsohelpsyoufeelmorecenteredthroughouttheupsanddownsoftheday,andsupportsyouroverallvitalitybysupportingahealthyadrenalandnervoussystem.Stillnessalsohelpsusconnectbackwiththewhole,andtheOnenessofwhichweareapart.
SOIL-BASEDORGANISM(SBO)PROBIOTICS:Ahealthygutisahugekeytofeelingbalancedandachievingwell-being.Yetprobioticsarenotallcreatedequal!Manyformulasaredenaturedbythetimeyoueventakethem,offeronlyasmallpercentageofthebacteriumweneedforbalance,ortakethe“kitchensink”approach,meaningjustabitofthisandthattosoundgoodformarketing.SBOsmimictheperfectbacterialmixfoundinthehealthysoilthatourancestorsusedtoconsumeonunwashedvegetablesandfruit.SBOsareanatural,powerfulwaytogetprobiotics,astheyareheartyenoughtosurvivestomachacidandimplantinourguts.I’msounbelievablypassionateaboutprobioticsthatIcreatedmyownproprietarySBOformula
withthebestratiosofclinicallyresearchedstrainstosupportahealthygutflora.Thisformulaisespeciallypowerfulinfosteringincreasedenergy,vitality,focus,andimmunity;improvingdigestion;detoxifyingenvironmentaltoxins;andcreatingbetterhair,skin,andahigherqualityoflifeallaround.Formoreinformation,pleasevisitmywebsite.
THEGLOWINGGREENSMOOTHIE(AKAGGS):Thisismysignatureelixir,whichsuppliesyouwithvitalantioxidants,vitamins,minerals,cleaningfiber,andcountlessothermicronutrients.Itgivesyouanincredibleamountofsustainedenergy,detoxifiestoxinsfromyoursystem,andsupportsglowingskin.Iencourageyoutomixandmatchyourgreensandfruit,butstickwiththebasicratioofaround70percentgreensand30percentfruitandvitaminCanddetox-boostinglemonjuice(yes,morelemon!)intheclassicGGSrecipe(thispage).
lifedetoxrecipeOneofthemostpowerfulwaystosetyourselfupforagreatdayistoanchoryourselftoadefinedmorningpractice.Often,westartthedayalreadyfrazzledanddisconnectedfromourselves.Wereachforourphonefirstthing,andourmindsarealreadyonworkandthetasksaheadwhilewescarfdownaproteinbaroranegg-whiteomelet,barelychewingandfeelingmountinganxietythatwearealreadybehind.
Incontrast,aconsistentmorningrhythmgetsyouintoagoodflow.Youwillstartoffthebeginningofeachdayfeelingstrong,clearofphysicalandemotionalblocks,energized,poised,andfocused.
CHAPTER2
flowing(ratherthandrowning)
ImposterinRome
Doyourememberthelasttimeyougotcaughtshowingasideofyourselfthatyouwerenotproudof?Asmuchaswetrytocarefullyfilterwhatweshowourfamilyandfriends,andcolleaguesatwork,andonsocialmedia,wecan’tfilteralloflife.Manyofushavethetendencytofeelashamedwhenwedon’tlookthewaywe’dliketoincertainmoments.Yeteveninthosestickysituations,weallhaveopportunitiestochoosetobeauthenticandvulnerableandreal.
I’dliketoshareapersonalstoryaboutthis.Ilovebumpingintomy
readersandSollunacommunitymembersallaroundtheworldandsharing
hugs.ButwhenIwasinRomeafewyearsago,Iranintoareaderduring
apainfullyawkwardmoment.
IwasinEuropeworkingwithclientsanddecidedtotakeaweekendtrip
totheEternalCitywithmysignificantother.Wegotinsomesillyfight
walkingbetweentheColosseumandthePantheon.Theissuewassmalland
petty,butIwasstubbornlyholdingontotheannoyanceandourlittlespat
draggedon.
Wewererightinthemiddleoftheargument,andIhadjustsaid
somethingprettynasty.Myfacewasscrunchedintoatightball.Mypartner
walkedawayfromme.Rightthen,asweetbrown-hairedwomanwearinga
bluecardiganwithalittleseven-oreight-year-oldgirlintowcameupto
meandsaid,“Oh,you’reKimberlySnyder!Ihaveyourbooksonmy
nightstand!”
Myfirstinstinctwassheerpanic.Hadsheheardmearguing?Wouldshe
thinkIwasactuallyanawfulpersoninreallife?Icouldn’tletthathappen!
Iwastooterrifiedoflookingbad.Inthatstateofpanic,Iblurtedout,“No,
youmusthavemistakenmeforsomeoneelse.”Thewomancockedher
headinapuzzledway,andIdartedaway.
Iletafullminutegoby,scurryingintheotherdirection.Thenitsankin
whatIhaddone.Ihadlied!IpretendedIwasn’tme!AllbecauseIwas
ashamedIwouldpossiblybeseenasameanpersonwhogetsintofights.A
sideofmethatIdidn’twanttoletmyreaders—oranyoneexceptforthose
closesttome—eversee.
Ithitme:Ican’tletthishappen!Ican’tbesomefake.Ispunaroundand
rantocatchupwiththewoman.Nowshewaswalkingdownthe
promenadewithbothherdaughterandherhusband.Itookadeepbreath.
Thiswasgoingtobepainful.
lifedetoxrecipePracticeauthenticityacrossyourlife.Usegoodjudgmentanddon’tlie.Thisincludesnotonlyyourrelationshipswithfriends,family,andcolleagues,butalsoyourrelationshipwithfood.Theremaybefoodsthatyoulovethatmightnotalwaysbethehealthiestforyou.Ifyou
reallylovesandwiches,forinstance,itmightfeelmoreauthentictofindabridgebyeatingthemsometimesversuseatingonlysalads.Ifyoumakeadrasticswitchtothelatterandtrytousesheerwillpowerandgoagainstyourtruefeelingsallthetime,itmighteruptintofallingoffthewagonaltogether.
Thekeyisfindinghealthyalternativesforwhatyoulovethatareeasilydigestedandcleansing,yetstilldeliciousandsatisfying.Yes,itispossibletohaveboth!Tryitforyourselfandbecomeabelieverinhealthierupgradesthatstillkeepyoufeelingexcitedaboutyourfood.Ittakesmanyofusalongtimetotransitionoffcertainfoods(ittookmetwowholeyearstogiveupcheese),andthat’sokay.
Herearesomegreatfoodalternativesforoldclassics:
» ThedeliciousLOVETHYMEVEGGIEBURGER(thispage)offersanutrient-densepattyfullofproteinandmineralssuchasiron.Itisanexcellentreplacementforbeefhamburgers,whicharefullofvarioustoxins,includingantibiotics,steroids,mycotoxins,heavymetals,dioxins,andotherformsofindustrialpollutants(someoftheseareevenpresentinorganicmeat).Trymakinglargerbatchesandfreezingextrastoeatwhenyouareinatimebind.
» IfyouloveMexicanfood(andwhodoesn’t,really?!),checkouttheEASYSWEETPOTATOANDPINTOBEANENCHILADAS(thispage),whicharesalsa-yandhavebothcreamyand“meaty”textures,yetwithoutanydairyorprocessedgroundmeatorchicken.
» TheALLVEGGIECLEANLASAGNA(thispage)isstuffedwithsomanydeliciousingredientsandfillings.Itcontainsnoneofthegreasydairy,meat,orgluten…orevenanykindofnoodlesforthatmatter!
“Oh,hithere!I’msosorry,IactuallyamKimberly!”
IexplainedIhadbeenutterlyembarrassedbecauseIhadbeenbickering
withmypartner.Sheandherhusbandlaughed,jokingthatthey“might
knowathingortwoaboutthat!”Sheacceptedmyapologyandsaidhow
relievedshewasthatIfessedup,becausesheknewitwasme.
Italkedtothemforabouttenminutes,andwehadagreatconnection.
AsIwalkedaway,Ishookmyhead…somuchweirdnessanddrama,allof
whichIcreated.ThelessonIlearnedfromthissuperawkwardencounteris
thatit’sokaytobearealpersoninsteadofpretendingthatalloflifeis
perfect.
Considerthemomentsinyourlifethatyou’relessthanproudof.It
couldjustaseasilyhavebeenyouhavingitoutwithyoursisterormom,
let’ssay,atthegrocerystore,whenanoldfriendfromcollegeora
colleaguefromyourlastjobapproachedyouatthatexactmoment.Or
maybeyouweresquabblingwiththemanageratTargetaboutsome
returns,andthingsstartedtogetheatedwhenthenewguyyoujuststarted
seeingsidledup.Oryousnapatyourpartnerinfrontoftheneighbors.
Whilesuchsituationsarenotoneswestrivefor,wealsodon’twantto
internalizeguiltsomuchthatwestartfeelingbadaboutourselves.We’re
complex,wholebeings,andwe’regoingtohavegooddaysandbaddays.
Messymomentsarepartoftheimperfectjourneyofgrowthinlife.
Acknowledgethemess,learn,andmoveon.
lifedetoxrecipeBeingphonyandhidingandpretendingismuchworsethanbeingreal,evenwhenwethinkwelookbad.Nexttimeyouhavetheurgetogiveafakesmiletoyourfriendwhenyoufeelawful,ortodenythatyouoverreactedtoaprettyinnocuouscommentthatyourboyfriendmade,leanintothefeeling,stayingcuriousastowhysomethingmighthavebotheredyousomuch.It’sbrave—andultimatelyfreeing—toconfrontthepartsofourselveswewouldn’tnormallybroadcastatdinnerpartiesoronsocialmedia.Findsomeprivatespaceifneedbe,andcryifyoufeellikeit.Findinghealthywaystoprocessfeelingsinsteadofrepressingthemispartofbeingauthentic.
ispartofbeingauthentic.
TheFeelings-InflammationLinkInflammationisavitalpartofourbody’simmuneresponseandawayto
healitself.We’veallexperiencedacuteinflammation,markedbyshort-
termredness,swelling,warmth,orpainthatariseswithacutorascrape,a
twistedankle,ortheflu.
Yetthereisanothertypeofinflammation,whichisthemodernepidemic
ofchronic,low-gradeinflammation.Thistypedestroysthebalanceinour
bodiesandlowersourvitality,makingusmoresusceptibletodiseasesthat
rangefromautoimmuneconditionstoheartdisease,elevatedwhiteblood
cellcount,diabetes,andmore.Low-gradeinflammationcanalsoshowup
asacne,wrinkles,candidiasis,acidreflux,andchronicpain.
Sowhatcausesthisawfulchronicinflammation?Firstofall,dietplaysa
hugerole.Excesssugarandrefinedsugarisabigoffender.Yetsoisadiet
highinanimalprotein.ThejournalNutritionreportsthatthosewhoate
proteinfrommeathadhigherlevelsofinflammationcomparedto
participantswhoconsumedmostlyfishorplant-basedsourcesofprotein.
Anda2015studyinthejournalNutrientsfoundapositiveeffectonglucose
levelswhenpeopleswitchedfromanimaltoplantprotein.Wedon’twant
tooverdoproteiningeneral;researchhasshownexcessproteincreatesan
elevatedresponsetoinsulinsimilartothatofexcesscarbs,forroughlythe
sameperiodoftime,whichmaycomeasasurprisetomanyofus.
It’salsoimportanttobalancefat,andtoeathealthytypesoverfriedor
rancidforms,asresearchhasshownthatahigh-fatmeal—butnotahigh-
carbohydratemeal—isassociatedwithsubsequentincreasesinplasmaIL-6,
aninflammationmarker.Othercausesofchronic,low-gradeinflammation
aninflammationmarker.Othercausesofchronic,low-gradeinflammation
includefoodallergies,foodsensitivities,dysbiosis(imbalanceingutflora),
environmentaltoxicity(includingfromheavymetals),andalackofsleep.
lifedetoxrecipeEatingtosupportdigestionandgutbalanceiscriticalforhelpingtoavoidphysicalandemotionalinflammationinyourbody.Herearesomegreatrecipestosupportthis:
» CUMINROASTEDBRUSSELSSPROUTSWITHQUINOA(thispage).Thisdishisfullofplant-basedprotein,whichdigestscleanlyanddoesn’taddtotoxicitybuildup.Wecaneasilyobtainourentireproteinneedsfromanallorlargelyplant-baseddietwithoutoverdoingprotein.Toomuchproteinmakesusoverlyacidicandisassociatedwithcancerandmanyhealthproblems.Thisistherealissue—nottoolittleprotein!
» ENERGIZINGPISTACHIOHEMPSEEDCUCUMBERSALADWITHORANGEZEST(thispage).Thissaladsuppliesuswithomega-3fatsviadelicious,earthy-tastinghempseeds,whichhelpreduceinflammationbybalancingouressentialfattyacid(EFA)ratio.
» THEGLOWINGGREENSMOOTHIE(akaGGS;thispage).Dehydrationcontributestoinflammation,sostayhydratedwiththevitamin-andnutrient-denseGGS,aswellasdrinkingplentyofroomtemperaturewaterandcoconutwater.Avoidsodasandtoomuchcaffeine.
TheBeautyDetox/Sollunaphilosophy,outlinedinmypriorBeauty
DetoxbooksandthroughouttheSollunawebsiteandofferings,isnaturally
anti-inflammatoryinitsdietaryapproach,asitisbalancedinitslevelsof
protein,fat,andcarbohydrates,andisbasedinnutrient-dense,fibrousplant
foodsanddevoidofgluten,dairy,saturated-fat-containingmeat,junk
foods,processedandheatedvegetableoils,andrefinedsugars.Itincludes
darkleafygreensandchia,hemp-,andflaxseeds,whichareallimportant
sourcesofanti-inflammatoryomega-3fattyacids.
Yetbeyondhowweeatandsleep,agrowingbodyofresearchisnow
provinghowmuchouremotionsimpactinflammationandhow,inturn,the
moreinflamedourbodiesare,theworsewefeel.A2015studyfoundthat
peoplewithdepressionhad30percentmorebraininflammationthanthose
whowerenotdepressed.Ourphysicalandemotional-mentalstatesofbeing
arereallyonewholethataffectseverypartofus,thoughweoftentreat
themasseparate.
Negativefeelingscananddocreatepainanddiseaseandaccelerateaging.
Apapertitled“Stress,NegativeEmotions,andInflammation”overviews
howstress,depression,anger,hostility,andnegativeemotions“appearto
promotetheproductionofinflammatorymediators,providinga
physiologicalmechanismbywhichnegativepsychologicalstatesmayimpact
health.”AstudyinJAMAPsychiatryfoundthatthosewhoexhibited
explosiveangerhadhigherlevelsofinflammatorymarkers,suchasC-
reactiveproteins(CRP).Roadrageandheatedfamilybattlescanreally
comebacktobiteus.
Researchdemonstratesthatourhearts,thesensitiveorganthatnotonly
physicallypumpsbloodbutistheareainourbodieswherewedeeplysense
loveandemotions,isasaffectedbyourfeelingsasbywhatisonourplate.
AstudyofMexican-Americanwomenfoundacorrelationbetweenanger
andhostilitywithinflammationandheartdisease,andsimilarresearchbacks
upangerexpressionasapredictorofcardiovasculardisease.Incontrast,a
2017studyfromthejournalEmotionentitled“EmodiversityandBiomarkers
ofInflammation”foundthatpositiveemotionsareassociatedwithlower
circulatinglevelsofinflammation.Thetakeaway?Takingcareofour
emotionsisascriticaltoourhealthandwell-beingandwardingoff
inflammationaseatingproperly!
Sohowdowetakecareofouremotions?Firstofall,letthembefelt
Sohowdowetakecareofouremotions?Firstofall,letthembefelt
andprocessedinrealtimeinsteadofpushingthemdown.Repression
accumulatesabrewing,energy-zappingstorehouseofnegativity,albeit
beneaththesurface,andcaninflameusinaparallelwaytochemical
pesticides.Thismassofemotionaltoxinscontributestocontinualstressand
anxiety-inducedmeltdowns.
Haveyoueverseenakidfallontheplayground,followedbythemom
runningoversaying,“You’reokay!You’reokay!”She’sobviouslycoming
fromthelovingspaceoftryingtoquellherchild’sfears(andherown).But
really,howdoessheknowthekidisokay?She’stellingherchildhowshe
feels,insteadoflettingthechildexpressandfeelthatpain.
Iusedtoactthesameway.WhenIstartedgoingtoinfantclasseswith
Lil’Bub(mynicknameformyson),Iwasguidedbytheinstructorto
simplynarratewhathappened,asin“YoutrippedoverBailey’sfoot”or
“Youbumpedyourheadonthattoyyoudidn’tsee”insteadoftryingto
soothehimwiththatverysame“You’reokay!”Itdidn’tseemnaturalat
first,butonceIretrainedmyselfnottotellhimhisfeelings,itstartedto
reallyresonate.Pushingdownorglossingoverfeelingsisaninstinctmany
ofushaveunknowinglyinherited,andweperpetuateitinourown
children.
Asadults,whenwe’refeelingupsetandsomeonesays,“You’refine,”we
mightwanttotellthemtobuzzoff(tosayitpolitely),becausewearenot
okayatthatmoment.Wedon’twantourproblemstobeglossedoveror
fixed.Wearenotlookingforsolutionsrightthen.Wearesimplylooking
toexpressouremotions.Ashumans,it’shealthyforustoexperiencethe
rangeoffeelingsthatwedo.Oftenwejustneedsometimetoprocessthem
untilthebigfeelingssubside,andtheninourowntime,liftourfacesout
ofthehandswe’vebeensobbinginto,andgetupandcarryon.
lifedetoxrecipeIt’simportanttoexperienceyourfeelings.Meditationisagreatongoingtoolforbeingmorecenteredlong-term.Yetlifeismessyandimperfect,andwhenstuffcomesupduringthedaythatpissesusofforupsetsus,practicetheStumblingBlockDetox(thispage)andalsotheLettingGotechnique(thispage)inrealtime,whichputsyourfocussquarelyonyouremotionsastheycomeup,topreventemotionalblocksandphysicalinflammation.Keepreading!
Sothenexttimesomebigfeelingscomeup,trynottopushthemdown,
orputonafakehappyface,orprojectthenegativityoutwardbyventing
yourfrustrationtowardapoorcashieratthegasstationoratyourlittle
brother.Simplytrytobeokaywithwhateveryou’refeeling,knowingthat
whateveryouareexperiencingismoreoftenthannottemporary.Ifwe
don’tacknowledgeourfeelingsnow,emotionalinflammation,anger,and
sadnesswillcreatetoxicblocksinsideofus.
Asyoucantell,detoxingandprocessingnegativeemotionsplaysa
crucialroleinourwell-being,alongsidehealthydietandlifestylemeasures.
Wemayhavebeentaughttoshyawayfrompainandsadness.Yetnowwe
canmatureandstoppretendingthatit’sallokaywhenit’snot,andfeel
whatisthere,evenifitsucks.Thereisarealheavinessincarryingaround
negativeemotions,andwhenyouconsciouslyunpackthatload,youwill
freeupatidalwaveofenergythatcanberechanneledtowardelevating
yourhealthandvitality.
lifedetoxrecipeStarttobreakthepatternoflimitingbeliefsthatscrewwithyourlifewiththeStumblingBlockDetoxoutlinedinthefollowingsteps.ThesearedevelopedwithLauraPringle,awonderfulcoach.Ifwereallyleanintothesesteps,itcanbelife-changing.
1) Noticewhenyoustarttofeelexcessivelyemotional.Ifyourheartbeginsracinginangerorthetearsstarttoriseup,reallytakenote.
2) Makeyourselfpause.Stoptalking!Gotothebathroom,orexcuseyourselfifyouneedto,oratleasttakeasipofwaterifyou’reatameetingoradinner.Trainyourselftotakesomedeepbreaths,puttingyourfullattentiononyourbreathandnotthesituation.
3) Afteryou’vepausedforatleastafewmoments,gorighttothefactsofthepresentsituation.Asin,thewaiterforgottobringmywater,andIaskedfourtimesalready.Or,myboyfriendinterruptedmeinthemiddleofmystoryaboutmybigpresentationtoaskaboutthelaundry.
4) Askyourself,“Whydoesthissituationupsetmeso?”Whichreallymeans“WhatisthestoryIamtellingmyselfrightnow?”Itcouldbethestorythateveryoneignoresyou,orthatyoucan’tbeacceptedforbeingyourself.Sometimesit’shardtotell,butifyousitwiththequestion,you’reopeningthedoortostarthealingyourdeepestwoundsanddeep,limitingbeliefs.Letyourselfsitinthatawareness.Asyougobackintothesituationandlife,contemplatewhatbeliefsyouarewalkingaroundintheworldwith.Howdothesebeliefsaffectyourlife?Deepdown,weallwanttobelovedandseenforwhowereallyare.
5) Byusingthisprocessovertime,itbecomeseasiertoidentifythenegativestoriesweoftentellourselves.Andthemorewedotheexercise,thebetterourunderstandingofourinnerhurtsandthedeepbeliefswecarryaroundwithusthatarebehindtheupsetsandcertainbehaviors.Thisawarenessisahugestepinmovingtowardlettingthemgo,andthefreedomandwholenessthatispossible.
CuringSelf-JudgmentHaveyouevernoticedhowmuchjudgmentinfiltratesconversationsand
theworldaroundus?Insteadofsimplyobservingwhatweseeinfrontof
us,weoftenfeelcompelledtocastanopinionandverdictoverit.Hereare
someexamples:
Wow,thatdressisreallynotveryflatteringonher.Itmakesherarmslookhuge!
Shenevercooksforherfamily.Isn’tthatsoselfish?
Hislifeissounbalanced.It’sallabouthiscareer,andhedoesn’tcareabout
anythingelse.
Sheissoobsessedwithherself.Ican’tbelievehowmanyselfiessheposts.
Thatcoupleissocluelessaboutwhatisactuallyhealthy.Theysaytheyare
“into”wellness,butdidyouseewhattheyateatdinner?
Youmighthear,orsay,suchcommentscasuallythroughoutyourwhole
day—atbrunch,inamoms’group,atwork,orontalkshowsandmorning
programs.Whenwetuneintojudgment,wewillseethatitisprettymuch
everywhere.Andwe’veallhadourshareofparticipatinginit,too.
Afewyearsago,IwascomplainingtomyfriendJustinaboutatripIhad
recentlytaken.Iwasstayingwithsomeacquaintancesanditwasadifficult
experience.Thesepeopleweresocontrolling!IfeltlikeIhadbeen
interrogatedwithfiftyquestionsinarowandwasbeingjudgedleftand
right.Justinsaidtome,“Youmusthavethatsametraitinyourself,and
that’swhytheybugyousomuch.”
AtfirstIbalkedattheideaandvehementlydeniedthatcouldbea
possibility.Icouldn’tfathomatthatpointthatImightactuallybelikethese
people.Yetdeepdown,thisprovokingideahitanerve.AndwhenIreally
peeredinsidemyself,IcouldseethatI,too,sometimestrytocontrol
situationsbyrepeatingmyselfoverandoveragain,insteadoftrustingIwas
heardthefirsttime.
lifedetoxrecipePayattentionwheneverjudgmentcomesup,asitcanbeagreatteacherforusandamirrorforwhatwedon’tlikeinourselves.Geta“judgmentjournal”andwriteoutwhatyoudon’tlikeinothers.Itcouldbepettiness,materialism,selfishness,beingunfriendly,flaky,fake,orwhatever.Spendsomequiettimeexaminingwhereyoumighthaveexhibitedsuchtraitsinyourownlife—withoutfeelingguilty.We’reallstrugglingonourpathsinsomewayoranother.Seewhatyoucanlearnandwheretherootsofsuchtraitsmaycomefrom,suchascopingmechanismsfornotfeelinggoodenough.Dedicatedwritingandreflectioncanhelpheal.
PsychoanalystCarlJungtaughtthatweallhaveanunconsciousdriveto
movetowardwholenessandrealizationoftheself.AccordingtoJung,
containedinourunconsciousisour“shadow,”whichistherepressed
thoughts,feelings,andideasaboutourselvesthatwepushdownratherthan
confront.Ourjudgmentofothersisawayofacknowledgingdisowned
traitsandbehaviorswithinourselveswithouthavingtofacethepainof
knowingtheimbalanceisactuallywithinus.It’softenagonizingforusto
admitqualitiesorpartsofusthatwedon’tlike,soourmindsproject
outwardandpickuptheseveryqualitiesinotherpeople.
Wearenotinherentlynegativeorbad.Don’tbelievethatforevena
second!Yetwealldohaveareasforimprovement.Thisisn’tpossibleuntil
wefirstseeandadmitthatthequalitieswegripeaboutinothers(being
catty,self-centered,moody…youfillintheblank!)canalsoexistwithinus.
Ofcourse,wemaynotexpressthequalityinthesameexactway.Let’ssay
youfindacoworkernarcissistic;shealwaysbringsuppersonalstoriesat
staffmeetings.Ifyougetannoyedinthemomentandthenletitgo,that’s
natural.Yetifyoubecomeobsessedwithsomeoneelse’sflawsandthen
feeltheneedtogossipandcommentaboutitanychanceyoucan,that’san
issue.Let’sturnitaround.Howmightyoubenarcissistic?Sure,youmight
nottalkaboutyourselfatstaffmeetings,butperhapsyoutalkonandon
withyourparentsaboutyourlifeandneveraskthemabouttheirs.Or
maybeyoualwaysinsistoneatingatyourfavoriterestaurantsoverthose
thatyourfriendsprefer.
Iknowlookingatthisstuffcanbereallyhardforsomeofus!Sowhy
dealwiththepain?BecauseasJungwouldsay,whenwebring“our
shadowintotheconscious,”itstartstolosepower.Andasitlosespower,
negativepatternsofreactingmeltaway.
Starttonoticewhenevenatwingeofjudgmentcomestomindoroutof
yourmouth.Wheneverwearestronglycriticalofothers’bodies,weight,
skin,andotheraspectsofphysicalappearance,achievements,work,
parenting,andsoon,wearethemostdisapprovingofourselves.Checkin
withyourself.Judgmentdoesnotfeelgood,sopayattentiontochangesin
thewayyoufeelphysically.Maybeyouroutinelyexperienceahollow
feelinginyourgutorevenadullachearoundyourchestorheartarea.
Starttotuneinwiththesignalsyourbodyisgivingyou.
Thecuresforjudgmentareself-acceptanceandlivingfromaplace
centeredonkindnessandcompassionforourselvesandothers.Whenwe
openourheartsandstopjudgingourselves,theneedtojudgeothers
naturallydropsaway.
naturallydropsaway.
lifedetoxrecipeUnderneath,weallhavetraitsthatwedon’tcaretoacknowledge.Theonlywaytobringthosepartsofusbackintobalanceistoacceptthattheyexist.Thisispainfulforallofus,yetit’ssoworththeeffortinordertofeelmorewholeandhappy.Eatingcleansingfoodstoclearyoursystemisveryhelpfulforthis.Toxicitycreatesstagnationthatcanblockusphysically,anditcanalsoproducementalblocks(likemoodinessandnegativefeelings),asthebrain-gutaxislinksthehealthofourgastrointestinal(GI)tractsandhowwefeel.
Tryrecipesthatarehighincleansingfiberandliver-supportingenzymes,sinceyourliverisyourmaindetoxifyingorganandthereisaconnectionbetweenyourliverandgutfunction.
Herearesomegreatrecipesforthis:
» TheJAPANESESUPER-CLEANSESALAD(thispage)containsfibrouscabbageandradicchio.Cabbageisadetoxifyingcruciferousvegetable.A2014studypublishedintheAsianPacificJournalofCancerPreventionsuggeststhatcabbageisasourceofimportantantioxidantandanti-inflammatoryproperties.Thefreshlimeinthissaladisanaturaldiureticandworkstocleansetoxinsfromthebody.
» TheLIGHTNESSGREENCUKEROLLS(thispage)arebasedonultra-hydratingcucumbers,whichhavelipid-lowering,antioxidant,anddetoxifyingproperties.Theavocadoandbasilsauceisfreshandfulloffiberandwaterforeasierdigestion.Thelemonjuicehelpstosupporttheliver.
CHAPTER3
(truly)lovingourbodilytemples
LettingGoofBloating—andLettingGoinLife
We’veallheardoftheconceptoflettinggo.Takethefoodthatweeat.Weneedtochewit,digestit,processit,andthenletitpass.Ifweholdontoit,itleadstobloating,whichcanleadtoconstipation,whichcanthenleadtodangerousblockagesinourdigestivesystem.Ifwefeelguiltyaboutthefoodweeatandmentallyreprimandourselvesforbeing“weak”forcavingandeatingdeep-dishpizzaoranextrasliceofbirthdaycake,thosefeelings,emotions,andinsecuritiescanfurthercontributetostressandpoordigestion.Whenweholdontothings,wenotonlyfeelheavyandblocked,butwecanmakeourselvessick.
Moreandmorescientificresearchisbackinguptheconnectionbetween
ouremotionsandphysicalhealth.AstudypublishedintheJournalof
PhysiologyandPharmacologyfoundthatstressaltersthebrain-gutinteractions
(“brain-gutaxis”),ultimatelyleadingtothedevelopmentofgastrointestinal
disorderssuchasinflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)andirritablebowel
syndrome(IBS),inbothofwhichbloatingcanbeasymptom.Other
studiessuggestthatcognitivebehavioraltherapy,hypnotherapy,and
mindfulness-basedtherapycombinedwithconventionalmedicaltreatment
helpedtotreatIBSbetterthanconventionalmedicaltreatmentalone.
Moreover,theseemotionalandpsychologicalpracticeshelpedcalm
patients’nervoussystemsandreducedinflammation.Clearly,ouremotions
andfeelingsdohaveconsiderableimpactontheamountofphysicaland
evenspiritualbloatinginourlives!
lifedetoxrecipe“Lettinggo”isaconceptwecanstarttoapplyrightawaytoourphysicalbodies,whichhelpsusletgoemotionally.Haveyouevernoticedthatwhenyoudidadetoxprogramorcleanse,youendedupcleaningoutyourclosetorkitchenpantry?Detoxingonepartofourliveshelpsotherpartscleanseaswell.
» Tostart“lettinggo”more,replace“sticky,”congestivefoodswithonesthataremoredigestible.Oneexampleisreplacingwheatbreadorpastawithvarietiesbasedonquinoa,brownrice,lentils,orteff.Wheat,aswellasbarleyandrye,containsgluten,aproteinthatmanypeoplehavedifficultydigesting,andalsofructans,thecarbohydratecompoundthatsomenewerresearchisfindingmightbetheactualculpritwithinwheatthatisresponsibleforirritablebowelsyndrome.
» CheckoutthedeliciousLETGOGLUTEN-FREEPASTAWITHAVOCADOPESTO(thispage),whichhasanonbloating,properlyfoodcombinedpestosaucebasedonavocadoinsteadofnuts.(Seethispageformoreinformationontheconceptofproperlyfoodcombined.)Youcanfindpastasathealthmarketsoronlinethataremadewithlentils,brownrice,andquinoainsteadofwheatflour.
» Anothercongestivefoodtoletgoofisdairy.Sincedairyisnotcreatedtobedigestedbythehumanbody—itiscreatedtonourishababycow—itismucus-andacid-forminginhumans,andsomeresearchhaslinkeditwithacne.Moreover,dairyisnotagoodsourceofabsorbablecalcium,despitewhatwemayhavebeenledtobelievebythedairyindustryandmilkcampaigns.Theissuewithdairyisthatwhileitdoessupplycalcium,itisacid-formingupondigestion,sothebodyhastoneutralizethataciditybyleachingalkaline
minerals,namelycalcium,whichleadstourinarycalciumexcretionandanactualnetlossofcalcium.Harvard’sNurses’HealthStudyfollowedmorethanseventy-twothousandwomenforeighteenyears,anditsresultsshowedthattherewasnoprotectiveeffectofincreasedmilkconsumptiononfracturerisk.
» TrytheTEMPEHTACO“MEAT”SALADWITHCASHEWSOURCREAM(thispage),whichdemonstrateshowdeliciousnondairycheesesandrecipescanbe,whileleavingyou—andyourbelly—happy!
» Lettinggo,going-to-the-bathroom-wise,isalsokey!Trytakingoxygenpairedwithmagnesium,whichisanon-habit-formingwaytocleansewastemoreeffectivelyfromoursystemswithoutlaxatives.It’sreallynotjustabouteatingwell,butalsocleansingoutefficientlyandasmuchaspossibleonanongoingbasisthatmakesanenormousdifferenceinourenergy,moods,health,skin,andabilitytoradiateandglow.SeemywebsiteforasupplementcalledDetoxy,whichisapowerfulsupportforthis.
Aclientofmine,whomIwillrefertoasMelanie,isstunninglybeautiful
andtalentedinhercraft.Yetsheisconstantlyandpainfullybloatednearly
everyday.Thougheveryonetellsherhowgorgeoussheis,shetellsmeitis
painfulforhertolookinthemirror!Insecureisn’tastrongenoughword.
Melanieheldontoalotofchildhoodtraumaandguilt,aswellasa
complexmother-daughterrelationshipthatshehadn’tprocessed.How
couldyoutell?BecauseMelanieconstantlycommentedaboutpainful
experiencesshehadgrowingup.Thepastwasverymuchapartofher
presentday-to-daylife.Nomatterhowmanyfoodadjustmentswemade,
probioticsandotherdigestiveaidsshetook,ormedicalinterventionsand
consultationswithgastroenterologistsshehad,nothingseemedtoimprove
herbloatinginalong-term,substantialway.
ThoughI’mnotapsychologist,Ibelievethatherchronicbloatingisin
partrelatedtoholdingontoheremotionalblocksandwounds.Everything
isconnectedtoeverythingelse,includingourbodiesandthethoughtsin
ourmindsandthefeelingsinourhearts(aconceptthatthankfullyWestern
societiesarefinallystartingtoembrace!).Yetsadly,whenIapproachedher
withtheseideas,shewasunwillingtodiscussthispossibilityfurther.Asof
thelasttimeIspoketoher,sheremainstotallybloated.
Whenyouhearthephraselettinggo,whatcomesup?Ifyou’relikemost
ofus,thatDisneysongmightpopintoyourhead.Theideaoflettinggoin
ordertoachievehappinessseemsubiquitous.Butanideawithoutanaction
appliedtoitisreallyjustaboutasdeadathingastherecanbe.
Whataresomethingsthatyoucanletgoof?Perhapstherudecomment
fromyourauntonThanksgivingwhensheaskedwhenyou’regoingto
“settledown.”Maybeyourcolleaguetookcreditforaprojectyoudid
moreworkon.Maybeyou’restillthinkingaboutanamesomeonecalled
youwhenyouwereachild.Ormaybeyoucan’tletgoofthatidiotwho
youwhenyouwereachild.Ormaybeyoucan’tletgoofthatidiotwho
lookedyourwayandlaughedwhenyoumessedupthemovesatthedance
cardiogymclass.Sillyassomeofthesemightsound,emotionalblockages
canleadtowhatIliketocall“irritablesoulsyndrome,”which,inturn,can
addtochronicbloating,IBS,constipation,orotherformsofdigestion
issues.
lifedetoxrecipeSometimeswemaysubconsciouslycravefattyandsugarytreats,likeicecream,toshiftourmood.It’sokaytohavetreatshereandthere,thoughwedon’twanttogetdistractedfromacknowledgingthefeelingsatthesametime.Choosenoncongestive,properlyfoodcombinedoptionssoyouavoidfeelingsluggish.Don’tworry—Ihavegreatdessertsuggestionsforyou,includingthetwooptionsbelow:
» TheFUDGYCLEANBLONDEBROWNIES(thispage),likealltherecipesinthisbook,aregluten-free,plant-based,andproperlyfoodcombined.Theyaresweetenedwithcoconutsugar,whichisalow-glycemic,low-fructosesweeteneroptionthatalsocontainstraceminerals.Inplaceofbutteroroil,therecipeusescoconutoil,whichisenergizinganddigestscleanly.
» TheWHOLESOMEBANANACRISP(thispage)hasahardertoppingandamushymiddle—justlikeus!It’sagreatdesserttomakeandshare(andenjoy)withlovedones.
TheLettingGotechnique,basedontheprocessDr.DavidHawkins
describedinhisbookLettingGo,istosimplyfocusonfullyexperiencing
ourfeelings,inordertoletthemgo.Todoso,itisnecessarytopay
attentiontoanyphysicalcuesthatcomeup.Youdon’thavetonamea
feeling,asin“thatisanger!”Youcanjustfeeltheactualsensationsthat
ariseandbepresenttothem,likeanunsettledfeelinginyourstomach.
Focusingonthefeelingitself,whileoftenuncomfortable,candissipatein
aroundtenorsominutes.Itdoesn’tusuallylastsuperlongifyoufocusonly
onthefeelingitself.Itdoesn’tfeelgreat.Intime,thefeelingwillcycle
throughandreleasefromyourbody,likepullingoutagiantweedfrom
yourvegetablegarden.Noquestions,nowondering,nofollowing
thoughts.Simplysittinginituntilitpasses.
Emotionaldetoxisjustasimportantaspayingattentiontophysical
detox.Researchhasfoundthatpeoplewithelevatedlevelsofanxiety
experiencemoregastrointestinaldisordersofvarioustypesthanthegeneral
population.
ConsiderthisWhenyoueatsomefruit,you’regettingwaterand
nutrientsandenzymesandcaloriesandsugars…allthingsyouneedtokeep
youhealthyandalive.Yourbodytakeswhat’snecessaryandthenexpels
whatitdoesn’tneed.Ourmindsandheartsshoulddothesame.Wecan
takesomethingemotionallynutritiousfromanargumentoragoodorbad
experience,takewhat’sbeneficial,andlettherestpassawayfromus.But
wedon’talwaysdothat.Weholdontopasthurtsthatessentiallychange
wedon’talwaysdothat.Weholdontopasthurtsthatessentiallychange
ourDNAandourchemicalmakeup,whichcaneventuallyleadtodisease.
Whenwetakethegooddigestionapproachtolife,westarttoseethat
even“bad”thingscanbebeneficialandteachusvaluablelessons.Someone
maycriticizeyou,orrejectyou,oryoumightgetfiredorrejectedinan
auditionorjobinterview.Seewhatyoucanlearnandthenletitgo.As
martialartslegendBruceLeeusedtosay,takewhathelpsyouanddiscard
therest.
lifedetoxrecipeAsoftenasstrongnegativefeelingsarise—anger,anxiety,fear,andsoon—applytheLettingGotechniquedescribedhere.Thisisyourcontinualplanforemotionaldetox.Itdoesgeteasier,andeventuallyallthestored-upnegativefeelingsstarttoemptyoutandtakeuplessenergy.
detoxingbodyshameBodyshameisadeep-rootedtoxinthatmanyofuscarry.Statisticsrevealthat,evenaschildren,westarttoexperienceshameaboutourbodies,oftenbecauseofwhatwe’vepickedupfromourparentsandtheadultsaroundus.Infact,anonline,nationallyrepresentativesurveyfoundthatawhopping94percentofgirlsand66percentofboyshadalreadyexperiencedbodyshamebythetimetheybecameteenagers.Researchoncollegewomenactuallyshowsthatshamecanpredictmorepoorhealthoutcomeslater,andnegativebodyimageisassociatedwithdepression,anxiety,andsuicidalthoughts.
Bodyshamedoesn’taffectusjustfromahealthandwellnessperspective.Ithasbeenshownthatgirlswithlowbodyimagetendtobelessassertive,whichcanholduswomenbackprofessionally.Itcanalsokeepusfromaskingforthesupportwerequireandstatingourneeds,whichareessentialingredientsintheliferecipeforfeelingbalancedandhappy.
Mostofushavebeenraisedtofeelthatbeingheavyoroverweightmakesuslessworthy,duetothesocietalprevalenceof“antifat”attitudes.A2014surveyreportedthat85percentofadolescentshadobservedoverweightclassmatesbeingfat-shamedorteasedingymclass.It’snowonderwhywealltooeasilyshameourselvesforgainingjustafewpounds,ornotbeingquiteasthinassomeonewehappentoseeonasocialmediahashtag!Weightdiscrimination,orfatshaming,hasbeenshowntoleadtodecliningphysicalandmentalhealthovertime.Imaginethedetrimental,lifelongeffectsonyourownhealthifyou
healthovertime.Imaginethedetrimental,lifelongeffectsonyourownhealthifyouconstantlyshameyourselfandyourbody.
Practicingcompassiontowardourselvesisahugepartofourownhealing.Wecanknowthisonsomelevel,yetharshthoughtsandjudgmentscaneasilyslipin.Incorporatingpracticeseverydaycanhelp,astheysupportusinfeelingconsistentlygoodfromtheinside.Whenyoufeelgood,you’relesslikelytobemeantoyourself.
PowerfulpracticesIrecommendincludefollowingamorningroutine(outlinedonthispage),takingsometimetomakenourishingrecipesforyourself(suchastheonesinPartII!),andpracticingthekindergartenruleofsayingsomethingnicetoyourselfornothingatall.Thepathtodetoxingbodyshameissomethingweprobablyhavetokeepworkingonthroughoutourlives.We’realllong-termworksinprogresstogether.
OurAmazingandImperfectBodiesHowoftendoyoulookinthemirrorandonlynoticehowawesomeyour
hairis,orhowbeautifulyoursmileis?Howoftendoyoutakeamomentto
celebrateyourselfandignoreanyflawsandimperfectionsyousee?
Probablynotoften…ornever(especiallyifyoujustlaughedoutloud)!
Mostallofuspickatourselvesendlessly,seeingthezitthatnooneelse
doesortheteeniestflyawayhairorbitofpuffinessafteranightof
margaritaswithfriends.Modernresearchershavenowcoinedthephrase
compareanddespairtorefertocontrastingourselveswithcarefully
constructedsocialmediaimagesand,inturn,endingupfeelingbadabout
ourselves.
I’veenduredquitethebattlewithmyownbodyimageinthepast.My
biggestnemesesweremylegs(Iwasobsessedwiththewidthofmythigh
gap)andmyupperarms.I’dforcemyselftoworkoutinwaysIactually
dreaded,suchaspushingmyselftorunacertainnumberofminutesevery
dayordraggingmyselftoabootcampclass.Iwouldfeellikecrapandbe
moodyifIdidn’tgettoworkoutfor“enough”minuteseveryday.Ithink
it’ssafetosaythatIdidn’thaveahealthymind-set.
it’ssafetosaythatIdidn’thaveahealthymind-set.
Now,insteadofstaringatthemirrorforanhourwonderingifitlooks
likeIhavemorecelluliteonmythighs,I’velearnedtofocusonthe
positivesthatstandouttomeaboutmybodyIdolikemythick,wavyhair
(albeitthefrizzynestthatitoftenis!),andI’mgratefulthatIlikemyhands
andmystomachisstrongandflat.
lifedetoxrecipeTruesexinessisastateofattractionwecreatefromtheinside,notsomethingwepaintontheoutside.
Tobetrulysexy,wehavetofeelsexy,andthiscanbefosteredbymakingwisechoicesforlunch.Eatingadenselunch,onethatisoverlyoily,onefullofprocesseddelimeatandcheese,forinstance,canmakeyoufeelheavyandstagnantfortherestoftheafternoonoreventheday.Notsexy.Ontheotherhand,wedon’twanttoskiplunchoreatanutritionallydefunctmeal,asweneedtosupportourvitality.
Thekeytolunchischoosingfoodsthatgiveyoulong-sustainingenergyandthatcontainfiber,aswellasnutrientssuchasaminoacids,antioxidants,Bvitamins,vitaminsAandC,
andomega-3fats.
HerearegreatlunchoptionsIsuggest:
» MINERALIZINGALMOND-GINGERKELPNOODLES(thispage).
» ENERGIZINGPISTACHIOHEMPSEEDCUCUMBERSALADWITHORANGEZEST(thispage).
» NATURE’SCOMPLETEPROTEINSMOOTHIE(thispage),foraquick,lightlunchonthego.
Yetthiscertainlywasnotmynaturalinclination.Ittooktimeandwork
toretrainmymind.Therereallyisn’tamagicpillyoucantaketosuddenly
feeltotalbodyacceptance.Changetakestime,andsomeeffort,yetit’sa
practicewecanbuildon,likelearninghowtocook.Focusonsmall
changes,thenbuildfromthere.Trainyourselftofocusyourattentionon
threethingsyouloveaboutyourbody,andhighlightthem.Forinstance,if
youloveyourlegs,wearthepantsorskirtsthatreallyshowthemoffmore
often.Ifit’syoureyesyouwanttoemphasize,wearyourhairbackorina
waythatframesthem.Toshowoffyoursmile,youcangetaspeciallip
glossthatmakesyoufeellikeamillionbuckswhenyousmileoutinthe
world.Thislittlebitofextraaccentuationonthepositivecanbuildand
expandthelightofconfidence.
I’mhappytosaythatInowonlyexerciseinwaysIabsolutelylove,
whichthesedaysaremostlymybarefootbeachwalks,withtheoccasional
hikewithafriendandsomeyogathrownin.I’vehadsomereally
challengingtimesinthepastfewyears,andIhavefoundthebeachwalks
keepmefeelingthemostgroundedandcentered.
I’mokaywithmyarmsnotbeingquiteasstrongaswhenIdiddozensof
dailychaturangas(akindofyogicpush-up)whenIwasdoingmoreregular
yogaasanas.AndwhilemybacksidemightcertainlygetmoreliftifIdid
somekindofbarreclass,IavoidsuchsessionsbecauseIpersonallydon’t
enjoythem.Beinghappyandbeingoutsidearemoreimportanttomethan
afewinchesofdifference.Ofcourse,someofusdoenjoysuchclasses,or
thosefewinchesdomakeabigdifferencementally.Sothereisnooneway
thatis“right.”It’sallaboutbeingauthentictowhatfeelsgoodtoyou,
versusbeingprimarilymotivatedbyrunningafterapprovalorwhatother
peoplethink.
Weallcareabouthowwelook,andthat’sjusthowitis.Yetwecan
alsogobeyondandconnectdeeplywithourwholeselves.Putyour
attentiononhowyoufeelinyourbody,andcreatepracticesandexercise
routinesthatmakeyoufeelamazing—thehealthyrecipesinthisbookwill
certainlysupportthateffort.Youcanfocusonbeingintouchwithyour
energy,strength,andintelligence(youfillinthequalities)andconsciously
directyourattentiontheresoyoudon’tfixate—andpickapart!—yourouter
appearance.
Andyouknowwhat?Asmuchasoursocietyemphasizesperfect
blowouts,tonedabs,andflawlessskin,nothingismoreirresistiblyattractive
thanbeingcomfortable,happy,andfeeling“goodenough”justasyouare.
It’samagneticenergythatcan’tbebought.Ifyoufindyourselfconsumed
withonelittlebodyflaw(aswealldosometimes),refocusonthethree
thingsyouloveaboutyourbody,andremindyourselfthateveryonein
theirownwayshasaperfectlyimperfectbody,too.
lifedetoxrecipeDailypracticesanchorustodailyactionsthatleaveusfeelinggreatwithinourbodies.HereareafewpracticesIwanttohighlight:
MEDITATION.Startingandendingthedaywithevenafewmomentsofconsciousbreathingcantransformtheday.Ithelpsyoufeelpresent,whichmakesyoufeelgoodandpowerful.Feelingscattereddoesnotfeelgood.Therearefreeguidedmeditationsonmywebsiteifthatwouldbehelpfultoyou.
MIDMORNINGPRACTICE.Youmightgethungrymidmorning,dependingonyouractivitylevelorconstitution.Itissoimportantatthispointofthedaytoeatfoodsthatsupportourenergy,ratherthandepleteit.Weoftengethungrybeforelunchandwedon’tknowwhattoeat!AcommonissueIseeinmynutritionworkiseatingtoo-heavyfoodsatthistime.Thekeyistostayawayfromfoodsthatcouldinterferewithdigestingyourlunch.Don’tworry,Ihavegreatmidmorningfoodoptionsforyou,including:
» ThePINKENERGYPORRIDGE(thispage)ismadeofenergizingwhole-grainorsteel-cutoatsandtartdriedcranberries,whichflushtoxinsfromthebody.
» ThePOWERPROTEINBOWL(thispage)isparticularlybeneficialifyouhadamorningworkoutorneedmorefuelinthemorning.Thefree-formaminoacidsofplant-basedproteinpowdersareasuperioroption,digestingwellandwithoutaddingtoxicitytoyourbody.Thisrecipesuppliesabout20gramsofproteinormore,dependingonthetypeofproteinpowderyouuseandthegranolayouaddontop.
EVENINGCOMEDOWN.Sippingsomethingwarmandcomfortingintheevening,whilereadingorrelaxing,isagreatritualtoprepareforresttime.TrytheGINGERCOMEDOWNHOTCHOCOLATE(thispage),whichiscreamyyetdairy-freeandcontainswarming,metabolism-boostingginger.Ifyoufeelreallywoundup,omitthecacao,whichcanbeabitstimulatingforsome,andfollowtherestoftherecipe,withthegingerslices,cinnamon,andsoon.
WhenEatingGetsDisorderedThisisgoingtosoundweird,butimagineyourrelationshipwithfoodasif
itwerearelationshipwithaperson.Wouldyouwanttobeinvolvedwith
someoneifyourinteractionswerebaseduponrewardsorpunishments,
indulgencesandfasts?Formanyofus,ourrelationshipwithfoodmirrorsa
toxicrelationshipwithanotherperson.
Onsomelevel,manyofusreadingthisrightnowhaveatsomepoint
hadawarpedrelationshipwithfood—frombeingachocoholicorchronic
yo-yofaddieterorcalorieslashertohavingaragingsweettooth(allthese
categoriesIhavepersonallybeeninmyself).Andwhenourunhealthyfood
relationshipbecomesmoreextreme,itcrossesintothespectrumofeating
disorders.Andinthatrealm,manyofushavealsostruggled.
AccordingtotheNationalAssociationofEatingDisorders,morethanten
millionAmericansreportsymptomsofaneatingdisorder,suchasanorexia
nervosaorbulimianervosa.Manymoremightstrugglesecretlywiththese
disorders,andmillionsmorebattlewithbinge-eatingdisorders.Thisall
addsuptogiganticnumbersworldwide.
Myclient,whomwe’llcallMaureen,wascompletelyfixatedon
controllingthefoodinherlife.Soonafterwestartedworkingtogether,she
wasnotcomfortableeatinganythinguntilshedescribedthefoodindetail
(exactamount,seasonings,andsoon)and,viatextoracall,Igavemy
“approval”toeatit.Itdidn’treallymatteranyway,becausesheadmitted
thatshewouldnevereatallthatIprescribedforher.Shealwayshadsome
excusenottoeatthesubstantialfoods,claimingshefeltnauseousor
dislikedthetaste.Tomygreatconcern,Maureenwouldofteneatjustlarge
amountsoftheProbioticandEnzymeSalad(rawsauerkraut)Imadeand
otherfoodssheknewhadveryfewcalories.Shewassothin,yetshe
otherfoodssheknewhadveryfewcalories.Shewassothin,yetshe
complainedabouthowbigherbellyandlegswere.Eventually,itbecame
cleartomethatMaureenhadaneatingdisorder,andsheneeded
specialized,professionalhelp.
lifedetoxrecipeBesidesourdiets,lovingself-carepracticesincludemeditation,makingtimeforself-reflection,journaling,and(oneofmypersonalfavorites)walkingandspendingshoe-freetimeinnature.Thislastonemakesusfeelenergized,connectedtonatureandthebiggerwhole,atthesametimethatithelpsusfeelexpansiveandfreefromthebindsofobsessionoverbodyimage.
Groundingorearthing—whichissimplywhenwedirectlytouchtheearth,barefoot—putsusinsyncwiththeearth’senergyfieldandiselectricallyconductive,neutralizinginflammation-causingfreeradicals.Ithasbeenshowntobebeneficialnotonlyfortheheartbutalsoforreducingstressandincreasingcirculationandbloodflow.
WhenIapproachedherabouttreatment,shedeniedneedingit.Ithen
broughtituptohermanager,whoagreedtodoaninterventionwithmeto
getherprofessionalhelp.Itworked.Ourrelationshipshifted.Insteadof
givingherconstantreassuranceandunknowinglyenablinghertocontinue
inherpatterns,Iwasnowtheretogiveherloveandsupport.Sometimes
thismeantchallengingher.Sheknewthatsheneededtofaceherbody
imageproblemandrethinkthewayshetreatedherself.Thiswasn’talways
easy,andthereweretimeswhenshefeltIhadviolatedhertrustby
initiatingtheintervention.Still,weworktogether,andwhilewe’reno
longerincontactonadailybasis,wecheckinatregularintervals.Shenow
closelyfollowsmywellnessprogramforheroverallhealth,including
drinkingtheGlowingGreenSmoothieanddoingmymeditations.
I’vehadmanyreaderssharewithmethestoriesoftheireatingdisorders.
Ialwaysencouragethemtogetprofessionalhelpimmediatelyandcommit
Ialwaysencouragethemtogetprofessionalhelpimmediatelyandcommit
tothelongjourneytowardchoosingtoloveandacceptthemselves.
Researchhaslinkedeatingdisorderstopsychologicaltraitssuchaslowself-
esteem,feelingsofinadequacyorlackofcontrolinlife,depression,anxiety,
anger,stress,orloneliness,whichiswhyfocusingseriouslyonfostering
self-loveisvital.
Ilearnedthisthehardway.Inhighschool,Isufferedforatimewitha
levelofanorexia,aswellasbulimia.Iwassoself-consciousthatImentally
attackedmyselfdailyfornotbeingskinnyenougheverytimeIlookedin
themirror.EventhoughIwasfivefootfourandmyweightattimeswasas
lowasninety-fivepounds,Iconstantlycomparedmyselftoimagesinads
andmagazinesandhatedmyselfforbeing“fat.”DuringthattimeIwas
obsessedwithrunningandcontrollingwhatIate.YetIeventuallybecame
sohungryfromalltherunningthatIneededtoincreasemycalories,
which,tosaytheleast,freakedmeout.Iresortedtopurgingforatime,
whichIhidfrommyfamilyandeveryoneelse.Thoseweredark,lonely
times.
Partofmyjourneyofhealingentailedswingingtotheotherextreme
beforefindingbalance.IletgosomuchthatwhenIgottocollege,Iate
wheneverandwhateverIfeltlike,drinkingloadsofbeerandvodka-based
cocktailsandinhalinglate-nightpizza.Istashedasupersizecontainerof
sugaryanimalcrackersfromCostcoonthebookshelfinmydormroomand
grabbedhandfulsofthemmultipletimesadayonthewaytoandfrom
class.Fluffywhiteciabattabreadsandwichesstuffedwithcheeseand
hummuswereadailystaple.Ialsoatefrenchfriesmultipletimesaweek.
Goingoverboardwithfoodwasawelcomephaseofrelaxationfromthe
extremecontrolIhadpreviouslyimposedonmyself.Imighthavestarted
offslightlyunderweight,yetbytheendofcollegeIhadgainedquiteabit
ofweightandwasontheheavierside.Anotherperiodofmybody
adventurebegan,whichwasexperimentingwithalldifferentdiets—evena
briefforaywithAtkins!Andeventually,astherestofthestorygoesinThe
BeautyDetoxSolution,Ilearnedhowtotrulyfindbalanceandhealmy
digestionandbody.
Weallhavescarsfromourpast,particularlyregardinghowwe’veabused
ourbodiesandbeatourselvesupmentally.Formanyofuswomen,someof
thosescarsincludeourownversionsofdeepbodyshame(seethispage),
self-hatred,andusingtonsofourenergydietingtotrytobe“good
enough.”Often,theinnerscarshurtmorethantheouterones.
Whatisthecure?Love.Choosingtoloveourselves.Itsoundsbasic,and
we’vehearditamilliontimesbefore,butnowwecanfocusondeveloping
itfromanew,powerfulanglewithsomeofthefoodandothersuggestions
throughoutthisbook.Wemighthavepickedupsomebeliefsthatwe’re
notenoughasweare,orthatwearenotlovable,andsowehaveto
changeourselvesorloseweightorlookyoungertobeworthy,butnoneof
thesethingsareactuallytrue.Wedon’tneedanyoneelsetoloveusinorder
forustobe“okay,”thoughit’scertainlynicetosharelife(andlove)with
others.Thedifferenceisthedesperation.Thatlovewearedesperately
seekingcancomefromourownselves.
Alackofself-loveistheunnourishedrootofbodyshame,guilt,and
unhealthyobsessions.Theendgoalisnotabouteatingonlytherightfoods
orgettingoptimalnutrition,orreachingtheidealweight.Wecanhavea
“perfect”bodyandstillhateourselves.Beinghealthyandhappyandtruly
welliscenteredinusbeingmoresoftandgentlewithourselves.Wecan
starttoexperiencethatwearesomuchmorethananumberonascaleor
theoutershellthatistheshapeofourbodies.
Healingourrelationshipwithfood,inparalleltohealingourrelationship
withourselves,takestime,effort,patience,andgreatcompassion.Likeany
relationship,thereareperiodswhereitseemseasiertogetalong,and
sometimesit’ssohardwewanttobreakdownandcry.Yeteachtiny,
growingawareness,eachtimewereflectandarealittlekinderwith
ourselves,andeachhealthyrecipewechoosetomakeandnourish
ourselveswithisastepclosertodiscoveringhealthinesswithfoodand
ourselves.
liferecipeHome-cookedmealsareapowerfulwaytoloveandgiveenergybacktoyourself.Whenwepickupprocessedfastfoodstoeatallthetime,itmaybeconvenient,butthey’redevoidofvitality.Justreallylookatitnexttimeitcomesinyourspace!Itdoesn’tlooklikevery“happy”food,madelovinglyorwithcare,doesit?Itfeelsthrowntogether,madeinmass,and,tobefrank,abitsad.Byputtingitinourbodies,wesendourselvesthemessageonsomelevelthatwearen’tworththetimetomakerealfood.
Iknow,Iknow—yougetit,butyou’resobusy.Andafteralongdayatworkorwiththekids,thelastthingyouwanttodoiscrackoutyourapronandprepareforafull-onkitchensession.So,howdoweincorporatehomecookingwhenwealllivecrazy,busylives?Withcrazy,easyfood!Simplecanbereallytastyanddoable.Checktheserecipesout:
» GINGERYBASILTEMPEHANDSNAPPEAS(thispage)canbemadeinfivetotenminutes(dependingonhowfastyoucanchop!).It’spackedwithmineral-andnutrient-denseveggiesandfantasticallyprotein-richnon-GMOtempeh.
» EASYPROTEINSAGEGARBANZOS(thispage),servedwithaquick-tossedsalad,isanothersuperfastnurturingmeal.It’sfullofcleansingradishesandprotein,vitaminC,antioxidants,andcalciumfromthekale.
» CheckoutthedeliciousandeasyCUMINROASTEDBRUSSELSSPROUTSWITHQUINOA(thispage),anotherpowerfulprotein-andmineral-packedmeal.Irecommendbatch-cookingmorequinoathanyouneedforthisrecipe;it’sagreatwaytohaveanexcellentstapleingredienttotossinwitheasyrecipesortosimplyeatalongsidesalads.
» Throwingfoodintheovensoyouarefreetodootherthingsisagreatstrategyforbusypeoplecookingathome.YoucanmakeabigdishoftheBOUNTYEARTHSALAD(thispage),cookingtherootveggiesintheovenwhileyouchangeorshowerorrelax,andyou’llhavesomedeliciousleftoverstobringtoworkforafewdays.
GoingNotSoAccordingtoPlanI’msureyou’veheardtheoldadage“Peoplemakeplans,andGodlaughs.”
Isn’tthatthetruth!Lifecanjustpushourbuttons.Wemaymakethebest
plansonlytohavethemfallapartrightbeforeourveryeyes.
Thisisexactlywhathappenedtomewiththebirthofmyson,Emerson
—orLil’Bub,hisnickname.Ifullyintendedtohavea“natural”birth,
meaningvaginallyandwithoutanyWesternmedicalinterventions,at
home.
Fast-forwardseveralmonths.Bub’sduedatecameandwent.Acheckup
withDr.Chin,mybackupWesterndoctor,measuredthebabyclosetoa
whoppingninepounds.BothDr.Chinandmymidwifewerevery
concernedaboutthebaby’slargesizefittingthroughmyparticularbody
andpelvis,andseriouspotentialissueslikeshoulderdystociaandmaternal
hemorrhaging.ButIinsistedonstickingtomyideaoftheperfect“natural”
birth.
Afteranotherweek,withBubbygettingbiggerbytheday,mywater
brokeinahugegushduringamidnighttriptothebathroom.Contractions
startedafterwardbutwerenotyetsuperclosetogether.Ihadbeenwarned
bymymidwifethatoncemywaterbroke,Ihadonlytwenty-fourhoursto
gointoactivelaborathome,definedascontractionscomingthreeminutes
orlessapart,beforeIwouldhavetobetransportedtothehospitalbecause
ofpossibleriskofinfection.SoIwentintosomewhatofapanic,thinking,
Crap!Onlyabouteighteenhourstoaccomplishmyperfectbirth!
Insteadofrestingathome,IdecidedIshoulddoasmuchaspossible.I
rushedtoanacupuncturistspecializingin“speedingup”labor.Idrank
nearlyhalfabottleofcastoroil—somethingsofoulIgagevenasIwrite
this.Istartedpumpingwithabreastpump,tryingtopushthecontractions
—whichwerestillsuperintense,bytheway—closertogether.
NomatterwhatIdid,thetwenty-four-hourtimelimitpassedwithout
thecontractionsspeedingupenough,andtherewasnochoicebuttogoto
thehospital.Thehome-birthoptionhadvanished.Ibrightenedwhenmy
midwifeinsistedIcouldstillhaveabeautiful“natural”birthatthehospital.
Ah,allisnotlost!
lifedetoxrecipeOurlessonsinlifeareunique,andsoisourwayofgettingthere.Onewayisnot“better”thananother.Sometimeswegoawaythatsignificantlyshiftsfrompriorexpectationsorplans,andthemorewetrustlifeisbringinguswhereweneedtobetogrow,themorewecanletgooftryingtocontroleverythingandjustenjoytheride.Besuretoalsohonorthistruthforothers.Everyoneisonadifferentjourney,andwecan’tcompareourpathstoothers’pathsandjudgethem.It’sbettertocompareourselvestowhowewereyesterdaythantocompareourselvestosomeoneelsewhohashadadifferentupbringing,supportsystems,andgeneticsandwhoisonatotallyuniquelifejourney.Inyogicterms,wewouldsayweallhavedifferentkarmatoworkout.
Trytositbackandstayunattachedtoyouropinions.Theyevolveasyouevolve.Beingopenandflexibletonewideasandperspectivesallowsustolearnimportantlessonsandincreaseourwisdom.
Butafterhoursoflaboratthehospital,Ihaddilatedalltheway,yet
Bubsstillhadn’tarrived.Thingsstartedtobecomeprecarious.Mymidwife
thoughtIwould“feel”thepushesmoreifIwasgivenaveryhighdosage
ofPitocin—withnoepidural.Iwasgroggyfromtheexhaustionandpain,
andrememberbeingunsurewhatwasrightatthatpoint.Wasthisstill
goingtobe“natural”ifIwasstartingtogetdrugs?
Thenexttwohourswerepurehell.Therewasaphysicaltraumaofpain
thatIhadneverbeforeexperienced.Thesewerecertainlynot“natural”
contractions.TheywerestronglyaugmentedPitocincontractions,withno
epiduraloranythingelsetoalleviatethepain.Nowithadbeenfourhours
ofpushing.Almostfiftytotalhoursoflabor.
ItwasatthatpointDr.Chinstrodebackintotheroomandannounced,
“Ican’tallowthistogoonanymore.Thisisasquarepeginaroundhole.
Thebabyisn’tcomingoutthisway.I’veletyoutryforaslongasIthinkit
issafe.”
Therewasonlyonethinglefttodo:Cesareansection.Itwaslikea
strangedream.WhatstartedasahomebirthwasnowendinginC-section.
ButIcouldnothavebeenmorerelievedatthatpoint.Mybabywascoming
tome,safely!ThatwasallIcaredabout,andallthefocusondefining
“natural”wasgoneinaninstant.Whocaredhowthebabywasborn,as
longashewassafe?Andanepidural!PraisetheLord!Iwaselatedto
acceptit.
Themagical,crazy,beautifuldayLil’Bubwasborn.
Bytheway,mymother,sister,cousins,andaunthaveallhadC-sections.
ThatsideofthefamilyhailsfromthePhilippines,andlikeme,theyhave
prettynarrowpelvises.Sure,mygrandmotherhadnaturalbirths,butmy
FilipinograndfatherisalotsmallerthanthelargerCaucasianmenthatall
theotherwomeninthefamilyendeduphavingbabieswith.Yettheseare
allfactsIchosetoignorebecauseIinsistedonstickingtotheone-and-only
plan.
TheC-sectionwaswonderful.Bubbycameoutsmoothly,cryingandfull
oflife.Afterafewquickmoments,hewasputdirectlyonmychest,skinto
skin,wherehestayedfromthenon(forprettymuchtheentirefirstyearof
hislife!)andsuckledupmycolostrum.
Geez.Asyoucansee,Ireallybuiltsomethinguponlytohaveitfall
apart.Thisissomethingwecanallrelateto.Maybeyouthoughta
relationshipwasgoingtobe“it,”andyoustartedlookingatwedding
dressesonline,onlytodiscoverafewweekslaterthatyourmatewas
nowherenearbeingreadytocommit.Orperhapsyoubankedonthe
perfectyogaretreattoBalitorelieveallyourpent-upstress,anditturned
outyoubookeditduringamonsoonandendedupbeingstuckinyour
hotelroom–alone—mostofthetime.Howcanwebesthandlewhatever
happensinourlives?
Oneofthegreatestthingswecandoistoletgoofthinkingithastobe
orlookacertainexpectedway,andtoreleaselabels,suchas“good”and
“bad”—howeverthosetermsaredefined,anyway.
Whatifwestartedtrustingthatourlivesareaboutgrowth,andthatin
someway,lifeisbringinguswhatweneedtogrow?Canweletgoof
attachmentsandexpectations,whichsetusupformisery?Becauseifthings
don’tpanoutexactlythatway,wethinkit’sallbadandterrible.Andwe
loseoutonachanceforfreedom,whichisbeingabletofeeljoyfulinany
circumstance.
InBuddhismtheconceptofnonattachmentreferstotheideaof
surrender.Nomatterwhatcomesourway,wecanbecenteredand
ultimatelyokaywithit.Westarttoknowthatthesourceofjoyand
contentmentiswithinus,notfromtheoutsiderelationshipsorjobor
validationorlikesonoursocialmediaposts.Wecanavoidsufferingby
surrenderingtowhatevercomes.Andbygivinguptherigidlabelsof“bad”
and“good”toacceptsimplywhatis.
Thisisfardifferentfromhowmostofuslookattheworldandourlives.
Thisisfardifferentfromhowmostofuslookattheworldandourlives.
Yetitisapowerfullyliberatingperspectivethatyoucanapplytoyourlife,
startingtoday.Practicesurrenderwithlittlethings,suchasalteringsome
weekendplansbecauseoftheweatherorchoosingadifferentrestaurant
becauseyourfirstchoiceisfull.Asyoupracticeitanditfeelsgood,itwill
helpyououtinmoremomentoussituations,suchasnotgettingthejob
afterthreeinterviews.Oracceptingthatarelationshipwasn’tmeanttolast
asyougothroughapainfuldivorce.Nonattachmentbuildslikeamuscle:
themorewepracticeit,thestrongerweget.Andourstrengthcan
ultimatelycarryusthroughanything.
lifedetoxrecipeExpectlifetoworkwithyou,butwhenitdoesn’t,expecttoworkwithit.Wecanlayoutthebestplansandintentions,buttheflowoflifemighthaveotherdesignsforus.Flexibilityandopen-mindednessareimportantqualitiestofoster,andincorporatingfoodsthatencouragefluidityratherthanrigidityinourjointsandthroughoutallofourorgansandtissuesisapowerfulwaytomanifestthisqualityinourlivesnow.
Therightfatsarekeyforoptimalfluidity.Wewanttomakesuretoconsumemoreplantfoodsthatarerichinomega-3-fats,whichincludechia,flax-,andhempseeds;dark,leafygreensandweeds;Brusselssprouts;cauliflower;andsoon.Thesewonderfulfoodshelpkeepourbodiessupple.Andwhilefishalsocontainsomega-3fats,Irecommendavoidingconsumingitbecauseofheavymetalexposureandalsoforenvironmentalreasons;fishingisresponsibleformillionsofsharks,dolphins,turtles,andotherbeautifuloceanlifebeingkilledinnets.Atthesametime,wewanttoreduceoverconsumptionofomega-6-containingfoods,suchasjunkfoodsthatcontainloadsofvegetableoil,whichcreatesinflammation.Otherfatstoavoidincluderancidorfriedfats,andexcessivesaturatedfatsfrommeatandpoultry.
Herearesomegreatrecipestosupportflexibilityandfluidity:
» TheIWANTITALLSMOOTHIE(thispage)includesCHIAGEL(chiaseedssoakedinwater;thispage).Chiaseedsareanexcellentsourceofomega-3fats,aswellascleansingfiber,antioxidants,aminoacids,andminerals.
» TheOMEGA-ARUGULASALADWITHPECANSANDLIMEVINAIGRETTE(thispage)containsflaxoil,whichisanothergreatsourceofomega-3fats.Remembertorefrigerated
flaxoilandneverheatit,inordertoretainitsintegrity.Arugulaisacleansingbittergreenthatdetoxifiesthebloodofwastes.
» Speakingofoils,youwillseethatinallourbakeddessertsinthisbook,includingthedelectableDOUBLECHOCOLATECHIPANDOATMEALCOOKIES(thispage),webakeonlywithcoconutoil.Coconutoilhasahighsmokepoint,meaningitmaintainsitsstructureduringcookinganddoesn’tbecomerancid.Itismoreeasilyburnedoffasenergyinsteadofbeingstoredasfatorcongestingourbodies.Idonotrecommendbakingwithvegetable-oil-orplant-basedbutters,dairyproducts,ormostotheroils.
» STRENGTHENINGWARMBOKCHOYWITHROSEMARYDRESSING(thispage)containsloadsofbioavailablecalcium,anditalsoencouragesfluidyetstrongmovementandstructuretoourbonesandbodies.
CHAPTER4
raisingourvibration
BeautyScars
Aswe’vealreadydiscussed,lifeisunpredictable.Tryaswemight,wearen’tincontrolofeverything.Thingsoftenhappenthatwewishhadn’t:asuddenbreakup,afriendmovestoanotherstate,aninjurywhileskiing,oreventsfromourchildhoodthatstillbringateartooureyes.
It’snaturaltowanttoavoidpainandheartache.Ithurts!Yetwhenwe
stopwishingsomethinghadnothappenedtousandacceptthatitdid,we
canstartdigestingthelessonsfromitandfindthegifts.
So,wherearetheseso-calledgifts?Sometimeswemaywanttoshout:
WhereAREthefreakinggifts!Fromourcurrentperspective,itjustdoesn’t
seemfair,itdoesn’tmakesense,oritjustisn’tright.Whenmymomwas
diagnosedwithcancer,Iwasshockedandterrified,butquicklyralliedby
herside,tryingtosupportherineverywayIknewhow.Iwasconvinced
shewasgoingtorecover.Shewassostrong.Yetwithinsixquickweeks
whenitbecameclearthatmymomwasnotgoingtogetbetter,Ihadto
processdeepsadnessandresentmentthatIwaslosingherinmylifefar
earlierthanIeverthoughtIwould—andbeforeBubbywasevenayear
old.
Emotionalpainoftenoccurswhenweresistwhatis.We’reallgoingto
feelstingsandindescribablydeephurtwhensomethinginitiallyhappens,
butafteralengthofprocessingorgrievingtime,ifwedon’tworktoward
acceptance,andifwecontinuetofeelangryordepressed,weholdonto
thatunprocessedenergy,anditcreatestoxicpsychologicalandspiritual
blocks.Incontrast,whenwecansurvivethedeepestpainandmakeitto
theotherside,thenwetrulyrealizehowstrongweare.
lifedetoxrecipeIfyouaremovingthroughprocessingandlettinggoofsomethingthatcausespainforyou,therearehelpfulfoodsthatcanstarttoenactthatenergyonthephysicallevel,whichwilltranslatepsychologically,emotionally,andspiritually.Herearesomeexcellentonestocallout:
» GOJIBERRIES.Thisisastabilizingfoodthatsupportsourvitalityandtruebeauty.Gojisarearichsourceofantioxidantsthatprotectourbodiesfrominflammationandfortifyourimmunity.Theyarefullofvitaminsandcontaineighteendifferentaminoacidsthatkeepus
groundedwhilewalkingthroughthefire.TrytheGOJIBERRYSOOTHEBARS(thispage).
» SPROUTS+BITTERGREENSCOMBO.Healinganddetoxifyingemotionalblocksrequireschange,andenzymesarethedynamicentitiesthatcatalyzebiologicalreactions.Sproutsarebabyplantsintheprocessofmaturing,andtheyareburstingwithenzymesandnumerousothermicronutrients.Bittergreensarecleansinganddetoxifying,andhelpclearthewayformoreregeneration.TheGREENPOWERSPROUTSALADWITHCREAMYCITRUSDRESSING(thispage)isperfectforthis.Usearugulaasthegreenbase.Alongtheselines,digestiveenzymesareanexcellentideatotakebeforemeals,tohelppromotebreakingdownandoptimalassimilationofkeynutrients(seemywebsiteformoreinformation).
» TURMERIC+ROOTVEGETABLECOMBO.Theherbturmerichasreceivedalotofplayinthemedialatelyasapotentanti-inflammatoryandcleansingfood,eventhoughithasbeenusedinAyurvedaforoverfivethousandyears.Herewearetalkingaboutmoredeeplyintegratingchange,soIliketocombineturmeric,whichisdetoxifyingforyourbloodandthereforeyourentirebody,withrootvegetables,whichprovideanearthy,steadying,groundingelementtoholdthespacefortheintegration.TheSWEETCLEANSETURMERIC-ROASTEDROOTVEGGIES(thispage)isexactlysuitedforthispurpose.
Imagineyouaresittingonthebeachattheedgeofthewater
daydreaming,unawarethatahugewaveisapproaching.Then,crash!Ithits
youlikeatonofbricksandtossesyouback.Afterthewavepasses,asyou
sitthereinthewake,youcanstewinanger,whichdevitalizesyourorgans
andcreatesinflammationandadrenalexhaustion,andfeelwretched,oryou
canacceptthatnowyouarewetbutyou’restillbreathing!Maybeevenin
thisawarenessyougigglebecauseyourealizeyouwerefantasizingandnot
payingattentiontothefactthatyouwereontheedgeoftheshoreand
wavesaregoingtodowhatwavesaregoingtodo.Nowyoucanstartto
wonder,WhatdidIlearnfromthisexperience—thatIcansurviveandbeokay
evenifIgetknockeddownunexpectedly?Also,canIfindmorehumorandnottake
lifesoseriously?Ifwearecommittedtoshiftingourcompasstowardfinding
thegifts,findthemwewill.
Mom,Lil’Bub,andItogetherinthefinalweeks.
Aclientofmine,whomwe’llcallAudrey,grewupwatchingherfather
hithermother.ThenwhenAudreywasfive,heleftthemandcutoffall
contact.Hermomworkeddoubleshiftsasacleaningladytosupportthem
both.Audreyneverfullyprocessedthisformativepartofherlife,andto
thisdayshehashaddifficultytrustingmen.Sheself-sabotagesevery
relationshipshehas,evenifit’swithamanwhogenuinelylovesandcares
forher.Sheadmittedtomethatshestillcarriesalotofshameaboutnot
beingabletoprotecthermother,thoughitlogicallydoesn’tcompute,as
shewasonlyachild.
Paininlifecanpropeltremendousgrowth,onceweletgoofresentment.
Harboringresentmentistheresultofbelievingthatsomethingorsomeone
shouldbedifferentthanitis.Soinotherwords,thisbitternessissimply
moreresistance,morepain,andmoretrappedemotionaltoxicitythat
createsmoreworkforustodetoxlater.That’salotof“mores.”Yetwhen
wesoftenandletthehardedgesofresentmentmelt—whenwerealizethat
whatishappeningnowishappening,thatthereisnoalternative—weallow
thehealingtocomewithacceptance.
Ihavecometopeacewithmymom’spassing,andtobehonest,whileI
stillmissherphysicalpresence,thesoundofhervoice,thewayshesmiled
whensheheldLil’Bub,IfeelmoreconnectedtoherinsomewaysthanI
everhavebefore.Whilemylifewillneverbethesamenowthatshe’s
gone,Ihavelearnedthatloveiseverlasting,andIacceptthatitwasher
timetolearnandgrowsomewhereelse.
Mymom’spassinghasalsogivenmeanewlookontime.InEinstein’s
generaltheoryofrelativity,there’snoconceptualdistinctionbetweenthe
pastandthefuture.PhysicistslikeJulianBarbour,theauthorofTheEndof
Time,promote“timelessphysics.”Ifsuchtheoriesaretrue,itwouldmean
thattimeisn’treallylinear,andwecanhealpasteventsinthepresent.
Whilethereissomethingtobesaidformovingforwardinlife,processing
anddigestingthepastisnecessarytoreleaseitandclearspacefornew
energyinthefuture.
Weneednotfeelthatwehavetohideorbeembarrassedorpushdown
whatwe’vebeenthrough,nomatterwhatitis.We’reheretoday,alive
andstanding.Yes,we’veweatheredsomestormsandperhapslivedthrough
somenightmares.Yetwecanmoveforward.Wecanfindwaystolearn
andgainhigherunderstanding.Thescarsweaccumulatealongthewayare
partofourpathsand,therefore,ouruniquebeauty.
ApprovalAddictsDoyoufeelatinylittlethrillwhenyouseethatabunchofrandompeople
Doyoufeelatinylittlethrillwhenyouseethatabunchofrandompeople
likedyourInstagrampic?Orwhenyougetacomplimentafteryoulosea
fewpoundsorgetanewhaircut?Theansweris…ofcourse!Wealllike
approvalbecauseitactivatesaprimaldesireandneedforsurvival.Millions
ofyearsagoourancientancestorswouldshunmembersoftheirtribewho
seemedtodosomethingthatcouldjeopardizethewhole.Thisdisapproval
oftenmeantdeathbecauseitmeanttryingtosurviveintheharsh
wildernessalone.Soapprovalreallyboileddowntoissuesofsafetyand
security,andthatgothard-wiredinus.Wealsonowknowthatapproval
alsohelpsreleasedopamine,theneurotransmitterthathelpscontrolthe
brain’srewardandpleasurecenter.
Thedarksideofseekingapprovalisthatwhenweexperience
disapproval,ourself-imagetakesanosedive.Asdiscussed,we’vebeen
conditionedtoattachapprovaltosecurityfromancestralbrainwiring,and
alsofromparentswhenweareyoungorfrompeerswhenweareteens,so
disapprovalseemstothreatenoursenseofsecurity.Theslower-acting
corticalneurotransmitters,includingacetylcholineandnorepinephrine,are
modifiedinresponsetoemotionalreactions,sothereisalsoachemical
reactioninourbrainsmakingusfeeloffanduneasywhenwespendan
hourwritingasocialmediacaptionandnoonecomments,notevenour
bestfriends.Orourbosscasuallyremarksthatourhairlookedbetterbefore
ourbignewhaircut,orourparentsimplytheywishwehada“better”
job…orboyfriend.Sincewecan’tcontrolwhatothersthinkofus,chasing
self-worthfromtheapprovalofotherscanleadtousmakingsaferchoices
oronesthatdon’tfeeltotallynaturaltous,andisaturbulentroller-coaster
ofupsanddowns.Andthatrideisnofun.
Whenweprioritizeothersacceptingusoveracceptingourselves,wetell
ourselvesthatweneedtobewhotheywantustobe,notwhoweare.
Thinkaboutthat—thatisjustterrible!Wecanonlybewhoweare.
Otherwise,welosesightofwhoweareinordertochangeourselvesfor
morelikesorattention.Notonlydoesthismakeusunhappydeepdown,
butotherscansenseitasalackofstabilityandconfidence,andfeelthat
theycan’treallyknowortrustwhowereallyare.
Wecanactuallyvalidateandapproveofourselves,sothatwedon’thave
toagonizeovergettingitfromeveryoneelse.Wecanfeelamazinginour
newoutfit,regardlessofwhetheranyoneelsecommentsonit.Wecan
haveagreattimeattheparty,regardlessofhowmanyguyslookatus(or
not).Whatifwejustreallyenjoyedthemusicandconversations?Andwhat
ifwejusthadfunwithsocialmedia,onlypostingwhatfeelsnaturaland
goodtousandnotobsessingoverthelikes.I’mnotsayingit’seasy,and
I’mnotsayingIdon’tstillstrugglewithit,becauseIdo.YetIknowthat
themoreconnectedweeachfeeltoourselves—andthedeepcoreoftruth,
compassion,andlovethatisatthecenterofallofus—thebetterandmore
peacefulwefeel.Andtheneedforthosethrill-basedapprovalsfromthe
outsideworldwillstarttodiminish.
Wediscussmeditationandotherstillnesspracticesquiteabit,because
theyarethemostpowerfulwayIknowtoactuallycreateandsustain
happiness.It’slikepluggingintoanenergysocketthatconnectsusto
everyoneandeverything.Whenwemovethroughlifedisconnected,we
feelalone,small,weak,anddepressed.Yetwealwayshaveaccesstothe
socket,whichcomesfromtuninginward.Ifwekeeppracticingand
persevering,especiallywithsomedefinitetechniques,thenwecanteach
ournoisy“monkeyminds”tobecomequiet.Wecanlearntoflood
ourselveswithpeaceandlove,andwedon’tneedasingleotherpersonto
feelcomplete.
Creatingthetimeto“plugin”andgowithinisessentialtoconnectingto
yourwholeness.Withoutthestillness,we’releftfeelingmorefragmented
inthechaosoflife.Atfirstwemaythinkdistractionisbetter.It’sfunand
easytocallafriendorturnontheTVorwatchaYouTubevideoor
whatever.Buteventually,thattinydistractionwillwearoffandtherewe
are,asstarvedforapprovalasever.Theworldwillnotgiveittoyou,
becausetheworldisinterestedinmakingyoufeelyouaren’tenoughand
thatyouneedtobuymorestuff.
Youcantryanytypeofmeditationpracticethatfeelsgoodtoyou(I
offersomefreemeditationsonmywebsite,ifthatmightbehelpfultoyou),
orjusthavesomequiettimewhiledriving,withoutchattingonthephone
orblaringmusic.Youcangoforawalkbyyourself,maybelisteningto
somewordlessmusicorthebirdsortherumblingsoftheurbanspace
aroundyou.Inner-stillnesstimecantakemanyformsandlookmany
differentways.Findtheonesthatresonatethemostwithyou,andpractice
them.Pluginregularly,andstaycharged.
lifedetoxrecipeWhenwefeelstrong,nourished,andenergizedinourbodies,wecangetpluggedinmucheasier.Itfeelsawesome.Incontrast,ifweareachy,gassy,bloated,belching,orfeeldownrightheavyorgrossinourbodies,suchdistractionsmakeusfeel…notsoawesome.
Herearesomegreatrecipestosupportyoupluggingintothesourceofeverythingmagicalandbeautiful:
» TheKALE,AVOCADO,ANDGRAPEFRUITSALAD(thispage)providesyouwithbeautyfat;aminoacids;vitaminsA,C,andK;cleansinganddetoxifyingfiber;andsomuchmore.You’llfeellightandradiantasarainbowafteryoueatthis.Tryitforlunchoraspartofdinnertolaythefoundationforawonderfulmeditationafewhourslater.
» CHICKPEASTEWWITHPISTACHIOPESTO(thispage).Stewsarecomfortingsoulfood.NutsaremagicalfoodsfromMotherNaturethathelpusfeelmoregroundedandstableandstrong.Afterall,theycontainthepotentialtogrowintoamightyalmondorwalnuttree.Thisrecipeispackedwithmineralsandproteintogiveyouthestabilizingstrengthyouneed.
» MILLETMAGICSTUFFED’SHROOMS!(thispage)supplyyouwithprotein-andvitamin-D-richportobellomushrooms,aswellasmillet,whichisreallyasuperseedrichinproteinandminerals,thoughwecookitlikeagrain.
CHAPTER5
happy,notperfect
Nope,IDon’tAlwaysEatPerfectly
Sometimes,Ireallylovesoft,mushytofustir-friedwithtamari(basicallygluten-freesoysauce)andtoppedonapileofrice.Itkindofremindsmeofthefried-egg-on-ricedishmymomandauntiewouldmakemeforbreakfastwhenIwasakid.Idon’teateggsanymore,butIlovethatmemoryandthetextureofthesimpletofudishthatemulatesit.
Wait,youmightsay(ifyou’vereadTheBeautyDetoxSolutionoranyof
myarticlesonfoodcombining;infoalsoonthispage)Isn’ttofuaprotein
andriceastarch?Isn’tthatbadfoodcombining(gasp!)?Don’tyouwrite
aboutavoidingthatinyourbooks?
Well,yes,itisimproperfoodcombiningasamatteroffact!YetIlike
thewayittastes,andIeatitsometimes.Oneofthebiggestmisconceptions
thatyoumighthaveaboutmeisthatIeatperfectly.Idonot.Amantraof
myphilosophyis“Progress,notperfection.”AndIverymuchlivebythat,
whichissoimportantforrecoveringperfectionistslikeme.
It’snotabouttryingtobeat100percent,butstrivingformy80/20rule,
oreatingontrack80percentofthetime,andusingthatimportant20
percentforfavoritedesserts,chips,and,yes,sometimesbadfood
combinations!Andonoccasion,especiallywhentraveling,that20percent
doesstretchtoamuchhigherpercentage.
DoIhaveanyguiltorshameorthinkIamahypocritebecauseIwrite
aboutfoodcombininganddon’talwaysfollowit?No.I’maworkin
process,asweallare.Wealldothingswearelessthanproudof.
Sometimeswedothingswetellothersnottodo.Weallslip.Andit’s
okay,becauseitisourperfectlyimperfectsideshiningthroughinallits
flawedbeauty.
liferecipePerfection,especiallyinadietarysense,isnotthegoal.Progressandoverallconsistencyare.Tryingtoeatperfectlyallthetimeisasrigidaswalkingonatightrope,andit’sarecipeforanxietyandunhappiness.Herearesomegreatless-than-“perfect”comfortrecipestoenjoy:
» ILOVEYOUFLATBREADPIZZA(thispage).Okay,itisintheKids’Cornerchapter,butitisreallyforadultsandchildrenalike.Mydadandotheradultfamilymembersadoreit!Plant-basedcommercialcheesesmaybemoreprocessed,andtheyarecertainlynotright
fromthegarden.Theycontainvegetableoilsandotherless-than-idealingredients,yettheyareaprettydarngreatoptionwhenwewantagreatdairy-andgluten-freepizzaand/oraretransitioningoffdairy.
» MINT-CHOCOLATELOVER’SBROWNIES(thispage).Itisokaytoindulgeinchocolatesometimes(oreveryday,asIadmittedlydoinperiods!),whichdoeshavesomeantioxidants—thoughwewouldeatitanywaywithoutthem,asittastessoheavenly.Andwhilewedon’twanttobesugarfiends,it’sokaytohavesomesugarfromtimetotime.Yes,itisokay!Iknowalltheresearchpointstohowinflammatoryandtoxicsugaris.Butlife,andourdiets,needroomtobeperfectlyimperfect.Andthesugarinthisrecipecomesfromcoconutsugarandcoconutnectar,whichareatleastlowglycemicandlowfructose,andcontainsomeminerals.
» COCONUTWOWCOOKIES(thispage).Thisandtheotherbakedrecipesinthisbookwerecreatedaftermuchtrialanderror,andbywayofutilizingthespecialKSGLUTEN-FREEFLOURMIX(thispage)thatallowsforthebakedgoodstobind,withouteggorgluten,whilealsobeingproperlyfoodcombined(seethispage).Inourrecipes,almondflour(aprotein)isnotcombinedwithbrownriceflour(astarch),forinstance.Sure,wedon’tnecessarilyeatcookieseverysingleday,butthisisanamazingoptionforthoseoccasionswhenwedowantto!
We’reAllaMess(AtLeastaLotoftheTime)We’reallmessesinourownways.Wedoourbest,thoughwemessup
leftandright,andkeepsoldieringon.It’sallgoodbecausemessingupis
howwetestandretesttherecipesoflifeandfigurethingsout.Don’tget
mewrong,screwinguparecipeandhavingtostartoverfromscratchisn’t
fun.Neitherissabotagingarelationshipandhavingtoputthepiecesof
yourlifebacktogetherintheaftermath.Yet,allofthesemishapsarepart
ofourgrandunfoldingjourneytowardpeaceandwholeness.Ifwedidn’t
havetheseexperiences,wewouldn’thaveanydepth.We’dbestuckinthe
shallow,kiddyendofthepool,insteadofbravingthedeeper,murky
waters,whichdevelopscharacter,presence,andwisdom.
lifedetoxrecipeWhenyoumessupinthelittlethingsoflife,laughaboutit.Don’ttakeitsoseriously.Forgettodoonetaskbeforeameetingandgetcalledout…whoops!Remindyourselftobemorethoroughnexttime.Burndinner…letoutagoodlaughandorderChinesefood.Ifsomeonepointsouthowyoustumbled,seewhat—ifanything—youcanlearnfromahumble,nondefensiveplace.
Whenyouvaluethewisdomofthebaddaysasmuchasthebeautyofthegooddays,orthemess-upsasmuchasthesmoothtimes,youwillnolongerneedlifetobeanyotherwaythanitis.
IstartedgoingtoMommyandMeclassesasafirst-timemomwhenLil’
Bubwasabouteightweeksold,andIfeltveryself-conscious.WasI
holdinghimright?Changinghisdiaperright?DidIhaveallthestuffinmy
diaperbagIwassupposedtopack?OrwasIutterlyscrewingupasamom?
OnedayIgottoclassabitlate,andtheclassleaderglancedoveratme
and,rightinfrontofthecircleofmoms,said,“Yourcarrierisn’tonright.
Letmehelp!”Ifeltaflashofshameandthought,Ohmygosh!Ididitwrong,
andIalmostsuffocatedmybaby!ThenIrealizeditwasfine.Bub’sheadwas
up,andhewastotallysafe;thecarrierwasjustafewinchesofffromwhere
itshouldhavebeensittingonmywaist.AsIlookedaroundwhilethe
groupleaderhelpedmeadjustthestraps,Icouldseethattheothermoms
werefocusingontheirownmini-crisesandbabies.Noonereallycared.
Thetruthispeoplejudgeyou.Theyjustdo.Whilewetalkedabout
workingonnotconstantlycastingjudgment(seethispage),it’salifelong
practice.Forallofus,somedialoguepassesthroughourmindsabout
people’svoicesorthewaytheylookorhowtheyactatapartyor
whatever.
Buthere’sthekicker.Eventhoughsomeonepassesjudgmentonyou,it
usuallydoesn’tlastforalongtime.Why?Becauseweallhaveotherthings
onourminds.Maybeamomlookedatmewhentheinstructorfirst
mentionedmymistakeandthought,Whatadummy!Butthenhermind
quicklyshiftedtoabillsheneededtopayorwhatshewasgoingtomake
fordinner,andthenhermindjumpedagaintotheboogerhangingfrom
herbaby’snose.
Eveniffleetingcommentscropupfromothers,whoreallygivesadamn?
Evenwhenyoutotallymispronounceawordinapresentation,ortotally
botchupyourlatestrelationship,orloseyourtemperwithyourfriendata
partywhenyou’vehadalittletoomuchtodrink…justcleanupthemess,
learn,andmoveon.Weallscrewup,butwearenotscrewups.
lifedetoxrecipeMakerecipesthatmayormaynotcomeoutexactlyright,andhavefunwiththeresults,no
Makerecipesthatmayormaynotcomeoutexactlyright,andhavefunwiththeresults,nomatterwhattheyare.It’sagoodpracticefordroppingthesuperstressful“good/bad”labelsinlife,andworkingwithwhatevershowsup.
» CRANBERRYCINNAMONMUFFINS(thispage).Sometimesmuffinsareabittricky.Youmightaccidentallyleavethemintoolong,andtheydryoutandharden.Oriftheydon’tbakelongenough,theytotallysticktothepaperliners.Oops!Yetnomatterhowmessedupyourmuffinsmightlook,theresultwilltastegood.Youcouldalwaysscrapeouttheediblepartsinabowl,andpickthemuplikecookiecrumbs.Oriftoodry,pouralmondmilkontopandeatthemlikecereal.Life—andrecipes—areaboutimprovisingandgoingwiththeflow.
» VEGGIEMILLETHASHBROWNSWITHRADIANCECARROTKETCHUP(thispage).Therecipeisprettydelicious,andthatprotein-filledmilletmashupdoesresemblepotatoeshere.Sometimes,though,hashbrownscangetalittlecrumblyinthepan…oralot.Maybetheyfellapartandbecomelittle,mini,babyhashbrownsinbite-sizepieces.It’sokay!Scoopthemupanywayandeatthem.Whosaysanyrecipeyoumakehastolooklikethepicturetotastegood?
» DOUBLECHOCOLATECHIPANDOATMEALCOOKIES(thispage).AsImentioninseveralplacesthroughoutthisbook,gluten-free,vegan,properlyfoodcombinedbakingisnottheeasiestthing!Maybeyoumeasuredthegluten-freeflourmixwrongorpackeditinsuperdensely,andyourcookiesareweirdorrock-hard.Hey,theyarejustcookiesafterall.Throwthemoutifyouneedto,snackontheleftoverchocolatechips,andhaveagoodbellylaugh.
GuiltCleanseMelanieisafull-timeconsultantwhohasworkedonsomespecialprojects
forSolluna.Sheisalsoamomoftwo.Workingfromhome,shemanages
toexcelinherprojects,drivehersontoandfrompreschool,andnurseher
one-year-old(anannyalsohelpsduringworkhours).Shecooksdinnerfor
thefamily,andbedtimeincludesbothofherkidspilingintobedtosleep
withherandherhusband.Often,oncetheyareasleep,shepullsouther
laptoptogetmoreworkdone.Yes,sheissortofasuperhuman!Sometime
ago,whenshecametoLAtostaywithme,shewasflabbergastedwhen
shesawmeputnineteen-month-oldLil’Bubdownatseveno’clockat
shesawmeputnineteen-month-oldLil’Bubdownatseveno’clockat
night,leavingmetheeveningandthefirstpartofthemorningfreeand
clear.
“IlovehavingBubbyplayingaroundmealldaywhileIwork.Itakehim
inthestrollerduringconferencecalls,getalotofwritingdoneduringnap
time,andambeyondgratefulIhavemydadandauntieathomewithus,
whichkeepsthehouseholdfromimploding.Yet,ifIdidn’thavethat‘me
time’everydayafterhegoestobedinhisownroom,IthinkI’dlosemy
mind!”Itoldher.
“Thatsoundsamazing,”Melaniesaid.“Idon’tknowifIcanjustpush
mykidsoutofthebed.Ifeelbad.…”
Ireplied,“Ithinkitwillbebetterforyouandforthem.Andifyouwork
andalsodokids’stufftwenty-fourhoursadaythewayyouhavebeen,you
aregoingtoburnyourselfout.”
“You’reright.Ijusthavetofigureouthow!”
Melanienevergetsanythingforherself,andalotofheractivitiesonthe
Melanienevergetsanythingforherself,andalotofheractivitiesonthe
weekendsrevolvearoundplaydates.Withallshehastodo,herlifeis
prettymuchplanneddowntoeverydetail.Shewasn’tprioritizingcreating
morebalanceforherself.
Likesomanywomen,Melaniesuffersfromaguiltcomplex.Notdoing
enoughathome,notachievingenough,notbeinggoodenough,not
cookingenough,orwhatever.Nomatterhowmuchgetsdone,itwill
never,everbeenough!
Usually,guiltisnottrulyrootedinreality.Wegetlockedintocertain
perceptionsandthinkweare“bad”ornotgoodenoughornotdoing
enough,likeahamsteronawheelthatnevergetsanywhere.Whatguiltis
reallyaboutisfeelinginvalidornotfullyworthyinsomeway.Wehaveto
keep“doing”moretogainworth,love,orapproval.Itgoesdeep.Itcan
stemfromabeliefwetookoninourdistantpasts.HenriJ.M.Nouwen
writesinTheReturnoftheProdigalSonhow“they,”whichhereferstoas
thevoicesofsocietyandtheouterworld,keepusfromconnectingtoour
truth:
TheysuggestthatIamnotgoingtobelovedwithoutmyhavingearned
itthroughdeterminedeffortsandhardwork.Theywantmetoproveto
myselfandothersthatIamworthbeingloved,andtheykeeppushing
metodoeverythingpossibletogainacceptance.Theydenyloudlythat
loveisatotallyfreegift.
Thetruthisthatwedon’thavetodoanythingtobefullyworthy.Thisis
partofthenever-endingcycleofguilt,aswecannever“do”enoughif
thatiswherewearetryingtogetourself-worth.Realizingthisisthefirst
stepinbreakingfreeofthecycle.
I’mhappytosaythatMelanieisnowintheprocessofcreatingaset
bedtimeforherdaughter,Eloise,whohasmovedintoacribinthenursery.
Sheisworkingongettinghersontosticktohisbedtime,too,soshecan
havetimetoherselfeveryevening,freeofworkandfamilyduties.AfterI
toldheraboutahikingtripItooktoSedona,shewasinspiredtoplanatrip
thereandleavethekidswithhermom…andnotfeelguiltyaboutit!
lifedetoxrecipeTheantidoteforguiltisaffirming—toourselves—thatwearealreadyworthyjustasweare.
Theantidoteforguiltisaffirming—toourselves—thatwearealreadyworthyjustasweare.That’swhohastobelieveit.Whileitcantakesometimetotrulyembodythistruthdaytoday,wecanstarttodaytomakerecipesthatsaytous,“Yep,youareworththisamazingnourishment!”Herearesomegreat,self-worth-confirmingrecipes:
» SELF-LOVECAULIFLOWERSOUP(thispage).Cauliflowerishighinvitaminsandminerals,andcanhelpbalancehormones,reduceinflammation,andimprovedigestionanddetoxification.How’sthatforself-love?
» NOURISHSTEWWITHWHITEBEANS(thispage).Thisstewnotonlytastesgreat—withitsItalianherbsandothergoodthings—butitispackedwithprotein,antioxidants,andminerals.AndwhatIloveaboutstewsisthatyoucan’tjustinhalethem;theirheatforcesyoutoslowdownabitandgiveyourselfallthatamazingnourishment,onespoonfulatatime.
» CURRIEDRADIANCECARROTSOUP(thispage).Okay,anothersoup.Idobelievesoupsandstews,aswarmingandgroundingastheyare,aresomeofthebestways,foodwise,topracticeloveandcareforourselves!Thisonecomesoutabrilliantcolorfromallthatwonderfulbeta-carotene,whichconvertstovitaminAandhelpscreatehealthyskinasitstrengthensourimmunity.
therealsourceofourworthIfwegowithinseekingtoquietandeaseourmindsandthoughts,ifwetraveltotheverydeepestcoreofus,beyondourphysicalappearance,jobtitle,familylife,personality—allofit—wewillfindaspark.Callitdivinelight,callitthesourceofallsources,callittheuniverse,thenamedoesn’tmatter.Butthissparkconnectsustoeverythingelseintheworldandbeyond.Wedon’tearnthisspark.Wecan’tbuyitorbargainforit.Wecan’torderitandshipitusingAmazonPrime,becausewealreadyhaveit.It’soursnowandalways.Anditisthesourceofallcreation.
Ittookmealongtimetoconnectwithmyowninnerspark.ForyearsIwasrunningaroundmyself,yetnomatterhowmuchIaccomplished,IstillfeltIwasn’tquitethereyet.
Onedayduringdeepmeditationnearapoolofwater,Ihadarevelationofsorts.IrealizedrightthenandtherethatnothingIcoulddowouldeverfeellikeitwasenough.Icouldsellmillionsofbooks,helpmillionsmorepeople,anddoeverythingpossibleformysonandfamily,andIwasstillgoingtofeelthisvacancyinsideme.Buthere’sthecrazypart.Ialsorealizedthatthisvoidinsidemeneverreallyexisted.Itwasasifapartofmewasmasqueradingassomethingelse.Thisvacancywasalreadyfilled.Thattherewasnoemptiness.Iwascompletebecauseofthatsparkinsideme.Iexperiencedthattruthfortheveryfirsttime,andwhenIsatupandwentbackintotheworldof“doing,”everythingfeltdifferent.Itwasahuge“aha!”moment.ItwaslikeIhadbeensearchingformycarkeysfor
years,onlytorealizetheywerealreadyinmypocket.
IknewIwasseekingsomethingmywholelife,asweallare,andeventhoughIhadbeenpracticingyogaandmeditationforyearsandwrittenandspokenpubliclyaboutself-love,Ihadn’treallygottenituntilthatexactmoment.ThisexperienceoccurredduringadifficultperiodIwentthroughsomemonthsaftermymomhadpassed,whenIwastryingtobestrongformydadandBubsbutmywholelifefeltdestabilized.Maybesometimeswehavetohitrockbottombeforewebreakthrough.
Afterthatencounterwithtruth,mylifewasstillthesameontheoutside:runningSolluna,podcasting,writing,chasingBubsintheyard.Yetmywholeinnerlifehadshifted.Thingsdon’tfeelasseriousastheyusedto,andtheneedforrushingandendlessdoingisdroppingaway.Isay“dropping”inthepresenttense,becauseitisabigunfoldingprocess,andI’mstillinprocessmyself.IstillfalterandgetcaughtupindailyBS—it’slikeIforgetfromtimetotimethatthekeystothecarareinmypocket—buttheveilhasbeenlifted.
You,too,canreconnectwithyourtrueworth,whichisyourpowerandyourtruesourceofvalidationandlove.Ourinnersparkistheperfectionwithinallofus—it’sapartofus—anditcanneverbetakenaway.Itgivesusaccesstoperfectlovebecauseitisperfectlove.Itinspiresustobemorelovinginourlives.Justreadingandinternalizingthisawarenessisastepforward.Soismeditation,aswellaspracticingtheStumblingBlockDetox(seethispage)andtheLettingGotechnique(seethispage).Alltheseexerciseshelpustofreeourselvesfromold,limitingbeliefsandemotionsthatareblocksanddistractions.Wecanreallyonlyfeeloursparkwhenwearestillandcalm.
I’mnotspeaking“intheory.”Assomeonewhohasbeenthroughthefire,sotospeak,andmadeittotheotherside,Iknowit’snecessarytokeepmovingforward.Andyoukeepmovingforwardbyrealizingthatthereissomethinginsideyouthatcangiveyouenergyanddirectionwhenyoudon’tthinkyouhaveany.Andremember,thereisnothingwrongwithdoing,nothingwrongwithaccomplishinggrandgoals,oreventryingtohaveitall,butnomatterwhatyoudoordon’tdo,youarealreadyfullyworthy,fullyenough,fullybeautiful.
ToparaphraseMaryPoppins,youarepracticallyperfectineveryway.
CHAPTER6
everyonewemeetisonajourney,too
Peace,Family,andFoodChoices
Peoplearewheretheyareandnotwherewewantthemtobe.Nomatterhowmuchwewishthatourparentsorfriendsatehealthierfoodorlesssugarorprocessedmeatorwhatever,theyhavetomaketheirowndecisions.Andweneedtoaccepttheirdecisions.Itmightmakeusrecoil,butpushingothersprobablymakesthemwanttopushback.MydearfriendandeditorGarytoldmethatwhenhisfriendtellshimnottoeathamburgers,itonlymakeshimwanttoeatthemmore.Therebelliousnessofhumannature!
Aschallengingasitcanbetowitness,wecanreallyonlyrespectothers’
journeyandtheirchoicesandallowthemtheirowndirectexperiencesto
learnwhateverlessonstheyneedtointheirtime.Thisincludesfoodand
diet.Judgingandpreachingoftengetusonlytoaplaceoffrustration.
I’vesharedwithsomerelativesthereasonsthatIencourageeatingplant
foodsandlessmeatanddairy.They’vereadpartsofmybooks,andI’ve
typedupafewpacketsofcustomizedrecipesforthem.I’vecookedfor
them,emailedthemstudiesandarticles.Weevenwatchedtheprovoking
documentaryWhattheHealthtogether.
Thenonenightwhenweweretogetheronavacation,membersofthe
extendedfamilywentoutandboughtabunchofblackened,barbecued
chickenandgravy.Thecharred,carcinogen-filledkindofchickenthatwas
specificallyrecommendedtobeavoidedontheHarvardEatingPlate(a
revisionofthegovernmentfoodrecommendationsbyHarvardUniversity),
whichIhadsharedwiththem.WTF?!Iwasdumbfounded.Didtheynot
understandhowbadthisisforthem?Ihadtoldthemso!
Itriedtoholditin,butIcouldn’thelpask,“I’mjustcurious,formy
ownworkandunderstanding.…Howcouldyouseethatdocumentaryand
knowallyouknownowandstilleatthecharredmeat?”Onerelative
simplysaid,“Ijustdon’tthinkeatingitisthatbad.”
Wow.Simpleasthat.ItwasasclearananswerasIcouldeverhopeor
askfor,anditputanabruptbutsatisfyinglyclearendtotheconversation.
liferecipeGivingloveismorepowerfulforinspiringchangethanjustthrowingmoreinformationatsomeone.Wecanmakelargebatchesofoursmoothiesandfoods,andofferthemupforsharing—andbetotallyokayifthisgestureisnotaccepted.Theactofpeacefulofferingisloveitself.Herearesomegreatshareablerecipes:
» THEGLOWINGGREENSMOOTHIE(akaGGS;thispage).Yes,it’sgreen,andyes,Iknowthatalotofpeople(perhapsincludingsomeofyourfamilymembers!)arescaredofallthingsgreen!YetthisistherecipethathasturnedthousandsandthousandsintoGGSlovers,gettingtheirvitamins,minerals,antioxidants,andaboatloadmorefibereachandeverydaytheydrinkit.Ifsomeoneiswantingandwillingtodrinkafewouncesofit,theymightjustbehookedonthesustainedenergytheyfeelandkeepgoingbacktotheGGSmagic.Mydad,whodidnotgrowupanardentvegetableeater,wouldonlydrinktinyamountsoftheGGSforafewyears,thenallofasudden—onhisown—hestarteddrinking(andloving!)bigglassfuls,whichhenowhasdaily.Peopleneedtodothingsintheirowntime.
» ALLVEGGIECLEANLASAGNAWITHEASYREDSAUCE(thispage).Thoughit’sallveggie,thesauce,plant-basedcheese,andorganic,non-GMOsoycrumbles(ifyouchoosetoincludethem)haveafamiliargooeyandyummytexturethatsomelovedonesmightenjoy.Thisdishmightbeaniceintrotonondairyandnonmeatrecipealternatives.
» ENERGIZINGPISTACHIOHEMPSEEDCUCUMBERSALADWITHORANGEZEST(thispage).Thissaladissodeliciousthatnon-salad-lovinglovedonesmightjustjumponthesaladbandwagon…atleastforthisone.Theymightbeshockedathowtastysaladcanbewithoutshreddedcheese,bottledsaladdressings,friedcroutons,andsoon.Italsointroducessomeinterestingingredients,suchasomega-3-richhempseeds,whichmightsparksomecuriositythatexpandsintonewfoodingredients.Ornot.Eitherway,it’sallgood!
Ifinallygotit.NomatterhowpassionatelyIbelieveinmydietary
philosophy,Ican’tmakethemoranyoneelseseeitthatway.EvenifI
believesostronglyinmyheartthatdrinkingGlowingGreenSmoothiesand
eatingveggiesishealthy,andthatcharred,processedmeatsarenothealthy
andshouldbeavoided—backingitupwithmedicalstudiesandnutritional
evidence—itwasn’tthewayitappearedtothem.
Everyonehasarighttoliveastheychoose.Nomatterhowmanyfood
factsorstudieswethrowatanyone,itmaynevergetthemtoagreewith
us.Weallsimplyhavedifferentperspectives.
NowIdon’tfeelanypressuretotrytopersuadetheserelativestoeat
healthier,andIamsuretheyarealsothrilledthatIhaveletitgo.Istill
offertosharehealthydishesImakewhenwearetogether,butI’vegiven
uppushing.Onamorerecentvisit,theyateasausageandpepperonipizza
fordinnerwhileIhadmyveggiebeansoupandsalad.Andwehadareally
niceconversationaboutallkindsoftopics,noneofthemnutritionrelated.
Sowhat’sthetakeawayfromthisstory?Focusonwhat’swithinyour
power.Don’ttrytoteachbypreaching.Itrarelyworks,andoftengetsyou
onlytoaplaceoffrustration.Instead,leadbyexample.Youwillexude
energyandvitalityifyoufeelgoodwithinyourselfandaboutwhatyouare
eating,andthatismorepowerfulthananythingyoucaneversay.Ifanyone
asksyouaboutyourdiet,youcansimplytellthemthatyoufeelgreat
eatingthisway,orthatitworksbetterforyourdigestion.Whocanargue
withthat?Noneedtospeakaboutitfurther,unlessyougenuinelythink
someonewouldliketoknowmore.
Ifyouliveyourlifeinahealthyandfaithfulway,well,yourlifeisoften
likeaseedthatcantakerootinanother’sheart.Theseedmaygrowinto
somethingextraordinary,andothertimesitdoesn’t.Still,betheseed.
DealingwithBitchinessWhenothersaremean,downrightbitchy,orcuttingtowardyou,
Whenothersaremean,downrightbitchy,orcuttingtowardyou,
rememberthattheirissuesarealwayswiththemselves.Makeaclear
separationbetweentheirbehaviorandyourfeelingsaboutit.Their
behaviortellsyoumoreaboutthem,andhowyoureactinthesesituations
letsyouknowmoreaboutyou.
We’reallsofocusedonourownjourneysthatwesometimesforgetthat
it’snotallaboutus.ScottishauthorIanMaclarensumsitupwellwiththis
quote:“Bekind,foreveryoneyoumeetisfightingahardbattle.”Weall
dealwithcrappynegativeemotionsandstruggletofeelbalancedandhappy
attimes.
Itfeelshorribletogetthecoldshoulderorbetreatedinameanor
unpleasantway,yetit’sagreatopportunitytostrengthenourcompassion
muscle.Ifsomeoneisactinglikethat,theymustsurelybeinpainand
suffering,andtheycouldusesomelove.Holdingthespaceofloveallows
youtostayconnectedtoyourselfandtothem,ratherthanbecoming
disconnectedalongsidethem.
Sometimeago,Igaveatalkonwellnessandnoticedthatanother
wellnessspeakerIknowwasintheaudience.Icouldn’thelpbutbeaware
ofherpresence,aswellasthefactthatherheadwasburiedinheriPhone
thewholetime.Shedidn’tevenlookupwhenItriedtogiveherashout-
outduringmytalk!Maybeshewashavingabadday.Maybeshewas
feelinganxiousorjealousorsomeothernegativefeeling.Maybeshewas
justplainbored.Whoknows?DidIeverlearnwhysheactedthisway?
No.WhatIdoknowisthatherbehaviordidn’thaveanythingtodowith
me,andtherewasnothingIcouldhavedonetocontrolitorchangeit.I
justgavethebesttalkIcould.Sowhileitadmittedlyannoyedmeabit,I
justshruggeditoff.Isawherataneventmonthslater,andImadeapoint
togoupandgiveherahugehugbeforeshecouldwriggleaway.Initially
I’msureshewasprobablydyingtoescape,butthenIfeltherphysically
starttosoften.Love(andhugs!)isthebestwaytodealwithmean,rude,or
annoyingsituations.
Neverletothersthrowyouoffcourse,andiftheydo,don’tkeep
replayingthenegativitybytellingthestoryofwhathappenedwithso-and-
sotoyourfriendsoverandoveragain.Takeadeepbreathandshakeitoff.
Stayconnectedtoyourpurpose.Youcan’tcontrolothers’moodswingsor
thewaystheydealwithnegativefeelings,butyoucancontrolyourown
energyandriseabove.Foraglimpseofwhatpeacedoesn’tlooklike,check
outsomeclipsofpopular,drama-filledrealityshows.Thesegiveusthegift
ofinspiringus,shallwesay,togoinanotherdirection.
Don’ttakeeveryoneelse’swordsandexpressionssoseriously.Your
acquaintance’sbitchyrestingfaceisn’tnecessarilytherebecauseshethinks
yousaidsomethingstupid,itcouldbebecausesheisthinkingaboutthe
fightshejusthadwithherboyfriend.Ormaybeyourcoworkerwasabit
snappyinheremailtodaybecauseshewasupsetafterjustlearningthatshe
lostthebidonthehouseshehadherheartseton.Whoknowswhatis
flittingthroughpeople’sminds?Wecan’t.Sotheonlythingtodoistolet
itallgowithoutoveranalyzing.
Youcanstillbestrong,andholdhealthyboundaries,yetkeepthemina
lovingandcompassionateway.Wejustneedtorealizethatpeopleare
wheretheyareontheirjourneys,andthey,too,experiencebumpsand
breakdownsontheirimperfectroadsoflife.Givethemspace,helpwhen
youcan,andstayfocusedonwhatiskindandbeautiful.
lifedetoxrecipeGiveyourselfsupportivefoodsthatcanhelpyoufeelgroundedintheswirloflifeandwhilebeingaroundotherpeople’senergies.Herearesomegreatrecipesforthis:
» NATURE’SCOMPLETEPROTEINSMOOTHIE(thispage).Thissmoothiecontainsveryspecialfortifyingingredientssuchasbeepollenandhempseeds.Itsuppliesyouwitheverythingfromcompleteproteins,antioxidants,enzymes,andBvitaminstoelectrolytes,free-radical-scavengingvitaminE,andmore.Drinkthisintheafternoonandhavemoreenergyfortherestofyourdaytostaystrongonyourlife’sjourney.
» NO-FILTER-NEEDED-SELFIESMOOTHIE(thispage).Youdoyou,andletyourinnerglowshinethrough.Youcan’tworryaboutwhatothersarethinking.Thissmoothieispackedwithmangoforglow-enhancingvitaminCandantioxidants,aswellashealthyomega-3fatsfromthechiaseeds,blood-cleansingturmeric,anddigestion-enhancingmint.
» BELLYFEELGOODSMOOTHIE(thispage).Sometimes,people’smeancommentsoractionsmakeyourstomachturn.Intheprocessoflettingitgo(becauseweknowit’sbetterforourhealthandenergy,notbecausewhattheysaidordidisokay),weneedtobesuretosupportourguthealth.Thissmoothiecontainspapaya,whichisfullofenzymesthatsupportgooddigestion;ginger,whichisalsoagreatdigestive;andpineapple,whichisfullofenzymesincludingbromelain,whichhelpstosootheandreduceinflammationandfurtherpromotesdigestion.Bellyfeelgoodindeed!
ClosingThoughtsonLifeMyviewsoflife,time,andpurposehavechangeddramaticallywiththe
passingofmyincrediblemother,Sally,onMarch29,2017.Shewasthe
onewhocarriedmeintolife,andhertransitionrockedmyworld.
AlthoughIknowononelevelthatweareallgoingtodie,shewassucha
strongforcethatwhenshemovedontothenextlife,itseemedsurreal.I
curledupnexttoherinthehospitalbedassheslowlytookherlastbreath.
Ifeelherlovingpresenceevenmoreinmylifethanwhenshewasinher
physicalbody.Somehow,herpassingpromptedmetoexperiencean
enormouspersonalexpansion,whatIcandescribeasa“crackingopen.”
enormouspersonalexpansion,whatIcandescribeasa“crackingopen.”
Myheartbegantotrulyunlockforthefirsttimeinmylife.
Lovefeelsmorepowerful.Morethananything,Inowtrulyrealizethat
ultimatelyloveisthethingthatmattersmost,andtheonlythingthatlasts.
I’vedoneintenseself-reflectionsincemymompassed,cleaningupthe
negativefeelingsIhadinsideofme,aswellasdispellingthestoriesand
triggersthatwerepresentinmylife.Imadeacommitmentthatgoing
forwardIwouldfocusonprojectingthemostpositiveenergyand
supportingeveryoneIcouldreachinadeeperway.
WhileItoyedwiththeideaofachildren’snutritionbookandseveral
otherprojects,thesubjectmatterofthisbookwastheonlythingthatfelt
authenticformetowriteaboutatthistime.
Beyondthemessinessoflife,underneathitall,thereisperfection.Our
truevalueisnotinwhatwedo,butitliesinourbeingconnectedto
ourselvesandothersandlivingfromourhearts.Nomatterwhatourouter
shell(body)lookslike,nomatterhowmuchorhowlittlemoneywehave,
orwhatweachieveordon’tinlife,ourlovabilityandvalidityisalways
intact.Assimpleasitsounds,it’sajourneytorealizethis.
Isincerelyhope,withgreatlove,thattheofferingofthisbookisof
assistancetoyouonyourpersonaljourney.Therearenolimitstothe
potentialweallhavetogrowinlove,connection,andjoy.It’sallthere
already,deepdowninsideofus,justwaitingtoawaken.
II
RecipesNowthatwe’vedelvedintothephilosophybehind“perfectlyimperfect”inPartI,it’stimetodigintosomedeliciousfood!Acceptingouramazingselves,justasweare,includesdetoxingblocksthatarephysical,emotional,andpsychological.Howweeatcansupporthealingonalltheselevels.Andalltheserecipesaredesignedtobecleansingandrejuvenatinginvariousways.
Furthermore,alloftheserecipesare:
» BASEDONWHOLEFOODS.Fromzucchinitoquinoa,workingfromscratchwithabevyof
nutrient-densewholefoodsiswhattheserecipesarebasedin.Thereareonlyafewexceptions,suchasperfectlyimperfectvegancheese,soyoucanenjoytheserecipesknowingyouaresupportingyourwholenesswithwholefoods!
» 100PERCENTPLANT-BASED.Plantfoodsarethemostnutrient-dense,nourishingfoodsonthe
planet,andonlyplantfoodscontaincleansingfiber!Whileyoudon’thavetobe100percentplant-basedifyouchoosenottobeatthistime,inthespiritofmymantra“Progress,notperfection,”theclosertoanallplant-baseddietyoueat,themorecleansedandlighterinyourbodyyouwillfeel,asyougainstrength,increasedenergy,beautifulskinandhair,andmorefocus.Besidestheastoundingnutritionofplantfoods,eatingplantbasedisacompassionate,lovingwayto
eatforourselvesandforMotherNature,ourenergy(whichabsorbsandintegrateswhatweeat),andourfellowanimals.
» 100PERCENTGLUTEN-FREE.Glutencanbedifficultformanytodigest,soallrecipesarefreeof
wheat,barley,andrye,aswellasproductsthatcontainthem,likeregularsoysauce.
» PROPERLYFOODCOMBINED.Properlycombiningyourfoodscanleadtomoreenergy;healthier,
moreglowingskin;aneasiertimelosingweightandslimmingdown;andmorementalclarity.Why?Becausedigestionisaveryenergy-intensiveprocess,andifwestrategicallymakedigestioneasieronourbodieswiththecombinationsoffoodsweeatatthesametime,wecanfreeuplargeamountsofourownvitalenergy.Forinstance,wedon’tcombinedenseproteins(likealmonds)inasaladwithsweetfruit(likeblueberries),becausethefruitdigestsmuchfasterthantheprotein,anditcouldgetstuckinyourstomach,creatingatrafficjamandtheensuingbloatthatfollows.Foralltheinformationonfoodcombiningyoucouldeverwant,pleasecheckoutmyfirstbook,TheBeautyDetoxSolution.Inthemeantime,restassuredthatallrecipesinthisbookareproperlyfoodcombined,soyouhavenothingtoworryabout.
HerearesomeotherthingsIwanttohighlightinthissection:
WhyOurRecipesContainNoGarlicandLimitedOnion
Thismaycomeasasurprisetomylong-termreaders,consideringthat
garlicandonionsarecitedassomeofmytop“beautyfoods”inmysecond
book,TheBeautyDetoxFoods,andmypriorrecipescontainedthesevery
ingredientssooften!Tobeclear,thesefoodshavedefinitelybeenshownto
havebenefitsforourphysicalhealth,includinggarlic’spositiveeffecton
cardiovascularhealth,andtheflavonoidantioxidantquercetinandvitamin
Efoundwithinonions.
I’mconstantlylearningmyself,andthemoreIgoalong,themoremy
workexpandsbeyondjustfoodsandtheirphysicaleffectonthebodytoa
holisticlifestyleapproachthatinvolvesourpsychological,mental,and
spiritualwellness.
InAyurvedicphilosophy,onionsandgarlicaredescribedaspromotinga
rajasictemperament,whichisahyperactive,restlessstate.WhenIstudied
yoga,Ilearnedthatsomegreatyogamasters,includingYogananda,
recommendedreducingthesefoodsinordertokeepthemindcalmerfor
meditation.AndwhenIwastravelinginIndia,IlearnedthattheJain
religionstrictlyforbidsconsumingonionsorgarlic.
Idecidedtogiveitatryandhavebeenpurposelyavoidinggarlicand
onionsinmyowndiet(exceptatrestaurants,wheretheysometimessneak
in!)andmyrecipes.Ifeelcalmeringeneralmyself,andsoIkeepfinding
waystoflavorfoodswithoutthem.Therearestillonionsinsomeofthese
recipes,whenIfeltitreallyaddedsomething,thoughItotallynixedthe
garlic.Youcantryeliminatingthemyourselfandseeifyounoticea
differenceinyourtemperament,increasedcalmness,andaneasiertime
goingdeeperinyourmeditations!
TheImportanceofWholeGrains
Itcanbeconfusingwhenthereareconflictingthingsyouhear,suchas
wholegrainsaregreatforyouand,ontheotherhand,youshouldavoidall
grains—evenintheirwholeform!It’sliterallytheoppositeadvicecoming
fromdifferentfactionsofexperts.Incaseslikethese,it’simportanttotake
astepbackandlookatthebiggerpicture.Firstofall,billionsaroundthe
worldlivelong,healthylivesonagrain-baseddiet.
IntheOkinawaCentenarianStudy,researchersfoundthatricewasa
dietarystaplebeforeWesterninfluencein1949.Afterthatpoint,however,
whenOkinawansbeganconsuminglessriceasaproportionoftheir
calories,theirhealthcollectivelydeclinedanddiseasebecamemore
prevalent.AndwhenaHarvardresearchteamstudiedmorethan110,000
healthymenandwomenforabouttwenty-fiveyears,theydiscoveredthat
thosewhoavoidedwholegrainsingeneralhadanincreasedriskofheart
disease.
Idorecommendincludinggluten-freewholegrains,suchasquinoaand
millet(whichareactuallybothseedsbuttreatedasgrains),brownrice,
oats,teff,andamaranthaspartofabalanceddiet.Suchgrainsareagreat
sourceofenergy,minerals,vitamins,andprotein.Ialsorecommend
avoidinggluten,whichisaproteinfoundinwheat,barley,andrye,asit
canbedifficultformanytodigestandleadtomoreseriousissuesinthose
withceliacdisease.
Often,whenonetriestoavoidgrains,theyendupgoingheavyon
animalprotein.Andweknowfromagreatbodyofresearchthatdietsthat
arehighinanimalfatandproteincorrelatestronglywithhigherratesof
disease,includingheartdiseaseandcanceroftheprostate,breast,and
colon.Excessiveanimalproteinputsaheavyburdenondigestion,whichis
energyexhaustiveandtaxestheliverandkidneys.Astudyinthejournal
CellMetabolismfoundthatapersonwithhighanimal-proteinconsumption
(meaningover20percentofcaloriescomefrommeat)isfourtimesmore
likelytodiefromcancer,asimilarratetothatofcigarettesmokers.
Ultimately,mygoalisnottopreachor“win”anykindofargumentor
debatewithproponentsofhigheranimal-food-baseddiets.Eachofusmust
listentoourownbodiesandheartsandwhatwefeelistrueandbest.My
intentionforthisdiscussionissimplytoofferhowIfeel—thatawhole
food,plant-baseddietincludingvegetables,fruit,nuts,seeds,legumes,and
gluten-freegrainsisabeautifulandpowerfullyrejuvenatingwaytosupport
ourhighesthealthandvitality.
OrganicSoyIsOkayinModeration
Soybeanshavebeenconsumedbyhumansforthousandsofyears.They
originatedinSoutheastAsiaandwerefirstdomesticatedbyChinesefarmers
about1100BC.TheystartedtobegrowninJapanandothercountriesby
thefirstcenturyADandhavebeenamainstayinmanyAsianculturessince
then.
Soybeansarearichsourceofprotein,yieldingmoreproteinperacreof
landthananyothercrop.Soybeansarealsohighinmineralslikeiron,
manganese,phosphorus,copper,potassium,magnesium,zinc,selenium,and
calcium.Theyareabundantinessentialvitamins,includingriboflavin,
folate,vitaminB6,vitaminK,thiamin,andvitaminC.Evenamongplant
foods,soybeansareoneofthehighestsourcesoffiberavailable.
Whenweconsumesoy,itabsolutelymustbeorganicandnon-GMOto
preventfurthercontaminationofourfoodsupplybygeneticallymodified
organisms.Wholesoyfoodsarethekindswecanconsume(aslongasyou
don’thaveasoyallergy,ofcourse),whichareminimallyprocessed,sothey
retainthemostnutritionalbenefits.Wholesoyoptionsincludetofuand
edamame,aswellastempeh,miso,andnatto,madeoffermentedcooked
soybeans.Tamari,agluten-freesoysaucewhichistheliquidby-product
thatformswhenmakingmisopaste,isalsookaytoconsume.Whatwe
mustavoidarehighlyprocessedsoyproducts,suchastheonesincludedin
junkfood,likesoyproteinisolates,soybeanoil,andsoon.
InTheBeautyDetoxSolution,Irecommendedconsumingtempehand
misoinmoderation.Sowhatchangedfrommyfirstbooktonow,andwhy
amIokaywithconsumingmoretofu,whichisnotaprocessedformofsoy,
yetstillnotoneofmyoriginalfermentedforms?Becauseofnewerresearch
andinvestigatingthevalidityoftheanti-soyinformation.
Soyhasbeenaccusedofcontainingestrogen.Itdoesn’t;soycontains
phytoestrogens,whicharehealthycompoundsfoundinotherantioxidant-
richplantfoods.(Dairymilkdoescontainrealestrogen,however.)
Anotherpopularmythisthatsoynegativelyalterssexhormonesinmen,
contributingtothedreaded“manboobs.”However,inseveralstudies
examiningsoyproteinorisoflavonesupplementation,therewereno
significantchangesintestosterone,freetestosterone,estrogen,sex-
hormone-bindingglobulinprotein,orsemenqualityofthemenstudied.
Okay,okay—butwhataboutsoy’snegativeeffectsonthyroidor,worse,
cancer?InoneextensiveresearchsummarypublishedinthejournalThyroid
thatanalyzedtheresultsoffourteenclinicaltrials,itwasconcludedthatin
healthy,iodine-repleteindividuals,neithersoyfoodsnorisoflavones
adverselyaffectthyroidfunction.
Therehasbeenbackandforthontheconnectionbetweensoyandbreast
cancer,butarecent,sizablestudyinvolvingover6,200womenwithbreast
cancerbetween1995and2015has“putthatargumenttorest,”according
toDr.OmerKucuk,amedicaloncologistatEmoryUniversity’sWinship
CancerInstitute,whohasstudiedsoyisoflavones.Infact,the2017study,
publishedinthejournalCancer,foundthatsoywasactuallyassociatedwith
adecreasedriskofdeathrelatedtobreastcancer.
TherearetwotothreedailyservingsofsoyinthetraditionalJapanese
diet,delivering25to50milligramsofisoflavones(phytoestrogens)perday,
whichappearstohaveprotectivebenefits,accordingtoresearchpublished
intheAmericanJournalofClinicalNutrition.
Overall,anentirebookcouldbewrittendispellingthemanymyths
aboutsoy.Ofcourse,thatdoesn’tmeanI’mnotconcernedaboutGMO
soy(whichisrampantandshouldbeavoided),orhighlyprocessedsoy
foods(alsopopularandtobeavoided).Mypositionisnowsimplythat
someorganic,whole,soy-basedfoodscanbeapartofahealthydiet.
ChooseOrganicWheneverPossible!
Choosingorganicissuperimportantforourtruehealth,aswellastheentire
planet.Inordertobeourmosthealthy,radiant,beautiful,andenergetic
selves,weneedtoavoidexposuretotoxicchemicals.Nonorganic
agricultureusesbillionsofpoundsofchemicalpesticidesandherbicides
annually.
Besides,organicallygrownfoodsaremoreflavorfulandcontainmore
nutrients,includingmorevitamins,minerals,enzymes,andmicronutrients,
thancommerciallygrownfoods.TheJournalofAlternativeandComplementary
Medicineconductedareviewofforty-onepublishedstudiescomparingthe
nutritionalvalueoforganicallygrownandconventionallygrownfruits,
vegetables,andgrains,andconcludedthattherearesignificantlymoreof
certainnutrients,includingiron,vitaminC,phosphorus,andmagnesium,in
organicfoodscrops.
Organicfoodsalsocannotbetamperedwithforgeneticengineering(GE)
ormadeintoGMOfoods,ofwhichwefullyunderstandthedetrimental
andlong-termrepercussions.
Choosingorganicisalsothebestthingtodotosupportfarmingthatisin
harmonywithnature,whichincludescroprotationforhealthiersoil,more
biodiversity,andbettersupportforthelargerecosystem.Ithelpstoreduce
pollutionandprotectsourwaterandsoilfromagriculturalchemicals,
pesticides,andfertilizersthatcontaminateourenvironmentandallthe
otherspeciesthatalsocallEarththeirhomeaswell.
Ifbudgetisanoption,pleaseconsulttheEnvironmentalWorking
Group’s(www.ewg.org)listoftheDirtyDozenandtheCleanFifteenfor
guidanceonthemostimportantfoodstoputyourdollarstoward.
FREQUENTLYUSEDINGREDIENTSANDWHERETOFINDTHEM
Someingredientsusedinourrecipesmightbelessfamiliar.Iwanttobe
suretohighlighttheminthissectionsoyoucanstartfeelingcomfortable
(i.e.,becomefriends!)withthem.Iincludesomeinformationonwhythey
arespecialandtipsonwheretofindthemforyourownkitchen.
ACAI.Acaiberriesaresuperhighinantioxidants,vitaminC,detoxifying
fiber,andmineralssuchaspotassiumandcalcium,andarenaturallysugar-
free.Acaicanbepurchasedinsmoothiepacketsinthefrozen-fruitsection.
Myfavoritebrand,whichI’vebeenusingforyears,istheSambazon
unsweetenedvariety.
ALMONDBUTTER.Almondsareanexcellentbeautyfood,fullofminerals,
antioxidants,vitaminE,andprotein.Youcanfindalmondbutterinthe
nut-buttersectionofmarkets,orevenmadefreshatyourlocal
supermarket!
ALMONDFLOUR.Thisgluten-freeflourishighinfiberandprotein,which
benefitsdigestionandhealthyweightloss.Italsopromoteshearthealthand
energylevels,andcanbefoundinthebakingsectionwithotherfloursor
online.
ALMONDMILK.AgreatsourceofcalciumandvitaminE.Madefromblending
themightyalmondwithwaterandthensqueezingoutthepulp,itreduces
bloodpressure,strengthensmuscles,andimproveskidneyhealth.Itiseasy
toprepareyourself(seethispage)ortosourceatagrocerystoreinthe
milkssection.
ALOEJUICE.Sourcedfromthesuperresilient,beautifulaloeplant,thisjuiceis
extremelyhydratingandhighlyalkaline.Itimprovesliverfunctionandaids
inriddingthebodyoftoxicwaste.Italsocontainsenzymesthathelpbreak
downfatsandsugarstoimprovedigestion.Aloejuicecanbefoundata
healthmarketoronline.
ANISEEDS.Theseseedsaresimilarinflavortolicoricerootandregulateblood
sugar,blockthegrowthoffungusandbacteria,andhavebeenused
medicinallytoaidindigestiveandhormonalproblems.Aniseedscanbe
foundinthespicesectionofmarketsoronline.
ARROWROOTPOWDER.Thisrootstarchactsasathickenerandisanimportant
ingredientingluten-freebakingrecipes.Ithasbeenknowntoboost
immunefunctionandfightfoodborneallergens.Youcanfindthisinthe
bakingsectionofyourlocalhealthfoodstoreoronline.
ASHWAGANDHA.Thisisapowerfulrejuvenatingherbthathastheabilityto
relievestressandprotectbraincellsagainsttheeffectsofourfast-paced
lifestyle.What’sevenmorespecialaboutashwagandhaisthatitdoesnot
actasastimulant.Thisherbcanmosteasilybesourcedathealthfood
marketsoronline.Alongwithotherherbs,it’simportanttosourceonly
organic.
BEEPOLLEN.Beepollenisapproximately25percentcompletebioavailable
protein(50percentmoreproteinbyweightthanbeef).Inaddition,bee
pollenprovidesmorethanadozenvitamins,includingBvitamins,twenty-
eightminerals,enzymesorcoenzymes,beneficialfattyacids,and
antioxidants.Thebestplacetogetbeepollenisfromalocal,ethical
beekeeperwhotreatshisorherbeeswithloveandcare!
BLACKPEPPER.SeeFreshlygroundblackpepper(versuspreground).
BROWNRICEFLOUR.Thisflourisanutritious,naturallygluten-freealternative
towhiteflour.Itisrichiniron,fiber,vitaminB,manganese,andprotein.If
youhavenotyettriedbrownriceflour,youwillfindithasafuller,nuttier
flavorthanwheatflour.Itcanbefoundatyourlocalhealthfoodstorein
thebakingsection.
CACAO.Cacaoistherawformofthecacaobean,whichislessprocessed—
andhaspowerfulantioxidanteffectsandhealthbenefits.Cacaoalso
containsanandamide,aneurotransmittercalledthe“blissmolecule.”You
maychoosetopurchasecacaoatanyhealthfoodstoreoronline.Besureto
sourceorganic!
CARDAMOM.Thisspiceisexcellentformuscleandjointpainand
gastrointestinaldisorders.Theoilsandbiochemicalsincardamomarealso
extremelydetoxifying.Youcanfindpodsaswellasgroundcardamomin
thespicesection.Forourrecipeshere,weareusingground.
CASHEWS.Cashewsareahealthysourceofdietaryfat,whichmeansthey
promotehearthealthandlowerbadcholesterol.Theyarealsohighin
magnesium,whichaidsinthedevelopmentofmuscles,bones,andorgans.
Youcanfindtheminthenutsandseedssectionofmarkets.
CHIASEEDS.Chiaseedsanincredible,cleansourceofomega-3fattyacids.
Theyhaveexcellentcleansinganddetoxifyingproperties,aswellasthe
abilitytohelpmaintainbloodsugarlevelsandaidinweightloss.Theyalso
offerprotein,antioxidants,vitamins,andavarietyofminerals,likecalcium.
Youcanfindchiaseedsatmanymarketstodayinthenutsandseeds
sectionoronline.
CINNAMON.Cinnamonisapotentrejuvenatingspicethatcanboost
metabolism,helpstabilizebloodsugar,curesugarcravingsbetweenmeals,
andcontrolbloodsugarlevels.Itisfullofantioxidantsthatprotectthe
bodyfromoxidativedamageandreduceinflammation.Youcanfind
cinnamoninthespicesection.
COCONUTFLAKES.Coconutflakesareagreattoppingthatcreateacrunchy
textureandcontainasmallamountofphosphorus,iron,carbs,andprotein.
Youcansourcetheminthebakingsectionofmarketsoronline.Lookfor
unsweetenedvarieties.
COCONUTMILK.Thisrich,fattyplantmilkderivesfromtheamazingcoconut.
Itcontainsbeneficialfattyacidssuchaslauricacid,whichhelpincrease
energylevelsandlowerbloodpressure.Itsmedium-chaintriglycerideshelp
provideenergyandburnfat.Youcanfindcoconutmilkinthemilks
section,intheaislewithothercartonsofplantmilks,orintheAsian
sectionofgrocerystores.
COCONUTNECTAR.Thissweetsyrupcontainsuptoseventeenaminoacids,an
abundanceofminerals,andvitaminsBandC.Itisalsolowonthe
glycemicindexandverylowinfructoseincomparisontootherliquid
sweeteners(suchasagave).Youcanfindcoconutnectarinthegrocery
store(lookintheaislewithothersyrupsandhoney)oronline.
COCONUTOIL.Thisoilisexcellentforhigh-heatcookingasithasahigher
smokepoint,meaningitretainsitsintegrityathighertemperatures,and
won’tbreakdownandcreatefreeradicals.Itcanevenboostdigestionand
energyasitcontainsshort-andmedium-chainfattyacids.Youcanfinditat
thegrocerystorenexttoothercookingoils.Lookforunrefined,virgin,
organicvarieties.
COCONUTSUGAR.Thisisagreatalternativetowhitegranulatedsugarbecause
itismuchlowerontheglycemicindex.Itispackedwithvitamins,
minerals,andphytonutrientsandcanbefoundatyourlocalhealthfood
storenexttotheothersugars.
COCONUTYOGURT.Thisdairy-freealternativeispackedwithprobiotics
(though,aswithallyogurts,itdoesnotreplaceanexcellentprobiotics
supplement)andisagreatsourceofbone-buildingcalcium.Youcanfindit
intherefrigeratedyogurtsection.
CORIANDER.Theessentialoilsofborneolandlinaloolincorianderhelpto
promotedigestionandproperliverfunction.Ayurvedaalsobelievesitis
beneficialincreatingbeautifulskinandhealthyhair.Youcanfindground
corianderinthespicesectionofthemarket.
CRANBERRIES.Cranberriesactasanaturaldiureticbystimulatingyourkidneys
toflushexcessivefluidsoutofyourbody,therebyhelpingtoprevent
bloatingandexcesswaterweight.Thisberryisalsofullofantioxidants.For
thetwowayscranberriesareusedintheserecipes,youcansourcethem
driedinthedriedfruitaisleorbulkbins,andalsofrozeninthefrozenfruit
section.
CUMIN.AccordingtoAyurveda,cuminisanexcellentspiceforimproving
digestionandeliminatingtoxins.Youcanfindgroundcumininthespice
section.Wholecuminseedscanalsobesourcedinthespiceaisle,though
theyareabitmorerare,andcanalsobefoundonline.
DATES.Medjooldatesareagreatsourceoffiber,calcium,andarealsorich
incopper,animportantmineralthatthebodyusestohelpabsorbiron,
formcollagenandredbloodcells,createahealthynervoussystem,and
generateenergy.Datescanbefoundinthedried-fruitaisleofmarketsor,
sometimes,intheproducesection.
FIGS.Thetinyseedsoffigsarepackedwithnutrientsthathelpcleansethe
digestivetractoftoxinsandmucus.Excessmucusinthedigestivetract
preventsyourbodyfromabsorbingvitalnutrients,sointegratingfigsisa
must!Figscanbefoundinthedried-fruitsectionofmarketsoronline.
FLAXOIL.Thisoilispackedwithhealthyomega-3sandfattyacidsthat
promotehearthealth,improvemood,anddecreaseinflammation.Flaxoil
canquicklyoxidizeandneedstoberefrigerated.Youcanfinditatyour
localhealthfoodstoreintherefrigeratedsection.
FRESHLYGROUNDBLACKPEPPER.Freshlygroundblackpepperaidsinhealthy
digestionbecauseitincreasesthehydrochloricacidinthestomach.Itis
preferabletogetapeppergrinderandgrindyourpeppercornsfreshinto
recipesformoreflavor,andtopreventthenaturaloilsfromgoingrancid.
Checkoutpeppergrindersandpeppercornsathome-goodsstoresand
groceries.
GARBANZOBEANFLOUR(AKACHICKPEAFLOUR).Thisexcellentgluten-freeflouris
madefromgroundchickpeasandishighinprotein,fiber,andiron.Itacts
asanexcellentbinderinrecipes,eliminatingtheneedforprocessedegg
replacers.It’sinexpensiveandessentialtomakeallthesedeliciousPerfectly
Imperfectrecipes!Lookforgarbanzobeanflourinthebakingsectionof
markets;ifyouhavetroublesourcingitlocally,youcanalwaysorderit
online.
GOJIBERRIES.Thisrenownedberryispackedwithantioxidants,Bvitamins,
andpolysaccharides,haseighteenkindsofaminoacids,andisarichsource
ofpotassiumandfiber.Theberriescontainadaptogensthatincreaseour
resistancetostress,anxiety,andfatigue.Youcanfindgojiberriesatyour
localhealthfoodstoreorinAsianmarkets.It’sfuntogotoChinatownto
findgojiberries!
GUARGUM.Thisgluten-freeandveganpowderismadefromguarbeansand
isusedforthickeningandstabilizingingredientsingluten-freebaking.Itis
alsolowincaloriesandhighinfiber.Itisagreatalternativetoother
emulsifyingagentssuchascarrageenan.Youcanfindthisingredientinthe
bakingsectionofahealthfoodstore.
HEMPMILK.Hempmilkismadefromtheseedsofthehempplantandisa
fantasticplant-basedmilktorotatein.Hempcontainsskin-,heart-,and
brain-supportingomega-3fattyacids,protein,vitamins,andmineralssuch
aszinc.Youcanfinditinthemilkssectionofthemarket,ortrymaking
yourown(seethispage).
HEMPSEEDS.Hempseedsareanincrediblerejuvenationfood.Theyarea
perfectblendofeasilydigestedprotein,essentialomega-3fats,gamma
linolenicacid(GLA),antioxidants,fiber,iron,calcium,zinc,carotene,and
vitamins.Hempseedsareusuallyfoundinthenutsandseedssectionatthe
marketorsometimesinthesupplementsection,ortheycanbesourced
online.
KELPNOODLES.Thissea-vegetable-basednoodleisvirtuallycalorie-freeandis
anamazingall-veggienoodlereplacement.ItcontainsvitaminsAandC,as
wellastheBvitaminsandmineralslikemagnesium,calcium,zinc,and
iron.Kelpnoodlesarefoundsuspendedinwaterinlittlebagsinthe
refrigeratedsectionofhealthfoodmarkets,orlookonline.
LEMONS.Lemonsareoneofthemostdetoxifyingfoodsaround.They
containvitaminCandenzymesthatboosttheliver’sfunctionandtissue
regeneration,whichiskeyforcleansingtheliver,ourmaindetoxifying
organ.Youcanfindlemonsatthegrocerystoreor,dependingwhereyou
live,atyourlocalfarmers’market.
MAPLESYRUP.Thissyrupcontainspolyphenolantioxidantsandaddsarich,
sweettaste.Itislowerontheglycemicindexthanwhitegranulatedsugar
oragave.Youcanfindthissyrupintheaislewiththesweeteners.Besure
tosourcepuremaplesyrupoveronesmixedwithinferiorsweetenerslike
high-fructosecornsyrup!
MILLET.Thisincrediblynutritious,fortifyinggrainistechnicallyaseed.It
containsagreatdealofaminoacidstobuildproteininthebody.Italso
containstheimportantnutrientsofmanganese,magnesium,calcium,zinc,
iron,Bvitamins,vitaminsEandK,andfiber.Youcanfindmilletinthe
bulksectionwiththegrains,orinbagsinthegrainandbeansaisle.
MISOPASTE.Misoisanutritious,rejuvenatingfoodthatcontainsprobiotics
andantioxidantsthatpromoteimmunityandbalancegutbacteria.Thetwo
formsweuseintheserecipesarewhitemiso,whichismadefromsoybeans
thathavebeenfermentedalongwithrice,andredmiso,whichhasalonger
fermentationperiod.Misocanbefoundintherefrigeratedsectionofhealth
foodstoresandatAsianmarkets.
NORISEAWEED.Noriisatypeofseaweedthatismadeintohigh-mineral,
virtuallycalorie-freesheetsthatcanbeusedtorollsushiorasthebasefor
simplelittlewraps(liketheAnandaBurritoinTheBeautyDetoxSolution).It
ispackedwithBvitaminsandiodine,calcium,andiron.Noricanbefound
intheAsiansectionathealthfoodstoresoronline.
NUTRITIONALYEAST.Theseyellowflakesboastanextremelyrichsourceof
easilyassimilatedaminoacidstocreateproteininyourbody,overfourteen
keyminerals,andseventeenvitamins,includingtheBvitamins.Itisoften
fortifiedwithB12,whichhelpstocreatestronghair,nails,andskin,and
fightfatigue.Youcanfindnutritionalyeastinthebinsorsupplementaisle
atyourlocalhealthfoodstoreoronline.
OATS.SeeQuick-cookingoats;Steel-cutoats.
ORGANICSOYCRUMBLES.Organicsoycrumblesaregreatfortransitioningthe
dietfromanimalproteintoplantproteinastheyhaveaheartytextureand
arehighinprotein.Besuretosourceallofyoursoyproductsasorganic
andnon-GMO.Youcanfindsoycrumblesalongsidetofuinthe
refrigeratedsectionofthemarket,whichissometimeslabeledthe“Meat
Alternatives”section.
PUMPKINSEEDS.Theseseedsareanexcellentsourceofzinc,sulfur,and
vitaminA.Theyarealsoarichsourceofessentialfattyacidsandcell-
protectingvitaminsC,E,andK.Pumpkinseedssupplyagoodamountof
protein,alongwithmagnesium,calcium,phosphorus,manganese,copper,
andiron.Youcanfindtheminthenutsandseedssection.
QUICK-COOKINGOATS.Theseareanexcellentsourceofapowerfulfibercalled
beta-glucan,whichhelpsreducebloodsugarandcholesterollevels.Oats
arepackedwithmineralsandvitaminssuchaszinc,iron,andfolate!While
long-cookingsteel-cutoatsareagreatcomplex,energizingfuelsource,
quick-cookingoatsareperfectforacrunchiertextureincertainrecipes,
suchasourWholesomeBananaCrisp(thispage).Youcanfindquick-
cookingoatsinthebulksectionorinthecerealaisle.
QUINOA.Quinoaisstrengtheningwithoutbeingheavyordense.Itisagreat
sourceofproteinandcontainsallnineessentialaminoacids.Italsohappens
tobegluten-free,anti-inflammatory,andhighinminerals.Thisgrain-like
seedcanbefoundinthebulksectionorintheaislewiththericeandpasta.
RAWAPPLECIDERVINEGAR(ACV).Thisisaliverandlymphatictonicthatcanhelp
detoxyourbody.Itnotonlyhelpstobalanceyourbody’spH,butitalso
supportselimination,lymphaticdrainage,andlowerbloodsugarlevels.The
bestapplecidervinegarshouldbemadefromcertifiedorganicapplesand
sourcedraw.Itcaneasilybefoundathealthfoodstoresintheoiland
vinegarsection.
SEASALT.Seasaltisminimallyprocessed,soitsabundanceofdozensoftrace
mineralsremainsintactanditispreferableoverdenaturedtablesalt.Look
forseasaltinthespicesection.
SESAMEOIL.InAyurvedicphilosophy,sesameseedoilisconsideredoneof
themostpowerfullywarmingoils,helpingtoboostcirculationand
metabolism.However,sesameseedoilisarich,concentratedsourceof
omega-6fats,whichmostofusgettoomuchof,soweusethisoil
sparingly.LookforsesameoilalongsideotheroilsorintheAsiansectionat
grocerystores.
SESAMESEEDS.Thesetinyseedsareamazingstorehousesofantioxidants,as
wellasarichsourceofvitaminsandminerals,includingzinc,magnesium,
phosphorus,iron,calcium,andvitaminsBandE.Sesameseedscanbe
sourcedinthenutsandseedssectionofmarketsoronline.
SORGHUMFLOUR.ThisflouroriginatedinAfricathousandsofyearsago,and
sorghumisthefifthmostimportantcerealcropintheworld.Sorghum
flour,animportantcomponentoftheKSGluten-FreeFlourMix(this
page),isgluten-free,non-GMO,andlowontheglycemicindex,which
makesiteasilydigestibleandhelpsbalancebloodsugarandfight
inflammation.Itcontainsprotein,iron,fiber,andantioxidants,andcreates
slower,moresustainedenergyburn-off.Lookforitinthebakingsectionof
markets,wheregluten-freeproductsarebecomingmoreprevalent,or
online.
SPIRULINA.Spirulinaisapowerfulrejuvenatingfoodthathelpsusrestoreour
hairandskinhealth,improvesbrainfunction,andboostsimmunityand
overallhealth.Spirulinaisoneofthemostcompletefoodsourcesinthe
world,withoveronehundrednutrientsandgreaterthan60percentprotein
content.Youcansourcespirulinaonlineorinthesupplementor
superfoodssectionofahealthfoodstore.
STEEL-CUTOATS.Steel-cutoatsareminimallyprocessed,beingcutafewtimes
butnotprecooked.Assuch,theytendtoretainahigheramountofprotein
andfiber,andprovidelong-burningenergy.Theysupply7gramsofprotein
per¼cupserving,aswellasfiber,iron,andBvitamins.Steel-cutoatscan
befoundingrocerystoresinthecerealaisleorinthebulksection.
SUNFLOWERSEEDS.TheseseedsarehighinvitaminE,whichridsthebodyof
freeradicalsthatcausecellulardamage.Theyalsocontainselenium,which
promotesDNArepair.Youcansourcesunflowerseedsinthenutsand
seedssectionorinthebulksection.
TAHINI.Tahiniismadefromsesameseeds,whichprovidebothhealthyfats
andessentialaminoacids—thebuildingblocksofprotein.Tahinialso
providesvitaminE,Bvitamins,traceminerals,andfattyacids.Youwill
alsoreceiveyourdailycopper—neededtomaintainnerve,bone,and
metabolichealth.Lookfortahiniinthenut-buttersectionofthemarket.
TAMARI.Thisisagluten-freepremiumsoysaucethathasmorenutrientsand
proteinbecauseofthewayitisfermented.YoucanfinditatAsian
markets,aswellasnexttothetraditionalsoysaucesatthegrocerystore.
TAPIOCAFLOUR.Thisflourhelpsboostenergylevelsandishighiniron,which
increasescirculation.Itisagreatsourceofgluten-freefiber,whichalso
promoteshealthydigestion.Itcanbefoundatyourlocalhealthfoodstore
inthebakingsectionor,ifyouhaveanytroublefindingitthere,online.
TEFFFLOUR.Teffisawonderfulgluten-freegrainthatisfortifyingand
containsagooddealofprotein.Italsocontainsfiberandmineralssuchas
iron,calcium,andmanganese.ItisanimportantingredientinourKS
Gluten-FreeFlourMix(thispage),andisalsousedtomakegluten-free
wraps.Youcanfindthisinthebakingsectionatyourlocalhealthfood
storeoronline.
TEMPEH,NON-GMOORGANIC.Tempehisavitality-supportingfermentedformof
soythatissuperhighinproteinandmoreeasilydigestedandassimilated.It
canbefoundintherefrigeratedsectionofmarkets,nexttotofuand
sometimesmeat,orsometimesinasectionlabeled“MeatAlternatives.”
TOFU,NON-GMOORGANIC.Tofuisanexcellentsourceofplant-basedprotein,
containingallnineessentialaminoacidsaswellasvariousminerals.For
moreinformationonorganicsoy,seethispage.Youcanfindtofuinthe
refrigeratedsection.Itisessentialtopurchaseonlytofuthatislabelednon-
GMOandorganic.
TURMERIC.Thispowerfulfortifyingspiceisanti-inflammatory,duetoa
compounditcontainscalledcurcumin.Ithelpstoprotectourcellular
integrity,cleansetheblood,andcreatehealthybloodflow,whichinturn
givesusglowingskin.Youcanfindgroundturmeric,whichiswhatis
calledforintheserecipes,inthespicesectionofthemarket.
VANILLAEXTRACT.Vanillaextractissourcedfromvanillabeans,whichare
growninavine-likeplantthatclimbsuptrees.Itcontainsantioxidantsthat
protectthebodyandreduceinflammation.Youcanfindvanillaextractin
thebakingsection.
VEGANCHEESE.Vegancheesecanbemadefrompeaprotein,soy,nuts,seeds,
vegetableoils,nutritionalyeast,orflours.Whileitisprocessedandisnota
wholefood,itisstillanexcellenttransitionfoodthatcanbeenjoyed
occasionallyasadairyreplacementy.BrandssuchasDaiyaorFollowYour
Heartarebecomingmoreavailableinthedairysectionofthegrocerystore.
VEGANPROTEINPOWDER.Veganproteinpowderisasuperioroptionoverother
varieties,asitiseasytodigestandassimilate.Ipersonallyrecommendonly
high-qualitynon-GMO,organic,plant-basedoptions.Lookforveganor
plant-basedproteinpowdersinthesupplementsectionofhealthfoodstores
andalsoonline.
YOUNGCOCONUT.Somekeynutrientscontainedincoconutarelauricacid,
iron,potassium,magnesium,andcalcium.Potassiumisanelectrolytethat
helpstofacilitatecellularcleansingandisabouttwiceasconcentratedin
coconutwaterasinabanana.Youcanbuyyoungcoconuts,whichcontain
theirnaturalmeatandwater,intheproducesectionofhealthfoodstoresor
inAsianmarkets.
Acknowledgments
Thegreatestgratitudegoestomyincrediblefriendandeditor,GaryJansen.
Gary,thankyousomuchforhelpingmeorganizemyideas,guidingthis
booktohowitistoday,believingstronglyinmeandmywork,andontop
ofallthat,simplybeingaclosefriendwhoIlovesomuch.Ihavethe
deepestrespectforyourbrillianceandbright,sensitivespirit.Youarethe
best!Thankyou,thankyou.
AndanenormousroundofthankstoAaronWehner,DianaBaroni,
TammyBlake,ChristinaFoxley,BrianneSperber,PatriciaShaw,Jennifer
Wang,MarysarahQuinn,StephanieHuntwork,AshleyHong,Heather
Williamson,andalltheotheramazingmembersontheHarmonyPenguin
RandomHouseteam,foryourcollaborationandbeliefinme,andfor
bringingthisbookoutintotheworld.
InfinitegratitudegoestomySollunateam,especiallyJohnPisani,my
long-termbusinesspartner.John,thankyouforbeingarockofsupport,
love,andwisdom,always.Iloveyouback.AndthankyoutomyGoddess
teammembers,especiallyKatelynHughes(akaEarthMama),for
embodyingthelight,love,andmissioninaction.Andtoalltherestofmy
belovedteam.Oursacredcircleissomagical.
Hugethank-youtoToddRubinsteinforsogenerouslyofferingupyour
beautifulAppleCreekRanchforourteamtocampoutandshootallthese
photos.ThankyoutoDiegoSaenzforsolovinglyanddiligentlyhelping
metestalltheserecipes!ThankyoutoYlvaErevall,mylongtimedear
friendandphotographerextraordinairewhoshotthecoverandmanyof
thesephotos,aswellasVictoriaWallHarris,forshootingsomeofthe
thesephotos,aswellasVictoriaWallHarris,forshootingsomeofthe
othergreatshotsthatlinethesepages.
Therearenotenoughwordstothankmyvillage.Thankyou—sending
somuchlovetoyou,Dad/Lolo.Iamsogratefultoyouforbeingsuchan
amazingfather,andforustohavethisspecialtimetogetherwhereyouget
toseeEEeveryday.Whatablessing.AndMom,inthespiritworld,Ifeel
yourloveeverydayandloveyoumorethanever.Thankyou,Laura
Pringle,dearfriendandsoulsisterwhoheldthespaceandhelpedmereally
connectbackwithmyself,andwhoalsoprovidedsomeinputforthisbook.
YouareamazingandIloveyou!AndTita,foryourlovingandpatient
presence,andformaintainingourhomeduringthiswholebookprocess
andMom’spassing,aswellasAuntieandallmydearMamaandother
friends.EspeciallyMaki,Esther,Kela,andAni.AndJustinCavaJones,for
inspiringmewithyourlifeandteachings.Thankyou,Mick,forsharingan
amazingpartofthejourneytogether,andforbeingagreatco-parentand
dad.Iloveyoualways.
Last,butnotleast,infinitegratitudetoBubby,mylittleangelprince.
Youaresuchapowerful,delicious,joyfulteachertome,andIloveyou
beyondwords.
WeareallpartoftheOneSpirit.
—ParamahansaYogananda
AbouttheAuthor
KimberlySnyderisthefounderofSolluna,aholisticlifestylebrand,leader
ofthe#FeelGoodMovement,andthemulti-timeNewYorkTimes
bestsellingauthoroftheBeautyDetoxbookseriesandofRadicalBeauty,
cowrittenwithDeepakChopra.
Anin-demandworldwidespeaker,Snyderalsohoststhetop-ratedFeel
GoodwithKimberlySnyderpodcast,whichairsonthePodcastOnenetwork.
In2018,sheopenedtheSollunaorganicjuiceandsmoothiebaratthe
iconicFourSeasonsHotelinBeverlyHills,LosAngeles.
Acertifiednutritionist,Snyderhasworkedwiththeentertainment
industries’topcelebrities,includingDrewBarrymore,KerryWashington,
ReeseWitherspoon,andChanningTatum,amongmanyothers.Ahighly
sought-afterlifestyle-and-wellnessexpert,Snyderhasbeenfeaturedin
mediaoutletsthatincludeEllen,Today,TheDr.OzShow,theNewYork
Times,Vogue,VanityFair,theWallStreetJournal,Elle,andInStyle.Sheisa
memberoftheWellnessCouncilforWell+Goodandwasnamedoneof
thetop“results-orientednutritionists”byVogue.
SnyderisamemberoftheBoardofAdvisorsforVisionaryWomen,a
nonprofitorganizationthatsupportstheempowermentofwomen.Shealso
workswiththeSeedsofHopecharity,whichfocusesonbuilding
sustainablevegetablegardensinLosAngelespublicschools.
AftergraduatingmagnacumlaudefromGeorgetownUniversity,Snyder
didn’tchooseanordinarypath.Instead,sheembarkedonathree-yearsolo
didn’tchooseanordinarypath.Instead,sheembarkedonathree-yearsolo
journeyspanningmorethanfiftycountries.Thisexposedhertoawide
rangeofhealth-and-beautymodalities,conventionalandunconventional
teachers,andworldviewsfromdifferentcultures.Thisexperienceinspired
herlife’sjourneyintowellness.
Shecontinuedherstudiesatvariousotherlocations,includingthe
AmericanUniversityofComplementaryMedicine,whereshecompleteda
four-yearAyurvedicpractitionerprogram.
ApassionatepractitionerofKriyaYogameditation,worldadventurer,
andmama,Snyderhasdedicatedherlifetoinspiringandhelpingothers
realizeamorejoyfullifebyembracingwhotheyarethroughallthecycles
oftheirlives.
ParamahansaYogananda’ssite(myguruandthemeditationIpractice):yogananda-srf.org.
Gary’samazingspiritualbooksandlectureinfo:garyjansen.com.
Laura’sintuitivecoachingandworkshops:laurapringle.com.
OurmissionatSollunaistohelpyoudevelopalifestylethatpromoteshealth,wholeness,self-acceptance,healing,andinclusionforall.
Solluna,aunitingofthesunandmoon,meanslivinginharmonywiththerhythmsofMotherNaturewhileembracingallthecyclesoflife-thehighsandlowsandallthemomentsin-between.
WeareindividualsandweareOne.Asacommunity,wemeetoneanotherwhereweareinlife.Throughourmessaging,products,practices,andthe#FEELGOODMOVEMENT,wearededicatedtoempoweringyouinrealizingamorejoyfullifebyembracingyourselfandyourdreams.
SOLLUNAPRINCIPLES
UnconditionalLove
AcceptanceandCompassion
SoftandGentleisPowerfulwithClarityServicetoAll
NonjudgmentofSelfandOthersEveryone'sJourneyisUniqueBeautyandAppreciation
Oneness
THE#FEELGOODMOVEMENT
FEELINGGOODisnotabouthavingapicture-perfectlifewithaflawlessbody,job,family,andsoon.That'salloutsidestuffWecanhavethosethingsandstillfeeldeeplyunhappy.Soit'snotaboutwhatwehave,butratherfindingalevelofinnerpeaceinourperfectlyimperfectlives.
Yes,wecanstriveforimprovement.Yetatthesametime,wecanlivefromaplaceofunderstandingthatnomatterhowwelookorwhatwedo,we'realreadywhole,complete,andokayasweare.
FEELINGGOODisaboutacceptingourinnercompass,whichcanguideusinmakingdecisionsandtuningoutthecomparisons,overanalyzing,self-doubt,andpretendingthatcausessomuchturmoilinourlives.
Sharingourjourneysisapowerfulwaytoembracewhoweare.Postyourstoryandtagusinyourphotos,videos,andstories.Wewanttobethereforyourhighsandlows,andallthemomentsin-between.
#mysolluna#feelgoodmovement@sollunabyks
Forsupplements,skincare,digitalprograms,andtojoinourFeelGoodCircleandcommunity,goto♥:mysolluna.com
What’snextonyourreadinglist?
Discoveryournextgreatread!
Getpersonalizedbookpicksandup-to-datenewsaboutthisauthor.
Signupnow.