Herbal Legacy Newsletter January 30, 2008
Published: Wed, 01/30/08
January 30, 2008
Dear ,
One of the hardest things for many people about switching to a healthier diet is the cravings they experience for unhealthy foods. Today's article, from Master Herbalist Traci Sellers, deals with this issue. Traci shares some things that helped her while she was transitioning over to a healthier diet.
Today's recipe is Whole Wheat Pita Bread with Hummus and Vegetables. Next week we will have a delicious baked falafel that you can add to this to make a tasty meal. Look for the falafel next week.
As always, we appreciate reader feedback, comments, recipes and article requests - we have convenient links near the end of this newsletter to do any of those things.
Until next week - be healthy and happy-
-Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy Newsletter
ARTICLE: Zero Negative, Positive Plus
RECIPE: Whole Wheat Pita Bread with Hummus and Vegetables
NEWS: Featured Website and book
RECIPE: Whole Wheat Pita Bread with Hummus and Vegetables
NEWS: Featured Website and book
ARTICLE: Zero Negative, Positive Plus: Transitioning to a healthier lifestyle and dealing with cravings
By Traci Sellers, M.H.
from Traci's Transformational Health Principles available at http://www.bestfoodist.com
from Traci's Transformational Health Principles available at http://www.bestfoodist.com
In order to make permanent changes to my diet, I decided to employ a system that Kal has since named Zero Negative, Positive Plus. When applied to changing eating habits, this simply means that I zeroed out one negative thing I wanted to change, and added in one thing that was positive. Since I wanted to be sure that the changes would stick, I allowed enough time to feel like each change I made was permanent. I also made only one change at a time to keep myself from being overwhelmed. Most importantly for me, I allowed myself to be unconcerned with other areas I wanted to change later. This, more than anything, kept me from feeling deprived and was one of the key factors in my success. (I count myself successful because my changes are still in place after 6 years!) I just kept my focus on the one thing I was changing, and allowed it to become ingrained.
ZERO NEGATIVE, POSITIVE PLUS:
* Zero out one negative thing
* Add in one positive thing
* Allow time for the change to become permanent
Dealing with Cravings
Cravings are a funny thing. It has been my experience that most cravings are either chemical or social and very few have anything to do with nutrition our body needs. You see, whenever an enzyme-deficient, fiberless or waterless refined food is consumed, our bodies will attempt to purge it out. It will take about 24 hours for it to leave our system entirely and will cycle through the blood one last time before its exit. As the last few compounds leave, we re-experience them in the form of a craving for that food. If you are experiencing a craving, look at what you ate about this time yesterday and see if there is any correlation. When I began my transitions, cravings became more and more obvious because I was resisting them instead of mindlessly giving in to them.
I have a couple of strategies I used to cope with cravings: Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Drink and the Fruit First Rule.
Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Drink
1 c hot water
2 T honey
2-4 T raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
1. Stir honey into water until dissolved. Add vinegar and stir.
2. Store unused portion in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
When experiencing a craving, this drink will help expedite the compounds out of your bloodstream that are causing the craving. Drink copiously until the craving subsides.
Note: depending on the intensity of the craving, some people require more than one glass.
Make as much as is required.
Fruit FirstThe Fruit First Rule is a tool I used when I had decided to give in to a craving. When I began my transitions I had a 4:00 chocolate habit. Every day at 4:00, it would hit me like a ton of bricks, and since I lived across the street from a convenience store, I was able to conveniently get some every afternoon. To gently break the habit, I applied the fruit first rule by eating a piece of fruit (it just happened to be pears) and then getting the chocolate.
After a while, my body so strongly associated the pears with the satisfying of my craving that I was able to drop out the chocolate and be satisfied with the pear. (To this day, pears are still one of my very most favorite fruits--go figure.)
Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Zero_Negative.pdf
Adapted from Dr. Christopher's Every Woman's Herbal
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 1 tablespoon dried yeast
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon kelp (optional)
* 5-6 cups of freshly-ground whole wheat flour, as needed to make a dough that you can knead (you can also substitute some oat flour for some of the wheat flour - to make oat flour simply blend dry oats in a blender until you get a flour-like consistency).
DIRECTIONS:
Activate yeast by mixing the warm water, honey and yeast together. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
Mix salt, kelp and about 4 cups of flour. Gradually add water from previous step.
Flour a clean surface, and knead until springy - add more flour as needed. Let rest 15 minutes.
Break off golf-ball sized pieces of dough, and roll out about 1/4 inch thick into tortilla-shaped circles.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise about 30 minutes (it will generally rise best in about 80° F), during which you preheat your oven to 450° F.
Place sheets on bottom shelf of oven, and bake the pita breads for 5-8 minutes, just until they puff and solidify a bit. Remove and cool separately. If you don't have a lot of cookie sheets, let the breads rise on a cornmeal-sprinkled surface, and gently, gently place them on the cookie sheets as they become available. Makes 2 dozen pita breads. Cut in half across the circle to form two pockets. Stuff with Hummus and lots of fresh vegetables.
Pita Bread: http://www.herballegacy.com/Pita.pdf
NEWS: Featured Website and book
Today's article was from Master Herbalist Traci Sellers book "Traci's Transformational Health Principles." This book is all about Traci's journey from eating a standard American diet to a healthy diet. She shares very personal experiences from her journal about her journey. The book is full of practical health information. The book also contains wisdom from Traci's husband, Kal Sellers.
Today's article was from Master Herbalist Traci Sellers book "Traci's Transformational Health Principles." This book is all about Traci's journey from eating a standard American diet to a healthy diet. She shares very personal experiences from her journal about her journey. The book is full of practical health information. The book also contains wisdom from Traci's husband, Kal Sellers.
You can receive a free e-book version of Traci's book by visiting her website today (you can also purchase printed copies of this and other books):
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