I’m Taking My Sugar Consumption PUBLIC

2012 by

Sugar has inched its way back to my life. I enjoy French fries once a month, with (dare I say) the high fructose corn syrup ketchup that is at most restaurants. Gluten-free bread that holds my sandwiches of goat cheese, tomato, lettuce, avocado, and condiments has sugar as an ingredient. I’ve decided that sweetener has come a little too far back into my life.

One of the first steps to changing a habit is to become aware of it, and I plan to do just that.

 

For the week of May 10th through May 17th, I am going to document ALL of my processed sweetener consumption publicly through facebook. Honey and coconut syrup won’t be taken into account, because they have my approval for occasional use.

Why am I doing this? It’s worldwide accountability. Some clients who are already fans of the facebook page are viewing from as far away as Australia and New York. It will make me think twice about a sugary item before I eat it. This project also means that I must know what is in my restaurant meals, and I will be asking before I accept a dipping sauce for fresh rolls at my favorite Thai restaurants.

Is there a habit that you would like to take public this week, with the intention of noticing it to change it? As I begin this week, my plans aren’t to be sugar-free. I simply want to document the sweets that I do consume. If you feel inspired to join in for the week, please do! You can either post about your current habit through social media, find a partner to check in with daily, or send a few people in your family an email each day. If you aren’t getting enough hours of sleep each night, start noticing it. If you would like to eat more fresh salads each day, tell the world how many salads you do eat.

I bet that your habit will start to shift for the better after a few days of honesty with the people around you.

  

The new facebook business page I’ve created is not set to private, so even if you aren’t on facebook, you can still take a peek at my sugar consumption at Ava Waits ~ Be Nourished Around The World.

 © 2012 Ava Waits

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Do You Want Your Brain Disabled By A Bear Claw Doughnut?

2012 by

A colleague and I sat down for tea earlier this week, and had an interesting conversation.He was asking me how healthy eating supports creativity and brain function, especially for business people who are called into companies to work on special projects.Many highly successful business owners I know take great care of their body. They focus on quality food, because their productivity, creativity, and capacity to work with more clients grows. Many of the personal development coaches I follow are leading amazing lives, often with no sugar, sometimes no meat, and definitely none of the foods that slow them down.

He went on to speak about teams who come into a company to work on special projects. Thousands of dollars are spent on plane tickets and lodging. The companies bring intelligent minds into the same room, with the intention of solving an important problem. Then they are fed doughnuts and expected to do the job well. Their brains are disabled with bear claws!

Has your brainpower or thinking ever been clouded by a food? It happens to me when I eat sugar. I know that my creativity is going to wither within an hour of eating foods containing sugar.

If you are going on a summertime vacation, heading to a conference soon, or attending an early morning networking event, remember this: The continental breakfast of pastries or white bread bagels is complimentary for a reason. The ingredients will provide nearly zero nutritional value, and very little brainpower.

 

© 2012 Ava Waits

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Create Magical Holiday Meals

2011 by

I have trust that your holiday meals are going to be MAGICAL! I trust that you are the type of person who is evolving and moving closer to experiencing joy and the best health possible. Interactions with your family members will be smooth and caring. The food will be aromatic and enjoyable. There will be plenty of options for you to eat, even if you have food sensitivities. You know how to make food choices that will speed you to your health goals. You know when to stop eating. Your potluck dish will be loved, and friends won’t even know that it’s made a little differently.

 

With that said, I’d like to offer you 5 new ideas to make a nourishing holiday environment and experience.

1. If you’re going to a potluck, bring 2 dishes. One can be an entrée that you love and that will satisfy all of your dietary needs. Choose something that you would be perfectly happy eating if it were the only thing you will eat that night. You never know if the host will have food that works for your needs, so bring something that you can eat and share. Then suggest some new recipes for their next dinner party. Also bring a healthy dessert, like tapioca pudding sweetened just with the coconut milk it was made in. Fruit dipped in chocolate is great, and so are baked pears with cinnamon.

2. Focus on what feels good, but isn’t a crutch. Eating a whole bag of chips or half of a pie might feel good in the moment, but not for long. What I mean is to look for other ways that you can stay positive. Look for delicious spoonfuls of something that you love to eat, and also what creates true joy in your life and in your body. If you need ideas and inspiration, visit the blog posts about the 30 Days of Wonderful  project that I am writing about during the month of December.

3. Embrace a few new foods now, and continue to love them all the way through the holiday season. Use cinnamon on top of hot rice cereal or oatmeal. Ginger has been going in to my smoothies to provide warming qualities. This way, the smoothies feel great, even on colder days. Ginger also helps to break down foods that are high in protein, like the beans and meat that many people crave in the cold months. Try more raw cauliflower, which is easy to eat and pack as a snack when you’re away from home. It has anti-cancer properties, and helps to stimulate liver function.

4. Reach out for meal inspiration from other cultures. Share what you learned when you ate a meal in one of your favorite countries, and bring home a tradition from that experience. I still stuff bell peppers with Brie cheese and grill them like I did on an organic farm in Geneva. One of the reasons I enjoy gluten-free and dairy-free crepes is because a woman from the Czech Republic made me what she called “egg pancakes” one morning several years ago.

5. Plan more parties in the months of January and February, even if you have to make up a special occasion.Seasonal depression may creep in after the build up of the holidays, especially if you eat high stress foods. Find a reason to interact with friends. Throw a soup party where you and friends come together to make 5 different batches of soup. Have a squash cooking party with a prize for the most creative squash stuffing. Have a contest and food photo shoot for the most beautiful plating of a dish made with kale.

 

© 2011 Ava Waits

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The Intimacy of Food

2011 by

If you celebrate the American Thanksgiving this week, you will choose the food that you will share with your body. Each time you chew and swallow a piece of your meal, you are giving that food permission to become a part of who you are. It integrates into your skin, organs, bones and soul.

As we eat clean and pure food, we become more aware of our connection to everything on this planet, and also more intuitive. You might have noticed this already. A plate of French fries makes you feel like a soggy potato, while a crisp apple brings you back the energy you had when you picked orchard apples as a child. That apple also clears your mind so that you can make choices that feel best to you at a very deep level.

As you get ready to enjoy meals this week, please ask yourself a few things:

1. Will you let the chemicals of corn syrup become part of you?
2. Will you be thankful for or abuse the bird that will pass its strength into your body?
3. Will you be most supported by the yams from a can, or the sweet potatoes bought from the organic farmer who grew them with care?
4. Do you prefer to have your new cells and bones built from a huge piece of store bought chocolate cake, or from a naturally sweetened fruit dessert?

I truly hope that all of you will enjoy the delicious meals that your families share with you this week.  

 

© 2011 Ava Waits

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Let Go Of The Halloween Candy Guilt – It’s Time To Embrace Autumn Sweetness!

2011 by

OK. So you indulged in a little bit of candy. I did too, and now it’s time to move past any guilt leftover from Halloween. My hope is that you’ve had enough, can feel the uncomfortable sugar zing, and will now find satisfaction in delicious autumn foods. We are in the season of sweet veggies, where yams, delicata squash, onions, and baked beets are delicious, filling, and a gentle way to knock out that sweet craving.

Sugar depresses the immune system, so if you’ve had lots in the last week, now is the perfect opportunity to ramp up your immunity with foods like ginger, garlic, onion, and spices. Definitely keep leafy greens in your meals (salads of thick autumn veggies, like cabbage and kale work great). Greens keep our blood clean so that toxins can easily flow out.

We always have bacteria and viruses present in our body, and if we push ourselves too hard, with overwork, stress, little sleep, or extra sugar, those organisms can take over and cause us to become ill. There’s no doubt that you’ve already noticed a few co-workers out with colds and the flu. Perhaps your kids are staying at home too. If you would like support to stay well in this season, with the possibility of never getting sick (I’ve spoken with health enthusiasts who haven’t been sick in 15 years!), be sure to reach out to me. I have an entire curriculum created with an emphasis on immune boosting foods and practices to keep you happy, strong and energized as we approach the holidays.

 

© 2011 Ava Waits

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Immaculate Dental Health in the Swiss Alps

2011 by

 

Let me tell you a story about butter, and a way of eating that used to prevent cavities, before refined sugar, canned food, and crackers from a box came up into the Swiss Alps.

 

© 2011 Ava Waits

 

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