Behind The Scenes Laughs at the 2012 Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference

2012 by Ava

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My Desk Is A Bistro Table!

2011 by Ava

I’ve been cleaning my office this week, and decided that the big clunky desk I’ve been using just doesn’t work. It gets cluttered, there is too much space (which means plates, cups and bowls tend to sit for a couple days), and it’s just not “me.” I finally committed to an idea I’ve had for months, which is to set up a cute cafe table and chairs in the sunny corner of the room, with an outdoor view.

My new desk is now a round bistro table! I love to get work done in cafes, and now it’s like I’m at a cafe all the time! There is also an extra rule that I’ve set at this table: It is meant to be relaxed at, so if I start to feel stress, I either need to deal with it, or move to another location. This corner of the room is not meant to be a place where I feel pressure. It’s for relaxing and working when I’m in the flow.

Good health starts with a healthy environment. If you find that part of your environment, such as your car, kitchen, or bathroom, isn’t supporting you anymore, commit to making a change, just like I did this week. 

 

© 2011 Ava Waits

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Add Some Lusciousness To Your Meals

2011 by Ava

Sometimes we eat piles of food to keep full. I’ve held jobs where my lunch times were limited, and it was useless to bring in beautiful leftovers from the night before, because I wouldn’t have the time to enjoy them. Instead, I would bring simple salads, and perhaps a bean dish, to be sure that I had enough energy for the rest of the day. Food is often my meditation, and I relax with it so that I can refocus my mind. When there are time limits, it’s hard to do.

Recently, I’ve made a point to add more lusciousness into my life, and to give greater care to the meals that I make each day. I think that food should be enjoyable, and I’d like to share 8 of my top current recommendations. If you’d like more lusciousness in your life and meals, please try these out.

1. Sit with a cup of tea and a book each morning. Do this before you begin working or looking through email. It’s a chance to adjust to the waking world before you start your day.

2. If there’s time, wait to eat breakfast until after that cup of tea is half gone or all gone. If it’s herbal tea, it will help rehydrate your organs after a long sleep. This time will also give you a chance to judge exactly what your body wants for breakfast. Sometimes it will ask for a large scramble of onions, eggs and kale. Other days, your body may just want a piece of fruit.

3. Take a 2-hour lunch.

4. Have tea time in the afternoon, and take a couple extra minutes to pour the tea into a teapot that you love to serve from.

5. Take a closer look at the cucumber that you’ve just cut, the orange you sliced open, or the piece of avocado on the side of your plate. There is a lot of beauty in these foods. You might especially notice this after adding more raw uncooked foods into your diet.

6. Drink your water or juice from a wine glass. I often recommend making a mix of half juice with half sparkling water. This keeps your intake of fruit sugars down, and can be helpful for people who are pre-diabetic or those who have uncomfortable blood sugar fluctuations.

7. A slice of organic butter on your favorite vegetables is not the enemy. In fact, fresh raw butter is one ingredient in a dental protocol that will protect and strengthen your teeth. I’m now imagining that butter on some fresh gluten-free crepes, or gently steamed broccoli. Yum! If you can’t have cow or goat butter, I suggest a spoonful of raw coconut oil.

8.  Save the top of the basil, and decorate your plate or pasta with it after your food has been prepared. Basil can also be made into a tea, which has great calming effects.

© 2011 Ava Waits

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Does Paying For Fruit Keep You From Experiencing True Abundance?

2011 by Ava

Years ago, we could go out for a walk through orchards of peaches, apples, pears, and plums. If you live in a warm climate, the walks probably take you past mango, oranges, or even avocado. Eating as much fruit as you could was easy, once you climbed the tree, tossed up a stone, or pulled down a berry branch.

One of my teachers, when I was first thinking about training in nutrition, told me that fruit trees are symbols of abundance. I’m using the word “abundance” because I feel that most people understand it. I must admit that for a while, I was turned off by the word, because it seemed to be overused, and it wasn’t something I truly believed in. I’m continuing to work through these personal beliefs every day.

I live in the apple state, and I see trees everywhere that will have fruit rotting below them once apple season passes. We will get sick of plum sorbet as the trees finish with their ripe fruit, and we may even get bored of apples. The natural world is overflowing.

I have a question that I don’t know the answer to:

Does paying money for fruit keep us from experiencing the true abundance of nature?

In nature, the trees keep offering fruit, and you can eat as much as you desire, until your stomach is satisfied, or the tree or bush is empty. If you pay money for fruit, you must stop when the money that you have runs out. For example, I went to the farmer’s market today with $40 in cash, and stopped my purchases when I had spent it all. Using money puts a cap on the food that we bring into our lives.

Or, does paying for fruit from local organic farms contribute to abundance and help us experience more of it? The farms are supported, lush land is preserved, and the nutrients cycle through our food to keep our body supported. I’ve also been given free produce from farmers I know who want to see me smile.

I am learning from my mentors that money is also abundant, and the stream never ends. It’s been a hard idea to believe in, but it’s true that the flow will never stop. It’s not going to stop, even if you spend it today. More will come.

I’d love to hear what you think about the overflowing quantity of fresh food on this planet, and if using money to purchase food limits the feeling of abundance or adds to it. Please comment on the facebook page.

Whatever we end up believing in is still a good reason to toss a few extra seeds into your garden for autumn, and plant a fruit tree this fall. They will keep giving back to you in a supply that doesn’t want to end.

 

 

© 2011 Ava Waits

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