Mojo Mastery Week 1

Photo from Mojo Mastery

We began our Mojo Mastery Month last night in a three-hour session that included nutritional education, cooking lessons and tasting. We ate the "Spinach Gomaae" created by chef Mara King, owner of Zuke Products, and I can't tell you how good it was. I will actually fantasize about this dish.

It's just spinach and the most amazing sesame sauce with freshly ground sesame seeds, tamari, honey and miring. It was divine.

The session was inspiring and motivating. This week we don't eliminate anything. We just add nutrition.

Our big to-dos on the list this week include:

- Drink more water, preferably purified

- Increase greens. I've already added kale and spinach to two meals today.

- Increase intake of smelly/sulfur veggies like cabbage, onions, brussel sprouts

- Drink herbal infusions made of oat straw, dandelion root, nettles and other herbs

- Eat quality which means whole foods, organic, clean, grass/pasture-fed, local

- Add fermented foods to meals like kimchi, kombucha, sour pickles, kefir and yogurt

- Snack on sea weed or add it to cooking

- Eat a hearty, healthy breakfast and consider eating your greens at this meal

I am motivated. My only fear? That I slack off. I want to stay strong on this. The testimonials of past participants are powerful and positive - the experience changes their health and lives.

Here we go.

Getting My Mojo Back

I am doing two things this week - visiting Las Vegas for the first time and starting a cleanse.

Nothing like going to the den of excess to start a dietary reboot.

A medical conference with Dirk is the reason for the trip, and trying to get healthier is the impetus for the cleanse. The timing just happened to coincide.

The first week of the month-long cleanse requires no food elimination, just addition of high-nutrient meals.

My nutritionist says, "Just order a side of greens everywhere you eat in Vegas."

Sounds doable.

The Mojo Mastery Month is run by Marcie Goldman, a nutritionist, and she explains that it's designed to help you get your "mojo" back.

Here’s What You Get

• A gentle kick-in-the-ass to get your life & diet balanced
• A jump start on your weight loss
• An alternative to the Master Cleanse or another disaster cleanse
• A Super-empowering, solid, fad-proof nutrition education
• Cravings kicked to the curb; addictions stopped in their tracks
• A spark, a swagger, a glow, and some serious body-confidence
• An enthusiasm and joy for cooking
• Private coaching sessions to figure out what to do with all this mojo
• Inspiration to up-grade your self-care
• Increased body-awareness to navigate you, safely, through life

Image and description from marciegoldman.com

Plus these health benefits: steady energy, better sex, no more (or greatly reduced) gas, bloating, and belly-troubles, symptom-free periods, clearer skin & longer hair, calmness and stability, a ton more energy, better relationships, good sleep, self-confidence and more! (These are all reported benefits from Mojo graduates).

Look forward to the results and keeping you all updated!

May I Be Frank

Here's an inspiring movie to watch.

I've Been Thinking About Kombucha

Photo courtesy of cheeseslave.com

I have never bought any drink by the case in my life. Well, other than beer. But today kombucha is on sale at Whole Foods for $1.99 instead of $2.99 per bottle. I bought a case of GT's Organic Raw Kombucha in the Gingerade flavor which is as mysterious to me as it may be to you.

I've been craving this fermented tea made from a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria every day for weeks. I bought some for the first time about a month ago as a drink to supplement my lunch, and I can't get enough.

In each glass bottle, a thick gelatinous residue floats in a diluted-tea color liquid. The labeling warns, "DO NOT SHAKE," because the beverage is naturally carbonated. It's not exactly the most aesthetic drink. In fact, I can't focus too long on the "strands of culture" that bob up and down in the bottles.

When I checked out at the counter, the guy said to me, "I used to drink that stuff. I actually craved it. I would think about it which is weird."

"Me too," I say. "I wonder when I can pick up another bottle."

We both laugh.

"I was addicted to it."

"Do you still drink it?"

"I think I burned out on it."

"I wonder when I will," I reply as I pay and leave.

I have actually been thinking about it a lot. When I drink about eight ounces, I feel full and satisfied in this warm, healthy way.

Case in hand, I head to the car where I pry open the box and pop the top on my new bottle. Ah.

Kombucha isn't some new health trend filling the shelves at Whole Paycheck. In fact, it's about 2,000 years old. The Chinese call it an "immortal health elixir." It's primarily known as a great detoxifier - this helps the liver and pancreas and can help prevent diseases like cancer, arthritis and a host of other degenerative conditions. The high levels of Glucaric acid is what makes it a great cancer preventative.

This drink also has cultural clout.

President Reagan drank it when he was diagnosed with cancer after he found out the Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn claimed it cured his stomach cancer.

Other health benefits are that it boosts the immune system, increases energy, promotes weight loss, reduces the risk of arthritis, provides emotional and mental balance and is chock full of antioxidants.

Scientific research, primarily in Germany and Russia, suggests that drinking kombucha every day will promote optimal wellness.

That's why I keep thinking about Kombucha. I feel good when I drink it.

I am still reeling that I bought a whole case, but I'm hooked.

New Year Resolutions and Noodle Bowls

Happy New Year!

Resolutions are in full swing. We are as committed to eating well as always, but we're bumping it up a notch.

I started seeing a nutritionist and it's been the most insightful, useful and practical experience for my own well being and the whole fam.

Here are a few of small tips that have really amped up our family nutritional profile:

- Adding plant-based protein powder to Jack's food to increase intake since he eats very little meat.

- Switching our bread out to Ezekiel products because they use sprouted, organic live grains. Took a while to get used to, but toasted it's just great.

- Plan one meal ahead - always think of what you will eat next. It helps you plan and prepare and not eat junk.

- Protein is key at breakfast - think 20-30 grams per meal. An egg has about eight grams.

- De-stem and add shitake mushrooms to bone stock soups for an added immune boost.

- Add healthy fats like cultured butter and extra virgin olive oil to your grains to maintain blood sugar so that you don't overeat in the mid afternoons.

- Keep a food journal.

- Best concentrated sources of veggie protein are hummus and black walnuts which have two times the protein as English walnuts and less carbs.

- Spend one day cooking together as a family.

There are specific guidelines that she has created just for me based on food allergies and sensitivities and my personal profile, but this has been one of the most valuable consults I have ever had.

Last night I made this New Year Yakitori Chicken Noodle Bowl from Delicious Living magazine that was fabulous - loads of ginger, garlic, veg. Tasty and healthy.