PranaBalance

The spark that evolved America’s fat phobia started in the 1950’s when the creators of the fat-free diet received far more publicity than those with alternative views. The beneficiaries of the hypothesis namely the oil and food processing industries worked behind the scenes to demonize competing traditional nutrition.

It was soon found that beyond the challenges of sustaining a fat-free diet through will power, the practice is found to present a number of health problems that include:

- Low energy
- Difficulty in concentration, learning and remembering
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Mineral deficiencies

The body needs fats and oils which are broken down into fatty acids. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are needed in every living cell of the body to rebuilt, produce new cells and for the production of chemical messengers to regulate the body’s processes. EFAs can also:

- Improve skin and hair
- Reduce blood pressure
- Aid in the prevention of arthritis
- Lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Reduce the risk of blood clot formation
- Protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins
- Enhance the immune system
- Defend against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract
- Support in the role of bone health
- Enable the absorption of vitamins A, D, K and E.

There are two basic categories of Essential Fatty acids: Omega-3 and Omega-6 based on the chemical structure. The key element is to balance intake of these on an approximate one to one ratio. The American diet has been found to be deficient in the Omega-3 linoleic acid contributing towards asthma, heart disease and learning deficiencies.

Furthermore commercial vegetable oils contain proportionately large amounts of omega-6 linoleic acid and little omega-3 linoleic acid. Today’s agricultural and industrial practices have further reduced the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in commercially available vegetables, eggs, fish and meat. For example free range hens feeding on insects, greens and sunshine produce organic eggs that have an approximate beneficial one to one balance of omega-3 and omega-6 linoleic acid whereas supermarket eggs produced from hens fed on grain have a distorted ratio of one to nineteen!

Choose quality fats to compliment to your wellness such as organic butter, and organic oils packaged in dark glass bottles to prevent rancidity and leakage A favorite being cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Use omega-3 rich flax seed oil lightly sprinkled on salads to calibrate the omega-3 imbalance, buy it in a store that cares to keep it refrigerated in dark glass bottles for maximum freshness.

1. Start your day with a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper.

2. Take half an hour a day to hang out with yourself. Choose a spot of sunshine streaming in through a window, a rock in a park, under a tree, in your car in a quiet spot. Feel free to leave your thoughts behind before you start the session, and pick them up, after the session just in case you missed them! Share yourself, with yourself first - before you contribute your gifts to the world – you are worth it, and deserve it as the universe will conspire to support you.

3. Green-up your breakfast egg! Choose either spinach, kale, or any fresh vibrant leafy green that calls out to you , chop up finely and fill up a cup, add a dash of onions and tomatoes. Sautee at low heat with olive oil, add a dash of “Herbamare” , salt and pepper and stir, break your egg/s in a bowl, scramble with a fork, pour it on the green mixture and allow it to poach in the “juices”. Put the top on the pan at very low heat, serve it up to yourself with a good grain toast when the egg has cooked.

4. When you’re cooking and preparing, indulge in the fragrances, appreciate the blessings in your hands created by seed, sun, soil and sunshine and take a moment to honor the divine design. Say grace before eating. Taste. Yes- stop - slow down for a minute. Taste your food. Really, taste your food.

5. Pack a couple of fruits and some raw nuts always when you head out the door for longer than 2 hours. Always keep at least 3 different fresh fruits available, and glass bottles with 3 different raw nuts or seeds such as walnuts, cashews or almonds, sunflower, sesame. Also use these nuts and seeds to garnish cereals, salads, desserts, soups and spruce up and cooked dish.

6. Buy a fun mug, use it for your green tea and honey fix. Indulge in a variety of flavors.

7. Always have something green and leafy on your plate, for every meal. Your blood will love you for it. Hot, cold, chopped, leafy, sautéed, fresh, drizzled with oil, sprinkled with seed… you choose.

8. Find at least three things you can be grateful for today, write it in a journal daily, keep it next to your bed. Get a really sassy looking journal and pen just for this! It’s the first and last recording at the beginning and end of your day. Imagine looking at it five years into the future.

9. Call at least one person you have wanted to connect or reconnect with for over six months.

10. Stop, smile and bless the cashier, the doorman, the parking lot attendant, the person in the car next to yours at the traffic light.

For maximum pleasure repeat daily!