Simply Living Well: Welcome United Nations subscribers!

This edition includes a welcome to UN subscribers, information on upcoming workshops at the UN, recipe for coconut date cookies, and an article about the limited success of diets.

Please send any comments or suggestions to: Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net
Website http://www.SimplyLivingWell.net 347-661-2143

This month's newsletter includes:

1. Quote of the month
2. Greetings and Welcome United Nations employees
3. Link of the month: Dr. Mercola
4. October recipe: Coconut Date Cookies
5. Upcoming Workshops at the United Nations
6. Article: Diets Don't Work
7. 6-Month Counseling Program
8. More about Katherine Jamieson, Holistic Health Counselor

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.

-- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

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GREETINGS AND WELCOME UNITED NATIONS SUBSCRIBERS

Last week I gave the first workshop at the United Nations in an 11-week series on Holistic Health and Wellness. The enthusiasm and excitement around the Department of Health sponsored Wellness Initiative was really inspiring, and I am really looking forward to my upcoming workshops which will be happening on Wednesdays from 1-2:00 PM in various locations at the UN.

Seventy new subscribers from the United Nations are receiving this newsletter and I hope to send it out to many more in the coming months. Thank you for taking an interest in Holistic Health and please feel free to share this newsletter with others around the world!

My website is also up and running now, so if you haven't yet, please check it out at www.SimplyLivingWell. So far I've had great feedback about it, but if you feel like there's anything missing, please let me know.

Katherine

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LINK OF THE MONTH: DR. MERCOLA

Dr. Mercola
www.mercola.com

"It is my vision to transform the existing medical paradigm from one addicted to pharmaceuticals, surgeries and other methods that only conceal or remove specific symptoms - with morbid results to our health and economy -- to one focused on treating and preventing the underlying causes."

This quote from Dr. Mercola provides a good representation of the content of his website which has 20,000 pages of information about nutrition, diet, medical practices, food quality and numerous other areas of health. His free e-newsletter goes out to 150,000 subscribers and contains links to articles, information about products to support a healthy diet, and his own commentary on current health issues. Dr. Mercola's controversial perspectives challenge you to consider the full spectrum of issues around health care choices, including impacts on the economy and the environment, and I have found the website a very useful resource in researching various areas of Holistic Health.

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SEPTEMBER RECIPE: COCONUT DATE COOKIES

Avoiding refined sugar is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your overall health. There are many alternative sweeteners available at health food stores, including brown rice syrup, maple syrup, honey, and stevia. These delicious cookies derive most of their sweetness from dates whose flavor is greatly enhanced by the coconut, cinnamon and nutmeg. A dessert you don't have to feel guilty about!

Ingredients:

* 6 to 7 pitted dates
* 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 1/2 cup shredded coconut
* 1/2 cup maple syrup
* 2 cups whole-wheat flour
* 1/4 tablespoon nutmeg
* 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Soak dates in 1 cup water for 30 minutes
2. Put all ingredients including date soaking water in a blender.
3. Blend into dough
4. Form little balls, and smash them into cookies.
5. Place them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.
6. Turn them over and bake 10 more minutes.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Over the next few months I will be doing a series of exciting Holistic Health workshops focusing on different topics each week.

Currently these workshops are being offered for United Nations employees only, however if you are interested in scheduling a similar program for your company or organization, please contact me at Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net.

I SUGAR BLUES
October 15, 2003 (TODAY!) 1-2:00 PM
Secretariat Conference Room 1

o Are you constantly craving sweets and want to understand why?

o Do you want to gain control without willpower or deprivation?

o Eating sugar contributes to many common health problems, including mood swings, PMS, tooth decay and depression. Come learn how to reduce the sugar in your diet and explore other sweet but healthy options for your diet.

II SEASONAL CHANGES FOR A HEALTHY DIET
October 22, 2003 1-2:00 PM,
UNICEF House 5th Floor Conference Room

o The change in season presents a great opportunity to explore new kinds of foods that are freshest and best suited for our needs at this time of year.

o By eating in tune with nature's rhythms we are better adapted to the changes in weather, promoting overall health and balance.

o The workshop will cover different seasonal food theories, and how to find and prepare the best quality produce for the season.

III QUICK, HEALTHY MEALS ON A NEW YORK CITY SCHEDULE
October 29, 2003 1-2:00 PM
DC1 UN Staff Lounge

o Do you want to eat better but feel like it takes too much time and effort to prepare healthy meals?

o Come learn how to simplify your cooking without compromising taste or nutrition. You will learn how to make a full meal in 20 minutes as well as time-saving measures for preparing, cooking, and storing foods.

o We will also discuss how to shop for speedy cooking, by knowing the fastest cooking grains, beans and vegetables available.

IV YOUR WHEEL OF LIFE: HOLISTIC APPROACHES TO HEALTH
November 5, 2003 1-2:00 PM,
UNICEF House 9th Floor Conference Room

o Have you ever wondered why when people fall in love or get excited about a project they forget to eat? Or why when you're depressed or haven't exercised you start craving junk food?

o What we choose to eat is directly tied to all the other conditions of our lives. Even if we have the knowledge and skills to eat well we may still cling to unhealthy patterns if other aspects of our lives are out of balance.

o Come learn how the four components of "Primary food", relationships, career, exercise, and spirituality, determine your relationship to "Secondary food", the food you put in your mouth. Optimal health depends on learning about these different forms of nourishment and how they can support your overall healing and transformation.

V THE FOOD AND MOOD CONNECTION
November 12, 2003 1-2:00 PM
DC1 UN Staff Lounge

o Do you experience many changes in mood throughout the day? Do you ever feel like your feelings or emotions are beyond your control?

o Do you get energized by certain foods only to crash a few hours later?

o Come learn how eating the right foods can balance your moods, stabilize your energy and help you stay more focused and productive throughout the day. We will discuss the effect of extreme foods, how to break the cravings cycle and how to track your reaction to foods with a food diary.

HEALTH FOOD STORE TOURS for UN EMPLOYEES

October 29, 2003, November 19, 2003 and December 10, 2003

Location:
Health Nuts
835 2nd Ave between 44th and 45th
Meet at 1st Ave. and 44th St, in front of DC1 (UNDP building)
1 UN Plaza
6:00--8:00 PM

Health Food Store Tours are a great way to put into practice much of the information presented in the weekly workshops. We will discuss how to select the best produce, grains, beans and packaged goods, saving money at the Health Food Store, and which foods and ingredients to avoid.

The tours will last for 2 hours and there will be a chance at the end to shop and receive a store discount of 10% on produce and groceries and 20% on vitamins and supplements. Please join us!

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ARTICLE--DIETS CLAIMS LACK WEIGHT FOR THE LONG TERM

With obesity rates soaring in the US, many people are looking to the most recent fad diets for help in losing weight. Atkins, the Zone and the South Beach Diet are some of the most popular current diets, but as this article points out, their long-term success is questionable and diets can often actually be detrimental to your health.

Diets typically focus very little on food quality, ignoring the significant taste and nutritive differences between organic and conventional produce and the risks of eating factory-farmed animal products. In addition, they disregard the inherent differences among individuals in terms of gender, age, and ethnicity, all of which play a part in determining a healthy, balanced diet.

USDA: Diet Claims Lack Weight for the Long Term

By Jeff Levine, WebMD Washington Bureau Chief
Reviewed by Dr. Charlotte E. Grayson

Jan, 10, 2001 (Washington) If you've had a tough time keeping off those unwanted pounds, a USDA report could shed light on your predicament. After looking at some of the major weight loss programs, the agency came to a gloomy conclusion: Yeah, most diets can help you lose weight, but for how long?

Pretty much all popular diets will result in weight loss, the USDA report notes. "However, it is important to note that weight loss is not the same as weight maintenance," the report continues.

In recent years, resolving the debate over which weight plan works best, or if they work at all, has become an urgent public health priority. According to the USDA, half of all adult Americans are considered overweight or obese, and those extra pounds are associated with higher death and disease rates in conditions ranging from heart disease to some forms of cancer.

"Is it any wonder that overweight individuals are willing to try just about any new diet that promises quick, dramatic results?" the report asks. To find an answer, a USDA advisory board compared the scientific literature on some of the most popular diets to see if their claims were valid.

All the major popular diets were reviewed, including the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet promoted by Robert Atkins, MD, the moderate-fat programs favored by Weight Watchers and the USDA, and the very-low-fat approach pitched by Dean Ornish, MD, and others.

The report's conclusions aren't definitive, says panel adviser F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at Columbia University. However, he says, data suggests that results from the high-carb, low-fat diets (like Ornish's and Weight Watchers) are sustainable over time.

"What this report says is that the evidence is not out there for the high-fat diets [like Atkins']," Pi-Sunyer tells WebMD. The USDA needs to do a long-term trial comparing the various plans to get a definitive answer, he says.

The report also notes that high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are low in vitamins like E, A, thiamin, B-6, folate, and calcium, and adherents of those diets may thus require supplements. The very-low-fat diet, the document shows, is deficient in B-12, because it allows little meat.

Ornish denies his diet could lead to vitamin deficiencies, but was quick to condemn the Atkins approach as "dangerous," since studies show it can lead to kidney damage.

"I think the message is, if you eat a high-protein diet, you lose weight, but you're mortgaging your health in the process," says Ornish, who heads the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., and is affiliated with WebMD.

That point of view was mirrored by Arthur Frank, MD, medical director of the weight management program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. "At best, [the Atkins plan] is foolish; at worst, it's sort of deviously misleading," he tells WebMD.

"I agree with the fact that we need long-term research. I don't know how they can come to a conclusion about the Atkins diet until that research is done," says Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research at the Atkins Health and Medical Information Services in New York. The Atkins diet improves health by lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels and by improving HDL -- the good cholesterol -- she tells WebMD.

Heimowitz also disputes the notion that the Atkins diet could cause vitamin deficiencies.

Ultimately, the report suggests, successful dieting is a complex matter, affected by such factors as the ratio of lean-to-fat body mass, blood sugar, blood pressure, and sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate the body's level of sugar. Exercise and lifestyle changes also are key factors in maintaining those hard-lost pounds.

Dieters must learn to set realistic goals, says Gigi El-Bayoumi, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at George Washington University Medical Center. For someone 100 pounds overweight, dropping just 15 pounds can help control blood pressure. But if the goal is to suddenly look like Kate Moss, she says, that's completely unrealistic.

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6-MONTH HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELING PROGRAM

Nutrition is a fundamental aspect of health. The food we eat becomes part of our blood cells, which then feed our tissues and vital organs. When we eat food that has limited nutritional value, our cells weaken. When we eat quality foods our bodies reflect that nourishment through vitality, balance and joy.

Whole, natural foods--vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruits--are quality foods. By shifting your diet to healthy, balanced, quality foods, you can support your body to heal itself and prevent future disease.

My fully supported 6-month program includes :

** Two individual counseling sessions a month
** Yoga, meditation and breathwork
** Reiki and massage
** Books, tapes, and articles on health and wellness
** Food and supplement samples
** Easy to cook recipes
** Health Food Store Tour
** Group hands-on cooking classes

Working together, we will discuss all the issues that contribute to your relationship with health and nutrition. Often our health concerns arise from a lack of attention to our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional needs. Holistic health care addresses all of these needs equally. As a result of our work together you will feel healthier, more energized, and you will have the skills to maintain this state of wellness for years to come.

Call or e-mail to schedule a one-hour initial consultation about the 6-month Holistic Health Counseling Program.

Consultations are held in Manhattan and Brooklyn and can also be done by phone.

Simply Living Well
80 E. 11th St, #336
Between Broadway and University
347-661-2143
Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net

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ABOUT KATHERINE JAMIESON, HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELOR

Katherine was trained in Holistic Health Counseling through the Professional Training Program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, and certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She was certified to teach yoga in 2001 through the New York Open Center Prana Yoga Teacher Training, instructed by Dr. Jeffrey Migdow, MD. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Wesleyan University.

Her practice combines cutting-edge, holistic nutritional theory and yoga breathing and postures, to help people address their health concerns and attain optimal health and well being in their lives. She has taught yoga and Holistic Health practices with the New York City Department of Health Wellness at Work program, the Hospital for Joint Diseases, and Beth Abraham Health Services. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as lecturing and presenting at Health fairs and seminars.

This fall she is conducting an 11-week series of lectures on Holistic Health and Lifestyle at the United Nations.

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THANK YOU FOR READING AND BE WELL!