Simply Living Well

This edition includes Thanksgiving greetings, information on Buy Nothing Day, a recipe for healthy Pumpkin Pie, holiday specials and upcoming workshops at the United Nations, article on "The Five Absoluted Worst Foods You Can Eat" and information about the 6-month counseling program.

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. Thanksgiving Greetings
3. Link of the month: Buy Nothing Day
4. November recipe: Pumpkin Pie
5. Holiday Specials!
5. Upcoming Workshops at the United Nations
6. Article: The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat
7. 6-Month Counseling Program
8. More about Katherine Jamieson, Holistic Health Counselor

*************************************************************
QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Best of all is it to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song.

--Konrad von Gesner

*************************************************************
THANKSGIVING GREETINGS

Happy Thanksgiving! I have always loved the autumn months and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, a time to appreciate and reflect on all of the abundance in our lives.

This fall I have been blessed to be working at the United Nations, giving weekly holistic health workshops to groups of employees. The interest in this work has been truly inspiring and we have had consistently excellent turn out, with between 35-70 in attendance at each workshop. I have been able to meet people from all over the world, from Hong Kong to Sweden to Zimbabwe, and talk with them about how to create a healthy diet and lifestyle in the United States.

Many people have shared with me how their health has been compromised since they have moved to the US, and I am more committed than ever to helping international people navigate the Standard American Diet. Thanks to all of you who have attended the workshops and health food store tour and I look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love to your and your families,

Katherine

*************************************************************
LINK OF THE MONTH: BUY NOTHING DAY

Celebrate November 28, 2003 : Buy Nothing Day! http://adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd/

The day after Thanksgiving is America's busiest shopping day of the year. Twelve years ago, Adbusters, a magazine devoted to raising awareness about media manipulation, consumerism and the benefits of simple living, invented this movement to counter the trend toward over-spending around the holidays.

People in more than 30 countries have made the pact to "step out of the consumer stream" for the day and to consider the impacts of their purchasing choices on the environment, community and their own finances. As the founders of Buy Nothing Day remind us: "Yes it's cliche, but, the things most worth pursuing, and exchanging - love, ritual, attention, sacrifice, freedom- are the things no-one can buy."

************************************************************
NOVEMBER RECIPE: PUMPKIN PIE

Here is a delicious twist on an old favorite, using some new ingredients like tofu to keep the pie firm, and brown rice or maple syrup instead of refined sugar to enhance the sweetness of the squash.

Ingredients for filling:

* 2 cups mashed winter squash
* 1 cup crumbled firm tofu
* 1/3 cup maple syrup or 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice and cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* 1/2 cup orange jam
* 2 tablespoons almond butter

Pie crust #1:

* 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
* 1/3 cup maple syrup
* 1/3 cup corn oil
* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. Blend all the filling ingredients until smooth and creamy.
3. To prepare pie crust mix the ingredients and stir them briefly. Using your hands gently press the crust into an oiled pie pan.
4. Pour the filling in pie crust smooth the surface and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Allow pie to cool for 2 hours before serving.

**********************************************************************
HOLIDAY SPECIALS!

1. NEED THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT?

Offer the gift of health! Do you know someone who has problems with:

** Women's health: PMS, fibroids, menopausal issues,cysts
** Heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis
** Eating disorders, weight loss, food allergies
** Addictions with cigarettes, marijuana, sugar, coffee etc.
** Depression, mood swings, anxiety, headaches, insomnia
** Parasitic infections, chronic fatigue, candida
** Unusual, puzzling or hard to diagnose conditions

A holistic health counselor is trained to work with food and health related problems. Many clients seek such professionals after having worked with a wide array of traditional doctors, specialists and alternative methods of healing. Holistic health counselors have successfully treated all of the conditions named above without the use of pharmaceuticals.

Your gift recipient will receive customized treatment (working along with their medical caregivers when appropriate) and recommendations on their specific needs. Their questions and concerns will be answered with care, courtesy and understanding by a professional whose goal is to listen, respond and assist in profound healing of mind, body and spirit.

This $250.00 value is Holiday priced at $195.00. The recipient of this gift receives one full month of health counseling which includes all of the following:

** Diet Analysis
** Two sixty minute one on one consultations
** Hands on cooking class
** Book and audio library
** Neck and shoulder massage
** Email support

Your gift will arrive in a beautifully wrapped box, which contains:

The Self-Healing Cookbook
Gift Certificate
Description of Program
Personalized Card

Payment can be by check, VISA or MASTER CARD.
Phone and Internet orders accepted: 347-661-2143 Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net
Gifts delivered and usable anywhere in the World.

2. NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION GROUP HEALTH COUNSELING PROGRAM

o Are you tired of making the same New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, exercise, and eat healthier every year?

o Have you been looking for a supportive group environment to help you create overall health and wellness in your life?

Then this is the program for you!

In this 6-month supported program we will be setting specific, measurable goals in January and achieving them by the completion of the program in June. The program includes:

-- One individual counseling session in January
-- Two 1 1/2 hour group counseling sessions each month covering a range of topics in holistic health
-- Books, CDs and articles
-- Hands-on cooking classes, a health food store tour, and yoga class
-- Journaling and creative projects
-- Group e-mail support and recipe swap
-- Yoga and breathing practices

The group health counseling program will be held every other Tuesday in January from 6:30-8 PM at my Union Square Manhattan office at 80 E. 11th Street, between Broadway and University.

Special Holiday Offer! If you register by December 15th, the cost will be reduced by $25 a month, a total of $150 savings for the entire program.

If you are interested in the program, please contact me as soon as possible at Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net. Space is limited to 7 participants.

3. Annie's Holiday Cooking Class

Annie Alquist, Holistic Health Counselor and Licensed Massage Therapist, is a tremendous cook, but also a wonderful teacher. I have attended her cooking classes and she has an incredible talent for making healthy cooking simple and enjoyable.

Annie's Holiday Cooking Class will be held at her home in Park Slope on:

Wednesday December 3rd from 7-9 PM Cost: $20
For more details, please contact her at 347-276-7058 or by e-mail at anniealquist@mac.com .

*************************************************************
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AT THE UNITED NATIONS

In November and December I will be continuing the series of Holistic Health workshops at the United Nations 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 WHY WE OVEREAT OR UNDEREAT
November 19, 2003 1-2:00 PM, UNICEF House--9th Floor Conf. Room

o Do you ever know that you've eaten enough, but still don't feel full? Do you lose your appetite quickly or skip meals to stay energized throughout the day?

o Overeating and undereating are natural responses to feeling out of balance in your life. It is easy to look to food for entertainment, comfort, or just to numb our emotions, which can often lead to unhealthy eating patterns.

o At this workshop we will discuss how to develop healthy routines and habits for eating and create an atmosphere to promote conscious eating in your home and work life.

II STRESS MANAGEMENT AND DESK YOGA
November 26, 2003 1-2:00 PM, Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium

o Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that promotes health, well-being and peace of mind. During the workday, simple breathing and stretching exercises can help to reduce stress, prevent repetitive stress injuries, and increase productivity.

o To get the most out of this workshop, please wear loose clothing and avoid eating for several hours beforehand.

III WOMEN'S HEALTH
December 3, 2003 1-2:00 PM, UNICEF House--5th Floor Conf. Room

o Most women's greatest challenge with staying healthy is learning to prioritize their own needs. We tend to put our families, friends and work before ourselves, which puts us at risk for a variety of common health issues.

o Come learn how to choose foods that are most supportive for women and address common female health concerns through diet and lifestyle change.

o We will also discuss the secret to lasting weight loss and why increasing the joy and pleasure in our lives just might be the most healing thing we can do for our bodies.

IV MEN'S HEALTH
December 11, 2003 1-2:00 PM, DC1 UN Staff Lounge

o Have you considered changing your diet or going to a yoga class but feel like that's just something that women do? Would you like to eat healthier but have never had the opportunity to learn how to cook?

o Men are often left out of conversation on health and wellness as these are usually considered "women's interests." This puts men at higher risk for illnesses related to stress, poor diet, and lack of exercise as well as cutting them off from realms of healing that should be available to all.

o We will discuss why cooking is actually very manly, what foods are particularly supportive for men's bodies, and how men can begin to access the growing field of holistic health for their own needs.

V FOOD AND ENERGY
December 17, 2003 1-2:00 PM, Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium

o Do you experience sudden drops in energy and often go home exhausted at the end of the day? Do you want to start an exercise program but have no energy to get going?

o Different foods and eating patterns drain energy from the body and create cravings for unhealthy foods. In this workshop we will discuss which foods lead to lasting, sustained energy and which are non-nutritional forms of energy that can deplete the body.

o We will also discuss how diet and exercise are related, the best foods to eat when starting and maintaining an exercise program, and how to find the right kind of exercise for your body type.

HEALTH FOOD STORE TOURS for UN EMPLOYEES

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!

*************************************************************
ARTICLE-- The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat

I am often asked the question at my workshops, "What should I eat?" I sometimes think that a better question, one that would truly lead to an improved diet, would be, "What shouldn't I eat?"

The American diet is full of highly chemicalized, artificialized "foods" that are not actually food at all. They do not nourish the body or support its functions, and they wreak havoc by raising blood sugar levels, suppressing an appetite for healthy foods, and taxing the digestive system.

Most people know that cigarettes are bad for you, but as Dr. Mercola points out below, in his opinion one French fry is worse for your health than one cigarette. For some, creating a healthy, balanced diet can be as simple as avoiding these kinds of foods and looking for whole, healthful alternatives, or simply eating less.

-------

The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat
By Dr. Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege
www.mercola.com

There are no "bad" foods, right? Only food you should eat in moderation? Well, not really. The following foods are so bad for your body that I really can't see any reason to eat them. Not only do they have zero nutritional value, but they also give your body a healthy dose of toxins, which should make the idea of eating them really hard to swallow.

Doughnuts
Doughnuts are fried, full of sugar and white flour and most all varieties contain trans fat. Store-bought doughnuts are made up of about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fat.

An average doughnut will give you about 200 to 300 calories, mostly from sugar, and few other nutrients.

It's too bad that Americans view doughnuts as a breakfast food as, nutritionally speaking, eating a doughnut is one of the worst ways to start off your day. It will through off your blood sugar and won't stay with you so you'll be hungry again soon. You are better off eating no breakfast at all.

Soda
One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. I can't think of any good reason to ever have it. The diet varieties are also problematic as they are filled with harmful artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease, yet the average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year. Plus, drinking all that sugar will likely suppress your appetite for healthy foods, which pave the way for nutrient deficiencies.

Soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States over the last decade, which is not surprising considering that most school hallways are lined with soda-filled vending machines.

Schools often make marketing deals with leading soft drink companies such as Coca-Cola from which they receive commissions--based on a percentage of sales at each school--and sometimes a lump-sum payment, in exchange for their students' health. School vending machines can increase the consumption of sweetened beverages by up to 50 or more cans of soda per student per year.

If you routinely drink soda--regular or diet--eliminating it from your diet is one of the simplest and most profound health improvements you can make.

French Fries (and Nearly All Commercially Fried Foods)
Potatoes are bad enough when consumed in their raw state, as their simple sugars are rapidly converted to glucose that raises insulin levels and can devastate your health. But when they are cooked in trans fat at high temperatures, all sorts of interesting and very unpleasant things occur.

Anything that is fried, even vegetables, has the issue of trans fat and the potent cancer-causing substance acrylamide.

Foods that are fried in vegetable oils like canola, soybean, safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils are particularly problematic. These polyunsaturated fats easily become rancid when exposed to oxygen and produce large amounts of damaging free radicals in the body. They are also very susceptible to heat-induced damage from cooking. What is not commonly known is that these oils can actually cause aging, clotting, inflammation, cancer and weight gain. You can read the article "Secrets of the Edible Oil Industry" for more information.

It is theoretically possible to create a more "healthy" French fry if you cook it in a healthy fat like virgin coconut oil. Due to its high saturated fat content, coconut oil is extremely stable and is not damaged by the high temperatures of cooking. This is why coconut oil should be the only oil you use to cook with.

I am fond of telling patients that one French fry is worse for your health than one cigarette, so you may want to consider this before you order your next 'Biggie' order.

Chips
Most commercial chips, and this includes corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips, you name it, are high in trans fat. Fortunately, some companies have caught on to the recent media blitz about the dangers of trans fat and have started to produce chips without trans fat.

However, the high temperatures used to cook them will potentially cause the formation of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide, and this risk remains even if the trans fat is removed.

Fried Non-Fish Seafood
This category represents the culmination of non-healthy aspects of food. Fried shrimp, clams, oysters, lobsters, and so on have all the issues of trans fat and acrylamide mentioned above, plus an added risk of mercury.

Seafood is loaded with toxic mercury and shellfish like shrimp and lobsters can be contaminated with parasites and resistant viruses that may not even be killed with high heat. These creatures, considered scavenger animals, consume foods that may be harmful for you.

Eating these foods gives you a quadruple dose of toxins--trans fat, acrylamide, mercury and possibly parasites or viruses--with every bite.

If you have a taste for seafood, there's an easy solution. It's best to avoid your local fish fry and try the only fish I now eat--the delicious wild red Alaskan salmon that was proven through independent lab testing to be free of harmful levels of mercury and other contaminants.
*************************************************************
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

*************************************************************
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. Before entering the Holistic Health field, Katherine was a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in Guyana, South America.

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.

*************************************************************
THANK YOU FOR READING AND BE WELL!