September 2009 Newsletter

Moon and Lotus
Kamala Quale, MSOM, LAc
541-345-2220

 

IN THIS ISSUE:

Articles:

Classes:

Workshops & Classes Location

Food Sensitivity Testing Dates

 

MAUI RENEWAL RETREAT FOR HELPING PROFESSIONALS

Rejuvenation, Visioning, Transformation and Adventure

February 2010

Lahaina Rainbow Panoramic
Photo by: Monica and Michael Sweet   http://www.gallerysweet.com

Recharge your personal and professional life with this unforgettable five-day retreat on the exotic island of Maui.  Transform your relationship to yourself and your work, and let the wonders of Maui relax and energize you from the INSIDE out.  Discover new ways to recreate yourself and revision your career, while you swim with turtles and schools of tropical fish, snorkel at pristine wildlife reserves, walk on beautiful white sand beaches and reach for the sky from the 10,000 ft rim of the Haleakala crater.

Your expert guides Kamala Quale and Nina Cherry each have over 20 years of experience working with helping professionals one-on-one and in groups. They will help you relax and de-stress, balance your work with the rest of your life, and create a strategic action plan for your next steps.

Nina is a wholistic business and life coach who lives on Maui and leads retreats regularly.  Nina coaches professionals and entrepreneurs to attract more clients, get the results they want, and take more time off to do the things they love.  Nina knows and loves all the special places on Maui that reveal the culture and beauty of the Hawaiian Islands.

Kamala uses her extensive background in eastern and western healing modalities to guide people towards physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.  She loves to support inner harmony by helping people connect the beauty and depth of their inner landscape with the abundance and flow of nature.

Stay tuned for exact dates and costs.  Send a reply to kquale@moonandlotus.com if you are interested in more information.  This retreat is open to anyone who is in a helping profession.

 

TIPS FOR SELF CARE

Kick the Sugar Habit

As part of the program of food sensitivity testing and nutritional counseling at Moon and Lotus, Kamala Quale and Carole Warner are writing articles and teaching classes about ideas for nourishing yourself with delicious foods that do not have the ingredients that many people are sensitive to. The following article was written by Kamala.  

I have found something that has completely changed my relationship with sugar.  I’m happy about that, because I feel better and have lost a little weight.  What is it, you ask?  It is flavored liquid stevia from a company called Sweet Leaf.  Stevia is a sweet herb, so it is a natural product.  It does not raise your blood sugar, and does not have any of the side effects that have been found with other sweeteners, or with sugar in all its forms. The Sweet Leaf brand is a good one.

Before you say, I don’t like the taste of stevia, read on a moment.  I did not like the taste of stevia either, but these new flavored products have changed my mind and my taste buds. I can make sweet treats for myself, without using sugar, honey, maple syrup or even agave syrup (which is a very good sweetening product.)  All of these can be overdone, and you can kid yourself that you do not use sugar.

There is “vanilla crème” stevia (the one I use the most, and put in tea or coffee), “chocolate raspberry” (which is great on strawberries or other fruit desserts), and “root beer” (which makes a great soft drink when combined with vanilla crème and carbonated water).  I use 3 or 4 drops of “lemon drop” stevia in my glass of lemon water and make it taste like lemonade.  “Peppermint” is great to sweeten ice tea.  You can also get clear stevia, if you do not want a flavor, or packages of granulated stevia.  One packet is about equivalent to a cube of sugar.

Flavored stevia products come in a bottle with a dropper, and you only have to use a few drops at a time. I have decided to carry some of these Sweet Leaf products at the office for people to try.  There are very few, if any, at the health food stores.  So, if you are interested, please come by.

Here is an idea for a yummy fruit dessert sweetened with flavored stevia:  Put one or two kinds of your favorite fruit in a bowl, like apples and strawberries, or blueberries and peaches, and toss with about 5 drops of “vanilla crème” or to taste.  Add ¼ to ½ cup of one of the following: coconut, rice or almond milk, soymilk creamer (Silk) or regular milk (if you are not sensitive to dairy).

Other things that help you kick the sugar habit are lowering the amount of carbohydrates you eat in general.  That means less pasta, bread, white rice, pastries etc.  Reduce your portions and eat whole grains when possible.  Use lettuce instead of bread to wrap sandwich fixings in.   Also, increase your vegetables and eat whole fruit, instead of fruit juice.  Reduce portions of dried fruit, like raisins and dates, which are very sweet.  It is easy to eat a lot of them.  Put some protein source in every meal if possible.  

I often accomplish this, especially for breakfast, with a smoothie that has a serving of rice protein powder, 1-2 Tbsp of ground flax, a scoop of a powdered “greens” product, 2 cups of water, 1/2 piece of fruit , like an apple or a peach, and one dropper of “vanilla crème” or another favorite flavor of stevia.  Blend and enjoy.

 

TIPS FOR MEDITATION

The Sun and Moon in Your Eyes

The sun and moon have inspired the sacred in people of all cultures through the ages.  Daoist observers, in particular, looked to the movement of the sun, moon and stars as a manifestation of the immaterial Dao, the Way and the source of life.  Today we might say the workings of God.  The sun and moon represent the eyes of God, or universal awareness.  

You can use a sun and moon qigong visualization to attune to your spiritual source in the third eye center, in the middle of the brain at eyebrow level. Sit in a quiet place and feel yourself surrounded by the beauty of life and the mystery of aliveness.  When you are ready, imagine the sun is in your left eye, and the moon is in your right eye. Slow your breath, and let the feeling of the sun and moon in your eyes point you to the source of  spiritual insight within you. Let it bring a smile to your heart.

 

FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTING, WORKSHOPS AND DELICIOUS COOKING CLASSES

Upcoming Testing Dates and Workshop Schedule:

After taking some time off this summer, we’ll be making Food & Environmental Sensitivity testing available again on a more or less monthly basis through the end of the year. 

We’ve also got an exciting series of extremely informative, fun and really tasty workshops lined up to help you better understand how your health problems could be related to what you’re eating, and to give you all kinds of delicious new healthful recipes to make for the upcoming holiday season!  The schedules for both testing and the workshops are listed below.

We hope to see you there!

 

FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTING
At Moon and Lotus Clinic

Testing Dates Available for Scheduling:
October 2
October 30
November 13
December 11 is not currently scheduled for testing, since most of us are busy preparing for the December holidays this time of year.  However, we may open this date up for scheduling if demand for testing is high.  Call and let us know if this is the best date for you to be tested.

Note:  If Friday appointments become completely booked and there are more people who need testing, we will generally open up some appointments on the following Saturday mornings to accommodate patients’ needs.  Please call Moon & Lotus to schedule an appointment or to ask us any questions you may have.

 

Upcoming Workshops are being held at:

Tamarack Wellness Center
3575 Donald Street, Eugene
541-683-7506

Be sure to call Tamarack in advance to register for seminars and save $4.  Also, in order to guarantee we have enough food for everyone who comes to the last two seminars on healthy cooking and deserts for the Holidays, we ask that you PLEASE register ahead of time if at all possible, so we know how many to expect and prepare for. 

However, if you don’t find out until the last minute, don’t let it stop you from joining us.  We’ll be ready with a little extra for you or your last minute family member, friend or coworker.  Come join us for a delicious exploration of foods and deserts for the Holidays!

 

October 1st - “Hormone Havoc!”

Lily Room ($18 in advanced/$22 at the door)

From the onset of menarche to the completion of menopause, many women experience a veritable roller coaster of symptoms as a result of vacillating hormone levels - high, low or out-of-balance with one another.  Learn just how profoundly what you eat affects your hormone balance, and in many cases how changing your diet and eliminating food sensitivities can actually resolve the problems you’re having with them!  Leave with new knowledge and specific information you can begin using today to rebalance your hormones and recover your health and wellbeing.

 

October 29th - “Gut Feelings”

Lily Room ($18 in advanced/$22 at the door)

From heartburn to hemorrhoids and everything in between, having our intestines work smoothly and well is at the heart of good health and well-being.  Most people use drugs to deal with their uncomfortable symptoms even though healthy bowels are surprisingly easy to achieve naturally.  Learn specific things you can do to actually resolve problems you have with your digestion and elimination even if you’ve suffered with them all of you life!

 

November 13th - “Cooking Healthy for the Holidays”

Room to be announced ($25 in advanced/$29 at the door, includes the food!)

Back by popular demand!  Come feast with us on delicious healthy foods for the holidays.  Most of us know we have foods that we react to in less than favorable ways, but often they are among our favorites, especially when it comes to the holidays.  You’ll learn how to take your favorite holiday recipes and substitute ingredients that don’t agree with you for ones that do. This will allow you to enjoy the holidays this year without making yourself or your family sick in the process. 

Best of all, no one else needs to know you’ve changed a thing because everything will still taste delicious!  While listening and learning, you’ll be enjoying a plate of holiday favorites and will be taking home the recipes of everything on the menu. 

BE SURE TO BRING SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPES so we can coach you on specific modifications right then and there. (Note: Dishes and recipes will include different ones from last year!)

For those of you who have been tested for food sensitivities, we will also be available to answer your questions and give other support and coaching to help you increase your culinary enjoyment and success while on the elimination diet and thereafter.

 

December 10th - “Healthy Deserts for the Holidays”

Room to be announced ($25 in advanced/$29 at the door, includes the food!)

Deserts and tasty treats are at the heart of enjoying the holidays.  Unfortunately, we tend to overindulge, making ourselves sick in the short run and fatter in the long run!  What we don’t realize is that one of the key reasons for both of these problems is that the ingredients in our deserts are often so highly refined.  Highly refined foods make our bodies sick and add to our fat stores, while simultaneously causing incredible cravings for more, more, more! 

By learning to make treats using whole foods we can still enjoy truly delicious deserts that leave us feeling deeply satisfied with a single serving.  Naturally, tonight you’ll have to make a sacrifice and try one of everything (only for the sake of learning of course).  But then someone has to do it! 

Remember to bring the recipes of YOUR holiday desert favorites; that way we can coach you on making appropriate ingredient substitutions so that you can enjoy them this year without the side effects.  Of course you’ll also leave with the recipes of all the deserts being served.

For those of you who have been tested for food sensitivities, we will also be available to answer your questions and give other support and coaching to help you increase your culinary enjoyment and success on the elimination diet and thereafter.

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