You Been Talkin’ ‘Bout Me??

February 2, 2011 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

Some things are just too good to keep under wraps. The testimonials my latest round of Detox participants wrote upon completion of their program, are so awesome that they make me want to cry.

In fact, I am crying in this picture of the Tel Aviv Detox Final class, which is why my eyes are closed (photo fail!)

“This program made me focus on ME physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is not often that I give myself a gift of honoring the things important to self care.” -Inbal

“With Emily’s guidance I was able to successfully eliminate sugar and wheat, which was easier than I thought! I feel full of energy and lost a bit of weight and I know that I can maintain a low sugar lifestyle indefinitely. Emily is super supportive and her recipes are the best!” - Lymore

“I reduced my cravings SO much! I realized I can quit sugar and wheat. The 4 weeks gave me a total vision of the change. I liked the cooking lessons! You are very professional Emily and I always felt supported.” - Galit

“This Detox changed my life. Before I was eating without any sort of guidance, feeling sluggish and every day was a struggle with food. I would feel guilty when I ate dessert and loaded up on carbs. Now, the more I became focused on this program , the less energy I spent thinking about food and wondering what to eat. Also my energy levels have increased and my digestion is definitely improved.” - Francesca

“This program has taught me that I can have control over what I eat and how I look and feel. I now know that it is up to me to make lifestyle changes if I’d like to live healthier. I am done with the mindless eating because I now have control over what I put in my mouth.” - Maayan

“I learned that I can cook healthily for my family and it tastes really good! They loved everything I did. They were, as I was, so pleased that I was finally finding control. I have been trying for so long. THANK YOU!” -Sue

“This experience is a true gift. It gave me exactly what I needed to help myself and enabled me to see clearly where I am going with my health and happiness.” - Anne

“I realized that I can take control of my eating habits more than I thought I could. I feel lighter and have dropped weight. Whereas with Weight Watchers I come to a point where I stop sticking to the rules, I feel with this programme I can adapt what I learned into my daily routine. Delicious recipes too!” - Linda

Shiny Happy People eating Healthy!

LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE!!!!!

Filed Under: Detox and Cleansing, Events, health coach, Inspiration, Love, Recommendations Tagged With: Achievement, Cooking Classes, Detox, Self-Improvement, Sugar Addiction, weight loss

When friends hand you basil…

January 11, 2011 by Emily Segal 5 Comments

A couple of weeks ago a friend brought me this gorgeous bounty from her own garden:

I promptly ate all the arugula before anyone else could get their hands on it. Then I turned to the lemons. Squoze them into my hot water all weekend long and had a happy liver and pretty skin. Next I roasted a whole mess of veggies topped with that rosemary, yum. I put the leftover rosemary into every shampoo bottle in my house because rosemary repels lice.

Not that I would know anything about lice….nothing at all…

Lastly I turned my attention to that beautiful basil. This is THE BEST PESTO the world has ever known and of course, no cheese, no cholesterol, no saturated fat, and no animals harmed. In fact, I almost titled this post Pesto No Breasto but was afraid no one would click on it. Or no one I would want to click on it.

This recipe does include a small amount of Nutritional Yeast, which I have yet to find here in Israel. I am sorry for that, I try not to post things that have non-available ingredients and my supply of Nooch as it is called in Veg Circles, is running dangerously low. I hope to soon be able to find it here. In the meantime, you can try the recipe without it. And please tell me if you have already found it here.

The Best Pesto in the World (or Pesto No Breasto)

(original recipe based on this one from ohsheglows.com HERE)

1/2 cup sesame seeds

2 T Nutritional yeast

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup olive oil

1 bunch fresh basil

4 big handfuls fresh spinach

2 cloves of garlic

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

In a skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring and watching the entire time. They burn fast, so just toast them for a few minutes until they are just starting to turn golden and dump them out of then pan and into your food processor immediately. (They will keep cooking if you leave them in the pan and burned sesame seeds smell bad, trust me). Add the Nutritional yeast and process until crumbly. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. I like a thick pesto that I can spread on things, if you want a thinner one to toss on pasta, you can thin it down with more olive oil or with some non-dairy milk if you want it lower fat.

The only problem with this pesto is that it is a little hard to stop eating. I had it on homemade whole wheat foccacia (Recipe HERE):

I ate it on top of bread with sun-dried tomatoes…

Then I stuffed some mushrooms with it…

And now, with little bits of basil still stuck between my teeth, I think I’ll drink some hot lemon water and reflect on what wonderful friends I have.

Filed Under: Love, Recipes, vegan, What Was For Dinner Tonight

Extreme Self-Care Part 1

December 23, 2010 by Emily Segal 2 Comments

I know that for many of my readers, December feels like this:

One Great Big Balancing Act

For some it’s the Holidays that throw them off balance. For others it’s travel and still others have a difficult time adapting to the colder weather and darker, shorter days.

We all know the usual tips to restore balance: eat well, exercise, get sunlight, get enough sleep… but if we COULD do those things, we wouldn’t have gotten off balance in the first place, right?

So today I want to introduce the concept of Extreme Self-Care and I want to share some lesser known techniques to help soothe the soul and restore equilibrium. First up:

The Hot Towel Scrub

Body scrubbing can be done before or after your bath or shower, or anytime during the day. All you need is a sink with hot water and a medium-sized cotton washcloth.

For the maximum effect, scrub your body twice a day: once in the morning and once again in the evening. Scrub from 2 minutes to 20 minutes, depending on how much time you have. The process of the hot towel scrub has a deeper physical, mental and emotional effect when done at the sink, as opposed to in the shower.

Directions:

turn on the hot water and fill the sink
hold the towel at both ends and place in the hot water
wring out the towel
while the towel is still hot and steamy, begin to gently scrub the skin
do one section of the body at a time: for example, begin with the hands and fingers and work your way up the arms to the shoulders, neck and face, then down to the chest, upper back, abdomen, lower back, tush, legs, feet and toes
scrub until the skin becomes slightly pink or until each part becomes warm
reheat the towel often by dipping it in the sink of hot water after scrubbing each section or as soon as the towel starts to cool

Benefits:

reduces muscle tension
reenergizes in the morning and deeply relaxes at night
opens the pores to release stored toxins
softens deposits of hard fat below the skin and prepares them for discharge
allows excess fat, mucus, cellulite and toxins to actively discharge to the surface rather than to accumulate around deeper vital organs
relieves stress through meditative action of rubbing the skin
calms the mind
promotes circulation
activates the lymphatic system, especially when scrubbing (gently!) underarms and groin
easy massage and deep self-care
can be a sacred moment in your day, especially if done with candlelight and a drop or two of essential oil, such as lavender, rose, orange, or ylang ylang
creates a profound and loving relationship with the body, especially parts not often shown care, especially for those of us with body image problems
spreads energy through the chakras

This morning I did a hot towel scrub with a few drops of lavender and ylang ylang in the water. Then I dressed and drank a tall glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice. It left me feeling really energized and well-taken care of. What a great way to start the day!

I know it’s a busy time of year, but let’s make an effort to carve out a few minutes here and there to nurture ourselves and arrive at 2011 feeling great and not like 2010 ran you down like a semi!

Filed Under: coaching exercises, Detox and Cleansing, health coach, Love, Primary Food, Recommendations Tagged With: Beauty Tips

When Life Sucks

December 9, 2010 by Emily Segal 2 Comments

It seems like a lot of people around me are struggling right now. Here in Israel we are reeling from the tragic forest fire that destroyed acres of precious trees and senselessly took 42 irreplaceable human lives. Even the way the fire began is almost too sad to deal with. My far-away hometown has been rocked by painful anti-Semitic attacks that have amazingly brought out the best of humanity and community. Some of my clients lately are feeling sad and frustrated. My street has been under construction for MONTHS and the noise and dust are making me go bonkers. And worst of all, 4 of the people I love the most in the entire world are struggling through an unbelievably difficult and heart-breaking situation and I am thousands of miles away and completely helpless to do anything about it.

Nobody said it was gonna be easy.

It used to be that when things got like this, I would wallow in it. I would just roll around like a pig in you-kn0w-what, crying my eyes out, eating everything in sight, seeing only blackness, feeling nothing but despair, turning my heart away from hope.

Thankfully, things changed. I changed. I fell in love with life. I fell in love with the people, the thoughts, the words, the songs, the beauty and the ugliness, the art, the dirt, the dogs, the books, the trees, my heart, my soul, my destiny, The Creator of the World and all the angels.

And Love changes everything. Love makes my heart ache some times, but in a good way. Love makes me cry and it makes me laugh. Love makes me not take a single minute for granted. I spread love and allow it to envelope me. It is the best food anyone could ever eat. It is kisses and hugs and positive thoughts to everyone around me and those I send to the other side of the world, even though I know it is not enough.

But HOW did I change like this? Number one, I stopped eating crap. I healed my Sugar Addiction and got off the white crack. I learned to FEEL my feelings and not try to stuff them back with food. I decided that no matter what poop hit the fan, that I was worth fighting for, worth taking exquisite care of, worth my own love. That was a BIG step.

How we care for ourselves on a daily basis changes the way we experience tragedy and sadness. Loving ourselves FIRST opens an amazingly abundant over-flowing fountain of all that love I mentioned above. It won’t make bad things stop happening but it will make us feel less horrible when they do.

LOVE is Primary Food Numero Uno. Start with self love. Just start there. Don’t be afraid. Just decide that TODAY you will take care of yourself in a loving manner, no matter what else happens.

I must admit that we can learn a lot from our children. My son has taught me a lot about music. Without him I would never have discovered one of my favorite bands, Green Day. We disagree about some music, but when he, a faithful Linkin Park fan, played me this song off of their latest album, I knew it was a message from the angels themselves.

Today I share it here for everyone who feels a little or a lot sad, frustrated or lost. And just a reminder, at the end of the day, all we really have is Love. And music, and words, and poetry, and trees, and dogs, and hearts that ache and burst with happiness. Iridescent, by Linkin Park:

Filed Under: health coach, Love, Positive Thinking

Gone Fishin’

September 26, 2010 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

Today I am writing to you from an entirely different continent that usual. I am currently visiting my folks in the United States of Amereeka, in honor of my mom’s 80th birthday.

And the blog looks different too. Ch-ch-ch-changes! Don’t get attached to it though, because the entire blog/website situation is in major FLUX. I do not know how this chapter of my life will end, but I am goin’ with the flow, baby.

Anyway, so one of the nice things about traveling is eating different foods and things not available in the place where you live, right? So far, I have enjoyed:

Oatmeal with Almond Butter and Berries

A big old jar of unsweetened Almond Butter for only $8, sigh.

Kombucha Tea (with coveted copy of Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run)

Tenpeh “Bacon”

Big, Fat Doughy Bagels

There has been pancake making with Grandma:

The finished product

There was also a very unfortunate run-in with a bag of Candy Corn, which I did NOT photograph! Not exactly my best “wellness lifstyle” moment, but like I’m always telling you guys, the object is not Perfection. Sometimes I mess up too. And did you know that Candy Corn is made from SEVEN different types of sweeteners and very little else? Well aint that good to know.

Anyway, it’s beautiful autumn here in the Great Midwest and there’s a lot more happening than just what goes into my mouth.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in front of the Alexander Calder

Bowling and Sailing pictures coming soon….

Filed Under: Love, Positive Thinking, Product Reviews, Recommendations Tagged With: Dieting vs Lifestyle

When to Fire Your Therapist and Get an Israeli

August 11, 2010 by Emily Segal 4 Comments

Before I begin, why talk about marriage on a health and nutrition blog?

Relationships are Primary Food. Primary Food are the things in life that actually feed us and keep us healthy. Other examples of Primary Food are Spirituality, Creativity, Career, Physical Exercise, Home Environment and Financial Security. If Primary Food is out of balance, we often seek to restore balance through Secondary Food (the food we put in our mouths). Hate your job? Drown your sorrows in chocolate. Lonely and unfulfilled? Bring Ben and Jerry home to fill the void. As a Holistic Nutritionist, I work with clients to make sure Primary Food is balanced and nourishing and then many over-eating problems just disappear on their own.

Now, on to the story, because today is my 15th wedding anniversary and I have a few things to say about that.

I met M on February 13, 1993 on a blind date. Our date was to be one of many blind dates I had endured that winter. Being a single Jewish woman in Manhattan is like being a Tetris block flying down the chute at high speed. Everyone, and by “everyone”, I mean every other JEW, is frantically scrambling to find the spot where you fit into the stack.

When I opened the door to my apartment that night and saw the crinkly-eyed smile that seemed to shine light into the darkest of places, I had no idea that standing before me was the Prince in a long-line of Frogs. I mean, the guy was an Israeli for Pete’s sake, and we all know the macho, swaggering, overly-confident Zohan-like Play-uh with a capital P, young Israeli studs are likely to be.

The Scrappy Cocoa

But back up a minute: An important part of this story is that I was deeply depressed that winter. I had battled depression my entire life and at that particular time, I was working with a therapist who had me going down the WRONG rabbit hole. The sadder I got, the harder she pressed, thinking we were about to have a breakthrough. What I was about to have was a break-DOWN actually. So actually, by February, I was deep in the shit. Really deep.

Amidst this sadness, M and I began dating. At the beginning, truthfully, I wasn’t really even paying that much attention, so preoccupied was I with my problems. One day, while walking together in Riverside Park, when he was perhaps growing weary of my grim demeanor, I tried to explain to him the depths of my suffering and pain. Quite shockingly, he just laughed and said the words that would change the course of my life forever:

“If it hurts you to think of those things, why don’t you just think of something else?”

WHAT??? You can’t just CHANGE your thoughts! Aren’t your thoughts representations of the inner workings of your psyche? Mustn’t they be fully expressed, examined and analyzed? Are you saying that I control my thoughts and that dark funnel I constantly follow them down and down and down, is not inevitable? Why, in years of therapy, has no one ever told me this?

Cue heavenly light and singing angels.

The next day I fired my therapist and took a keener interest in my Play-uh.

M and I were married on August 11, 1995 in NYC. The fifteen years since have been the years that grew me. M gives me the security, support, love, encouragement and kicks in the butt, to keep me on the path to positive growth and self-fulfillment. I believe I do the same for him, although he would tell me to stop thinking about it so much and just have fun!

Happy Anniversary Darling! I raise my Fizzy Bubbule to us!

Disclaimer: I do not mean to knock traditional psychotherapy. OK, maybe just a little. I hear it works for some. But like I say with everything, if you’ve been at it for years, and you are just as miserable as ever, maybe it’s time to consider an alternative.

Oh, and I am not a Psychiatrist and Big D Depression is a real disorder and may need professional treatment. My husband may be better than Prozac but you’ll have to find your own, because he’s already taken.