Favorite Dining Places:

Bone Fish Grill or Seafood Restaurant: I get whatever fish they have that isn’t farm-raised with double vegetables and a salad. For dressing I request olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Thai or Sushi Restaurant: I usually get a coconut chicken curry dish, skip the white rice and do veggies. If I’m feeling crazy I might ask the server if they have brown rice and throw a bit of that in as well.

Olive Garden or other Italian Joint: I skip the pasta and get extra veggies like a side of spinach, mixed veggies, or broccoli instead. I also tell the waiter to please not bring me the basket of breadsticks that go straight to the belly and butt, and then give him or her a quick lecture on why they should replace their breadsticks with raw veggies and hummus.

Lunch places:

Whole Foods Market: If you live in Nashville, there is a 50/50 chance that at any given time that you will see me in here. Whether I’m having a lunch meeting, doing my usual grocery shopping, or teaching a shopping or cooking class, this is my favorite place to grab something healthy.

Jason’s Deli: Great organic options, huge salads. I love this place.

Panera Bread: Chicken, side salad, and green tea.

Fast Food Places:

Chipotle or other Mexican places: I skip the tortilla shell and go ‘naked’ on this one (and also skip the rice). I get black beans, pinto beans, peppers, onions, chicken, and tomato salsa. If you’re into fajitas, do the same thing but skip the shell. If it looks authentic, I get some avocado or guacamole as well.

Chick-fil-a: Grilled chicken breast (skip the bun) and get a side salad.

Starbucks: Green Tea (hold the whip cream and caramel) with a piece of fruit.

McDonalds or other competitors: Fast… No, I’m not telling you not to eat, I’m telling you to get out of the building–fast!! But seriously, just do the best you can. Chicken breast and fruit is probably your best bet.

There are also plenty of local restaurants in Nashville where I live that serve local produce, grass-fed beef and free-range eggs. You can do an Internet search for local restaurants in your city that serve farm fresh foods.

What is your favorite restaurant for eating out?

I love authors like J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis when I’m in the mood for a good story (like the Lord of the Rings).

Reading a book is also a great way to educate yourself on just about any topic in the world. If you want to learn a new skill, one of the best ways is to find someone who already does it well and ask them questions. If that’s not possible, then reading a book about it is the next best option.

In true David Letterman fashion, here is a list of my Top 10 Favorite Health Books:

10. Prescription for Natural Cures by James Balch

This is a great reference book for hundreds of ailments. Each entry includes a short explanation of the condition and offers many treatment options–everything from diet & nutrition to aromatherapy and dietary supplements. Amazon.com calls it the “new natural health bible for the twenty first century.”

9. Vaccines – Are They Really Safe & Effective? by Neil Z. Miller

A short book, but jam packed with important information on vaccinations. With charts and graphs, it evaluates each vaccine for safety, efficacy, and long-term effects. It also includes information on natural versus artificial immunity.

8. Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Patrick Quillin

This book is a great tool for anyone wanting to learn more about the role of nutrition in fighting disease. You might know that my Mom overcame cancer through an all-natural approach, and this is one of the tools that helped her. Our bodies have an amazing healing capacity if we know how to support them!

7. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Pollan answers several basic questions about our food in this ‘Eater’s Manifesto.’ He examines the fundamental differences between processed food and what I like to call ‘real food.’ His summary? “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

6. The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain

While this book may be focused on helping athletes maximize performance through their diet, anyone and everyone can benefit from this plan. The author advocates a return to the diet of our ancestors (high protein & plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables).

5. One Minute Wellness by Dr. Ben Lerner

Dr. Lerner offers a groundbreaking approach to wellness in his book as he describes the state of the current healthcare system and the benefits of wellness chiropractic. The added bonus? This is actually 2 books in one! You can follow a fictional tale (based in reality) of a young chiropractor while learning the statistics, lifestyle methods, treatments, and action steps to finding wellness.

4. The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin

This is Jordan Rubin’s own story of battling an ‘incurable’ disease with the Biblically-based principles of diet, nutrition, hygiene, and exercise. He outlines a plan for strengthening the 4 ‘Pillars of Health:’ spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional.

3. Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Dr. Fuhrman created the concept of charting Nutrient Density–one of my favorite topics! His book teaches you the principles of quality versus quantity when it comes to food. It will help you live longer, lose weight and dramatically change your outlook on food.

2. Never Be Sick Again by Raymond Francis

This book is chock full of incredibly useful information on how to choose health. The author explains there are ultimately only 2 causes of all disease: Toxicity & Deficiency. He is a chemist and MIT graduate who concludes that almost all diseases can be both prevented and reversed naturally.

1. The Real Food Diet Cookbook by…..me!

I’m really excited for my cookbook to come out this fall! It will include over 130 recipes featuring delicious real food that will help you lose weight, feel great and completely transform your life. You will also be able to learn about Real Food vs. Fake Food, The 5 Best & Worst Foods, and the ABCs of Cooking, Equipment, & Label Reading.

The Real Food Diet Cookbook will be available on my website this fall.

You can also visit my site to see other books that I recommend. You will find information on raising healthy kids, managing your money, and finding a new job that you love.

What are your favorite health books? What about your favorite books to read for fun?

Kid’s love this trail mix too–pack it for a school lunch or in the car on vacation.

What is all this talk of “RAW” food, living RAW, going Raw, etc? There is a Raw Revolution going on around us–and for good reason!

Though there are many different levels of “Eating Raw,” one thing is for sure: including more raw fruits and vegetables into our diets can only be a good thing. Raw food is unprocessed living food, complete with all of the enzymes and vitamins it was born with. Think fruits, veggies, nuts and sprouted grains. There is no blanching, chemical bleaching, pasteurization or altering of any kind happening to food that is Raw.

Eating food in it’s natural state is a simple way of eating and it’s easy to incorporate into our daily lives. Making wise choices at each meal will add up to make a profound difference in our lives and in our bodies.

So, what are some benefits of eating Raw Living food?

1. The body experiences a flood of much needed enzymes and vitamins.
2. Hydration
3. Regular bowel movements
4. Brighter, clearer skin (the Raw glow)
5. Increased energy (Who can’t use that?)
6. Clearer minds
7. Alkalizes your body

Those are just a few benefits! We haven’t even touched on the antioxidant content of some of the yummiest raw foods on the planet (that’s another day). There are simple ways to get started down the path of Raw living:

1. Juice fruits and vegetables for an anytime pick-me-up.
2. Replace packaged snacks with fruit, veggies and nuts.
3. Start your meal with a big salad.
4. Eat your veggies first. If you leave them til last they won’t get eaten.
5. Make your own smoothies with fresh fruit, nut milks, green leafy vegetables and natural sweeteners (stevia, raw honey)
6. Plan ahead. Don’t wait til you’re so hungry you can’t think straight.

The sky is the limit when it comes to eating Living Raw food, so have fun and enjoy your new glow!

I went out on the boat with my Dad and siblings, did some waterskiing, and swam in the lake. My Mom made some amazing lasagna with brown rice noodles, eggplant, grass-fed beef and goat cheese.

It was a great vacation! And I couldn’t help thinking that I need to take more of these.

Are you the same way? Do you take enough time out for yourself? For relaxing and unwinding?

The average American gets 13 vacation days from work while most Europeans get 39!

Resting and taking time off is essential for your quality of life AND your health.

Here are 5 Ways to Improve Your Quality of Life

1. Take one day completely off each week. The word Sabbath used in the Bible means to be refreshed. Are your weekends filled with running errands and carpooling the kids to parties? Try spending an entire day doing something that refreshes you instead. Maybe that’s a walk in the park or watching your favorite movie as a family.
2. Schedule a date night once a week with your spouse or significant other.
3. Have lunch or do something fun with your best friend or a group of friends once a week.
4. Schedule a mini retreat for yourself every 2-3 months. This might be a relaxing vacation or a long weekend by yourself with no interruptions.
5. Do something nice for someone else. Think about a person in your life who needs some encouragement or support. Buy them a book, write them a nice email or find some way to add value to their life.

What are your favorite ways to take time out?

When people ask me about my birth experiences and I tell them I had natural births with all three of my children, there are typically two responses:

1. “I don’t think I could do that!”
2. “Wow! Good for you! I could never do that.”

It’s funny–although I am meeting more and more mothers who are birthing naturally, the majority of women don’t consider it an option. They may be interested in natural childbirth but don’t think that they could ever have one. Many women do not have any experience with a natural birth, other than what they see in the movies, and I’ll tell you, I have seen very few accurate representations.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I decided I would not have an epidural. I made this decision, not with the noblest of reasons. To be honest, I was simply scared to death of the procedure. I began to do a bit of research on epidurals and what began as a fear of a needle in my back grew into a fear of the risks that came with the epidural. My mind was made up. I would give birth naturally.

You may be wondering what I read that frightened me out of having the kind of birth that so many women assume is safe–and normal for that matter. There is a time and place for interventions, but they should not be used as the norm, rather as a back up, and always with the mother’s consent. Here are several of the risks of having an epidural, things that your doctor may not tell you:

• An epidural brings an increased cesarean section rate. An epidural at 2 cm dilation increases your chance of a c-section by 50%! At 3 cm your chances increase by 33%. At 4 cm they increase by 26%. At 5 cm, there doesn’t seem to be a statistical difference between those who do and don’t receive an epidural.
• Epidurals lead to prolonged labors in the 1st and 2nd stages.
• 20-26% of labors with an epidural result in abnormal presentation of the baby, or failure to descend, which is an indication for c-section.
• Hypotension (low blood pressure) occurs among 1/3 of women who have an epidural, serious hypotension in about 12%. This results in a lack of oxygen to the baby, which is a major risk to the baby, often ending in fetal distress.
• Your likelihood of having delivery by forceps or vacuum extraction is 5x greater with an epidural.
• Some women have pain at the site of the injection for weeks, months, and even years.
• Nausea, vomiting, maternal fever.
• Severe headache from a punctured dura.

All this for a method of pain relief that is not even 100% effective! Believe me when I say that this information scared me more than the pain of a natural labor. For me, the benefits of a natural birth, one without an epidural or Pitocin (which is used to induce labor), far outweighed the risks of the epidural.

So what are the benefits of a natural birth? Well, for starters you have none of those terrible risks that come with a medicated birth. That in itself is a huge benefit. Besides that…

• Natural labors are often shorter.
• Women who birth naturally have a better breast feeding success rate. Their babies are more alert and show more interest in the initial feedings, aiding in the bonding process that is so crucial in those first couple of hours.
• Natural birth is better for the mother and baby.
• Recovery from a natural birth is faster. I walked to my post partum room!
• The mother feels a greater connection to the birth experience when she is alert and aware.
• Natural childbirth is empowering and what a wonderful way to begin the journey of motherhood!

There are so many more benefits… too many to mention in this short article. You can have a natural birth at home, in a birthing center, or in a hospital… yes, in a hospital! I had all three of my children in the hospital with the support of my husband, family, and a doula. There are steps you can take and tools you can use to cope naturally with the pain of labor. Preparation is key when approaching birth naturally. One of my favorite books on natural childbirth is Active Birth, by Janet Balaskas. I recommend it to every mother I teach.

The important thing is to remember that God made a women’s body to do this! You’d be surprised at how instinctual birth is. Go with the flow, trust your instincts and listen to your body. You will be empowered!

(research on risks of epidural from the article “The Medical Risks of Epidural Anesthesia” by Lewis E. Mehl-Madrona, M.D., Ph. D.)