Holistic Nutrition - it's what's for dinner

Hi All,

Having a pretty good summer here.  Nature sure put on an amazing show for us last night.  Some amazing storms pop up in the desert on summer evenings.  Hope things are going well for all of you, wherever you're reading this blog.

Summer storm in the distance

So one of the things I've been working on, personally, is making changes in my eating habits.  I'm working toward eating a more nutritious diet.  I've been doing pretty well for the most part, but one thing we don't do as much as I'd like to, is cook foods from scratch.  I guess that's the next phase.

On a professional level, I run a weekly Holistic Weight Management with Hypnosis group here in Phoenix, AZ.  Of course it incorporates hypnotherapy with sensible eating, exercise and a strong desire to change your body to a healthy, well balanced, right sized vessel.  We also do this with the support of a positive like minded group.

There's an holistic nutrition aspect to this group as well. Each week we look at a few foods that we can incorporate into our diets.   We look at good wholesome foods, their nutritional content and how we can incorporate them into our diets.  Remember though - this isn't a diet.  It's basically eating healthy on a daily basis.

Last week, the South American grain, Quinoa came up in the group.  So I decided to cook dinner last night and make a dish with quinoa.  I also wanted to prepare a dish with Lentils.  Both are power foods and very nutritious.

Leftover Quinoa Tabbouleh

Quinoa is considered a supergrain.  It's high in fiber and rich in high quality protein.  It originates in South America and was a staple of the Incas.  I bought the quinoa out of the grocery store bulk bin where it's very inexpensive.  It's easy to make, is loaded with fresh vegetables, was delicious, and a very nutritious and low calorie choice at only 182 calories per serving.  I found the recipe on www.myrecipes.com.

The lentil dish I made was Mujaddara Arabic Lentil Rice.  I got the lentils from the bulk bin as well.  I prepared it with onion, brown rice, and cumin.  It's a simple dish and took about an hour and 15 minutes to prepare.  I found the recipe for this dish on www.allrecipes.com.

Lentils are an amazing food.  They're high in fiber and excellent for your heart.  They also promote healthy blood sugar.  They're low in fat and calories, but high in Iron and an excellent high energy food.

All in all it was a good learning experience and a very tasty and nutritious meal.  As I write this, I'm finishing hard boiling eggs and cooking brown rice pasta for a cold tuna and wild salmon pasta salad for dinner tonight.

Cooked Brown Rice Penne macaroni - for the tuna and salmon salad.

OK - so I want to have full disclosure here.  I don't eat a perfectly holistically nutritious diet all the time.  However - here's the key.  Do the best you can.  Try to eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can.  If you get organic, great.  If you don't, don't beat yourself up about it.  I try to be grateful for the food I have and eat a well rounded healthy diet.  Little by little, I'm incorporating more and more wholesome foods and eating less processed food and fast food.  Just be gentle with yourself around food and keep making progress.

I hope you found this helpful.  Enjoy your day - wherever you are and whatever you're doing.  You can touch peoples lives every day.  Be kind to others....and yourself.

Peace,

Tom

Owner and operator at Holistic Therapy Solutions LLC in Phoenix, AZ
www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com