Healthy and Delicious (Paleo, Grain-Free & Gluten-Free) Falling off the Bone Short Ribs…

I just made the most amazing short ribs in the world. They were super easy, and I didn’t even spend all day in the kitchen.

Plus, they are healthy, gluten free, grain free and Paleo! I used 100% grass-fed short ribs, stock (I used duck but you can use chicken or beef), organic veggies and organic cabernet.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time in Crockpot: 6-8 hours.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs 100% grass-fed short ribs

• 1 1/2 cups chicken, duck or beef stock (you can buy stock or make it)

• 2 cups dry red wine (I used cabernet)

• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 1 medium onion

• 1 carrot

• 1 celery stalk

• salt and pepper to taste

• Crockpot (I like this because I can prepare it, leave it, and when I come home food is ready… no staying in the kitchen all day!)

Instructions:

1. If your short ribs are the whole cut with several ribs, cut in between each rib evenly to give you individual cuts of each short rib. Lightly salt and pepper each short rib.

2. Pour a couple tablespoons of coconut oil in a skillet. Heat a skillet on the oven over medium heat. Make sure the oil is nice and hot, and then add the short ribs to the
skillet. Brown on all sides well, about 1-2 minutes per side. Do not over crowd the skillet.

3. Once the short ribs are browned on all sides, place all of them into a glass dish or bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.

4. Chop your carrots, celery and onion coarsely.

5. Add coarsely chopped onion, carrot and celery to the skillet with the coconut oil you browned the short ribs in. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often to prevent the
veggies from burning.

6. Once the veggies have begun to soften, pour the red wine and stock into the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring. Let it come to a light simmer, pour into crockpot and
then place the browned short ribs into the crockpot. Space the ribs evenly in the crockpot.

7. Place the sprigs of thyme and rosemary all around in the crockpot.

8. Place the lid on the crockpot. Set the crockpot on low. Cook 6-8 hours depending on your crockpot.

9. Once they are done, spoon out and discard the sprigs of rosemary and thyme. You can also skim the fat from the braising liquid and discard if you’d like. I leave a little fat for a delicious taste and flavor.

10. Spoon out the meat & vegetables then drizzle the braising liquid over the top and let the deliciousness melt in your mouth.

I’d love to hear about how the recipe goes for you! Please give it a try and then let me know what you think.

Soak Your Nuts

Lol!

…Yes it sounds funny

…And yes, I did pick up my last boyfriend by sharing with him how important it is for him to soak his nuts.

…He said, “You piqued my interest.”

If you are like me, you may have a problem digesting nuts or feeling bloated after eating nuts. There is a reason why!

Listen to this…

There is a brand in the nut called a phyate, this protects the nut in nature from being eaten so that it can germinate. Phyates actually block your ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins that are in the nut because phyates inhibit digestion…bloating, gas, constipation, etc.

Our ancestors knew this. So what they did was soak the nuts. I know that this might sound weird…but we have lost this ancient tradition in our culture that our ancestors knew would affect our ability to break down the nut in our gut, and receive the beneficial nutrients and vitamins.

So I wanted to share with you from one of the best Nutritional Books ever…Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

I made these yummy Crispy Pecans the other day…and had to share them with you. Plus, I didn’t get bloated. I shared these with a few friends and they were blown away by the incredible buttery flavor of the pecan, and the difference in taste.

…of course they tasted better. Our ancestors were geniuses!!!

Crispy Pecans

4 cups crispy halves
2 teaspoons sea salt
filtered water

“The buttery flavor of pecans is enhanced by soaking and slow oven drying. Mix pecans with salt and filtered water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain in a colander. Spread pecans on a stainless steel baking pan and place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally, until completely dry and crisp. Store in an airtight container. Great for school lunches.”

Enjoy! I would love to hear from you, and how you enjoyed the recipe!

With Love,
Danyelle

Are You Self-Sabotaging?

I couldn’t hold back anymore…I had to share one of my greatest teachers with YOU…so you can STOP self-sabotage!

It is something that I work on every day…so I hope this post helps you, like it has helped me!

A dear friend and colleague of mine, Dean Horton, Holistic Coach Extraordinaire,  wrote a blog post just for YOU so that you can beat YOUR self-sabotage that keeps YOU from achieving your health goals.

…He is also going to share with us how to BEAT the self BEAT-UP.

Yeah!

If you’re at all like me…guilt and beat-up feel horrible!

…YOU eat that cookie that you know tastes so good while it is going down but then the guilt and the beat-up set in…“How come I couldn’t resist the temptation…I have no willpower”.

Does that sound like YOU?

…It was all to familar to me 5 years ago.

Let’s Stop Self-Sabotage Dead In its Tracks with 4 Easy Steps!

Dean works with many clients that have self-sabotaging challenges when it comes to following through.  He knows first hand how self-sabotage dreadfully showed up in his life year after year, and paralyzed him in his career…which led to years of not working.

He is going to share with you 4 Life-Changing Steps that gave him his power back and brought him out of his self-sabotaging FUNK…

If you are like Me, Dean, and Many Others…you have wanted to lose weight or get back in shape…you join the gym, sought out the most knowledgeable nutritionist to design an individualized nutritional program just for you …only to realize that you are not following the program and not going to the gym because you  are sabatoging yourself in some way!

It is truly frustrating and annoying!

We ask, “why,” “how could I do that… I really want to lose my belly fat”…

Does this sound familar?

So let’s get to the bottom of why we do this…

Dean says, one reason that we do this is because the human ego (that voice in your head…all the time) goes back to what is familiar (it is uncomfortable to change).  In this place of familiarity…we find comfort, we feel safe.

Remember, those homemade chocolate chip cookies your mom would make when you got an A on a paper…our ego remembers those good feels, and feels comforted.  So we grab for those chocolate chip cookies when we feel sad or depressed…thinking that they are going to make us feel good…and for a short while they do…until…

…The Big Bad BEAT-UP Wolf kicks in.

Dean shares with us…

…remember, when you decided to workout 4-5 times a week and you have every intention of carrying out your Fitness Bootcamp regime, then you don’t end up doing it at all because there is some sub-conscious part of you that doesn’t believe you deserve it?

…The EGO ALWAYS wants to go back to what is familiar…it likes to be in Control…and this is where we start to sabotage.

So What Happens When We Sabotage…

Here is my take…we become in conflict with ourselves.  You really want to get in shape but you never make it the gym or you reach for that cookie knowing that it is not helping you reach your goals.  Then we make up excuses.

…can you relate to this?

We don’t understand why we are sabatoging so we start beating ourselves up.

Dean shares with us…

The ego loves the conflict because it helps it seperate from Source (God, Higher Power, Higher Self, You, etc.)…who we really are.

What does all this giberish mean to me Danyelle?

We end up feeling lost, powerless, hopeless, and angry…because of this seperation between ego and source.  When in reality we are very powerful!

Wait until you hear this powerful story…

Dean had a client who wanted to be “noticed”…growing up she wasn’t noticed by her parents (she felt invisible).  She found herself overeating, and not knowing why she was doing it.

Dean helped her see, that she sub-consciously was overeating and making herself fat so that she could be “noticed”…even if it was negative attention…it was attention.  The sub-conscious thought was, “The bigger I am the more they will see me and pay attention”.

Dean helped Diane, acknowledge what was happening on a sub-conscious level, and taught her how to reparent that part of her self-sabatoging ego who wanted “to being noticed”…the bigger her body got the more she would be noticed!

…Now, Diane has a different relationship with food which has eliminated her overeating, and need to be “noticed” by being fat.  She now knows how to “notice” herself and give herself the attention and love that she so badly craved from those around her.

How Powerful and Inspirational!

This can work for you too…

Dean has created  4 Simple and Powerful Steps To Help YOU End Self-Sabotage with what I call The Self-Sabotage Check-in…

1.  STOP…Notice That YOU are sabotaging

2. Instead of beating yourself up say, “OK this is where I am TODAY!”…not forever

3. Then sit quiet with yourself for 2 mins,  hear the silence between your thoughts…a meditative state (this helps you connect with Source vs. YOUR Ego (the chatter box…if your ego is like mine…it is always talking).

4. The very next day (not in that moment) YOU decide if this is something that keeps happening over and over again…hiring a coach is the best way to break the self-sabotaging patterns faster…coaches are like lasers that help us cut through the blur and confusion.

Here is the Main Point Friends…

Dean says, that returning to Source through sitting quietly with yourself helps to reconnect with YOU, and  who YOU really are.  The Ego (the chatter box, our thoughts, etc.) is not who YOU are…even though it gives YOU that illusion.

My wonderful holistic coach, John McMullin, says, “Meditation is a time for listening and praying is a time for asking…they are both important to ending self-sabotage.”

In My Opinion…

Follow these 4 steps…you will be amazed…I sure was!

On a personal note…Dean is an inspiration, and out of anyone I have ever met…this man has changed his life.  He knows first hand how dangerous and debilitating self-sabotage can be.  Dean’s 4 steps do work because he and his clients are living proof…that is why I was so excited to share it with YOU!

Let’s create more love and acceptance for ourselves so that we achieve ALL of our dreams and desires!

With Love and Success To All,

Danyelle

Tomatoes Like YOU Have Never Tasted

So I just returned from the farmer’s market at Union Square in NYC. This is my weekly routine that I absolutely love and look forward to every week.

I love to speak with the farmers, as they share with me with passion in their eyes about how they produce their delicious foods.

If you were like me back in the day…I would go to the farmer’s market and be overwhelmed as to where to begin. There were so many stands, and I didn’t really know what questions to ask to know that I was getting the best quality food.

I thought that none of the farmers at the farmer’s market sprayed, until right before I purchased my first product, and asked, “Do you spray?”

When they answered, “Yes.” I was shocked, and I knew that I needed to do my homework and meet all the farmers that were not spraying their fields with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides.

After tons of research and loads of questions, I now know who to shop from.

I wanted to share with you some of my discoveries at the market…

Here are the tomatoes that I adore. You haven’t tasted a tomato until you have tried Patsy’s Tomatoes at 9J Greenhouses in Union Square.

Before Patsy’s tomatoes…I hated tomatoes. I thought they tasted like water…and they did. Her tomatoes are certified organic… and you can taste it.

I don’t eat too many tomatoes because they are not good for my individual “Metabolic Type” but I sneak in a few here and there…especially hers.

…BTW, if you want to learn your “Metabolic Type”, sign up for my 7 Free Videos on Fat Loss.

Yes, and the picture you see…those are her tomatoes!

2 Easy Tactics On How To Avoid Feeling Tempted And Deprived At Holiday Parties

Hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July! I am thrilled to have a weekend to relax with friends. I am going to be in Long Island for a picnic, and then off to the Fireworks in NYC.

Do you feel nervous about falling off the wagon when the holiday parties or picnics come around? Are you concerned you might be tempted by the treats that present themselves at the picnic?

I used to get real nervous when the holidays would come along because I was afraid that I would be tempted by all the mouth-watering junk food that was calling my name.

If you are shaking your head yes, then I want to my share my 2 best secrets that helped me not feel like I was depriving myself of a good time. These 2 simple and easy tactics have worked with a ton of my clients and myself for years.

To help me overcome my tempation, as I eyed the chocolate chip cookies and pasta salads, I would make sure that I ate all my yummy organic foods that I loved before I went to the picnic or party.

I was so satisfied that I didn’t even crave the foods that I thought I would crave. Then, over time as I began doing this over and over again, I would allow myself to taste the what-use-to-be tempting foods, and they didn’t have the same appeal anymore.

Today, it doesn’t tempt me at all because it just doesn’t taste good…I taste the chemicals, and the non-organic foods are tasteless because they are so depleted in nutrients and vitamins. I actually felt like I was starving myself and was completely unsatisfied, even after eating a big meal.

The second trick that I started to do when invited to picnics or parties was to bring my favorite food or dish that I knew would satisfy me! Make your favorite gluten-free brownies, salad dish, or bring your own favorite meats to share with everyone.

What I noticed is that everyone ended up eating what I brought because it tasted so good…our bodies know good yummy food.

I wanted to give you one of my favorite party dishes so you too don’t have to feel deprived or tempted.

Here it is:

Beet and Cilantro Salad

Ingredients:

– Organic Beets (4-5 small beets)
– Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– Organic Cilantro (1/2 bunch)
– Organic Balsamic Vinegar
– Organic Red Onions (1 medium sized onion)
– Celtic Sea Salt

Instructions:

-Peel beets. Cut 4-5 raw organic beets into sliver size cubes. Chop 1/2 a bunch of cilantro. Dice one medium size onion. Add all the vegetables together, and add balsamic vinegar and olive oil to your liking. Flavor with Celtic sea salt to your liking.

Note: For Protein types and Mixed Types add more oil, and for Carb Types add less oil. If Carb types were to add 1-2 TBSPS of oil. The Mixed Types should add about 3-4 TBSPS and the Protein Type should add about 5-6 TBSPS.

This Is Why I Give A Guided Tour Of The Farmer’s Market: Union Square

Hey Everyone!

I know that I haven’t written in a while. I have been preparing some really great programs that you are going to love…so I have gotten a little behind in blogging.

I ran across this article today from Dianne Gregg’s newsletter, and was dying to share it with you…

These are the exact reasons that I shop at the Farmer’s Market,
and NOT at Whole Foods!

If you are overwhelmed with not knowing what to buy at the farmer’s market or know which farmer’s to buy from

…don’t fret!

If you are in the NYC area, I give a Farmer’s Market Tour in Union Square to get you clear on which farmers sell the best produce and meats.

If you aren’t in the NYC area, you can contact me directly. I will prepare you on how to tackle any farmers market in your area…and walk away with the best produce and meats!

Take a look at this incredible article, and let me know what you think!  I can’t tell you how much I truly like hearing from you!

Imported foods found with unacceptable pesticide levels have drawn attention to the USDA’s shoddy certification process. When you buy food with a “USDA organic” label, do you know what you’re getting? Now is a good time to ask such a question, as the USDA just announced Monday it was putting 15 out of 30 federally accredited organic certifiers they audited on probation, allowing them 12 months to make corrections or lose their accreditation.

At the heart of the audit for several certifiers were imported foods and ingredients from other countries, including China. Chinese imports have had a bad year in the news, making headlines for contaminated pet food, toxic toys, and recently, certified organic ginger contaminated with levels of a pesticide called aldicarb that can cause nausea, headaches and blurred vision even at low levels. The ginger, sold under the 365 label at Whole Foods Market, contained a level of aldicarb not even permissible for conventional ginger, let alone organics.

Whole Foods immediately pulled the product from its shelves.

Ronnie Cummins, the national director of the Organic Consumers Association, emphasizes that most organic farmers “play by the rules.” They believe in organic principles and thereby comply with organic standards. Unfortunately, Congress’ pitifully inadequate funding for enforcement, including for organic imports from countries like China, “guarantees it’ll be easy for unscrupulous players to cheat, and that’s obviously what’s going on here.”

Farms that produce USDA-certified organic food are not personally inspected by anyone from the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). As a small and under funded agency within the USDA (it has fewer than a dozen employees), NOP relies on what it calls Accredited Certifying Agencies — ACAs — to do the legwork. The ACAs take responsibility for ensuring that any farm or processor bearing the organic label meets the strict requirements for certification.

Since the Chinese government does not allow foreigners to inspect Chinese farms, an extra step is involved for oversight of organics from China: Chinese companies, which are allowed to inspect Chinese farms, subcontract with foreign ACAs. Cummins believes “the safest course of action is … to say we won’t certify imports from China because their law won’t allow inspections.”

For Americans who shop at the growing number of farmers markets springing up around the country, the status of organics from China — or even organics from faraway U.S. states — may be irrelevant.

Just as the hippies who founded the movement intended, ethical eating extends beyond pesticide-free food for these shoppers, some of whom call themselves locavores, meaning “one who eats food produced locally.” They wish to support small farmers and to ensure their food was produced in an environmentally friendly manner by workers who were treated well and paid fairly. And no matter how strict a law may be, there will always be those who game the system.

Even if a Chinese inspector notices illegal pesticide use, he or she might feel pressured to stay silent, says Dr. Robert E. Hegel, professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at Washington University in St. Louis. “Everybody there is so proud of increased production that few people ask much about the farmer’s production methods,” says Hegel. “And there’s no ‘organic’ food tradition in China.” According to Hegel, in China “everything was just ‘food’ and it was, until the 1950s, mostly ‘organic’ by our contemporary definitions — fertilized with human and animal waste, compost … and ashes.”

But for an American looking for high-quality organics, the number one way to ensure that’s what you’re getting is to buy directly from the farmer. Farmers markets or CSAs (community supported agriculture — arrangements in which consumers buy a share in a farm and receive weekly boxes of produce) are excellent ways to go as you can often meet the farmer or visit the farm yourself.

Even if you can’t make the trip to the farm personally, typically a farmers market sets rules around what is and is not permitted at the market (for example, only allowing produce grown within the state), and a market manager visits each farm to guarantee adherence to the policy.

The problem with fraudulent Chinese organics merely drives home the larger problem that sustainable and ethical eating is about forming relationships, and trying to fit it into the global, industrialized mold of the rest of our food system does not work. For example, the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based watchdog agency, reports on American dairies Horizon and Aurora, which operate organic factory farms milking thousands of cows each.

Over the past year, the USDA finally penalized Aurora, supplier of private label milk to Wal-Mart, Safeway and Costco, for violating organic standards. While the National Organic Program is poorly funded, perhaps it would be more effective if the USDA staffed it with people who felt strongly about organics. Cummins mentioned a North Carolina organic activist and farmer who suggested eating at Nora’s, a well-known Washington, D.C., organic restaurant, to NOP staff. He was shocked when they responded enthusiastically that they would love to try it because they had hardly ever eaten organic food before.

Because organics (and ethical eating in general) is ultimately about values and personal relationships, Cummins believes the most important next step is establishing a peer review panel, as called for by law, “so that respected members of the organic community can monitor and police violations of organic standards on the part of producers, importers and certifiers.” The USDA acknowledges the requirement of a peer review panel by law but has yet to implement it.

Because knowledgeable members of the organic community who share the consumers’ values will be able to look out for their interests, consumers can feel more confident in the organics they buy from the store with a peer review panel in place. Store-bought organics might not be equal to buying directly from a farmer, but in today’s hectic world, when you can’t make it out to a farm or a farmers market, we need to make sure they are a close second.

This article written by Jill Richardson regarding organic foods.

I Am On A TV Show!!!

I am not sure if you know but we have some very exciting things happening right now that will help you take back your health this summer!

I wanted to let you know that I am the Holistic Health Coach on My TempO! With Morgan, an online TV show that helps inspire YOU to take action in your life. The show covers an array of different topics from your health to easy and affordable how-to-do-it-yourself home remodeling.

Plus…

If you are in the New York City area… you are in luck because I will be giving away a lot of easy, simple, effective ways for you to get healthy every Sunday night from 8:30-9:00pm on The Manhattan Network Station (Channel 2).

I would love to hear from you! Please share with me your number one challenge or frustration you are currently facing with your health and/or diet. We will address as many of your questions…so be sure to write me.

With Love And Support To YOU and YOUR Health,

Danyelle

What YOU Ought To Know About YOUR Food!

After watching Food Inc, I couldn’t help but share with you eye-opening and mouth-dropping info about our food supply that really moved me.   I believe this is a must see for anyone with children because it could save your child’s life and Yours!

…Children are dying because of how contaminated our food is!

In the movie Food Inc,  a woman explains how she lost her healthy 2 year old child due to E.Coli from a hamburger she fed him 12 days before he died.

Hamburger from these huge beef companies such as Beef Products Inc. (which make up about 70% of our countries hamburger) have been found to have meat from about 1,000 different cows, in 1 beef pattie… that YOU eat!  BTW, this company feels very proud about their ability to combine technology and science… cleansing their meats, that you eat, with ammonia!

Wait a minute, if you are in shock at that, then wait until I share with you what Dan Gibson (Owner of Grazin Angus Acres Farm) shared with me two weeks ago:

…85% of antibiotics produced are given to our livestock?

What?

Why are animals so sick that they need to be given antibiotics?

…Maybe because they are knee deep in manure, and when they are shipped off to the slaughter house, their hides are covered with manure (that manure does end up in your meat…and can carry E.Coli).

So you might be thinking, Danyelle, how does this affect me and  the health of my family?

The living conditions are so bad!  The cows are eating corn/grains (cows stomachs can only handle eating grass) that are making them sick, and because of all of the above they more likely to carry E.Coli.  Therefore, they are given antibiotics…and this affects us too!

How?

Well, what ends up happening is that we are becoming resistant to these antibiotics, and allergic too!

Here it is:  The cow is eating corn/grains which make him sick, are given antibiotics because the cow is sick due to the food he is being fed and his unhealthy living conditions.

Yes, this does affect our health because it changes the quality of food that you are eating…which starts affecting your health.

When YOU eat cows fed corn/grains, YOU change  YOUR Omega 3: Omega 6 ratios (essential fatty acids which are essential for life).  Omega 3’s decrease inflammation, boost brain function, and prevent against neourological disease, and much more.

Omega 6’s (while necessary too!)  do the opposite.  It is the ratio that we want to keep balanced for great health.  A  2:1 ratio between Omega 6 : Omega 3 is ideal.  Today, dietary experts estimate that current eating habits of America leads to an Omega 6:3  ratio of about 20:1…OUCH!

When YOU eat corn/grain fed cows you are throwing off that ratio!  100% grass fed cows is the one way that will help you keep that ratio in balance.

If you have a child, and want to make sure that you are feeding him/her with healthy foods that will save his/her life…please educate yourself about this stuff!

Supporting YOU and YOUR Family In Living A Healthy Lifestyle

Not All Eggs Are Created Equal!!!

I learned some really important information about eggs from expert farmer Dan Gibson, owner of Grazin’ Angus Acres Farm, two weeks ago that I really, really wanted to share with you!

I have always loved The Country Hen eggs. I had been eating them for the last two years before I fortunately ran into Dan Gibson’s eggs. Now, I have been eating Dan’s eggs for the last year.

Here is the thing…I ran out of Dan’s eggs about two weeks ago and decided to pick up The Country Hen eggs again, thinking they would be an ok substitute until I went to the farmer’s market the following week.

I was definitely wrong!

I was so shocked at the difference between the two eggs that I literally could not even eat The Country Hen eggs anymore!

As you can see from the pictures, look at the difference in the color of the yolks. The yolks in Dan’s eggs (bottom) are a dark deep orange. His eggs are a dark deep orange because these chickens are grazing on grass all day long. The grass is filled with beta carotene. The beta carotene production in the grasses that the chickens eat is directly influenced by sunlight. The sunlight creates beta carotene in the grass. The chickens eat the grass and ingest the beta carotene. That is how you get the orange yolks.

Here is the kicker…

Not all eggs are the same because there are different types of Omega-3’s. There is a difference between plant based (chia seeds and flax seeds) and animal based Omega-3’s. It is important to have both in the diet but best to have animal based (EPA and DHA). Plant based Omega-3’s have to be converted in the body to be used. If you have high levels of insulin due to eating too many carbs for your unique body type, you won’t be able to convert these Omega-3’s into optimal tools for your body to use.

Danyelle, how do I know if my insulin is high?

Well, if you are overweight, cholesterol levels are high, have high blood pressure or struggle with diabetes…which is 85% of our population, then you most likely have high insulin levels.

Dr. Mercola argues that, “there are certain components in animal based omega 3’s that you don’t get in vegetarian alternatives.”

Animal based Omega-3’s are essential fatty acids that help with reducing inflammation, boosts brain function, boosts male fertility, prevents against neurological diseases, joint health, and PMS.

According to The Stockman Grass Farmer (3/10), short chain omega-3 fatty acids from plant oils (flax seed, olives, sunflowers and soybeans) are of questionable value. However, long chain omega-3’s from fish oil, grass-fed meats, and raw milk reduce the inflammation associated with disease including strokes and arthritis.

So what does this all mean to me, Danyelle?

You want to know what type of Omega-3’s are in your food. Even if the label on your organic eggs says these eggs have “higher levels of Omega-3’s,” you will want to know if the chickens have been eating grass or flax seed all day. Have the chickens been inside “sunlit” barns all day or out on grassy pastures? These factors will influence the type of Omega-3’s that you will get in your eggs, which directly influences your health benefits.

How do I know what the chickens are eating?

For the freshest eggs (2 days old) get your eggs at your local farmer’s market. At the farmer’s market you can ask what the chickens eat, and if they are “pasture raised” (eating grass and bugs in the spring and summer time).

If you buy them in the store, you won’t really know what the chickens are eating because you can’t speak directly to the farmer.

Look for pasture-raised chickens that graze on grass during the summer and spring .

I have attached the pictures so that you can see the difference between what eggs should really look like (pasture-raised chickens eating grasses and bugs vs. store bought eggs raised on flax seeds in “sunlit” barns).

Let’s stay healthy together!

Oh…If you are in the NYC Area and you want to learn who my favorite farmers are and the best quality food you can find, then you can check out my Farmers Market Tour (Plus, receive the Farmer’s Market Cheat Sheet on the tour!).

If you are really curious and want to learn more about healthy eggs… Click Here

Exclusive Interview With Founder Of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition TM, Reed Davis! Topic: The Damaging Effects of Gluten

Hey guys!

To make sure that you have the best and most relevant information, I have sought out the best people I can find to interview about the topics you want to hear about.

I am so excited to announce that my teacher and mentor, Reed Davis, will be taking time out of his very busy day and successful practice to speak with us about the damaging effects of gluten on the human body.

Reed Davis knows first hand the dangers of gluten having been diagnosed as a celiac several years ago.

Reed is the founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition™️ (FDN). Prior to developing his amazing Functional Diagnostic Nutrition™️ course, he served 8 years as the Case Manager and Clinical Nutritionist in a Wellness Center in San Deigo, CA, where he was able to make observations about who was getting better and who wasn’t.

He found that the patients that improved the most were the ones that were addressing their underlying problem, not treating the symptoms. When Reed owned and operated his own health screening business, where he tested over 11,000 people!

Today, he offers an amazing FDN Certification course that is open to professional health care providers. His certification course has grown exponentially! He has already trained hundreds of chiropractors, acupuncturists, clinical nutritionists, Metabolic Typing Advisors, nurses and other providers around the world.

You may be asking yourself…Danyelle, what is Functional Diagnostic Nutrition™️? …It is looking at the body to see how it is functioning at the digestive, immune, detoxification, and hormonal levels. If you are functionally optimal at these levels then your symptoms ultimately disappear.

Symptoms are “common” but not “normal.” Each and every cell in your body is designed to work perfectly at 100%. However, when we are feeding the body the wrong foods, under emotional stress, environmental stress, working out too hard…we create stress!

Stress is what throws the body out of balance, and does not allow the body to function at 100%. When the body is not working at 100% we have symptoms: fatigue, bloated belly, migraines, PMS, neck tension, etc.

Reed is like a detective and uses scientific lab tests to detect where the body is malfunctioning, and then he helps you reestablish functioning through diet and lifestyle modifications.

Let’s welcome Reed Davis to our community!

If you are interested in hearing this exclusive interview, please Contact Me and I will tell you how you can receive the recording :-).

Farmer’s Market Tour

You’re “Trying” to get healthy but you don’t know where to begin. You don’t want to spend all day trying to figure out what to buy that will make you fit and trim, and you want a “cheat sheet” that will make it easy for you to shop at any farmer’s market you attend.

Discover the questions YOU will want to ask at any farmer’s market in order to get the best quality foods so that you can feed you and your family with superb healthy, seasonal, local foods while supporting sustainable agriculture.

This group is right for YOU if you:

– Are a parent who wants to feed your children with the healthiest foods possible but not all the trouble of having to guess at who the best farmers are in Union Square or at any other market in NYC.

– Are chronically fatigued day in and day out, and want to know what to eat to give you instant energy, without that dependent need to reach for a cup of coffee to get going in the morning.

– Want to lose that last stubborn 10-20lbs but not sure where to begin. You might be thinking that you have to eat lowfat and unsatisfying foods to lose weight.

– Want a quick and easy “Cheat Sheet” when shopping for food at the farmer’s market to avoid a long day of not knowing what to put in your shopping cart.

I will lead you through a tent city-like assembly of kiosks displaying many types of fresh produce, meats, fish, baked goods, and more.

Your tour includes direct conversations with some of the operators/owners of the farms, plus mixes up the sessions with some exotic food samplings.

The tour is filmed by MyTempO! Productions and presented on the company’s YouTube channel as part of an ongoing collaboration of positive lifestyle videos.

Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Pancakes

Today I made the best breakfast ever! I was craving chocolate chip pancakes…an old childhood memory when my mom made me chocolate chip pancakes before running off to school.

If you’re like me and love chocolate, are sensitive to gluten (a protein in grains except for rice, millet, buckwheat, and corn), then you will love this yummy recipe because you won’t feel like you are missing out at ALL!

I have been dying to share this with you, so enjoy!

(BTW, make sure that you have some type of animal protein with the chocolate chip pancakes so that your blood sugar doesn’t crash).

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1 Cup Organic Gluten Free Pancake and Baking MIx (Arrowhead Mills)
1 egg beaten (Grazin’ Angus Acres- the best eggs ever)
1 TBSP of Coconut Oil
1 TBSP of Manuka Honey (the best) or Raw Honey
1/4 cup of filtered water or raw organic milk (www.realmilk.com)
SunSpire Organic Chocolate Chips 65% Cacao (I like this brand because there is no soy lecithin)
Organic Ground Cinnamon to taste
Organic Gluten Free Vanilla Extract to taste
Ghee (used to oil cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan)

Action Steps:

1. Stir all ingredients only until lumps disappear (add chocolate chips to your liking)

2. Cook on preheated skillet (375°F-400°F) oiled with ghee or coconut oil, turn when bubbles form on surface and edges begin to dry

3. Serve with raw butter/organic grass-fed butter (Organic Valley), and maple syrup

Enjoy! I sure did

Tears Came Flooding… Confession

After getting off the phone with my business coach, David Koons,  I realized how much of a perfectionist I have been my whole life.  I am always wanting to “get it right.”  It has not helped me in moving forward with projects in my business because I am always thinking that I can get it more right if I just think about it a little more, research it a little more, get more advice from friends and experts, and on and on to get it perfect.

In my coaching call with my coach, I was brought to tears because I felt that everything that I do takes so long to accomplish because I want it to sound just right, look just right, make sure it is grammatically correct, until David said, “Danyelle that sounds like it is a pattern that you have been carrying out a long time”.

Overwhelmed by the thought of putting a website together myself, and disappointed after firing two web designers, I thought I could not do one more thing in my business.

Then, I broke down in tears,  I told him I have so much to do, and a website is just another project on top of all the responsibilities of running a wonderful new business.

As I sat in tears, a light bulb went off when he told me I could make a website in 20 minutes. I never thought of this, that it didn’t have to be perfect, that it could be informative and educational without having to spend days and weeks writing it.  For me I learned that I had expectations wrapped around how I thought the website should look and sound.

I experienced David’s words with a sense of freedom to start creating this site.  Sometimes, it is saying “Just Do it,” as Nike advertises.  I don’t love their sneakers, however, their slogan sure does work :-).

Healthy Weight Loss Snacks For Busy Moms

One of the most common questions that I am asked is,

“Danyelle, what are some healthy snacks? I am a busy mom desperately trying to lose weight”.

Here are other very common concerns that I have too…

*I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen preparing gourmet meals for the family.

*I work a full-time job and want to spend as much time with the kids when I am home.

*I also want to have the children eating healthy meals that I feel good about and are making my children healthy.

*Do you have any quick snacks that are yummy and healthy that my children and I will both love?

Can you relate? 

…The answer to that very important question is “Yes.”

You will want to find a snack that has a protein, carb, and fat, that way you and your children’s blood sugar levels stay balanced. One of my favorite snacks, that is very nutrient dense and will help stabilize your blood sugar levels (hint: when your blood sugar levels are balanced you will lose weight!) is hard boiled eggs.

Hard boiled eggs are easy to carry around as snacks and very easy to prepare.

Here’s what I do…

I drop my 12 pasture-raised, free-range eggs in cold water in my cast iron sauce pan. I wait until the water starts to boil, then I turn off the stove top and put the cover on. I let the eggs sit in the water for 10 mins…then you’re done. Then, I dump out the hot water, run the eggs under cold water so I don’t burn myself. I grab my Celtic Sea Salt (the brand that I love!), and I am out the door.

Unless you are allergic or have a sensitivity to eggs, eggs will help you lose weight.

…Here’s why: eggs are nutrient dense!

When you eat nutrient dense foods you won’t overeat and you won’t crave sugar! Overeating is because you are not receiving the nutrients and vitamins your body needs to carry out its daily functions…which leads to more eating, especially refined carbs that contain sugar (breads, pastas, cookies, pastries, etc.).

As an FYI, “In 1821, the average sugar intake in America was 10lbs per person per year, today it is 170lbs per person!!!”

…If 1/2 your diet must provide all the nutrients to your body, and 1/2 your diet consists of sugar, white flour, rancid and hydrogenated vegetable oils, it will be very difficult for you to lose weight because your body is not receiving the vital nutrients you need to function and shed fat …one of the huge reasons we gain weight…we are malnourished!

Why eggs are great snacks for weight loss:

1. Provide High-Vitamin A and D (only when you eat the yolk with the white)

2. You will feel fuller longer because it is a nutrient dense food

3. Helps with controlling hunger and food cravings because eggs contain leucine, which is an essential amino acid that is found in eggs which helps you keep lean muscle tissue, helps in the promotion of body fat, and is good at stabilizing blood sugar levels.

With Love and In Service,

Danyelle Demchock, CMTA, FDN, HLC 2

Want to use an Article in your E-Zine or Website? You can, as long as you include this complete tag with it:

Danyelle Demchock is a Certified Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, and Founder of Inner Clarity Wellness Inc., who creates tailor-made nutritional and exercise programs that help women with digestive issue, gluten intolerance, chronic fatigue, and weight loss. She has helped women successfully lose inches, eliminate digestive issues, and increase boost their energy. Her website is http://www.DanyelleD.com.

The Flood Of Soy Into YOUR Body: The 5 Most Dangerous Reasons Not To Eat Soy

So you might be thinking, “But isn’t SOY good for me”?

I thought the same thing years ago when I stood in line at the deli purchasing my Soy Chips…feeling proud that I was making what I thought was a “healthy” choice.

With all the hype on TV, in magazines and on the internet, it is no wonder we are so confused. The sad thing is that the Soy Industry is a huge money making business that is not concerned with your health.

…BTW, research shows that 99% soy industry is genetically modified and most contaminated by pesticides of any of our foods. I personally don’t want to be a “human” test rat for the effects of genetically modified foods.

Wait a minute, Danyelle, the Chinese ate soy for centuries and are considered healthy…

The truth is guys…

The Chinese did NOT eat the type of soy YOU eat today…

Despite the propaganda, according Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, the soybean was considered unfit to eat- even in Asia. During the Chou Dynasty (1134-246 BC) the soybean was ONLY used in supplying the soil with nitrogen. In Asia, the soybean did not serve as a food until they discoverd fermentation.

What is fermentation?

…It is a process used to preserve food before there were refrigerators, freezers, or canning.

It works like this, you have a vegetable or fruit, and it is converted to lactic acid by friendly lactic-acid producing bacteria. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Friendly bacteria like lactobacilli, a bacteria covers all living things, including YOU!

The fermentation process increases and enhances digestion of your foods and your ability to absorb more vitamins which helps you digest better, increases the good bacteria in your gut, helps you break down your foods, and enhances your immune system. MOST of our soy today is not fermented like that of the first soy foods seen in the Chou Dynasty, unless you buy miso, tempeh, natto, or soy sauce that has been fermented.… FYI, they weren't genetically modified like today’s soybean, either. Just because it is an Organic Soybean, doesn’t mean it has not been genetically modified.… Make sure that if you are going to eat fermented soy products it says Organic and NO GMO!

Asians consumed soy products only in small amounts such as condiments but did not replace it for animal foods. There is one exception to the rule: celibate monks living in monasteries did lead a vegetarian lifestyle and found soy foods very helpful because they decreased their libido.…something most people in our culture want to enhance, not decrease.

Here are 5 of the TOP reasons you will want to avoid soy that I want to share with you.

5 Most DANGEROUS Reasons Why NOT To Eat Soy:

1. Blocks Your Ability To Digest Protein

Soy was only eaten in its fermented state in Asia because the “natural toxins” in the soybean block enzymes (trypsin) that help YOU digest protein. Therefore, all this hype about “soy protein” is bogus because it inhibits the exact enzyme that breaks down protein. Your body can’t receive the protein unless there are enzymes that can break down the protein into microscopic tools that YOUR body can use.… What this means to YOU is that you could experience SERIOUS gastic distress (bloating, gas, constipation, diaherra), reduced protein digestion, and chronic deficiencies in your ability to absorb protein, and cancer of the pancreas due to eating soy.

2. Decreases YOUR ability to LOSE Weight

Soy contains goitrogens- substances that depress thyroid function. Goitrogens can interfere with the absorption of iodine. When your thyroid is depressed YOU gain weight. Could that be why we are also seeing huge increases in hypothryoidism since soy contains these goitrogens that affects YOUR Thyroid functioning…

3. Creates Mineral Deficiencies in YOUR body

Soybeans are high in phytic acid, a bran or hulls of all seeds, legumes, and nuts. These phyates are the highest in soybeans. This means that long, slow cooking will not reduce these phyates. Fermentation will ONLY significantly reduce phyate levels in the soybean. The phyates block YOUR ability to absorb calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc.

I had a client that was diagnosed with anemia. I suggested that she come off soy. As soon as she did her iron levels resumed to normal levels.

4. YOUR “Energy Bars”, imitation meat, and dairy contain Soy Protein Isolate

According to Sally Fallon, Soy Protein Isolate is an “antinutrient”. You will find Soy Protein Isolate foods that imitate meat and dairy, baby formulas, and some brands of soy milk.

Why is it so “BAD”?

You could never make this product in your own home because it requires an alkaline solution to remove the fiber from the soybean, then an acid wash, and finally it needs to be neutralized in an alkaline solution.

How Gross!

-This process needs to be done at extremely high temperatures so it denatures the protein in the soy. That is why animals on soy feed need lysine supplements for normal growth.

– There are still high phytic acid levels remaining in Soy Protein Isolate even after being exposed to high temperatures so Soy Protein Isolate affects your ability to absorb zinc and iron. This inability results in the development of enlarged organs (especially the pancreas and thyroid glands).

5. Increases YOUR Risk for CANCER

Did you know that today, the Japanese and Asians have higher rates of esophogus, stomach, pancreas, liver, and thyroid cancer? In laboratory rats, soy causes these types of cancers.

There is so much more that I could say about this…so stay tuned.

I know I will not be touching soy because of all of it’s damaging affects on the body…I will not be flooding my body with this dangerous food.

 Please feel free to pass this information along to your Facebook or Twitter as long as you include this complete tag with it:

Danyelle Demchock is a Certified Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, and Founder of Inner Clarity Wellness Inc., who creates tailor-made nutritional and exercise programs that help women with digestive issue, gluten intolerance, chronic fatigue, and weight loss. She has helped women successfully lose inches, eliminate digestive issues, and increase boost their energy. Her website is http://www.DanyelleD.com.

I would love to hear from you so please Contact Me with your comments or questions :-).

To Your Health,

Danyelle

Back Pain Due to Dairy and Rice

Over the past several years I have been using Biohealth’s lab tests to help optimize my health (testing to help you determine how you are functioning at the digestive, hormonal, detoxification, and immune system), as well as, eating for my Metabolic Type® .  I have seen enormous benefits to my energy levels, my skin, my hair, and the shape of my body.  I have never felt better in my life! I eat organically and sustainable locally grown foods that have not been sprayed with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides,  90%-100% of the time.  My diet is very clean so when I eat foods that I am sensitive to I can target which foods bother me immediately.

Several years ago if you told me that foods would affect the pain that I experienced in my low back yesterday, I probably would not have believed you.  However, after healing myself and eating an extremely clean diet I see how unaware I was several years ago.

My grandmother, who is 80 years old and looks 65, was visiting this past weekend.  Genetics must a play an essential part as to why she looks fabulous, as well as her drive to stay very active by working in the garden and going to the YMCA with my grandfather 3 times a week.

My concern is that even though she looks fabulous she is also on 10 different medications.  She eats very differently than I do!  When she visits, it is often difficult because I won’t buy the products that she eats such as Kellogg’s Cereals and pasteurized/homogenized milk.  Therefore,  I stock my refrigerator with foods that she could eat, and that I feel in good conscience I can support such as raw goats milk cheese, many fresh locally grown vegetables,  and grass-fed meats.   I bought raw goats milk cheese from the “goat” lady at the Farmer’s Market and freshly made organic bread from Hawthorne Valley.  She loved it, even though it was out of her comfort zone.

My grandmother support the idea that a low-fat diet is best, even after many conversations with her.  Family members are the most stubborn and difficult clients…so now I don’t even try.   She follows a low-fat diet with a lot of processed foods, conventionally raised meats, and vegetable oils.  However, she grew up on a diet that was pesticide-free, and her family bought raw milk and butter.  This is one reason I think she looks fabulous today.

During my grandmother’s stay, I was eating foods that I don’t normally eat such as much more raw dairy and rice bread.  What I found very interesting is how amazing the body is at telling you exactly what it does and doesn’t like.  I don’t normally eat any type of dairy because I don’t feel energetic or full of vitality when I eat it.  Occasionally, I have a little raw butter on my vegetables and I feel fine.  If I continue to eat it day after day I feel my energy drop.

Well, long story short I was eating much more dairy while my grandma was in town.  I was also eating rice bread, which I eat on occasion.  By the third day of eating these two specific foods, my face broke out in pimples and my back was extremely sore.  When I went to bend over, I was in serious PAIN!

Now three days later, going back to eating vegetables, fruit, and meats…I feel strong, happy, and healthy.  Food really does affect how we look and feel.  Most of us would think that our backs went out because we exercised too hard or picked up a piece of furniture incorrectly.  Often, it has to do with inflammation in our gut.  When there is inflammation, there is a lack of stability in the muscles and joints surrounding that specific area.  In order to be strong and stable it requires me to stay away from dairy and rice.

My skin has now cleared up and my back is well on it way to happy days! Every day we are either creating life and vitality or death and destruction to the body…what are you creating?

With Lots of Love and a Pain-free Life,

Danyelle

Peace with your weight. Peace with your body. Peace with you.

This year you will be hearing from me a lot more. I have decided to share the vulnerable me, the philosophical me, the courageous me, the sad me, the scared me, the loving me, the friend me, the insightful me, the sensual me, the brave me…with you.

You will be getting a whole lot of Danyelle this year. And the reason is that I don’t want to hold back anymore with you.

So this week I want to talk with you about peace.

How many times have you heard yourself wanting peace?

…Peace with your body, peace with your family and friends, peace in your relationships…

What does that mean for you? 

Peace to me means less internal conflict with the different parts of me so that I feel more alignment with myself.

In my experience of peace, there is acceptance. Acceptance of where I am right now, in this very moment…honoring that, acknowledging that and embracing it, even if it feels painful or uncomfortable.

When I was 10lbs. overweight several years back…it was so hard for me to be at peace. I was constantly focusing on the extra fat on my body and the food that I put in my mouth…let’s say I was a bit obsessed. I didn’t feel “at peace” with me.

I was perplexed because I was eating whole foods and organically, and still my weight wasn’t budging! I was doing everything right!

BUT…there was one slight problem.

I wasn’t at peace with my body, my weight or myself.

Here’s the secret, that is going to sound totally counterintuitive to you…I didn’t lose the weight or start loving my body until I embraced the weight and started loving myself with the weight on.

You might be thinking (as many of my clients have said), “Danyelle, I can’t accept this or be ok with my body.”

Then I ask, “why”? 

“Why can’t you accept it? Not accepting it hasn’t helped you to lose the weight either. And in fact, it has created more unrest and stress. Accepting doesn’t mean complacency. It still means consistent action towards your desires.”

Here’s the thing: When you accept where you are at and embrace it…you reduce stress on your body (think about how much of your energy goes into not accepting your body, the weight or yourself daily).

That is a HUGE stress response for your body. When the body is under stress it holds onto fat.

Stress = Increased Fat Storing Hormones

What are the 3 most stressful thoughts you say to yourself about your body?

I would love to hear your 3 most stressful thoughts that weigh you down about your body or weight (please share below in the comments to help yourself and other sisters that might not have the courage yet to share but feel it deeply and are suffering alone).

When we are able to shed light on disempowering thoughts that keep us stuck they no longer own us and don’t have so much power over us. You can then start cleansing your body of toxic thoughts and create new empowering thoughts that get you more of what you want.

This is the first step towards peace with you, your body and your weight.

How to connect with your body and REALLY listen to lose weight…

What I hear all the time in my practice is, “I am eating healthy but I don’t understand why it is that I am not losing the weight.”  I wanted to take the time to clear up the confusion between eating what is considered “healthy” and “right”  versus REALLY knowing how to listen to your body in an intimate way.

Do you feel hopeless that you can’t lose weight?

Have you tried all the diets under the sun?  

Are you sick of counting calories, points, dress sizes, watching your health deteriorate daily…do you just feel plain old?  

Does your belly feel bloated all the time, you have a pouchy belly that just won’t go away? 

What if I told you it’s not your fault, and it’s not that you don’t have willpower? 

It’s discovering how to listen to our bodies and tuning into what she is trying to communicate. It’s a marriage of your body and mind. Like in any deeply connected marriage/relationship we want to discover how to better communicate, connect and become more intimate with our partner.

The same is true with our bodies. We need to know how to listen to her, communicate with her and develop a deep, intimate and loving relationship with her.

So today, let’s start with learning how to listen to her.

Even if you are sitting there, saying to yourself, “But I don’t know how to do that, yet?!”.  You will.  Presence with body and how your body feels after you eat something is a very important key component to releasing weight.

We first want to become aware of how your body feels 1-2 hours after you eat.  If you start to feel tired, sluggish, anxious or depressed after you eat… you will want to start tuning into what your body is trying to communicate to you.

Conversely, if you feel alert, no sugar cravings, satisfied and/or increased energy after you eat, this is great feedback too!  When we stop listening to our bodies, this is when we gain weight, get sick and feel fatigued.

So I invite you to start noticing how you feel after you eat. Our bodies are always trying to communicate with us…Are we listening?

Some things to look for 1-2 hours after you eat:

✓ What is your mood like (depression, anxiety, improved clarity, better processing of thoughts)?

✓ Energy levels (energy is restored after eating, hyper, jittery, fatigued)?

✓ Appetite (do you feel satisfied, do you still feel hungry even after a big meal, do you need a sweet treat right after a meal)?

Another tool that I use with coaching clients to help them tune in and become more connected with their bodies, is called Metabolic Typing®. This is really a tool of discovering what foods are great for fueling your metabolism (that are unique to you and nobody else),  and learning how to listen to your body more intimately. 

… It’s not a diet, it’s not about counting calories, it’s not about the next latest fad, and it’s not about an unsustainable short-term quick fix. Metabolic Typing® is a scientific test that has been developed over 25 years to help you discover your individual metabolic requirements.

You can take the basic test here: https://www.metabolictypingonline.com/default.aspx

I can share with you, ever since eating for my Metabolic Typing®  and discovering what foods were right for me, I released the weight and I never stress about my weight… which is a HUGE relief after 30 years of being obsessed about what I put in my mouth.

When I got connected and collaborated with my body… learned how to listen to her, discovered how to feed her in a way that she liked, and learned how to listen to her better… our relationship blossomed. I felt more at peace with who I was and she released the weight… it was teamwork:-).

When I was screaming at her and not loving her by shaming her for not losing the weight… the weight didn’t release because I didn’t have the tools o become a better listener. Metabolic Typing® showed me how to better listen to her and gave me a sustainable plan to follow.

Please comment below inspiration or questions that you might have about listening to your body and becoming more in tune with her…

Heroine’s Journey

Dear Beautiful One,

This is your “Descent to the Goddess” within you.

What I am about to share with you…you may not have heard before. However, it is your birthright as a woman to know, honor and cherish what I am going to share with you.

You’re about to discover the Courtesan’s Journey or what we call the Heroine’s Journey. Having been raised in a patriarchal society, we live in a culture that teaches us to be “bad” versions of men…corrupted men…heroes versus heroines.

What makes us successful in the world, love?

    •    Joy inside

    •    Our career

    •    Having a baby

    •    Love

    •    Money

These are all patriarchal societal markers that demonstrate success. While important to some and valued, there is a far bigger picture as to what it is to be a woman in this world.

As women, embarking upon the Heroine’s Journey, and not imitating a bad version of the hero’s journey, will have each sister reclaim her power and aspects of herself she has yet to discover. The Heroine’s Journey includes her connection to the divine feminine, cooperation, navigating, rebirthing, support, death and rebirth within self…many aspects that have been lost as we women try to mimic the Hero’s Journey.

If you aren’t familiar with the Hero’s Journey, I will share with you what that is…

A man is called to a quest. He is going to become king, the president, a millionaire…

How is he going to do that?

He is going out and will metaphorically “slay the dragon”. On this journey he will go alone. There is no interrelatedness. No question about his emotional or moral relationship with himself to consider. His goal is to “slay the dragon”. On his journey, everything is about the end game, not about his connection to his divinity or the divine.

Does this journey sound familiar?

How often do you question your productivity?

Have to meet deadlines? Feel you have to isolate so you can get more done? According to Mama Gena, “Every woman gets to a point where she judges herself based off the Hero’s Journey.” Her judgements sound like this…

“I’ve done it all wrong.”

“It’s not enough.”

“I can’t tell anyone about this…I am so embarrassed.”

“I can’t share with another person what’s so broken about me because the only thing that is important is the goal.”

How much joy do these judgements bring us, love?

NONE!

Women are constantly living inside judgement, and even so much so that they start to judge themselves for not having joy, too! When we are metaphorically running after the dragon to slay him without any relationship to our divinity, all alone and no connection to other human beings in the world…we will never generate that illusive joy.

So are you ready to hear the Courtesan’s Journey…if you’re sick and tired of trying to do it like a man, only left to feel like sh&%???

…then listen closely.

The beginning of a woman’s journey is her dance with her desire(s). That is the place where you hear that little voice in the back of your head share what she longs for. As soon as you have a desire, it’s the Universe’s call to break you and remake you into the woman you are to be. The Courtesan’s/Heroine’s Journey is the feminine Hero’s Journey which has been absent in our vocabulary up until now, love. 

Every woman’s journey starts the same way…

1. A woman going along as the every day woman…decently happy, possibly relying on a crutch or coping mechanism to keep happy. For whatever reason, the crutch gives way when she speaks her desire(s)…and there is rupture.

2. Rupture– it’s where a woman is brought to her knees. As soon as you place your desire to the Universe…you have rupture. It could be a death of a loved one or lover/partner, a divorce, a disease or loss of a job.

What a woman is taught is that she is a victim to her circumstances. And what she is to be taught through the Heroine’s Journey is “She needs to know that whatever faults her, remakes her into an even more extraordinary form beyond her wildest dreams.” ~ Mama Gena

Remember, rupture isn’t permanent except that we make it such. The Courtesan’s Journey makes it part of the journey, not permanent.

3. Transparency with sisters- sharing her devastation with her sisters. She seeks sisterhood and women to guide her through the darkness by being transparent with herself and them.

4. She starts receiving her sisters’ love and support. She allows her sisters’ love to penetrate her.

5. Action- “Being willing to put the crown on your own head when there is no evidence of your own magnificence…but you choose it. Begin to serve what devastated you the most, expand yourself as a woman and love in a way you didn’t know you were capable of.” ~ Mama Gena

This is where a woman reclaims her power and begins to take action but this time with greater wisdom and owning her greatness.

The power and the fuel that allows the Courtesan’s Journey into existence is a woman’s TURN ON.

What do I mean by TURN ON?

“Choosing to take your pleasure from the experience of being a woman no matter what is going on.” ~ Mama Gena

A woman’s turn on is her connection to her divinity. When a woman is disconnected from turn on, she is victim. We, as women, are so used to being a victim, we spring back like a rubber band. We, as sisters and women, need to know there is no devastation that is unrecoverable.

“Whatever befalls her breaks her into the girl that she will become tomorrow, and the woman she will be tomorrow.” ~ Mama Gena

There is nothing that breaks a woman…only remakes her into an even more extraordinary form than she could ever even imagine for herself.

So here is the difference between the Hero’s Journey and the Heroine’s Journey broken down into adjectives so that we can clearly experience the distinction between the polar opposite journeys:

“We have grown up in a culture that admires the masculine Hero’s Journey. It’s a bit of a mind bender to step into the Heroine’s Journey when nothing has shown us how or what it looks like.

Mostly our culture acknowledges women who have taken out their metaphorical female “penises” and gained notoriety for basically being a female hero.

Adjectives that describe a Hero’s Journey:

~ Alone

~ Separation between humans and divine

~ Rugged individualism

~ Dominates

~ Self-sacrificing

~ Survives against all odds

~ Revels in his victory

~ Never questions his value or direction

*If we reverse these words we get the heroine’s journey*

Adjectives that describe a Heroine’s Journey:

~ Interdependent with others

~ No separation between human and spiritual worlds

~ Soft relationships

~ Receives from others

~ The ego dies to the perfection of  circumstances- this is the action of getting into agreement

~ Surrendered

~ Humility is worn as a crowned jewel

~ She lives her life as an open question

~ The heroine doesn’t just make lemonade out of the lemons of life…that is what the hero does. She recognizes she made the lemons and that everything she is experiencing has originated from her sensual, sacred center as a play of her divinity taking shape as life itself.” ~Mama Gena

Welcome to your awakening to the heroine’s journey… isn’t it beautiful?

How Gluten Affects Your Joint Pain…

Are you experiencing ongoing knee aches and pains?

According to authors of Dangerous Grains…there are 187 medical conditions that are related to gluten sensitivity.

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, “What most people don’t know is that gluten can cause serious health complications for many. You may be at risk even if you don’t have full blown celiac disease.”

He goes on to say that 99% of people who have a problem with eating gluten don’t even know it and blame their ill health on something other than gluten sensitivity.

Joint pain is one of the many symptoms correlated to gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.

The most common locations seem to be the knees, back, hips, wrists and shoulders. If you have an old injury in a joint, that joint might act up first.

Often we associate digestive issues with gluten sensitivity, however, join pain symptoms can appear before any digestive symptoms.

Check out this exclusive interview that I did on the effects of gluten on the joints, with the Knee Pain Guru (www.thekneepainguru.com), Bill Parravano…

In this podcast, we get into:

1. What is Gluten?

2. 3 Key Ways to determine if gluten is affecting you.

3. How does gluten and 2 other offending foods contribute to your knee pain

4. Common symptoms of gluten sensitivity:

– weight gain

– digestive issues

– fatigue

– depression

Dangerous Grains – Book referenced in the podcast