Another sticker on the book! USA Book News has announced their results from thousands of new books, and Every Bite Is Divine was a finalist in the diet & health category. This is our second award: we were also a finalist for the 2007 Nautilus Awards, honoring books on conscious living and positive social change. Here’s the Best Books 2007 press release.
For those who attended the two workshops I did in Arlington and Gloucester, there are the slides I’d mentioned.
Every Bite Is Divine - talk slides - 10-071.pdf
Regards,
Annie
Two beautiful workshops last weekend. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity and ability to do this work, and thanks to Janet Green Garrison of Yoga for Health in Gloucester, MA, and to Chip Hartranft of the Arlington Center for hosting me and gathering their communities.
I find the people I meet through this very sweet and very brave. To do the work of holding what’s uncomfortable up to the light and examining it without judgement, and with compassion is big stuff, and perhaps the very essence of developing conscious awareness. Thanks to all to came & participated, and I hope to continue to share your journey.
I did make a couple promises, and one was to share this writing from Swami Kripalvanandaji, the beloved spiritual leader of early Kripalu. Here it is:
My beloved child,
break your heart no longer.
Each time you judge yourself,
you break your own heart.
You stop feeding on the love
wheich is the wellspring of you vitality.
The time has come. Your time.
To live.
To celebrate.
And to see the goodness that you are.
You my child, are divine.
You are pure.
You are sublimely free.
You are God in disguise.
And you are always perfectly safe.
Do not fight the dark.
Just turn on the light.
Let go,
and breathe into the goodness that you are.
I’ve also promised to post my slides from the talk. Soon come.
Be well.
Annie
I’m on tour in and around Boston in late October, and I hope to see those of you who’ve read the book and are interested in doing some of the exercises, and some exploring together.
On Thursday eve 10/25, I’ll be at The Bookstore of Gloucester, a funky little place that I believe serves food in addition to serving up books. 7pm Reading, Free.
Fri eve 10/26, it’s off the The Arlington Center - a wonderful group of yogis and yoginis exploring the deeper aspects of yoga and health. I’ll be doing an evening talk - a taste of blending the science of weight with the spirit of yoga.
Sat and Sun 10/27-8, I’m back in Gloucester at a great yoga center - Yoga for Health. We’ll be doing two sessions inquiring deeper into nurturing body and soul. Come for both days!
Get more information on these appearances and other things I’m up on the events page of this blog.
Regards,
Annie
Green is definitely the new black. But is going green a shopping fad or the seed of a deepening conscious movement? SUV hybrids? In my mind, it’s all good - the more people become aware of the issues and alternatives, the more people will realize that every choice they make initiates a ripple ’round the world. There are a growing number of high quality and inspirational sources for those who love great food but wonder if the American food-industrial-complex is the chemical cocktail it at times appears.
For starters, if you haven’t seen 
films, take a look. A funny, goofy presentation of an underlying truth in our modern food system. In addition to the films, they’ll link you in to resources for finding sustainable meats and other foods in your community through the Eating Well Guide, a comprehensive listing of sources for sustainable whole foods suppliers, chefs, restaurants, and farms.
What’s in that blue pill, anyway?
May you be healthy, happy and stand in the light of your own truest self.
Annie
Here’s a neat free assessment. You can do a lifestyle questionnaire at Real Age (the website of Oprah darling Dr. Oz and his partner Dr. Roizen), that will tell you what your body’s age is based on things like your diet, how often you exercises, your stress management, health history and on and on. It takes 10-15 minutes to do. You’ll get a pitch to sign up for their program once you’ve completed the assessment. But, just for the assessment information, it’s worth the time, and maybe you’ll learn a little something.
If you are interested in the cultural issues that underlie the obesity epidemic, the Rudd Center at Yale’s website is required reading. They have done some great research on the social stigmatization around weight, and in my opinion have some of the most progressive and comprehensive ideas on making real change at the national level.
Here’s some info from their site on the shift in public opinion around obesity. Interesting reading!
There has been an interesting trajectory of public opinion about obesity. The majority of Americans are clearly concerned with obesity and there is growing support for obesity-targeted policies. The following table presents the changes that have been found in support of strategies that influence the environment in order to promote better nutrition.
| Trends in Public Opinion | 2001 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Favor taxing foods | 33% | 40% | 54% |
| Favor restricting children’s food advertising | 57% | 56% | 73% |
| Favor soft drink / snack food bans in schools | 47% | 59% | 69% |
| Favor required calorie labeling in restaurants | 74% | 80% |
Source: Brownell KD. The chronicling of obesity: Growing awareness of its social, economic, and political contexts. J of Health Politics and Law. 2005; 955-64.
I am looking people to share their story for two projects that I’m working on:
1) If you live in the Boston area, and have used conscious eating as part of your weight managing lifestyle, I would love to connect with you. There is a new, very cool sounding TV program about alternative health, and we’ve been talking about doing a piece on conscious eating. Email me if this sounds like you.
2) For a new website that has the goal of supporting people interested in launching a positive life change, I am looking for a few people to e-interview about the first 30 days of a new weight-management program - what you experienced, and advice for others taking the plunge. Again, shoot me an email if you’re willing to share.
Thanks!
Annie
I’m home from BEA (and from a quickie follow up to Harvard graduation – my smarty nieces & nephews all graduated the same year – 4 of them!).
While traveling to NYC can be stressful, if you’re braced for it, there’s just no other place to get a great overview of trends in the world of books and publishing. It’s a big circus of the latest & greatest, and a marketing extravaganza.
One trend that I was delighted to see was that there is a growing collection of authors excavating the topic of mind-body eating with a nod to yogic and spiritual principles, the laws of attraction, and the gut brain-head brain relationship. If you’ve read my book, you know that’s my approach, so I felt that I found some dietary family members there.
One discovery was Pierre Pallardy, who has a book out from Rodale has called Gut Instinct. He is a French osteopath/dietitian who has been working the two-brain theory (that we have a second brain center in the abdomen, and through relaxation and other techniques we can improve digestion) for decades. His method entails belly breathing, abdominal massage (it reminded me of Japanese Do-in massage), abdominal meditations, mindful eating (eating slowing and in a relaxed way, enjoying your food– in essence the way you’d envision they eat in France!). Nutritionally, I like his approach too – he abhors reducing diets, fasting, or other manipulations to the diet, and just goes for balanced normal eating. He’s not into a vegan diet, which is one area that I disagree – I think vegans can be very healthy if they take their diet in wholesome, hearty way.
If you are dietitian exploring how the recent science on the gut brain may impact daily lifestyle, this is a great book for you – you won’t agree with every nutritional guideline, but Pallardy gives us lots to think about, and has a truly innovative approach that has merit.
If you are a yoga teacher, this book illustrates how desperately those who struggle with weight and eating (in essence the entire US population) need yoga. And it will give you some new tools for your therapeutic yoga toolbox.
Enjoy!
This year I hit on a quick and easy recipe that did the trick for me. Through my 2-week cleanse this spring I had at least one of these Asian slaw-salads most every day. It’s rekindled my love of cabbage – which, being in the brassica family (with broccoli and onions), is a phytochemical-packed cleansing powerhouse.
Asian Slaw-Salad
What you’ll need:
Ingredients:
Putting it together:
Toss everything together and eat.
I got into the ritual of making this in a beautiful bowl that I love to eat out of. This slaw-salad has been a mainstay of my 3pm-give-me-carbs attack. It usually worked, and when I still craved something starchier, a few crackers didn’t turn into a box of crackers after having a bowl of slaw. Sometimes I double the recipe, and sometime I have two. It’s very low in calories and nutritionally dense, and has lots of fiber, the secret weapon of the weight-conscious.
Let me know how you like it.
Annie