Mind, Mood & Food: A Beautiful Blend
To paraphrase a CMBM alum, “When I heard The Center for Mind-Body Medicine would be offering a seminar called ‘Mind, Mood & Food’ at Kripalu, I felt like the heavens were bringing all my favorite things together.” The “trifecta”, as I like to call it, was a beautiful blend of relevant material taught by engaging faculty in a setting where what was being taught could be practiced. Imagine learning about foods that support brain health and then going to Kripalu’s dining hall where those foods are waiting for you on an abundant buffet. Picture completing a moving meditation with Jim Gordon and then going to Yoga Dance during a seminar break. Kathie Swift spoke about the benefits of being in nature for brain health, and I’m convinced Mother Nature was a seminar participant as the weather was perfect for walks to the lake. It was seventy degrees in mid-March in the Berkshires!
Mark Pettus, Jay Lomard and Chuck Parker offered a wealth of knowledge and fantastic synergy as they fed off each other’s energy and complemented each other’s work. A big round of applause goes to the hard-working staff at Kripalu. They were wonderful to work with and jumped right in to run the program like a well-oiled machine. Mind, Mood & Food at Kripalu is definitely worth a repeat!
Nourish Means….
Food As Medicine Executive Chef Rebecca Katz, MS, just shared this lovely video, “Nourish means….” from the folks at NourishLife.org.
What nourishes you?
Backyard Abundance
4 months ago, I spent $8 to purchase seeds for planting spinach and red leaf lettuce in my garden. I was impressed with how quickly greens grow with fertile soil, water and sunshine! My planter box is bursting with full bodied greenery. I eat at least one large salad every day and haven’t had to buy greens for over 2 months now. I even give away heads of lettuce to friends when they come to visit.
Plain & Simple: Brown Rice
I’m often asked how to make a good pot of brown rice– neither hard nor mushy, but just chewy enough. Classic brown rice.
That’s easy.
Problem Solving: Healthy Meeting Food
Have you ever had to plan snacks for a meeting?
For a recent staff meeting at the Center, I came up with the following menu:
The Blood Sugar Solution: Mark Hyman's Thoughtful Guidance
I’m proud to announce that my good friend, colleague, and CMBM board member, Dr. Mark Hyman has just released his latest book, The Blood Sugar Solution. This book is a must read continuation of his groundbreaking work with diabesity (the continuum of abnormal biology that ranges from mild insulin resistance to full-blown diabetes). It’s a book I recommend to all of you without reservation. Dr. Hyman has elegantly described the complex and precarious situation that many Americans have found themselves in–struggling with multiple forms of chronic illness with severe physical and psychological ramifications. He uses an intelligent and scientifically-validated approach to lay out a clearly guided roadmap for reversing this course.
A New Way to Think of Lovingkindness
This post originally appeared in the author’s blog Mindful Mothering on December 7, 2011.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I still have thoughts swimming from David Whyte‘s workshop and one was on this idea of lovingkindness. That is not how he described it but he speaks of the essence of how we nurture ourselves. He suggests that we are the only part of creation that is allowed to deny itself, ie a tree or flower do not get to deny their essence but we as humans, constantly deny or reject parts of ourselves that we are dissatisfied with. And so this idea of how to nurture ourselves is cast aside by our self-criticism. Continue reading →
The Hungry Brain
Are you concerned about your memory? Do you feel irritable much of the time? Is your stomach tied up in knots from chronic worry? Or are you just “stuck” and don’t know which way to turn?
What you may not realize is that your brain is a “hungry” organ and depends on a constant supply of nutrients that influence your mind, mood, energy and vitality! Your emotional and mental health is closely linked to your nutritional status. Food is a carrier of energy or “prana” that delivers unique substances that influence the health of your brain and consequently, your mind and mood.
Mind, Mood & Food
How would you like to learn more about nutrition and the brain from some of the nation’s top experts, in a beautiful retreat setting in the Berkshire Mountains, where you can nourish yourself over a weekend full of learning, yoga, terrific people and delicious, colorful whole foods?
Join us for Mind, Mood & Food: Optimal Nutrition for the Brain March 16 – 18, 2012 at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA, our brand new Food As Medicine seminar. Center Founder & Director James Gordon, MD and Kathie Swift, MS RD, nationally renowned clinical nutrition expert and educator; Jay Lombard, DO, a neurologist who makes learning brain biochemistry and physiology a joy and shows you step-by-step how to use nutrients for optimal functioning; Charles Parker, DO, a psychiatrist who worked with Daniel Amen to develop easy to follow, highly successful programs of nutritional healing; and Mark Pettus, MD, a gifted and compassionate holistic physician and author of It’s All in Your Head comprise our fabulous faculty.
Winter Joys
Isn’t it lovely that such abundance is still available, on a chilly Saturday morning when even the usually jolly cashiers were whining?
We collected our glittering treasure of organic cranberries, kale, baby chard, arugula, apple cider, honey, onions and garlic, Brussel sprouts and broccoli, crimini mushrooms, and have enjoyed them in the days since—blessings of the earth.
Happy holidays to all! Or, as my colleague says this time of year, cinnamon & honey!
