Oh my goodness such GREAT letters this week, thank you. I want first to say AGAIN that this book is about YOU and finding the voice that is kind to you inside and getting used to hearing it. I have struggled for years to be able to hear a kind and supportive voice inside my head and I have finally given into it because honestly that is my true voice and when I am attuned it I am attuned to my true spirit. And, I hope not to be offensive, but to me that is when I am aligned with GOD, (in whatever form she or he comes in).I really want to address depression and what that means in regard to your food, a woman says she has coffee, tea and two diet cokes a day…whoa that will make you feel like crap. The caffeine in such high doses causes inflammation which causes aches and pains in the body and of course that causes swelling in the brain which can be a source of depression. I would recommend that you cut out the diet drinks altogether there is nothing good about them at all. Make your caffeine intake come from your tea without sugar or better yet switch to green tea. I honestly think if you cut back on this heavy dose of caffeine daily you will feel infinitely better. If you still feel badly after that it may be time to look at other foods you ingest and then look at your hormones. Try fish oil or UDO’s 3 6 9 oil – it is great for helping balance hormones. Hormone imbalance can cause depression too but start with cutting back your CAFFEINE.

Vitamins…I think that vitamins are a great source of getting your nutrition right but again you have to ask yourself what your needs are. If you are massively stressed then a complex multi b vitamin is essential and I think that antioxidants are great as well as nutritional oils and amino acids. I highly recommend that you buy good vitamins from a reputable source like what is available at a Whole Foods market, it is worth the expense to have your vitamins vital and alive.

I love that I was asked about protein diets and kids. I am a HUGE believer that protein and GOOD FAT are GREAT for kids. Muscle and bone are built by protein and fat is essential to healthy brain growth and function. There is no need to over do carbs for children they are going to experience lots in their lives anyway…they can certainly get away with more as their metabolism is high functioning but why teach children’s bodies to burn sugar when they will be healthier and more efficient if they learn to burn FAT. Meaning that good fat is what cells long for so the more they get fat the healthier they are for a lifetime. My friend doctor Ron Rosedale, who is at the at the cutting edge of the science of Leptin and insulin says that,

“Health and lifespan is largely determined by the proportion of fat versus sugar people burn throughout their lifetime”.

I think that starting kids off with a philosophy and practice of good REAL food is fantastic for their growth and lifestyle habits in the future. Even if they go for eating crap (trust me they will) for a few years as teens they will come back to their healthy early training, (that too happened with my girls).

I feel that soy protein is not that great for you. I mean what animal eats soy? not one in the animal kingdom, and in Asia it is a condiment not a source of protein. Anyway I like it a lot but find that it doesn’t agree with me in my regular diet. I like animal protein but only if it is free range, organic or grass fed or with fish wild caught when possible. But if you are a vegetarian then nuts seeds and sprouted live food is a great source of protein. Or if carbs are not an issue then Mung beans and Brown rice or quinoa is a whole protein. I like Whey protein too. It is made from dairy but it is only the protein of the milk not the lactose etc…

My skin is the result of what I put into my body. I take UDO’s 3 6 9 oil and fish oil and I eat good fat ie. – olive oil, avocadoes and nuts. I think this is the key. That said I do use great products on my skin. I am currently using Dr. Brandt’s skin care line, which you can get at Sephora. Dr. Brandt is a friend and his ingredients are GREAT. I also like Dr. Haushka. I change my skincare sometimes because I think that skin gets used to a system and longs for a change so I like to rotate my products.

Thank you to everyone for your letters and keep being good to yourself!!!

journal, your letters

I am thrilled and honored that so many women wrote to me about the book. Everyone that has contacted me is getting what it is about an invitation to be kind to oneself…not always easy and so easily forgotten. I applaud everyone who is giving that major piece of the program a try!

I am going to address a few issues that came up in many of the letters I received. One is about organic food and how pricey it is to buy organic. I have two schools of thought on this #1 yes buying organic is SUPER pricey but when it comes to your health and making better choices for yourself then to indulge in some organically grown produce is not only a luxury it is a major choice on the path to prioritizing your health…and the more people that buy organic the more available it will be come. Could you give up a few Starbucks runs this week to buy some organic food? All that being said it is expensive and that may not be an option for you so I say it is more important for you to get better nutrition than not. Buy fresh real produce and soak it in a few tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide in a full sink of water then rinse and you will take a lot of the pesticides off your food. I understand how difficult eating well can seem so in making HEALTHIER choices for yourself: choose real food rather than packaged and choose organic for a few items on your grocery list. Maybe one bag of lettuce or a few good organic apples…the choices you make are up to you and eating food that needs a little preparation is better than eating from the fast food line.

I was asked about tofu or soy and this is an individual choice…I do not respond great to soy or tofu so I eat it once every few weeks when I was vegan it seemed to be my only source of protein and yet it didn’t agree with me. The jury is out on SOY, some say it is a health priority and some are saying it is truly unhealthy, be a detective and see how it makes you feel. I think if you have hormone issues my suggestion is stay away from soy because of the estrogen in it.

Interesting question from another reader: why are my arms tight at my age? I do my yoga and MY ARM swings are so helpful I describe them in my book and for a great yoga program check out my Yoga Now DVD. It has a great easy program that is a definite plus for the ol’ arms. I also think that hiking and walking with intention will sculpt you in ways you cannot even imagine. Turn off the tunes and tune into you.

Yoga headaches come from the rush of oxygen to your brain…keep up your breath it is not the culprit but the benefit…your body will adjust. Also do alternate nostril breathing which I describe in my book.

Lastly I was asked about Jay Robb protein powder…I don’t bloat from it because it is NOT soy and although it comes from Milk protein it seems to be okay for people with lactose intolerance. I love this brand and feel great using it but again this is a personal choice, see what happens for you.

Finally I can’t give out my “blissquit” recipe yet because I am soon to have them in the market place and once that is done I will post the recipe. I am sorry as I have had many requests for them and I do not blame you they are so tasty you would never know they are GREAT for you.

Everyone who is out there and reading Healthy living from the inside out and doing the program, keep it up. You will only feel better and honestly, doing it is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself and those around you!

Peace and blessings to all!!!

Mariel

ps – please keep continue to send me your comments and questions and don’t forget to sign-up to my mailing list!

journal, your letters