Copyright©2019byKimberlySnyderAllrightsreserved.

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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataNames:Snyder,Kimberly,author.Title:Recipesforyourperfectlyimperfectlife:everydaywaystoliveand

eatforhealth,healing,andhappiness/KimberlySnyder.Description:NewYork:Harmony,2019.Identifiers:LCCN2018012442(print)|LCCN2018021836(ebook)|

ISBN9780525573722(e-book)|ISBN9780525573715(hardcover)Subjects:LCSH:Detoxification(Health)|Nutrition.|Self-care,Health.

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prh

Dedicatedtomybeautiful,extraordinarymother,Sally.Yes,Mom,Ipickedyou,andIambeyond

gratefulforyou.Ourloveiseverlasting.

contentspartI:ThePerfectly

ImperfectLife

INTRODUCTION

LAYINGOUTTHELIFEDETOXPLAN

CHAPTER1

CLEARINGTHEBLOCKSTHATHOLDUSBACKAn“And”LifeANewWayofLookingatPerfectionMyJourneytoHealingYourIncredibleJourney

CHAPTER2

FLOWING(RATHERTHANDROWNING)ImposterinRomeTheFeelings-InflammationLinkCuringSelf-Judgment

CHAPTER3

(TRULY)LOVINGOURBODILYTEMPLESLettingGoofBloating—andLettingGoinLifeOurAmazingandImperfectBodiesWhenEatingGetsDisorderedGoingNotSoAccordingtoPlan

CHAPTER4

RAISINGOURVIBRATIONBeautyScarsApprovalAddicts

CHAPTER5

HAPPY,NOTPERFECTNope,IDon’tAlwaysEatPerfectlyWe’reAllaMess(AtLeastaLotoftheTime)GuiltCleanse

CHAPTER6

EVERYONEWEMEETISONAJOURNEY,TOOPeace,Family,andFoodChoicesDealingwithBitchinessClosingThoughtsonLife

partII:RecipesSMOOTHIESANDBOWLSSALADSSTARTERSANDSIDEDISHESSOUPSANDSTEWSENTRÉESBRUNCHKIDS’CORNERDESSERTSANDBARS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I

ThePerfectlyImperfectLife

INTRODUCTION

layingoutthelifedetoxplan

There’satwo-thousand-year-oldadagethatsays,“It’snotwhatgoesintoamouththatdamagesaperson;it’swhatcomesoutofthemouththatdamagesaperson.”WhileI,andjustabouteveryscientistintheworld,woulddisagreewiththisstatement—thereareplentyofcarcinogensandterriblefoodsthatdodamagetoourbodies—thereisanelementoftruthtothesewords.Nomatterwhatweputintoourbodies—organicvegetables,superfoods,thepurestwater—it’sthethoughtswethink,thewordsweuse,andtheactionswetakethathelpdefinewhoweareandthatultimatelyshapeourlives.

Personally,Iknowalotofpeoplewhoeatthebestfoodsandhavewhat

manywouldcallaperfectbody(especiallyincarefullyposedInstagram

photos),buttheyaren’tthenicestpeople.Theycanoftenbepetty,mean-

spirited,anddownrightmiserable.I’vealsometalotofpeopleoverthe

yearswhobasicallyliveonprocessedfood,usetoxicproducts,andcan

barelymovewithoutgettingoutofbreath,yettheyarethesweetestpeople

withthebiggesthearts.Asanutritionist,Iwouldneverwantanyoneto

sustainthemselvesonjunkfood,butwhomwouldyouwanttohangout

with?Ithinkyouknowwhatmyanswerwouldbe.

Iamnotpassingjudgment,and,ofcourse,mostpeoplearen’tso

polarizing.Ijustwanttoillustratethatweallhavepartsofusthatneed

mending.Noneofushaveitall.Andifyoupayattentiontoadvertisement

messages,clearlyyou’llseethatmarketingpeopleknowthisaswell.Ads

mayshowsomeonewhohasaso-calledidealshape,abeautifulfamily,and

flawlessskin,butthereisalwaysanimplied“youaremissing(thisone

thing)…,”too,socompaniescansellittoyouandultimatelyturnaprofit.

I’mheretotellyouthatyou’renotmissinganything.Youdon’teven

needthisbook,butIhopeyou’llreadonbecausewhatIhavetosayis

important.

HereintheWestweareconditionedfromanearlyagetothinkthat

we’reimperfectonthedeepestlevel.Sometimesthatcomesfrom

advertisers,asmentionedabove,sometimesfromfaithtraditions,sometimes

fromtherulesofsociety,sometimesfromourownfamilyandfriends(who

arealsoconditionedtobelievetheyareincompleteandmissingthings).

But,thetruthisyouareperfectregardlessofalltheimperfectionsyou

mighthave.Why?Becauseyouarealiveandyouarehereinthisvery

moment.Thefactthatyouhavelifemeansyouhavedignityandyouare

partofthiscommunitywecallhumanity.Youhavethecapacitytogive

andreceivelove,whichisthemostpowerful,limitless,perfectforce.The

lovethatisinherentlywithinyouisyourperfection.

It’snotnecessarilywhatweeatorhowbigorsmallourbuttsare,but

whatwethinkaboutourselvesandtheworldaroundusthatoftenmakesus

feelconnected,whole,validated,andstrong.Butthesearejustthoughts

andperceptions.Andguesswhat?Oftenthoughtsandperceptionschange

intheblinkofaneye.Haveyoueverbeensuperhungryandmoodyand

feltcrappyaboutlife,onlytoeatafreshlunchandfeelelatedabout

somethingyouweredepressedaboutjustanhourago?Eatinghealthilyand

takingcareofourselves,likegettingenoughsleep,surelyhelptomakeus

feelbetterinmanyways.Butthatisnotallthereistowellness.

We’velearnedoverthepastonehundredyearsthathowandwhatwe

thinkinfluencesallpartsofwhoweare.Notonlythat,butsimplychanging

thewaywelookatourselvesandtheworldarounduscanleadtopowerful

emotional,physical,andpsychologicaltransformations.

Hence,RecipesforYourPerfectlyImperfectLifeisaguidetoinnerandouter

transformation,whichmaynotbeinstantaneous,yetitcanhappen

relativelyquickly,aswe’llseeinthepagesahead.Thisisabookthat

containsusefulnewsonnutrition,lifelessons,andrecipestohelpyou

embraceyourperceivedimperfections—whethertheyincludebeingten

poundsoveryourdesiredweight,havingatoo-largenoseorroughskin,

beingeasilyannoyedornotassertiveenough,notbeinginthe“right”place

inyourcareerorfamilylife,orsimplynotfeelinggoodenough.Ultimately,

Iwantyoutoexperiencetheperfectionalreadypresentinyouandinyour

life.Thisbookwillteachyouhowtostayanchoredtoapermanentinner

sourceofpower,allowingyoutoclear“lifeblocks”soyoucanexperience

yourmostbeautifullife.

PartIincludesanumberofLifeDetoxRecipes,whicharepracticaltips

aboutlifeandfooddrawnfrommyownpersonalstoriesandthoseof

peopleIhaveworkedwithovertheyears(withnameschangedforprivacy,

ofcourse).Theseareofferedtodetoxyourlifeonadeeperlevel,helping

youbreakthroughemotionalandmentalblocksthathaveaneffectnot

onlyonyourphysicalhealthandbeautybutalsoonyourabilitytobetruly

happy.Isharesomeofmymostvulnerablepartswithyouonmybumpy

pathtoself-acceptance,includingthroughthestoriesofmyson’snot-as-

plannedbirthstory,showingemotioninpublic,andrehabbingthe

perfectionistaddictinme.Thisisallinanefforttoshowyouthatlifecan

sometimesbeamess(thatis,Icanbeamess!).Andthat’sokay,because

it’sinthatmessthatwediscoverwhoweare.

PartIIincludesmorethanonehundreddeliciousrecipesthatare

nutrient-dense,energizing,cleansing,andnourishingonmanylevels.All

theserecipesareplant-based,gluten-free,andproperlyfoodcombined,a

conceptbasedinmakingdigestioneasierinordertofreeupmoreenergy

(seethispageformoreinfo).Nomatteryourcurrentdiet,workingthese

recipesintoyourlifeisaneasy,surefirewaytoraiseyourvitality,health,

andhappiness.Last,ifyouwanttolearnmoreaboutthestudies,articles,

andbooksImentioninRecipesforYourPerfectlyImperfectLife,goto

mysolluna.comfordetails.

I’msoexcitedtobeonthisjourneywithyou.Detoxingself-doubtand

confusionclearsthewayforyoutoenjoyyouramazing,delicious,perfectly

imperfectlifemorethanyoueverrealizedpossible.

Ifyouwanttobecomewhole:Unlessyouacceptyourself,youcan’tletgoofyourself.

—StephenMitchell’snotesonLao-tzu’sTaoTeChing,chapter21

CHAPTER1

clearingtheblocksthatholdusback

An“And”Life

Weliveinaworldoverrunbythewordor.Traditionally,we’vebeentaughttoclassifythingsasoneortheother.Goodorbad.Healthyornot.Fatorskinny.Beautifuloraverage.Thissmallwordmightnotseemlikeabigdeal,butitdictatesthewaywethink,experience,andultimatelyembraceorrejecttheworldaroundus.Butwedon’thavetobuyintoan“either/or”existence.Instead,wecanshifttotheall-encompassingwordand.

Ourlifejourneysmaygoprettywellsometimes,likethedayswhenwe

hitallthegreenlightsandgetapromotionatworkandtopitoffwitha

superfunnightoutwithfriends.Andsometimesnotsomuch.Big

challengesoftenpopup,wefallofftrack,andsomedaysnothingseemsto

goourway.Lifeiscertainlynotblackorwhite.WedrinkGlowingGreen

Smoothies(akaGGS;thispage)andsometimeseattoomanycupcakes

whenwegetstressedatwork.Wecanbebothhappyandsad,depending

onthemoment.Wecanbecalmandsometimesreactive.Wecanbe

healthyandalsoinneedofhealing.

Whenweembracean“and”life,wedon’thavetofeelbadwhenwe

screwup,nordowehavetojudgeourselvesorothersbecausewhatoften

seemslikecontradictionisallpartofourjourneytowholeness.Eatingthat

cupcakedoesn’tinvalidateourpursuitofhealth—wecanchoosetofollow

rhythmsofeatingcleanandwecanenjoyadessert.

The“either/or”mentalitypushesustojudgeeverything,toslotthings

intocategories.Beingoverlyjudgmentaldoesnotfeelgoodtoanyofus.

Whenwe’reconstantlyjudging,wefeeltenseandrestlessinsteadofcalm

andpeaceful.Thisdoesn’tmeanweshouldn’thaveopinions,nordoesit

meanweshouldn’ttrytomakegooddecisionsorstandforacause.Itjust

meanswedoourbestandreserveouropinions.Wecanbehumble,

knowingthatwedon’tknowthewholepictureofwhat’s“right,”forusor

anyoneelse.Lao-tzu’sTaoTeChingteachesus“Doyourwork,thenstep

back.”Thinkaboutsomeeventsinlifeyouhaveexperiencedthatseemed

likeadisasteratthetime,whichthenturnedouttobegoodforyou.

Maybearelationshipspontaneouslycombusted.Youfeltterrible.You

thoughtyourworldwasover.Yourmindjustkeptgoingincircles,and

youthoughtlifewouldneverbethesame.

Thenafterafewmonthsandalotoftumblingoveryourownemotions

(andcryingintoyourpillow),youmeetsomeonewhoturnsouttobe,for

lackofabetterphrase,yoursoulmate.Youneverwouldhavemetthat

personifyouwerestillinyourpreviousrelationship.Ormaybeyou

experiencedtheflipside.Sayyoustartedworkingatyourdreamjoband

experiencedtheflipside.Sayyoustartedworkingatyourdreamjoband

youfeltlikeallthestarsaligned,andthenafterafewweeks,itturnsout

thatyourdreamjobisreallyanightmare.Whatyouthoughtwasthebest

thingintheworldturnedouttobenotsogreatafterall.

Likemanythings,ourjudgmentscansometimessetupimpossible

standardsthatpreventusfromseeingclearlyoractinginwaysthatare

beneficialtous.Thinkhowmuchbetteritfeelstoobservewhat’sinfront

ofyouwithoutmakinganegativepassingcomment,withoutcastinga

verdict.Someofyoumaybebalkingnow.Youmightthinkpassing

judgmentdoesn’treallyaffectyourlifeinanegativeway,ormaybeyou

evengetariseoutofit.Butforamoment,contrasthowitfeelsonarainy

daywhenyoujustobservethecloudsandrainfallingoutsideyourwindow

withhowitfeelswhenyoulookonthesamescenebutyou’reangryor

depressedbecauseyouhadhopedforasunnyday.

YogamasterParamahansaYoganandateachesusthatconstantly

comparingwhatyoulikeagainstwhatyoudon’tlikeisamajorcauseof

suffering.Again,Idon’tmeanthatyoushouldn’tgetexcitedorhavegreat

expectationsaboutthingsinyourlife.I’mnotsayingyoushouldbesome

kindofrobot,butlifecanfeelsomuchmorerelaxedandhappywhenwe

embraceaworldthatcanbemanythingsatthesametime,including

imperfectandperfect.

ANewWayofLookingatPerfectionAllofus,nomatterwhoweare,fromcelebritiestoworkingmomsand

dads,areundeniablyflawed.Wemakemistakes,saythewrongthing,

we’remoody,sometimesweactinappropriatelyorhaveemotional

meltdowns;wemightdrinktoomuchorobsessoverwhatweeatallday

insteadoffocusingonaworkproject;wemightshowahappyfaceinfront

ofthepeopleweworkwithandthencriticizethemtoourfriendover

dinner;orflipsomeoneoffonthehighwayandletlooseadiatribeof

obscenitiesthatwouldmakeourgrannyhaveaheartattack.

Butjustasweareundeniablyflawed,wearealsoundeniablyperfect.

Notperfectinthewaythewordperfectispopularlyused.AsinHerhairis

soperfect.Shehassuchaperfectlife.Everyoneinspinclasshassuchaperfectbody.

Hehastheperfectjob.Theseareallself-imposedstandardsfordefining

perfectionthatchangewiththetimes.Liketrends,theyareephemeraland

seasonal,heretodayandgonetomorrow.Justafewyearsago,perfection

forawomanwasdefinedassomeonewhowassuperskinny.Foratleastten

years,almostalljeancompaniespromotedtheskinnyjean,apairofpants

thatfitonlyasmalldemographicofthepopulation.Today,mediatrends

seemtohavechangedallthat.Now,forsome,a“perfect”bodyiscurvy

withabig,roundedbuttthatwouldneverfitintoapairofclassicskinny

jeans(unlesstheyaresuperstretchyinthebottom!).So-calledphysical

perfectioninthissenseisreallyjustjudgmentintheeyeofthebeholderor

selfie/belfietaker.Whyholdourselvestoastandardthatissimultaneously

fleeting,impossible,andarbitrary?

Yetnomatterwhatwelooklikeorhowscrewedupourlivesmightbe

financially,professionally,psychologically,orevenspiritually,itdoesn’t

takeawayfromthefactthatwearealiveinthehereandnow.Justthefact

thatyouhavelife,thatyouareabreathing,feeling,thinkingcreaturewho

laughsandcriesandeatsandmovesinsomewaymeansyouareperfect.

Thereisanessence,atrueandgoodessence,thatisthecenterofwhowe

are.Thisabilitytoempathize,connect,andloveothersmeansthereis

perfectloveinsideyou.Thiscanbehardtoacceptbecauseofallthe

perfectloveinsideyou.Thiscanbehardtoacceptbecauseofallthe

conditioninghumanshavegonethroughduringmillionsofyearsofsocial

evolution,butit’satruththatIamlivingbynowinmyownlife.

Imean,thinkaboutthis:Whatmakesyouimperfect?Maybeyouthink

youreyesaretooclosetogether.Whoeversaideyesneedtobeacertain

distanceapart?Whomadethatdecision?Maybeyouwerebornwitha

learningdisabilityandotherpeoplelookedatyoujudgmentallywhileyou

weregrowingup.Whosaidthatlearninginadifferentwaymakesyou

imperfect?Who?Seriously,Iwantnames.Maybeyourparentscalledyou

plainorsaidyouweren’tgoodenoughwhileyouweregrowingup?No

offense,butwhoarethesepeopleandwhomadethemexpertsonwhat’s

beautifulornot?WhylistentothatBS?

Somaybeyoudon’twakeupat6a.m.toworkouteveryday,maybe

youdon’tfinishyourto-dolisteveryday,maybeyouonlygetthroughone

dayofthe30DayRoadmap(ourSollunahealthy-eatingvideocourse),

maybeyoumakemistakesatwork,maybeyoudon’treacheverydeadline.

Takeallofthisinstride.Idon’tcareaboutthesizeofyourbankaccount

orsocialmediafollowing,orwhatyoulooklikeorwhatyourjobtitleis.I

don’tcareifyou’reoverweightorhaverippedabs;noneofitmakesyou

betterorworsethananyoneelse.Whatmattersisthatyouhaveaheart,

notjusttheorganthatbeatsinyourbodybutanessencethatisconnected

tosomethinggreaterthanus.Surewecanalwaysimproveourlives.I

mean,that’swhatI’vededicatedmylife’sworktoward:helpingothersto

feelbetterphysicallyandemotionally.Yetregardlessofourso-calledflaws,

wearealreadywhole,withavaststorehouseofpotentialinsideusto

expandthatwholenessinordertobecometrulyhappyandhealthyandto

helptheworldbeabetterplace.

theamazingwisdomofourbodiesSomeapproachestonutritionprescribedozensanddozensofsupplementstomakeupforallthatis“missing.”Andwhiletherightnutrientsare,ofcourse,key,weachievetruevitalityandwellnessbysupportingourbodiesindoingwhattheynaturallyknowtodo.Weneedtoremoveobstructionsliketoxins,chemicals,andpesticidesthatkeepourbodiesfromworkingtheirbest.Thereisabigdifferencebetweenhyperfocusingonwhat’smissingversusfocusingonsupportingthenaturalintelligenceofourbodies.

Oneofthemosteffectivewaysforustosupportourbodiesistooptimizeourdigestionwiththerightkindsofprobiotics,digestiveenzymes,andoxygencleanseaids.Thesehelpusabsorbnutrientsmoreefficiently,which,inturn,elevatesourenergy,health,andmoods.Ongoingdetoxificationprotocols,whichincludeeatingafiber-rich,totallyorlargelyplant-baseddiet,arealsoimportant,yettheyarejustasmuchaboutcleansingoutwhatweighsusdownasthenutrientstheysupply.

Nowlet’sturnourattentiontoour“imperfections.”WhatamItalking

aboutwhenIusethisword?Ourimperfectionsareourquirks,survival

techniques,copingmechanisms—allthewaysthatweareworkingthings

outonourjourney.Thesecanincludeimpatience,stormybehaviors,a

tendencytobeenvious,theinabilitytoexpressourneedsclearlyortolet

goofpainorresentment,orburstingintotearsatanykindof

confrontation.We’reallinprocess.Wemakemistakes,hopefullylearn

fromthem,andmakenewmistakes.Sowhat?Keepmovingforward!

Whenwefeelbadaboutourimperfections,guilt,shame,anger,anxiety,

andpoorbodyimagecomeintoplay.Whenwethinkthatwehavetobe

somethingotherthanwhatweare,wedisconnectfromourselvesandfrom

others,andfromeverydayaspectsoflife,includingourfoodanddiets.

Don’tgetmewrong.Idon’tthinkweshouldbeneedy,irritating,or

emotionalbasketcaseswhospillournegativefeelingsalloverotherpeople.

emotionalbasketcaseswhospillournegativefeelingsalloverotherpeople.

Weneedtocarryourselveswithstrengthanddignity.Foodisaneasy

targettooffloadourbadfeelingsaboutourselvesandourbodies,anditcan

alltooeasilybecomeenemiesandweaponsthatpunishandcontrolus.Yet

whenwefeelcontentwithourperfectimperfection,wefeelmotivatedto

makehealthylifechoices,andfoodanddietbecomewaysofself-careand

self-nourishment.

So,here’salittlehomework.Itwilltakejustaminuteortwo.Thinkof

thingsthatstressyouout.Maybeyouhadachildacoupleofyearsagoand

can’tgetridofthatmombelly.Ormaybeyou’resoworriedaboutmoney

youlieawakeuntil2a.m.everynight.Wherecanyouembrace“and”

over“or”?Forexample,can’tyoustillbeandfeelbeautifulandcarryafew

extrapoundsaroundwithyou?Canyoubeconcernedaboutyourfinances

andstillbefunnyandoutgoing?Trytolookatopposingpartsofyourlife

andpersonality,andinsteadofsayingsomethinghastobe“either/or,”see

ifyoucanusean“and”mentality.Loosenthegriponlabelingissuesasone

thingoranother,andseehowmuchmorepeacefulyourlifebecomes.

liferecipesOneofthemostpowerfulthingswecandoistoembracetheideathatwearebothperfectandimperfect.Weareinherentlyalivewithabodythatagesandtransformsovertime.Butwealsocarrywithinusanessence,apartofusthatisperfectandunchangeable.Allofushaveimperfections.Wemightscrewthingsupfromtimetotime,butweareallonajourneytodiscovertheloveandtrueessenceatthecoreofwhoweare.Althoughwe’vebeentaughtthatthingshavetobeoneortheother,actuallythesetwostatescoexistwithineachofus.

Choosingtolivean“and”lifemeansholdingourjudgmentincheck.Thisisforusandforothers.An“and”approachtolifeisinclusiveandfeelsopenandfree.Thinkingthatthingshavetobeonewayoranotherispolarizingandstressful.Whoneedsthat?Wecanchoosetoletallthatkindofthinkinggo,andfeelhappier.

lifedetoxrecipes

lifedetoxrecipesWecanalllivewithourchallengesandimperfections,yetstillleadalifethatiscentered,balanced,andconnectedtoourselvesandothers.

Whenwestarttofeelalittleoff-balance,agreatself-carepracticeistoeatacleansingandnurturingsoup,whichisfullofeasilydigestednutrients,aswellasfiberandliquidtohelpyoufeelsatisfiedandpresentwithinyourbodywithoutfeelingheavy.

Herearetwoparticularlygreatoptions:

» GINGERCABBAGECLEANSESOUP(thispage).Thissoupcontainsginger,awarmingspicetoenactdigestiveandenergeticchange.Cabbagehasnaturaldetoxifyingpropertiesandnourishesyourgutwhilereducinginflammation.

» CURRIEDRADIANCECARROTSOUP(thispage).Thissoupispackedwithbeta-carotene-richcarrotsgrowndeepdownintheearth,thefoodequivalentof“earthing,”orbalancingourenergythroughconnectingwithnature’senergy,aswellasspicesandherbsthatimprovecirculationandintegrationofnutrients.

MyJourneytoHealingEverlookatsomeonewhoissuccessfulprofessionallyorpersonallyor

socially,orwhatever,andsecretlyaskhowsheseemstohaveitall

together?Wecomparetheirlivestoours,atleastastheirlivesappeartous

insocialmediaandonpaper,andlamenthowourlifeisunglamorous,

messedup,andboringincomparison.

I’vehadmyownlevelofsuccess.I’vebeenmorethanfortunate.

ThroughouttheyearssomepeoplehavesaidtomehowamazingitisthatI

haveitallfiguredout.IalwayschucklewhenIhearthis.Whileanyone

canreadaboutmypubliclifeonline,itdoesn’treflectthewholestoryat

all.Forallthelegitimatesmilesandexcitement,mylifeislikeanyother

life.Idoubtthings,feelinsecure,struggletolovemyself,andstill

occasionallyfeelbodyshame.

CampinginMozambiqueduringmyaround-the-worldjourney.

AsI’vesharedinmyfirstbook,TheBeautyDetoxSolution,andonmy

website,forafewyearsIwasonanintensepathoflearningasIjourneyed

aroundtheworld.Thewanderingwasreflectiveofwhatwasgoingonin

mymind,whichwasdeeplysearchingandseekingandquestioningpretty

mucheverythingIhadeverbelieved—fromwhatIknewaboutfood(atthe

timeIwasahard-corecalorieandprotein-gramcounter)tospirituality(I

wasraisedCatholicandhadnevertriedmeditationoryogaorbeen

exposedtoEasternphilosophyatthatpoint)towhatsuccessinlifereally

meant.YoucouldsayIwasonakindofvisionquest,thoughIhadnot

preplannedforthattohappen.

Iendeduptravelingfarandwide,workinginAustralia,then

backpackingtheworldforaboutthreeyears.IcampedacrossAfricafor

months,livinginatentandcookingwithacampingstove,travelingina

beat-upcar,zigzaggedacrossChinaonthird-classtrains,livedinshack-like

bungalowsinSoutheastAsiawithoutelectricityorrunningwater,practiced

yogainashramsacrosstheHimalayasandalongtheGanges,meditatedat

Buddhisttemples,sleptonthefloorsofrandomfamilies’gers(nomadic

tents)whenIexploredtheGobiDesertinMongolia,andtrekkedaround

ruins,floatingislands,andrainforestsinSouthAmerica.IsummitedMount

Kilimanjaro,climbedtheHuangshanmountaininChina,andhikedthe

AnnapurnatrekinNepal.

Iimmersedmyselfinlocalcultures,oftenusingmyhands,smiles,and

musicforcommunication,andIcommittedmyselftodiscoveringwellness,

dietary,andbeautypracticeseverywhereIwas.YetIstillhadnoidea(and

Imeanzeroidea)howtherestofmylifewasgoingtoturnoutandhowI

wasgoingtotranslatealltheamazingknowledgeIwasabsorbingintoa

career.

ImovedtoNewYorkCityaftermyworldtravels,totallybrokeyet

burstingwithpassion.Istartedmyblogandcontinuedtolearnabout

nutrition.TherewasatransitionperiodwhenIhadtobesuperscrappyand

takemanykindsofjobstopayformytinyrent-stabilizedapartment.This

wasallbeforeIstudiedtobecomeanutritionist,builtupaclientlist,

landedmyfirstbookdeal,andcreatedawholelifestylephilosophy.During

thisperiod,therewastremendousself-doubtandinsomnia.Iquestioned

whetherIhadmessedupmylifebynotgettinga“real”jobrightwhenI

graduated,likeeveryoneelseIknewfromcollege.

Besidesmynutritionwork,Itaughtgroupandprivateyogaclassespart

ofthetime,andeveninthedeadofwinter,Iwouldwalkthirtyorforty

minutestogettothenextclient,asthereweremonthswhenIcouldn’tpay

foranunlimitedsubwayticket.IalsoworkedatarawfoodcaféintheEast

foranunlimitedsubwayticket.IalsoworkedatarawfoodcaféintheEast

Villageandhadabriefstintinrealestateandanevenshorteronein

multilevelmarketingwithmymom,whichinvolvedJapanesewaterandair

filters.Totallyrandom,Iknow!Ioncetookanofficejobatalargebeauty

company.Idespisedthecompanyculture—whatthewholecompanystood

for—andIwasboredwithmydailytasks.Ilastedonlythreemonths.

IwasonapanelrecentlyandwasaskedhowIpulledthroughhardtimes

whenbeginningmycareer.MyansweristhatevenwhenIwasstarting

out,afreshlylandedbackpackerhustlingtosurviveinfast,unrelenting

NewYorkCity,Ikepthelpingothersasthecentralfocusofmywork.I

startedmyblogtosharewithothershowtofeeltheirbest.WheneverI

wroteanarticleorgaveatalkortaughtaclass,Istayedconnectedto

givingtoeachandeveryreaderorlistener.Andlookingback,whenI

falteredfromthatandstartedoverworryingaboutthebusinesspart,

everythingsuffered.

Sono,Idon’thave“it”figuredout,butIdogenuinelybelievethat

keepingthefocusonserviceandlovehashelpedmeactualizemydreams.

Ittranslatedintococreatingthevisionofmylife,whichincludeswriting

books,buildinganincrediblewellnesscommunity,andfoundingand

runningSolluna,abusinesswhereIgettodevelopproductsandcontentI

loveandamhonoredtooffertoourcommunityandworld.AndIgetto

workfromhomesoIcantakecareofmyyoungson.

Onthedeepestlevel,beyondwhatIwasdoingintheworld,myown

innerhealingjourneyhasbeenongoing.Itstartedwithmyaround-the-

worldjourney.IthasacceleratedinthepastfewyearsasI’veconfronted

lifeatitsverycore,experiencingthebirthofmyfirstchildandthepassing

ofmymother.

YourIncredibleJourneyYou,too,areonaone-of-a-kindjourney,unlikeanyoneelse’s.Thereis

realpowerinacknowledgingtheuniquenessthatisyou,andthestampof

yourlife.Youareyourmostbeautifulwhenyouapologeticallyownyour

lifeandgetcomfortablewiththefactthatnooneelsecanwalkyourpath.

Itisyours,andnooneelsecanbeyou.Comparingortryingtolookorbe

likesomeoneelseonlywatersdownyourpoweranduniquebeauty.

We’vebeentaughttohidepartsofourselves:toprojecta“perfect”

imagebylookingacertainwayandappearingtohaveitallfiguredout.

Whenwespendallthisenergyconcealingsomepartsanddressingup

otherpartsofourlives,it’sexhausting.Andwethenoverlystressabout

ourimperfections,becauseweareputtingsomuchfocusonthesurface

partsofourlives.Yetifweshifttostayingmoreconnectedtothe

perfectioninsideofus,tothelovethatconnectsustoeverythingelse,our

appearancesdon’tseemdirelyserious.

It’snotthatwedon’tcareabouthowwelookorwhatwedo—because

forsurewedo.It’sjustthatwecanbesomuchmorecomfortableand

joyfulwithinourselvesdaytoday.Andthat’swhatreallycounts:ifwe

definesuccessinlifebyhowtrulyhappyweare.Sure,wecandisplaya

“perfect”job,house,marriage,body,andsoonontheoutside,yetifwe

aremiserabledeepdown,doesanyofthatreallymatter?Otherscansense

thisshiftinus,thisincreasingsenseofease,anditstartsachainreactionfor

otherstobemoreacceptingofthemselves,too.Wecanhelpmakethe

worldbecomebrighterandlighter,startingwithourselves.

It’sasimpleyetbigconcepttoreallyembody.Keepreading,becausethe

ideasandpracticeswediscussinourjourneytogetherthroughoutthisbook

aregoingtohelpyouintegratethetruthofhowamazingandgoodenough

aregoingtohelpyouintegratethetruthofhowamazingandgoodenough

youtrulyare,onceandforall.

lifedetoxrecipeSinceincludingthegoodofothersinyourgoalsandaspirationswillhelpactualizeyourowndreamsintoreality,trymakingbig,nourishingone-potorbakedmealstoshare.Itfeelsgreatandhelpstoboostthingsenergeticallyinapositivedirectionforyou.

Herearetwoexcellentrecipestosharefromonebigpotorcontainer:

» ONE-POTLOVECHILI(thispage).Fullofprotein,minerals,fiber,andantioxidants,thisisaneasymealtoputtogether,alongwithyourlove,anddishitupforacrowd.

» JAMAICANSOULFOODSHEPHERD’SPIE(thispage).Thisisanourishingrecipefullofnutrient-denseveggiesanddigestion-stimulatingherbsandspices,includinganiseandcumin,andcalming,blood-sugar-balancingcoriander.

MorningPractice

DRINKHOTWATERWITHLEMON:Thissimple,powerfulpracticehelpstocleanseanddetoxifyyoursystem.LemonssupplyvitaminC,aswellasenzymesthathelpregenerateyourlivertissue.

MEDITATIONORSTILLNESSPRACTICE:Thiscantakemanyforms,fromsimplylisteningtoyourbreath,praying,settingintentions,practicingmeditativetechniquestofollowingasadhana,oradailyspiritualpractice.Whateverformyoulike,committothis“youtime”inthemorning,whichconnectsyoutoyourbodyandself,andcanhelpwitheverythingfromwardingofffoodcravingstobeingmoreintunewithyourtruehungerandnutritionalneeds.Italsohelpsyoufeelmorecenteredthroughouttheupsanddownsoftheday,andsupportsyouroverallvitalitybysupportingahealthyadrenalandnervoussystem.Stillnessalsohelpsusconnectbackwiththewhole,andtheOnenessofwhichweareapart.

SOIL-BASEDORGANISM(SBO)PROBIOTICS:Ahealthygutisahugekeytofeelingbalancedandachievingwell-being.Yetprobioticsarenotallcreatedequal!Manyformulasaredenaturedbythetimeyoueventakethem,offeronlyasmallpercentageofthebacteriumweneedforbalance,ortakethe“kitchensink”approach,meaningjustabitofthisandthattosoundgoodformarketing.SBOsmimictheperfectbacterialmixfoundinthehealthysoilthatourancestorsusedtoconsumeonunwashedvegetablesandfruit.SBOsareanatural,powerfulwaytogetprobiotics,astheyareheartyenoughtosurvivestomachacidandimplantinourguts.I’msounbelievablypassionateaboutprobioticsthatIcreatedmyownproprietarySBOformula

withthebestratiosofclinicallyresearchedstrainstosupportahealthygutflora.Thisformulaisespeciallypowerfulinfosteringincreasedenergy,vitality,focus,andimmunity;improvingdigestion;detoxifyingenvironmentaltoxins;andcreatingbetterhair,skin,andahigherqualityoflifeallaround.Formoreinformation,pleasevisitmywebsite.

THEGLOWINGGREENSMOOTHIE(AKAGGS):Thisismysignatureelixir,whichsuppliesyouwithvitalantioxidants,vitamins,minerals,cleaningfiber,andcountlessothermicronutrients.Itgivesyouanincredibleamountofsustainedenergy,detoxifiestoxinsfromyoursystem,andsupportsglowingskin.Iencourageyoutomixandmatchyourgreensandfruit,butstickwiththebasicratioofaround70percentgreensand30percentfruitandvitaminCanddetox-boostinglemonjuice(yes,morelemon!)intheclassicGGSrecipe(thispage).

lifedetoxrecipeOneofthemostpowerfulwaystosetyourselfupforagreatdayistoanchoryourselftoadefinedmorningpractice.Often,westartthedayalreadyfrazzledanddisconnectedfromourselves.Wereachforourphonefirstthing,andourmindsarealreadyonworkandthetasksaheadwhilewescarfdownaproteinbaroranegg-whiteomelet,barelychewingandfeelingmountinganxietythatwearealreadybehind.

Incontrast,aconsistentmorningrhythmgetsyouintoagoodflow.Youwillstartoffthebeginningofeachdayfeelingstrong,clearofphysicalandemotionalblocks,energized,poised,andfocused.

CHAPTER2

flowing(ratherthandrowning)

ImposterinRome

Doyourememberthelasttimeyougotcaughtshowingasideofyourselfthatyouwerenotproudof?Asmuchaswetrytocarefullyfilterwhatweshowourfamilyandfriends,andcolleaguesatwork,andonsocialmedia,wecan’tfilteralloflife.Manyofushavethetendencytofeelashamedwhenwedon’tlookthewaywe’dliketoincertainmoments.Yeteveninthosestickysituations,weallhaveopportunitiestochoosetobeauthenticandvulnerableandreal.

I’dliketoshareapersonalstoryaboutthis.Ilovebumpingintomy

readersandSollunacommunitymembersallaroundtheworldandsharing

hugs.ButwhenIwasinRomeafewyearsago,Iranintoareaderduring

apainfullyawkwardmoment.

IwasinEuropeworkingwithclientsanddecidedtotakeaweekendtrip

totheEternalCitywithmysignificantother.Wegotinsomesillyfight

walkingbetweentheColosseumandthePantheon.Theissuewassmalland

petty,butIwasstubbornlyholdingontotheannoyanceandourlittlespat

draggedon.

Wewererightinthemiddleoftheargument,andIhadjustsaid

somethingprettynasty.Myfacewasscrunchedintoatightball.Mypartner

walkedawayfromme.Rightthen,asweetbrown-hairedwomanwearinga

bluecardiganwithalittleseven-oreight-year-oldgirlintowcameupto

meandsaid,“Oh,you’reKimberlySnyder!Ihaveyourbooksonmy

nightstand!”

Myfirstinstinctwassheerpanic.Hadsheheardmearguing?Wouldshe

thinkIwasactuallyanawfulpersoninreallife?Icouldn’tletthathappen!

Iwastooterrifiedoflookingbad.Inthatstateofpanic,Iblurtedout,“No,

youmusthavemistakenmeforsomeoneelse.”Thewomancockedher

headinapuzzledway,andIdartedaway.

Iletafullminutegoby,scurryingintheotherdirection.Thenitsankin

whatIhaddone.Ihadlied!IpretendedIwasn’tme!AllbecauseIwas

ashamedIwouldpossiblybeseenasameanpersonwhogetsintofights.A

sideofmethatIdidn’twanttoletmyreaders—oranyoneexceptforthose

closesttome—eversee.

Ithitme:Ican’tletthishappen!Ican’tbesomefake.Ispunaroundand

rantocatchupwiththewoman.Nowshewaswalkingdownthe

promenadewithbothherdaughterandherhusband.Itookadeepbreath.

Thiswasgoingtobepainful.

lifedetoxrecipePracticeauthenticityacrossyourlife.Usegoodjudgmentanddon’tlie.Thisincludesnotonlyyourrelationshipswithfriends,family,andcolleagues,butalsoyourrelationshipwithfood.Theremaybefoodsthatyoulovethatmightnotalwaysbethehealthiestforyou.Ifyou

reallylovesandwiches,forinstance,itmightfeelmoreauthentictofindabridgebyeatingthemsometimesversuseatingonlysalads.Ifyoumakeadrasticswitchtothelatterandtrytousesheerwillpowerandgoagainstyourtruefeelingsallthetime,itmighteruptintofallingoffthewagonaltogether.

Thekeyisfindinghealthyalternativesforwhatyoulovethatareeasilydigestedandcleansing,yetstilldeliciousandsatisfying.Yes,itispossibletohaveboth!Tryitforyourselfandbecomeabelieverinhealthierupgradesthatstillkeepyoufeelingexcitedaboutyourfood.Ittakesmanyofusalongtimetotransitionoffcertainfoods(ittookmetwowholeyearstogiveupcheese),andthat’sokay.

Herearesomegreatfoodalternativesforoldclassics:

» ThedeliciousLOVETHYMEVEGGIEBURGER(thispage)offersanutrient-densepattyfullofproteinandmineralssuchasiron.Itisanexcellentreplacementforbeefhamburgers,whicharefullofvarioustoxins,includingantibiotics,steroids,mycotoxins,heavymetals,dioxins,andotherformsofindustrialpollutants(someoftheseareevenpresentinorganicmeat).Trymakinglargerbatchesandfreezingextrastoeatwhenyouareinatimebind.

» IfyouloveMexicanfood(andwhodoesn’t,really?!),checkouttheEASYSWEETPOTATOANDPINTOBEANENCHILADAS(thispage),whicharesalsa-yandhavebothcreamyand“meaty”textures,yetwithoutanydairyorprocessedgroundmeatorchicken.

» TheALLVEGGIECLEANLASAGNA(thispage)isstuffedwithsomanydeliciousingredientsandfillings.Itcontainsnoneofthegreasydairy,meat,orgluten…orevenanykindofnoodlesforthatmatter!

“Oh,hithere!I’msosorry,IactuallyamKimberly!”

IexplainedIhadbeenutterlyembarrassedbecauseIhadbeenbickering

withmypartner.Sheandherhusbandlaughed,jokingthatthey“might

knowathingortwoaboutthat!”Sheacceptedmyapologyandsaidhow

relievedshewasthatIfessedup,becausesheknewitwasme.

Italkedtothemforabouttenminutes,andwehadagreatconnection.

AsIwalkedaway,Ishookmyhead…somuchweirdnessanddrama,allof

whichIcreated.ThelessonIlearnedfromthissuperawkwardencounteris

thatit’sokaytobearealpersoninsteadofpretendingthatalloflifeis

perfect.

Considerthemomentsinyourlifethatyou’relessthanproudof.It

couldjustaseasilyhavebeenyouhavingitoutwithyoursisterormom,

let’ssay,atthegrocerystore,whenanoldfriendfromcollegeora

colleaguefromyourlastjobapproachedyouatthatexactmoment.Or

maybeyouweresquabblingwiththemanageratTargetaboutsome

returns,andthingsstartedtogetheatedwhenthenewguyyoujuststarted

seeingsidledup.Oryousnapatyourpartnerinfrontoftheneighbors.

Whilesuchsituationsarenotoneswestrivefor,wealsodon’twantto

internalizeguiltsomuchthatwestartfeelingbadaboutourselves.We’re

complex,wholebeings,andwe’regoingtohavegooddaysandbaddays.

Messymomentsarepartoftheimperfectjourneyofgrowthinlife.

Acknowledgethemess,learn,andmoveon.

lifedetoxrecipeBeingphonyandhidingandpretendingismuchworsethanbeingreal,evenwhenwethinkwelookbad.Nexttimeyouhavetheurgetogiveafakesmiletoyourfriendwhenyoufeelawful,ortodenythatyouoverreactedtoaprettyinnocuouscommentthatyourboyfriendmade,leanintothefeeling,stayingcuriousastowhysomethingmighthavebotheredyousomuch.It’sbrave—andultimatelyfreeing—toconfrontthepartsofourselveswewouldn’tnormallybroadcastatdinnerpartiesoronsocialmedia.Findsomeprivatespaceifneedbe,andcryifyoufeellikeit.Findinghealthywaystoprocessfeelingsinsteadofrepressingthemispartofbeingauthentic.

ispartofbeingauthentic.

TheFeelings-InflammationLinkInflammationisavitalpartofourbody’simmuneresponseandawayto

healitself.We’veallexperiencedacuteinflammation,markedbyshort-

termredness,swelling,warmth,orpainthatariseswithacutorascrape,a

twistedankle,ortheflu.

Yetthereisanothertypeofinflammation,whichisthemodernepidemic

ofchronic,low-gradeinflammation.Thistypedestroysthebalanceinour

bodiesandlowersourvitality,makingusmoresusceptibletodiseasesthat

rangefromautoimmuneconditionstoheartdisease,elevatedwhiteblood

cellcount,diabetes,andmore.Low-gradeinflammationcanalsoshowup

asacne,wrinkles,candidiasis,acidreflux,andchronicpain.

Sowhatcausesthisawfulchronicinflammation?Firstofall,dietplaysa

hugerole.Excesssugarandrefinedsugarisabigoffender.Yetsoisadiet

highinanimalprotein.ThejournalNutritionreportsthatthosewhoate

proteinfrommeathadhigherlevelsofinflammationcomparedto

participantswhoconsumedmostlyfishorplant-basedsourcesofprotein.

Anda2015studyinthejournalNutrientsfoundapositiveeffectonglucose

levelswhenpeopleswitchedfromanimaltoplantprotein.Wedon’twant

tooverdoproteiningeneral;researchhasshownexcessproteincreatesan

elevatedresponsetoinsulinsimilartothatofexcesscarbs,forroughlythe

sameperiodoftime,whichmaycomeasasurprisetomanyofus.

It’salsoimportanttobalancefat,andtoeathealthytypesoverfriedor

rancidforms,asresearchhasshownthatahigh-fatmeal—butnotahigh-

carbohydratemeal—isassociatedwithsubsequentincreasesinplasmaIL-6,

aninflammationmarker.Othercausesofchronic,low-gradeinflammation

aninflammationmarker.Othercausesofchronic,low-gradeinflammation

includefoodallergies,foodsensitivities,dysbiosis(imbalanceingutflora),

environmentaltoxicity(includingfromheavymetals),andalackofsleep.

lifedetoxrecipeEatingtosupportdigestionandgutbalanceiscriticalforhelpingtoavoidphysicalandemotionalinflammationinyourbody.Herearesomegreatrecipestosupportthis:

» CUMINROASTEDBRUSSELSSPROUTSWITHQUINOA(thispage).Thisdishisfullofplant-basedprotein,whichdigestscleanlyanddoesn’taddtotoxicitybuildup.Wecaneasilyobtainourentireproteinneedsfromanallorlargelyplant-baseddietwithoutoverdoingprotein.Toomuchproteinmakesusoverlyacidicandisassociatedwithcancerandmanyhealthproblems.Thisistherealissue—nottoolittleprotein!

» ENERGIZINGPISTACHIOHEMPSEEDCUCUMBERSALADWITHORANGEZEST(thispage).Thissaladsuppliesuswithomega-3fatsviadelicious,earthy-tastinghempseeds,whichhelpreduceinflammationbybalancingouressentialfattyacid(EFA)ratio.

» THEGLOWINGGREENSMOOTHIE(akaGGS;thispage).Dehydrationcontributestoinflammation,sostayhydratedwiththevitamin-andnutrient-denseGGS,aswellasdrinkingplentyofroomtemperaturewaterandcoconutwater.Avoidsodasandtoomuchcaffeine.

TheBeautyDetox/Sollunaphilosophy,outlinedinmypriorBeauty

DetoxbooksandthroughouttheSollunawebsiteandofferings,isnaturally

anti-inflammatoryinitsdietaryapproach,asitisbalancedinitslevelsof

protein,fat,andcarbohydrates,andisbasedinnutrient-dense,fibrousplant

foodsanddevoidofgluten,dairy,saturated-fat-containingmeat,junk

foods,processedandheatedvegetableoils,andrefinedsugars.Itincludes

darkleafygreensandchia,hemp-,andflaxseeds,whichareallimportant

sourcesofanti-inflammatoryomega-3fattyacids.

Yetbeyondhowweeatandsleep,agrowingbodyofresearchisnow

provinghowmuchouremotionsimpactinflammationandhow,inturn,the

moreinflamedourbodiesare,theworsewefeel.A2015studyfoundthat

peoplewithdepressionhad30percentmorebraininflammationthanthose

whowerenotdepressed.Ourphysicalandemotional-mentalstatesofbeing

arereallyonewholethataffectseverypartofus,thoughweoftentreat

themasseparate.

Negativefeelingscananddocreatepainanddiseaseandaccelerateaging.

Apapertitled“Stress,NegativeEmotions,andInflammation”overviews

howstress,depression,anger,hostility,andnegativeemotions“appearto

promotetheproductionofinflammatorymediators,providinga

physiologicalmechanismbywhichnegativepsychologicalstatesmayimpact

health.”AstudyinJAMAPsychiatryfoundthatthosewhoexhibited

explosiveangerhadhigherlevelsofinflammatorymarkers,suchasC-

reactiveproteins(CRP).Roadrageandheatedfamilybattlescanreally

comebacktobiteus.

Researchdemonstratesthatourhearts,thesensitiveorganthatnotonly

physicallypumpsbloodbutistheareainourbodieswherewedeeplysense

loveandemotions,isasaffectedbyourfeelingsasbywhatisonourplate.

AstudyofMexican-Americanwomenfoundacorrelationbetweenanger

andhostilitywithinflammationandheartdisease,andsimilarresearchbacks

upangerexpressionasapredictorofcardiovasculardisease.Incontrast,a

2017studyfromthejournalEmotionentitled“EmodiversityandBiomarkers

ofInflammation”foundthatpositiveemotionsareassociatedwithlower

circulatinglevelsofinflammation.Thetakeaway?Takingcareofour

emotionsisascriticaltoourhealthandwell-beingandwardingoff

inflammationaseatingproperly!

Sohowdowetakecareofouremotions?Firstofall,letthembefelt

Sohowdowetakecareofouremotions?Firstofall,letthembefelt

andprocessedinrealtimeinsteadofpushingthemdown.Repression

accumulatesabrewing,energy-zappingstorehouseofnegativity,albeit

beneaththesurface,andcaninflameusinaparallelwaytochemical

pesticides.Thismassofemotionaltoxinscontributestocontinualstressand

anxiety-inducedmeltdowns.

Haveyoueverseenakidfallontheplayground,followedbythemom

runningoversaying,“You’reokay!You’reokay!”She’sobviouslycoming

fromthelovingspaceoftryingtoquellherchild’sfears(andherown).But

really,howdoessheknowthekidisokay?She’stellingherchildhowshe

feels,insteadoflettingthechildexpressandfeelthatpain.

Iusedtoactthesameway.WhenIstartedgoingtoinfantclasseswith

Lil’Bub(mynicknameformyson),Iwasguidedbytheinstructorto

simplynarratewhathappened,asin“YoutrippedoverBailey’sfoot”or

“Youbumpedyourheadonthattoyyoudidn’tsee”insteadoftryingto

soothehimwiththatverysame“You’reokay!”Itdidn’tseemnaturalat

first,butonceIretrainedmyselfnottotellhimhisfeelings,itstartedto

reallyresonate.Pushingdownorglossingoverfeelingsisaninstinctmany

ofushaveunknowinglyinherited,andweperpetuateitinourown

children.

Asadults,whenwe’refeelingupsetandsomeonesays,“You’refine,”we

mightwanttotellthemtobuzzoff(tosayitpolitely),becausewearenot

okayatthatmoment.Wedon’twantourproblemstobeglossedoveror

fixed.Wearenotlookingforsolutionsrightthen.Wearesimplylooking

toexpressouremotions.Ashumans,it’shealthyforustoexperiencethe

rangeoffeelingsthatwedo.Oftenwejustneedsometimetoprocessthem

untilthebigfeelingssubside,andtheninourowntime,liftourfacesout

ofthehandswe’vebeensobbinginto,andgetupandcarryon.

lifedetoxrecipeIt’simportanttoexperienceyourfeelings.Meditationisagreatongoingtoolforbeingmorecenteredlong-term.Yetlifeismessyandimperfect,andwhenstuffcomesupduringthedaythatpissesusofforupsetsus,practicetheStumblingBlockDetox(thispage)andalsotheLettingGotechnique(thispage)inrealtime,whichputsyourfocussquarelyonyouremotionsastheycomeup,topreventemotionalblocksandphysicalinflammation.Keepreading!

Sothenexttimesomebigfeelingscomeup,trynottopushthemdown,

orputonafakehappyface,orprojectthenegativityoutwardbyventing

yourfrustrationtowardapoorcashieratthegasstationoratyourlittle

brother.Simplytrytobeokaywithwhateveryou’refeeling,knowingthat

whateveryouareexperiencingismoreoftenthannottemporary.Ifwe

don’tacknowledgeourfeelingsnow,emotionalinflammation,anger,and

sadnesswillcreatetoxicblocksinsideofus.

Asyoucantell,detoxingandprocessingnegativeemotionsplaysa

crucialroleinourwell-being,alongsidehealthydietandlifestylemeasures.

Wemayhavebeentaughttoshyawayfrompainandsadness.Yetnowwe

canmatureandstoppretendingthatit’sallokaywhenit’snot,andfeel

whatisthere,evenifitsucks.Thereisarealheavinessincarryingaround

negativeemotions,andwhenyouconsciouslyunpackthatload,youwill

freeupatidalwaveofenergythatcanberechanneledtowardelevating

yourhealthandvitality.

lifedetoxrecipeStarttobreakthepatternoflimitingbeliefsthatscrewwithyourlifewiththeStumblingBlockDetoxoutlinedinthefollowingsteps.ThesearedevelopedwithLauraPringle,awonderfulcoach.Ifwereallyleanintothesesteps,itcanbelife-changing.

1) Noticewhenyoustarttofeelexcessivelyemotional.Ifyourheartbeginsracinginangerorthetearsstarttoriseup,reallytakenote.

2) Makeyourselfpause.Stoptalking!Gotothebathroom,orexcuseyourselfifyouneedto,oratleasttakeasipofwaterifyou’reatameetingoradinner.Trainyourselftotakesomedeepbreaths,puttingyourfullattentiononyourbreathandnotthesituation.

3) Afteryou’vepausedforatleastafewmoments,gorighttothefactsofthepresentsituation.Asin,thewaiterforgottobringmywater,andIaskedfourtimesalready.Or,myboyfriendinterruptedmeinthemiddleofmystoryaboutmybigpresentationtoaskaboutthelaundry.

4) Askyourself,“Whydoesthissituationupsetmeso?”Whichreallymeans“WhatisthestoryIamtellingmyselfrightnow?”Itcouldbethestorythateveryoneignoresyou,orthatyoucan’tbeacceptedforbeingyourself.Sometimesit’shardtotell,butifyousitwiththequestion,you’reopeningthedoortostarthealingyourdeepestwoundsanddeep,limitingbeliefs.Letyourselfsitinthatawareness.Asyougobackintothesituationandlife,contemplatewhatbeliefsyouarewalkingaroundintheworldwith.Howdothesebeliefsaffectyourlife?Deepdown,weallwanttobelovedandseenforwhowereallyare.

5) Byusingthisprocessovertime,itbecomeseasiertoidentifythenegativestoriesweoftentellourselves.Andthemorewedotheexercise,thebetterourunderstandingofourinnerhurtsandthedeepbeliefswecarryaroundwithusthatarebehindtheupsetsandcertainbehaviors.Thisawarenessisahugestepinmovingtowardlettingthemgo,andthefreedomandwholenessthatispossible.

CuringSelf-JudgmentHaveyouevernoticedhowmuchjudgmentinfiltratesconversationsand

theworldaroundus?Insteadofsimplyobservingwhatweseeinfrontof

us,weoftenfeelcompelledtocastanopinionandverdictoverit.Hereare

someexamples:

Wow,thatdressisreallynotveryflatteringonher.Itmakesherarmslookhuge!

Shenevercooksforherfamily.Isn’tthatsoselfish?

Hislifeissounbalanced.It’sallabouthiscareer,andhedoesn’tcareabout

anythingelse.

Sheissoobsessedwithherself.Ican’tbelievehowmanyselfiessheposts.

Thatcoupleissocluelessaboutwhatisactuallyhealthy.Theysaytheyare

“into”wellness,butdidyouseewhattheyateatdinner?

Youmighthear,orsay,suchcommentscasuallythroughoutyourwhole

day—atbrunch,inamoms’group,atwork,orontalkshowsandmorning

programs.Whenwetuneintojudgment,wewillseethatitisprettymuch

everywhere.Andwe’veallhadourshareofparticipatinginit,too.

Afewyearsago,IwascomplainingtomyfriendJustinaboutatripIhad

recentlytaken.Iwasstayingwithsomeacquaintancesanditwasadifficult

experience.Thesepeopleweresocontrolling!IfeltlikeIhadbeen

interrogatedwithfiftyquestionsinarowandwasbeingjudgedleftand

right.Justinsaidtome,“Youmusthavethatsametraitinyourself,and

that’swhytheybugyousomuch.”

AtfirstIbalkedattheideaandvehementlydeniedthatcouldbea

possibility.Icouldn’tfathomatthatpointthatImightactuallybelikethese

people.Yetdeepdown,thisprovokingideahitanerve.AndwhenIreally

peeredinsidemyself,IcouldseethatI,too,sometimestrytocontrol

situationsbyrepeatingmyselfoverandoveragain,insteadoftrustingIwas

heardthefirsttime.

lifedetoxrecipePayattentionwheneverjudgmentcomesup,asitcanbeagreatteacherforusandamirrorforwhatwedon’tlikeinourselves.Geta“judgmentjournal”andwriteoutwhatyoudon’tlikeinothers.Itcouldbepettiness,materialism,selfishness,beingunfriendly,flaky,fake,orwhatever.Spendsomequiettimeexaminingwhereyoumighthaveexhibitedsuchtraitsinyourownlife—withoutfeelingguilty.We’reallstrugglingonourpathsinsomewayoranother.Seewhatyoucanlearnandwheretherootsofsuchtraitsmaycomefrom,suchascopingmechanismsfornotfeelinggoodenough.Dedicatedwritingandreflectioncanhelpheal.

PsychoanalystCarlJungtaughtthatweallhaveanunconsciousdriveto

movetowardwholenessandrealizationoftheself.AccordingtoJung,

containedinourunconsciousisour“shadow,”whichistherepressed

thoughts,feelings,andideasaboutourselvesthatwepushdownratherthan

confront.Ourjudgmentofothersisawayofacknowledgingdisowned

traitsandbehaviorswithinourselveswithouthavingtofacethepainof

knowingtheimbalanceisactuallywithinus.It’softenagonizingforusto

admitqualitiesorpartsofusthatwedon’tlike,soourmindsproject

outwardandpickuptheseveryqualitiesinotherpeople.

Wearenotinherentlynegativeorbad.Don’tbelievethatforevena

second!Yetwealldohaveareasforimprovement.Thisisn’tpossibleuntil

wefirstseeandadmitthatthequalitieswegripeaboutinothers(being

catty,self-centered,moody…youfillintheblank!)canalsoexistwithinus.

Ofcourse,wemaynotexpressthequalityinthesameexactway.Let’ssay

youfindacoworkernarcissistic;shealwaysbringsuppersonalstoriesat

staffmeetings.Ifyougetannoyedinthemomentandthenletitgo,that’s

natural.Yetifyoubecomeobsessedwithsomeoneelse’sflawsandthen

feeltheneedtogossipandcommentaboutitanychanceyoucan,that’san

issue.Let’sturnitaround.Howmightyoubenarcissistic?Sure,youmight

nottalkaboutyourselfatstaffmeetings,butperhapsyoutalkonandon

withyourparentsaboutyourlifeandneveraskthemabouttheirs.Or

maybeyoualwaysinsistoneatingatyourfavoriterestaurantsoverthose

thatyourfriendsprefer.

Iknowlookingatthisstuffcanbereallyhardforsomeofus!Sowhy

dealwiththepain?BecauseasJungwouldsay,whenwebring“our

shadowintotheconscious,”itstartstolosepower.Andasitlosespower,

negativepatternsofreactingmeltaway.

Starttonoticewhenevenatwingeofjudgmentcomestomindoroutof

yourmouth.Wheneverwearestronglycriticalofothers’bodies,weight,

skin,andotheraspectsofphysicalappearance,achievements,work,

parenting,andsoon,wearethemostdisapprovingofourselves.Checkin

withyourself.Judgmentdoesnotfeelgood,sopayattentiontochangesin

thewayyoufeelphysically.Maybeyouroutinelyexperienceahollow

feelinginyourgutorevenadullachearoundyourchestorheartarea.

Starttotuneinwiththesignalsyourbodyisgivingyou.

Thecuresforjudgmentareself-acceptanceandlivingfromaplace

centeredonkindnessandcompassionforourselvesandothers.Whenwe

openourheartsandstopjudgingourselves,theneedtojudgeothers

naturallydropsaway.

naturallydropsaway.

lifedetoxrecipeUnderneath,weallhavetraitsthatwedon’tcaretoacknowledge.Theonlywaytobringthosepartsofusbackintobalanceistoacceptthattheyexist.Thisispainfulforallofus,yetit’ssoworththeeffortinordertofeelmorewholeandhappy.Eatingcleansingfoodstoclearyoursystemisveryhelpfulforthis.Toxicitycreatesstagnationthatcanblockusphysically,anditcanalsoproducementalblocks(likemoodinessandnegativefeelings),asthebrain-gutaxislinksthehealthofourgastrointestinal(GI)tractsandhowwefeel.

Tryrecipesthatarehighincleansingfiberandliver-supportingenzymes,sinceyourliverisyourmaindetoxifyingorganandthereisaconnectionbetweenyourliverandgutfunction.

Herearesomegreatrecipesforthis:

» TheJAPANESESUPER-CLEANSESALAD(thispage)containsfibrouscabbageandradicchio.Cabbageisadetoxifyingcruciferousvegetable.A2014studypublishedintheAsianPacificJournalofCancerPreventionsuggeststhatcabbageisasourceofimportantantioxidantandanti-inflammatoryproperties.Thefreshlimeinthissaladisanaturaldiureticandworkstocleansetoxinsfromthebody.

» TheLIGHTNESSGREENCUKEROLLS(thispage)arebasedonultra-hydratingcucumbers,whichhavelipid-lowering,antioxidant,anddetoxifyingproperties.Theavocadoandbasilsauceisfreshandfulloffiberandwaterforeasierdigestion.Thelemonjuicehelpstosupporttheliver.

CHAPTER3

(truly)lovingourbodilytemples

LettingGoofBloating—andLettingGoinLife

We’veallheardoftheconceptoflettinggo.Takethefoodthatweeat.Weneedtochewit,digestit,processit,andthenletitpass.Ifweholdontoit,itleadstobloating,whichcanleadtoconstipation,whichcanthenleadtodangerousblockagesinourdigestivesystem.Ifwefeelguiltyaboutthefoodweeatandmentallyreprimandourselvesforbeing“weak”forcavingandeatingdeep-dishpizzaoranextrasliceofbirthdaycake,thosefeelings,emotions,andinsecuritiescanfurthercontributetostressandpoordigestion.Whenweholdontothings,wenotonlyfeelheavyandblocked,butwecanmakeourselvessick.

Moreandmorescientificresearchisbackinguptheconnectionbetween

ouremotionsandphysicalhealth.AstudypublishedintheJournalof

PhysiologyandPharmacologyfoundthatstressaltersthebrain-gutinteractions

(“brain-gutaxis”),ultimatelyleadingtothedevelopmentofgastrointestinal

disorderssuchasinflammatoryboweldisease(IBD)andirritablebowel

syndrome(IBS),inbothofwhichbloatingcanbeasymptom.Other

studiessuggestthatcognitivebehavioraltherapy,hypnotherapy,and

mindfulness-basedtherapycombinedwithconventionalmedicaltreatment

helpedtotreatIBSbetterthanconventionalmedicaltreatmentalone.

Moreover,theseemotionalandpsychologicalpracticeshelpedcalm

patients’nervoussystemsandreducedinflammation.Clearly,ouremotions

andfeelingsdohaveconsiderableimpactontheamountofphysicaland

evenspiritualbloatinginourlives!

lifedetoxrecipe“Lettinggo”isaconceptwecanstarttoapplyrightawaytoourphysicalbodies,whichhelpsusletgoemotionally.Haveyouevernoticedthatwhenyoudidadetoxprogramorcleanse,youendedupcleaningoutyourclosetorkitchenpantry?Detoxingonepartofourliveshelpsotherpartscleanseaswell.

» Tostart“lettinggo”more,replace“sticky,”congestivefoodswithonesthataremoredigestible.Oneexampleisreplacingwheatbreadorpastawithvarietiesbasedonquinoa,brownrice,lentils,orteff.Wheat,aswellasbarleyandrye,containsgluten,aproteinthatmanypeoplehavedifficultydigesting,andalsofructans,thecarbohydratecompoundthatsomenewerresearchisfindingmightbetheactualculpritwithinwheatthatisresponsibleforirritablebowelsyndrome.

» CheckoutthedeliciousLETGOGLUTEN-FREEPASTAWITHAVOCADOPESTO(thispage),whichhasanonbloating,properlyfoodcombinedpestosaucebasedonavocadoinsteadofnuts.(Seethispageformoreinformationontheconceptofproperlyfoodcombined.)Youcanfindpastasathealthmarketsoronlinethataremadewithlentils,brownrice,andquinoainsteadofwheatflour.

» Anothercongestivefoodtoletgoofisdairy.Sincedairyisnotcreatedtobedigestedbythehumanbody—itiscreatedtonourishababycow—itismucus-andacid-forminginhumans,andsomeresearchhaslinkeditwithacne.Moreover,dairyisnotagoodsourceofabsorbablecalcium,despitewhatwemayhavebeenledtobelievebythedairyindustryandmilkcampaigns.Theissuewithdairyisthatwhileitdoessupplycalcium,itisacid-formingupondigestion,sothebodyhastoneutralizethataciditybyleachingalkaline

minerals,namelycalcium,whichleadstourinarycalciumexcretionandanactualnetlossofcalcium.Harvard’sNurses’HealthStudyfollowedmorethanseventy-twothousandwomenforeighteenyears,anditsresultsshowedthattherewasnoprotectiveeffectofincreasedmilkconsumptiononfracturerisk.

» TrytheTEMPEHTACO“MEAT”SALADWITHCASHEWSOURCREAM(thispage),whichdemonstrateshowdeliciousnondairycheesesandrecipescanbe,whileleavingyou—andyourbelly—happy!

» Lettinggo,going-to-the-bathroom-wise,isalsokey!Trytakingoxygenpairedwithmagnesium,whichisanon-habit-formingwaytocleansewastemoreeffectivelyfromoursystemswithoutlaxatives.It’sreallynotjustabouteatingwell,butalsocleansingoutefficientlyandasmuchaspossibleonanongoingbasisthatmakesanenormousdifferenceinourenergy,moods,health,skin,andabilitytoradiateandglow.SeemywebsiteforasupplementcalledDetoxy,whichisapowerfulsupportforthis.

Aclientofmine,whomIwillrefertoasMelanie,isstunninglybeautiful

andtalentedinhercraft.Yetsheisconstantlyandpainfullybloatednearly

everyday.Thougheveryonetellsherhowgorgeoussheis,shetellsmeitis

painfulforhertolookinthemirror!Insecureisn’tastrongenoughword.

Melanieheldontoalotofchildhoodtraumaandguilt,aswellasa

complexmother-daughterrelationshipthatshehadn’tprocessed.How

couldyoutell?BecauseMelanieconstantlycommentedaboutpainful

experiencesshehadgrowingup.Thepastwasverymuchapartofher

presentday-to-daylife.Nomatterhowmanyfoodadjustmentswemade,

probioticsandotherdigestiveaidsshetook,ormedicalinterventionsand

consultationswithgastroenterologistsshehad,nothingseemedtoimprove

herbloatinginalong-term,substantialway.

ThoughI’mnotapsychologist,Ibelievethatherchronicbloatingisin

partrelatedtoholdingontoheremotionalblocksandwounds.Everything

isconnectedtoeverythingelse,includingourbodiesandthethoughtsin

ourmindsandthefeelingsinourhearts(aconceptthatthankfullyWestern

societiesarefinallystartingtoembrace!).Yetsadly,whenIapproachedher

withtheseideas,shewasunwillingtodiscussthispossibilityfurther.Asof

thelasttimeIspoketoher,sheremainstotallybloated.

Whenyouhearthephraselettinggo,whatcomesup?Ifyou’relikemost

ofus,thatDisneysongmightpopintoyourhead.Theideaoflettinggoin

ordertoachievehappinessseemsubiquitous.Butanideawithoutanaction

appliedtoitisreallyjustaboutasdeadathingastherecanbe.

Whataresomethingsthatyoucanletgoof?Perhapstherudecomment

fromyourauntonThanksgivingwhensheaskedwhenyou’regoingto

“settledown.”Maybeyourcolleaguetookcreditforaprojectyoudid

moreworkon.Maybeyou’restillthinkingaboutanamesomeonecalled

youwhenyouwereachild.Ormaybeyoucan’tletgoofthatidiotwho

youwhenyouwereachild.Ormaybeyoucan’tletgoofthatidiotwho

lookedyourwayandlaughedwhenyoumessedupthemovesatthedance

cardiogymclass.Sillyassomeofthesemightsound,emotionalblockages

canleadtowhatIliketocall“irritablesoulsyndrome,”which,inturn,can

addtochronicbloating,IBS,constipation,orotherformsofdigestion

issues.

lifedetoxrecipeSometimeswemaysubconsciouslycravefattyandsugarytreats,likeicecream,toshiftourmood.It’sokaytohavetreatshereandthere,thoughwedon’twanttogetdistractedfromacknowledgingthefeelingsatthesametime.Choosenoncongestive,properlyfoodcombinedoptionssoyouavoidfeelingsluggish.Don’tworry—Ihavegreatdessertsuggestionsforyou,includingthetwooptionsbelow:

» TheFUDGYCLEANBLONDEBROWNIES(thispage),likealltherecipesinthisbook,aregluten-free,plant-based,andproperlyfoodcombined.Theyaresweetenedwithcoconutsugar,whichisalow-glycemic,low-fructosesweeteneroptionthatalsocontainstraceminerals.Inplaceofbutteroroil,therecipeusescoconutoil,whichisenergizinganddigestscleanly.

» TheWHOLESOMEBANANACRISP(thispage)hasahardertoppingandamushymiddle—justlikeus!It’sagreatdesserttomakeandshare(andenjoy)withlovedones.

TheLettingGotechnique,basedontheprocessDr.DavidHawkins

describedinhisbookLettingGo,istosimplyfocusonfullyexperiencing

ourfeelings,inordertoletthemgo.Todoso,itisnecessarytopay

attentiontoanyphysicalcuesthatcomeup.Youdon’thavetonamea

feeling,asin“thatisanger!”Youcanjustfeeltheactualsensationsthat

ariseandbepresenttothem,likeanunsettledfeelinginyourstomach.

Focusingonthefeelingitself,whileoftenuncomfortable,candissipatein

aroundtenorsominutes.Itdoesn’tusuallylastsuperlongifyoufocusonly

onthefeelingitself.Itdoesn’tfeelgreat.Intime,thefeelingwillcycle

throughandreleasefromyourbody,likepullingoutagiantweedfrom

yourvegetablegarden.Noquestions,nowondering,nofollowing

thoughts.Simplysittinginituntilitpasses.

Emotionaldetoxisjustasimportantaspayingattentiontophysical

detox.Researchhasfoundthatpeoplewithelevatedlevelsofanxiety

experiencemoregastrointestinaldisordersofvarioustypesthanthegeneral

population.

ConsiderthisWhenyoueatsomefruit,you’regettingwaterand

nutrientsandenzymesandcaloriesandsugars…allthingsyouneedtokeep

youhealthyandalive.Yourbodytakeswhat’snecessaryandthenexpels

whatitdoesn’tneed.Ourmindsandheartsshoulddothesame.Wecan

takesomethingemotionallynutritiousfromanargumentoragoodorbad

experience,takewhat’sbeneficial,andlettherestpassawayfromus.But

wedon’talwaysdothat.Weholdontopasthurtsthatessentiallychange

wedon’talwaysdothat.Weholdontopasthurtsthatessentiallychange

ourDNAandourchemicalmakeup,whichcaneventuallyleadtodisease.

Whenwetakethegooddigestionapproachtolife,westarttoseethat

even“bad”thingscanbebeneficialandteachusvaluablelessons.Someone

maycriticizeyou,orrejectyou,oryoumightgetfiredorrejectedinan

auditionorjobinterview.Seewhatyoucanlearnandthenletitgo.As

martialartslegendBruceLeeusedtosay,takewhathelpsyouanddiscard

therest.

lifedetoxrecipeAsoftenasstrongnegativefeelingsarise—anger,anxiety,fear,andsoon—applytheLettingGotechniquedescribedhere.Thisisyourcontinualplanforemotionaldetox.Itdoesgeteasier,andeventuallyallthestored-upnegativefeelingsstarttoemptyoutandtakeuplessenergy.

detoxingbodyshameBodyshameisadeep-rootedtoxinthatmanyofuscarry.Statisticsrevealthat,evenaschildren,westarttoexperienceshameaboutourbodies,oftenbecauseofwhatwe’vepickedupfromourparentsandtheadultsaroundus.Infact,anonline,nationallyrepresentativesurveyfoundthatawhopping94percentofgirlsand66percentofboyshadalreadyexperiencedbodyshamebythetimetheybecameteenagers.Researchoncollegewomenactuallyshowsthatshamecanpredictmorepoorhealthoutcomeslater,andnegativebodyimageisassociatedwithdepression,anxiety,andsuicidalthoughts.

Bodyshamedoesn’taffectusjustfromahealthandwellnessperspective.Ithasbeenshownthatgirlswithlowbodyimagetendtobelessassertive,whichcanholduswomenbackprofessionally.Itcanalsokeepusfromaskingforthesupportwerequireandstatingourneeds,whichareessentialingredientsintheliferecipeforfeelingbalancedandhappy.

Mostofushavebeenraisedtofeelthatbeingheavyoroverweightmakesuslessworthy,duetothesocietalprevalenceof“antifat”attitudes.A2014surveyreportedthat85percentofadolescentshadobservedoverweightclassmatesbeingfat-shamedorteasedingymclass.It’snowonderwhywealltooeasilyshameourselvesforgainingjustafewpounds,ornotbeingquiteasthinassomeonewehappentoseeonasocialmediahashtag!Weightdiscrimination,orfatshaming,hasbeenshowntoleadtodecliningphysicalandmentalhealthovertime.Imaginethedetrimental,lifelongeffectsonyourownhealthifyou

healthovertime.Imaginethedetrimental,lifelongeffectsonyourownhealthifyouconstantlyshameyourselfandyourbody.

Practicingcompassiontowardourselvesisahugepartofourownhealing.Wecanknowthisonsomelevel,yetharshthoughtsandjudgmentscaneasilyslipin.Incorporatingpracticeseverydaycanhelp,astheysupportusinfeelingconsistentlygoodfromtheinside.Whenyoufeelgood,you’relesslikelytobemeantoyourself.

PowerfulpracticesIrecommendincludefollowingamorningroutine(outlinedonthispage),takingsometimetomakenourishingrecipesforyourself(suchastheonesinPartII!),andpracticingthekindergartenruleofsayingsomethingnicetoyourselfornothingatall.Thepathtodetoxingbodyshameissomethingweprobablyhavetokeepworkingonthroughoutourlives.We’realllong-termworksinprogresstogether.

OurAmazingandImperfectBodiesHowoftendoyoulookinthemirrorandonlynoticehowawesomeyour

hairis,orhowbeautifulyoursmileis?Howoftendoyoutakeamomentto

celebrateyourselfandignoreanyflawsandimperfectionsyousee?

Probablynotoften…ornever(especiallyifyoujustlaughedoutloud)!

Mostallofuspickatourselvesendlessly,seeingthezitthatnooneelse

doesortheteeniestflyawayhairorbitofpuffinessafteranightof

margaritaswithfriends.Modernresearchershavenowcoinedthephrase

compareanddespairtorefertocontrastingourselveswithcarefully

constructedsocialmediaimagesand,inturn,endingupfeelingbadabout

ourselves.

I’veenduredquitethebattlewithmyownbodyimageinthepast.My

biggestnemesesweremylegs(Iwasobsessedwiththewidthofmythigh

gap)andmyupperarms.I’dforcemyselftoworkoutinwaysIactually

dreaded,suchaspushingmyselftorunacertainnumberofminutesevery

dayordraggingmyselftoabootcampclass.Iwouldfeellikecrapandbe

moodyifIdidn’tgettoworkoutfor“enough”minuteseveryday.Ithink

it’ssafetosaythatIdidn’thaveahealthymind-set.

it’ssafetosaythatIdidn’thaveahealthymind-set.

Now,insteadofstaringatthemirrorforanhourwonderingifitlooks

likeIhavemorecelluliteonmythighs,I’velearnedtofocusonthe

positivesthatstandouttomeaboutmybodyIdolikemythick,wavyhair

(albeitthefrizzynestthatitoftenis!),andI’mgratefulthatIlikemyhands

andmystomachisstrongandflat.

lifedetoxrecipeTruesexinessisastateofattractionwecreatefromtheinside,notsomethingwepaintontheoutside.

Tobetrulysexy,wehavetofeelsexy,andthiscanbefosteredbymakingwisechoicesforlunch.Eatingadenselunch,onethatisoverlyoily,onefullofprocesseddelimeatandcheese,forinstance,canmakeyoufeelheavyandstagnantfortherestoftheafternoonoreventheday.Notsexy.Ontheotherhand,wedon’twanttoskiplunchoreatanutritionallydefunctmeal,asweneedtosupportourvitality.

Thekeytolunchischoosingfoodsthatgiveyoulong-sustainingenergyandthatcontainfiber,aswellasnutrientssuchasaminoacids,antioxidants,Bvitamins,vitaminsAandC,

andomega-3fats.

HerearegreatlunchoptionsIsuggest:

» MINERALIZINGALMOND-GINGERKELPNOODLES(thispage).

» ENERGIZINGPISTACHIOHEMPSEEDCUCUMBERSALADWITHORANGEZEST(thispage).

» NATURE’SCOMPLETEPROTEINSMOOTHIE(thispage),foraquick,lightlunchonthego.

Yetthiscertainlywasnotmynaturalinclination.Ittooktimeandwork

toretrainmymind.Therereallyisn’tamagicpillyoucantaketosuddenly

feeltotalbodyacceptance.Changetakestime,andsomeeffort,yetit’sa

practicewecanbuildon,likelearninghowtocook.Focusonsmall

changes,thenbuildfromthere.Trainyourselftofocusyourattentionon

threethingsyouloveaboutyourbody,andhighlightthem.Forinstance,if

youloveyourlegs,wearthepantsorskirtsthatreallyshowthemoffmore

often.Ifit’syoureyesyouwanttoemphasize,wearyourhairbackorina

waythatframesthem.Toshowoffyoursmile,youcangetaspeciallip

glossthatmakesyoufeellikeamillionbuckswhenyousmileoutinthe

world.Thislittlebitofextraaccentuationonthepositivecanbuildand

expandthelightofconfidence.

I’mhappytosaythatInowonlyexerciseinwaysIabsolutelylove,

whichthesedaysaremostlymybarefootbeachwalks,withtheoccasional

hikewithafriendandsomeyogathrownin.I’vehadsomereally

challengingtimesinthepastfewyears,andIhavefoundthebeachwalks

keepmefeelingthemostgroundedandcentered.

I’mokaywithmyarmsnotbeingquiteasstrongaswhenIdiddozensof

dailychaturangas(akindofyogicpush-up)whenIwasdoingmoreregular

yogaasanas.AndwhilemybacksidemightcertainlygetmoreliftifIdid

somekindofbarreclass,IavoidsuchsessionsbecauseIpersonallydon’t

enjoythem.Beinghappyandbeingoutsidearemoreimportanttomethan

afewinchesofdifference.Ofcourse,someofusdoenjoysuchclasses,or

thosefewinchesdomakeabigdifferencementally.Sothereisnooneway

thatis“right.”It’sallaboutbeingauthentictowhatfeelsgoodtoyou,

versusbeingprimarilymotivatedbyrunningafterapprovalorwhatother

peoplethink.

Weallcareabouthowwelook,andthat’sjusthowitis.Yetwecan

alsogobeyondandconnectdeeplywithourwholeselves.Putyour

attentiononhowyoufeelinyourbody,andcreatepracticesandexercise

routinesthatmakeyoufeelamazing—thehealthyrecipesinthisbookwill

certainlysupportthateffort.Youcanfocusonbeingintouchwithyour

energy,strength,andintelligence(youfillinthequalities)andconsciously

directyourattentiontheresoyoudon’tfixate—andpickapart!—yourouter

appearance.

Andyouknowwhat?Asmuchasoursocietyemphasizesperfect

blowouts,tonedabs,andflawlessskin,nothingismoreirresistiblyattractive

thanbeingcomfortable,happy,andfeeling“goodenough”justasyouare.

It’samagneticenergythatcan’tbebought.Ifyoufindyourselfconsumed

withonelittlebodyflaw(aswealldosometimes),refocusonthethree

thingsyouloveaboutyourbody,andremindyourselfthateveryonein

theirownwayshasaperfectlyimperfectbody,too.

lifedetoxrecipeDailypracticesanchorustodailyactionsthatleaveusfeelinggreatwithinourbodies.HereareafewpracticesIwanttohighlight:

MEDITATION.Startingandendingthedaywithevenafewmomentsofconsciousbreathingcantransformtheday.Ithelpsyoufeelpresent,whichmakesyoufeelgoodandpowerful.Feelingscattereddoesnotfeelgood.Therearefreeguidedmeditationsonmywebsiteifthatwouldbehelpfultoyou.

MIDMORNINGPRACTICE.Youmightgethungrymidmorning,dependingonyouractivitylevelorconstitution.Itissoimportantatthispointofthedaytoeatfoodsthatsupportourenergy,ratherthandepleteit.Weoftengethungrybeforelunchandwedon’tknowwhattoeat!AcommonissueIseeinmynutritionworkiseatingtoo-heavyfoodsatthistime.Thekeyistostayawayfromfoodsthatcouldinterferewithdigestingyourlunch.Don’tworry,Ihavegreatmidmorningfoodoptionsforyou,including:

» ThePINKENERGYPORRIDGE(thispage)ismadeofenergizingwhole-grainorsteel-cutoatsandtartdriedcranberries,whichflushtoxinsfromthebody.

» ThePOWERPROTEINBOWL(thispage)isparticularlybeneficialifyouhadamorningworkoutorneedmorefuelinthemorning.Thefree-formaminoacidsofplant-basedproteinpowdersareasuperioroption,digestingwellandwithoutaddingtoxicitytoyourbody.Thisrecipesuppliesabout20gramsofproteinormore,dependingonthetypeofproteinpowderyouuseandthegranolayouaddontop.

EVENINGCOMEDOWN.Sippingsomethingwarmandcomfortingintheevening,whilereadingorrelaxing,isagreatritualtoprepareforresttime.TrytheGINGERCOMEDOWNHOTCHOCOLATE(thispage),whichiscreamyyetdairy-freeandcontainswarming,metabolism-boostingginger.Ifyoufeelreallywoundup,omitthecacao,whichcanbeabitstimulatingforsome,andfollowtherestoftherecipe,withthegingerslices,cinnamon,andsoon.

WhenEatingGetsDisorderedThisisgoingtosoundweird,butimagineyourrelationshipwithfoodasif

itwerearelationshipwithaperson.Wouldyouwanttobeinvolvedwith

someoneifyourinteractionswerebaseduponrewardsorpunishments,

indulgencesandfasts?Formanyofus,ourrelationshipwithfoodmirrorsa

toxicrelationshipwithanotherperson.

Onsomelevel,manyofusreadingthisrightnowhaveatsomepoint

hadawarpedrelationshipwithfood—frombeingachocoholicorchronic

yo-yofaddieterorcalorieslashertohavingaragingsweettooth(allthese

categoriesIhavepersonallybeeninmyself).Andwhenourunhealthyfood

relationshipbecomesmoreextreme,itcrossesintothespectrumofeating

disorders.Andinthatrealm,manyofushavealsostruggled.

AccordingtotheNationalAssociationofEatingDisorders,morethanten

millionAmericansreportsymptomsofaneatingdisorder,suchasanorexia

nervosaorbulimianervosa.Manymoremightstrugglesecretlywiththese

disorders,andmillionsmorebattlewithbinge-eatingdisorders.Thisall

addsuptogiganticnumbersworldwide.

Myclient,whomwe’llcallMaureen,wascompletelyfixatedon

controllingthefoodinherlife.Soonafterwestartedworkingtogether,she

wasnotcomfortableeatinganythinguntilshedescribedthefoodindetail

(exactamount,seasonings,andsoon)and,viatextoracall,Igavemy

“approval”toeatit.Itdidn’treallymatteranyway,becausesheadmitted

thatshewouldnevereatallthatIprescribedforher.Shealwayshadsome

excusenottoeatthesubstantialfoods,claimingshefeltnauseousor

dislikedthetaste.Tomygreatconcern,Maureenwouldofteneatjustlarge

amountsoftheProbioticandEnzymeSalad(rawsauerkraut)Imadeand

otherfoodssheknewhadveryfewcalories.Shewassothin,yetshe

otherfoodssheknewhadveryfewcalories.Shewassothin,yetshe

complainedabouthowbigherbellyandlegswere.Eventually,itbecame

cleartomethatMaureenhadaneatingdisorder,andsheneeded

specialized,professionalhelp.

lifedetoxrecipeBesidesourdiets,lovingself-carepracticesincludemeditation,makingtimeforself-reflection,journaling,and(oneofmypersonalfavorites)walkingandspendingshoe-freetimeinnature.Thislastonemakesusfeelenergized,connectedtonatureandthebiggerwhole,atthesametimethatithelpsusfeelexpansiveandfreefromthebindsofobsessionoverbodyimage.

Groundingorearthing—whichissimplywhenwedirectlytouchtheearth,barefoot—putsusinsyncwiththeearth’senergyfieldandiselectricallyconductive,neutralizinginflammation-causingfreeradicals.Ithasbeenshowntobebeneficialnotonlyfortheheartbutalsoforreducingstressandincreasingcirculationandbloodflow.

WhenIapproachedherabouttreatment,shedeniedneedingit.Ithen

broughtituptohermanager,whoagreedtodoaninterventionwithmeto

getherprofessionalhelp.Itworked.Ourrelationshipshifted.Insteadof

givingherconstantreassuranceandunknowinglyenablinghertocontinue

inherpatterns,Iwasnowtheretogiveherloveandsupport.Sometimes

thismeantchallengingher.Sheknewthatsheneededtofaceherbody

imageproblemandrethinkthewayshetreatedherself.Thiswasn’talways

easy,andthereweretimeswhenshefeltIhadviolatedhertrustby

initiatingtheintervention.Still,weworktogether,andwhilewe’reno

longerincontactonadailybasis,wecheckinatregularintervals.Shenow

closelyfollowsmywellnessprogramforheroverallhealth,including

drinkingtheGlowingGreenSmoothieanddoingmymeditations.

I’vehadmanyreaderssharewithmethestoriesoftheireatingdisorders.

Ialwaysencouragethemtogetprofessionalhelpimmediatelyandcommit

Ialwaysencouragethemtogetprofessionalhelpimmediatelyandcommit

tothelongjourneytowardchoosingtoloveandacceptthemselves.

Researchhaslinkedeatingdisorderstopsychologicaltraitssuchaslowself-

esteem,feelingsofinadequacyorlackofcontrolinlife,depression,anxiety,

anger,stress,orloneliness,whichiswhyfocusingseriouslyonfostering

self-loveisvital.

Ilearnedthisthehardway.Inhighschool,Isufferedforatimewitha

levelofanorexia,aswellasbulimia.Iwassoself-consciousthatImentally

attackedmyselfdailyfornotbeingskinnyenougheverytimeIlookedin

themirror.EventhoughIwasfivefootfourandmyweightattimeswasas

lowasninety-fivepounds,Iconstantlycomparedmyselftoimagesinads

andmagazinesandhatedmyselfforbeing“fat.”DuringthattimeIwas

obsessedwithrunningandcontrollingwhatIate.YetIeventuallybecame

sohungryfromalltherunningthatIneededtoincreasemycalories,

which,tosaytheleast,freakedmeout.Iresortedtopurgingforatime,

whichIhidfrommyfamilyandeveryoneelse.Thoseweredark,lonely

times.

Partofmyjourneyofhealingentailedswingingtotheotherextreme

beforefindingbalance.IletgosomuchthatwhenIgottocollege,Iate

wheneverandwhateverIfeltlike,drinkingloadsofbeerandvodka-based

cocktailsandinhalinglate-nightpizza.Istashedasupersizecontainerof

sugaryanimalcrackersfromCostcoonthebookshelfinmydormroomand

grabbedhandfulsofthemmultipletimesadayonthewaytoandfrom

class.Fluffywhiteciabattabreadsandwichesstuffedwithcheeseand

hummuswereadailystaple.Ialsoatefrenchfriesmultipletimesaweek.

Goingoverboardwithfoodwasawelcomephaseofrelaxationfromthe

extremecontrolIhadpreviouslyimposedonmyself.Imighthavestarted

offslightlyunderweight,yetbytheendofcollegeIhadgainedquiteabit

ofweightandwasontheheavierside.Anotherperiodofmybody

adventurebegan,whichwasexperimentingwithalldifferentdiets—evena

briefforaywithAtkins!Andeventually,astherestofthestorygoesinThe

BeautyDetoxSolution,Ilearnedhowtotrulyfindbalanceandhealmy

digestionandbody.

Weallhavescarsfromourpast,particularlyregardinghowwe’veabused

ourbodiesandbeatourselvesupmentally.Formanyofuswomen,someof

thosescarsincludeourownversionsofdeepbodyshame(seethispage),

self-hatred,andusingtonsofourenergydietingtotrytobe“good

enough.”Often,theinnerscarshurtmorethantheouterones.

Whatisthecure?Love.Choosingtoloveourselves.Itsoundsbasic,and

we’vehearditamilliontimesbefore,butnowwecanfocusondeveloping

itfromanew,powerfulanglewithsomeofthefoodandothersuggestions

throughoutthisbook.Wemighthavepickedupsomebeliefsthatwe’re

notenoughasweare,orthatwearenotlovable,andsowehaveto

changeourselvesorloseweightorlookyoungertobeworthy,butnoneof

thesethingsareactuallytrue.Wedon’tneedanyoneelsetoloveusinorder

forustobe“okay,”thoughit’scertainlynicetosharelife(andlove)with

others.Thedifferenceisthedesperation.Thatlovewearedesperately

seekingcancomefromourownselves.

Alackofself-loveistheunnourishedrootofbodyshame,guilt,and

unhealthyobsessions.Theendgoalisnotabouteatingonlytherightfoods

orgettingoptimalnutrition,orreachingtheidealweight.Wecanhavea

“perfect”bodyandstillhateourselves.Beinghealthyandhappyandtruly

welliscenteredinusbeingmoresoftandgentlewithourselves.Wecan

starttoexperiencethatwearesomuchmorethananumberonascaleor

theoutershellthatistheshapeofourbodies.

Healingourrelationshipwithfood,inparalleltohealingourrelationship

withourselves,takestime,effort,patience,andgreatcompassion.Likeany

relationship,thereareperiodswhereitseemseasiertogetalong,and

sometimesit’ssohardwewanttobreakdownandcry.Yeteachtiny,

growingawareness,eachtimewereflectandarealittlekinderwith

ourselves,andeachhealthyrecipewechoosetomakeandnourish

ourselveswithisastepclosertodiscoveringhealthinesswithfoodand

ourselves.

liferecipeHome-cookedmealsareapowerfulwaytoloveandgiveenergybacktoyourself.Whenwepickupprocessedfastfoodstoeatallthetime,itmaybeconvenient,butthey’redevoidofvitality.Justreallylookatitnexttimeitcomesinyourspace!Itdoesn’tlooklikevery“happy”food,madelovinglyorwithcare,doesit?Itfeelsthrowntogether,madeinmass,and,tobefrank,abitsad.Byputtingitinourbodies,wesendourselvesthemessageonsomelevelthatwearen’tworththetimetomakerealfood.

Iknow,Iknow—yougetit,butyou’resobusy.Andafteralongdayatworkorwiththekids,thelastthingyouwanttodoiscrackoutyourapronandprepareforafull-onkitchensession.So,howdoweincorporatehomecookingwhenwealllivecrazy,busylives?Withcrazy,easyfood!Simplecanbereallytastyanddoable.Checktheserecipesout:

» GINGERYBASILTEMPEHANDSNAPPEAS(thispage)canbemadeinfivetotenminutes(dependingonhowfastyoucanchop!).It’spackedwithmineral-andnutrient-denseveggiesandfantasticallyprotein-richnon-GMOtempeh.

» EASYPROTEINSAGEGARBANZOS(thispage),servedwithaquick-tossedsalad,isanothersuperfastnurturingmeal.It’sfullofcleansingradishesandprotein,vitaminC,antioxidants,andcalciumfromthekale.

» CheckoutthedeliciousandeasyCUMINROASTEDBRUSSELSSPROUTSWITHQUINOA(thispage),anotherpowerfulprotein-andmineral-packedmeal.Irecommendbatch-cookingmorequinoathanyouneedforthisrecipe;it’sagreatwaytohaveanexcellentstapleingredienttotossinwitheasyrecipesortosimplyeatalongsidesalads.

» Throwingfoodintheovensoyouarefreetodootherthingsisagreatstrategyforbusypeoplecookingathome.YoucanmakeabigdishoftheBOUNTYEARTHSALAD(thispage),cookingtherootveggiesintheovenwhileyouchangeorshowerorrelax,andyou’llhavesomedeliciousleftoverstobringtoworkforafewdays.

GoingNotSoAccordingtoPlanI’msureyou’veheardtheoldadage“Peoplemakeplans,andGodlaughs.”

Isn’tthatthetruth!Lifecanjustpushourbuttons.Wemaymakethebest

plansonlytohavethemfallapartrightbeforeourveryeyes.

Thisisexactlywhathappenedtomewiththebirthofmyson,Emerson

—orLil’Bub,hisnickname.Ifullyintendedtohavea“natural”birth,

meaningvaginallyandwithoutanyWesternmedicalinterventions,at

home.

Fast-forwardseveralmonths.Bub’sduedatecameandwent.Acheckup

withDr.Chin,mybackupWesterndoctor,measuredthebabyclosetoa

whoppingninepounds.BothDr.Chinandmymidwifewerevery

concernedaboutthebaby’slargesizefittingthroughmyparticularbody

andpelvis,andseriouspotentialissueslikeshoulderdystociaandmaternal

hemorrhaging.ButIinsistedonstickingtomyideaoftheperfect“natural”

birth.

Afteranotherweek,withBubbygettingbiggerbytheday,mywater

brokeinahugegushduringamidnighttriptothebathroom.Contractions

startedafterwardbutwerenotyetsuperclosetogether.Ihadbeenwarned

bymymidwifethatoncemywaterbroke,Ihadonlytwenty-fourhoursto

gointoactivelaborathome,definedascontractionscomingthreeminutes

orlessapart,beforeIwouldhavetobetransportedtothehospitalbecause

ofpossibleriskofinfection.SoIwentintosomewhatofapanic,thinking,

Crap!Onlyabouteighteenhourstoaccomplishmyperfectbirth!

Insteadofrestingathome,IdecidedIshoulddoasmuchaspossible.I

rushedtoanacupuncturistspecializingin“speedingup”labor.Idrank

nearlyhalfabottleofcastoroil—somethingsofoulIgagevenasIwrite

this.Istartedpumpingwithabreastpump,tryingtopushthecontractions

—whichwerestillsuperintense,bytheway—closertogether.

NomatterwhatIdid,thetwenty-four-hourtimelimitpassedwithout

thecontractionsspeedingupenough,andtherewasnochoicebuttogoto

thehospital.Thehome-birthoptionhadvanished.Ibrightenedwhenmy

midwifeinsistedIcouldstillhaveabeautiful“natural”birthatthehospital.

Ah,allisnotlost!

lifedetoxrecipeOurlessonsinlifeareunique,andsoisourwayofgettingthere.Onewayisnot“better”thananother.Sometimeswegoawaythatsignificantlyshiftsfrompriorexpectationsorplans,andthemorewetrustlifeisbringinguswhereweneedtobetogrow,themorewecanletgooftryingtocontroleverythingandjustenjoytheride.Besuretoalsohonorthistruthforothers.Everyoneisonadifferentjourney,andwecan’tcompareourpathstoothers’pathsandjudgethem.It’sbettertocompareourselvestowhowewereyesterdaythantocompareourselvestosomeoneelsewhohashadadifferentupbringing,supportsystems,andgeneticsandwhoisonatotallyuniquelifejourney.Inyogicterms,wewouldsayweallhavedifferentkarmatoworkout.

Trytositbackandstayunattachedtoyouropinions.Theyevolveasyouevolve.Beingopenandflexibletonewideasandperspectivesallowsustolearnimportantlessonsandincreaseourwisdom.

Butafterhoursoflaboratthehospital,Ihaddilatedalltheway,yet

Bubsstillhadn’tarrived.Thingsstartedtobecomeprecarious.Mymidwife

thoughtIwould“feel”thepushesmoreifIwasgivenaveryhighdosage

ofPitocin—withnoepidural.Iwasgroggyfromtheexhaustionandpain,

andrememberbeingunsurewhatwasrightatthatpoint.Wasthisstill

goingtobe“natural”ifIwasstartingtogetdrugs?

Thenexttwohourswerepurehell.Therewasaphysicaltraumaofpain

thatIhadneverbeforeexperienced.Thesewerecertainlynot“natural”

contractions.TheywerestronglyaugmentedPitocincontractions,withno

epiduraloranythingelsetoalleviatethepain.Nowithadbeenfourhours

ofpushing.Almostfiftytotalhoursoflabor.

ItwasatthatpointDr.Chinstrodebackintotheroomandannounced,

“Ican’tallowthistogoonanymore.Thisisasquarepeginaroundhole.

Thebabyisn’tcomingoutthisway.I’veletyoutryforaslongasIthinkit

issafe.”

Therewasonlyonethinglefttodo:Cesareansection.Itwaslikea

strangedream.WhatstartedasahomebirthwasnowendinginC-section.

ButIcouldnothavebeenmorerelievedatthatpoint.Mybabywascoming

tome,safely!ThatwasallIcaredabout,andallthefocusondefining

“natural”wasgoneinaninstant.Whocaredhowthebabywasborn,as

longashewassafe?Andanepidural!PraisetheLord!Iwaselatedto

acceptit.

Themagical,crazy,beautifuldayLil’Bubwasborn.

Bytheway,mymother,sister,cousins,andaunthaveallhadC-sections.

ThatsideofthefamilyhailsfromthePhilippines,andlikeme,theyhave

prettynarrowpelvises.Sure,mygrandmotherhadnaturalbirths,butmy

FilipinograndfatherisalotsmallerthanthelargerCaucasianmenthatall

theotherwomeninthefamilyendeduphavingbabieswith.Yettheseare

allfactsIchosetoignorebecauseIinsistedonstickingtotheone-and-only

plan.

TheC-sectionwaswonderful.Bubbycameoutsmoothly,cryingandfull

oflife.Afterafewquickmoments,hewasputdirectlyonmychest,skinto

skin,wherehestayedfromthenon(forprettymuchtheentirefirstyearof

hislife!)andsuckledupmycolostrum.

Geez.Asyoucansee,Ireallybuiltsomethinguponlytohaveitfall

apart.Thisissomethingwecanallrelateto.Maybeyouthoughta

relationshipwasgoingtobe“it,”andyoustartedlookingatwedding

dressesonline,onlytodiscoverafewweekslaterthatyourmatewas

nowherenearbeingreadytocommit.Orperhapsyoubankedonthe

perfectyogaretreattoBalitorelieveallyourpent-upstress,anditturned

outyoubookeditduringamonsoonandendedupbeingstuckinyour

hotelroom–alone—mostofthetime.Howcanwebesthandlewhatever

happensinourlives?

Oneofthegreatestthingswecandoistoletgoofthinkingithastobe

orlookacertainexpectedway,andtoreleaselabels,suchas“good”and

“bad”—howeverthosetermsaredefined,anyway.

Whatifwestartedtrustingthatourlivesareaboutgrowth,andthatin

someway,lifeisbringinguswhatweneedtogrow?Canweletgoof

attachmentsandexpectations,whichsetusupformisery?Becauseifthings

don’tpanoutexactlythatway,wethinkit’sallbadandterrible.Andwe

loseoutonachanceforfreedom,whichisbeingabletofeeljoyfulinany

circumstance.

InBuddhismtheconceptofnonattachmentreferstotheideaof

surrender.Nomatterwhatcomesourway,wecanbecenteredand

ultimatelyokaywithit.Westarttoknowthatthesourceofjoyand

contentmentiswithinus,notfromtheoutsiderelationshipsorjobor

validationorlikesonoursocialmediaposts.Wecanavoidsufferingby

surrenderingtowhatevercomes.Andbygivinguptherigidlabelsof“bad”

and“good”toacceptsimplywhatis.

Thisisfardifferentfromhowmostofuslookattheworldandourlives.

Thisisfardifferentfromhowmostofuslookattheworldandourlives.

Yetitisapowerfullyliberatingperspectivethatyoucanapplytoyourlife,

startingtoday.Practicesurrenderwithlittlethings,suchasalteringsome

weekendplansbecauseoftheweatherorchoosingadifferentrestaurant

becauseyourfirstchoiceisfull.Asyoupracticeitanditfeelsgood,itwill

helpyououtinmoremomentoussituations,suchasnotgettingthejob

afterthreeinterviews.Oracceptingthatarelationshipwasn’tmeanttolast

asyougothroughapainfuldivorce.Nonattachmentbuildslikeamuscle:

themorewepracticeit,thestrongerweget.Andourstrengthcan

ultimatelycarryusthroughanything.

lifedetoxrecipeExpectlifetoworkwithyou,butwhenitdoesn’t,expecttoworkwithit.Wecanlayoutthebestplansandintentions,buttheflowoflifemighthaveotherdesignsforus.Flexibilityandopen-mindednessareimportantqualitiestofoster,andincorporatingfoodsthatencouragefluidityratherthanrigidityinourjointsandthroughoutallofourorgansandtissuesisapowerfulwaytomanifestthisqualityinourlivesnow.

Therightfatsarekeyforoptimalfluidity.Wewanttomakesuretoconsumemoreplantfoodsthatarerichinomega-3-fats,whichincludechia,flax-,andhempseeds;dark,leafygreensandweeds;Brusselssprouts;cauliflower;andsoon.Thesewonderfulfoodshelpkeepourbodiessupple.Andwhilefishalsocontainsomega-3fats,Irecommendavoidingconsumingitbecauseofheavymetalexposureandalsoforenvironmentalreasons;fishingisresponsibleformillionsofsharks,dolphins,turtles,andotherbeautifuloceanlifebeingkilledinnets.Atthesametime,wewanttoreduceoverconsumptionofomega-6-containingfoods,suchasjunkfoodsthatcontainloadsofvegetableoil,whichcreatesinflammation.Otherfatstoavoidincluderancidorfriedfats,andexcessivesaturatedfatsfrommeatandpoultry.

Herearesomegreatrecipestosupportflexibilityandfluidity:

» TheIWANTITALLSMOOTHIE(thispage)includesCHIAGEL(chiaseedssoakedinwater;thispage).Chiaseedsareanexcellentsourceofomega-3fats,aswellascleansingfiber,antioxidants,aminoacids,andminerals.

» TheOMEGA-ARUGULASALADWITHPECANSANDLIMEVINAIGRETTE(thispage)containsflaxoil,whichisanothergreatsourceofomega-3fats.Remembertorefrigerated

flaxoilandneverheatit,inordertoretainitsintegrity.Arugulaisacleansingbittergreenthatdetoxifiesthebloodofwastes.

» Speakingofoils,youwillseethatinallourbakeddessertsinthisbook,includingthedelectableDOUBLECHOCOLATECHIPANDOATMEALCOOKIES(thispage),webakeonlywithcoconutoil.Coconutoilhasahighsmokepoint,meaningitmaintainsitsstructureduringcookinganddoesn’tbecomerancid.Itismoreeasilyburnedoffasenergyinsteadofbeingstoredasfatorcongestingourbodies.Idonotrecommendbakingwithvegetable-oil-orplant-basedbutters,dairyproducts,ormostotheroils.

» STRENGTHENINGWARMBOKCHOYWITHROSEMARYDRESSING(thispage)containsloadsofbioavailablecalcium,anditalsoencouragesfluidyetstrongmovementandstructuretoourbonesandbodies.

CHAPTER4

raisingourvibration

BeautyScars

Aswe’vealreadydiscussed,lifeisunpredictable.Tryaswemight,wearen’tincontrolofeverything.Thingsoftenhappenthatwewishhadn’t:asuddenbreakup,afriendmovestoanotherstate,aninjurywhileskiing,oreventsfromourchildhoodthatstillbringateartooureyes.

It’snaturaltowanttoavoidpainandheartache.Ithurts!Yetwhenwe

stopwishingsomethinghadnothappenedtousandacceptthatitdid,we

canstartdigestingthelessonsfromitandfindthegifts.

So,wherearetheseso-calledgifts?Sometimeswemaywanttoshout:

WhereAREthefreakinggifts!Fromourcurrentperspective,itjustdoesn’t

seemfair,itdoesn’tmakesense,oritjustisn’tright.Whenmymomwas

diagnosedwithcancer,Iwasshockedandterrified,butquicklyralliedby

herside,tryingtosupportherineverywayIknewhow.Iwasconvinced

shewasgoingtorecover.Shewassostrong.Yetwithinsixquickweeks

whenitbecameclearthatmymomwasnotgoingtogetbetter,Ihadto

processdeepsadnessandresentmentthatIwaslosingherinmylifefar

earlierthanIeverthoughtIwould—andbeforeBubbywasevenayear

old.

Emotionalpainoftenoccurswhenweresistwhatis.We’reallgoingto

feelstingsandindescribablydeephurtwhensomethinginitiallyhappens,

butafteralengthofprocessingorgrievingtime,ifwedon’tworktoward

acceptance,andifwecontinuetofeelangryordepressed,weholdonto

thatunprocessedenergy,anditcreatestoxicpsychologicalandspiritual

blocks.Incontrast,whenwecansurvivethedeepestpainandmakeitto

theotherside,thenwetrulyrealizehowstrongweare.

lifedetoxrecipeIfyouaremovingthroughprocessingandlettinggoofsomethingthatcausespainforyou,therearehelpfulfoodsthatcanstarttoenactthatenergyonthephysicallevel,whichwilltranslatepsychologically,emotionally,andspiritually.Herearesomeexcellentonestocallout:

» GOJIBERRIES.Thisisastabilizingfoodthatsupportsourvitalityandtruebeauty.Gojisarearichsourceofantioxidantsthatprotectourbodiesfrominflammationandfortifyourimmunity.Theyarefullofvitaminsandcontaineighteendifferentaminoacidsthatkeepus

groundedwhilewalkingthroughthefire.TrytheGOJIBERRYSOOTHEBARS(thispage).

» SPROUTS+BITTERGREENSCOMBO.Healinganddetoxifyingemotionalblocksrequireschange,andenzymesarethedynamicentitiesthatcatalyzebiologicalreactions.Sproutsarebabyplantsintheprocessofmaturing,andtheyareburstingwithenzymesandnumerousothermicronutrients.Bittergreensarecleansinganddetoxifying,andhelpclearthewayformoreregeneration.TheGREENPOWERSPROUTSALADWITHCREAMYCITRUSDRESSING(thispage)isperfectforthis.Usearugulaasthegreenbase.Alongtheselines,digestiveenzymesareanexcellentideatotakebeforemeals,tohelppromotebreakingdownandoptimalassimilationofkeynutrients(seemywebsiteformoreinformation).

» TURMERIC+ROOTVEGETABLECOMBO.Theherbturmerichasreceivedalotofplayinthemedialatelyasapotentanti-inflammatoryandcleansingfood,eventhoughithasbeenusedinAyurvedaforoverfivethousandyears.Herewearetalkingaboutmoredeeplyintegratingchange,soIliketocombineturmeric,whichisdetoxifyingforyourbloodandthereforeyourentirebody,withrootvegetables,whichprovideanearthy,steadying,groundingelementtoholdthespacefortheintegration.TheSWEETCLEANSETURMERIC-ROASTEDROOTVEGGIES(thispage)isexactlysuitedforthispurpose.

Imagineyouaresittingonthebeachattheedgeofthewater

daydreaming,unawarethatahugewaveisapproaching.Then,crash!Ithits

youlikeatonofbricksandtossesyouback.Afterthewavepasses,asyou

sitthereinthewake,youcanstewinanger,whichdevitalizesyourorgans

andcreatesinflammationandadrenalexhaustion,andfeelwretched,oryou

canacceptthatnowyouarewetbutyou’restillbreathing!Maybeevenin

thisawarenessyougigglebecauseyourealizeyouwerefantasizingandnot

payingattentiontothefactthatyouwereontheedgeoftheshoreand

wavesaregoingtodowhatwavesaregoingtodo.Nowyoucanstartto

wonder,WhatdidIlearnfromthisexperience—thatIcansurviveandbeokay

evenifIgetknockeddownunexpectedly?Also,canIfindmorehumorandnottake

lifesoseriously?Ifwearecommittedtoshiftingourcompasstowardfinding

thegifts,findthemwewill.

Mom,Lil’Bub,andItogetherinthefinalweeks.

Aclientofmine,whomwe’llcallAudrey,grewupwatchingherfather

hithermother.ThenwhenAudreywasfive,heleftthemandcutoffall

contact.Hermomworkeddoubleshiftsasacleaningladytosupportthem

both.Audreyneverfullyprocessedthisformativepartofherlife,andto

thisdayshehashaddifficultytrustingmen.Sheself-sabotagesevery

relationshipshehas,evenifit’swithamanwhogenuinelylovesandcares

forher.Sheadmittedtomethatshestillcarriesalotofshameaboutnot

beingabletoprotecthermother,thoughitlogicallydoesn’tcompute,as

shewasonlyachild.

Paininlifecanpropeltremendousgrowth,onceweletgoofresentment.

Harboringresentmentistheresultofbelievingthatsomethingorsomeone

shouldbedifferentthanitis.Soinotherwords,thisbitternessissimply

moreresistance,morepain,andmoretrappedemotionaltoxicitythat

createsmoreworkforustodetoxlater.That’salotof“mores.”Yetwhen

wesoftenandletthehardedgesofresentmentmelt—whenwerealizethat

whatishappeningnowishappening,thatthereisnoalternative—weallow

thehealingtocomewithacceptance.

Ihavecometopeacewithmymom’spassing,andtobehonest,whileI

stillmissherphysicalpresence,thesoundofhervoice,thewayshesmiled

whensheheldLil’Bub,IfeelmoreconnectedtoherinsomewaysthanI

everhavebefore.Whilemylifewillneverbethesamenowthatshe’s

gone,Ihavelearnedthatloveiseverlasting,andIacceptthatitwasher

timetolearnandgrowsomewhereelse.

Mymom’spassinghasalsogivenmeanewlookontime.InEinstein’s

generaltheoryofrelativity,there’snoconceptualdistinctionbetweenthe

pastandthefuture.PhysicistslikeJulianBarbour,theauthorofTheEndof

Time,promote“timelessphysics.”Ifsuchtheoriesaretrue,itwouldmean

thattimeisn’treallylinear,andwecanhealpasteventsinthepresent.

Whilethereissomethingtobesaidformovingforwardinlife,processing

anddigestingthepastisnecessarytoreleaseitandclearspacefornew

energyinthefuture.

Weneednotfeelthatwehavetohideorbeembarrassedorpushdown

whatwe’vebeenthrough,nomatterwhatitis.We’reheretoday,alive

andstanding.Yes,we’veweatheredsomestormsandperhapslivedthrough

somenightmares.Yetwecanmoveforward.Wecanfindwaystolearn

andgainhigherunderstanding.Thescarsweaccumulatealongthewayare

partofourpathsand,therefore,ouruniquebeauty.

ApprovalAddictsDoyoufeelatinylittlethrillwhenyouseethatabunchofrandompeople

Doyoufeelatinylittlethrillwhenyouseethatabunchofrandompeople

likedyourInstagrampic?Orwhenyougetacomplimentafteryoulosea

fewpoundsorgetanewhaircut?Theansweris…ofcourse!Wealllike

approvalbecauseitactivatesaprimaldesireandneedforsurvival.Millions

ofyearsagoourancientancestorswouldshunmembersoftheirtribewho

seemedtodosomethingthatcouldjeopardizethewhole.Thisdisapproval

oftenmeantdeathbecauseitmeanttryingtosurviveintheharsh

wildernessalone.Soapprovalreallyboileddowntoissuesofsafetyand

security,andthatgothard-wiredinus.Wealsonowknowthatapproval

alsohelpsreleasedopamine,theneurotransmitterthathelpscontrolthe

brain’srewardandpleasurecenter.

Thedarksideofseekingapprovalisthatwhenweexperience

disapproval,ourself-imagetakesanosedive.Asdiscussed,we’vebeen

conditionedtoattachapprovaltosecurityfromancestralbrainwiring,and

alsofromparentswhenweareyoungorfrompeerswhenweareteens,so

disapprovalseemstothreatenoursenseofsecurity.Theslower-acting

corticalneurotransmitters,includingacetylcholineandnorepinephrine,are

modifiedinresponsetoemotionalreactions,sothereisalsoachemical

reactioninourbrainsmakingusfeeloffanduneasywhenwespendan

hourwritingasocialmediacaptionandnoonecomments,notevenour

bestfriends.Orourbosscasuallyremarksthatourhairlookedbetterbefore

ourbignewhaircut,orourparentsimplytheywishwehada“better”

job…orboyfriend.Sincewecan’tcontrolwhatothersthinkofus,chasing

self-worthfromtheapprovalofotherscanleadtousmakingsaferchoices

oronesthatdon’tfeeltotallynaturaltous,andisaturbulentroller-coaster

ofupsanddowns.Andthatrideisnofun.

Whenweprioritizeothersacceptingusoveracceptingourselves,wetell

ourselvesthatweneedtobewhotheywantustobe,notwhoweare.

Thinkaboutthat—thatisjustterrible!Wecanonlybewhoweare.

Otherwise,welosesightofwhoweareinordertochangeourselvesfor

morelikesorattention.Notonlydoesthismakeusunhappydeepdown,

butotherscansenseitasalackofstabilityandconfidence,andfeelthat

theycan’treallyknowortrustwhowereallyare.

Wecanactuallyvalidateandapproveofourselves,sothatwedon’thave

toagonizeovergettingitfromeveryoneelse.Wecanfeelamazinginour

newoutfit,regardlessofwhetheranyoneelsecommentsonit.Wecan

haveagreattimeattheparty,regardlessofhowmanyguyslookatus(or

not).Whatifwejustreallyenjoyedthemusicandconversations?Andwhat

ifwejusthadfunwithsocialmedia,onlypostingwhatfeelsnaturaland

goodtousandnotobsessingoverthelikes.I’mnotsayingit’seasy,and

I’mnotsayingIdon’tstillstrugglewithit,becauseIdo.YetIknowthat

themoreconnectedweeachfeeltoourselves—andthedeepcoreoftruth,

compassion,andlovethatisatthecenterofallofus—thebetterandmore

peacefulwefeel.Andtheneedforthosethrill-basedapprovalsfromthe

outsideworldwillstarttodiminish.

Wediscussmeditationandotherstillnesspracticesquiteabit,because

theyarethemostpowerfulwayIknowtoactuallycreateandsustain

happiness.It’slikepluggingintoanenergysocketthatconnectsusto

everyoneandeverything.Whenwemovethroughlifedisconnected,we

feelalone,small,weak,anddepressed.Yetwealwayshaveaccesstothe

socket,whichcomesfromtuninginward.Ifwekeeppracticingand

persevering,especiallywithsomedefinitetechniques,thenwecanteach

ournoisy“monkeyminds”tobecomequiet.Wecanlearntoflood

ourselveswithpeaceandlove,andwedon’tneedasingleotherpersonto

feelcomplete.

Creatingthetimeto“plugin”andgowithinisessentialtoconnectingto

yourwholeness.Withoutthestillness,we’releftfeelingmorefragmented

inthechaosoflife.Atfirstwemaythinkdistractionisbetter.It’sfunand

easytocallafriendorturnontheTVorwatchaYouTubevideoor

whatever.Buteventually,thattinydistractionwillwearoffandtherewe

are,asstarvedforapprovalasever.Theworldwillnotgiveittoyou,

becausetheworldisinterestedinmakingyoufeelyouaren’tenoughand

thatyouneedtobuymorestuff.

Youcantryanytypeofmeditationpracticethatfeelsgoodtoyou(I

offersomefreemeditationsonmywebsite,ifthatmightbehelpfultoyou),

orjusthavesomequiettimewhiledriving,withoutchattingonthephone

orblaringmusic.Youcangoforawalkbyyourself,maybelisteningto

somewordlessmusicorthebirdsortherumblingsoftheurbanspace

aroundyou.Inner-stillnesstimecantakemanyformsandlookmany

differentways.Findtheonesthatresonatethemostwithyou,andpractice

them.Pluginregularly,andstaycharged.

lifedetoxrecipeWhenwefeelstrong,nourished,andenergizedinourbodies,wecangetpluggedinmucheasier.Itfeelsawesome.Incontrast,ifweareachy,gassy,bloated,belching,orfeeldownrightheavyorgrossinourbodies,suchdistractionsmakeusfeel…notsoawesome.

Herearesomegreatrecipestosupportyoupluggingintothesourceofeverythingmagicalandbeautiful:

» TheKALE,AVOCADO,ANDGRAPEFRUITSALAD(thispage)providesyouwithbeautyfat;aminoacids;vitaminsA,C,andK;cleansinganddetoxifyingfiber;andsomuchmore.You’llfeellightandradiantasarainbowafteryoueatthis.Tryitforlunchoraspartofdinnertolaythefoundationforawonderfulmeditationafewhourslater.

» CHICKPEASTEWWITHPISTACHIOPESTO(thispage).Stewsarecomfortingsoulfood.NutsaremagicalfoodsfromMotherNaturethathelpusfeelmoregroundedandstableandstrong.Afterall,theycontainthepotentialtogrowintoamightyalmondorwalnuttree.Thisrecipeispackedwithmineralsandproteintogiveyouthestabilizingstrengthyouneed.

» MILLETMAGICSTUFFED’SHROOMS!(thispage)supplyyouwithprotein-andvitamin-D-richportobellomushrooms,aswellasmillet,whichisreallyasuperseedrichinproteinandminerals,thoughwecookitlikeagrain.

CHAPTER5

happy,notperfect

Nope,IDon’tAlwaysEatPerfectly

Sometimes,Ireallylovesoft,mushytofustir-friedwithtamari(basicallygluten-freesoysauce)andtoppedonapileofrice.Itkindofremindsmeofthefried-egg-on-ricedishmymomandauntiewouldmakemeforbreakfastwhenIwasakid.Idon’teateggsanymore,butIlovethatmemoryandthetextureofthesimpletofudishthatemulatesit.

Wait,youmightsay(ifyou’vereadTheBeautyDetoxSolutionoranyof

myarticlesonfoodcombining;infoalsoonthispage)Isn’ttofuaprotein

andriceastarch?Isn’tthatbadfoodcombining(gasp!)?Don’tyouwrite

aboutavoidingthatinyourbooks?

Well,yes,itisimproperfoodcombiningasamatteroffact!YetIlike

thewayittastes,andIeatitsometimes.Oneofthebiggestmisconceptions

thatyoumighthaveaboutmeisthatIeatperfectly.Idonot.Amantraof

myphilosophyis“Progress,notperfection.”AndIverymuchlivebythat,

whichissoimportantforrecoveringperfectionistslikeme.

It’snotabouttryingtobeat100percent,butstrivingformy80/20rule,

oreatingontrack80percentofthetime,andusingthatimportant20

percentforfavoritedesserts,chips,and,yes,sometimesbadfood

combinations!Andonoccasion,especiallywhentraveling,that20percent

doesstretchtoamuchhigherpercentage.

DoIhaveanyguiltorshameorthinkIamahypocritebecauseIwrite

aboutfoodcombininganddon’talwaysfollowit?No.I’maworkin

process,asweallare.Wealldothingswearelessthanproudof.

Sometimeswedothingswetellothersnottodo.Weallslip.Andit’s

okay,becauseitisourperfectlyimperfectsideshiningthroughinallits

flawedbeauty.

liferecipePerfection,especiallyinadietarysense,isnotthegoal.Progressandoverallconsistencyare.Tryingtoeatperfectlyallthetimeisasrigidaswalkingonatightrope,andit’sarecipeforanxietyandunhappiness.Herearesomegreatless-than-“perfect”comfortrecipestoenjoy:

» ILOVEYOUFLATBREADPIZZA(thispage).Okay,itisintheKids’Cornerchapter,butitisreallyforadultsandchildrenalike.Mydadandotheradultfamilymembersadoreit!Plant-basedcommercialcheesesmaybemoreprocessed,andtheyarecertainlynotright

fromthegarden.Theycontainvegetableoilsandotherless-than-idealingredients,yettheyareaprettydarngreatoptionwhenwewantagreatdairy-andgluten-freepizzaand/oraretransitioningoffdairy.

» MINT-CHOCOLATELOVER’SBROWNIES(thispage).Itisokaytoindulgeinchocolatesometimes(oreveryday,asIadmittedlydoinperiods!),whichdoeshavesomeantioxidants—thoughwewouldeatitanywaywithoutthem,asittastessoheavenly.Andwhilewedon’twanttobesugarfiends,it’sokaytohavesomesugarfromtimetotime.Yes,itisokay!Iknowalltheresearchpointstohowinflammatoryandtoxicsugaris.Butlife,andourdiets,needroomtobeperfectlyimperfect.Andthesugarinthisrecipecomesfromcoconutsugarandcoconutnectar,whichareatleastlowglycemicandlowfructose,andcontainsomeminerals.

» COCONUTWOWCOOKIES(thispage).Thisandtheotherbakedrecipesinthisbookwerecreatedaftermuchtrialanderror,andbywayofutilizingthespecialKSGLUTEN-FREEFLOURMIX(thispage)thatallowsforthebakedgoodstobind,withouteggorgluten,whilealsobeingproperlyfoodcombined(seethispage).Inourrecipes,almondflour(aprotein)isnotcombinedwithbrownriceflour(astarch),forinstance.Sure,wedon’tnecessarilyeatcookieseverysingleday,butthisisanamazingoptionforthoseoccasionswhenwedowantto!

We’reAllaMess(AtLeastaLotoftheTime)We’reallmessesinourownways.Wedoourbest,thoughwemessup

leftandright,andkeepsoldieringon.It’sallgoodbecausemessingupis

howwetestandretesttherecipesoflifeandfigurethingsout.Don’tget

mewrong,screwinguparecipeandhavingtostartoverfromscratchisn’t

fun.Neitherissabotagingarelationshipandhavingtoputthepiecesof

yourlifebacktogetherintheaftermath.Yet,allofthesemishapsarepart

ofourgrandunfoldingjourneytowardpeaceandwholeness.Ifwedidn’t

havetheseexperiences,wewouldn’thaveanydepth.We’dbestuckinthe

shallow,kiddyendofthepool,insteadofbravingthedeeper,murky

waters,whichdevelopscharacter,presence,andwisdom.

lifedetoxrecipeWhenyoumessupinthelittlethingsoflife,laughaboutit.Don’ttakeitsoseriously.Forgettodoonetaskbeforeameetingandgetcalledout…whoops!Remindyourselftobemorethoroughnexttime.Burndinner…letoutagoodlaughandorderChinesefood.Ifsomeonepointsouthowyoustumbled,seewhat—ifanything—youcanlearnfromahumble,nondefensiveplace.

Whenyouvaluethewisdomofthebaddaysasmuchasthebeautyofthegooddays,orthemess-upsasmuchasthesmoothtimes,youwillnolongerneedlifetobeanyotherwaythanitis.

IstartedgoingtoMommyandMeclassesasafirst-timemomwhenLil’

Bubwasabouteightweeksold,andIfeltveryself-conscious.WasI

holdinghimright?Changinghisdiaperright?DidIhaveallthestuffinmy

diaperbagIwassupposedtopack?OrwasIutterlyscrewingupasamom?

OnedayIgottoclassabitlate,andtheclassleaderglancedoveratme

and,rightinfrontofthecircleofmoms,said,“Yourcarrierisn’tonright.

Letmehelp!”Ifeltaflashofshameandthought,Ohmygosh!Ididitwrong,

andIalmostsuffocatedmybaby!ThenIrealizeditwasfine.Bub’sheadwas

up,andhewastotallysafe;thecarrierwasjustafewinchesofffromwhere

itshouldhavebeensittingonmywaist.AsIlookedaroundwhilethe

groupleaderhelpedmeadjustthestraps,Icouldseethattheothermoms

werefocusingontheirownmini-crisesandbabies.Noonereallycared.

Thetruthispeoplejudgeyou.Theyjustdo.Whilewetalkedabout

workingonnotconstantlycastingjudgment(seethispage),it’salifelong

practice.Forallofus,somedialoguepassesthroughourmindsabout

people’svoicesorthewaytheylookorhowtheyactatapartyor

whatever.

Buthere’sthekicker.Eventhoughsomeonepassesjudgmentonyou,it

usuallydoesn’tlastforalongtime.Why?Becauseweallhaveotherthings

onourminds.Maybeamomlookedatmewhentheinstructorfirst

mentionedmymistakeandthought,Whatadummy!Butthenhermind

quicklyshiftedtoabillsheneededtopayorwhatshewasgoingtomake

fordinner,andthenhermindjumpedagaintotheboogerhangingfrom

herbaby’snose.

Eveniffleetingcommentscropupfromothers,whoreallygivesadamn?

Evenwhenyoutotallymispronounceawordinapresentation,ortotally

botchupyourlatestrelationship,orloseyourtemperwithyourfriendata

partywhenyou’vehadalittletoomuchtodrink…justcleanupthemess,

learn,andmoveon.Weallscrewup,butwearenotscrewups.

lifedetoxrecipeMakerecipesthatmayormaynotcomeoutexactlyright,andhavefunwiththeresults,no

Makerecipesthatmayormaynotcomeoutexactlyright,andhavefunwiththeresults,nomatterwhattheyare.It’sagoodpracticefordroppingthesuperstressful“good/bad”labelsinlife,andworkingwithwhatevershowsup.

» CRANBERRYCINNAMONMUFFINS(thispage).Sometimesmuffinsareabittricky.Youmightaccidentallyleavethemintoolong,andtheydryoutandharden.Oriftheydon’tbakelongenough,theytotallysticktothepaperliners.Oops!Yetnomatterhowmessedupyourmuffinsmightlook,theresultwilltastegood.Youcouldalwaysscrapeouttheediblepartsinabowl,andpickthemuplikecookiecrumbs.Oriftoodry,pouralmondmilkontopandeatthemlikecereal.Life—andrecipes—areaboutimprovisingandgoingwiththeflow.

» VEGGIEMILLETHASHBROWNSWITHRADIANCECARROTKETCHUP(thispage).Therecipeisprettydelicious,andthatprotein-filledmilletmashupdoesresemblepotatoeshere.Sometimes,though,hashbrownscangetalittlecrumblyinthepan…oralot.Maybetheyfellapartandbecomelittle,mini,babyhashbrownsinbite-sizepieces.It’sokay!Scoopthemupanywayandeatthem.Whosaysanyrecipeyoumakehastolooklikethepicturetotastegood?

» DOUBLECHOCOLATECHIPANDOATMEALCOOKIES(thispage).AsImentioninseveralplacesthroughoutthisbook,gluten-free,vegan,properlyfoodcombinedbakingisnottheeasiestthing!Maybeyoumeasuredthegluten-freeflourmixwrongorpackeditinsuperdensely,andyourcookiesareweirdorrock-hard.Hey,theyarejustcookiesafterall.Throwthemoutifyouneedto,snackontheleftoverchocolatechips,andhaveagoodbellylaugh.

GuiltCleanseMelanieisafull-timeconsultantwhohasworkedonsomespecialprojects

forSolluna.Sheisalsoamomoftwo.Workingfromhome,shemanages

toexcelinherprojects,drivehersontoandfrompreschool,andnurseher

one-year-old(anannyalsohelpsduringworkhours).Shecooksdinnerfor

thefamily,andbedtimeincludesbothofherkidspilingintobedtosleep

withherandherhusband.Often,oncetheyareasleep,shepullsouther

laptoptogetmoreworkdone.Yes,sheissortofasuperhuman!Sometime

ago,whenshecametoLAtostaywithme,shewasflabbergastedwhen

shesawmeputnineteen-month-oldLil’Bubdownatseveno’clockat

shesawmeputnineteen-month-oldLil’Bubdownatseveno’clockat

night,leavingmetheeveningandthefirstpartofthemorningfreeand

clear.

“IlovehavingBubbyplayingaroundmealldaywhileIwork.Itakehim

inthestrollerduringconferencecalls,getalotofwritingdoneduringnap

time,andambeyondgratefulIhavemydadandauntieathomewithus,

whichkeepsthehouseholdfromimploding.Yet,ifIdidn’thavethat‘me

time’everydayafterhegoestobedinhisownroom,IthinkI’dlosemy

mind!”Itoldher.

“Thatsoundsamazing,”Melaniesaid.“Idon’tknowifIcanjustpush

mykidsoutofthebed.Ifeelbad.…”

Ireplied,“Ithinkitwillbebetterforyouandforthem.Andifyouwork

andalsodokids’stufftwenty-fourhoursadaythewayyouhavebeen,you

aregoingtoburnyourselfout.”

“You’reright.Ijusthavetofigureouthow!”

Melanienevergetsanythingforherself,andalotofheractivitiesonthe

Melanienevergetsanythingforherself,andalotofheractivitiesonthe

weekendsrevolvearoundplaydates.Withallshehastodo,herlifeis

prettymuchplanneddowntoeverydetail.Shewasn’tprioritizingcreating

morebalanceforherself.

Likesomanywomen,Melaniesuffersfromaguiltcomplex.Notdoing

enoughathome,notachievingenough,notbeinggoodenough,not

cookingenough,orwhatever.Nomatterhowmuchgetsdone,itwill

never,everbeenough!

Usually,guiltisnottrulyrootedinreality.Wegetlockedintocertain

perceptionsandthinkweare“bad”ornotgoodenoughornotdoing

enough,likeahamsteronawheelthatnevergetsanywhere.Whatguiltis

reallyaboutisfeelinginvalidornotfullyworthyinsomeway.Wehaveto

keep“doing”moretogainworth,love,orapproval.Itgoesdeep.Itcan

stemfromabeliefwetookoninourdistantpasts.HenriJ.M.Nouwen

writesinTheReturnoftheProdigalSonhow“they,”whichhereferstoas

thevoicesofsocietyandtheouterworld,keepusfromconnectingtoour

truth:

TheysuggestthatIamnotgoingtobelovedwithoutmyhavingearned

itthroughdeterminedeffortsandhardwork.Theywantmetoproveto

myselfandothersthatIamworthbeingloved,andtheykeeppushing

metodoeverythingpossibletogainacceptance.Theydenyloudlythat

loveisatotallyfreegift.

Thetruthisthatwedon’thavetodoanythingtobefullyworthy.Thisis

partofthenever-endingcycleofguilt,aswecannever“do”enoughif

thatiswherewearetryingtogetourself-worth.Realizingthisisthefirst

stepinbreakingfreeofthecycle.

I’mhappytosaythatMelanieisnowintheprocessofcreatingaset

bedtimeforherdaughter,Eloise,whohasmovedintoacribinthenursery.

Sheisworkingongettinghersontosticktohisbedtime,too,soshecan

havetimetoherselfeveryevening,freeofworkandfamilyduties.AfterI

toldheraboutahikingtripItooktoSedona,shewasinspiredtoplanatrip

thereandleavethekidswithhermom…andnotfeelguiltyaboutit!

lifedetoxrecipeTheantidoteforguiltisaffirming—toourselves—thatwearealreadyworthyjustasweare.

Theantidoteforguiltisaffirming—toourselves—thatwearealreadyworthyjustasweare.That’swhohastobelieveit.Whileitcantakesometimetotrulyembodythistruthdaytoday,wecanstarttodaytomakerecipesthatsaytous,“Yep,youareworththisamazingnourishment!”Herearesomegreat,self-worth-confirmingrecipes:

» SELF-LOVECAULIFLOWERSOUP(thispage).Cauliflowerishighinvitaminsandminerals,andcanhelpbalancehormones,reduceinflammation,andimprovedigestionanddetoxification.How’sthatforself-love?

» NOURISHSTEWWITHWHITEBEANS(thispage).Thisstewnotonlytastesgreat—withitsItalianherbsandothergoodthings—butitispackedwithprotein,antioxidants,andminerals.AndwhatIloveaboutstewsisthatyoucan’tjustinhalethem;theirheatforcesyoutoslowdownabitandgiveyourselfallthatamazingnourishment,onespoonfulatatime.

» CURRIEDRADIANCECARROTSOUP(thispage).Okay,anothersoup.Idobelievesoupsandstews,aswarmingandgroundingastheyare,aresomeofthebestways,foodwise,topracticeloveandcareforourselves!Thisonecomesoutabrilliantcolorfromallthatwonderfulbeta-carotene,whichconvertstovitaminAandhelpscreatehealthyskinasitstrengthensourimmunity.

therealsourceofourworthIfwegowithinseekingtoquietandeaseourmindsandthoughts,ifwetraveltotheverydeepestcoreofus,beyondourphysicalappearance,jobtitle,familylife,personality—allofit—wewillfindaspark.Callitdivinelight,callitthesourceofallsources,callittheuniverse,thenamedoesn’tmatter.Butthissparkconnectsustoeverythingelseintheworldandbeyond.Wedon’tearnthisspark.Wecan’tbuyitorbargainforit.Wecan’torderitandshipitusingAmazonPrime,becausewealreadyhaveit.It’soursnowandalways.Anditisthesourceofallcreation.

Ittookmealongtimetoconnectwithmyowninnerspark.ForyearsIwasrunningaroundmyself,yetnomatterhowmuchIaccomplished,IstillfeltIwasn’tquitethereyet.

Onedayduringdeepmeditationnearapoolofwater,Ihadarevelationofsorts.IrealizedrightthenandtherethatnothingIcoulddowouldeverfeellikeitwasenough.Icouldsellmillionsofbooks,helpmillionsmorepeople,anddoeverythingpossibleformysonandfamily,andIwasstillgoingtofeelthisvacancyinsideme.Buthere’sthecrazypart.Ialsorealizedthatthisvoidinsidemeneverreallyexisted.Itwasasifapartofmewasmasqueradingassomethingelse.Thisvacancywasalreadyfilled.Thattherewasnoemptiness.Iwascompletebecauseofthatsparkinsideme.Iexperiencedthattruthfortheveryfirsttime,andwhenIsatupandwentbackintotheworldof“doing,”everythingfeltdifferent.Itwasahuge“aha!”moment.ItwaslikeIhadbeensearchingformycarkeysfor

years,onlytorealizetheywerealreadyinmypocket.

IknewIwasseekingsomethingmywholelife,asweallare,andeventhoughIhadbeenpracticingyogaandmeditationforyearsandwrittenandspokenpubliclyaboutself-love,Ihadn’treallygottenituntilthatexactmoment.ThisexperienceoccurredduringadifficultperiodIwentthroughsomemonthsaftermymomhadpassed,whenIwastryingtobestrongformydadandBubsbutmywholelifefeltdestabilized.Maybesometimeswehavetohitrockbottombeforewebreakthrough.

Afterthatencounterwithtruth,mylifewasstillthesameontheoutside:runningSolluna,podcasting,writing,chasingBubsintheyard.Yetmywholeinnerlifehadshifted.Thingsdon’tfeelasseriousastheyusedto,andtheneedforrushingandendlessdoingisdroppingaway.Isay“dropping”inthepresenttense,becauseitisabigunfoldingprocess,andI’mstillinprocessmyself.IstillfalterandgetcaughtupindailyBS—it’slikeIforgetfromtimetotimethatthekeystothecarareinmypocket—buttheveilhasbeenlifted.

You,too,canreconnectwithyourtrueworth,whichisyourpowerandyourtruesourceofvalidationandlove.Ourinnersparkistheperfectionwithinallofus—it’sapartofus—anditcanneverbetakenaway.Itgivesusaccesstoperfectlovebecauseitisperfectlove.Itinspiresustobemorelovinginourlives.Justreadingandinternalizingthisawarenessisastepforward.Soismeditation,aswellaspracticingtheStumblingBlockDetox(seethispage)andtheLettingGotechnique(seethispage).Alltheseexerciseshelpustofreeourselvesfromold,limitingbeliefsandemotionsthatareblocksanddistractions.Wecanreallyonlyfeeloursparkwhenwearestillandcalm.

I’mnotspeaking“intheory.”Assomeonewhohasbeenthroughthefire,sotospeak,andmadeittotheotherside,Iknowit’snecessarytokeepmovingforward.Andyoukeepmovingforwardbyrealizingthatthereissomethinginsideyouthatcangiveyouenergyanddirectionwhenyoudon’tthinkyouhaveany.Andremember,thereisnothingwrongwithdoing,nothingwrongwithaccomplishinggrandgoals,oreventryingtohaveitall,butnomatterwhatyoudoordon’tdo,youarealreadyfullyworthy,fullyenough,fullybeautiful.

ToparaphraseMaryPoppins,youarepracticallyperfectineveryway.

CHAPTER6

everyonewemeetisonajourney,too

Peace,Family,andFoodChoices

Peoplearewheretheyareandnotwherewewantthemtobe.Nomatterhowmuchwewishthatourparentsorfriendsatehealthierfoodorlesssugarorprocessedmeatorwhatever,theyhavetomaketheirowndecisions.Andweneedtoaccepttheirdecisions.Itmightmakeusrecoil,butpushingothersprobablymakesthemwanttopushback.MydearfriendandeditorGarytoldmethatwhenhisfriendtellshimnottoeathamburgers,itonlymakeshimwanttoeatthemmore.Therebelliousnessofhumannature!

Aschallengingasitcanbetowitness,wecanreallyonlyrespectothers’

journeyandtheirchoicesandallowthemtheirowndirectexperiencesto

learnwhateverlessonstheyneedtointheirtime.Thisincludesfoodand

diet.Judgingandpreachingoftengetusonlytoaplaceoffrustration.

I’vesharedwithsomerelativesthereasonsthatIencourageeatingplant

foodsandlessmeatanddairy.They’vereadpartsofmybooks,andI’ve

typedupafewpacketsofcustomizedrecipesforthem.I’vecookedfor

them,emailedthemstudiesandarticles.Weevenwatchedtheprovoking

documentaryWhattheHealthtogether.

Thenonenightwhenweweretogetheronavacation,membersofthe

extendedfamilywentoutandboughtabunchofblackened,barbecued

chickenandgravy.Thecharred,carcinogen-filledkindofchickenthatwas

specificallyrecommendedtobeavoidedontheHarvardEatingPlate(a

revisionofthegovernmentfoodrecommendationsbyHarvardUniversity),

whichIhadsharedwiththem.WTF?!Iwasdumbfounded.Didtheynot

understandhowbadthisisforthem?Ihadtoldthemso!

Itriedtoholditin,butIcouldn’thelpask,“I’mjustcurious,formy

ownworkandunderstanding.…Howcouldyouseethatdocumentaryand

knowallyouknownowandstilleatthecharredmeat?”Onerelative

simplysaid,“Ijustdon’tthinkeatingitisthatbad.”

Wow.Simpleasthat.ItwasasclearananswerasIcouldeverhopeor

askfor,anditputanabruptbutsatisfyinglyclearendtotheconversation.

liferecipeGivingloveismorepowerfulforinspiringchangethanjustthrowingmoreinformationatsomeone.Wecanmakelargebatchesofoursmoothiesandfoods,andofferthemupforsharing—andbetotallyokayifthisgestureisnotaccepted.Theactofpeacefulofferingisloveitself.Herearesomegreatshareablerecipes:

» THEGLOWINGGREENSMOOTHIE(akaGGS;thispage).Yes,it’sgreen,andyes,Iknowthatalotofpeople(perhapsincludingsomeofyourfamilymembers!)arescaredofallthingsgreen!YetthisistherecipethathasturnedthousandsandthousandsintoGGSlovers,gettingtheirvitamins,minerals,antioxidants,andaboatloadmorefibereachandeverydaytheydrinkit.Ifsomeoneiswantingandwillingtodrinkafewouncesofit,theymightjustbehookedonthesustainedenergytheyfeelandkeepgoingbacktotheGGSmagic.Mydad,whodidnotgrowupanardentvegetableeater,wouldonlydrinktinyamountsoftheGGSforafewyears,thenallofasudden—onhisown—hestarteddrinking(andloving!)bigglassfuls,whichhenowhasdaily.Peopleneedtodothingsintheirowntime.

» ALLVEGGIECLEANLASAGNAWITHEASYREDSAUCE(thispage).Thoughit’sallveggie,thesauce,plant-basedcheese,andorganic,non-GMOsoycrumbles(ifyouchoosetoincludethem)haveafamiliargooeyandyummytexturethatsomelovedonesmightenjoy.Thisdishmightbeaniceintrotonondairyandnonmeatrecipealternatives.

» ENERGIZINGPISTACHIOHEMPSEEDCUCUMBERSALADWITHORANGEZEST(thispage).Thissaladissodeliciousthatnon-salad-lovinglovedonesmightjustjumponthesaladbandwagon…atleastforthisone.Theymightbeshockedathowtastysaladcanbewithoutshreddedcheese,bottledsaladdressings,friedcroutons,andsoon.Italsointroducessomeinterestingingredients,suchasomega-3-richhempseeds,whichmightsparksomecuriositythatexpandsintonewfoodingredients.Ornot.Eitherway,it’sallgood!

Ifinallygotit.NomatterhowpassionatelyIbelieveinmydietary

philosophy,Ican’tmakethemoranyoneelseseeitthatway.EvenifI

believesostronglyinmyheartthatdrinkingGlowingGreenSmoothiesand

eatingveggiesishealthy,andthatcharred,processedmeatsarenothealthy

andshouldbeavoided—backingitupwithmedicalstudiesandnutritional

evidence—itwasn’tthewayitappearedtothem.

Everyonehasarighttoliveastheychoose.Nomatterhowmanyfood

factsorstudieswethrowatanyone,itmaynevergetthemtoagreewith

us.Weallsimplyhavedifferentperspectives.

NowIdon’tfeelanypressuretotrytopersuadetheserelativestoeat

healthier,andIamsuretheyarealsothrilledthatIhaveletitgo.Istill

offertosharehealthydishesImakewhenwearetogether,butI’vegiven

uppushing.Onamorerecentvisit,theyateasausageandpepperonipizza

fordinnerwhileIhadmyveggiebeansoupandsalad.Andwehadareally

niceconversationaboutallkindsoftopics,noneofthemnutritionrelated.

Sowhat’sthetakeawayfromthisstory?Focusonwhat’swithinyour

power.Don’ttrytoteachbypreaching.Itrarelyworks,andoftengetsyou

onlytoaplaceoffrustration.Instead,leadbyexample.Youwillexude

energyandvitalityifyoufeelgoodwithinyourselfandaboutwhatyouare

eating,andthatismorepowerfulthananythingyoucaneversay.Ifanyone

asksyouaboutyourdiet,youcansimplytellthemthatyoufeelgreat

eatingthisway,orthatitworksbetterforyourdigestion.Whocanargue

withthat?Noneedtospeakaboutitfurther,unlessyougenuinelythink

someonewouldliketoknowmore.

Ifyouliveyourlifeinahealthyandfaithfulway,well,yourlifeisoften

likeaseedthatcantakerootinanother’sheart.Theseedmaygrowinto

somethingextraordinary,andothertimesitdoesn’t.Still,betheseed.

DealingwithBitchinessWhenothersaremean,downrightbitchy,orcuttingtowardyou,

Whenothersaremean,downrightbitchy,orcuttingtowardyou,

rememberthattheirissuesarealwayswiththemselves.Makeaclear

separationbetweentheirbehaviorandyourfeelingsaboutit.Their

behaviortellsyoumoreaboutthem,andhowyoureactinthesesituations

letsyouknowmoreaboutyou.

We’reallsofocusedonourownjourneysthatwesometimesforgetthat

it’snotallaboutus.ScottishauthorIanMaclarensumsitupwellwiththis

quote:“Bekind,foreveryoneyoumeetisfightingahardbattle.”Weall

dealwithcrappynegativeemotionsandstruggletofeelbalancedandhappy

attimes.

Itfeelshorribletogetthecoldshoulderorbetreatedinameanor

unpleasantway,yetit’sagreatopportunitytostrengthenourcompassion

muscle.Ifsomeoneisactinglikethat,theymustsurelybeinpainand

suffering,andtheycouldusesomelove.Holdingthespaceofloveallows

youtostayconnectedtoyourselfandtothem,ratherthanbecoming

disconnectedalongsidethem.

Sometimeago,Igaveatalkonwellnessandnoticedthatanother

wellnessspeakerIknowwasintheaudience.Icouldn’thelpbutbeaware

ofherpresence,aswellasthefactthatherheadwasburiedinheriPhone

thewholetime.Shedidn’tevenlookupwhenItriedtogiveherashout-

outduringmytalk!Maybeshewashavingabadday.Maybeshewas

feelinganxiousorjealousorsomeothernegativefeeling.Maybeshewas

justplainbored.Whoknows?DidIeverlearnwhysheactedthisway?

No.WhatIdoknowisthatherbehaviordidn’thaveanythingtodowith

me,andtherewasnothingIcouldhavedonetocontrolitorchangeit.I

justgavethebesttalkIcould.Sowhileitadmittedlyannoyedmeabit,I

justshruggeditoff.Isawherataneventmonthslater,andImadeapoint

togoupandgiveherahugehugbeforeshecouldwriggleaway.Initially

I’msureshewasprobablydyingtoescape,butthenIfeltherphysically

starttosoften.Love(andhugs!)isthebestwaytodealwithmean,rude,or

annoyingsituations.

Neverletothersthrowyouoffcourse,andiftheydo,don’tkeep

replayingthenegativitybytellingthestoryofwhathappenedwithso-and-

sotoyourfriendsoverandoveragain.Takeadeepbreathandshakeitoff.

Stayconnectedtoyourpurpose.Youcan’tcontrolothers’moodswingsor

thewaystheydealwithnegativefeelings,butyoucancontrolyourown

energyandriseabove.Foraglimpseofwhatpeacedoesn’tlooklike,check

outsomeclipsofpopular,drama-filledrealityshows.Thesegiveusthegift

ofinspiringus,shallwesay,togoinanotherdirection.

Don’ttakeeveryoneelse’swordsandexpressionssoseriously.Your

acquaintance’sbitchyrestingfaceisn’tnecessarilytherebecauseshethinks

yousaidsomethingstupid,itcouldbebecausesheisthinkingaboutthe

fightshejusthadwithherboyfriend.Ormaybeyourcoworkerwasabit

snappyinheremailtodaybecauseshewasupsetafterjustlearningthatshe

lostthebidonthehouseshehadherheartseton.Whoknowswhatis

flittingthroughpeople’sminds?Wecan’t.Sotheonlythingtodoistolet

itallgowithoutoveranalyzing.

Youcanstillbestrong,andholdhealthyboundaries,yetkeepthemina

lovingandcompassionateway.Wejustneedtorealizethatpeopleare

wheretheyareontheirjourneys,andthey,too,experiencebumpsand

breakdownsontheirimperfectroadsoflife.Givethemspace,helpwhen

youcan,andstayfocusedonwhatiskindandbeautiful.

lifedetoxrecipeGiveyourselfsupportivefoodsthatcanhelpyoufeelgroundedintheswirloflifeandwhilebeingaroundotherpeople’senergies.Herearesomegreatrecipesforthis:

» NATURE’SCOMPLETEPROTEINSMOOTHIE(thispage).Thissmoothiecontainsveryspecialfortifyingingredientssuchasbeepollenandhempseeds.Itsuppliesyouwitheverythingfromcompleteproteins,antioxidants,enzymes,andBvitaminstoelectrolytes,free-radical-scavengingvitaminE,andmore.Drinkthisintheafternoonandhavemoreenergyfortherestofyourdaytostaystrongonyourlife’sjourney.

» NO-FILTER-NEEDED-SELFIESMOOTHIE(thispage).Youdoyou,andletyourinnerglowshinethrough.Youcan’tworryaboutwhatothersarethinking.Thissmoothieispackedwithmangoforglow-enhancingvitaminCandantioxidants,aswellashealthyomega-3fatsfromthechiaseeds,blood-cleansingturmeric,anddigestion-enhancingmint.

» BELLYFEELGOODSMOOTHIE(thispage).Sometimes,people’smeancommentsoractionsmakeyourstomachturn.Intheprocessoflettingitgo(becauseweknowit’sbetterforourhealthandenergy,notbecausewhattheysaidordidisokay),weneedtobesuretosupportourguthealth.Thissmoothiecontainspapaya,whichisfullofenzymesthatsupportgooddigestion;ginger,whichisalsoagreatdigestive;andpineapple,whichisfullofenzymesincludingbromelain,whichhelpstosootheandreduceinflammationandfurtherpromotesdigestion.Bellyfeelgoodindeed!

ClosingThoughtsonLifeMyviewsoflife,time,andpurposehavechangeddramaticallywiththe

passingofmyincrediblemother,Sally,onMarch29,2017.Shewasthe

onewhocarriedmeintolife,andhertransitionrockedmyworld.

AlthoughIknowononelevelthatweareallgoingtodie,shewassucha

strongforcethatwhenshemovedontothenextlife,itseemedsurreal.I

curledupnexttoherinthehospitalbedassheslowlytookherlastbreath.

Ifeelherlovingpresenceevenmoreinmylifethanwhenshewasinher

physicalbody.Somehow,herpassingpromptedmetoexperiencean

enormouspersonalexpansion,whatIcandescribeasa“crackingopen.”

enormouspersonalexpansion,whatIcandescribeasa“crackingopen.”

Myheartbegantotrulyunlockforthefirsttimeinmylife.

Lovefeelsmorepowerful.Morethananything,Inowtrulyrealizethat

ultimatelyloveisthethingthatmattersmost,andtheonlythingthatlasts.

I’vedoneintenseself-reflectionsincemymompassed,cleaningupthe

negativefeelingsIhadinsideofme,aswellasdispellingthestoriesand

triggersthatwerepresentinmylife.Imadeacommitmentthatgoing

forwardIwouldfocusonprojectingthemostpositiveenergyand

supportingeveryoneIcouldreachinadeeperway.

WhileItoyedwiththeideaofachildren’snutritionbookandseveral

otherprojects,thesubjectmatterofthisbookwastheonlythingthatfelt

authenticformetowriteaboutatthistime.

Beyondthemessinessoflife,underneathitall,thereisperfection.Our

truevalueisnotinwhatwedo,butitliesinourbeingconnectedto

ourselvesandothersandlivingfromourhearts.Nomatterwhatourouter

shell(body)lookslike,nomatterhowmuchorhowlittlemoneywehave,

orwhatweachieveordon’tinlife,ourlovabilityandvalidityisalways

intact.Assimpleasitsounds,it’sajourneytorealizethis.

Isincerelyhope,withgreatlove,thattheofferingofthisbookisof

assistancetoyouonyourpersonaljourney.Therearenolimitstothe

potentialweallhavetogrowinlove,connection,andjoy.It’sallthere

already,deepdowninsideofus,justwaitingtoawaken.

II

RecipesNowthatwe’vedelvedintothephilosophybehind“perfectlyimperfect”inPartI,it’stimetodigintosomedeliciousfood!Acceptingouramazingselves,justasweare,includesdetoxingblocksthatarephysical,emotional,andpsychological.Howweeatcansupporthealingonalltheselevels.Andalltheserecipesaredesignedtobecleansingandrejuvenatinginvariousways.

Furthermore,alloftheserecipesare:

» BASEDONWHOLEFOODS.Fromzucchinitoquinoa,workingfromscratchwithabevyof

nutrient-densewholefoodsiswhattheserecipesarebasedin.Thereareonlyafewexceptions,suchasperfectlyimperfectvegancheese,soyoucanenjoytheserecipesknowingyouaresupportingyourwholenesswithwholefoods!

» 100PERCENTPLANT-BASED.Plantfoodsarethemostnutrient-dense,nourishingfoodsonthe

planet,andonlyplantfoodscontaincleansingfiber!Whileyoudon’thavetobe100percentplant-basedifyouchoosenottobeatthistime,inthespiritofmymantra“Progress,notperfection,”theclosertoanallplant-baseddietyoueat,themorecleansedandlighterinyourbodyyouwillfeel,asyougainstrength,increasedenergy,beautifulskinandhair,andmorefocus.Besidestheastoundingnutritionofplantfoods,eatingplantbasedisacompassionate,lovingwayto

eatforourselvesandforMotherNature,ourenergy(whichabsorbsandintegrateswhatweeat),andourfellowanimals.

» 100PERCENTGLUTEN-FREE.Glutencanbedifficultformanytodigest,soallrecipesarefreeof

wheat,barley,andrye,aswellasproductsthatcontainthem,likeregularsoysauce.

» PROPERLYFOODCOMBINED.Properlycombiningyourfoodscanleadtomoreenergy;healthier,

moreglowingskin;aneasiertimelosingweightandslimmingdown;andmorementalclarity.Why?Becausedigestionisaveryenergy-intensiveprocess,andifwestrategicallymakedigestioneasieronourbodieswiththecombinationsoffoodsweeatatthesametime,wecanfreeuplargeamountsofourownvitalenergy.Forinstance,wedon’tcombinedenseproteins(likealmonds)inasaladwithsweetfruit(likeblueberries),becausethefruitdigestsmuchfasterthantheprotein,anditcouldgetstuckinyourstomach,creatingatrafficjamandtheensuingbloatthatfollows.Foralltheinformationonfoodcombiningyoucouldeverwant,pleasecheckoutmyfirstbook,TheBeautyDetoxSolution.Inthemeantime,restassuredthatallrecipesinthisbookareproperlyfoodcombined,soyouhavenothingtoworryabout.

HerearesomeotherthingsIwanttohighlightinthissection:

WhyOurRecipesContainNoGarlicandLimitedOnion

Thismaycomeasasurprisetomylong-termreaders,consideringthat

garlicandonionsarecitedassomeofmytop“beautyfoods”inmysecond

book,TheBeautyDetoxFoods,andmypriorrecipescontainedthesevery

ingredientssooften!Tobeclear,thesefoodshavedefinitelybeenshownto

havebenefitsforourphysicalhealth,includinggarlic’spositiveeffecton

cardiovascularhealth,andtheflavonoidantioxidantquercetinandvitamin

Efoundwithinonions.

I’mconstantlylearningmyself,andthemoreIgoalong,themoremy

workexpandsbeyondjustfoodsandtheirphysicaleffectonthebodytoa

holisticlifestyleapproachthatinvolvesourpsychological,mental,and

spiritualwellness.

InAyurvedicphilosophy,onionsandgarlicaredescribedaspromotinga

rajasictemperament,whichisahyperactive,restlessstate.WhenIstudied

yoga,Ilearnedthatsomegreatyogamasters,includingYogananda,

recommendedreducingthesefoodsinordertokeepthemindcalmerfor

meditation.AndwhenIwastravelinginIndia,IlearnedthattheJain

religionstrictlyforbidsconsumingonionsorgarlic.

Idecidedtogiveitatryandhavebeenpurposelyavoidinggarlicand

onionsinmyowndiet(exceptatrestaurants,wheretheysometimessneak

in!)andmyrecipes.Ifeelcalmeringeneralmyself,andsoIkeepfinding

waystoflavorfoodswithoutthem.Therearestillonionsinsomeofthese

recipes,whenIfeltitreallyaddedsomething,thoughItotallynixedthe

garlic.Youcantryeliminatingthemyourselfandseeifyounoticea

differenceinyourtemperament,increasedcalmness,andaneasiertime

goingdeeperinyourmeditations!

TheImportanceofWholeGrains

Itcanbeconfusingwhenthereareconflictingthingsyouhear,suchas

wholegrainsaregreatforyouand,ontheotherhand,youshouldavoidall

grains—evenintheirwholeform!It’sliterallytheoppositeadvicecoming

fromdifferentfactionsofexperts.Incaseslikethese,it’simportanttotake

astepbackandlookatthebiggerpicture.Firstofall,billionsaroundthe

worldlivelong,healthylivesonagrain-baseddiet.

IntheOkinawaCentenarianStudy,researchersfoundthatricewasa

dietarystaplebeforeWesterninfluencein1949.Afterthatpoint,however,

whenOkinawansbeganconsuminglessriceasaproportionoftheir

calories,theirhealthcollectivelydeclinedanddiseasebecamemore

prevalent.AndwhenaHarvardresearchteamstudiedmorethan110,000

healthymenandwomenforabouttwenty-fiveyears,theydiscoveredthat

thosewhoavoidedwholegrainsingeneralhadanincreasedriskofheart

disease.

Idorecommendincludinggluten-freewholegrains,suchasquinoaand

millet(whichareactuallybothseedsbuttreatedasgrains),brownrice,

oats,teff,andamaranthaspartofabalanceddiet.Suchgrainsareagreat

sourceofenergy,minerals,vitamins,andprotein.Ialsorecommend

avoidinggluten,whichisaproteinfoundinwheat,barley,andrye,asit

canbedifficultformanytodigestandleadtomoreseriousissuesinthose

withceliacdisease.

Often,whenonetriestoavoidgrains,theyendupgoingheavyon

animalprotein.Andweknowfromagreatbodyofresearchthatdietsthat

arehighinanimalfatandproteincorrelatestronglywithhigherratesof

disease,includingheartdiseaseandcanceroftheprostate,breast,and

colon.Excessiveanimalproteinputsaheavyburdenondigestion,whichis

energyexhaustiveandtaxestheliverandkidneys.Astudyinthejournal

CellMetabolismfoundthatapersonwithhighanimal-proteinconsumption

(meaningover20percentofcaloriescomefrommeat)isfourtimesmore

likelytodiefromcancer,asimilarratetothatofcigarettesmokers.

Ultimately,mygoalisnottopreachor“win”anykindofargumentor

debatewithproponentsofhigheranimal-food-baseddiets.Eachofusmust

listentoourownbodiesandheartsandwhatwefeelistrueandbest.My

intentionforthisdiscussionissimplytoofferhowIfeel—thatawhole

food,plant-baseddietincludingvegetables,fruit,nuts,seeds,legumes,and

gluten-freegrainsisabeautifulandpowerfullyrejuvenatingwaytosupport

ourhighesthealthandvitality.

OrganicSoyIsOkayinModeration

Soybeanshavebeenconsumedbyhumansforthousandsofyears.They

originatedinSoutheastAsiaandwerefirstdomesticatedbyChinesefarmers

about1100BC.TheystartedtobegrowninJapanandothercountriesby

thefirstcenturyADandhavebeenamainstayinmanyAsianculturessince

then.

Soybeansarearichsourceofprotein,yieldingmoreproteinperacreof

landthananyothercrop.Soybeansarealsohighinmineralslikeiron,

manganese,phosphorus,copper,potassium,magnesium,zinc,selenium,and

calcium.Theyareabundantinessentialvitamins,includingriboflavin,

folate,vitaminB6,vitaminK,thiamin,andvitaminC.Evenamongplant

foods,soybeansareoneofthehighestsourcesoffiberavailable.

Whenweconsumesoy,itabsolutelymustbeorganicandnon-GMOto

preventfurthercontaminationofourfoodsupplybygeneticallymodified

organisms.Wholesoyfoodsarethekindswecanconsume(aslongasyou

don’thaveasoyallergy,ofcourse),whichareminimallyprocessed,sothey

retainthemostnutritionalbenefits.Wholesoyoptionsincludetofuand

edamame,aswellastempeh,miso,andnatto,madeoffermentedcooked

soybeans.Tamari,agluten-freesoysaucewhichistheliquidby-product

thatformswhenmakingmisopaste,isalsookaytoconsume.Whatwe

mustavoidarehighlyprocessedsoyproducts,suchastheonesincludedin

junkfood,likesoyproteinisolates,soybeanoil,andsoon.

InTheBeautyDetoxSolution,Irecommendedconsumingtempehand

misoinmoderation.Sowhatchangedfrommyfirstbooktonow,andwhy

amIokaywithconsumingmoretofu,whichisnotaprocessedformofsoy,

yetstillnotoneofmyoriginalfermentedforms?Becauseofnewerresearch

andinvestigatingthevalidityoftheanti-soyinformation.

Soyhasbeenaccusedofcontainingestrogen.Itdoesn’t;soycontains

phytoestrogens,whicharehealthycompoundsfoundinotherantioxidant-

richplantfoods.(Dairymilkdoescontainrealestrogen,however.)

Anotherpopularmythisthatsoynegativelyalterssexhormonesinmen,

contributingtothedreaded“manboobs.”However,inseveralstudies

examiningsoyproteinorisoflavonesupplementation,therewereno

significantchangesintestosterone,freetestosterone,estrogen,sex-

hormone-bindingglobulinprotein,orsemenqualityofthemenstudied.

Okay,okay—butwhataboutsoy’snegativeeffectsonthyroidor,worse,

cancer?InoneextensiveresearchsummarypublishedinthejournalThyroid

thatanalyzedtheresultsoffourteenclinicaltrials,itwasconcludedthatin

healthy,iodine-repleteindividuals,neithersoyfoodsnorisoflavones

adverselyaffectthyroidfunction.

Therehasbeenbackandforthontheconnectionbetweensoyandbreast

cancer,butarecent,sizablestudyinvolvingover6,200womenwithbreast

cancerbetween1995and2015has“putthatargumenttorest,”according

toDr.OmerKucuk,amedicaloncologistatEmoryUniversity’sWinship

CancerInstitute,whohasstudiedsoyisoflavones.Infact,the2017study,

publishedinthejournalCancer,foundthatsoywasactuallyassociatedwith

adecreasedriskofdeathrelatedtobreastcancer.

TherearetwotothreedailyservingsofsoyinthetraditionalJapanese

diet,delivering25to50milligramsofisoflavones(phytoestrogens)perday,

whichappearstohaveprotectivebenefits,accordingtoresearchpublished

intheAmericanJournalofClinicalNutrition.

Overall,anentirebookcouldbewrittendispellingthemanymyths

aboutsoy.Ofcourse,thatdoesn’tmeanI’mnotconcernedaboutGMO

soy(whichisrampantandshouldbeavoided),orhighlyprocessedsoy

foods(alsopopularandtobeavoided).Mypositionisnowsimplythat

someorganic,whole,soy-basedfoodscanbeapartofahealthydiet.

ChooseOrganicWheneverPossible!

Choosingorganicissuperimportantforourtruehealth,aswellastheentire

planet.Inordertobeourmosthealthy,radiant,beautiful,andenergetic

selves,weneedtoavoidexposuretotoxicchemicals.Nonorganic

agricultureusesbillionsofpoundsofchemicalpesticidesandherbicides

annually.

Besides,organicallygrownfoodsaremoreflavorfulandcontainmore

nutrients,includingmorevitamins,minerals,enzymes,andmicronutrients,

thancommerciallygrownfoods.TheJournalofAlternativeandComplementary

Medicineconductedareviewofforty-onepublishedstudiescomparingthe

nutritionalvalueoforganicallygrownandconventionallygrownfruits,

vegetables,andgrains,andconcludedthattherearesignificantlymoreof

certainnutrients,includingiron,vitaminC,phosphorus,andmagnesium,in

organicfoodscrops.

Organicfoodsalsocannotbetamperedwithforgeneticengineering(GE)

ormadeintoGMOfoods,ofwhichwefullyunderstandthedetrimental

andlong-termrepercussions.

Choosingorganicisalsothebestthingtodotosupportfarmingthatisin

harmonywithnature,whichincludescroprotationforhealthiersoil,more

biodiversity,andbettersupportforthelargerecosystem.Ithelpstoreduce

pollutionandprotectsourwaterandsoilfromagriculturalchemicals,

pesticides,andfertilizersthatcontaminateourenvironmentandallthe

otherspeciesthatalsocallEarththeirhomeaswell.

Ifbudgetisanoption,pleaseconsulttheEnvironmentalWorking

Group’s(www.ewg.org)listoftheDirtyDozenandtheCleanFifteenfor

guidanceonthemostimportantfoodstoputyourdollarstoward.

FREQUENTLYUSEDINGREDIENTSANDWHERETOFINDTHEM

Someingredientsusedinourrecipesmightbelessfamiliar.Iwanttobe

suretohighlighttheminthissectionsoyoucanstartfeelingcomfortable

(i.e.,becomefriends!)withthem.Iincludesomeinformationonwhythey

arespecialandtipsonwheretofindthemforyourownkitchen.

ACAI.Acaiberriesaresuperhighinantioxidants,vitaminC,detoxifying

fiber,andmineralssuchaspotassiumandcalcium,andarenaturallysugar-

free.Acaicanbepurchasedinsmoothiepacketsinthefrozen-fruitsection.

Myfavoritebrand,whichI’vebeenusingforyears,istheSambazon

unsweetenedvariety.

ALMONDBUTTER.Almondsareanexcellentbeautyfood,fullofminerals,

antioxidants,vitaminE,andprotein.Youcanfindalmondbutterinthe

nut-buttersectionofmarkets,orevenmadefreshatyourlocal

supermarket!

ALMONDFLOUR.Thisgluten-freeflourishighinfiberandprotein,which

benefitsdigestionandhealthyweightloss.Italsopromoteshearthealthand

energylevels,andcanbefoundinthebakingsectionwithotherfloursor

online.

ALMONDMILK.AgreatsourceofcalciumandvitaminE.Madefromblending

themightyalmondwithwaterandthensqueezingoutthepulp,itreduces

bloodpressure,strengthensmuscles,andimproveskidneyhealth.Itiseasy

toprepareyourself(seethispage)ortosourceatagrocerystoreinthe

milkssection.

ALOEJUICE.Sourcedfromthesuperresilient,beautifulaloeplant,thisjuiceis

extremelyhydratingandhighlyalkaline.Itimprovesliverfunctionandaids

inriddingthebodyoftoxicwaste.Italsocontainsenzymesthathelpbreak

downfatsandsugarstoimprovedigestion.Aloejuicecanbefoundata

healthmarketoronline.

ANISEEDS.Theseseedsaresimilarinflavortolicoricerootandregulateblood

sugar,blockthegrowthoffungusandbacteria,andhavebeenused

medicinallytoaidindigestiveandhormonalproblems.Aniseedscanbe

foundinthespicesectionofmarketsoronline.

ARROWROOTPOWDER.Thisrootstarchactsasathickenerandisanimportant

ingredientingluten-freebakingrecipes.Ithasbeenknowntoboost

immunefunctionandfightfoodborneallergens.Youcanfindthisinthe

bakingsectionofyourlocalhealthfoodstoreoronline.

ASHWAGANDHA.Thisisapowerfulrejuvenatingherbthathastheabilityto

relievestressandprotectbraincellsagainsttheeffectsofourfast-paced

lifestyle.What’sevenmorespecialaboutashwagandhaisthatitdoesnot

actasastimulant.Thisherbcanmosteasilybesourcedathealthfood

marketsoronline.Alongwithotherherbs,it’simportanttosourceonly

organic.

BEEPOLLEN.Beepollenisapproximately25percentcompletebioavailable

protein(50percentmoreproteinbyweightthanbeef).Inaddition,bee

pollenprovidesmorethanadozenvitamins,includingBvitamins,twenty-

eightminerals,enzymesorcoenzymes,beneficialfattyacids,and

antioxidants.Thebestplacetogetbeepollenisfromalocal,ethical

beekeeperwhotreatshisorherbeeswithloveandcare!

BLACKPEPPER.SeeFreshlygroundblackpepper(versuspreground).

BROWNRICEFLOUR.Thisflourisanutritious,naturallygluten-freealternative

towhiteflour.Itisrichiniron,fiber,vitaminB,manganese,andprotein.If

youhavenotyettriedbrownriceflour,youwillfindithasafuller,nuttier

flavorthanwheatflour.Itcanbefoundatyourlocalhealthfoodstorein

thebakingsection.

CACAO.Cacaoistherawformofthecacaobean,whichislessprocessed—

andhaspowerfulantioxidanteffectsandhealthbenefits.Cacaoalso

containsanandamide,aneurotransmittercalledthe“blissmolecule.”You

maychoosetopurchasecacaoatanyhealthfoodstoreoronline.Besureto

sourceorganic!

CARDAMOM.Thisspiceisexcellentformuscleandjointpainand

gastrointestinaldisorders.Theoilsandbiochemicalsincardamomarealso

extremelydetoxifying.Youcanfindpodsaswellasgroundcardamomin

thespicesection.Forourrecipeshere,weareusingground.

CASHEWS.Cashewsareahealthysourceofdietaryfat,whichmeansthey

promotehearthealthandlowerbadcholesterol.Theyarealsohighin

magnesium,whichaidsinthedevelopmentofmuscles,bones,andorgans.

Youcanfindtheminthenutsandseedssectionofmarkets.

CHIASEEDS.Chiaseedsanincredible,cleansourceofomega-3fattyacids.

Theyhaveexcellentcleansinganddetoxifyingproperties,aswellasthe

abilitytohelpmaintainbloodsugarlevelsandaidinweightloss.Theyalso

offerprotein,antioxidants,vitamins,andavarietyofminerals,likecalcium.

Youcanfindchiaseedsatmanymarketstodayinthenutsandseeds

sectionoronline.

CINNAMON.Cinnamonisapotentrejuvenatingspicethatcanboost

metabolism,helpstabilizebloodsugar,curesugarcravingsbetweenmeals,

andcontrolbloodsugarlevels.Itisfullofantioxidantsthatprotectthe

bodyfromoxidativedamageandreduceinflammation.Youcanfind

cinnamoninthespicesection.

COCONUTFLAKES.Coconutflakesareagreattoppingthatcreateacrunchy

textureandcontainasmallamountofphosphorus,iron,carbs,andprotein.

Youcansourcetheminthebakingsectionofmarketsoronline.Lookfor

unsweetenedvarieties.

COCONUTMILK.Thisrich,fattyplantmilkderivesfromtheamazingcoconut.

Itcontainsbeneficialfattyacidssuchaslauricacid,whichhelpincrease

energylevelsandlowerbloodpressure.Itsmedium-chaintriglycerideshelp

provideenergyandburnfat.Youcanfindcoconutmilkinthemilks

section,intheaislewithothercartonsofplantmilks,orintheAsian

sectionofgrocerystores.

COCONUTNECTAR.Thissweetsyrupcontainsuptoseventeenaminoacids,an

abundanceofminerals,andvitaminsBandC.Itisalsolowonthe

glycemicindexandverylowinfructoseincomparisontootherliquid

sweeteners(suchasagave).Youcanfindcoconutnectarinthegrocery

store(lookintheaislewithothersyrupsandhoney)oronline.

COCONUTOIL.Thisoilisexcellentforhigh-heatcookingasithasahigher

smokepoint,meaningitretainsitsintegrityathighertemperatures,and

won’tbreakdownandcreatefreeradicals.Itcanevenboostdigestionand

energyasitcontainsshort-andmedium-chainfattyacids.Youcanfinditat

thegrocerystorenexttoothercookingoils.Lookforunrefined,virgin,

organicvarieties.

COCONUTSUGAR.Thisisagreatalternativetowhitegranulatedsugarbecause

itismuchlowerontheglycemicindex.Itispackedwithvitamins,

minerals,andphytonutrientsandcanbefoundatyourlocalhealthfood

storenexttotheothersugars.

COCONUTYOGURT.Thisdairy-freealternativeispackedwithprobiotics

(though,aswithallyogurts,itdoesnotreplaceanexcellentprobiotics

supplement)andisagreatsourceofbone-buildingcalcium.Youcanfindit

intherefrigeratedyogurtsection.

CORIANDER.Theessentialoilsofborneolandlinaloolincorianderhelpto

promotedigestionandproperliverfunction.Ayurvedaalsobelievesitis

beneficialincreatingbeautifulskinandhealthyhair.Youcanfindground

corianderinthespicesectionofthemarket.

CRANBERRIES.Cranberriesactasanaturaldiureticbystimulatingyourkidneys

toflushexcessivefluidsoutofyourbody,therebyhelpingtoprevent

bloatingandexcesswaterweight.Thisberryisalsofullofantioxidants.For

thetwowayscranberriesareusedintheserecipes,youcansourcethem

driedinthedriedfruitaisleorbulkbins,andalsofrozeninthefrozenfruit

section.

CUMIN.AccordingtoAyurveda,cuminisanexcellentspiceforimproving

digestionandeliminatingtoxins.Youcanfindgroundcumininthespice

section.Wholecuminseedscanalsobesourcedinthespiceaisle,though

theyareabitmorerare,andcanalsobefoundonline.

DATES.Medjooldatesareagreatsourceoffiber,calcium,andarealsorich

incopper,animportantmineralthatthebodyusestohelpabsorbiron,

formcollagenandredbloodcells,createahealthynervoussystem,and

generateenergy.Datescanbefoundinthedried-fruitaisleofmarketsor,

sometimes,intheproducesection.

FIGS.Thetinyseedsoffigsarepackedwithnutrientsthathelpcleansethe

digestivetractoftoxinsandmucus.Excessmucusinthedigestivetract

preventsyourbodyfromabsorbingvitalnutrients,sointegratingfigsisa

must!Figscanbefoundinthedried-fruitsectionofmarketsoronline.

FLAXOIL.Thisoilispackedwithhealthyomega-3sandfattyacidsthat

promotehearthealth,improvemood,anddecreaseinflammation.Flaxoil

canquicklyoxidizeandneedstoberefrigerated.Youcanfinditatyour

localhealthfoodstoreintherefrigeratedsection.

FRESHLYGROUNDBLACKPEPPER.Freshlygroundblackpepperaidsinhealthy

digestionbecauseitincreasesthehydrochloricacidinthestomach.Itis

preferabletogetapeppergrinderandgrindyourpeppercornsfreshinto

recipesformoreflavor,andtopreventthenaturaloilsfromgoingrancid.

Checkoutpeppergrindersandpeppercornsathome-goodsstoresand

groceries.

GARBANZOBEANFLOUR(AKACHICKPEAFLOUR).Thisexcellentgluten-freeflouris

madefromgroundchickpeasandishighinprotein,fiber,andiron.Itacts

asanexcellentbinderinrecipes,eliminatingtheneedforprocessedegg

replacers.It’sinexpensiveandessentialtomakeallthesedeliciousPerfectly

Imperfectrecipes!Lookforgarbanzobeanflourinthebakingsectionof

markets;ifyouhavetroublesourcingitlocally,youcanalwaysorderit

online.

GOJIBERRIES.Thisrenownedberryispackedwithantioxidants,Bvitamins,

andpolysaccharides,haseighteenkindsofaminoacids,andisarichsource

ofpotassiumandfiber.Theberriescontainadaptogensthatincreaseour

resistancetostress,anxiety,andfatigue.Youcanfindgojiberriesatyour

localhealthfoodstoreorinAsianmarkets.It’sfuntogotoChinatownto

findgojiberries!

GUARGUM.Thisgluten-freeandveganpowderismadefromguarbeansand

isusedforthickeningandstabilizingingredientsingluten-freebaking.Itis

alsolowincaloriesandhighinfiber.Itisagreatalternativetoother

emulsifyingagentssuchascarrageenan.Youcanfindthisingredientinthe

bakingsectionofahealthfoodstore.

HEMPMILK.Hempmilkismadefromtheseedsofthehempplantandisa

fantasticplant-basedmilktorotatein.Hempcontainsskin-,heart-,and

brain-supportingomega-3fattyacids,protein,vitamins,andmineralssuch

aszinc.Youcanfinditinthemilkssectionofthemarket,ortrymaking

yourown(seethispage).

HEMPSEEDS.Hempseedsareanincrediblerejuvenationfood.Theyarea

perfectblendofeasilydigestedprotein,essentialomega-3fats,gamma

linolenicacid(GLA),antioxidants,fiber,iron,calcium,zinc,carotene,and

vitamins.Hempseedsareusuallyfoundinthenutsandseedssectionatthe

marketorsometimesinthesupplementsection,ortheycanbesourced

online.

KELPNOODLES.Thissea-vegetable-basednoodleisvirtuallycalorie-freeandis

anamazingall-veggienoodlereplacement.ItcontainsvitaminsAandC,as

wellastheBvitaminsandmineralslikemagnesium,calcium,zinc,and

iron.Kelpnoodlesarefoundsuspendedinwaterinlittlebagsinthe

refrigeratedsectionofhealthfoodmarkets,orlookonline.

LEMONS.Lemonsareoneofthemostdetoxifyingfoodsaround.They

containvitaminCandenzymesthatboosttheliver’sfunctionandtissue

regeneration,whichiskeyforcleansingtheliver,ourmaindetoxifying

organ.Youcanfindlemonsatthegrocerystoreor,dependingwhereyou

live,atyourlocalfarmers’market.

MAPLESYRUP.Thissyrupcontainspolyphenolantioxidantsandaddsarich,

sweettaste.Itislowerontheglycemicindexthanwhitegranulatedsugar

oragave.Youcanfindthissyrupintheaislewiththesweeteners.Besure

tosourcepuremaplesyrupoveronesmixedwithinferiorsweetenerslike

high-fructosecornsyrup!

MILLET.Thisincrediblynutritious,fortifyinggrainistechnicallyaseed.It

containsagreatdealofaminoacidstobuildproteininthebody.Italso

containstheimportantnutrientsofmanganese,magnesium,calcium,zinc,

iron,Bvitamins,vitaminsEandK,andfiber.Youcanfindmilletinthe

bulksectionwiththegrains,orinbagsinthegrainandbeansaisle.

MISOPASTE.Misoisanutritious,rejuvenatingfoodthatcontainsprobiotics

andantioxidantsthatpromoteimmunityandbalancegutbacteria.Thetwo

formsweuseintheserecipesarewhitemiso,whichismadefromsoybeans

thathavebeenfermentedalongwithrice,andredmiso,whichhasalonger

fermentationperiod.Misocanbefoundintherefrigeratedsectionofhealth

foodstoresandatAsianmarkets.

NORISEAWEED.Noriisatypeofseaweedthatismadeintohigh-mineral,

virtuallycalorie-freesheetsthatcanbeusedtorollsushiorasthebasefor

simplelittlewraps(liketheAnandaBurritoinTheBeautyDetoxSolution).It

ispackedwithBvitaminsandiodine,calcium,andiron.Noricanbefound

intheAsiansectionathealthfoodstoresoronline.

NUTRITIONALYEAST.Theseyellowflakesboastanextremelyrichsourceof

easilyassimilatedaminoacidstocreateproteininyourbody,overfourteen

keyminerals,andseventeenvitamins,includingtheBvitamins.Itisoften

fortifiedwithB12,whichhelpstocreatestronghair,nails,andskin,and

fightfatigue.Youcanfindnutritionalyeastinthebinsorsupplementaisle

atyourlocalhealthfoodstoreoronline.

OATS.SeeQuick-cookingoats;Steel-cutoats.

ORGANICSOYCRUMBLES.Organicsoycrumblesaregreatfortransitioningthe

dietfromanimalproteintoplantproteinastheyhaveaheartytextureand

arehighinprotein.Besuretosourceallofyoursoyproductsasorganic

andnon-GMO.Youcanfindsoycrumblesalongsidetofuinthe

refrigeratedsectionofthemarket,whichissometimeslabeledthe“Meat

Alternatives”section.

PUMPKINSEEDS.Theseseedsareanexcellentsourceofzinc,sulfur,and

vitaminA.Theyarealsoarichsourceofessentialfattyacidsandcell-

protectingvitaminsC,E,andK.Pumpkinseedssupplyagoodamountof

protein,alongwithmagnesium,calcium,phosphorus,manganese,copper,

andiron.Youcanfindtheminthenutsandseedssection.

QUICK-COOKINGOATS.Theseareanexcellentsourceofapowerfulfibercalled

beta-glucan,whichhelpsreducebloodsugarandcholesterollevels.Oats

arepackedwithmineralsandvitaminssuchaszinc,iron,andfolate!While

long-cookingsteel-cutoatsareagreatcomplex,energizingfuelsource,

quick-cookingoatsareperfectforacrunchiertextureincertainrecipes,

suchasourWholesomeBananaCrisp(thispage).Youcanfindquick-

cookingoatsinthebulksectionorinthecerealaisle.

QUINOA.Quinoaisstrengtheningwithoutbeingheavyordense.Itisagreat

sourceofproteinandcontainsallnineessentialaminoacids.Italsohappens

tobegluten-free,anti-inflammatory,andhighinminerals.Thisgrain-like

seedcanbefoundinthebulksectionorintheaislewiththericeandpasta.

RAWAPPLECIDERVINEGAR(ACV).Thisisaliverandlymphatictonicthatcanhelp

detoxyourbody.Itnotonlyhelpstobalanceyourbody’spH,butitalso

supportselimination,lymphaticdrainage,andlowerbloodsugarlevels.The

bestapplecidervinegarshouldbemadefromcertifiedorganicapplesand

sourcedraw.Itcaneasilybefoundathealthfoodstoresintheoiland

vinegarsection.

SEASALT.Seasaltisminimallyprocessed,soitsabundanceofdozensoftrace

mineralsremainsintactanditispreferableoverdenaturedtablesalt.Look

forseasaltinthespicesection.

SESAMEOIL.InAyurvedicphilosophy,sesameseedoilisconsideredoneof

themostpowerfullywarmingoils,helpingtoboostcirculationand

metabolism.However,sesameseedoilisarich,concentratedsourceof

omega-6fats,whichmostofusgettoomuchof,soweusethisoil

sparingly.LookforsesameoilalongsideotheroilsorintheAsiansectionat

grocerystores.

SESAMESEEDS.Thesetinyseedsareamazingstorehousesofantioxidants,as

wellasarichsourceofvitaminsandminerals,includingzinc,magnesium,

phosphorus,iron,calcium,andvitaminsBandE.Sesameseedscanbe

sourcedinthenutsandseedssectionofmarketsoronline.

SORGHUMFLOUR.ThisflouroriginatedinAfricathousandsofyearsago,and

sorghumisthefifthmostimportantcerealcropintheworld.Sorghum

flour,animportantcomponentoftheKSGluten-FreeFlourMix(this

page),isgluten-free,non-GMO,andlowontheglycemicindex,which

makesiteasilydigestibleandhelpsbalancebloodsugarandfight

inflammation.Itcontainsprotein,iron,fiber,andantioxidants,andcreates

slower,moresustainedenergyburn-off.Lookforitinthebakingsectionof

markets,wheregluten-freeproductsarebecomingmoreprevalent,or

online.

SPIRULINA.Spirulinaisapowerfulrejuvenatingfoodthathelpsusrestoreour

hairandskinhealth,improvesbrainfunction,andboostsimmunityand

overallhealth.Spirulinaisoneofthemostcompletefoodsourcesinthe

world,withoveronehundrednutrientsandgreaterthan60percentprotein

content.Youcansourcespirulinaonlineorinthesupplementor

superfoodssectionofahealthfoodstore.

STEEL-CUTOATS.Steel-cutoatsareminimallyprocessed,beingcutafewtimes

butnotprecooked.Assuch,theytendtoretainahigheramountofprotein

andfiber,andprovidelong-burningenergy.Theysupply7gramsofprotein

per¼cupserving,aswellasfiber,iron,andBvitamins.Steel-cutoatscan

befoundingrocerystoresinthecerealaisleorinthebulksection.

SUNFLOWERSEEDS.TheseseedsarehighinvitaminE,whichridsthebodyof

freeradicalsthatcausecellulardamage.Theyalsocontainselenium,which

promotesDNArepair.Youcansourcesunflowerseedsinthenutsand

seedssectionorinthebulksection.

TAHINI.Tahiniismadefromsesameseeds,whichprovidebothhealthyfats

andessentialaminoacids—thebuildingblocksofprotein.Tahinialso

providesvitaminE,Bvitamins,traceminerals,andfattyacids.Youwill

alsoreceiveyourdailycopper—neededtomaintainnerve,bone,and

metabolichealth.Lookfortahiniinthenut-buttersectionofthemarket.

TAMARI.Thisisagluten-freepremiumsoysaucethathasmorenutrientsand

proteinbecauseofthewayitisfermented.YoucanfinditatAsian

markets,aswellasnexttothetraditionalsoysaucesatthegrocerystore.

TAPIOCAFLOUR.Thisflourhelpsboostenergylevelsandishighiniron,which

increasescirculation.Itisagreatsourceofgluten-freefiber,whichalso

promoteshealthydigestion.Itcanbefoundatyourlocalhealthfoodstore

inthebakingsectionor,ifyouhaveanytroublefindingitthere,online.

TEFFFLOUR.Teffisawonderfulgluten-freegrainthatisfortifyingand

containsagooddealofprotein.Italsocontainsfiberandmineralssuchas

iron,calcium,andmanganese.ItisanimportantingredientinourKS

Gluten-FreeFlourMix(thispage),andisalsousedtomakegluten-free

wraps.Youcanfindthisinthebakingsectionatyourlocalhealthfood

storeoronline.

TEMPEH,NON-GMOORGANIC.Tempehisavitality-supportingfermentedformof

soythatissuperhighinproteinandmoreeasilydigestedandassimilated.It

canbefoundintherefrigeratedsectionofmarkets,nexttotofuand

sometimesmeat,orsometimesinasectionlabeled“MeatAlternatives.”

TOFU,NON-GMOORGANIC.Tofuisanexcellentsourceofplant-basedprotein,

containingallnineessentialaminoacidsaswellasvariousminerals.For

moreinformationonorganicsoy,seethispage.Youcanfindtofuinthe

refrigeratedsection.Itisessentialtopurchaseonlytofuthatislabelednon-

GMOandorganic.

TURMERIC.Thispowerfulfortifyingspiceisanti-inflammatory,duetoa

compounditcontainscalledcurcumin.Ithelpstoprotectourcellular

integrity,cleansetheblood,andcreatehealthybloodflow,whichinturn

givesusglowingskin.Youcanfindgroundturmeric,whichiswhatis

calledforintheserecipes,inthespicesectionofthemarket.

VANILLAEXTRACT.Vanillaextractissourcedfromvanillabeans,whichare

growninavine-likeplantthatclimbsuptrees.Itcontainsantioxidantsthat

protectthebodyandreduceinflammation.Youcanfindvanillaextractin

thebakingsection.

VEGANCHEESE.Vegancheesecanbemadefrompeaprotein,soy,nuts,seeds,

vegetableoils,nutritionalyeast,orflours.Whileitisprocessedandisnota

wholefood,itisstillanexcellenttransitionfoodthatcanbeenjoyed

occasionallyasadairyreplacementy.BrandssuchasDaiyaorFollowYour

Heartarebecomingmoreavailableinthedairysectionofthegrocerystore.

VEGANPROTEINPOWDER.Veganproteinpowderisasuperioroptionoverother

varieties,asitiseasytodigestandassimilate.Ipersonallyrecommendonly

high-qualitynon-GMO,organic,plant-basedoptions.Lookforveganor

plant-basedproteinpowdersinthesupplementsectionofhealthfoodstores

andalsoonline.

YOUNGCOCONUT.Somekeynutrientscontainedincoconutarelauricacid,

iron,potassium,magnesium,andcalcium.Potassiumisanelectrolytethat

helpstofacilitatecellularcleansingandisabouttwiceasconcentratedin

coconutwaterasinabanana.Youcanbuyyoungcoconuts,whichcontain

theirnaturalmeatandwater,intheproducesectionofhealthfoodstoresor

inAsianmarkets.

Acknowledgments

Thegreatestgratitudegoestomyincrediblefriendandeditor,GaryJansen.

Gary,thankyousomuchforhelpingmeorganizemyideas,guidingthis

booktohowitistoday,believingstronglyinmeandmywork,andontop

ofallthat,simplybeingaclosefriendwhoIlovesomuch.Ihavethe

deepestrespectforyourbrillianceandbright,sensitivespirit.Youarethe

best!Thankyou,thankyou.

AndanenormousroundofthankstoAaronWehner,DianaBaroni,

TammyBlake,ChristinaFoxley,BrianneSperber,PatriciaShaw,Jennifer

Wang,MarysarahQuinn,StephanieHuntwork,AshleyHong,Heather

Williamson,andalltheotheramazingmembersontheHarmonyPenguin

RandomHouseteam,foryourcollaborationandbeliefinme,andfor

bringingthisbookoutintotheworld.

InfinitegratitudegoestomySollunateam,especiallyJohnPisani,my

long-termbusinesspartner.John,thankyouforbeingarockofsupport,

love,andwisdom,always.Iloveyouback.AndthankyoutomyGoddess

teammembers,especiallyKatelynHughes(akaEarthMama),for

embodyingthelight,love,andmissioninaction.Andtoalltherestofmy

belovedteam.Oursacredcircleissomagical.

Hugethank-youtoToddRubinsteinforsogenerouslyofferingupyour

beautifulAppleCreekRanchforourteamtocampoutandshootallthese

photos.ThankyoutoDiegoSaenzforsolovinglyanddiligentlyhelping

metestalltheserecipes!ThankyoutoYlvaErevall,mylongtimedear

friendandphotographerextraordinairewhoshotthecoverandmanyof

thesephotos,aswellasVictoriaWallHarris,forshootingsomeofthe

thesephotos,aswellasVictoriaWallHarris,forshootingsomeofthe

othergreatshotsthatlinethesepages.

Therearenotenoughwordstothankmyvillage.Thankyou—sending

somuchlovetoyou,Dad/Lolo.Iamsogratefultoyouforbeingsuchan

amazingfather,andforustohavethisspecialtimetogetherwhereyouget

toseeEEeveryday.Whatablessing.AndMom,inthespiritworld,Ifeel

yourloveeverydayandloveyoumorethanever.Thankyou,Laura

Pringle,dearfriendandsoulsisterwhoheldthespaceandhelpedmereally

connectbackwithmyself,andwhoalsoprovidedsomeinputforthisbook.

YouareamazingandIloveyou!AndTita,foryourlovingandpatient

presence,andformaintainingourhomeduringthiswholebookprocess

andMom’spassing,aswellasAuntieandallmydearMamaandother

friends.EspeciallyMaki,Esther,Kela,andAni.AndJustinCavaJones,for

inspiringmewithyourlifeandteachings.Thankyou,Mick,forsharingan

amazingpartofthejourneytogether,andforbeingagreatco-parentand

dad.Iloveyoualways.

Last,butnotleast,infinitegratitudetoBubby,mylittleangelprince.

Youaresuchapowerful,delicious,joyfulteachertome,andIloveyou

beyondwords.

WeareallpartoftheOneSpirit.

—ParamahansaYogananda

AbouttheAuthor

KimberlySnyderisthefounderofSolluna,aholisticlifestylebrand,leader

ofthe#FeelGoodMovement,andthemulti-timeNewYorkTimes

bestsellingauthoroftheBeautyDetoxbookseriesandofRadicalBeauty,

cowrittenwithDeepakChopra.

Anin-demandworldwidespeaker,Snyderalsohoststhetop-ratedFeel

GoodwithKimberlySnyderpodcast,whichairsonthePodcastOnenetwork.

In2018,sheopenedtheSollunaorganicjuiceandsmoothiebaratthe

iconicFourSeasonsHotelinBeverlyHills,LosAngeles.

Acertifiednutritionist,Snyderhasworkedwiththeentertainment

industries’topcelebrities,includingDrewBarrymore,KerryWashington,

ReeseWitherspoon,andChanningTatum,amongmanyothers.Ahighly

sought-afterlifestyle-and-wellnessexpert,Snyderhasbeenfeaturedin

mediaoutletsthatincludeEllen,Today,TheDr.OzShow,theNewYork

Times,Vogue,VanityFair,theWallStreetJournal,Elle,andInStyle.Sheisa

memberoftheWellnessCouncilforWell+Goodandwasnamedoneof

thetop“results-orientednutritionists”byVogue.

SnyderisamemberoftheBoardofAdvisorsforVisionaryWomen,a

nonprofitorganizationthatsupportstheempowermentofwomen.Shealso

workswiththeSeedsofHopecharity,whichfocusesonbuilding

sustainablevegetablegardensinLosAngelespublicschools.

AftergraduatingmagnacumlaudefromGeorgetownUniversity,Snyder

didn’tchooseanordinarypath.Instead,sheembarkedonathree-yearsolo

didn’tchooseanordinarypath.Instead,sheembarkedonathree-yearsolo

journeyspanningmorethanfiftycountries.Thisexposedhertoawide

rangeofhealth-and-beautymodalities,conventionalandunconventional

teachers,andworldviewsfromdifferentcultures.Thisexperienceinspired

herlife’sjourneyintowellness.

Shecontinuedherstudiesatvariousotherlocations,includingthe

AmericanUniversityofComplementaryMedicine,whereshecompleteda

four-yearAyurvedicpractitionerprogram.

ApassionatepractitionerofKriyaYogameditation,worldadventurer,

andmama,Snyderhasdedicatedherlifetoinspiringandhelpingothers

realizeamorejoyfullifebyembracingwhotheyarethroughallthecycles

oftheirlives.

ParamahansaYogananda’ssite(myguruandthemeditationIpractice):yogananda-srf.org.

Gary’samazingspiritualbooksandlectureinfo:garyjansen.com.

Laura’sintuitivecoachingandworkshops:laurapringle.com.

OurmissionatSollunaistohelpyoudevelopalifestylethatpromoteshealth,wholeness,self-acceptance,healing,andinclusionforall.

Solluna,aunitingofthesunandmoon,meanslivinginharmonywiththerhythmsofMotherNaturewhileembracingallthecyclesoflife-thehighsandlowsandallthemomentsin-between.

WeareindividualsandweareOne.Asacommunity,wemeetoneanotherwhereweareinlife.Throughourmessaging,products,practices,andthe#FEELGOODMOVEMENT,wearededicatedtoempoweringyouinrealizingamorejoyfullifebyembracingyourselfandyourdreams.

SOLLUNAPRINCIPLES

UnconditionalLove

AcceptanceandCompassion

SoftandGentleisPowerfulwithClarityServicetoAll

NonjudgmentofSelfandOthersEveryone'sJourneyisUniqueBeautyandAppreciation

Oneness

THE#FEELGOODMOVEMENT

FEELINGGOODisnotabouthavingapicture-perfectlifewithaflawlessbody,job,family,andsoon.That'salloutsidestuffWecanhavethosethingsandstillfeeldeeplyunhappy.Soit'snotaboutwhatwehave,butratherfindingalevelofinnerpeaceinourperfectlyimperfectlives.

Yes,wecanstriveforimprovement.Yetatthesametime,wecanlivefromaplaceofunderstandingthatnomatterhowwelookorwhatwedo,we'realreadywhole,complete,andokayasweare.

FEELINGGOODisaboutacceptingourinnercompass,whichcanguideusinmakingdecisionsandtuningoutthecomparisons,overanalyzing,self-doubt,andpretendingthatcausessomuchturmoilinourlives.

Sharingourjourneysisapowerfulwaytoembracewhoweare.Postyourstoryandtagusinyourphotos,videos,andstories.Wewanttobethereforyourhighsandlows,andallthemomentsin-between.

#mysolluna#feelgoodmovement@sollunabyks

Forsupplements,skincare,digitalprograms,andtojoinourFeelGoodCircleandcommunity,goto♥:mysolluna.com

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