Dr. Christiane Northrup on Letting Food Inspire
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 12:56 Written by Urban Zen Monday, 19 March 2012 06:28
“Food is the most intimate thing you can buy…Unlike clothes and shoes that dress the outside, food goes into your body and builds who you become.”
— Ani Phyo
I love this quote. It is the essence of what I mean when I talk about eating to flourish. Think about it and let it sink in. Making decisions about your health takes on a whole new meaning when you know what you want to do with your life and who you want to be, doesn’t it?
Let’s talk about diet, exercise, and weight for a moment. I’ve studied nutrition, different diets, and medical studies for 45 years. And, I’ve been asked the how-to’s of weight loss many times. Here’s a summary of what I’ve learned over the last 15 years or so. It’s clear that maintaining a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or under is best. Eating low-glycemic foods is also very important, because it keeps your blood sugar from spiking. Rapid changes in blood sugar levels stimulate cravings, which leads to weight gain, and increase the likelihood of systemic inflammation. This in turn can lead to all kinds of chronic degenerative diseases, including type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Finally, it’s almost impossible to stay trim without exercising. Luckily, a little exercise goes a long way.
No one can refute these facts. But ultimately, reaching and maintaining healthy body composition and vibrant health through the right food choices happens in both your mind and body. Trust me—merely sticking to the latest fad diet or reaching for the perfect BMI won’t bring about the transformation. It is, indeed, personal.
UZIT Nutrition Weekend: We Are Expressions of What We Eat
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 11:02 Written by Ali Schechter Monday, 27 February 2012 05:53
Though there is no straight formula to getting and staying healthy, there is one principle that all speakers at this weekend’s Urban Zen Integrative Therapy program supported in their own way: food is medicine, and what we put into our bodies directly determines our health. There is no way around it: we are expressions of what we eat.
This may sound obvious, because it is. It is so obvious that one can’t help but drop a jaw at the current epidemic of nutritional ignorance in our country. Soaring rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and more are all byproducts of this fundamental disconnect between us and our food. Our inbred agricultural system thrives on keeping people disempowered and under a spell of sugar and starch, while pharmaceutical companies swoop in to Band-Aid the aftermath. Instead of breaking down our food–our food is literally breaking down us.
Things need to change, and we have the power to speed up that process by how we spend our dollar. People all over the world are coming up with solutions to our current out-of-sync state, and we had the pleasure of hearing from a handful of luminaries this weekend, including Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Mark Hyman, among others. Perfectly setting the tone for the enlightening conversations were the beautiful nutrition images donated by Matt Armedariz, Helene Dujardin and Lindsay Moris that were projected throughout the Urban Zen Center.
First, though, we heard from incredible innovators Brooklyn Grange, an organization building commercial organic farms on New York City rooftops. Entering its third season, Brooklyn Grange will expand this spring to a second rooftop farm (45,000 square feet) in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Yes, there will be a CSA. I get giddy imagining all the fresh (and seriously local!) produce made possible by these visionaries.
Next we learned from Brian Halweil, a senior fellow at the Worldwatch Institiute, co-Director of Nourishing the Planet and editor of East End Edible Magazine. Brian addressed current issues facing the food system on a global scale. Did you know that we produce more food today than ever on this planet? And yet still millions of people live in poverty and hunger. As Africa urbanizes more quickly than anywhere in the world, we will need sustainable urban farming models like Brooklyn Grange. Or cheap ways to fertilize the ground: like the Acacia tree in Kenya weaving Nitrogen into farm soil. Our interconnectedness became clearer and clearer as Brian spoke, outlining farming and food waste solutions from New York City (Check out Tri-State Biodiesel) to Nigeria (see the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s answer to Cowpea Storage). Most importantly, we need to educate our kids, creating models like Stephen Ritz’s “Green Bronx Machine.”
Learn MoreTwitter Party with Dr. Mark Hyman: The Answers to Your Questions
Last Updated on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 04:37 Written by Urban Zen Wednesday, 9 November 2011 04:27
I recently held a Twitter Party in the lead up to the UltraSimple Diet Challenge some of you just completed with me. The party and the challenge were fun opportunities to connect directly with some of you and answer your questions. For those who weren’t able to attend the party, I thought you would be interested to see the kinds of questions and answers that were asked, and I wanted to offer you an opportunity to get your questions answered (see more at the end of this blog for details). So in this blog I have provided extended answers to the questions asked and have tried to thoroughly cover each of the issues raised. I hope you enjoy this fun Q&A with members of our growing community!
Learn MoreDetox Solidarity: The Urban Zen Team Tackles the UltraSimple Diet
Last Updated on Thursday, 27 October 2011 09:06 Written by Urban Zen Friday, 21 October 2011 05:36
In the spirit of community and detox solidarity, the team at Urban Zen has joined forces to tackle Dr. Hyman’s UltraSimple Diet. We’ve read our 7-day Step-by-Step Action Plans, we’ve watched Dr. Hyman’s very helpful DVDs and… we’re ready for the challenge! The promise of eliminating toxins, cooling inflammation, revitalizing health and losing weight is certainly motivating, but creating a community amongst colleagues has made the detox process something to look forward to. This is a detox that requires a full mind/body/spirit commitment and journaling is a big part of the process. So, we thought we would share how we’re feeling with you here. We invite you to read on to see our thoughts, feelings and reactions to the detox.
Learn MoreUsing Food to Navigate Cancer
Last Updated on Thursday, 6 October 2011 06:46 Written by Urban Zen Thursday, 6 October 2011 06:46
This morning the Urban Zen Center was home to a wealth of healing wisdom and hands-on, experiential tools all designed to help patients and loved ones navigate cancer in a way that celebrates life and allows patients to “live beyond their diagnosis.” Designed by Stefanie Sacks, M.S., CNS, the last Food Solutions of 2011 proved to be an invaluable, educational event.
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