Weight challenges

LIVE IT UP eNews!

August 2006

1. About Eating
2. Recipe: Lamb Irish Pie (divine!)

Hi There!

I’ve increased my winter activities with Latin dancing, yoga, and belly-dancing and my body is feeling the effort (I mean effects!) as my hips become more flexible, my sleep is as sound as a baby, and my outlook on life just keeps getting happier and happier! I am so grateful to have all these opportunities and to be able to take advantage of them. I made the Irish Lamb Pie for dinner last night, and it was gloriously delicious. Dennis said to me this morning (again, but who can have too much praise? Certainly not me), “that pie was so good, I keep thinking about it!” I hope you enjoy it.

Warm regards, Narelle

1. About Eating

Eating for so many people is not synonymous with joy, it’s synonymous with comforting themselves or switching off the emotions. You know, in many societies, eating is like a meditation where you focus on the taste of the food on your tongue or the back of your throat, where you savour the texture of food – rolling it around in your mouth to feel it, where the aroma delights your nostrils so they flare excitedly, and you swallow with joyous appreciation for this experience!

How many of us can say we eat like that, taking time to really appreciate and be grateful for the scintillating smells, and tastes and textures of what we are eating?

Most people eat in a hurry, eat to shut down their feelings and eat because they suddenly realise they are starving. Then, they bolt the food down and suffer the consequences.

Your next morsel of food can become your meditation:

• Eat with conscious intent of extracting every cell of deliciousness and goodness from your food.

This is not you, is it?

• Eat slowly, savouring small mouthfuls at a time. A loaded spoon or fork looks ugly and does nothing for the person eating it! A small amount of food in your mouth means you can chew slowly and properly and trigger gastric juices in time to break your food down for thorough absorption.
• Eat small meals over 2.5 to 3 hours, regularly. That way, you will keep your blood sugar levels stable, which stabilises your energy and helps to keep it up, and you will also stabilise your emotion and won’t have as many emotional roller-coasters.
• Eat to savour the aroma, the texture, the taste. Focus your attention on each element, individually.
• Give yourself time, eating well is a process. Taking time to eat well shows the utmost love and respect of yourself. You deserve it.

Why bother with eating like this?

Besides the fact that it’s fun and enjoyable, when you eat good quality protein foods slowly you won’t feel hungry; plus, you will feed and nurture your brain chemistry for happiness and good health.

Protein foods contain amino acids (different ones again to those used by body-builders for bulking up) which are the precursors for endorphins – your happy hormones.

There’s a reason that health departments advocate 2 fruits and 5 vegetables a day besides it being sensible advice. The reason is that you will get the array of vitamins and minerals your body needs for healthy living and healing or regeneration of cells.

Did you know that there are over 100 minerals that our bodies require, and in times of stress, we need even more minerals.

Of course, when people are stressed they either over-eat or under-eat, and the stress response prevents absorption of your food so that you are adequately nourished. Less stress means better absorption and utilisation of nutrients. Simple really.

In short, people with eating challenges may be trying to avoid themselves.

Because your sub-conscious is so powerful in it’s own right, over or under-eating for extensive periods will usually backfire as your sub-conscious develops poor eating routines that become habits that occur automatically, leaving you powerless to change without the help of intervention.

Most people know what they are doing that doesn’t help, and in many cases, why they are behaving as they do, but still cannot change. For change to occur, you can begin to be consciously aware of what changes you would like to make, and praise yourself just for noticing and observing the challenge.

If you need help, please don’t hesitate to call. Change really occurs at the subconscious level, rather than the conscious level, so help is often needed.

Please make contact for any problems associated with eating.

Garden Tip!

To keep your pussy cat out of pot plants or garden beds, put a layer of prickly pine cones. Those prickles are a fine deterrent to your pet using your precious plants as his or her toilet.

2. Recipe: Lamb Irish Pie (divine!)

Even my Irish friend loves this pie!

Lightly coat 1 kg cubed lamb pieces in wholemeal flour, then place a layer of the lamb, layer of sliced carrots, layer of sliced potatoes, and layer of sliced onions in a large casserole dish, then begin layering again with lamb, carrots, potatoes, onion, etcetera until 3 cm below the top.

Mix together 1 cup of Guinness beer, with 3 tbspns Worcestershire (Black) sauce, 1 small tub tomato paste, 4 tspsns mixed herbs, 2 cloves chopped garlic and 4 tbspns chopped fresh parsley.

Pour over the pie layers.  Make a paper pattern of the top of the pie (put aside), then cover and cook in slow oven (160) for 2 ½ to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and checking pie does not get too dry.  If so, just add ¼ cup water and stir through.

Let pie cool down, then, cut a puff pastry lid for the pie (from your paper pattern), and place over the top of the pie.  Cook on 220 to 240 degrees approximately 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with crusty warm bread and butter and green vegetables. Heaven anytime!