It's not all genetics, it's also your choices

Remember, in all those moments when you want to rationalize away your health issues, that: you are in power of your body and not beholden to genetic determinism. As Deepak Chopra explains, "You are in a constant conversation with every cell in your body..."

Furthermore, he insists: "This post is too short for me to detail how such a revolutionary change occurred in genetic thinking, so I will only point to the findings of Dr. Dean Ornish, the country's most respected advocate for heart prevention, which indicate that improving your diet, exercise and stress levels leads to improved genetic output from 400 to 500 genes."

In conclusion, this means that, "you can be the controller of your body's trillions of cells, and the control switch lies in consciousness."

Read the rest of Chopra's HuffPo article here.

Feeling so very loved...

And this is my lifeblood...

My non-hydrogenated baby

At double the price, the glass jar, Italian-imported version of the creamy hazelnut/chocolate spread is well worth the out of town trek and the elevated price-tag.

Gastroporn by way of Trader Joe's: Black bean & veggie tacos

I "kinda sorta" (look at me employing my academic words in non-academic writing) cheated here, but not without good reason. TJ's introduced a cut veggie cooking pack---which I think they actually introduce and re-introduce frequently. This one bursts with a colorful mix of baby carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, red onions and acorn squash. As for the black bean interior, I cooked an organic can of black beans with pico de gallo salsa from my farmer's market, cilantro and tomatoes, and spread it on a blue corn tortilla. And the best part is the topping---a couple of dollops of Greek yogurt---this multipurpose magic murders sour cream any day. Try it and be pleasantly surprised and use the remaining amount to blend a date shake and call it a tex-mex-a-rab fusion night.

Gastroporn by way of Trader Joe's: Ahi Tuna steak salad with veggies and quinoa

In the past year I have been gradually limiting my consumption of all food products that I don't know the ingredients and origins of. Being several steps away from growing my own crops and tending to livestock, I have decided upon exclusively buying food from Trader Joe's (with the exception of produce which I pick up at the farmer's market, local specialty ethnic markets, and random runs to Whole Paycheck for certain unavailable products at TJs). Considering that TJ's plays musical chairs with its inventory and compared to most grocery stores has a modicum amount of products, I thought I would share my attempts at making this formula work for me, by making Trader Joe's Gour-met (said gor-met). Here is what I cooked tonight for dinner:

The ahi tuna steak (pan seared in EVOO and lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon) salad rests on a bed of herb salad sprinkled with Italiana-mama dressing, quinoa sweetened with floral water/olive oil sauteed cranberries and almonds (my chef friend suggests that I try saffron butter next time---so looking forward to it) and rounded out with oregano and basil seasoned farmer's market veggies that were also sauteed in EVOO.

Now, being the overly-elitist quality snob, there are two food items I am having a hard time settling for at TJ's, its EVOO and balsamic vinegar (not to mention the atrocious roasted seeds they call coffee). Any suggestions for the best of EVOO and balsamic vinegar in LA?

"Me, we."

-Muhammad Ali

On presence

"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, It empties today of its strength."

worrying empties one's ability to be present, in the one. my mind fixed on future, with no productive promise for the moment, why do we do it? why does a human animal have a propensity towards worrying?

The Tree of Life

shajara

"a green tree amid dry trees"