Vegetarian and Natural Food Classes

Time to learn how to create beautiful, healthy and simple meals.

Spring is the perfect time to get into the swing of cleaning up the body, mind and house. So what better way to do this than learn how to make some beautiful and different meals that will not only keep you well and full of bounce but impress anyone that happens to share the results with you.

Upcoming Vegetarian Cooking Classes:
When: Wednesday 23rd September, 11.30am - 2.00pm.
Cost: $95.00 including notes, a book, the most delicious lunch (which you have watched being created), inspiration and samples to take home.
Where: This workshop will take place at 107 Evans Road, Cooroy - Sunshine Ridge.

To book your place please check the website www.bewell.com.au or call Annie on 0402 166 187 to pre-pay and reserve your seat.

Next workshops, all the same time during the day (11.30am - 2.00pm) are as follows:
Wednesday 7th October, Wednesday 14th October, Wednesday 11th November and Thursday 19th November.

Cairns Events: The In's and Out's of Bowel Health - Tuesday 20th October. 7.00pm. Venue yet to be confirmed. Time 7.00pm. sharp. Cost $25.00. Includes notes and chance to win a door prize - Consultation with Annie Clark.

Phone Annie for more information and details of how to pay for this event or email Annie at annieclark@iprimus.com.au .
Thank you.

Spring Clean Your Body, Mind and House

Is it possible to create a new you in five days?

I'm happy to say it is possible with a well designed plan. First you must identify what you do each day that actually makes a positive difference to your wellbeing and what it is that has the opposite effect.

How to get ready for your 5 day 'spring clean'

For five days prior to the Five days of action, write down a diary of your physical, mental and emotional patterns. Keep a record of what you eat and drink and even what you think over this same period, and also make a note of your sleep. Note the time you go to bed and wake up, then review it at the end of the five day period. You will notice some interesting patterns. Perhaps on the low energy, grumpy day you were short on sleep from the night before, perhaps watched too much television or didn't drink enough water. You may also have experienced some emotional trauma or ate too much sugar or fermented type foods. You may of dealt with a difficult or stressful situation, moved house or lost someone close to you.

There are all sorts of possibilities and outcomes available to you and once you observe yourself over a period of time, then you can identify where the problem times zones are and make some effort to change or alter the patterns. Armed with your identified patterns you can now go into the next five day period and twig things a little to improve your wellbeing. Here is an example of a typical first day of the five day plan, which will get you closer to a 'new you'.

LETS GET STARTED!

DAY ONE: Start your day with a nutrient rich chlorophyll drink like green barley or wheat grass, carrot juice, pineapple or paw paw juice. Take some sort of pre-biotic for healthy internal assistance. Walk for approximately 1/'2 hour to 40 minutes and do some light stretching or yoga before or after the walk. Drink several glasses of purified water. Have a breakfast of chopped paw paw, either on its own or with some yoghurt. Alternatively have some soaked muesli. (soak muesli in hot water - add a little honey if needed)
Lunch: have 2 glasses of purified water, and then have a lovely open salad with some sunflower seeds, avocado, cucumber, fresh greens like spinach, sorrel lettuce, herbs of choice, yellow or red capsicum, sliced finely. Be sure to add plenty of sprouts.
Dinner: enjoy a warming corn and potatoes soup with gluten free croutons. More water - allowing a suitable gap between eating and drinking. Get to bed or at least horizontal before 9.00pm. Take some time to read positive and uplifting information. Be mindful and avoid getting stuck in front of the TV watching crime shows which only leave your mind in a negative state. Just before sleep, concentrate on your breathing and think about all the things you are grateful for, there are many if you have the eyes to read this.

This is only day one, just imagine how good the next 4 days will be if you are this kind to yourself. Allow some time for defragging (just like the computer), as there is always tomorrow to finish off those left over's, don't put too much food on your plate, you will only exhaust your digestive system. Try having the majority of your calories in the middle of the day and a smaller meal at night.

What about those other four days? You will just have to call me to find out more. But here are 3 firm rules that help you to facilitate change.

One. Decide! Yes, that's right, decide that you are going to change your body and soul in 5 days, and believe it can happen.

Two. Implement! Implement the plan without delay. This is crucial to your success. So once you decide you want a new you, vibrant and healthy in 5 days, you are half way there, then when you implement the strategy, which is recording your patterns, you are 3/4 of the way there.

Three. Review! Review your thoughts, food and activities. Observe how you react to every day occurrences. By implementing these 3 rules you are on your way to changing your body, mind and soul for the better. It's exciting to watch from my position and even more exciting to experience when you are in the middle of it. Changing and discovering you hold the key to inner joy and wisdom.

Decide, Implement and Review. This is how you create a new you in 5 days. You may need a little help with this, so give me a call on and I'll be happy to guide you through this process.

What's Behind Flatulance and Other Digestive Disorders?

As the author of ‘The Poo in You’ people ask me all sorts of questions about the bowel and digestion. Like; 'Is farting a good or bad thing?' How can I get rid of the bloated feeling? How do I get a flat stomach? Do I have to give up my favourite foods in order to have better digestion? Rather than give you a technical answer to any of the above questions, I prefer to take the enquirer on a journey of identifying their inner workings, so that they are confident about how their body works and what it all means. So lets tackle the first question. Is farting a good or a bad thing?

Farting or Flatulence is not a bad thing, it is the by-product of eating certain combinations, and can happen with movement within the body and physical exertion. It's when the flatulence stinks, that you need to be concerned. This tells me very clearly that there is a problem, what I call 'Fire in the hull', 'heat in the belly', 'fermentation in the gut', which equals 'slow transit time'. So if the food is hanging around in the stomach too long or small intestine, you will get fermentation, which can equal stagmentation, constipation and dehydration, which causes smelly wind and other issues. Sometimes people just get the food combinations wrong. So they are eating good healthy food, but in the wrong order, which contributes to the digestive upsets later. An example of a good combination would be to eat the fruit salad first, as an entree before the main meal. That way the fruit doesn't ferment the rest of the meal, like it would if you had it after the meal. Yes that's right fruit can be a problem when it is eaten with other foods, like meat, dairy and grains.

Eating meat with potatoes and gravy is another digestive disaster. I know our fathers and their fathers did this before us and seemed to be okay, but were they? The potatoes are best served with other leafy green vegetables, and the meat is best served with leafy greens (if you must eat the meat at all). I have a book entitled ‘Two Weeks to Better Health’, which goes into food combining more, but for the sake of getting this message over to you now, keep the food combinations simple, that way it is less work on the internal employees, which is what I call your digestive organs and enzymes.

There are several gates to respect when it comes to evaluating the digestive system. The first one is the mouth. Most people make huge errors with their eating, right here in the mouth. They eat too fast, they don't chew their food and they wash the food down with inappropriate liquids, which only dilute the digestive juices, so needed for the task of helping to break down, identify and then distribute the chemistry of the food throughout the body. The best gift you can give yourself when eating a meal is to 'slow down'. Chew that food until it is almost a liquid. This action alone could add years to your life.

Our bodies come complete with a septic tank, which like domestic septic tanks need to be looked after, and occasionally be serviced. Most people don't want to think of their bodies as a holding bay for 'waste', 'shit' or faeces, what ever you want to call it, but it is. Cancer and all diseases manifest from an inefficient waste disposal system. Get that right and you have a chance of living not only a healthier life, but also a longer life.

The Ins and Outs of Bowel Health - Workshop Cairns August 6

According to Bowel Cancer Australia, 1 in 12 people develop bowel cancer by the age of 85 and 80 Australians loose their lives each week to the disease.

Our bowel is responsible for so many other symptoms from fatigue and poor energy levels to bloating commonly experienced after eating. Most of these problems can be alleviated quite simply, and I am visiting my home town of Cairns to share how with local residents. I lived in Kuranda for 10 years, and prior to that 10 years around the Clifton Beach area in North Queensland.

I will be speaking at Healthy Inspirations on August 6 about the causes of digestive problems, including how to walk around with a flat stomach and how to actually eat more and still lose weight. After the workshop you will leave understanding the link between the brain and the bowel, longevity and better immunity including how to stop a cold or flu dead in its tracks. The most important thing you will learn is that you can add years to your life simply by understanding and respecting your digestive system.

I am inviting you to learn more about this underrated part of the body on, August 6 at Healthy Inspirations, 20 Connection Road, Redlynch. Seats are limited. Phone 0402 166 187 to book your place today.

Nature's Anti-Aging Bounty

I've been thinking a lot lately about 'Aging', probably because I'm in that 'baby - boomer' age group and also because I work so closely with people who are aging, some beautifully and some not so well.

Foods that turn back the clock

So how do we turn the clock around? How do we avoid aging before our time and being over run by free radical activity. I nearly over looked something, but now I'm really taking it serious and seeing the results. I've come across some amazing information about OPC's (Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins) - big words, with big action attached to them. What particularly interested me about them is the way they were discovered and where you get them from. Main food sources that are high in OPC content are - in this order - Red wine, berries (blueberry, cranberry (red bilberry) and lingonberry, barley, rose hips, bean hulls, chocolate (yep you got it, Chocolate) turmeric (curcuminoids), rhubarb (I can smell that rhubarb crumble now), apples and sorghum. Now the botanical sources from most to least OPC content, include: Grape seed, white pine, bilberry leaf, witch hazel, horse chestnut, hawthorn leaf, gingko leaf, birch leaf and black jack oak.

What to avoid that ages your body

Everyday sources of Free Radicals - Food preservatives, highly processed foods like hot chips (sorry), UV radiation induces free radical formation in our skin, which may lead to skin cancer. Modern day conveniences including cell phones and microwave ovens - along with x-rays and other radiation sources, promote increased free radical activity. Fatty foods increase levels of LDL, cholesterol in blood, which are readily oxidized by free radicals. Wow, seems like we have heaps of this sort of food in out diet?

If that is what you are eating, then its time to look at OPC's and make some changes - fresh salads, more fruit, long walks and peaceful times during the day, and use the mobile phone on speaker more!

Helping you to live longer...
Annie

Do You Need a Lifestyle Overhaul?

There is much excitement around our future events, especially the C.A.R.E Lifestyle Health Retreat. This retreat is due to take place on the 10th November, and will be a very generous, supporting experience for anyone who just wants to receive some care, pampering, like minded friends, massage, organic vegetarian food, yoga and so much more. We have some great guest speakers lined up, and awesome therapists that will spoil the individual with good old fashioned love and understanding. This retreat is all about YOU. For more information check out the website www.lifestylehealthretreats.com and make it happen for you.

Tips for Great Bowel Health

Want great bowel health? Start drinking more warm water throughout the day. Make sure it is purified water and sip it slowly. Be sure not to drink while you are eating, except of course if it is veggie soup, that's completely different. Imagine your food breaking down in your stomach and being distributed throughout the body to all the areas where it is needed, for energy and nutrition. Use more Vitamin E in winter. This is a very efficient antioxidant and often gets over looked in a supplementation program.

Join me in Cooroy or Cairns for The Ins and Outs of Bowel Health . You will leave understanding the link between the brain and the bowel, longevity and better immunity including how to stop a cold or flu dead in its tracks. You will even find out how to have a flat stomach after eating!

The most important thing you will learn is that you can add years to your life simply by understanding and respecting your digestive system.

Cooroy July 15 at Sunrise Ridge
Cairns August 6 at Healthy Inspirations

To book give me a call on 0402 166 187, I'd love to meet you!

Or if you want to know more about your bowel health, check out my book 'The Poo in You' at my website www.bewell.com.au