becoming whole

How Intentions Manifest

My "Leg Story" is a great example of how intentions manifest. I happened to think about this after reading two articles related to this topic in the February issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.

The first was "Love Story" a heartwarming article by Alice Gorman, a freelance writer living in Maine and Florida. Alice wrote about how she had been in two marriages that had both ended badly. Because of these experiences, she wondered if she was even meant to be in a fulfilling relationship. After a nurturing woman told her to make a list of everything she wanted in a man down to the color of his socks, she thought "Why not? What do I have to lose?" She made her list (her intention) and buried it in her closet. Later she met and married Aubrey, the man of her dreams (he fit 98 percent of her criteria!), and they spent 11 wonderful years together before he passed away. Alice wrote, "Many more joyful years than I had ever imagined possible."

The second Oprah article was by life coach Martha Beck. Martha explained why Alice Gorman's list worked — and what you need to know before you submit your Wish List to the universe.

After reading both articles, I thought about writing my own "list." As many of you know, I'm an amputee (17 years ago). Almost three years ago, I had a revision surgery on my "residual" limb in hopes of making it easier to get fit with a prosthetic leg. After the surgery, I spent two years traveling back and forth to New York every other week to two different prosthetists (who were well-known in the field of prosthetics) with less-than-adequate results. A leg would fit somewhat well in the beginning, but then the fit would soon deteriorate  ... to the point that it caused excruciating leg pain and I was unable to wear it. After the second prosthetist and another year of failed attempts, I was on crutches and one leg.

From February through May 2007, I went about my life (and work) without any hope in sight of finding someone who could make an artificial leg that I could walk on comfortably. I wondered if, for some reason unknown to me, it was just meant to be this way. I had good medical insurance, I was willing to be available for fittings (to put the time & effort into it), I had a good residual limb, I was not overweight (sometimes an issue with fit). I had everything going for me ... but it wasn't working. I was discouraged, but starting to think that maybe this was just not meant to be. Around that time, a life coach recommended I make a list (Martha, you are right!) of the things that I wanted in a prosthetist. On February 27, 2007, I wrote my list.

And I posted a detailed letter of what I wanted in a prosthetist on an amputee Web site. I heard nothing back. So ... I continued my life on one leg and crutches, focusing on what I could do, which was a lot! I was exhausted from two years of traveling and needed to get on with my life ... leg or no leg ... and I did. I did my first five book signings on one leg and crutches. Long colorful skirts became my favorite clothes.

Three months later, through a few sources different sources, I heard about a prosthetist in Orlando, Fla., named Stan Patterson. I called references and found that this man had all that I had asked for on my list: compassion, a good listener, respectful, a can-do attitude, knowledgeable. He's not within a 2-hour drive from me, but it is two hours to Boston's Logan Airport (and now there are flights from Portland, Maine, to Orlando ... a mere 2 1/2 hours). I'm now walking better than I have in 17 years on a prosthesis! And as a bonus I can peddle a bicycle ... beyond my wildest dreams!

Whatever forces are responsible for leading you to what you're seeking, I'm not sure (I think it's angelic) ... but I believe making a list is well worth doing. I believe that, somehow ... putting my intentions out there led me to Stan Patterson, and I'm grateful.

Warren Kramer in Portland, Maine

Boston-area macrobiotic counselor Warren Kramer will be in Portland (Maine) this weekend, Friday-Sunday. We're SO lucky!!

I had the good fortune of meeting Warren almost nine years ago in Portland. He was the macrobiotic counselor who guided me back to good health through his lectures, cooking classes and consultations. Warren also travels to other locations around the country.

I recently read that he's going to be in Austin, Texas, at The Natural Epicurean, a school run by macrobiotic and whole food chef Dawn Pallavi, who I've seen at the Kushi Conference.  To find out if Warren will be traveling to a city near you soon, check out his Travel Schedule at his Web site. Here's what's planned for the weekend:

DINNER & LECTURE: Friday Feb. 1, 6:30-9 p.m. 

What Do Yin and Yang Have to Do With Me?
A practical application in daily life
One of the goals of practicing macrobiotics is to gain the ability to guide one's life in a healthy way.  Yin and yang are simply the tools we use to navigate day-to-day life. Warren will give many examples of how this principle is used in all aspects of life. It will become very clear that macrobiotics is much more than a healthy way of eating and living. 

Come join is for a delicious meal, soup to dessert, followed by an inspiring lecture with Warren.
(Downstairs at The Market House, 28 Monument Square)
 

COOKING CLASS: Sat. Feb. 2, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Understanding  Yin and Yang in the Kitchen
We're all making individual choices about food day to day. What determines these choices? This special cooking class focuses on how to adjust the effects of specific dishes through our understanding of cooking. This is the essence of macrobiotic cooking.
Includes a full lunch.

(Downstairs at The Market House, 28 Monument Square)
 

Cost for both events is $70 in advance, $75 at the door. Cost for either session alone is $40.     

  

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS: Scheduled by appointment on Friday afternoon, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Cost is $250 for an individual 1½ hour initial visit, $200 for an individual follow-up visit.

To register for the dinner/lecture or class or schedule a consult, contact Karen (Dunton) Wildwood at 776-0947 or at mdunton1@maine.rr.com

Tony Gonzalez

Did anyone see this article? Interesting! My friend Patty e-mailed it from The Wall Street Journal Online. The NFL's Tony Gonzalez eats a plant-based diet. His nickname: "China Study!" Thought I'd share it with you:

The 247 lb. Vegan:
NFL Star Tony Gonzalez is out to answer a question: Can a football player live entirely on plants?

By REED ALBERGOTTI
January 25, 2008; Page W1

The protein-rich bounty of the football training table is supposed to grow the biggest and strongest athletes in professional sports. Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez was afraid it was going to kill him. "It's the Catch-22," says Mr. Gonzalez, 31. "Am I going to be unhealthy and play football? Or be healthy and get out of the league?"

So last year, on the eve of the biggest season of his career, Mr. Gonzalez embarked on a diet resolution that smacked head-on with gridiron gospel as old as the leather helmet. He decided to try going vegan.

Living solely on plant food, a combination of nuts, fruits, vegetables, grains and the like, has long been the fringe diet of young rebels and aging nonconformists. Even the government recommends regular helpings of meat, fish and dairy. Vegans of late have gotten more hip with such best sellers as the brash "Skinny Bitch," and its more scholarly cousin, "The China Study." Both books argue vegans can live longer.

But could an all-star National Football League player, all 6-foot, 5-inches and 247 pounds of him, live on a vegan diet and still excel in one of the most punishing jobs in sports?

To read the complete article click here.

Simple Navy Bean Soup & Susan's Legume Affair

This is a soup recipe that I created last Sunday after having Simple White Navy Beans on Saturday evening. I want to show you what can be done with leftovers. Again, it doesn't have to be difficult to eat healthy.

NAVY BEAN SOUP
2 cups of cooked white beans (leftover or canned, may be used occasionally)
1 tablespoon of barley malt or 1/4 cup of sugarless apple butter
1/2 package, or 4 ounces of tempeh, cut into squares (or Fakin Bacon brand tempeh is flavorful)
1 onion, diced
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 cups spring or filtered tap water
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Put all the ingredients (except parsley) into a soup pot. Bring to a boil on high flame, turn to low, cover and simmer (stirring ocassionally) for 30-40 minutes. Add parsley and stir. Serves 6.

Optional: Top with homemade croutons.

I served the soup this with leftover steamed brown rice, blanched snow peas, boiled Maine grown Chioggia beets pickled with lemon juice and steamed Napa cabbage.

Note: Small amounts of cooked beef or chicken easily could be added for family members with this preference.

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Susan, "The Well Seasoned Cook," is having a some fun in honor of National Bean Day. Guidelines for  participation in her event can be found on her site.

On Jan. 6, she wrote: "Today is National Bean Day. I have this on good authority, although based on my research thus far, no one can quite explain how this decidedly un-Hallmark holiday came to be. No matter. I’ve had beans on the brain for quite some time now. After the bacchanalian food feasts of December, a return, however briefly, to a healthier and more economical repast seems an appropriate way to fulfill an unspoken New Year’s resolution without the trauma and guilt of falling off a full-fledged commitment."

How I Overcame My Biggest Addiction ... Coffee

Ten years ago, I was a 3-a-day Tall Coffee Mocha woman (in addition to the couple of cups of home-brewed regular I had every morning, just to get going).

I dreamed of coffee and started collecting coffee cup artwork ... does that ring a bell for anyone? The caffeine kept me awake at night, so I took sleeping pills. I didn't put two and two together ... maybe I didn't want to.

So how did I get off coffee? Well, the fear factor was huge when I was diagnosed in 1998 with stage 3b breast cancer with a poor prognosis. Do I think coffee caused my breast cancer? No, I don't think it was just the coffee — coffee was just included among lots of less-than-healthy foods and lifestyle habits.

I do think coffee helped depress my immune system by enabling me to run on empty, giving me false energy ... energy that I didn't have. I could have chosen, instead, to slow down and rest. Running on caffeine day after day certainly can take its toll on our immune systems ... weakening them and further predisposing us to cancer.

When I got the shocking diagnosis, I knew on a gut level that coffee was one of lots of things that I needed to quit to regain my health.

I started by just stopping drinking it, cold turkey. I had tried many times before, unsuccessfully, because the headaches were too much to bear and I'd end up back to it in less than a week.

This time, I replaced the coffee with organic green tea. It has far less caffeine, but enough to keep my headaches at bay. I started with a few cups and slowly weaned myself down to 1 cup a day. 

After a few months, I learned about macrobiotics, and also about kukicha twig tea. It's made from the twigs of the tea plant and has even less caffeine than green tea. I switched from green to kukicha tea quite easily with only slight headaches that subsided quickly ... and I still enjoy drinking it today.

Don't have a major illness to scare or shock you into action? Then try this strategy:

Week 1: Decrease your consumption by half.
Week 2: Drink green tea instead of coffee.
Week 3: Cut down green tea consumption to once or twice a day.
Week 4: Switch to kukicha tea twice a day.

Then ... either stay at this point, or change to barley tea, which has no caffeine, at Week 5. 

Did I still crave coffee after I made the switch? You bet I did! Just like any other addiction, I also went through psychological cravings. I thought about how deprived I was, reminisced about sitting in coffee shops and fantasized about how wonderful my life had been when I was drinking coffee. Was this true? No, it wasn't! I imagined this to be what an alcoholic goes through when giving up alcohol. The fantasy that life would be better if I had just one cup. And later I slipped and had a cup at times. But after being off it, it made me feel sick after just one cup.

The payoff of making the break from coffee was that I started sleeping better, stopped taking the sleeping pills I'd been on for five years, my intestinal problems got better, and I was no longer jittery. Oh yeah ... and my heart palpitations went away. I stopped that medication too!

Of course, I still like the smell of coffee ... but I keep it at that. I now enjoy herbal tea or green tea if I go out for "coffee" and I enjoy this as much or more because I feel good. If I'm tired, I rest, or not, but I don't drink coffee to keep me running ... running on empty, because that takes a toll.

If I can do it ... anyone can!

Brian Andreas

My daughter Cammie gave me this for my 50th birthday in October and it's on the wall of my kitchen. I really love it ... and her... and the artist, Brian Andreas.

It says ... There are things that you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good.

I'm Walking & it's Fantastic!

This is me walking on the treadmill at Planet Fitness on Sunday. It was fun to go with Tom (he rides the bike, lifts weight and stretches). I did 40 minutes at 3.0 and it felt SO good. I feel this is only the beginning. At one point I was up to 3.5 and at that point the realization came to me ... I feel like running. I'm going to be able to run!

This might be a warm-down speed for some people, but for me (and my prosthetic leg), it's a workout! It felt so good to be tired that night, workout tired. That night I fell asleep with my makeup on. Haven't done that for years ... and because this was the reason, it was a great feeling!

Until recently, it had been years since I was able to walk well on my prosthesis. I'd had a lot of trouble getting my leg "just right," but I've made great strides toward that lately (after a few setbacks and several trips to the prosthetist, etc...) and now the leg is working better than ever.

I was very motivated, I had a "can-do" attitude, and I had surgery to make my residual leg better. But after trying many prosthetists, I was still getting nowhere — the legs were very uncomfortable. Sadly, this situation isn't unusual for AKA's (above-knee amputees).

In June 2007, I finally found an extraordinary person named Stan Patterson, who was willing to listen and take the time to get it right. Stan has developed a new system especially for above-knee amputees. Stan cares about me and ALL of his patients. His bottom line is PEOPLE and he's going beyond the status quo to get amputees walking comfortably and consistently. I am immensely grateful to him because without Stan I'd still be on crutches and one leg.   

So now I have another goal. It might sound like a tall order for someone with an above-the-knee artificial leg, but I'm going to run (or walk fast) by April. I want to participate in a yearly race for people with physical challenges on Long Island, N.Y.

Kombu Seaweed

My friend Happy commented at yesterday's post with some questions about kombu seaweed (also known as a sea vegetable). She got her first-ever bag of Maine Coast Kombu from a Whole Foods Market she traveled quite a distance to, brought it home ... then wondered how to get it from the package to the soup, how to store it afterwards, how long it lasts and how much to eat.

These questions prompted me to pull out the camera, the seaweed, and to stage a little show-and-tell. In the above photo, I placed some Eden brand kombu on the left and Maine Coast wakame on the right. (I only added the wakame to show that I support (and buy) locally when available (the Maine Coast Brand). Two different types and brands that I buy and like. The Eden brand in this case is from Japan ... but back to the picture.) In the foreground is a strip of kombu on the left, and a strip of wakame on right so you can see what it actually looks like out of the bag.

You'll notice that I pulled off a few pieces of kombu, each about the size of a postage stamp, and put one in some water so that you can see what it looks like when it's reconstituted (the seaweed is dried to preserve it). To reconstitute, just place the piece of kombu in some water for a few minutes (maybe 5). Reconstituting makes it easier to cut into small pieces before adding to the soup, and it also washes off extra salt.

So, I know you're thinking, "what about the wakame?" Same deal ... if I were adding to a soup, I'd break off about an inch worth. Sometimes I use kombu; other times I use wakame.

How do I store it afterwards? I either keep it in the plastic bag (the Maine Coast bag is resealable), or I put it in a glass jar with a lid (the same way I store my grains). It keeps for a very long time since it's dried ... I'm guessing a few years, but you'll probably (hopefully!) eat it before then. This would be a great question for the new forum on Maine Coast 's Web site! ... Will it last forever?!

And to answer the question "How much do I eat?" ... Personally, I use the kombu and wakame for cooking beans and to add to soups (helps with digesting the beans) and I only use small amounts ... the general rule with seaweed is more is not better ... a little adds a lot of minerals. If I eat more, it's to eat arame seaweed ... about 1/4 of a cup a serving ... but, that is another post entirely.   

For more sea vegetable and other macrobiotic recipes, a big section of my book, Becoming Whole, The Story of My Complete Recovery From Breast Cancer, (through diet & lifestyle changes) is devoted to recipes (and menu plans)!

Simply Delicious & Nutritious Meal

I'm convinced that it doesn't have to be difficult to eat well. My husband Tom threw about two cups of white navy beans into a pot and covered with water to soak before he left to go skiing on Saturday. When he got home around 3 p.m., he cooked the beans (brought to a boil on high heat, turned to low, then simmered, covered, for an hour) then picked me up at the airport.

When we got home, he asked what he should add to the beans. I said that there was leftover apple butter in the fridge, or that he could throw in a tablespoon of barley malt and maybe some mustard. He chose apple butter, mustard and sea salt and cooked for 10 more minutes. We had it with brown rice (cooked in another pot of water for an hour at the same time that the beans were cooking), steamed lacinata kale, cauliflower and carrots. There was also half an ume plum (hidden somewhere on the plate). A plain and simple meal packed with nutrition (see World's Healthiest Foods for kale, carrots, cauliflower, navy beans, brown rice).

Just as I'd eaten a few bites, I got the idea to grab my camera and take a photo ... REAL life ... no frills. Old plates, no placemats! The food is what really matters, not the frills (though nice when you have time!) We were both tired that night, but NO McDonald's or pizza. This is our homemade fast food ... we are grateful (and healthy) for it. And, we LOVE it!

SIMPLE WHITE NAVY BEANS
2 cups of white beans, soaked
1/4 cup apple butter
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Soak beans in water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain water and add fresh spring or filtered tap water to cover. Bring to a boil on high flame, turn to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add apple butter, mustard and sea salt and cook for 10 minutes longer.

Note: I bought these organic white beans at Lois' Natural Marketplace last week as I saw they were grown in Maine (where I live). We noticed a marked difference in taste compared to what we usually buy from the bins at the health food stores ... where I know they are NOT local.

My Upcoming Class

Are you interested in learning about how to begin making changes to a healthier way of eating? Then this class would be the perfect place to start.

I'm teaching class on Wednesday, Jan. 23, in Cape Elizabeth (Maine) called Feel Great in 2008, through Cape Elizabeth Community Services. It's from 6-7:30 p.m. and the fee is $12. To register, just call 799.2868.

I look forward to seeing you! Meg

Note: If anyone is teaching macrobiotic, vegan or vegetarian cooking classes in your area (in the U.S. or globally) this week or month, please let me know and I will add them to this post!