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Healthful Living Newsletter Holistic Health and Healing for Mind and Body
January/February 2006 Issue

Dear Julie,

We hope that your new year is off to a great start. Here are a few timely articles to stir your mid winter thinking.

Key an eye out soon for the launch of our redesigned and updated website, making its debut in early March at www.HealthfulLiving.org. We are emerging the Healthful Living Seed of Life, six lenses through which to focus our consciousness and affect positive change for all living things. It's an exciting time to be co-creating with all of you, we look forward to sharing Healthful Living and contining our collective journey for health, healing, and happiness.

in this issue
  • Tune in to Reality Sandwich: A Palatable Taste of
    the Truth
  • McDonald's: Fries Have Potential Allergens By Dave Carpenter, AP Business Writer
  • “Top Nutritional Tips for People on the Autistic Spectrum“
    February 25th Autism Group lead by Julie
  • Are you healthful living? by Martin Matthews
  • Cooking Class: Recipe for a Healthy Family

  • McDonald's: Fries Have Potential Allergens By Dave Carpenter, AP Business Writer

    CHICAGO - Not long after disclosing that its french fries contain more trans fat than thought, McDonald's Corp. said Monday that wheat and dairy ingredients are used to flavor the popular menu item — an acknowledgment it had not previously made.

    The presence of those substances can cause allergic or other medical reactions in food-sensitive consumers.

    McDonald's had said until recently that its fries were free of gluten and milk or wheat allergens and safe to eat for those with dietary issues related to the consumption of dairy items. But the fast-food company quietly added "Contains wheat and milk ingredients" this month to the french fries listing on its Web site.

    The company said the move came in response to new rules by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the packaged foods industry, including one requiring that the presence of common allergens such as milk, eggs, wheat, fish or peanuts be reported. As a restaurant operator, Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald's does not have to comply but is doing so voluntarily.

    McDonald's director of global nutrition, Cathy Kapica, said its potato suppliers remove all wheat and dairy proteins, such as gluten, which can cause allergic reactions. But the flavoring agent in the cooking oil is a derivative of wheat and dairy ingredients, and the company decided to note their presence because of the FDA's stipulation that potential allergens be disclosed.

    "We knew there were always wheat and dairy derivatives in there, but they were not the protein component," she said. "Technically there are no allergens in there. What this is an example of is science evolving" and McDonald's responding as more is learned, she said. While the company wanted to make consumers aware that fries were derived in part from wheat and dairy sources, she said, those who have eaten the product without problem should be able to continue to do so without incident.

    The acknowledgment has stirred anger and some concern among consumers who are on gluten-free diets since it was posted on McDonald's Web site. "If they're saying there's wheat and dairy derivatives in the oil, as far as anyone with this disease is concerned there's actually wheat in it," said New York resident Jillian Williams, one of more than 2 million Americans with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten. "They should have disclosed that all along," she said. "They should never have been calling them gluten-free."

    It's not the first time McDonald's forthrightness has been called into question concerning what's in its famous fries. The company paid $10 million in 2002 to settle a lawsuit by vegetarian groups after it was disclosed that its fries were cooked in beef-flavored oil despite the company's insistence in 1990 that it was abandoning beef tallow for pure vegetable oil.

    Last February, it paid $8.5 million to settle a suit by a nonprofit advocacy group accusing the company of misleading consumers by announcing plans in September 2002 to change its cooking oil but then delaying the switch indefinitely within months. Reluctant to change the taste of a top-selling item, McDonald's has continued to maintain for the past three years that testing continues.

    Asked about the status of those efforts Monday, Kapica said: "It's a very high priority and we are very committed to continuing with testing and lowering the level of trans fat without raising the level of saturated fat. ... It's a lot harder than we originally thought but that is not stopping us."


    “Top Nutritional Tips for People on the Autistic Spectrum“
    February 25th Autism Group lead by Julie

    Join us for our monthly autism group, the 4th Sunday of every month!

    This month, I (Julie Matthews) will be leading the discussion. The topic will be, " “Top Nutritional Tips for People on the Spectrum.“ We will discuss enzymes, probiotics and fermented foods, EFA’s, the best multi-vitamins, foods and substances to avoid, the importance of organic food without additives, yeast and gut health, Alkaline vs. Acid, and the best times and portions to eat throughout the day.

    Sunday, February 26th
    10-12 AM
    Location: Marin City Southern Marin Public Safety Building (Firehouse)
    Annette Rose Meeting Room
    850 Drake Avenue, Marin City.

    RSVP if you can, or just show up. We'd love to see you.

    Please contact us if you are interested in attending and/or getting your name on our group email list.


    Are you healthful living? by Martin Matthews

    (This article serves as entre' to the paradigm of healthful living, and sets the stage for the model for Healthful Living that we'll present in the next issue)

    --- When’s the last time you stopped to contemplate your life?

    How well are you treating yourself on this journey? Life zips by and for all you know, your body is always there for you. But is it? You’d be surprised what some people think, ignore, and deny.

    Your physical body is a complex organism: bones, flesh, muscles, blood, brains, intelligence, and consciousness­there’s a lot going on. You are the result of massive co- creation­trillions of individual cells working together to manifest what you see in the mirror. These cells are “programmed” to “know” their respective roles and purposes in the overall make up of your human being.

    But like any program or system, living organisms are affected by the environment in which they find themselves (thoughts, negative people, toxins, food), and they adapt and change as required by the circumstances of life.

    Knowing that everything is affected by everything else, you can act and think to set up circumstances that best support the flourishing of life. Healthful living means acknowledging an active role in the creation of your life experience. It’s about adopting a particular way of being; an approach to lifestyle and wellness that promotes overall health, healing, and happiness. It’s about fully accepting your role as CEO of the organization of cells that comprise your body.

    And, as CEO, it’s your responsibility to set the vision, understand the mission, determine the strategy, and ensure the organization has what’s needed to flourish long term. You oversee the internal and external terrain and make well, thought out choices about nourishment of mind, body and spirit, and how to protect from toxic invaders or circumstances.

    Ask, what is healthful living for me? What life experience am providing for myself? What am I doing with my body? What am I feeding my mind? Are these things serving me?

    Healthful living can be your personal doctrine for life. There are no strict rules to adhere to, no getting it wrong, and no punishment associated with the choice of healthful living. Rather, agree to always being in pursuit. There is no “arrival” at “the perfection of healthful living,” no stress about trying to get it right (stress is correlated with 90% of our health breakdowns).

    Simply ponder your mind’s responses to the many questions put forth here. In doing so, you may conduct your own personal review of your performance as CEO of your body and perhaps generate an improvement plan. Write things down. Wonder. You can incorporate these principles and practices in your own personal declaration of healthful living for the New Year, and beyond.

    Deepak Chopra says, “The way you think, behave, and eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.” Hopefully, as leader of your biological system, long-term health (living!) is top priority. Healthful living is a journey that can begin simply from reading an article, thinking, and then taking another sip of a warm, nourishing drink.


    Cooking Class: Recipe for a Healthy Family

    This nutrition and cooking class will teach you how to prepare healthy food for the whole family. The class includes information for women that are pregnant or planning for pregnancy. We'll cover nutrients essential for baby's development, tips for children that are picky eaters, and ideas for parents on the go. It is taught by a Certified Nutrition Consultant (me!) and will contain nutrition education on the health benefits of these delicious foods, as well as hands-on experience preparing them.

    You will learn the benefits of, and how to prepare: - Fermented foods: Raw sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt and kefir
    - Broths and soups: Vegetable and mineral broths, chicken and beef stocks, and soups
    - Raw dairy and fermented dairy products including whey
    - Spices for flavor and healing

    We will discuss how these foods aid digestion, increase nutrient absorption and reserves, enhance immune function, support recovery from childbirth, and nourish the growth and development of babies and children.

    DATE: Saturday, February 25th
    TIME: 10 AM - 2 PM
    LOCATION: San Francisco
    COST: $75

    Register Now as space is limited: Email Julie at Julie@HealthfulLiving.org or call 415-437-6807


    Tune in to Reality Sandwich: A Palatable Taste of
    the Truth

    Healthful Living's radio show,
    "Reality Sandwich,"
    airs Thursdays @ NOON

    Tune in to 89.5FM KPOO in San Francisco, or online at www.KPOO.com.

    January 19th
    Host: Julie Matthews
    Guest: Devin Houston, of Houston Nutraceuticals on Digestive Enzymes
    www.houstonni.com

    January 26th
    Host: Martin Matthews
    Co-Host: Camila Aguilar

    Guest: Raging Grannies , Political Activism at Any Age: You want these women on your side http://www.raginggrannies.com/

    February 2nd
    Host: Julie Matthews
    Guest: Morgan Camp, MD Glyconutrients and Immune Function and
    Elisa Song, MD on Holistic approaches to colds and flus for chlidren
    www.wholechildwellness.com

    February 16th
    Host: Julie & Martin Matthews
    Guest: Raymond Francis, author of Never Be Sick Again
    http://www.BeyondHealth.com

    February 23rd
    Hosts: Julie and Martin Matthews
    Guest: Caroline Myss, Author of Invisible Acts of Power : Channeling Grace in Your Everyday Life
    http://www.myss.com/


    Many past Reality Sandwich shows are available for free download on our website, CLICK HERE

    Links of Interest...

    Pregnancy and Preconception Workshops

    Cooking Class: Boosting Nutrients and Fermented Foods

    More about Julie...

    Healthful Living Hypnotherapy



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