Testimonials

L. Johnston - Enjoying the Natural Way & appreciate how you keep in touch. I have lost about 8 pounds, I have a lot more energy. I'm poking along, doing exercise & I just feel real good. I appreciate all of your efforts. M. Douglas - I finally have lost some weight and some belly. I didn't measure myself at my largest (157-158 ugh!!) but am now around 146-148. My stomach is not so swollen and gassy unless I eat off the Natural Way foods. My pants are getting comfortably loose. I am very happy with that.

I really would like a meal plan of sorts. Eating has been the hardest part. Not eating is not hard, but I am having trouble doing meals.

M. Douglas - I have made up my own lunches: Nibblets corn, olives, artichoke hearts, red bell pepper, cilantro, black beans, and AVOO. It is great. I make up four or five containers for the week. I add the bell pepper and cilantro in the morning, and take it to work. I also have a couple of grapefruits off my trees, some peaches and plums, and baby carrots. I have my Barley at school with 1/3 cup juice and 1/2 cup mineral water. It is very nice that way. I am not breaking out from any of the fruit: grapefruit, pineapple, oranges, etc. But I did get gumline decay from not brushing immediately after eating all the grapefruit. Not good!!

We just finished our second week of riding our bikes to school. He rides down with me every morning, then rides home. And he rides back to pick me up. He doesn't like me riding down the river bed trail by myself and seems to be enjoying the exercise. He also swims at the Y twice a week. When I am home, I lay out for 20 minutes of Vitamin D sun. Hard to get all that information straight. Some say from 10 to 2, others say before and after. I have a cot and rolled up fleece to be comfortable and go out for a little rest.

H. Penczek - I began eating the Natural Way because based on my doctors reports I needed to make some serious changes. I started on the Barley, Aimega and exercising outside without lenses earlier this year. My most recent Lab tests show an improvement in my cholesterol levels.
Total Cholesterol - 6months ago - 256 - today 0 237
HDL - 6months ago - 68 - today - 78
LDL - 6months ago - 174 - today - 147
This is definate improvement. I need help to stay on this track.

AIM deals

Hey! An FYI - You are still able to order the Barley Life stick packs (Mary-Ann calls them sachets) for just $10 a packet, while supplies last. The only proviso is that you have to order them over the phone. 30 count packets for $10 is a great deal, but its only while supplies last. I stocked up!

Artificial Sweetners - Aspartame

For years, doctors and scientists have scratched their heads over the “mysterious” rise in neuro- logical diseases. But there’s no mystery about it. Hundreds of diseases can be traced back to one root cause: aspartame. Over the years, various reports have implicated aspartame in headaches, memory loss, seizures, vision loss, coma, and cancer. It also appears to worsen or mimic the symptoms of such conditions as fibromyalgia, MS, lupus, ADD, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, chronic fatigue, and depression.

It seems to make sense: A toxin like aspartame goes to many different types of cells, but it seems to have a particular liking for the cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems. That means that the damage from aspartame can show up anywhere the nerves are—which, of course, is anywhere in the body. And because it attacks your body at the cellular level, it can cause any number of diseases. The collection of signs and symptoms will vary, but the diseases will still come back to one root cause—aspartame. Another major problem with aspartame is that it interacts with other chemical substances, including antidepressants, Coumadin, cardiac medications, hormones, insulin, vaccines, and many others. The stuff even interacts with other artificial sweeteners.

Are these toxins MAKING US FAT? Aside from these risks, now there’s even more proof that these toxins are helping you pack on the pounds. Some recent research conducted at Purdue University shows that a group of test subjects fed artificial sweeteners subsequently consumed THREE TIMES THE CALORIES of those given ordinary sugar (not a good thing to eat, either, by the way). The use of aspartame is not easy to avoid, either. Aspartame is in hundreds of different colas, desserts, candies, and other junk foods. The only way to avoid it is to shop the supermarket periphery for your food—the natural and organic foods including fresh fruits and vegetables.

Following a lifestyle like the Natural Way promotes the use of natural minimally processed sweeteners (honey, agave nectar, 100% fruit juice, maple syrup, fructose, dates) as alternatives to artificial sweeteners and table sugar.
Enjoying delectable sweets that are easily digested by the body makes for a livable lifestyle. (All sweets/desserts are recommended to be eaten in moderation if the desired result is weight loss - but they may be included in a healthy diet where weightloss occurs).

I hope that this article motivates you to actively research the findings of Aspartame on your own.

Food Combining

In Mary-Ann's Book, Perfect Health the Natural Way she outlines 5 steps that allow you to maintain your body in an akaline state 75% of the time. The idea behind an alkaline forming diet is that our body's pH level is slightly alkaline, with a normal range of 7.36 to 7.44 - therefore our diet should reflect this and also be slightly alkaline.

An imbalanced diet high in acidic foods such as animal protein, sugar, caffeine, and processed foods tends to disrupt this balance. It can deplete the body of alkaline minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, making people prone to chronic and degenerative disease.

Food combining refers to the combination of foods which are compatible with each other in terms of digestive chemistry. It is a basic component of optimal nutrition because it allows the body to digest and utilize the nutrients in our foods to their full extent = a balanced diet.

The discomforts of indigestion are so common in today’s society that indigestion is almost considered normal. The fact that over 2 billion dollars are spent each year on antacids is proof of this. Rather than using drugs to suppress symptoms (YES, Antacids are Drugs) wouldn’t it be wiser to remove the causes of indigestion?

Food Combining is based on the theory that different food groups require different digestion times. Digestion, one of the largest body processes (Parts of the nervous & circulatory system also play a role in digestion.) is helped the most by using foods which have roughly the same digestion time.

Different foods require different digestive enzymes to aid in the digestive process - some acid, some alkaline. As any student of chemistry will tell you, acids & bases neutralize each other. When acids and alkalines come in contact, they neutralize each other and this retards digestion.

Protein foods require a highly acidic environment for digestion while carbohydrates (starches & fruits) and fats require a more alkaline medium. Anytime 2 or more foods are eaten at the same time, and those foods required opposite conditions for digestion, the digestive process is compromised.

When carbohydrates and proteins are combined their stimulation to the digestive juices generates a conflicting response and produces a medium which does not digest either food very well. This situation often leads to indigestion, bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and poor absorption of nutrients.

Any quick digesting foods, such as fruit, must wait until the slowest digesting foods leave the stomach before they can leave, a process which can take up to 6 or 8 hours.

For more information on Food Combining please read Chapter 4 - The In's & Outs of Digestion, in Perfect Health -The Natural Way.

SAVE THE DATES

OCTOBER 18 – Yummy Natural Way Sweets: Preparing for the Holidays

NOVEMBER 15 – How to Survive the Holidays the Natural Way – What to do & How to do it!

We will resume our Natural Way Café’s on JANUARY 24, 2009

September 2008, NW Cafe

The September Café was held at Jane’s home in Capistrano Beach from 3pm – 5pm. Another fabulous feast of yummy foods provided by the Natural Wayers. Our Menu consisted of:
-RAW BEFORE COOKED-

Coleslaw prepared w/Veganaise

Fruit Salad

Vegetable tray

Brown Rice Crisps

Baked Bean dip

Hummus (w/secret ingredient)

Steamed Mushrooms

Veganaise dip (for mushrooms)

Cashew Ice Cream

Fresh Berries (Ice Cream Topping)

Popcorn – The Natural Way

We enjoyed a 40 minute video by Mary-Ann titled “A Day with Mary-Ann”. In this video she prepares 12 delectable dishes for each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) that are all found in her recipe books 1 & 2. This viewing provided a kick start to get back into trying out the recipes from her books. Jane finished off by giving an overview of the Natural Way – highlighting the steps and answering questions.

August 2008, NWCafe

The August Café was held at Jane’s home in Capistrano Beach from 11am – 1pm.
We partook of a spread of the fantastic Gluten free/Vegan recipes put together by Natural Wayers.
Our Menu consisted of:
-RAW BEFORE COOKED-
• a lovely fruit salad in a fruit basket
• Fabulous green salad w/a fresh squeezed orange & olive oil dressing + MA’s Herb Salt
• Vegetable Platter
• Pesto Hummus (w/secret ingredient)
• Brown Rice Crisps
• Date Balls
• Strawberry Pudding (Dairy-free Alternative to Yogurt)
• Banana Bread (Gluten Free)
• Cashew Ice Cream
• Raspberry Sauce (Ice Cream topping)
• Popcorn – The Natural Way
We watched a video of Mary-Ann talking to a group of hikers from the Los Angeles area – It focused on the Hormonal System and the benefits of exercise. There are over 18 different hormones that are positively affected by exercise in both men and women.