zzzzz...

There was a time, in the not too distant past, when I would self medicate with a shot of Nyquil before bed. It was impossible for me to quiet the thoughts racing in my head each night when I tried to go to sleep. The soft fuzzy feeling of Nyquil was just the thing I needed to doze off. Until it didn't work anymore.

I tried Ambien, but it kind of freaked me out. I didn't like the idea of needing a prescription to sleep at night. Additionally, I was not able to guarantee that I would have the necessary 7hrs per night of sleep to avoid the hallucinations and crazy feeling that go hand in hand w the Ambien induced sleep.

I am happy to report that these problems are now in my past. And I looooooove sleeping.

Here's some tips to help you recover your right for a good night's sleep:

Eat early and try to make dinner your smallest meal.-- Your body works hard to process what you put in it. You want it to be able to relax and rejuvenate while you are sleeping. Give it the time it needs to do its work before heading to bed. Eat a good breakfast and lunch, you don't need as much energy in the evening after dinner. Give yourself the time to wind down.

Turn down the lights.-- Give yourself time before you try to sleep for your body to know that it is night time. In our modern age where it can be as bright as day 24-7 it can be hard on your internal clock. When the lights go down you release the melatonin that tells your body it's time to sleep. How can you expect your body to know it's time to sleep if you don't let it get the message. It especially helps if you can make this happen at the same time every day.

Take time for yourself and treat yourself well.-- Get the exercise, relaxation, meditation, that you need to keep your mind and body healthy. Drink water, eat whole foods.

Your body needs this time to relax and enjoy the state of lowered blood pressure and rejuvenation. This will help you to reduce your risk for high blood pressure, and boost your immunity, as well as give your body a chance to protect itself from other ailments such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Keep in mind, there are certain things we all crave (food, water, intimacy, sleep) and when one is out of balance we crave another. If you don't get enough sleep it is normal to crave that "morning cake." Hope you are well, big kiss xxtbone

what I learned from swine flu

Last week I got the flu. The flu is the pits. Watch out for it.

Here's what happened. I was feeling fine, going about my life traveling on the subway as I do to get to and from work and this man behind me was sniffling and hacking and I thought, "great, I'm about to get swine flu." Now, I don't know if I caught the flu at that moment as his sickness did not match my symptoms but like everyone, especially those in NYC who come in to contact so closely with so many people daily, it was and is constantly on my mind.

So, mid week, let's say Wednesday night, I came home feeling really tired and cranky faced with dinner to make. I blamed the it on waiting too long to eat between lunch and dinner, but just wasn't feeling right. Later I got the chills up my back and started with an ear ache and sore throat. Bed time.

The next morning when I woke up for work, I just didn't feel good. I was laying there remembering the times in grade school when I would fake sick because I just wanted to stay home from school and then when my mom would take me to the doctor it would turn out that I had Strep Throat (this happened more than once). I decided that I needed to listen to what my body was telling me. I didn't feel good. I needed to stay home. I didn't want to get out of bed, I wanted to be sleeping. So I did.

And, sleep I did. I slept until noon, when I got up and had some vegetable broth, and kale with garlic and shiitake mushrooms. Nap. Broth. Nap. I continued to listen to what my body was craving. Garlic. Coconut water. Raw honey. Orange juice. Water. Sleep. The next day was more of the same. Sleep, OJ, sleep. I gave my body what it wanted, and sure, I was achey, headachey, sore throat, ear ache, sweating, cold, stomach ache, miserable, and extremely extremely tired and weak, but IT ONLY LASTED 2 DAYS! Now, I can't say for sure it was swine flu, as the symptoms are exactly the same as regular flu and I didn't have to go to the doctor as I was able to kick it and didn't fight it. But, what I do know, is... it only lasted 2 days! 2 miserable days, but only 2 of them. And, listening to my body, I am amazed with what it was asking for, it's sooo cool:

garlic: it's a natural antibiotic
coconut (oil for cooking, and water for drinking): antibacterial and antiviral
raw honey: antibacterial and antiviral
oj: vitamin c- immune support
kale: vitamin c- immune support (among other great nutrients found in this leafy green)
shiitake mushrooms: strengthen your immune system and your ability to fight infection

And, I was given a lovely bunch of flowers to brighten my day. Which, I have to say, does make you feel better. So, remember, if you are hit with the flu this season, swine or otherwise, please take care of yourself and give your body what it needs. Rest is the best remedy. Hope you are well. big kiss xxtbone

crazy for coconuts

A friend of mine called me a couple of nights ago in a panic. She was enjoying a snack of some lovely coconut when her boyfriend googled and found out that coconut has a lot of saturated fat, and told her to stop eating it immediately. She asked for my help to settle the fight. I promised this blog which was inspired by her conundrum.

First of all, coconut is rich in protein and is high in fiber. It is good for your digestive health in addition to a whole host of vitamins and minerals such as iodine which is great for thyroid health. It is also great for your metabolism. And, like other foods high in fiber, it can actually help lower blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, and provide a vehicle to move excess fat and cholesterol out of the body.

But, to answer her question, the kind of saturated fat in coconut is actually very special and does not raise cholesterol or contribute to heart disease, you can learn more about this at: http://www.coconut-info.com/. Another benefit of coconut is that it is actually antibacterial and good for your immune system (this is common for foods that are white, like garlic).

But, what I think her boyfriend was saying is something a little bit different.... and I beg you... please eat fat, you need it, eating fat is not what makes you fat! You need it for a healthy brain, among other things. And, when you see "fat free" please read "full of chemicals", it's a safe bet that they had to replace it with something created in a lab. Please take care of yourself, and give your body what it needs. hope you are well, big kiss xxtbone

nervous=excited

I have always been terrified of guns. Growing up in New Hampshire I had a bb gun when I was a child, and have always had a fascination with old guns but have never held a loaded firearm. I know not to ever point a gun at anyone. I know that guns are dangerous. I know that guns are powerful and can really cause a lot of damage very quickly. Guns go against my pacifist nature. I never want to inflict pain or promote violence. That doesn't mean I haven't always secretly wanted to shoot a gun. A really really big gun.

In an effort to test my boundaries I went to a gun range and took a lesson. I wanted to shoot a gun. I wanted to learn how to do it safely. I didn't want to chicken out. I needed an appointment.

I was living my dream of holding a gun. I was honestly terrified. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it wrong. I didn't want to like it, but I did. I was sooo excited to shoot. I wanted any excuse to get out of it. I didn't want keep going but I didn't want to give up. I kept telling myself to think about it as being excited, and not terrified. 

I loved facing my fear. I loved feeling my fear. I loved that I loved shooting a gun! I loved the adrenaline rush I got from the terror and power of it all. I loved that my hands got sweaty, and my heart was racing, and I got all shaky and empowered. I know that I love to recommend that you try all kinds of things here on this blog. My recommendation this time is that you try something that scares you. Look at why it scares you, what about it exactly do you find terrifying? Could it be that it is exciting? Perhaps you're anxious to give it a try? Are you eager to feel the excitement that facing what you are afraid of will bring? Or maybe you're just afraid that you'll like it!

I encourage you to go out and give it a try. It doesn't have to be a trip to a gun range (although, you'll probably see me there! I'm totally into it now and can't wait to go again). It could be a skydiving lesson, or a bungee jump. Maybe you want to take a trapeze lesson. Or it could be something completely different like taking a tap dancing class, trying sushi, public speaking, or writing a blog. Feel the fear, and go for it. It's a good indicator that you'll probably learn something about yourself. Let me know how it goes. Hope you're well, big kiss xxtbone

starving on a high calorie diet

Hey friends, so I just got back from Oklahoma City and have some things to share that I learned. I wouldn't say that I follow a very strict diet but as you all know I have been trying to take better care of myself and get healthier. My normal eating plan these days is Flexitarian, meaning that I am mostly vegetarian but do occasionally eat seafood, poultry usually in the form of eggs, and I am not against bacon. I simply eat what I enjoy, it just so happens to be mostly vegetables and not a lot of other stuff. And, I have learned how to do that in a balanced way that is satisfying and works for me. Generally I feel great, my mood is good, and mind is clear.

So, back to OKC, I had a really hard time eating... or rather, I had a really easy time eating, I had a really hard time feeling good. I was there to meet my boyfriend's family and tried my best to make a good impression but found it really difficult to keep a smile on my face. My food was failing me as I imagine it fails the lovely people of Oklahoma everyday. We ate every meal in a restaurant, which at first was really fun as I love restaurants, since I used to spend all of my time working in them in New York. I also love the glimpse into people's lives that you get in a restaurant... who goes there, what do they order, who do they go with, what are they talking about?

In OKC, the challenge is that all of the restaurants are giant chain restaurants, and they haven't caught on to the trend in NY of publishing calorie content in the dishes. I can only imagine the health crisis going on there... which interstingly, was highlighted by the advertisements I would see driving along the highway for drop-in emergency medical clinics (not hospitals) that seemed to be located in shopping malls. But, that's a different story, back to my point.

I really struggled to feel good. At a fast-food diner, I ordered some eggs over easy (that's how I like my eggs, fyi) when I cut into them, the yolk that ran out was fluorescent (I couldn't really tell if it was the egg or the lighting but what I do know was that it did not look natural). It also had a different texture and taste than I was used to. It was like a different kind of object calling itself "egg". Ok, fine. I ate it, with some bacon and whole wheat toast (don't get me started about the butter-like spread that they put on it).

I was trying to make the best choices I could given my situation. All of my meals turned out the same way, to the point where I was eating and eating and never feeling satisfyied. My cravings became out of control! I wanted sugar. I wanted cookies and cake and pie. I felt really dehydrated as I wasn't getting enough water in my day.

I was there for only 5 days and here's what happened: my skin massively broke out, I would suffer bouts of depression, I was really emotional and sensitive, I didn't sleep well, my joints felt achey, I got really really bloated, I was soooooo hungry all of the time and no matter how much I ate I didn't feel better. My butt got bigger. My upper arms got bigger. My allergies got out of control to the point of needing medication. My head was foggy, I couldn't make any decisions, and felt defeated. Now, all of this happened to me in a matter of days!!!!

This experience makes me really scared for America. To be in a place where our food is produced but not able to access food that is nurturing and sustaining is absurd. The people I encountered in these restaurants seem resigned to the same feelings of defeat I was experiencing while on this meal plan. I overheard conversations between severly overweight people talking about how they just craved cake all the time and how that makes them feel while they were dining off the "healthy eating menu" which included a short stack of buttermilk pancakes, which I imagine to be made from a chemical mixture not from any whole grain. Not to mention the ingredients of their "maple" syrup.

There is no chance for the people not to crave cake when this is what they are feeding their bodies to be "healthy". It inevitably leads to a self-esteem problem because their will power will never be able to win. One night, during my visit, I did get to go to a japanese restaurant where I was able to get some brown rice, salad, grilled vegetables, and sushi. I can honestly tell you that almost instantly my mood became lighter, I didn't need to eat as much, my body felt less tired as it didn't have to work as hard to figure out what to do with the food I was putting in it.

My body can recognize asparagus and knows how to break that down, what to use and what to get rid of. My body has a harder time when I eat something like a fast-food apple pie, it wants to recognize it as an apple but is lacking in crucial apple properties. It has to work harder to figure out what it is, what it needs to complete the picture and then what to do with it... then I miss out on essential nutrients in my food as my body is working so hard to figure out what to do.

What I did learn though through all of this experimentation, is that I'm healthy and not numb to my food anymore. I enjoy food that nurtures me. I enjoy feeling good. I enjoy having a happy mood and happy thoughts. I don't have to feel depressed, sluggish and tired all of the time. Luckily, I choose food that is whole, fresh, and satisfying. I love myself enough to hold that as a priority. I wish the same for you, if you need help let me know I'm here for you. You can send me an email through my website: www.torymarsh.com. I hope you're well, big kiss xxtbone

s'more please

Hi friends, sorry I've been neglecting you for the past few weeks. You've been on my mind and there are many things I want to share with you. Let's start with smores. I got a little obsessed with smores for about 2 weeks. This has been my favorite "upgrade" in a while. And, as you can tell by the photos, I am officially a city girl now... sorry New Hampshire, but you can easily make smores on your gas stove top when you don't have a campfire handy. I made them a few different ways but using graham crackers, and marshmallows that have short ingredients lists containing real food not chemicals and without high fructose corn syrup make for a great and nourishing treat. Also, when choosing your chocolate bar go for organic, free trade, high quality chocolate when you can. I liked it with very dark dark chocolate but wasn't quite the smore of my childhood, but was thankful for the antioxidants in my sweet treat. Organic milk chocolate does a great stand in for the Hershey bar! There is just something so fun about eating smores, they are gooey and delicious, and so satisfying to make and share. Hope you are enjoying your summer and hope you are well, big kiss xxtbone

granola playdate

Check it out. I had this super fun playdate with my good friend Hadley, who is 6, and her brother Hayes, 4. We made this simple recipe for a yummy granola that is packed with good-for-you Omega-3s. It was such a fun time and we made something good for us to eat! The kids loved it, I loved it, and Molly, their lovely mom, loved it too.

Omega-3 is a fatty acid that is crucial for all of us, but especially important for kids as it is an essential element for a healthy brain. Here's a great and concise bit from about.com if you want more information: http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/omegacooking.htm.

For our playdate, I brought over all of the ingredients and had my young friends break up the walnuts and dates into small bits while I measured the other ingredients and put them together in the bowl. Their small hands were great for this task and they were so excited to be playing with their food. They also love granola but didn't know how it was made, they were pretty sure it comes from a granola bar :)

They were great and enthusiastic about mixing and really good at spreading it out on the cookie sheet, it's really fun to get your hands into food.

While it was baking we had some time to decorate our own jars to keep our granola in! Be sure to do a better job of washing your jar than I did, I washed it like 3 times and just couldn't get the salsa smell out!

This was a really fun project that took us about an hour... a great way to spend a rainy afternoon if you're looking for a fun and creative activity to share.

It made a really great snack with some yogurt!


Here is the recipe that we made, it is from www.epicurious.com, with a few adaptations... like raw or organic agave nectar instead of brown sugar. I hope you try it, it is totally good! hope you are well, xxtbone

Quick Omega-3 Granola

• 4 tablespoons walnut oil, divided
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) coarse kosher salt
• 3 cups organic old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup walnut halves, broken in half
• 1/2 cup flaxseed meal*
• 1 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped or torn into pieces
• 1/4 cup honey
• optional, a handful of whole flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush heavy large rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Whisk 2 tablespoons oil, agave, egg whites, and salt in large bowl. Add oats, walnuts, and flaxseed (and optional seeds); toss well.

Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Using metal spatula, stir granola. Bake 15 minutes longer. Stir again. Sprinkle dates over; drizzle with honey. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Stir to loosen. Transfer to clean baking sheet to cool completely. Keep chilled in airtight container.