Motivation is food related?

greatfatsThis came as a total surprise to me. My motivation or lack thereof could be food related? Really?

Yes really.  Sometimes our lack of motivation comes from our addiction to the things we love. Coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, and red meat.  These things increase our dopamine levels and then leave us always looking for our fix. When we don’t get it we become lazy, indifferent, weary, slow-moving and lethargic.

So how do we get back to our natural state and back to wanting to reach our goals and feel great doing it?

Well there a few things you can do to increase your dopamine levels naturally and leave you feeling vibrant without the negative side effects.

  1. Exercise. It’s a given isn’t it? Exercise is one of the most underutilized methods of making us feel better. I like gentle stretching, yoga or hiking with my dogs.
  2. Power poses can make you feel more confident in as little as a couple of minutes. Stand up straight hands on hips for a few minutes. Try it out and see how your feel.
  3. Eat dopamine enhancing foods like dark chocolate, If you buy good quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content,  fish… the classic brain food, nuts and seeds.
  4. Write yourself a contract. When we make a commitment to ourselves and write it down we are more likely to do it.
  5. Get outside and into nature. Guess which colour provides the biggest boost in energy and motivation? The colour green. So get outside and drink up those delicious green smoothies!

Detoxing and then introducing rebuilding foods that are going to help you stay on track, is always in my opinion a great place to start. Oh yes, and of course a great coach to get you there 😉

A beautiful healthy healing broth

I am a firm believer in that food is the best medicine. This is a broth from Henry G. Bieler who was a prominent American physician and author who wrote, “Food is Your Best Medicine”. In his book he advocates for the treatment of disease with foods.

This is a gentle way to detox either on it’s own or as a compliment to your juice fast.


  • 4 medium  or two large zucchinis, chopped
  • 3 cups string beans
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 2 bunches of parsley
  • 1 litre filtered water
  • sea salt
  • (optional) ghee


Place water,  chopped zucchini, string beans, ends removed and chopped celery in a stock pot.

Bring to a boil, turn down the temperature and then simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until vegetables are softened but not over cooked.  Pour the mixture into a blender, add some parsley and blend. The liquid will be quite hot so be sure to hold onto the lid.

This batch of broth will create several blender batches. Have some jars or other containers on hand to fill as you blend. To thicken and enhance the broth add ghee.

Water the elixir of Life!

You know how important water is. You know you are suppose to get your 8 glasses a day. After all water helps in digestion,it promotes elimination, aids in the absorption and transportation of nutrients, circulation, creation of saliva, and maintenance of body temperature. And it is one of the most important ingredients in a detox or cleanse.

So how do you know if you are drinking enough water? First,  pay attention to how much you are drinking and what you are drinking throughout the day. Second, your urine is a great indicator. If it is dark in colour you need more water. Constant dehydration can lead to chronic dehydration and that can lead to migraines, lack of energy, painful joints and insomnia.

Did you also know that water is also essential for sleep? Water is important in the creation of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Biologists consider ATP to be the energy currency of life. ATP is found in cytoplasm and nucleoplasm of every cell. ATP is a high-energy molecule. ATP stores the energy we need to do just about everything, including sleeping. A low water environment means inadequate energy production and less efficient metabolism.

So how do you ensure you get 8 glasses a day, when you really don’t enjoy drinking water? Naturally flavored waters like mint with lemon or watermelon and jalapeno, fresh juices with no added sugar or salt, (see our recipe page for some ideas) and veggies and fruit are your best choices. All fruits are high in water content and cucumbers, celery, radishes and tomatoes are just a few of the vegetables that have a higher water content. Also decaffeinated organic teas are a great choice to keep you hydrated and healthy!! 

So be sure to drink up and enjoy!

Creative design from the South

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