Health coaches gather from all over the world

I studied at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and every year they sponsor a big mega conference.  It is the one time we all can be together, listen to guest speakers, work on your careers and marketing plans, and get energized by the amazing people in the room.  I just returned from the March 2012 conference and I am higher than a kite. I haven't come down yet, and I hope I don't.

We listened to Julia Ross who specializes in addiction.  She has developed programs for alcohol and sugar addition that revolve around diet.  She told us that sugar is 4 times more addictive than cocaine.  Can you believe that?  I was astounded.  And it appears we have a national crisis on our hands, because people all over the country are living with, and dying from, the results of too much sugar in our diets. Withdrawal symptoms can be brutal. Wondering if you have sugar addiction?  Here are some behaviors:  loss of control, continued use despite adverse effects, withdrawal symptoms, relapse occurs 97% of the time.

David Wolf was there talking about super foods. If you have never seen him he is a riot.  This guy is so high on life, that he acts a little over the top.  Just a little :)  He has so much energy he levitates and brings an incredible amount of energy into the room.  David practices the raw food diet and teaches it all over the world. He was talking about mushrooms and all the health qualities they have and I said to my friend sitting next to me "he must be smokin' those mushrooms too" because acts sort of kooky. If you didn't know what a health nut this guy is you might really think he was smoking something!

John Robbins told the story of his dad who started Baskin Robbins ice cream.  John decided he did not want to be part of the company and struck out on his own, eventually writing about nutrition and health.  He father got progressively sick over the years, from the sugar and bad eating habits, and it was John who got him to change his ways and live another 20 healthy years. It was a heartwarming story of a boy and his dad.

Sean Corn lead us through a yoga meditation. I had no idea who she was, had never heard of her, but when she opened she mouth and started talking she had me at hello.  She is the National Yoga Ambassador for YouthAids, co-creator of Off The Map, Into The World programs, and co-founder of "Bare Witness" Humanitarian Tours.  She is an eloquent speaker who took use through a meditation about the work we do, our positive impact on the world, and living in gratitude for this work we are so lucky to be a part of. I wish I could work with her on a regular basis. I can see where she can change a person's entire being.

Geneen  Roth spoke with us about eating disorders and Gary Taubes presented the science behind why we get fat. David Sisson, from Primal Blueprint, presented his program based on paleolithic nutrition and exercise.

Our leader, Joshua Rosenthal, was there to lift us up and tell us how amazing we are. Joshua is revered for his inspirational talks and the crowd gets riled up when he speaks. He started IIN many years ago with 20 students in a little room and today there are 20,000 graduates from his school.  He had a vision, one he still carries with him today, to make America a healthier place and to teach people how to "rock the ripple effect" by spreading the word.  We are doing just that.

We got some good news about changes at IIN.   For one they are creating a health coach directory which we have never had before.  That is going to be a wonderful tool to help match up clients with the right health coach.

You can now get your school work downloaded to your ipod, ipad, or computer. Whatever works for you.  The school used to hand out ipods and that was the only way to get the material. But now you have a choice, which is a positive step forward.

One thing about this school is that are so devoted to our success that they constantly improve what they offer.  In many programs once you graduate that is it, you are on your own. Not so with this group.  They keep you involved via facebook groups, the on line education forum, the twice annual conferences, the meetup groups that start all over the country. It feels amazing to be a part of this group.

Why strawberries must be organic

For a long time now I have been buying only organic strawberries.  I read an article many years ago by Dr. Andrew Weil about why he would not eat conventional berries and the pesticides in strawberries and it made me sick. From that day forward I could not even consider conventional. I have even been in situations with friends where they prepare food, and if I know they do not buy organic, I will not eat the strawberries they offer.

Lets start by simply looking at the fruit. Look at the outside, there really is no skin.  It's like a little sponge.  Imagine when the pesticides are sprayed on the fruit how it has no where to go, but into the fruit. Some fruits have skin and you can wash them well and feel relatively safe but not with strawberries.  On my list of what to buy organic strawberries are number one.

Toxic methyl iodide is used on strawberries.  It is a known neurotoxic substance and has been linked to a variety of heath issues.  There is a good article on Healingtalks.com if you want to get into the specific data.  It explains how this chemical came about for strawberry growers and the groups that are trying to get it outlawed and why.

Another reason to buy organic is that they contain higher antioxidant levels than conventionally grown.  Since that is one of the reasons for eating strawberries I want the most bang for my buck.  In addition, I don't know if you have ever done a taste test, but organic strawberries always taste so much better.  Really. There is a big difference.  I don't buy strawberries all that often because they tend to be expensive but when I do I want the taste to blow my mind.  I want to moan with pleasure when I eat them.  Buying them organic gives me that satisfaction and I know that they are truly a healthy food choice.