To read the full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathic-medicine-_b_1258607.html

Informational sessions for this program will be held on Monday, January 2 at 6:30pm and Tuesday, January 3 at 3pm at Hot and Healthy Yoga next to Fresh Market in Southern Pines. Join Jessica Patella, ND and Michelle Kaiser, owner of Hot and Healthy Yoga as they journey with you to wellness.

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT at Hot and Healthy Yoga

Restoration You…Share and Care Lunch

Join us for three Fridays during the 21 day Restoration You… where we will share a meal and reflect on our journey to wellness.  A lunch of healthy foods to help your detox journey will be provided, along with an information session regarding healthy life choices. Time will be given to support one another and share our highs and lows along the way. Information booklets will be provided to participants.  Registration is required.

Price: $105

Restoration You…21 Day Unlimited Yoga

As part of the Restoration You… Hot and Healthy will be offering an unlimited 21 day yoga package. Whether you attend a meditation class, restorative class, hot power vinyasa, gentle yoga- we will track your classes in the studio. There are many healthy benefits related to yoga to include mental, physical and spiritual. Yoga has been proven to help with depression, anxiety, blood pressure, pain management, weight loss…to name a few.

**The person with the highest participation rate will receive a  $100 The Spa of Pinehurst gift certificate. Dates for the unlimited yoga are January 9 through January 30.

Price: $100

Restoration You…Supplementing the Journey  

As part of Restoration You… we will be offering supplements to help detoxify the liver and GI tract. Certain vitamins, minerals and amino acids are needed to support the liver during Phase I and Phase II detoxification, for this reason we will be providing this extra support for those of you that would like to take your detox a step further. These are medical grade supplements, Jessica Patella, ND has selected specifically for this detox.

Price: $105

• 1 slice of Gluten free bread, toasted (Bob’s Red Mill Brand)
• Hummus: spread hummus over toasted bread
• A few slices of onion
• A few slices of tomato
• Sliced black olives
• Cover with grated pecorino romano cheese (goat dairy)
• Broil in oven or toaster until cheese melts

This is a quick and tasty juice that is great for the immune system.  For this juice I included 5 medium carrots with greens, 5 small to medium beets and one grapefruit.  The carrots are high in vitamin A the grapefruit in vitamin C and the beets are high in antioxidants.  Just one cup of carrot juice has 120,000 IU of beta-carotene and 1 cup of grapefruit juice has 93 mg of vitamin C.

As part of the “Staying Healthy for the Holidays” series, grab a healthy snack of juiced veggies for the immune system.  And be creative by adding in your favorite veggies, the best part about juicing is it always tastes different each time. It is so healthy you might even feel “buzzed!”

Don’t have a juicer?  Head to your local health food store that does, for a yummy treat.  Locally, The Kitchen in Nature’s Own will make you a delicious juice.

This delicious recipe is adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Favorites recipe for Festive Black Bean Chili.  I highly recommend their book, it is full of tasty vegetarian meals that are often easy to make.

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 TBS ground cumin
• 1/2 TBS ground coriander
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 2 cans of black beans, drained &  rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes with chili peppers
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste

In a covered pot cook the onions, garlic and water on high for about 5 minutes.  Add the cumin & coriander and stir for about 1 minute.  Add the salsa, bell pepper and jalapeno, cover and lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Add back beans, tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.  Add corn and cook for another 10 minutes.

This is one of my favorite “fast food” vegetarian meals.  The falafels are made from a mix you buy at the grocery store (usually in the ethnic section) all you have to do is add water, wait about 15 minutes and they are ready to heat up with some olive oil in the skillet.

Then I make a quick and easy Greek Salad with lettuce, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and goat cheese feta.  In this particular salad I also added purslane (it looks like sprigs of thyme in the picture).  Purslane is native to the middle east and is the highest vegetable in omega-3 fatty acids.  I got ours through the CSA, Carolina Grown (more on that below).  To make a healthy dressing, just take olive oil, juice from one lemon, few pinches of dried oregano, with a little bit of sea salt, mix it together and drizzle it over your salad.

In this quick & easy meal, you are getting protein from the falafels & feta, omega-3s from the purslane (if you decide to add it), along with vitamins, minerals & antioxidants from the salad.  How’s that for a healthy fast food!?!

Carolina Grown is a type of CSA throughout the entire state of North Carolina.  You can get everything from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seafood, dairy, meat, jams, grains, etc.  The best part is they deliver right to your front door once a week!  There is no contract, YOU get to pick what you want each week, unlike most CSA programs, and you are getting fresh food all from local farmers in the state.   You can find more information at www.carolinagrown.org and if you decide to sign up our referral number is 1420, which will give both of us 5 extra points.

The research is clear that a vegetarian diet is the best for a healthy heart, preventing chronic disease and for preventing cancer.  It is ironic though because at SCNM (where I went to naturopathic medical school) an animal protein diet was really emphasized.  I think we learn the most once we leave school because then we actually have the time and brain power to not just believe everything we were told but to do the research and form our own opinions.  That being said, it is really, really easy to be an unhealthy vegetarian…trust me, I have been there.  And often people simply substitute meat for a soy/wheat processed food that resembles meat.  For example, tofurkey or tofu bacon or tofu chicken.  The problem is that it is processed, therefore the risk for cancer increases from all the chemicals they have to add to tofu to make it taste like chicken.  Not to mention the ongoing debate on soy, does it prevent cancer or cause cancer?  This is not just for vegetarians, start reading the labels on things in your kitchen pantry and you will be shocked that just about everything has soy in it.  But don’t take my word for it, do some research for yourself and come up with your own opinion.  But the basics are key, whole, fresh foods, are best!

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a group of physical, behavioral and psychological symptoms that occur one to two weeks before menstruation. (1,3)  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that 85% of women experience PMS during their monthly cycle. (3)  Recent research showed Ginkgo biloba reduced the severity of PMS symptoms. (1)

To read the entire article click here.

While colorectal cancer has decreased over the past 20 years, it is still the second leading cause of cancer death and the third most common cancer in both men and women (2).  Routine colonoscopy screenings result in early detection and removal of colorectal polyps before they progress to cancer (3).  Along with routine screenings, many studies suggest dietary factors play a large role in decreasing the risk of colorectal cancer (1).  A recent study found eating cooked green vegetables, dried fruits, legumes and brown rice frequently was associated with a decreased risk of colorectal polyps (1).

To read the entire article click here.

Research on vitamin D has skyrocketed in the past 10 years, with thousands of research studies being published each year (1).  A recent research paper has made the claim that vitamin D is the most cost-effective way to reduce global mortality rates (1).  Could this be true?  Possibly, with multiple research studies supporting this statement (1-10).

To read the entire article click here.