Alive One

My goodness it has been awhile

2010-08-06T15:19:00.002-04:00

Well with having my son, I have had little time to write. Louie is now 9 months so life is a little less hectic. I am very much encouraged to write in these pages about my spiritual growth and to let loose on all things mental, emotional and spiritual. Although I work in the health and wellness field, I feel compelled to write in others areas like the spiritual and emotional and mental because all of these areas are so vital towards living optimally. As time permits, I will be implementing some of my journal pages or writing on various topics that come to mind or are prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Talk soon....

Janee

Beyone Dieting: How to Eat for Health & Vitality

2009-01-23T09:47:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine recently forwarded this article to me. I have heard of Donna Gates and the Body Ecology Diet through the years and find it interesting how all of our messages are the same. In this article Donna points out some essential points to obtaining optimal health that I feel are worth sharing. In addition, she discusses the need for internal cleansing, which ties directly into my work and dedication to educating people on its vital importance. Enjoy.

Beyond Dieting: How to Eat for Health & Vitality
by Dr. Darren R. Weissman for www.InfiniteLoveandGratitude.com

In today's article, I'm going to talk about thesecond of the Five Basics for Optimal Health: Food
If you think about the concept of "eating healthy," what comes to mind? For a lot of people, it means going on a diet. But more and more evidence is showing that diets don't work and in fact, they often create a vicious cycle of yo-yo weight loss and weight gain. On top of that, going on a diet is often all about calories, and not about how to truly nourish your body.

To Diet or Not to Diet

The quantity, quality, and frequency of what you eat is critical to your health. So where do you begin, when you want to start a healthy eating program? First, I encourage you to reframe the concept of weight loss to nourishment. Since the standard American diet (SAD) consists largely of high sugar foods and processed foods, we've lost the concept of which foods are truly nourishing for our bodies. In fact, most people today are experiencing symptoms of poor digestive health, like gas, bloating, indigestion, candida, constipation, and abdominal pain. When clients come into my office with these symptoms, I use The LifeLine TechniqueTM to help them release subconscious suppressed emotions that are causing those symptoms. What makes The LifeLine TechniqueTM come alive is when I teach my clients The Five Basics for Optimal Health, one of which is food. No matter what symptoms you may experience -- and even if you are in good health -- focusing on a healthy eating plan is key for feeling your best. Over the years, I have had the privilege of studying many systems of health and healing and the one that I've found the most beneficial is the Body Ecology Diet, created by Donna Gates. What I love about the Body Ecology diet is that it's not really a "diet," but a system of eating that helps your body heal. The list of conditions Body Ecology has been known to help is long: abdominal pain, indigestion, food allergies, candida, MS, autism, Alzheimer's, chronic fatigue, and more.

According to Donna, the inner workings of your digestive tract can be thought of as your "inner ecosystem." When I asked Donna to describe the inner ecosystem, she said, "Just like the Earth has ecosystems full of organisms responsible for harmony and balance, our bodies follow suit. Inside your intestines are colonies of bacteria and yeast, both good and bad. The key is to have enough of the good guys to keep the bad guys from overpowering your intestines and setting you up for illness and disease." Donna and I both teach that good digestive health is key for feeling your best. It is your digestive system that breaks down and extracts the nutrients your body needs to heal, to regenerate and to thrive. Yet we've gone off track with nutrition and it's become largely about convenience.

Body Ecology actually teaches us to reconnect with nature and with traditional, whole foods and ways of eating. Donna often says, "while we may be living longer today, we are not necessarily living better. In fact, our ancestors were often more hardy and energetic than we are today." It's not all about our genes either. To learn more about how your subconscious mind and emotions play a role, read my interview with Dr. Bruce Lipton. So while we know your subconscious mind and emotions play a role in your best health, Donna Gates teaches us how food plays a role as well.

How Body Ecology Contributes to Your Best Health

The Body Ecology program is a system of eating whole foods that can work whether you eat meat, are vegetarian, or follow the raw food diet. This means you have plenty of options in how you follow Body Ecology.

The Key is Body Ecology's 7 Principles for Healthy Eating:

The Principle of Balance - is based on the concept of yin and yang, the opposing energy forces from ancient Chinese and Japanese traditions. Body Ecology uses the terms expansion and contraction to explain the yin and yang energy of the food you eat. Let's use sugar as an example for an expansive food. It absorbs into your blood stream very quickly and produces energy, giving you a temporarily open and relaxed feeling. With sugar, however, it is damaging because it is too expansive and therefore, not balanced. This is why many people have a sugar high and then a crash. Salt is an example of a contractive food. When you eat contractive foods, they may make your body feel tight and constricted. This is why many people don't feel well after eating too much salt. It makes your body hold on to water, for example. When you eat too much sugar, you may crave salt or when you eat too much salt, you may crave sugar. This is your body seeking a balance between expansive and contractive foods in the form of cravings.

The Principle of Acid and Alkaline - to maintain health, your blood must be slightly alkaline. The foods we eat and the lifestyle choices we make impact our body's ability to maintain that alkaline state. Stress, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, coffee, sugar, and processed foods make your blood more acidic. Body Ecology teaches you the foods and lifestyle habits that help keep your blood more alkaline.

The Principle of Cleansing - your body cleanses everyday through sweat, tears, elimination, and urine. These are ways you rid your body of toxins. Even illness can be a symptom of detoxification. And anyone who has experienced The LifeLine TechniqueTM understands that we detoxify emotionally as well. Cleansing and detoxification are critical for feeling your best and Body Ecology teaches how to cleanse with nutrition and lifestyle habits. In fact, you can really support your LifeLine TechniqueTM session with Body Ecology to help your body detoxify. Emotional detoxification often brings physical detoxification, so they work hand in hand.

The Principle of Food Combining - your digestive system has many different enzymes that digest different types of foods. If you eat protein with grains or starchy foods (think of the standard meat and potatoes meal), for example, you create a burden on your digestive system. This can lead to slowed or impaired digestion, causing the food to ferment in your stomach or toxins to be released in your intestines. It is these types of conditions that make your body more attractive to pathogens and can lead to imbalance in the body that fosters illness or weight gain.

The Principle of 80/20 - this principle says to eat until you are 80% full and leave 20% capacity for digestion. This principle also says that in every meal, 80% of your plate should be vegetables and 20% should be either animal protein or grains.

The Principle of Step-by-Step - we often overdo things and want to master a new habit in too short a time. Instead of taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed, take one thing at a time and go at your own pace. For example, a great place to start is by reducing or eliminating sugar. Get used to that and then add something else!

The Principle of Uniqueness - you are like no one else and your body responds to emotions and food like no one else. It's important to listen to your body and follow your own inner guidance.

Control Those Cravings

2009-01-04T21:57:00.002-05:00

I saw this article today and wanted to pass it along... I have added some comments under some paragraphs in italic... Happy New Year...

Control Your Cravings
The key to weight loss that lasts past the Chinese New Year is kicking those stubborn little urges to the curb.
By Adam Campbell, Women's Health More on this in Health & Fitness

Nobody likes a nag. But try telling that to the bag of snack-size Snickers bars that won't stop calling your name, or the oh-so-salty French fries that keep pummeling your willpower. A craving is like a little devil, constantly encouraging you to indulge. And dieting only turns up the pressure: A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that 91 percent of women reported experiencing food cravings when they weren't on a diet; once they started restricting calories, that figure went up to 94 percent. And we all know that giving in to urges is a ticket to nothing-in-my-closet-fits hell.

Not only that, but it discourages us and leads to a lot of negative self talk.

The good news is that, unlike, say, your mom's constant probing about grandkids, these unhealthy tormentors can be fended off. The reason: Cravings are all about blood sugar. If your levels stay consistent throughout the day, your eating patterns will too. It's when you starve yourself for hours that cravings call. "Your blood sugar can fall too low after just four hours of not eating," says Valerie Berkowitz, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition at the Center for Balanced Health in New York City. So you search the fridge, the food court, even the seat cushions for simple carbohydrates that will give you a quick boost. Trouble is, the resulting blood sugar spike triggers your pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that not only lowers blood sugar but also signals your body to run through the craving cycle over and over. In about half of us, insulin tends to overshoot—that's what sends blood sugar crashing. "This reinforces the binge because it makes you crave sugar and starch again," Berkowitz says. In other words, giving in to a carb craving only leaves you wanting more.

I have also found that adding good quality flax oil to my foods or smoothies helps keep my blood sugars nice and steady... 2 tbsp a day is what I currently use. I often will put ground flax seeds into my salads, on top of fruit or in oatmeals or cereals as well.

So how do you stop yourself from reaching for that Snickers? By following these seven steps designed to stop 99 percent of cravings before they start—and help you muzzle the 1 percent that never seem to shut up.

1. Ramp up your resolve One reason most diets fail is that long-term goals can be deceptively difficult: When the plan is to watch what you eat for the next six months, chugging one caramel latte with whipped cream seems like a minor slip. To avoid that kind of thinking, commit to eating well for a fixed amount of time that you're 100 percent confident you can manage, even if it's just a few days. "Once you make it to your goal date, start over," says Mary Vernon, M.D., chair of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. "This establishes the notion that you can be successful and gives you a chance to notice that eating better makes you feel better, reinforcing your desire to continue."

I personally follow an 80/20 plan. All week I eat clean foods and pick a Saturday, Sunday or sometimes both days to indulge in something I want. But on Monday, I am back at it with my smoothies. I am a huge fan of smoothies and juices.

2. Find meaningful motivation If the main purpose of your diet is cosmetic—i.e., to look amazing in boy shorts—you're unlikely to stick with it for the long haul. The solution: "Arm yourself with additional motivators," says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Connecticut. He suggests keeping a daily journal in which you monitor migraines, heartburn, acne, canker sores, and sleep quality in addition to body measurements and the number on the scale. "Discovering that your new diet improves the quality of your life and health is powerful motivation," Volek says.

Amen on this one. Focus on how good you will feel because you will if you stick to this...

3. Move on after a mistake Okay, you overindulged. What's the next step? "Forget about it," says James Newman, a nutritionist at Tahlequah City Hospital, in Tahlequah, Okla., who followed his own advice to shed 300 pounds. (That's right, three hundred.) "One meal doesn't define your diet, so don't assume that you've failed or fallen off the wagon," he says. Institute a simple rule: Follow any "cheat" meal with at least five healthy meals and snacks. That ensures that you'll be eating right more than 80 percent of the time.

Kiss it, bless it and move on. Your diet should not consume you- you are human- just try and be aware of what situations or events trigger you to want to eat poorly. Avoid those situations if possible or replace your old habits with new ones...

4. Roll out of bed and into the kitchen Sure, you've heard this advice before. But consider that if you sleep for six to eight hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you get to work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is usually pretty easy to find. The most convenient foods are typically packed with sugar (doughnuts, lattes) or other quickly digested carbohydrates (McMuffins, cinnamon buns). Which brings us to our next strategy.

5. Restock your shelves How many times have you driven to the store in the middle of the night to satisfy a craving? Probably not nearly as often as you've raided the fridge. You're more likely to give in to a craving when the object you desire is close at hand. So make sure it's not: Toss the junk food and restock your cupboard and fridge with almonds and other nuts, cheese, fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna, chicken and salmon. And do the same at work. "By eliminating snacks that don't match your diet and providing plenty that do, you're far less likely to find yourself at the doughnut-shop drive-thru or the vending machine," says Christopher Mohr, Ph.D., R.D., president of Mohr Results, a fitness and nutrition consulting firm in Louisville, Ky.

Part of my work is to help others find better options for the foods we all love or once loved. If you are struggling with finding better choices at the grocery store or confused about what is good and what is not, let me know. I am happy to come out and go through the store with you or help restock those shelves of yours...

6. Think like a biochemist Cookies made with organic cane juice might sound like something your yoga teacher would eat, but they won't help her fit into her Lycra pants. Junk food by any other name is still junk. Ditto for lots of "health foods" in the granola aisle. "Natural" sweeteners like honey raise blood sugar just like the white stuff. "If you're going to eat cookies, accept that you're deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward," Berkowitz says. Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble.

Very true. Just because it is in a natural foods grocery store like Whole Foods doesn't mean it is good for you. HOWEVER, I would rather you start buying these more natural food items since most of them do not have artificial colors or flavorings or trans fats. I would much rather have Anne's Naturals Cheddar Bunnies for my kids then the Cheezy Puffs you get at the gas station or regular grocery store.

7. Spot hunger impostors Have a craving for sweets even though you ate just an hour ago? Imagine sitting down to a large, sizzling steak instead. "If you're truly hungry, the steak will sound good, and you should eat," says Richard Feinman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. "If it doesn't sound good, your brain is playing tricks on you." His advice: Change your environment, which can be as easy as stretching at your desk or turning your attention to a different task.

That is the first time I heard that one. In addition, I have also read that if you crave sugar shortly after a meal, it may have not contained enough protein and too much carbohydrate. See if you can balance out those meals. And by the way, protein does not always have to come from an animal source!!

Courage

2008-12-08T22:05:00.001-05:00

Courage
By Janee Kuta-Iliano

Courage: “The quality of mind that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, etc., without fear; bravery.”

Our economy is in crisis and our shared panic is creating a global emergency. These days, I find myself caught in conversations discussing our economic situation and all the financial hardships we are sure to face. People advise to watch out and beware of the tough times ahead. Many are visibly scared about what appears to be going on. We hear stories and are seeing friends being laid off from work and the news forecasts gloom and doom. The paranoia feels like white noise aggravating the air.

It is clear that the quality of our minds can help us to recover from these difficult times. However, if we continue to believe in what is predicted, the collective thought will surely overcome us and our future will be exactly as we fear.

We can either choose to believe that the worst is ahead. That our future is bleak and that we better hang on to what we have or we can choose to believe that what is happening is exactly what we need as a nation, as a society, as a planet, in order to learn a way in which we can live more harmoniously with one another. Do we have the courage to overcome our fears and help bring peace among one another during such unsettling times?

Do we want to believe that we have lost control over our lives or do we want to believe that we will be okay and prosper better than before? Thoughts are things. What we spend most of our time thinking and talking about becomes our reality.

Living in fear is the opposite of living in love. If we have fear then we cannot love which makes us lose our infinite power. We roll over dead to life’s circumstances instead of feeling driven to do something about it. Everything is in its perfect and direct opposite.

Our lives are all about choice. We have a choice in everything we do and in how we feel. The Bible says that it is sinful (to have missed the mark) to fear and we are asked to not allow evil thoughts to sink in to create a false sense of self. A good friend said that we are on, “God’s economy,” and to not involve ourselves with earthly desires and fears. Let us be accountable to the light and not sow in dead works.

So let us not join and participate in conversations that fuel this combined fear of the unknown. That undoubtedly will attract more of the same. Do we have the courage to remain hopeful and positive? Can all of us keep doing what we do best while living in thanks despite the challenges? “All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil by anxious thoughts but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast regardless of circumstances.” (Prov 15:15) Constant gratitude can strengthen our days to remain steadfast to our work and purpose.

Lessons indeed need to be learned and everything does happen for a reason but we really have a choice in how we deal with it. When difficulties arise, when times are hard financially, let us have the courage to believe that we are not our cars, our fancy clothes, our retirement funds or our oversized and overstuffed homes. Let us remember where we came from. Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet they are constantly provided for. Are we not worth much more than birds? Let us remember why we are here and who we really are at our core.

If we let go of what we think should be happening and ride this wave with the right mindset, having constant faith and trust, we will overcome what is happening to us. Let us have the courage to persevere though our toughest times. The choice is ours to make.

Downsizing

2008-12-08T22:01:00.004-05:00

Hey, here are some recent Journey magazine articles I wrote. More to come....

Downsizing
Making room for the moment….
By Janee Kuta-Iliano

Being in the moment is where life is most illuminated All anxieties, thoughts and judgment cease. Ordinary sights, sounds and smells come to the senses. Negative emotions disappear and a feeling of awe and wonder appear. Peace and appreciation pervade.

Being in the moment is such a beautiful experience, so why can’t it happen all the time? How can we go from complete awareness to utter chaos in an instant? Calm, cool and collected one moment and freaking out the next. Becoming more present to my life has made me realize how much I have been missing out on.

These past few years have been one of true transformation and healing. We all have our baggage and this just happens to be my time to unpack. Deciding to no longer carry around burdens and making a commitment to actively participate in my life has become my focus. I am devoted to purposefully creating the life of my dreams and being in the moment has become a vital part to my success.

There are reasons why I have not been able to be in the moment that I’d like to share. One major obstacle was my schedule!!! I have spent many years living on a very tight string. My life has been very scheduled with work, activities, commitments, etc. Who doesn’t have a busy schedule these days? Even our children’s days have become overscheduled leaving little room for any of us to get sidetracked.

My unrealistic schedule not only made me late to events, but continually created a sense of panic and had me rushing around all the time. I hated it because I felt like something was wrong with me. My family would tease me about how I was always late to functions. There were times when I wanted to talk to the salad bar guy at Heinens but couldn’t because I had to get somewhere. It almost felt like I was running around with my head down, going over what was next and missing out on all the beauty, wonder and lessons that surrounded me.

After having Jude, my schedule had to change. My daughter has become one of my best teachers because she is always, just always in the moment. I remember early on when she would peacefully sit and grab for bits of dust that floated by her face. I was in awe as she looked at the dust with pure wonder, laughing as she tried to reach for it. Being with Jude has been so refreshing because she truly is going with the flow of life.

Creating a realistic schedule, saying no to events and spending more time doing nothing versus scheduling all these activities has been a saving grace. It is now okay if Jude wants to take a minute to sit on those big red balls at Target whereas before, there would have been no time for it. Downsize, do less instead of more has been my goal and a nice way to help me stay present and in the moment.

Another issue that has personally kept me from being in the moment is holding on to grudges. I would like to consider myself a forgiving person, but when I took a good look in the mirror, was I really? Forgiving others for past issues and most importantly, forgiving myself for things have taken the weight of the world off my shoulders. Talk about lightening up! It has been like freeing up space on a computer. Forgiving has given me room to breathe. Forgiving has allowed me to start really liking myself as a person, which is a very positive thing. When we are peaceful, we are in the moment. This is how we are supposed to be: happy, humble, giving, loving. Not tortured, harassed, dejected and helpless. “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matt 9:37)

Living a life of gratitude bears a lot of fruit as well. Our gimmie, gimmie society appears be driven by the idea that the world owes us something. This collective thought pattern keeps us focused on what’s next and how much more. Society expects us to be at a certain place in life at a certain age, so we keep striving and reaching for the next level instead of appreciating what we have now. I realize I am here impress one person in my life, God. Focusing less on myself and living in gratitude for all my blessings has taken the edge off and has begun to reveal powerful insights to life as I go along.

Being in the moment allows us to look at everything with a fresh mind since the mind is like new with each second instead of replaying the same old thought patterns, judgments and assumptions over and over again. Our habits are well-paved paths and cease to exist when we focus on the here and now. So take a peak, explore what is keeping you from being in the moment. Are you overscheduled and running on empty? Do you feel forced to do everything for everyone else but not for yourself? Do you hold on to bitterness that is taking up space in your mind and body? There is an answer to our why. Start letting go of baggage and ask for help. As they say, Let go and Let God. I am overwhelmed at how much it can help.

What Foods to Buy Organic and Why

2008-08-16T21:09:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone. I read this article and thought it was really good. A lot of people are asking which foods are best to buy commercially and which ones to buy organic.

Dr. Mercola’s newsletter just recently published an article on the subject and wanted to share it with you. I like Dr. Mercola’s newsletters- you find some answers.

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health, produces the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests.
Organic fruits and vegetables are by definition grown without the use of pesticides. But some find the expense of organic foods prohibitive. Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume:

Broccoli
Eggplant
Cabbage
Banana
Kiwi
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onion
Sources:
DrWeil.com July 30, 2008
FoodNews.org Printable Shopper’s Guide

The biggest study ever into organic food – a four-year EU funded project called the Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project – found that organic food is FAR more nutritious than ordinary produce, and can help improve your health and longevity. You’re likely to hear more about this again, once they publish their findings in full, which is expected to occur by the end of this year.
This study may have considerable impact, as its findings may even overturn government advice – at least in the U.K. – which currently states that eating organic food is no more than a lifestyle choice.

For example, this study found that:

Organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants

Organic produce had higher levels of beneficial minerals like iron and zinc

Milk from organic herds contained up to 90 percent more antioxidants

The researchers even went so far as to say that eating organic foods can help to increase the nutrient intake of people who don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Food grown in healthier soil, with natural fertilizers and no chemicals, simply has to be more nutritious. It is common knowledge -- though knowledge that is greatly suppressed in the United States. But science is catching up, making suppression of this fact more difficult to sustain. A 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, for example, found that organic foods are better for fighting cancer. And in 2005, scientists found that, compared to rats that ate conventional diets, organically fed rats experienced various health benefits, including:

Improved immune system status

Better sleeping habits

Less weight and were slimmer than rats fed other diets

Higher vitamin E content in their blood (for organically fed rats)

Does this mean that you should ditch all of your conventional produce and meat, and only buy certified organic foods? Well, yes … and no.

What Should You Buy Organic?

Aside from the fact that organic food contains higher levels of vital nutrients, organic foods are also lower in other residues and compounds that are seriously detrimental to your health, such as herbicide- and pesticide residues.

Additionally, the use of pesticides and herbicides in conventional farming practices contaminates groundwater, ruins the soil structure and promotes erosion. They’ve also been linked to the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” that threatens pollinating honeybees around the world. With that in mind, buying or growing as much organic food as possible is not only best for your health, but for the health of the entire planet.

That said, however, certain fruits and vegetables are subjected to far heavier pesticide use than others. And with food prices rising, many are looking for ways to buy the healthiest foods possible at the lowest cost. One such way would be to focus on purchasing certain organic items, while “settling” for others that are conventionally-grown.

This is where the EWG study of pesticide residue on produce really helps.

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these 12 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organic:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

Conventionally-grown strawberries, in particular, were found to be highly toxic due to a poisonous blend of pesticides in a previous 2007 EU study as well.
But be VERY careful as the list above is for fruits and vegetables. Non-organic meats have far higher concentrations of pesticides than all of the fruits and vegetables. And the highest concentration of pesticides is actually in non-organic butter.

So if you can only buy one organic food item it should be butter. Next priority would be meats and once those are addressed, you will want to focus on the fruit and vegetable list above.
Locally-grown organics are your absolute best bet, but bear in mind that many times buying locally-grown food is your best choice even if it’s grown conventionally, as the environmental impact of shipping organic produce across the globe can cancel out many its benefits. Organic farming standards are also questionable in many parts of the world.
These Conventionally-Grown Foods are Low in Pesticide Residue -- But Watch Out For GMO Varieties!

While you may have heard about the most common GMO food sources, such as corn, many people are clueless about JUST HOW MUCH of your produce is now available in GMO varieties. And, perhaps even worse, just how many deliberate GMO field trials are actually going on, all across the world.

A perfect example of the repercussions of this practice can be seen in Hawaii, where non-GMO papaya seed supplies are now so seriously contaminated by GMO seeds that at least 50 percent of organic seeds test positive for GMO!

That means you have a greater than 50/50 chance of buying GMO even when buying organic Hawaiian papaya…

Although the U.S. does not require GMOs to be labeled, you can still find out whether or not your produce is genetically engineered, by looking at its PLU code. For example:

A conventionally grown product carries a 4-digit PLU code (Ex: conventionally grown banana: 4011)

An organic product carries a 5-digit code, starting with the number 9: (Ex: organic banana: 94011)

A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) product has a 5-digit code, starting with the number 8: (Ex: GE banana: 84011)

Here are a few other fruits that are LOW in pesticide residue, and therefore good candidates to purchase as conventionally-grown, however, double-check to make sure you’re not buying a GMO variety.

Avocado – A new GMO avocado variety is scheduled to be introduced this year that is immune to “stress” and pests, per an Indian state report published in March, 2008.

Bananas – The first GMO banana with extra genes that increase its levels of pro-vitamin A and iron is being unleashed in Australian field trials this year. At Cornell University, researchers are also working to develop a banana that carries the hepatitis B vaccine.

Pineapple -- GMO pineapples, designed to produce greater levels of proteins, vitamins and sugars may already be on the market. Australia applied for pineapple into environment all the way back in 2002. The pineapple is called “Smooth Cayenne,” which has delayed flowering and herbicide resistance. It also contains the tobacco acetolactate synthase gene (suRB) from Nicotiana tabacum.

Kiwi -- The transgenic variety of kiwi fruit is the Actinidia deliciosa from Italy.
Remember, if you can't afford to purchase all organic food, at least aim to buy produce that has a lower toxic load and is non-GMO.

Comfortably Numb- Awakening The True Spirit Within By Janee Kuta-Iliano

2008-03-08T21:20:00.002-05:00

So, this is the first time I have worked on my blog!!! My thanks to my web designer, Maria for being so patient with me :) I feel that it is time to start paying a lot more attention to this underused tool so that I can start to get my thoughts out to you as well as bits of information that I feel can be helpful in building a healthier lifestyle. I am sure I will learn how to best use this service, but for now, I am just going to open myself up to all of you, revealing my personal accomplishments and obstacles in this experience of creating a healthier, happier life. So we'll see how it goes.

This is a recent article I wrote in our Journey Magazine. It was the first time I realized just how much I opened myself up to readers. My purpose for doing so was to help people realize that we all have struggles and issues. I wanted to relate to others in similar situations as well as offer ways in which I am dealing with these life issues. They may or may not be of use to you, but we'll see.

It is my intention to grow this blog into an open forum where people can talk to one another and share ways in which to take better control of your health and well-being. Anything is possible, so let's start working together and sharing anything that comes to mind and heart. Be well, hope to hear from some of you soon!

Janee

Recently I was with a friend listening to a cover band sing “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd when I had a moment of awakening. You don’t really need to know the words to that song in order to get the drift of its lyrics. The words seemed to describe my life at given moments and the realization struck something deep inside of me. I felt afraid and knew I needed to start doing some serious work on myself in order to figure out why I felt so numb.

Shortly after, I met with a life coach and a therapist to start uncovering these underlying causes of my behaviors and emotions. Initially it was hard to go to a therapist since somehow I learned that going to a therapist meant I should be ashamed of something. I placed negativity on the whole experience but have found it to be a very positive place in which to explore myself and set some achievable goals.

I had known for awhile that something wasn’t right because I found myself getting upset over such silly things but didn’t know what to do about it. For instance, one day, I spilled milk (almond milk that is…) on the floor and you would have thought the world was coming to an end. My reaction to the spilled milk was way over the top and totally uncalled for. So, why was I so upset over something so trivial? The reason why spilling milk on the floor was so frustrating was not because of the obvious, but the spilt milk made me see how rushed my life was and how I didn’t realistically plan my days. With the lack of realistic planning, I was setting myself up for failure each and every day. My life coach asked me to start tallying up the time it would take for me to get all of my things on the “To Do” list completed. I laughed as I quickly saw that I would have to commit to over 10 hours a day getting everything on my list done on top of raising a family and being a wife. My goals for the day were unrealistic and unattainable and it was news to me! I kept thinking that I was not efficient and not doing a good job with my life. But what has really been going on was my lack of realistic planning which was creating all these negative emotions. So the spilling of milk was just the tipping point for all that pent up emotion.

During this unraveling process, I also realized that I was not verbalizing my feelings very effectively. Identifying feelings sounds easy enough, but it has proven to be difficult for me and I would imagine it is for others out there as well.

We all read about how you should practice relaxation and breathing techniques to help deal with stress. I have read it so much that I began to feel like something was wrong with me if I couldn’t calm myself through deep breathing and just letting go. Breathing was not working for me and it actually felt like I was trying to stuff all those negative feelings back into my body instead of expressing them as they came up. I actually felt like something was wrong with me if I wasn’t peaceful and calm each day. Like it was bad to feel disappointed, upset, jealous, angry, tired, rushed, distracted, grouchy, etc. I would beat myself up for feeling anything other then perfect. I was soon able to realize that I wasn’t honoring my feelings. What a relief to let go of trying to be perfect! Now, I am trying to identify what is really bothering me on any given day. What has been amazing is that the quicker I identify what is really bothering me, the faster the emotions and frustrations fade.

Something as simple as identifying feelings has awakened my ability to know myself and see what is really behind my emotions. I realize that I am not my feelings but it takes time to stop such a tiring habit. Imagine being dragged around by your feelings each and everyday? It is completely exhausting.

As I have started letting go of this notion of having to be perfect, I see how hard I have been on myself. It was finally okay to not be everything and everywhere all the time. I now appreciate that I am doing the best that I can with the little time I have. From that, I starting respecting my need for personal time and started scheduling time to take care of me. I made time for personal development and exercise and as I continue do this, the better I feel. Even if it is doing some sit ups and jumping jacks in my spare bedroom for 15 minutes, at least it was something I did for me.

I want to be zen-like and peaceful but that is a process I have to work at. If you leave life up to chance then you will always be hoping and wishing that things turn out they way you want. You have to actively participate in your life and set realistic goals that leave you feeling fulfilled and not overworked and unhappy. Stop setting yourself up for failure. We are human and need to be realistic with what we can do each day.

Figuring out yourself is not brain science, but it is harder to figure out what is going on when the one you are examining is YOU. It is much easier to look at someone else and see the issues, but not so easy when it is you who is figuring you out. That is why we all need help to awaken our true potentials. We don’t need know it all and it is okay to lean on others for help and insight.

This life is whatever you want it to be. Awaken your true self! Start doing the things that make you happy. Identify what it is you want in life and lean on others to help you with the process. We don’t have to be in survival mode everyday. Are you “Comfortably Numb?”

The only thing that separates us is that some of us take action to change the negativity in our lives, while others let life circumstances take them over. You can set a different course for your life if your will and desire are strong enough to take action. This is not as good as it gets. Life can be eventful, fulfilling and full of promise if you start examining what it is that you really want. Be well and know that we all have “stuff” to deal with. You are never alone.

Janee Kuta-Iliano is the director of ALiVE ONE whose purpose is to empower others to take control of their health. She is a Wellness Coach offering Colon Hydrotherapy, Internal Cleansing & Detoxification Programs and whole food nutritional products. Visit her website at www.aliveone.net. For more information contact Janee at 440-478-9802 or janee@aliveone.net

Compassionate Kitchens

2007-06-27T14:39:00.000-04:00

Compassionate Kitchens

Clarity comes to us all the time. Clarity can be subtle where everyday living provides us with insight. Other times, the "cosmic 2 x 4" smacks over the head, allowing a situation to shed some major light. Either way, our individual paths are molded by these moments of clarity.

As individuals, these moments of clarity come to us differently and at different times in our life. Since clarity comes to us in our own special way, it is only appropriate to share a personal experience. I start by saying that this is my own moment of truth and it is not important whether or not you can understand this experience. However, I do hope that within this personal story, you can find a source of information in which to process.

This past July I traveled to Johnston, PA for a Vegetarian Summerfest held by the North American Vegetarian Society. Not much thought was given about it. I was simply thinking that it would be a weekend of fun, live food presentations and inspirational speakers, however, the universe apparently had much more in store.

It was Saturday afternoon and I was seated in a college lecture room awaiting the debut of "Peaceable Kingdom," a documentary on American factory farming practices. As I was waiting, I read a quote, one that I had heard many times before, but for some reason, under these particular circumstances, the quote struck me,

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Gandhi

By that standard, our fast food nation is "developing" Does it matter?

I took a deep breath and watched the movie. This is what I allowed myself to finally hear.

Farm animals, by the millions, are forced to live in cages or crates just barely larger than their own bodies. While some species, like hogs and veal calves, may be caged alone without any social contact, others, like egg-laying hens and chickens, may be crowded so tightly together that they fall prey to stress-induced cannibalism. Unable to groom, stretch their legs, or even turn around, the animals of factory farms exist in a constant state of distress. Now, if a private citizen confined a dog or cat in a manner commonly seen in factory farms, or subjected an animal to surgical procedures without anesthesia [no anesthesia is given to pigs when cutting off their tails to prevent them from biting each other under confined conditions], the individual would be charged with cruelty to animals. There are virtually no federal laws that protect farm animals from this type of treatment as long as it takes place in the name of production and profit. The federal Animal Welfare Act, which regulates the treatment of animals for commercial purposes, does not apply to farm animals unless they are being used in research or for exhibition. Moreover, a majority of states have specifically exempted some aspect of the treatment of animals in agriculture from their cruelty laws. It is left entirely to the preference of the individual company how many egg-laying hens are stuffed into each little wire cage, or whether an artificially inseminated sow must spend her entire pregnancy chained to the floor of a cement-bottomed cage.

Like some weird flashback, I heard a quote in my head,

"If I love animals called pets, why do I eat animals called dinner?"

I dismissed that thought because my argument was that in nature other animals eat other animals, plus what would we do with all these pigs, cows and chickens if we didn't eat them? The information kept coming.

Factory farming began in the 1920s soon after the discovery of vitamins A and D. When these vitamins are added to feed, animals no longer require exercise and sunlight for growth. This allowed large numbers of animals to be raised indoors year-round. The greatest problem that was faced in raising these animals indoors was the spread of disease, which was combated in the 1940s with the development of antibiotics. Farmers found they could increase productivity and reduce the operating costs by using mechanization and assembly line techniques. Unfortunately, this trend of mass production has resulted in incredible pain and suffering for the animals. Animals today raised on factory farms have often times had their genes manipulated, been induced with large doses of antibiotics and hormones, particularly in their feed, and given other chemicals to encourage high productivity. In the food industry, by these standards, it is clear that animals are not considered animals but food producing machines.

The answer to my previous questions presented itself. Yes, other animals eat other animals but never do they do it in such a manner as we do on OUR factory farms (we all own this). Have you ever seen lions caging zebras, manipulating them to produce more meat at an accelerated pace then ship them off to slaughter when the time was right? (Not a great example, but we get the point)?

OK, What about the environment and our small family farms? Is this really just about money?

Factory farms are quickly taking over the livestock industry. In the poultry industry, 98% of all poultry is now produced by corporations, forcing family farms out of business. Large farms receive nearly twice as much in government subsidies as small, family farms.

It just kept coming.

4 meatpacking companies control an estimated 79% of cattle slaughter. Since 1986 the number of independent hog operations has declined by 72% - a loss of over 247,500 farms.

One of the most dangerous practices of factory farming is the storage and "use" of liquefied animal waste. The USDA estimates that animals in the US meat industry produced 1.4 billion tons of waste in 1997 - 130 times the nation's volume of human waste and five tons of animal waste for every US citizen. The massive quantities of manure generated are stored in holes dug in the earth (referred to as "lagoons") and then spread onto cropland. These manure pits are known to leak or overflow, releasing toxic bacteria and excess nutrients into groundwater. Spreading waste on the ground leads to odor problems and water pollution when more manure is applied than the surrounding land can absorb. Manure at cattle feedlots can produce substantial amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, both potent greenhouse gases that could contribute to global warming. In 1995, 25 million gallons of animal waste spilled from an eight-acre "lagoon" into North Carolina's New River, killing 10 million fish and closing 364,000 acres of coastal wetlands to shell fishing.

My next question during this emotional time, "Well, this is how meat production has to be due to a large population and the increased demand for meat. How else could they produce enough meat for everyone since on average each person consumes over 200 pounds of animal flesh each year?"

Sustainable agriculture is a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers and animals, and provides a fair wage to the farmer. Sounds too good to be true, but it is proving to be valid if implemented properly. In 1990, the US government defined sustainable agriculture in Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1683, as “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.” (For more detailed information on the possibilities of this type of agriculture, check out www.sustainabletable.org)

Sustainable Agriculture looks like something to look into but still back to this factory farming. Really how bad is it? Yes, the animals appear to be suffering, but how does this affect my family and me?

In 1954, American farmers used about half a million pounds of antibiotics a year in raising food animals. Today, about half of the 50 million pounds of antibiotics produced in the US each year is used for animals, 80 percent of which is poured directly into feed to make animals grow faster. Widespread overuse of antibiotics is resulting in the evolution of new strains of virulent bacteria whose resistance to antibiotics poses a threat to human health.

Conditions on factory farms and in slaughterhouses are also responsible for a large proportion of food-borne illnesses reported in the US each year. Officials at the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have referred to the current situation with food-related disease as an "epidemic." Studies have found that nearly 80 percent of ground beef sampled - with a similar percentage of poultry sampled - contain microbes spread by animal feces. According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), 81 million Americans become sick, and 9,000 die, from food-borne illness every year. The GAO sets the price tag for these illnesses and deaths at about $22 billion a year. People have also contracted Mad Cow Disease through eating the meat of infected animals. In humans the affliction is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) where no cure has been found and death ultimately results within 14 months. Presently it is reported that 150 people worldwide have contracted CJD, with speculation that many cases are misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's or Dementia. (For more information on Mad Cow Disease check out www.madcowboy.com) Honestly though, the full extent of the health ramifications of factory farming is not known entirely, however, nobody is really counting deaths from drug-resistant infections and a majority of food-borne illnesses go unreported.

I stood up from that movie viewing and there was my moment of clarity.

I have always known about our food supply, but it was not until the 100th time of hearing it that it resonated with me so passionately. I knew I no longer wanted to bring this type of cruelty into my kitchen. My eating habits were no longer motivated just by wanting to attain good health and vitality, but they were equally motivated by not wanting to support an industry that has no regard or compassion for the animals that spare their lives for us. Yes, I do not want to cause any undue harm to animals, but this industry is now directly affecting my life, my family and my environment, which makes it more and more my problem. I say this strongly but know that my will will be tested everyday as it has since the day I came back from that transformative trip. I do not stand or write before you a perfect example of an animal rights advocate or whatever. I know that there is still much more to learn, so I am sure that my hypocrisy will live on probably until the day I leave this earth plane. But each day the knowledge I gain is my power and the more I learn the more clear it is to me that this is not an industry that I wish to support.

We encourage you to come join us for a viewing of the Peaceable Kingdom at A Touch of Serenity on Thursday September 30, 2004 from 6:30 - 8:30 P.M. Let the movie be an opportunity for you to learn more about where your meat comes from. This will absolutely not be meat-eater bashing party, since I hold strong that it is natural for animals to eat other animals under natural conditions as our ancestors have. But we are here to be a source of information because I believe just as my clarity came to me, most people would take another glance at factory farming if they really saw what happens to our food before it is presented into tiny little packages that resemble nothing close to the animal that it came from.

--Janee Kuta-Iliano

Indifference: The Greatest Sin of All

2007-06-27T14:34:00.000-04:00

Indifference: The Greatest Sin of All

Raising Awareness in Darfur

Only recently has the situation in Darfur has come into my awareness. It is sad to say, seeing as how this UN declared genocide has been going on for 3 years! The underreporting of this conflict is something I wish to bring awareness to as well as share some unfortunate information as to what exactly is going on.

Darfur, the western region of Sudan, Africa is home to an estimated six million people. It is also the battlefield on which the 21st century's first genocide rages. It is estimated that some 400,000 have already been killed. 2.5 million are displaced, 3.5 million are hungry and 80 – 90% of all villages in Darfur have been decimated. Darfurians who make it to the crowded refugee camps along the Sudan-Chad border are plagued by lurking Janjaweed militias and inadequate food, water, shelter, healthcare, and sanitation.

According to reports, the situation in Darfur is complex, resulting from many historic, social and cultural forces. Unequal distribution of economic resources and general neglect of the Darfur region prompted a rebellion against the Sudanese government in 2003. The two main rebel groups, the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), claim that the government is oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs.

In response, the Sudanese government (often referred to as Khartoum, which is the capital of Sudan) is backing Janjaweed militias as they murder, rape, loot, and expel non-Arab Africans from Darfur. Non-Arab men, women, and children have been forced from their homes and face starvation and the constant threat of violence. Though the government denies that they are connected to the Janjaweed, hard evidence shows that they have aided the militias by providing them with arms and enhancing attacks with aerial bombardment. The tactics of the Janjaweed, including the systematic poisoning of wells and burning of food stores, indicate that the dispute is not over land or resources. Nor is it a religious conflict. It is believed that the Khartoum is utilizing the historic animosity between the region’s mostly “Arab” nomadic herders and “African” settled farmers for its own benefit. By generating anarchy, the government weakens the position of its enemies.

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry found evidence of systematic rape, burning, looting, and other crimes against humanity occurring throughout the Darfur region and the violence is visibly increasing. The International Rescue Committee reported that more humanitarian aid workers were killed in July of this year (2006) than had been killed in the previous three years combined.

President Bush classified the crisis a genocide in September 2004. The U.S. was the force behind a U.N. Security Council statement that began preliminary planning for the possible deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to Darfur. Though the need has been recognized, international troops have not been officially pledged to Darfur. All that stands between the Janjaweed and innocent civilians are the approximately 7,000 under-funded, under-armed African Union (AU) troops currently in Darfur, an area the size of Texas or France. Though the African Union presence has been shown to deter attacks in some situations, AU troops cannot offer outright protection to Darfurian civilians.

The U.N. hopes to deploy peacekeepers by January 2007 at the earliest. There are several obstacles though. Troops take time to deploy, and the logistical and financial support of U.N. member states is both necessary and unlikely to be timely. Sudan, a sovereign nation, has stated that it will refuse to admit peacekeepers. The U.N. is pressuring Khartoum with little success and unfortunately the situation on the ground continues to disintegrate. The increase in violence has put the humanitarian life-support system on life-support itself, and the nightmare scenario of a complete security collapse and the spike in death-rate that will surely follow now appears to be not a possibility, but a probability. UN official Jan Egland has previously said that he believes the death-rate could rise as high as 100,000 per month if security collapses.

With non-Arab men, women, and children are being killed in Darfur and millions of people being forced from their homes, will we continue to turn a blind eye? How long before we learn from history? How many more times will humanity let a Nazi Germany, Idi Amin, Khmer Rouge, Rwanda, or Bosnia occur. I feel saddened and ignorant for not knowing much about this situation. Upon asking several residents of Cleveland about Darfur, I have shockingly found that I am not alone in my lack of understanding and awareness. As Election Day has come and gone, stopping the genocide in Darfur should have been on the agenda. By some figures more have died in three years of genocide in Darfur then under the entire regime of Saddam Hussein (24 years)! We have fought 2 wars, spent hundreds of billions of dollars, and lost thousands of our young men and women for that “brutal regime.” Shouldn’t we be urging the United States^st Century not worthy of national attention? government to set-up an international peacekeeping intervention, or is the first genocide of the 21 Without immediate action we abandon thousands, perhaps millions, to a massacre. Can this happen under our watch? In our time? As George Santayana stated, “Those who do not learn from history are damned to repeat it.” I fear, as the most powerful country on earth we will be judged harshly on the altar of history for our silence! I urge you to learn and raise awareness of this situation as I wish to no longer remain ignorant to such crimes against humanity. The whole underreported situation brings tears to my eyes.

Information for this article was taken from the group STAND (www.standnow.org) Volunteers are needed to help organize a fundraiser for organizations working directly with the refugees of Darfur

--Janee Kuta-Iliano

Baby Jude

2007-06-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

Baby Jude-Vital and Balanced

The other day I took my newborn baby to the chiropractor for an adjustment. It was suggested to go since babies can suffer trauma during birth. I was uneasy about taking her since I wasn’t sure what type of adjustments you could really do on an infant. Plus, I didn’t think my baby suffered a lot of physical trauma during the delivery that needed immediate attention. Regardless, I thought it couldn’t hurt her and decided to go anyway. The day of the visit, Jude was fussy and crying while we were waiting. As soon as we entered the doctor’s room, she became fussier until the doctor proceeded to work on her. Instantly, after a few stretches she became quiet. In fact she fell into a deep sleep. The doctor did a few more subtle stretches and hit certain trigger points that apparently stimulated her. Jude awoke from the stimulation, but the doctor gently grabbed her hand and applied pressure to the tip of her index finger. The application of that particular trigger point caused her to immediately drift back into a deep sleep.

That whole day and the days thereafter, Jude was calm and slept better than any newborn I have read or talked with others about. It was such an amazing experience to me. Jude had no obvious problems with her body, but after her treatment, she achieved an even higher level of balance within. I saw this baby as a totally open being. A body that received the healing energy of this doctor’s treatment wholly without any preconceived thought as to how she should feel afterwards. Here was a fresh being with no agendas or blocks to her happiness and harmony.

As we grow, life experiences and societal norms program us and interfere with our body’s ability to accept help and even love for that matter. But as a baby, Jude appeared open to receiving this doctor’s therapy which helped to create further balance and health within her. I have intimately witnessed someone who is completely open to the world around her. Someone who is aware of everything as it appears in each moment. A person who is truly living life in the present moment. Jude is so vital, balanced and 100% genuine in every way. To go from crying to smiling in the same minute is amazing. As a need arises, she responds to it. She responds to any stimulus and then lets it go, holding on to nothing.

If our internal needs are not met, an imbalance can start early even in infancy. The learning process starts in utero and continues on through birth. A baby tells it like it is and the honesty is just so refreshing. It is a lesson to be honest with ourselves, to be who we really are at each given moment. As soon as Jude’s needs are met, she achieves balance becoming calm and content.

It is possible to translate this into our adult lives. How many times have you done what you needed to do and not what someone else wanted you to do? Doesn’t it feel good to do what is right for us? To make decisions that is in accordance to our true self. Our true self being that inner voice that tells us what we should and shouldn’t be doing. When we listen to that voice, we can find answers to all of our questions. We can find our balance if we just act on the feelings we have at each given moment and not suppress them. Suppressing our thoughts and feelings leads us to a state of imbalance, where we eventually blow up when we reach a saturation point. If we don’t speak up, ultimately this imbalance manifests into dis-ease. Many health authorities are now claiming that dis-ease is not just the cause of a physical imbalance in our body, but a mental, emotional and spiritual imbalance as well. Being healthy is not just what you eat and do with the physical body. Good health requires taking care of oneself emotionally and mentally, by having our inner needs met at all times.

Would you ever neglect a baby who is crying and needs something? But we neglect ourselves and our needs all the time. I remember reading a book that questioned the inner self that puts us down all day long. Realistically you would never have a friend who tells you that you are no good and not worthy of certain things. But our inner self does this to us all the time. It is time to ditch this negativity that lives within. Bring balance and openness to your world just as baby Jude strives to do with hers. .

Watching a baby is a lesson in giving ourselves permission to love and be loved and to find our voice when things aren’t in accordance to our true self. Let us learn from and become babies again, responding to our inner needs and emotions as they arise to help prevent imbalance and dis-ease. The difference now is that we are the only ones that can soothe and take responsibility for ourselves whereas a baby requires the love and attention of others.

I look so forward to all that I will learn or hopefully unlearn in this lifelong journey of motherhood. As I reflect on the actions of this baby, I question who is the wiser of the two, her or me? Of course there should be no judgment, but for now, I have a lot of observing to do and I thank this little creation from God who will certainly help me just as much as I plan to help her. Namaste Jude

--Janee Kuta-Iliano