I’ll admit it: I used to be a coffee addict.

It didn’t help that I worked in a drive-thru espresso shop while attending the University of Oregon. (Note: lots of stuff is drive-thru in Oregon because people don’t want to get out of their car in the rain!) I really developed and nourished my caffeine monster during my Junior year when I was taking 20 credits, working, and assisting in two classes.

I had no idea what I was doing to my bones and my body’s natural abilities to heal. I didn’t learn until years later that over-consumption of caffeine was depleting the calcium in my bones, and I was creating a cycle of low-energy and caffeine-dependancy.

The fear of painful and debilitating caffeine withdrawal symptoms can keep people from following through with their intentions to quit coffee. Pounding withdrawal headaches can propel coffee drinkers back to the coffee cup to get respite.

One of the ways I help clients release their destructive caffeine addictions is to introduce “coffee alternatives” as well as lifestyle and supplement recommendations.

My favorite product, by far, is Teeccino. This roasted, dark, aromatic herbal “coffee” has no caffeine, tastes great, looks like coffee, and brews as easily as tea or coffee. Teeccino has also put together recommendations on their website for how you can wean yourself off the dark stuff.

Want free samples? Teeccino has a special offer just for my readers: go here by Thursday 9/9!

If you sign up for my 8 Week Detox by this Friday 9/10, I’ll help you kick caffeine, sugar, and learn how to eat to lose weight naturally and decrease pain – and you’ll get Teeccino goodies!

The good folks at this great company have made a special offer just for my readers! Go to their website and get some free samples – but you have to go by 9/9: Thursday night! Go today – get started on your path to a pain free body now with free samples from Teeccino!

I love hearing back from clients after they finish my programs. They go off on their own and start living their lives without my check-ins and weekly support.

One thing I know is true is that many of the women I work with notice that their families join in the program with them  - offering support, adding energy to the process, and reaping the benefits of healthier choices too. Several detox-members have told me it was like getting 2 programs for the price of 1!

Here is a great example from Isabelle, one of my recent Detox graduates:

“When I decided to participate in Alex’s Detox Program, I felt in poor health.  I had gained weight, I had no energy, and aches and pains were creeping up all over my body: feet, hands, back. I had lost my spark and at fifty-one, I felt old and thought life was over.

Working with Alex has been an education and eye-opening experience.  Alex is enormously knowledgeable about food and its effect on the body and under her gentle guidance, I learned to discover a new way of eating, including new foods which I had never experimented with.

As a result, a few months later, my whole way of eating has changed.  I look forward to my green smoothies every morning, quinoa is my favorite grain and bean salads are a staple.  I eat a much more varied diet, enjoy what I eat a lot more, and have lost all interest in the so called “fun food” such as French fries, cookies, ice cream, croissants and such. I have also lost weight and feel 100% better.

My husband who experimented with me, benefited from the detox as well, and lost 20 pounds of extra weight without effort. He is feeling much more alert and excited about his life also.

Overall, this has been a priceless experience out of which we both have gained very important knowledge about nutrition and have built new habits, which support our health and vitality. Thank you Alex for sharing with us your vast knowledge about food and for supporting us in developing awareness about the way nutrition affects our lives.”

Isabelle M., Jersey City, NJ

I love hearing back from clients after they finish my programs. They go off on their own and start living their lives without my check-ins and weekly support.

One thing I know is true is that many of the women I work with notice that their families join in the program with them  - offering support, adding energy to the process, and reaping the benefits of healthier choices too. Several detox-members have told me it was like getting 2 programs for the price of 1!

Here is a great example from Isabelle, one of my recent Detox graduates:

“When I decided to participate in Alex’s Detox Program, I felt in poor health.  I had gained weight, I had no energy, and aches and pains were creeping up all over my body: feet, hands, back. I had lost my spark and at fifty-one, I felt old and thought life was over.

Working with Alex has been an education and eye-opening experience.  Alex is enormously knowledgeable about food and its effect on the body and under her gentle guidance, I learned to discover a new way of eating, including new foods which I had never experimented with.

As a result, a few months later, my whole way of eating has changed.  I look forward to my green smoothies every morning, quinoa is my favorite grain and bean salads are a staple.  I eat a much more varied diet, enjoy what I eat a lot more, and have lost all interest in the so called “fun food” such as French fries, cookies, ice cream, croissants and such. I have also lost weight and feel 100% better.

My husband who experimented with me, benefited from the detox as well, and lost 20 pounds of extra weight without effort. He is feeling much more alert and excited about his life also.

Overall, this has been a priceless experience out of which we both have gained very important knowledge about nutrition and have built new habits, which support our health and vitality. Thank you Alex for sharing with us your vast knowledge about food and for supporting us in developing awareness about the way nutrition affects our lives.”

Isabelle M., Jersey City, NJ

Last week I took my 3.5 year old son to a new pediatrician. I had heard good things about this office, it is very close to our home, and they’re covered by our health insurance. I had heard that the doctors were open to holistic ways of treating children, and that they didn’t balk at parents who wanted to explore an alternative vaccination schedule. The office is nicely decorated and has a cornucopia of wooden toys that are well-maintained, as well as books, and a mechanical horse out front to ride. The receptionist even has tokens for each kid to ride for free, which is truly generous and thoughtful.

I was really surprised when I noticed a bowl of Splenda-sweetened, artificially colored lollipops in the examination room. I was wide-eyed and gulped when the very nice, very capable, and respectful doctor offered one to my son when he was finished with his exam. Luckily, I convinced him that he needed to eat lunch before having a treat, and was able to get rid of the chemical laden lolli without him noticing. It was blue.

Rather than give in to my growing fear and anger, lash out at the doctor, and say something inappropriate and stupid, I waited. All weekend. I said nothing. But this morning I wrote a letter to the doctor and plan on taking it, along with some of the wonderful, naturally colored and sweetened lollipops from http://www.naturalcandystore.com/ by her office.

Here is what I wrote:

Dear Dr. XX,

Laken and I truly enjoyed our first visit to your office last week. He was obviously very comfortable with you and your staff, and I appreciated how respectful everyone was in speaking with him and asking him to participate in various tests. He loved the toys, of course, and it was so generous of your office to give us tokens to ride the horse out front – he had been wanting to ride for ages!

Just to give you an idea of what I do for a living, and where my head is most of the time, I work as a food and health writer, and as a Holistic Health Counselor. I have published two books: The Great American Detox Diet, and Living Vegan For Dummies. My next book, Vegan Cooking For Dummies, will be published this November. I mainly work with busy, professional women who need to get their health concerns cleared up so they can continue to go after big goals, while juggling family and career. Most of my clients are parents and often have children with health concerns and learning disabilities.

In researching various aspects of vegan living, I have come across mountains of information about snack foods and candy. Because many kids in Laken’s school have food allergies and sensativities, there has been a lot of conversation between parents and the staff about what types of treats we may bring in to share.

Much of the research regarding candy and food colorings has lead parents to request that all treats listing  artificial flavors, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners like Splenda be kept at home.  I have felt a lot more comfortable offering Laken the occasional treat that is colored with natural food dyes and is sweetened naturally.

I thought you might like to try a couple of products that I have found. Both of the local health food stores in our neighborhood carry these items. They can also be found online at http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/organic-lollipops.

Thanks again for making us feel welcome to your practice, and I hope the rest of your summer is fun and easy.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Jamieson

**If you run into a similar experience, let me know. And feel free to copy-paste my letter!

UPDATE!!!

So, I dropped off the letter along with a couple of packages of healthier lollipops from www.naturalcandystore.com. I breathed deeply and hoped that the doctor would be understanding. I was amazed at the response!

Within 2 hours I received a voice message from our new favorite pediatrician. Not only was she impressed and thankful for my letter, but she was deeply gracious and kind. She said she was going to start offering the healthy candy I had dropped off – in fact, they were already on order! She said she had been considering the change for a while and had ordered the healthy stuff a few weeks ago. She was thrilled to know that I had a similar viewpoint and is also specializing in childhood nutrition – in fact, she’s writing a book!

I couldn’t be happier with how this all turned out. I’m also glad I didn’t jump to conclusions and get emotionally defiant in her office. She’s a thoughtful, positive doctor and I’m glad we’re a part of her clientele.

Happy ending!

Alexandra

Last week I took my 3.5 year old son to a new pediatrician. I had heard good things about this office, it is very close to our home, and they’re covered by our health insurance. I had heard that the doctors were open to holistic ways of treating children, and that they didn’t balk at parents who wanted to explore an alternative vaccination schedule. The office is nicely decorated and has a cornucopia of wooden toys that are well-maintained, as well as books, and a mechanical horse out front to ride. The receptionist even has tokens for each kid to ride for free, which is truly generous and thoughtful.

I was really surprised when I noticed a bowl of Splenda-sweetened, artificially colored lollipops in the examination room. I was wide-eyed and gulped when the very nice, very capable, and respectful doctor offered one to my son when he was finished with his exam. Luckily, I convinced him that he needed to eat lunch before having a treat, and was able to get rid of the chemical laden lolli without him noticing. It was blue.

Rather than give in to my growing fear and anger, lash out at the doctor, and say something inappropriate and stupid, I waited. All weekend. I said nothing. But this morning I wrote a letter to the doctor and plan on taking it, along with some of the wonderful, naturally colored and sweetened lollipops from http://www.naturalcandystore.com/ by her office.

Here is what I wrote:

Dear Dr. XX,

Laken and I truly enjoyed our first visit to your office last week. He was obviously very comfortable with you and your staff, and I appreciated how respectful everyone was in speaking with him and asking him to participate in various tests. He loved the toys, of course, and it was so generous of your office to give us tokens to ride the horse out front – he had been wanting to ride for ages!

Just to give you an idea of what I do for a living, and where my head is most of the time, I work as a food and health writer, and as a Holistic Health Counselor. I have published two books: The Great American Detox Diet, and Living Vegan For Dummies. My next book, Vegan Cooking For Dummies, will be published this November. I mainly work with busy, professional women who need to get their health concerns cleared up so they can continue to go after big goals, while juggling family and career. Most of my clients are parents and often have children with health concerns and learning disabilities.

In researching various aspects of vegan living, I have come across mountains of information about snack foods and candy. Because many kids in Laken’s school have food allergies and sensativities, there has been a lot of conversation between parents and the staff about what types of treats we may bring in to share.

Much of the research regarding candy and food colorings has lead parents to request that all treats listing  artificial flavors, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners like Splenda be kept at home.  I have felt a lot more comfortable offering Laken the occasional treat that is colored with natural food dyes and is sweetened naturally.

I thought you might like to try a couple of products that I have found. Both of the local health food stores in our neighborhood carry these items. They can also be found online at http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/organic-lollipops.

Thanks again for making us feel welcome to your practice, and I hope the rest of your summer is fun and easy.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Jamieson

**If you run into a similar experience, let me know. And feel free to copy-paste my letter!

UPDATE!!!

So, I dropped off the letter along with a couple of packages of healthier lollipops from www.naturalcandystore.com. I breathed deeply and hoped that the doctor would be understanding. I was amazed at the response!

Within 2 hours I received a voice message from our new favorite pediatrician. Not only was she impressed and thankful for my letter, but she was deeply gracious and kind. She said she was going to start offering the healthy candy I had dropped off – in fact, they were already on order! She said she had been considering the change for a while and had ordered the healthy stuff a few weeks ago. She was thrilled to know that I had a similar viewpoint and is also specializing in childhood nutrition – in fact, she’s writing a book!

I couldn’t be happier with how this all turned out. I’m also glad I didn’t jump to conclusions and get emotionally defiant in her office. She’s a thoughtful, positive doctor and I’m glad we’re a part of her clientele.

Happy ending!

Alexandra

I’m busy preparing for my next 8 Week Reboot Detox program, beginning on Tuesday, September 14th at 2pm, and can’t believe how many extras this group will receive!

This 8 Week Reboot Detox will:

Energize your body and eliminate fatigue and lethargy
Kick start the weight-loss process
End the cycle of toxicity and inflammation
Relieve stress and boost your mood
Repair your digestion and minimize constipation, bloating, gas, cramps, IBS, and yeast
Address underlying causes of chronic illnesses and long-standing diseases
Increase overall immunity
Instill natural detoxing processes for the rest of your life!

All members will receive:

Over 100 detoxifying recipes
Plans for smarter shopping and choosing detoxifying foods in the grocery store
Private 1-hour consult with Alexandra (*If you sign up by 8/27)
Knowledge of what foods and herbs work better for your individual
body constitution
Step-by-step support and guidance
8 weekly tele-course calls
Continual support via the members-only e-group and online classroom
Recordings of each class

**And if you sign up by 8/27 you’ll also receive a one-on-one consultation with Alexandra and the famous Detox Box filled with tools, books, products, and surprises, valued at over $250!

To sign up and learn more, go here today!

(See what past Detox Members are saying about their incredible experiences here…)

The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine released a hopeful study showing that office workers can really improve their health and energy, as well as their productivity, when they have low-fat, plant-based lunch options:

“So easy, a caveman could do it. That’s how dozens of GEICO employees felt when they followed a low-fat vegan diet in a worksite study, losing 11 pounds on average. The findings, published in July’s American Journal of Health Promotion, show that office workers can lose weight, lower blood pressure, and reduce absenteeism if their employer provides healthy low-fat vegetarian meals in the company cafeteria…”

Read the full article here:

http://pcrm.org/newsletter/aug10/geico.html

Every week we get a different story from the mainstream media about the safety of soy – so is it safe or not?

(The bigger question is: is it safe to get your health and medical information from the mainstream media?)

A new meta-analysis from Dr. Justine Butler shows that much of the scary stories about soy are unfounded. Check out the full article here!

For more research from the experts, read Dr. Neal Barnard’s recent article on HuffingtonPost on the benefits of eating the right kinds of soy foods (put down the isolated soy protein and walk away, ma’am!)

Be well,

Alexandra