natural awakenings magazine ~ march 2011

1natural awakenings March 2011

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

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MARCH 2011 | West Michigan Edition | www.NaturalWestMichigan.com

FARM FRESH!

America’s Food Revolution

Nell Newman’s Own OrganicsBACKYARD CHICKENSThe Scoop on Coops

DETOX Your LIFEBODY, MIND, SPIRIT

2 West Michigan Edition NaturalWestMichigan.com

Naturopathy(Each year 600 hours)

Natural Health Educator .......................1st Year Natural Health Th erapist ......................2nd Year Natural Health Practitioner ................. 3rd Year Certifi ed Naturopath .............................4th Year

4th Year Graduates are Eligible for Doctor of Naturopathy National Test and Title

Massage Th erapy Th erapeutic Bodywork Practitioner ..1 Year

Holistic Labor ProgramDoula.......6 Months

All Classes Meet On WeekendsFri. 5 - 9 p.m., and Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Naturopaths - 1 per month • Massage - 2 per month

Individual Classes:• Herbology • Aromatherapy • Nutrition

• Live Food Preparation • Light Healing Touch• Refl exology • Homeopathy • And More!

503 E. Broadway • Mt. Pleasant, Michigan • (989) 773-1714www.nite-mtp.com

Mt. Pleasant is 90 minutes North East of Grand RapidsAccredited by the American Naturopathic Medical Association

15 Years of Excellence


advertising & submissions

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How to AdvertiseTo advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 616-656-9232 or email: [email protected]. Deadline for space reservation is the 12th of each month prior to publication.

News Briefs & Article suBmissioNsEmail articles to: [email protected]. Dead-line for articles is the 5th of the month prior to publication. Sub-mit News Briefs online at NaturalWestMichigan.com. Deadline for news briefs is the 12th of the month prior to publication.

cAleNdAr suBmissioNsSubmit Calendar Events online at: NaturalWestMichigan.com. Calendar deadline is the 15th of the month prior to publication.

wHere to PicK uP NAturAl AwAKeNiNGsIf you enjoyed this magazine and would like to know where you can pick up a free copy in your area, please contact us at 616-656-9232 or email us at: [email protected]

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Check us out and connect with us on Twitter & Facebook!twitter — Find us at NaturallyWestMIfacebook — Find us at Natural Awakenings of West Michigan

Naturopathy(Each year 600 hours)

Natural Health Educator .......................1st Year Natural Health Th erapist ......................2nd Year Natural Health Practitioner ................. 3rd Year Certifi ed Naturopath .............................4th Year

4th Year Graduates are Eligible for Doctor of Naturopathy National Test and Title

Massage Th erapy Th erapeutic Bodywork Practitioner ..1 Year

Holistic Labor ProgramDoula.......6 Months

All Classes Meet On WeekendsFri. 5 - 9 p.m., and Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Naturopaths - 1 per month • Massage - 2 per month

Individual Classes:• Herbology • Aromatherapy • Nutrition

• Live Food Preparation • Light Healing Touch• Refl exology • Homeopathy • And More!

503 E. Broadway • Mt. Pleasant, Michigan • (989) 773-1714www.nite-mtp.com

Mt. Pleasant is 90 minutes North East of Grand RapidsAccredited by the American Naturopathic Medical Association

15 Years of Excellence

contentsNatural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

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12

18 BEHIND THE CURTAIN An Interview with Author Peter Laufer by Gail Condrick

20 DIET DETOX A Good Spring Cleaning Flushes Out Fats and Toxins by Ann Louise Gittleman

23 EXERCISE DETOX Six Ways to Burn Calories and Clean Out Your System by Annie B. Bond

24 BACKYARD CHICKENS The People’s Choice for Fresh Healthy Eggs by Lisa Marshall

26 AMERICA’S GROWING FOOD REVOLUTION An Insider’s Guide to Sustainable Choices by Lisa Marshall

32 THE HERBAL KITCHEN Eight Easy Picks for Container Gardening by Barbara Pleasant

36 SUSTAINABLE FOODS & SOCIAL PHILANTHROPY A Conversation with Nell Newman by Ellen Mahoney

38 ECO-CAMPS FOR KIDS by Gail Condrick

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36

32

10 globalbriefs

12 healthbriefs

15 ecotip

18 naturalpet

20 healingways

23 fitbody

24 consciouseating

32 greenliving

34 inspiration

36 wisewords

38 healthykids

23


letterfrompublishers

I love food! I love all kinds of food—I’m neither partial nor

picky. Yes, I’ll pretty much eat anything. A pinnacle of any day is a great meal. Kyle and I often eat out at favorite neighborhood restaurants, but we also have fun shopping at local markets for fresh ingredients and trying new recipes. It helps that we’re both pretty good cooks. I ask: What could be better than walking in the door at suppertime to the wafting aromas of a home cooked meal? Like you, we enjoy eating healthy. But we also

realize that we don’t always choose the healthiest options, so this issue serves as a wonderful reminder. If you’re a food lover, too, we have many inspiring articles for you this month! This month we also bring you the Natural Awakenings 2011 Annual Directory. It’s our region’s most comprehensive list of natural health and sustainable-living businesses. We invite you to pick up your copy at our booth at the Women’s Expo, the weekend of March 11-13. We will also have copies at the Renewable Energy Conference on March 19. We look to see you there, but if you can’t make it, we are also making the directory available at the many local businesses that distribute Natural Awakenings, starting the last week of the month. You’ll want to hold on to your copy as a ready reference source through the coming year. Here’s what we want to know: What do you like most about this monthly magazine and how can we improve? What would you like to see more of in these pages? What topics should we explore in local articles? Don’t hold back, we want to hear what you are thinking and will do our best to be responsive. Just go to our website, NaturalWestMichigan.com, and click on the Reader Feedback tab, or email us at [email protected] may see your quote excerpted and shared on our website (if what you send is not for publication, please clearly say so). Be sure to let us know your name and the city you live in, so that we can appropriately attribute your comments. We thank all those who have already provided feedback along the way and truly care about the materials you read. Much of what you see in this publication results from reader ideas.

Cheers always,

Amy and Kyle Hass, Publishers

Subscriptions are availableby sending $30 (12 issues)

to the above address.

© 2011 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be repro-duced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed lo-cally and is supported by our advertisers. It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call for a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

Natural Awakenings is printed on 100% recycled newsprint with soy based ink.

PublishersKyle & Amy Hass

EditorsS. Alison Chabonais

Scott GillisLinda Sechrist

Design & ProductionInteractive Media Design

Scott Carvey

PrinterNewsweb

Natural Awakenings484 Sunmeadow Dr. SEGrand Rapids, MI 49508

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newsbriefs

New Health NetworkThe new Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) will allow

people to obtain membership cards that will provide dis-counts on products and services focused on wellness; green and sustainable living; and natural, healthy lifestyles. NAN’s extensive network across the nation will encom-pass practitioners of alternative and complementary medicine, including: chiropractic, naturopathy, acupuncture, body work and energy work, as well as health and fitness clubs, health food stores, yoga centers, bookstores, green and sustainable living products, spas, vegetarian/healthy restaurants, and much more. Natural Awakenings is currently looking for businesses that focus on natural health, and/or sustainable living to become providers in our discount network. Providers must be willing to offer members a discount on products and/or services for a minimum of a 12-month period. Discounts need to be exclu-sive to NAN Card members. As a Natural Awakenings Network Provider, you can:

• Expandyourcustomerbaseandincreaseyourincome• ReceivereferralsfromourCustomerServiceCenter• Bepartofanetworkdedicatedtopromotinghealthy

and green lifestyles• ParticipateFreefortheFirstYear• Andmanyotherbenefits

For more information on how your business can become a NAN provider, contact Natural Awakenings Magazine at [email protected] or call 616-656-9232. See ad page 19.

Wild Dolphin Encounter SweepstakesNatural Awakenings has teamed up with WildQuest to offer

our readers a chance to win a Wild Dolphin Encounter Caribbean adventure getaway in the Bahamas. The six-night trip includes a one-night stay in Ft. Lauderdale before flying to Bimini, where the lucky winner will enjoy five days of daily ex-cursions on a comfortable catamaran to connect and play with wild dolphins swimming free in their natural environment. The combination of yoga, healthy food, supportive surroundings and dolphin encounters creates a transformative opportunity to relax, expand and reconnect with nature. Contest ends May 1st.

To sign up for the sweepstakes, visit NaturalWestMichigan.com and Click on the WildQuest pic to learn more. See ad page 23.

Embracing theWise Woman WithinThe Circle of Crones is a Grand Rapids area grass roots

not-for-profit organization whose mission is dedicated to raising interest in and awareness of the positive aspects of aging and empowering women to celebrate and to meet the challenges of the third stage of life. The Circle of Crones offers a workshop entitled “Growing Older…Becoming Wiser” on Saturday, March 12th from 9:30am to 12:30pm at the Briar Lane Apartments Community Building at 450 Briar Lane NE, in Grand Rapids. Join other women in exploring the opportunities in the third phase of life... the time when we reap the wisdom from our years of experience... when we learn to embrace the wise woman within.

Contact either Chris Belding at 616-887-7854/ [email protected] or Jackie Cromwell at 616-784-7389 / [email protected] for more information.

Wii Fit Rehabilitation PotentialCan people with Multiple Sclerosis improve their balance by playing Wii Fit? That’s what Dr. Maureen Dunn of the Hope College kinesiology faculty wants to discover. Dunn’s yearlong project, supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, will investigate the rehabilitation possibilities of the Nintendo Wii Fit. “This is a fantastic opportunity for those of us with MS who have balance challenges,” says Amanda Geerts. “To exercise in a fun way while potentially helping yourself and the greater MS community, is a win-win for everyone.” Amanda is a health coach who, inspired by her own MS diagnosis, supports others with MS to have more energy, alleviate their symptoms, and live their healthiest lives. The Wii Fit gives options for MS patients with balance issues. “If balance is your primary deficit, there’s not a main-stream way to go,” Dunn says. “So here’s an option. It appears to be beneficial. It will probably enhance your compliance because it is fun.” Dunn has been examining the Wii Fit’s potential in help-ing different populations improve their balance for a number of years, starting with healthy middle-aged women and also


Certified Nurse Midwife Susan Wente, CNM, Dr.Ph. has joined Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Obstetrics and Gynecology. Susan’s approach to childbirth includes listening to each patient’s individual vision and working with her to customize an approach to childbirth that is uniquely her own.

She works with each woman to create:• A relationship of trust• A birth plan that supports individual choice• A joyous, compassionate birth experience• Treatment and health care support throughout a woman’s life stages

Susan also has the complete support of the three excellent OB/GYN physicians on her team, Melissa Bayne, DO, Tami Michele, DO and James Patenge, DO. Most insurance plans accepted.

Call 231.924.1212 for an appointment, or visit us at gerberhospital.org/html/obgyn.html.

You are here. So are we.

Welcome Susan Wente, CNM, Dr. PH, Certified Nurse Midwife

Childbirth Your Way

including the elderly. She spent a spring 2010 sabbatical at the University of Calgary in Canada, where she investigated the use of the Wii Fit as a rehabilitation tool for people with MS a laboratory setting.

To find out more, including if the Wii Fit study is right for you, visit www.AmandaGeerts.com or call 616-502-2707. See ad page 25 and 47.

New Wellness RetreatThe Redstone Inn, located in Redstone,

Colorado is owned and operated by Grand Rapids, MI restaurant entrepre-neurs, The Gilmore Collection. Partnering with program director Jacqueline Gilm-ore, fitness experts, Judy Haynes, and Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, they are proud to introduce The Redstone Retreat. The RR is a top rated, all-inclusive destination, health & wellness retreat specializing in weight loss and stress release. Come live life in harmony. Redstone is a world apart. Quiet, tranquil and inspiring. It’s the perfect environment for hearts and minds to focus and unite. Redstone health resort is situated in an enchanting alpine village along Colorado’s Crystal River. Redstone, at an elevation of 7,200 feet, basks in unlimited sunshine and blue skies, on the edge of the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area. Spend time in nature with a team of unrivaled fitness specialists, delicious meals and family service. Spring Retreats are 7 Days and are All Inclusive. Session 1 begins March 25th and Session 2 begins April 2nd. The

program combines daily exercise, full fitness coaching, mas-sage therapy, behavioral modifications, medical supervision, health analysis, nutrition and culinary program (local, organic, super foods), detoxify, hiking, natural hot springs therapy, yoga sessions, Tai Chi, Pilates and personal counseling.

For more information visit www.theRedstoneRetreat.com or contact Redstone Wellness Retreat Director Jacqueline Gilmore at [email protected].

Local Farm Feeds the Earth, Spirit, and CommunityEarthkeeper Farm uses organic and biodynamic growing

methods to produce its top quality fruits and vegetables. Rachelle and Andrew Bostwick take a holistic approach to farming; focusing on creating a balanced farm ecosystem. The farm values biodiversity grows over 60 different crops including many heirloom varieties. A firm belief in the power of the earth and human spirit drives the farm.

People from all over the world visit through ‘WWOOF’ (Worldwide Workers On Organic Farms). These work exchange

volunteers give the farm some much needed help, and give everyday people a chance to try out the farming lifestyle. Earthkeeper Farm also partners with GVSU giving students a hands-on experience in sustainability. Sharing knowledge of


sustainable agriculture, and a passion for clean, local food is something that the farmers especially enjoy. Earthkeeper Farm sells weekly at the Ada and Rockford Farmers Markets from June through October. You can taste their produce at local restaurants such as Bistro Bella Vita, and Amore in Grand Rapids. But perhaps the best connection is gained by becoming a part of their CSA. The CSA offers a connection with your food and a community of people just like you, supporting sustainable agriculture. This spring the farmer, Rachelle, is teaching an organic vegetable gardening class series. “Students will gain a deeper understanding of the garden ecosystem, and the ‘nuts and bolts’ of organic gardening,” says Rachelle. The farm also hosts classes in preserving and fresh cooking during the season.

For more information visit www.EarthkeeperFarm.com.

Earth Day Kirtan to Benefit Kids’ Food BasketExperience Love, Free-

dom and Creativity … and feed hungry kids in Grand Rapids. On Saturday

April 23rd, Michael H. Cohen will lead an evening of Kirtan - sacred call and response chanting blended with music – that will calm your mind, open your heart and build a deeper con-nection to yourself and everything around you. Mike creates a fun and dynamic evening of music and spirituality that leaves participants energized and inspired. Mike’s 2009 release Om Dattatreya has garnered high praise, called “Chantable, interesting, and addictive” by Yoga Chicago Magazine. His international tour schedule includes Kirtan events, workshops and training programs across the US and Canada, and beyond.

The Kirtan experience blends Eastern spiritual traditions with Western musical influences such as jazz, funk, R&B, soul and gospel. Kirtan is fun and easy, and no prior experience is necessary. The benefit concert begins at 7 pm at the Wealthy Street Theater; tickets are $12.50 in advance, and $ 17 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online: www.grcmc.org/index.php?page=events&event_id=2692. 100% of the tickets sales will go directly to Kids Food Basket, a local organization that feeds over 1200 hungry kids in Grand Rapids Everyday! This concert is organized by Grand Rapids Yoga for Peace, and is sponsored by: Cascade Yoga Studio (www.cascadeyo-gastudio.com), Expressions of Grace Yoga (www.expressionsof-graceyoga.com), @Home Computer Service (www.athomecs.com), JaiPlace.com (www.jaiplace.com) and the Law Office of Phillip Chaffee. Thank you to our media sponsor, Natural Awakenings Magazine!

For more information, contact Bettina at [email protected].

Align with The DivineFrom The Heart Yoga & Tai-Chi Cen-

ter is hosting John Friend for his visit to Grand Rapids on March 16-17th. John will be at From The Heart Yoga & Tai Chi Center, 714 Wealthy Street SE in Grand Rapids from 9:00-11:30am on the 16th & 17th and his evenings will be spent at the Wege Ballroom at Aquinas College, 1607 Robinson Road SE in Grand Rapids from 6:30-8:30pm.

John Friend, the founder of Anusara® Yoga, is one of the most charismatic

and highly respected hatha yoga teachers in the world. Blending an uplifting Tantric view with an entertaining sense of humor and a profound knowledge of hatha yoga, John’s teaching style guides each student to live every moment fully

John Friend


from the heart. Students often comment in amazement that they can perform their yoga poses under John’s guidance with a level of creative freedom and inner power that they have never experienced before. Above all, John respects and honors his students with a great deal of loving-kindness and inspires them to see their own unique beauty and divine goodness.

Contact From the Heart Yoga Center 714 Wealthy Street SE Grand Rapids at [email protected] or 616-336-9642. See ad page 16.

Maple Syrup: Tree to TableAs you watch this year’s frigid February

transform into a more mild March, Circle Pines Center has their eyes tuned to the maple trees. With a little luck, and a lot of work, the sweet smell of boiling sap will fill the air the weekends of March 11-13 and March 18- 20. Visit CPC for a weekend in the sugar bush when the forest transforms into this agricultural opus. Learn how to insert spiles, or spigots, into trees by hand, hang buckets, collect and boil sap, and create the ambrosial nectar called maple syrup. The climax of the weekends’ efforts will be a pancake breakfast where you can savor the fruits of your labor. CPC is dedicated to supporting sustainable agriculture. All participants of retreats, educational events, and camps are served from-scratch meals consisting primarily of organic, lo-cally sourced ingredients. This approach is in accordance with the mission of CPC to teach peace, social justice, environmen-

tal stewardship and cooperation as a way of life. Cost for the weekend, $130 (kids half price), includes 2 nights lodging and five delicious meals.

For more information, visit us on-line at circlepinescenter.org. Circle Pines Center; 8650 Mullen Rd, Delton, MI 49046. 269-623-5555.

Yummy Life WellnessGrand OpeningYummy Life Wellness is

now accepting health-coaching clients in the Grand Rapids area. Holly Amarandei, MS, CPC is a certified professional health and nutrition coach that spe-cializes in helping women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and other fertility challenges to release excess weight and balance hormones naturally. She also works with clients to overcome sugar addiction and improve their mood by har-nessing the power of food and healthy living. In honor of the grand opening, Yummy Life is offering $50 off any coaching package in the month of March. Holly offers face-to-face coaching as well as sessions via phone or Skype.

To schedule your complimentary health consultation, visit www.yummylifewellness.com or call 616-284-1644. See ad page 9.

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March’s Amateur Photo Contest Winner…

Janet Kruzel of Homewood, IL

Good Things Getting Better – Grand OpeningTracy’s Faces is happy to announce their relocation and expan-

sion. You are invited to come Celebrate March 1st, 2011 from 10:00am-7:00pm. Tracy’s Faces Holistic Day Spa is becoming a full service Salon and Day Spa. “We are very excited about this and will be offering natural and certified organic products such as hair color and hair products, and of course continuing to carry our Elina Organics and Dermalogica Skin Care lines,” says owner Tracy Morales. Now they really offer services from Head to Toe: Skin Care, Hair Care, Massage, Body Wraps, Alexandria Hair Removal, & all natural Manicures and Pedicures. There will be refreshments available along with some raffles and door prizes. Come in and let the Tracy’s Faces family show you around and answer all your questions. Their new address is 5570 Wilson Ave, Ste. J in Wyoming.

Call for more information and directions 616-667-9690.

Yoga for Any Body and AnybodyCelebrating their Grand

Reopening in March, The Studio Yoga is a multi-style

yoga studio offering classes for all body types, ages and fitness levels featuring Kripalu, Power, Holy Yoga, and Hatha Vinyasa styles of yoga. The Studio Yoga is located at 933 52nd St SE in Kentwood. They believe that anyone can practice yoga and strive to provide a safe and healthy opportunity for anyone who desires to experience the body, mind and spirit benefits of yoga. “We’ve got classes to keep you limber, help you build strength and take care of your whole being,” says Instructor & Owner, Andre Daley. The Studio Yoga offers new classes every six weeks of diverse styles of yoga. Interesting and informative workshops every other month are available to deepen your yoga practice or explore new styles. Here are a few dates to remember:

~ March 5 Yoga Basics~ March 12 Partner Yoga~ March 19 Lenten Holy Yoga~ March 26 Relaunch Celebration

Their highly trained instructors teach a variety of yoga classes for any body and anybody.

Contact The Studio Yoga, 933 52nd St SE in Kentwood at 616-531-3026 or [email protected]. See ad page 8.

Women’s Weekend RetreatPlease join Syndy Sweeney, Rainelle Burton, and Jeannetta

Holliman for The Heart of a Woman: A Quest for Wholeness retreat May 20-22, 2011, at the Leaven Center in Lyons, Michigan. The cost is $245 and includes two nights lodging, six meals and three empowering workshops. For more informa-tion and to register, please go to www.whothehellamihon-estly.com. Registration closes March 25, 2011.

Update:Genesis UMC Annual Health & Wellness Fair on March 5th has been canceled.

Hopefully this will be the last time this year to see a scene like this as we look forward to the arrival of spring.

Congratulations Janet, you will be receiving a $25 Gift Certificate from Affordable Nutrition. Thank you to Affordable Nutrition for donating this month’s prize.

Affordable Nutrition’s ad can be found on page 46.


News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.

globalbriefs

Double-Duty LabelFair Trade Goes DomesticMany people today are familiar with International Fair Trade, as it ap-plies to the importing of items such as coffee, tea and cocoa. However, as the movement has grown, it has become apparent that many of the challenges facing producers in developing countries are also shared by North America’s family farmers. Big agribusiness continues to thrive, while small farmers have gone out of business. Consumers pay more, while farmers receive less. Meanwhile, farm workers are often denied fair wages and basic rights. So, a group of Canadian farm-ers, convinced that organics had been co-opted by large corporate-style interests and that cheap organic grain imports were undercutting their homegrown organic production, have given birth to Domestic Fair Trade certification. To aid organic food shoppers, they have developed the fairDeal food label. It will most likely show up in the organic bins of local food co-ops. Initial products include flax, wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, lentils, hemp seeds and mustard. Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA) members include farm work-ers and their organizations; farmers and farmer groups; retailers; non-gov-ernmental organizations; marketers; and processors and manufacturers. Qualifying standards commit mem-bers to the principles of Domestic Fair Trade and continual improve-ment of their day-to-day practices.

For more information, visit thedfta.org.

Dietary ShiftHome Preparation of Fresh Veggies on the Decline

A new U.S. Department of Agriculture study reports that households headed by older generations spend more money per person on fresh vegetables prepared at home than their younger counterparts. After accounting for income and other demand factors, its Economic Research Service found that households headed by a person born in 1960 spent 66 cents per week less than those with a household head born in 1930. Younger generations continue

to spend different amounts in each subsequent age point, with the youngest spending the least. Because of younger people’s continued reliance on convenience foods, the researchers project that, as they age, they will spend more on fresh grocery veggies than they do now, but when they reach their parent’s current age, they will still spend less on such foods than their parents do now. Several main-stream health advocacy organizations now promote consumption of plant-based foods, aiming to turn this trend around; they include the American Can-cer Society, National Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University and American Heart Association.

Learn about new trends in the renewable energy field. Meet experts and enthusiasts . Learn how you can make your home more energy efficient.

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701 W. Cloverdale Road Hastings, MI 49058 Located South of Hastings, 2.5 miles West of M‐37, and 4.5 miles East of M‐43.

Proudly sponsored by: Natural Awakenings Magazine and Four Elements Energy

presents the 9th Annual

Renewable Energy Conference Saturday, March 19, 2011

8:30 am - 4 pm

Cost: Institute Members: $40 Non-Members:$50 Students: $20

(includes lunch)


Canned ChemicalsNew Packaging Moves Away from BPAThe chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), used for years in clear plastic bottles and food can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because this synthetic estrogen is a suspected endocrine disruptor—a chemical that can interfere with the body’s gland and hormone functions. The Food and Drug Administration will soon decide what it considers is a safe level of exposure, based on a mounting body of independent research. Now, Consumer Reports has released results of its tests of 19 common canned foods; almost all of them contained BPA—even those labeled BPA-free and or-ganic. The highest levels were found in canned soups and green beans. According to the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93 percent of Ameri-cans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies. Among Japan’s population, after BPA was voluntarily removed from the linings of food and beverage cans in 1997, a 2003 study showed that levels of BPA were down 50 percent. In the U.S., major

food suppliers are starting to respond with non-BPA packaging for select products ranging from juice to tuna and pasta sauce.

The BuzzTrouble for Wild Bumblebee PopulationsBumblebees, those ace field hands that pol-linate apple orchards, berry crops, tomato fields, wildflowers and flowering yard plants, are facing hard times in the United States. Nearly 10 percent of wild bumblebee species have suffered serious declines in numbers and geographic range, ac-cording to the first attempt at gauging the health of such populations nationwide. Research surveying 78,000 specimens across eight species—and correlating reductions in numbers with potential causes—found that four of the species are in decline. Each had significantly lower genetic diversity than the four more robust species. This factor may make them more vulnerable to environmental stresses, including fragmented habitat and the intracellular parasite, Nosema bombi, some-times present in high numbers in the troubled species. The bees’ ranges have dropped by as much as 87 percent below their histori-cally greatest extent, much of the decline occurring within the past 20 years. At the same time, the relative abundance of bees as compared with estimates of their known numerical peaks has plunged by as much as 96 percent. Sydney Cameron, Ph.D., an entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urba-na-Champaign, characterizes bumblebees as “incredibly resilient.” Yet, he remarks, “There’s a threshold, and above that threshold? Bang, that’s it. We just don’t know what the thresholds are for these species.” The study is considered an environmen-tal warning and wake-up call.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Earth HourShow Solidarity by Switching Off Power for an HourWorldwide, participating residences, commercial facilities, government buildings and iconic landmarks will all go dark for one hour at 8:30 p.m. (local time) on March 26 to take a stand for conscious stewardship of Earth’s resources. Last year, the lights went out in 4,500 cities in 128 countries. This year, EarthHour.org is also making it possible for participants to share stories online describing what they are doing and planning to do to benefit the envi-ronment in the year ahead. Together, our actions add up.

Sign on, form a group event or share an eco-story at EarthHour.org.


healthbriefs

Sweet MedicineBefore digging into that next stack of French

toast or waffles, pour on some real, pure maple syrup. New research attests to its sur-prising medicinal value. Scientists at The University of Rhode Island have identified more than 20 com-pounds in Canadian maple syrup that can be linked to human health—eight of which have

been found in the maple family for the first time. It turns out that the syrup contains not only many naturally occur-

ring vitamins and minerals such as zinc, thiamine and

calcium, but also substances reported to have anti-bacterial, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties. Maple syrup is made from the sap located just inside the bark of the sugar maple tree, which is constantly exposed to the sun. Scientists speculate that when the sugar maple is tapped to extract the sap, it secretes phenolics—a beneficial class of antioxidants also found in berries—as a defense mechanism; these wind up in the sap and ultimately concentrate in the syrup, giving this sugary treat its stamp of health.

Black Rice – Exotic and HealthyBlack rice—long a staple food for one-third

of the world’s population—is gaining popularity in the United States because of its exotic look and nutty flavor. Now, research chemists with the U.S. Department of Agri-culture’s Agricultural Research Service report that the black variety of this grain may help soothe the inflammation involved in aller-gies, asthma and other diseases. These health benefits are attributed to its outer bran layer which, unlike with white rice, is not polished off during processing. Collaborating researchers tested the effects of black rice bran extract on skin inflammation in laboratory mice and found that it reduced the inflammation by 32 per-cent compared to control animals; the rice bran also decreased production of certain substances known to promote inflammation in the body. Brown rice bran extract did not have these effects. When the scientists fed the mice a diet containing 10 percent black rice bran, swelling associated with allergic contact dermatitis, a common type of skin irritation, decreased. These results show a potential value of black rice bran as an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic food ingredient. It may also hold promise as a therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of diseases associated with chronic inflammation.

The STicky Side of NoN-STick cookwareCompounds in non-stick cookware may be associated with elevated levels of cho-lesterol in children and teens, according to West Virginia University School of Medicine research published in Ar-chives of Pediatrics & Adoles-cent Medicine. An earlier national survey had found a near universal presence of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFOA) in Americans’ blood serum; these chemicals are used in the manufacture of fluoropolymers, which facilitate non-stick heat resistance for cookware and breathable, waterproof prop-erties for clothing fabrics, carpet and upholstery. In the university study, which examined 12,476 Ohio River Valley youth exposed to PFOA-contaminated drink-ing water, one in five not only had significantly higher PFOA levels than the national average, but relatively higher total cholesterol levels, including LDL (low-density lipoprotein), or “bad” choles-terol, as well. More research is needed.

Source: JAMA and Archives Journals

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239-530-1377NaturalAwakeningsMag.com

turn your passion into a business...

As a Natural Awakenings publisher, you can enjoy learning about healthy and joyous living while working from your home and earn a good income doing something you love!

Your magazine will help thousands of readers to make positive changes in their lives, while promoting local practitioners and providers of natural, earth-friendly lifestyles. You will be creating a healthier community while building your own financial security.

No publishing experience is necessary. You’ll work for yourself but not by yourself. We offer a complete training and support system that allows you to successfully publish your own magazine.

Be part of a dynamic franchised publishing network that is helping to transform the way we live and care for ourselves. Now available in Spanish as well.

To determine if owning a Natural Awakenings is right for you and your target community, call us for a free consultation at 239-530-1377.

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Brain-Boosting Beet JuiceWhen it comes to brain-boosting nutrition, blueberries now have some serious

competition. For the first time, researchers have shown that drinking beet juice can increase blood flow to the brain in older adults—a finding that could hold potential for combating the progression of dementia. “There have been several very high-profile studies showing that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure, but we wanted to show that drinking beet juice also increases perfusion, or blood flow, to the brain,” says Daniel Kim-Shapiro, director of Wake Forest University’s Translational Science Center’s initiatives for fostering independence in aging. “There are areas in the brain that become poorly perfused as you age,” he notes, “and that’s believed to be associated with demen-tia and poor cognition.” Beet juice, the researchers explain, contains high con-centrations of nitrates. When we eat nitrate-rich foods such as beets, celery, cabbage and spinach, good bacteria in the mouth turn nitrates to nitrites, which help open up blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

herbS alleviaTe aNxieTyFor the first time, scientists have conducted a systematic review of research into the use of nutritional supplements in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Findings by a metastudy team at the nonprofit Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation show strong evidence that the use of extracts of passionflower or kava or a combination of L-lysine and L-argi-nine can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety. The next step is to measure effective dosages.

Source: BioMed Central

Why Sugar Isn’t So SweetWe can likely cut the risk of developing cardio-

vascular disease by cutting down on the added sugars used in many processed and prepared meals, suggests a study in the Journal of the American Medi-cal Association, based on National Health and Nutri-tion Examination Survey data. The food industry often defines such added sugars as sweeteners—foods that provide energy, but have few micronutrients or phyto-

chemicals—which is why aware consumers read labels. In recent decades, total sugar consumption in the United States has increased substantially, resulting in higher risk for cardiovascular disease due to associated lower levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), or “good” cholesterol, and higher levels of triglycerides. Today, the average U.S. daily consumption of added sugars averages 3.2 ounces, or about 18 teaspoons, which represents 15.8 percent of total adult caloric intake. This is a substantial increase from the late 1970s, when added sugars contributed only 10.6 percent of the calories consumed by adults. This study is the first to examine the direct link between sugar consumption and its impact on cholesterol and heart disease.

olive oil ProTecTS The liver Extra virgin olive oil can help protect the liver from oxidative stress and resul-tant organ damage, ac-cording to research from the University of Monastir, Tunisia, and King Saud University, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When lab rats were exposed to a toxic her-bicide known to deplete antioxidants in the body and cause oxidative stress, those that were fed a diet rich in olive oil were par-tially protected from liver damage. The organ plays a crucial role in rid-ding the body of toxic sub-stances.

Source: BioMed Central

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A-Peeling ReusePractical Recycling Tips for Fruit and Veggie Scraps“A rind is a terrible thing to waste,” says Jeff Yeager, who refers to himself as the ultimate cheapskate. Yeager has discovered multiple uses for produce rinds and ways to extract extended ben-efits before they land in the compost pile. Here are a few of his favorites, shared with us during a recent interview:

n Jam – Incorporate the skins from a wide variety of fruits—oranges, lemons, grapefruit, limes, tangerines and even kumquats—in easy-to-make marmalades.

n Cornhusks – Wrap fish and other seafood in fresh, damp-ened, sweet corn husks to grill and serve in the husks.

n Olive oil infusions – Add citrus peels to olive oil for fla-vor and to reinvigorate oil that’s getting old.

n Savory chicken – Stuff all kinds of fruit and veggie peels inside a free-range chicken before roasting to give it extra flavor. Trimmings from onions, celery, citrus, apples, garlic, etc., can be stuffed in the chicken cavity or sprinkled around the roasting pan. Once baked, the trimmings break down faster in the compost pile.

n Easter egg dye – Boil organic Easter eggs with onionskins to naturally create wild yellow and orange eggshells.

n Foot rub – Rub papaya skins and pulp on the bottoms of the feet to help soften and soothe skin, particularly on the heels. They’re rich in vitamin A and papain, which breaks down inactive proteins and removes dead skin cells.

n Hair dye – Boil potato peels in water for about a half-hour, strain and let cool. Rinsing hair with this water after shampooing will gradually darken grey hair without any synthetic chemicals.

n Potpourri – Dry all types of citrus rinds, apple peels, pomegranate skins and other fruit trim-

mings on a rack or in a food dehydrator to make homemade potpourri. Sprinkle

on a little essential oil for more aroma, if desired.

n Air freshener – Boil lemon rinds in water on the stovetop, microwave them for a minute, or just throw them

in the garbage disposal, in order to freshen the air in the kitchen. Also place

a couple in the humidifier to make the whole house smell lemony-fresh.

n Shoeshine – Put a “split-shine” on leather shoes by pol-ishing them with the slippery side of a banana peel.

n Metal polish – Lemon, lime and other citrus rinds and pulp/juice are high in citric acid, which makes them great for polishing brass, copper and other non-ferrous metals. Sprinkle on a little baking soda to hasten polishing (ketchup works, too).

n Seedling pots – Scooped-out avocado shells make perfect biodegradable pots to start garden seedlings.

n Pest control – Sprinkle ground-up nutshells around tender garden plants to keep slugs and other pests away; they can’t stand crawling across the rough texture (crushed eggshells also work).

n Houseplant help – Use banana peels to shine the leaves on houseplants to make them sparkle; this also serves as a natural pesticide and fertilizer.

Note: Always thoroughly wash the rinds of produce that will be eaten or come into contact with food, even if it is organi-cally grown.

Jeff Yeager is the author of The Cheapskate Next Door and The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches. Con-nect at UltimateCheapskate.com.

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Located under green and orange striped awnings on the high energy corner of Wealthy and Diamond in the Baxter

Neighborhood of UPTOWN Grand Rapids, the Armenta Stu-dio is calm and peaceful. Once the next class begins however, this performing arts and yoga education studio comes alive with fitness training, music, dance and Yoga. Zumba, belly dancing, the Tango, Salsa, adult Ballet, Feldenkrais (aware-ness through movement) Astanga and Hot Vinyasa Yoga are all taught and practiced. “We offer all kinds of goodies, everyday,” says Laura Armenta, owner, instructor and performer. “Every day we have classes, some in the morning, and every night we are here-it gets very busy,” she says with a laugh. One par-ticular fitness program-Full Mighty Boot Camp-encompasses several disciplines including free weights, Yoga stretching, and Pilates. Before opening up eight years ago, Armenta worked with the Grand Rapids Ballet as a Personal Trainer, taught group classes around town, and was a Wellness Consultant for Amway. “I really didn’t plan on opening a Studio,” she says. “But it was just time for people to come to me, instead of me going to them.” Back then the area was anchored by a crack house and vacant fields, all now replaced by bustling restau-rants, retail stores and commercial spaces. Like the original cobblestone street out front, the building housing the studio was rehabbed, retaining much of the character by reusing many of the original materials. “This corner was very rough when I first opened here,” she says “The owners of this build-ing worked really hard to turn this space into the first green Yoga studio in Grand Rapids, and it was important to them to provide good quality air for me and the other tenants and their guests,” says Armenta. “We do a lot of breathing here,” she says with a straight face, indicative of the dry sense of humor and quick wit she readily shares. That humble begin-ning appealed to Armenta because it was her goal to provide a healthy environment-mentally, physically and spiritually-for her students. “I believe that dance is the highest expression of spirituality in cultures throughout the world, and must be integrated in the lives of women,” she explains. “Women need time for themselves, in an environment that is safe, and coming here to dance helps them to connect the mind and body. Letting go and moving their bodies, expanding their space and becoming comfortable with their bodies builds self-esteem.” Although men are welcome in the Studio, most of Armenta’s students are women. “Occasionally we extend significant other invitations, and of course men can come to the classes, but I really do enjoy the sisterhood that we share in the studio,” says Armenta. Born in Mexico and a modern dancer by trade, for over 25 years she has made a living with her craft, and continues to perform in addition to teaching in the Studio. Her performance group-At Neemrah Dance

Company-can be seen throughout west Michigan, as part of the entertainment scene and during special events. A reper-tory dance company founded in Mexico City in 1993, they perform diverse interpretations of contemporary and ethnic dance works. “We introduced Grand Rapids to belly dancing,” she says proudly with a smile. “During ArtPrize this past year we participated with the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, performing modern dance with ethnic overtones, and in Febru-ary we introduced healing dance with live drumming in the studio. Healing Dance is an ancient practice that helps women explore their spiritual expression.” Today dance is primarily thought of as a form of entertainment or as a way to exercise or socialize, but historically it has been a significant part of traditions throughout the world. “Dance was considered the way to commune with the divine, as part of life’s journey, and to celebrate the seasons and rhythms of the year as well as the rhythms of our lives,” explains Armenta.

Yoga classes are also part of instruction in the Studio, with Armenta bringing 20 years of experience to the class-room. “After reconstructive knee surgery in 1991, I began doing Yoga,” she says. “It is one more way to get in shape, and form a holistic connection with the body.” She became a certified yoga instructor in 1998, and offers various classes including Astanga and hot Vinyasa Yoga. Even with her busy schedule, Armenta gives back to the community, offering Yoga by Donation on Sundays at 5 p.m., giving an opportu-nity for those who may not be able to financially commit to a program to come and make whatever donation they can afford. A portion of those funds raised then go to support the Domestic Crisis Center for women at the YWCA, and the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Armenta has also taught Yoga to incarcerated teens, and has worked with Hospice. “I love teaching,” she says. “All my students, whoever I am working with, are my babies. They learn from me but at the same time I learn from them. I like to push buttons, and sometimes that means doing funny and goofy things too. We keep it light. If my students can come here to the Studio and find 45 minutes to an hour of happiness, of joy, that feeds me as a teacher.” In addition to classes and performances, the Studio also plays host to various groups in the community. “We’ve had bachelorette parties, college reunions, and dance parties here,” says Armenta with a smile. “It’s a nice alternative to hitting the bar and going loony!”

For more information about Armenta Studio call 616-235-9642 or visit the web site at www.armentastudio.com. The Studio is located at 955 Wealthy St. SE. Please call to register for classes, or for a complete schedule. See ad page 16, 31 and 37.

by Kim Racette

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by Gail Condrick

Peter Laufer, Ph.D., is the James Wallace chair in journalism at

the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications, a broadcaster and the au-thor of 12 books. His latest, Forbidden Creatures, exposes the illegal network of hunters, traders, breeders and cus-tomers who are negatively impacting the lives of exotic animals, humans and the environment.

In forbidden creatures, as you explored people’s fascination with collecting exotic and forbidden animals, what did you find?

Many of us like to think that humans are the ultimate animal, and that we can tame the rest of nature. My research for the book introduced me to an engaging cast of characters, many of who fanta-sized not just about communing with exotic beasts, but controlling them. Such dreams can dissolve into nightmares in seconds and without warning. Exotic animals are collected and owned by celebrities, criminals and your neighbors. In fact, there are more captive-bred tigers in private homes in Texas than in the wild in India. I found a tiger in the back of a feed store in Idaho, a colony of chimpanzees in the countryside south of St. Louis and laun-

dry bags full of pythons at a former missile base in the Everglades. There are legal auctions of exotic animals from aardvarks to zebras in Missouri, and sales of black market

chimps on the Internet. You have stated that illegal trading of wild and protected animals is growing exponen-tially; how profitable is this?

Wild animal trafficking profits are estimated by Interpol to be $10 billion to $20 billion a year. It’s the third most lucrative illegal business in the world, trailing only drugs and weapons smug-gling. It is easy to accomplish, the risks of capture are slim and penal-ties are minimal. Many amateurs also bring in animals for their own plea-sure, based on their personal fascina-tion for the exotic. Legal trade in endan-gered animals also exists, along with trade that skirts the law. It is the illegal wildlife trade that further threatens

The Tiger Behind The CurtainAn Interview with Forbidden Creatures

Author Peter Laufer


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already endangered species and creates a crisis for survival.

How many exotic animals are there in the United States?

No one knows the answer, because there is no census of exotic pets and the legal enforcement issues differ from state to state and by locality. In fact, while we license dogs, we have no overarch-ing law governing exotics, or even a national registry of owners. This remains a great frustration to many people and

organizations working for the benefit of the

animals.

What can ani-mal lovers do?

Education is needed to make conscious

choices. Most of the people who collect exotics are ignorant of the long-term impact of owning these ani-

mals. The cute and cuddly tiger cub or baby chimp may look like an entertain-ing pet now, but what about the future? What will this animal be like in six months or six years? When animals reach their adoles-cence and full body weight, we must ask: How will they be cared for and what will their lives be like? Chimps and other great apes grow to be stron-ger than a man, are overtly danger-ous and must be corralled. Pythons can grow to 20 feet, endangering other pets and humans. Often, people cannot keep up with the expenses of the food and care, and release the animals to sanctuaries or simply drop them off in the wild. This creates fur-ther repercussions for society and the environment. The reality is that exotic pets will not live happily in confinement. There are many terrifying and heartbreaking stories of captive animals attacking and even killing their owners after years of mutual affection. No one knows what makes the wild side emerge to disas-trous results.

What should buyers of exotic animals understand?

I view our attempts at taming animals as little more than subjugation. That’s understandable if our own survival is at stake. But to subjugate other beings for our amusement diminishes our own self-worth. Animal smuggling exists because there is a market for it. Decisions to purchase or own an exotic animal can-not be made in isolation; every action has an impact upstream. We need to realize that there is an environmental impact of removing creatures from their habitats and teach the benefits of seeing animals in their natural environments. Wild animals do not need us. We should leave other animals alone, and they should remain forbidden creatures.

For more information, visit PeterLaufer.com.

Gail Condrick is a freelance writer in Sarasota, FL. Reach her at NiaVisions. com.


healingways

Spring—when the natural world reawakens and

bursts with renewed energy—is an ideal season to clean up our act. A cleansing diet to eliminate toxins from our body is as much a rite of spring as sweeping debris from our home. In my nutri-tion practice, I have often seen how after a sedentary winter of consuming heavier foods, our bodies may be carrying around as much as five to 10 pounds of toxic wastes. While a properly function-ing human body has its own built-in detoxification system, it can be easily overwhelmed by today’s proliferation of environmental toxins. The newest envi-ronmental assault on the body’s detox system is electro-pollution, according to research highlighted in the 2007 BioIniative Report, a metastudy of 2,000 peer-reviewed studies compiled by an international group of researchers, scien-tists and health policy officials. Compounding the problem, Paula Baillie-Hamilton, a British medical doctor specializing in human metabo-lism, reported in The Journal of Alterna-tive and Complementary Medicine that environmental toxins also play havoc with our body’s built-in weight regula-tion system. In short, the more toxic our body becomes, the harder it is to lose weight.

Detox Equals Weight LossClinical research from the University of Quebec as far back as 2002 suggests

Diet DetoxA Good Spring Cleaning Flushes Out Fats and Toxins

by Ann Louise Gittleman

that toxins slow me-tabolism. It is widely held that because many toxins are fat-soluble and stored in body fat, as the fat melts away, the tox-ins are released into the bloodstream; this inhibits the production of thyroid hormone, with a resulting meta-bolic meltdown. According to Traditional Chinese

Medicine, spring is the season to sup-port the prime organs of detoxifica-tion—the liver and gallbladder. The liver alone impacts some 400 bodily functions, so it deserves support. The following symptoms recommend giving these organs some special care:n Chronic tension in neck and shouldersn Sensitivity beneath the rib cage (particularly the right side)n Feeling tired and sleepy after eatingn Nausea, especially after eating fatty foodsn Hormonal imbalances with hot flashes due to perimenopause or menopausen Premenstrual irritability and bloatingn Light-colored stoolsn Waking between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

Detox Diet BasicsStart off each morning for two weeks (or up to a maximum of two months), with hot lemon water, perhaps spiced with cinnamon and ginger, for an added metabolic boost. The antioxidant D-limonine in lemon thins bile and is help-ful in breaking down fat-trapping toxins.


Use the juice of one small lemon to eight ounces of warm water. Then, sip a total of 64 ounces of cran-water between meals throughout the day. Mix one ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice per seven ounces of pure water. Cranberry helps to balance pH, suppress hunger and combat cellulite and water retention, while drawing out fatty wastes by targeting lymph (a secondary circulatory system beneath the skin that works to rid the body of toxic wastes, bacteria, heavy metals, dead cells, trapped proteins and fat). Sipped daily, this antioxidant- and phenol-rich elixir works to help reduce bloating and melt fat from hips, waist and thighs. Nutrient-rich spring greens like aru-gula, collard or dandelion greens, lettuce, parsley, spinach, Swiss chard and water-cress are classic foods used in a spring detox. Other good choices are antioxidant foods that supply the body with glutathi-one, the liver’s premier antioxidant, also known as, “the toxic waste neutralizer,” which is vital to organ detoxification. Broccoli sprouts are one of the best sourc-es of glutathione; so is asparagus. Eating lightly steamed kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage can also support the liver’s ability to detoxify the body. Finally, eating adequate protein is essential to ensure that the liver can produce the enzymes it needs to break down toxins into water-soluble sub-stances for excretion. Protein plays a crucial role in tissue growth and healing, strengthening the immune system and burning fat. Eat at least 4 to 6 ounces of wild salmon, free-range organic poultry or hemp protein each day during detox. Choosing a daily dose of high-quality glutathione-boosting whey protein pow-der or a brown rice/yellow pea protein powder is another way to pump up the detox process. Such spring cleaning can help purge our body of toxins and give our whole system the cleansing boost it needs, simultaneously preparing it for even more healthy weight loss in coming months.

Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D. and certi-fied nutrition specialist, is an award-win-ning New York Times bestselling author and media expert. Fat Flush for Life is the latest in her book series on body detoxification and weight loss.

Detox RecipesSpinach Soup

Makes 4 servings

4 scallions, chopped2 garlic cloves, minced4 cups spinach, well packed2 ¼ cups vegetable broth1 bay leaf1 tsp onion powder1 Tbsp fresh parsley1 12-oz package of tempeh Juice of ½ lemonJuice of ½ lime

In a large saucepan, cook scal-lions and garlic in ¼ cup of broth over medium heat until soft (about 8 minutes). Stir in spinach, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups of broth, bay leaf and onion powder. Simmer in covered saucepan for 5 more min-utes. Remove the bay leaf. Purée the soup in a blender, adding remaining ingredients. Reheat if needed and serve immediately.

Piquant Veggies

Makes 4 to 6 servings

½ head of broccoli, broken into bite-size florets½ head of cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets6-oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts (do not drain) (or make it fresh using a favorite recipe; many are available online)1 lemonNatural salt (optional)

Steam broccoli and cauliflower until tender, but still crisp. Toss with marinated artichoke hearts. Squeeze lemon over veggies and heat in skil-let until hot.

Source: Ann Louise Gittleman


What started out as a personal need for clean and green baby products for sisters Rachel Zylstra and Christine

Grant, has turned into an uber-urban and funky shop in the East Hills district of Uptown.

You can’t miss Hop Scotch Children’s store – it’s the bright, happy blue building located on Cherry Street near Diamond Avenue. As if the exterior isn’t enticing enough, walking through the doors, a savvy green shopper knows she’s in for some fabulous finds.

Specializing in environmentally friendly and safe baby and children’s products, owner Rachel Zylstra says that she and co-owner Grant try to consider as many local products as they can.

“We have several locally made cloth and wooden items for sale,” said Zylstra. “When evaluating a product, we look at the finish and materials. If it’s organic, great!”

The sisters look for responsible manufacturers that pro-duce toys that are non-toxic that are up to “standards that exceed the current government regulations.” said Zylstra. They also look for alternatives to plastic products, but if they do they make sure they are recycled.

“For baby products, we really try to get silicone and rub-ber items and make certain that they are BPA-free,” she said. “We often go beyond the BPA-free and other labels to make sure these are really green products.”

In addition to offering up products, the sisters are also trying to educate people about why they carry these types of products.

“Our products are more expensive and we need to be able to tell people why they cost more than other products you can find out there,” said Zylstra. “There’s a ton of market-ing going out to new parents telling them that they need this or that product to raise a happy baby. We’re trying to show parents that you don’t need to overspend on these unneces-sary and oftentimes unhealthy products. By investing in fewer, high quality products, parents can create a healthier and safer environment for their baby.”

To support their education outreach, Zylstra and Grant host a wide variety of interactive workshops in the store throughout the year. These include activities for kids, musi-cians, authors and crafts, and cloth diaper and baby signing workshops. They also have an elimination communication support group, which gets people who are having the same experience together.

“We envision our store to be a place of education and information, a place where people feel they can go for help,” said Zylstra.

Zylstra and Grant opened Hop Scotch in 2005, just as the East Hills area was starting to pick up.

“It’s a fabulous neighborhood to be a part of,” said Zyls-tra. “It’s growing, it’s walkable – it’s a place filled with a lot of people who care. Our original business plan was in Eastown, but we’re glad we settled here.”

After growing up in Kingsley just south of Traverse City, both sisters settled in the west Michigan area during and after college.

Hop Scotch is really an extension of how they were raised and how they lived their entire lives. “We’ve always preferred glass, not plastic. Our parents were not hippies at all,” laughs Zylstra. “My mom always preferred to drink from glass – she used to say ‘plastic tastes like soap!’ Rachel and I both love to cook with cast iron cookware, enjoy canning and gardening and Christine raises hens for their eggs.”

“We both live as organic as we can,” said Zylstra “and see it through very practical and simplistic eyes.”

For more information contact Rachel or Christine at Hop Scotch Children’s Store, 963 Cherry St SE, Grand Rapids. 616-233-4008 or visit www.hopscotchstore.com See ad page 34.

A married mother of two young children, Julie Hurley is a freelance writer with a strong interest in natural living and is the Director of Public Relations at Principia Media. Visit her personal blog at: ourlunchbox.blogspot.com

by Julie Hurley

Community Spotlight...


EXERCISE DETOX

Six Ways to Burn Calories and Clean Out Your System

by Annie B. Bond

There are as many different types of exercise as there are ways to move. Although all types of

exercise will help to detoxify your body, some are clearly more beneficial than others. Try one of these today and feel better immediately.

Walk This Way Generally speaking, aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are the most detoxifying. Of the wide array of choices, walking is hands-down the most popular. It is something almost everyone can do to get a daily dose of healthy detoxification.

Jump for Joy Bouncing on a trampoline, such as a mini-tramp or rebounder, is one of the least appreciated exercises for cleans-ing and strengthening every cell of the body. Experts point out that it is also one of the best workouts for activating the lymphatic system.

Let Your Body Flow For centuries, yoga has been pre-scribed as moving medicine for the immune system. Yoga has been reported to lower stress hormones that compromise immunity, while stimulating the lymphatic system to purge toxins and bring fresh, nutrient-

fitbody oxygenated blood to each organ to help ensure optimum functioning.

Pick Up the Pace There’s a longstanding myth among par-ticipants that exercising at a lower inten-sity for a longer duration maximizes the burning of fat and releases toxins. Not true. To really rev up metabolism, burn more calories and keep the fat-burning switch turned on longer after an exercise session, try picking up the pace for one or more shorter periods.

Make Some Muscle Strength training is known to boost natural muscle-making chemicals such as human growth hormone and preserve the muscle we have, while also replacing the muscle tissue we’ve lost. Lifting weights also helps us shed fat by simply burning calories. As a bonus, a calorie-burning metabolism can stay elevated for up to 48 hours after we’ve finished lifting.

Take It OutsideWhen possible, infuse an exercise rou-tine with fresh air by doing it outdoors. When exercising outside, it’s important that we not add to our toxic burden by walking or jogging along busy roads or highways, because breathing in chemi-cal-laced exhaust nullifies the benefits.

Annie B. Bond is an internationally renowned expert on personal detoxifica-tion and past executive editor of Care2.com/greenliving, which sourced all health claims in The Purification Plan, by the editors of Rodale Health Books.


consciouseating

As I work in my home office near Boulder, Colorado, I hear a soft, “Cluck-cluck-cluck,” from outside the window. Soon, it will crescendo into a piercing,

“Baaaaaaawk,” as the largest of our seven hens—a plump Rhode Island red named Rojo—drops a warm, beige egg into her hay-filled nesting box. When my daughters, ages 8 and 10, return from school, they’ll tromp through the snow to our A-frame coop, fill their basket with a colorful assortment of bluish-green, brown and lavender eggs (some still warm) and skip off to a neighbor’s house to trade them for piggy bank cash. Such is the life of a backyard chicken farmer.

National PhenomenonOnce viewed as the realm of rural poultry farmers and com-mercial egg factories, raising chickens has become a growing trend, with everyone from urban foodies to thrifty suburban housewives erecting makeshift coops, logging on to how-to websites and mail-ordering fuzzy, day-old chicks. Some are lured by the firm, buttery, nutrient-rich yolks and enhanced nutritional quality (a study by Mother Earth News found eggs from pasture-raised hens to contain twice the omega-3 fatty acids, three times the vitamin E, and one-third the choles-terol of conventional eggs). Some simply want to know where their food comes from. Others long for a bucolic touchstone in their frenzied city lives. “I see chickens as a critical piece of my landscape,” says Greg Peterson, co-author of Fowl Play: Your Guide to Keeping Chickens in the City. “They eat all my food scraps. They eat the bugs

and the weeds. They produce nitrogen-rich fertilizer for the garden. Then they give me eggs.” Peterson keeps 15 chickens in his 80-by-160-foot yard in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona. His monthly local how-to-raise-chickens courses currently pack in 50 to 60 people, from tattooed and pierced 20-somethings to retirees. Mean-while, Rob Ludlow’s BackyardChickens.com, which started in 1999 as a coop-design clearinghouse, now boasts more than 50,000 members, who submit 7,000 posts a day. “We have doubled our production from five years ago, and

it just keeps getting better and bet-ter,” says spokesman Jeff Smith, of Lebanon, Missouri-based Cackle Hatchery. The 70-year-old chicken hatchery used to cater mostly to farmers wanting large orders of baby chicks for meat or egg operations, and the occasional 4-H club. Now, it ships 140,000 freshly

hatched chicks each week to unlikely farmers in urban centers like Seattle,

Phoenix, Jersey City and Reno. “There is a little bit of fear out there

about the economy, and people are looking at being more self-sufficient,” says Smith. “People are also interested in making sure the birds are being fed right, and not kept in

a cage all of their lives.”

Bantamweight ContestsNot all are fans of the urban poultry-farming boom. Dis-gruntled neighbors have called upon government leaders to either uphold or implement ordinances that view chickens as farm animals and ban them in urban areas. Some have com-plained of smelly coops and rodents (all avoidable via regu-lar coop cleaning, proponents say). Others have squawked about noise. But in dozens of recent cases, the hens and their owners have won. In September 2008, for example, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed an ordinance that allows city residents to keep up to six hens, as long as they buy a $30 permit, provide their birds with a ventilated, predator-resistant coop with two square feet of room per chicken,

and keep the birds at least 15 feet from the neighbors. No roosters are allowed. Within the first year, 36 people had gained per-mits, including Connie Meyer, now the proud owner of four feathered friends. She likes that they follow her

around as she works in the yard, eat out of her hands and provide her with eggs to trade for her neighbor’s fresh produce. “People assume it is going to be so much work, but they are incredibly easy to take care of,” she comments. “More than that, they are fun. It’s easy to get attached to them.”

Lisa Marshall is a regular contributor to Natural Awakenings. Connect at [email protected].

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Be sure it’s leGAl. For a database of laws in 700 U.S. cities, log on to BackyardChickens.com/laws. Otherwise, check with the local zoning department.

Build A Brooder. Baby chicks must be kept in a draft-free place for 60 days. Create an indoor pen, using a galvanized steel tub, a large dog crate or a cardboard box. Cover the bottom with pine shavings or torn paper towels (do not use newspaper, as the ink can harm chicks). Hang a heat lamp out of reach and keep it set at between 90 and 100° F, decreasing it by five degrees weekly. Make sure the brooder is large enough that chicks can move away from the heat if they wish.

Buy HeAltHy cHicKs. Baby chicks can be bought from farm and ranch stores, or ordered on-line and shipped from commercial hatcheries like CackleHatchery.com.

stArt smAll ANd sKiP tHe rooster. Start with 5 to 10 chicks (never buy just one, because they are very social). Choose a hardy breed known to lay regularly, such as Rhode Island reds or Barred Rock hens. Araucanas lay blue-green eggs and silver laced Wyandottes are among the prettiest chickens. Hens do not need a rooster in order to lay eggs.

Build AN outdoor cooP. Some people use a re-cycled storage shed; others build their own, using plans available online. Be sure to have two square feet of coop for each chicken, plus an enclosed outdoor run with four square feet per chicken. Note: In high wildlife areas, a lid on the run is essential.

eNJoy tHe eGGs. Chickens start laying after about six months. One hen will produce from 250 to 330 eggs a year, depending on the breed, before slowing down at about 3 years old and ultimately ceasing to lay.

tHe scooP oN A cooPGettiNG stArted


We’ve heard the buzz. America is in the midst of a food revo-lution. Sales of natural and or-

ganic foods are up by double digits. The once-obscure Locavore (eat local) move-ment has become a national phenom-enon. Community supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives and farmers’ markets are proliferating. Even the federal govern-ment and some of the country’s largest grocery retailers have jumped on board, with First Lady Michelle Obama help-ing to plant the first garden on White House grounds since World War II, and Walmart vowing in January to double the percentage of locally grown produce it sells to 9 percent. The statistics are motivating indeed: According to University of Wisconsin researchers, produce travels an average of 1,500 miles from farmland to plate today, up 22 percent from 1981. Half of our land and 80 percent of our water is used for agriculture, reports The Ameri-can Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and pesticide use has increased 33-fold since the 1940s. Meanwhile, health problems associated with agricultural chemicals are on the rise.

An Insider’s Guide to Sustainable Choices

by Lisa Marshall

“We have been through 100 years of industrialization of our food supply, and consumers have begun to wake up and realize they have no idea how their food is made,” says historian and food policy writer James McWilliams, an as-sociate professor at Texas State Univer-sity. “Historians will look back on this time as momentous.”

But with every revolution come tough questions—and fiery debate—on how best to participate. Is it better to buy “organic,” “natural” or “local”? Is shopping at a farmers’ market inher-ently more green? Are there other ways, such as planting a garden or es-chewing meat, that can make an even bigger impact? In reality, there are no easy an-swers, but, “Consumers need to be pre-pared to take on a bit more complexity in how we think about food, and not

fall so easily for simple mantras (like Eat Local and Buy Organic),” advises McWilliams.

The Case for OrganicAsk Rodale Inc. CEO Maria Rodale what consumers can do to improve their health and environment, and her answer is unequivocal. “If you do just one thing—make one conscious choice—that can change the world, go organic,” she writes in her new book, Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe. Rodale’s grandfather founded Organic Farming and Gardening magazine (today’s Organic Gardening) in the 1940s, jump-starting an organic movement that by the 1960s was nearly synonymous with environmentalism. But today, Rodale concedes, the organic in-dustry faces a public relations challenge, as consumers trade from USDA Organic-certified foods to “locally grown” or cheaper “natural” options. One 2009 survey by The Shelton Group found that out of 1,000 shop-pers, 31 percent looked for the “natural”

Is it better to buy “organic,” “natural”

or “local”?

America’s Growing Food Revolution


label, while 11 percent looked for “or-ganic.” “There is a giant misperception among consumers that somehow natural is the word that is regulated and organic is not. In fact, it is actually the other way around,” says CEO Suzanne Shelton. Law mandates that U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture (USDA) products labeled organic be free of pesticides, hormones and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and that animals be given access to the outdoors. By contrast, the Food and Drug Administration vaguely describes natu-ral as, “Nothing artificial or synthetic has been included in, or has been add-ed to a food that would not normally be expected to be in the food.” With the exception of meat, it is up to the manu-facturer to define what natural means. (In 2009, the USDA defined “naturally raised” meat as, “… raised entirely without growth promoters, antibiotics, and never been fed animal byproducts.” It says nothing about GMOs or humane animal treatment.) Organic advocates point out that a genetically modified animal could be fed genetically modified feed and con-fined to a narrow pen and still be billed as natural. A loaf of natural bread could be made with grains repeatedly sprayed with pesticides and man-made fertilizer. “Natural refers to the end product,” explains the Organic Trade Association. “It does not provide any information about how the product was produced.” What about buying local? Rodale argues that, while focusing on local is great for reducing farm-to-plate miles, if it isn’t organic, it isn’t necessarily addressing the larger issue of pesticide and antibiotic use. Noting that more than 4 billion pounds of pesticides are used annu-ally in the United States, she points to studies from the National Institutes of Health and the Mount Sinai Medical Center Children’s Environmental Health Center that suggest links between agricultural antibiotic use and the rise in drug-resistant staph infections in humans, and between oganophosphate pesticides and cancer and diabetes. “It is fine to buy local, but if there are chemicals in it, then the farmer is contaminating your own community,” Rodale says. “That’s even worse.”

The Locavore WayIn early 2005, Jennifer Maiser and a handful of friends in San Francisco de-cided to limit what they ate for a month to what was produced within 100 miles of home base. By August, 1,000 people had signed on at Maiser’s EatLocalChallenge.com. By 2007, “locavore” was the Word of the Year of the New Oxford American Dictionary. “It just snowballed,” recalls Maiser. “I think it had a lot to do with changes in the organic movement. In the 1990s, if you were eating organic, you pretty much were eating food from a local farmer. But when the big companies came in and you could get organic produce grown in Mexico, it wasn’t the same anymore. We still wanted to know where our food was coming from.” Professional dancer-turned-ethno-botanist Leda Meredith started a 250-mile challenge in 2007, in part to see if a time-crunched professional in wintery Brooklyn could achieve what Loca-vores in warmer climes had. At first, adjusting to the realities was rough. Local cooking oil was hard to find (she saved the rendered fat from her locally raised duck and used it to pop locally grown popcorn) and her one-bedroom apartment was not ideal for stockpil-ing canned produce (she keeps canned local tomatoes and dried wild mush-rooms under her bed). “But, by year’s end, it had become my new normal,” says Meredith, author of The Locavore’s Handbook: The Busy Person’s Guide to Eating Local on a Budget. She chooses organic and local whenever possible, and if the food is on the Environmental Working Group’s dirty-dozen list of most pesticide-drenched food, she might even buy organic from afar. Yet, she is a Locavore at heart. “It has an impact, on local econo-mies and small farmers, and from a cook’s point of view the food is just fresher,” she says. McWilliams, a vegan and author of Just Food: Where Locavores Get it Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, agrees. But he takes issue with the notion that, because it necessitates fewer trans-portation miles, eating local is a better choice for the environment.

n Buy certified organic and local when possible.

n Always choose certified organic when shopping for the publicized dirty dozen: peach-es, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spin-ach, lettuce and potatoes.

n When buying local, but not organic, ask the farmer: “Why not organic?” He or she may be doing something close.

n When joining a CSA, ask the farmer if he or she ever adds non-local food to the basket. If so, ask where it comes from and how it is produced.

n At a farmers’ market, ask the management how they choose their vendors. Must they be lo-cal, or certified organic? How are they screened?

n If buying “natural,” learn how the producer defines it (the government definition is vague).

n Eat less meat. It uses fewer resources to produce.

n Plant something. Try a con-tainer garden on a balcony or in a window box.

n Learn about good sources of healthy foods in various seasons.

n Take a cooking class.

10 Tips to Eat Sustainably, Healthy and Smart


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GREEN HOMES & GARDENS

He notes that the shipping of food constitutes just 9 to 11 percent of its “life-cycle assessment” (the toll it takes on the environment), while things like water use, fertilizer applica-tion and harvesting techniques suck up far more. Is it really greener to buy local hothouse tomatoes if, according to McWilliams, they can require up to 10 times the energy? Is it really more sustainable to buy local rice from an arid state if aquifers were drained to grow it? Another issue concerns economies of scale. For instance, a shipper send-ing a truck with 2,000 apples across 2,000 miles would consume the same amount of fuel per apple as a local farmer who takes a pickup 50 miles to sell 50 apples. “Local is not necessarily greener,” accounts McWilliams. So, what is? Eating less meat, he contends. And mounting studies back up his point. Most recently, a 2009 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a carnivorous diet requires 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more energy, 3 times more fertilizer and 1.4 times more pesticides than a vegetar-ian diet. “If I eat less meat or eat a vegan diet, I am automatically shrinking the carbon footprint of my diet, no matter where it comes from,” says McWilliams.

Growing Our OwnGreg Peterson says that there is another perspective often left out of the puzzle when people postulate how they can change the world by what they eat: “Food grows for free. You just have to buy a little seed and put a little water on it. People should grow their own food, share it and give it away.” From his 80-by-60-foot yard in the heart of Phoenix, Peterson grows 50 to 100 individual crops, from citrus trees to snow peas and greens. His neigh-bors pop in for a bowl of peaches or a few fresh eggs. He further spreads the word by hosting gardening classes for everyone from wealthy retirees with big yards to thrifty condo dwellers wanting to grow herbs on their porches. “For me, it’s about building local food systems and making neighbor-hoods more resilient,” he says. “There is also something inherently spiritual about being able to go out in my front yard and pick carrots, beets and greens to make dinner.” Erin Barnett is the director of Minnesota-based LocalHarvest, which connects consumers with family farms, co-ops (collectively owned nonprofit grocery stores or buying clubs that give members discounted prices on health-conscious products in exchange for a fee and work crew hours) and CSAs (in which members buy a share and


Key Food WebsitesEatLocalChallenge.com encourages us to eat what is produced within 100 to 250 miles from home.

FoodCoopInitiative.coop helps communities start their own non-profit co-op.

LocalHarvest.org connects consum-ers to CSAs, co-ops and farmers’ markets in their area.

ota.com offers info about what organic is and is not.

TrueFoodNow.org operates a grass-roots action network by The Center for Food Safety.

UrbanFarm.org gives advice on how to start an urban farm.

receive a box of local farm produce each week). She says that these can be excellent ways to benefit our health, environment and local economies. But there can be downsides. For example, a co-op can take years to form and is typically volunteer run, which involves a significant learning curve; it also often requires members to put up several hundred dollars long before the doors open. Belonging to a CSA includes collective risk, so if it’s a bad crop year, member shares are affected. At a farm-ers’ market, occasionally a vendor will pass off conventional produce shipped in from afar as local or organic. As someone who buys eggs from a farmers’ market, grass-fed meat from a local farm, dry goods from a co-op, nuts from a natural food buying club, and has a garden that dwarfs her own house, Barnett puts it this way: Ask questions first. Then make a plan. “Everyone is going to concoct their own way of meeting their needs by balancing their relationships with local people and their beliefs about organic,” she says. “It is very complex. But at least people are talking about it.”

Connect with the writer at LisaMarshall [email protected].


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Humans have had good reasons to grow basil, rosemary and other culinary herbs for thousands of

years. Edible herbal accents and aromas enhance the beauty and flavor of every dish they touch, be they sprigs of fresh parsley tossed into hot couscous or marjoram and thyme sparking a savory risotto. A big garden isn’t needed to grow most kitchen herbs; in fact, it’s often better to grow these culinary gems in pots. In any household, the sweet spot for cultivating herbs is a puddle of sun-shine near the kitchen door. Time and again, the cook will dash out to gather a handful of this or that while two or three dishes simmer on the stove. Dinner is less likely to boil over when herbs can be snagged in a matter of seconds.

Individual Pots vs. Container BouquetsBecause small pots heat up and dry out faster than larger ones, herbs usually grow best in larger containers. Fourteen-inch-wide plastic or fiberglass pots are lightweight, easy to handle and provide

ample room for four or more plants. Half-barrel wooden planters are great and fixed oblong planters also work well. Cooks and gardeners will have the most fun combining upright herbs that reach for the sky with others that tend toward low, mounding growth. When shopping for seedlings, look for interest-ing ways to combine leaf textures and foliage colors, too. For example, an-chor an herbal container bouquet with red-leafed basil and surround it with marjoram and thyme. Then, create a second container by combining silvery sage with green chives and curly parsley. This two-pot herb garden will produce a season’s worth of fresh flavors.

Eight Easy Herbs for PotsBasil’s spicy-sweet flavor with strong floral notes puts it on everyone’s plant-ing list. This fast-growing annual loves warm weather. Basil planted in the early part of the growing season will produce numerous flowering spikes within a couple of months, which should be snipped off. The more basil is pinched back, the bushier it becomes.

Chives taste like very mild scallions, and plants will produce new leaves through-out the growing season, if trimmed regu-larly. These cold-hardy plants become dormant off-season and return the fol-lowing year, featuring an early show of edible pink flowers. The slender, upright leaves combine well with other herbs.

Dill is a fast-growing annual that prefers cool growing conditions. Its leaves, flow-ers and seeds carry a savory tang that enhances the flavor of pickles, marinated vegetables and breads. Placed in the center of a large pot, a single dill plant will grow more than two feet tall and may require staking.

Marjoram deserves wider use, because the little plants combine a light oregano flavor with subtle notes of mint and lemon, and marjoram tastes good raw or cooked. Its lanky stems look lovely spill-ing over the sides of mixed containers.

Parsley needs a bit more moisture than other herbs, so place it closer to the center than the edge in mixed contain-ers. Both mild-flavored curly and more assertive flat-leafed Italian parsley do well in roomy containers.

Rosemary tolerates strong sun and heat, so it’s a wise choice in hot months. Northerners grow rosemary as an annu-al, but in milder climates, these woody perennials can continue as a perennial for years. Rosemary’s piney flavor and aroma takes center stage in rice dishes and casseroles, and the woody stems make delightful skewers.

Sage charms everyone with its luminous leaves, which may be gray-green or var-

The Herbal KitchenEight Easy Picks for Container Gardening

Keep culinary herbs handy by growing them in a large pot just outside the kitchen door.

by Barbara Pleasant

Mix it UpWhen shopping for plants, experi-ment with the way herbs from these two groups look when they are ar-ranged together:

n Upright growth habit: basil, chives, dill, rosemary, sagen Mounding growth habit: marjo-ram, parsley, thyme


iegated with pink and cream, depending on variety. Smoky sage is the definitive herb to pair with poultry, and it’s great with potatoes, too.

Thyme is the flavorful herb that brings depth to many French and Cajun dishes. The fresh version is incomparable for lending savory flavor notes to fresh vegetables. Both English thyme and low-growing lemon thyme make appealing edge plants in mixed containers.

Barbara Pleasant is the author of numer-ous gardening books, including Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens. For more infor-mation visit BarbaraPleasant.com.

How to Transplant Herbs

Follow these simple steps to get any container herb garden off to a strong start.

1. Water seedlings and set them in a shady spot. Meanwhile, fill a large container that has at least one drain-age hole to within two inches of the brim with fresh potting soil.

2. Keeping seedlings in their nurs-ery pots, array them into a pleas-ing arrangement, with the tallest plants placed near the center. Then, squeeze each plant from its nursery pot and nestle it into the soil in the selected spot.

3. Use scissors to trim off any broken branches and thoroughly water the container herb garden. Keep newly planted containers in a shady spot for about three days. In stationary plant-ers, cover the plants with flowerpots to shade them from direct sunshine. Remove the shade covers after three days, water again, then start snipping bits of fresh herbs as needed for the kitchen. Herbs generally develop their best flavors when they receive sun most of the day. In hotter cli-mates, move herb containers to par-tial shade during the hotter months to prevent excessive heat stress.

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This month is a powerful time to assess where we’ve

been, acknowledge where we are right now and dream our most beautiful life into being. Starting now, we can move from the outdated modes of our limited thinking mind to tune into our eternal divine mind. Acting on these three recommended cleansing phases—one a week for the next three weeks—will work to lift us out of resignation and mediocrity into hope and excitement, and connect us with a future filled with surprises, possibility and deep purpose.

Week One: The Past. The first seven days of what I call The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse are dedicated to creating a powerful magnet of desire and cleaning out the turbulent emo-tions, outdated beliefs, unresolved inci-dents and restricting thoughts that have taken root in our minds and hearts.

n Write a list of the grudges and resentments you have been carrying around that you are ready to let go. Release them by tearing up the paper into tiny little pieces.

n Understanding that your outer world is a

reflection of your inner world, release 100 pieces

of clutter from your past that now occupy your home, of-fice and surroundings.

Liberated from the confu-sion, fear, guilt

and self-doubt of the past, you will natu-

rally open up to new realms of

awareness, emo-tional freedom and spiritual liberation. Week Two: The Present. Having released everything that has depleted your vitality and held you back, stand firmly in the present moment. Take an honest look at where and who you are today, observing what is and is not working in your life.

n Begin an ongoing present-moment awareness practice today. Set an hourly alarm; then, each time it reminds you, become present for five minutes to na-ture, to your body and breath or to the present moment itself.

n Surprise yourself by challenging pre-conceptions of yourself; take measured risks and do something differently today.

inspiration

Consciousness CleanseThree Weeks to a Better Future

by Debbie Ford

In this enhanced sense of the present, you can listen more deeply to the call-ing of your soul.

Week Three: The Future. In this final phase, you have the opportunity to look into the future and see who you want to be from this day forward.

n Choose a sacred value that can serve as the foundation for your future, such as abundance, compassion, grace or integ-rity, and surround yourself with images, prayers, songs and scents that invoke it for you. Identify and act on choices that allow you to express that value.

n Spend time each morning, afternoon and evening checking in with your nat-ural divine GPS. See if you made wrong turns and find out where that still, small voice wants you to go next.

Reconnecting with your highest self, you will experience more love, contentment and compassion as you step into the brilliance of your soul’s purpose. Why not seize this extraordinary opportunity to till the soil of your consciousness and plant the seeds of a whole new future?

Debbie Ford is a New York Times bestsell-ing author of eight books, including The Shadow Effect, co-authored with Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson, and The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse. Visit DebbieFord.com.


Suburban Homesteading –One Families Journey“Live Simply, Simply Live” has been the motto for the Doran-

Fishers who in 2009 took the unusual step of tilling up every square inch of their 54-foot by122-foot lot and turned it into garden beds for their subsuburban homestead. Ryan Doran-Fisher, a philosophy instructor at the local community college and his wife, Kathryn, a Naturopathic Doctor, became interested in the idea of suburban homesteading after several years of research into health and the American food system.

Kathryn’s senior thesis for her education in natural health was a cookbook. “I wanted to help people sort through all of the confusing information out there about what is and isn’t healthy to eat” Kathryn says. She began by researching dif-ferent dietary philosophies. While these diets were helping some people achieve better health, Kathryn felt they weren’t adequately addressing where the food came from, and the distance from farm to table where several nutrients can be lost. The diets also didn’t take into consideration whether food was grown organically or not, and what the health of the soil was that it had been grown in. It was then that the Doran-Fisher’s realized that in order to be certain that their food was truly healthy, they had to grow it themselves.

Without any prior experience they decided to grow a small garden the first two years while they researched gardening methods. They even cooperatively ran a CSA on some land owned by friends during that time. At one point they consid-ered moving from their suburban lot on the west side of Mt. Pleasant to some country acreage but the housing market had just crashed leaving them unable to sell. So in early March of 2009, Ryan rented a rototiller and spent an entire day turning lawn into garden soil.

“I’m sure our neighbors thought we were crazy,” jokes Ryan. Despite a few odd but curious looks from passers the Doran-Fisher’s managed to produce over 700 pounds of pro-duce last year in their second season, creating a significant impact on their food budget for their family of four.

Once their neighbors saw the end product of their efforts, they started to stop by, chat, and take tours. “I like it when people stop over or make comments as they go by; it makes it feel like it’s everyone’s garden,” notes Ryan. But the Doran-Fisher’s homesteading adventure didn’t stop with just growing produce. They also built a worm bin for composting kitchen scraps, a larger outdoor compost bin for garden waste, verti-cal trellis work to better utilize their space, a grape arbor, a strawberry pyramid, and an eleven barrel rainwater collection system for watering the garden. Last fall, Ryan built a house to keep chickens and/or rabbits in the future. They also created a website and blog to chronicle their adventures in what has been termed “micro-farming.” This simply means growing on very small acreage (often 1-acre or less) to produce enough

food for your family and sometimes enough to share or sell as well,” Ryan explains.

The Doran-Fisher’s were able to produce enough kale to supply the local food co-op a few times last year. Combine that with the urban farming movement of growing food in the city and you’ve got food security and safety from producers as local as right next-door. With food demand and prices on the rise, large gardens like the Doran-Fisher’s will be in high demand within the next few years. In fact, large gardens and edible landscaping were quite important in early 20th century to Americans. Eventually they lost their allure to convenience.

“I would certainly admit,” Ryan concedes, “that you can’t be completely sustainable on this small of a scale, but if more people moved in this direction we would greatly improve the sustainability and stability of urban spaces, and ultimately contribute to our own peace of mind.”

The Doran-Fisher’s made a few mistakes along the way but they learned as they moved forward. “You don’t have to be an expert to get started on the path of the self-made life,” enthuses Kathryn, who also created a perennial herb and flower garden in the front yard to encourage beneficial insects and to use for making her own herbal teas and remedies. When their washing machine broke early last spring they took the homesteading adventure one step further and started washing their clothes by hand, which saves on water and electricity. “I get a good workout while watching the kids play, and the waste water can be re-used to feed the garden,” notes Kathryn. This winter they moved the washbasin indoors and hung their clothesline in the basement.

While the Doran-Fisher’s love this lifestyle they agree that it might not be for everyone. Ryan and Kathryn both work part time so they don’t have to put their children in daycare. This gives them plenty of time to tend the garden and make their food from scratch. It’s a deliberate and modest lifestyle but the Doran-Fisher’s say they love it. “What could be more important than spending time with your kids and making sure they have good food to eat?” Kathryn says.

A career change will require the Doran-Fisher’s to move away from the Mt. Pleasant area this year so they are putting their suburban homestead up for sale or possibly for rent. They are hoping to find someone as excited about growing food as they are to take it over.

For more in fo rmat ion , v i s i t t h e i r w e b s i t e a twww.thedharmafarm.com.


Did your parents always support your definition of truly healthy food?I grew up in an old Colonial farmhouse in Westport, Connecticut, and my par-ents were always interested in healthy food and cooking. Mom had been a health foodie since the late ’60s, and she taught me how to cook at an early age. Dad taught me how to fish and how to pick ripe produce from the local farm stand. But I realized that Dad associated all health food with nut loaf topped with yeast gravy and “atomic” muffins, made with heavy whole wheat. He had some stubborn ideas about what he thought organic food really was. So, one year, I secretly prepared a totally organic Thanksgiving dinner for the family. When Dad finished his plate I asked, “So, how did you like your organic dinner?” He was surprised and knew he’d been had, but also realized

Following in her famous parents’ footsteps, Nell Newman, daughter of actors and environmental

activists Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, launched Newman’s Own Organics in 1993 with business partner Peter Meehan. She is also the author of The Newman’s Own Organics Guide to a Good Life: Simple Measures that Benefit You and the Place You Live. Since 1982, the Newman’s Own Foundation, which originated with her father’s company, Newman’s Own, has donated more than $300 million to educational and charitable organiza-tions worldwide.

Why did you decide to create Newman’s Own Organics?In 1989 I worked as the development director for the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, trying to raise money for this small nonprofit. I was very motivated to do this work because I was dumbfounded by how the per-egrine falcon and the bald eagle popu-lations were being decimated due to the use of the synthetic pesticide DDT. But raising money for this organization wasn’t easy. I started to look closely at the busi-ness model Dad was working on at the time to produce and sell high-quality products, with profits going to various charities. I thought it was a great idea that could be done a little differently, and decided to create an organic line of food products. My hope was to have the line support organic agriculture and better the environment, while providing funds to worthy nonprofits.

wisewords

Sustainable Foods & Social PhilanthropyA Conversation with Nell Newman

by Ellen Mahoney


that organic food didn’t have to taste funny. Our first product for Newman’s Own Organics, an organic pretzel, became Dad’s favorite snack.

How do you advocate for the principles of sustainable agriculture?My big goal in life is to support the growth of organic agriculture, because the impact is profound. Our company uses as many organic ingredients in our products as we possibly can. Today, I also love to farm or-ganically in my backyard. I have nine chickens, a peach tree, a couple of citrus trees and four raised beds for fruits and vegetables.

What role did social responsibility play in your family life?I knew my parents were politically ac-tive, but “socially responsible” wasn’t

even a term when I was growing up. They never lectured or made a big deal about their philanthropy; I only learned about it through their ex-ample. Dad’s company began because people loved his homemade salad dressing; he was always putting it in big wine bottles and giving it away. Although he thought it was a hare-brained idea and was told that celeb-rity products usually fail, he eventu-ally decided to sell it. In the first year he made $890,000; at that time he was at the peak of his acting career and instead of pocketing the money, he donated it to selected charities.

Why did you decide to develop a line of organic pet foods?When I was a kid, we had five dogs, six cats and a pet skunk. I was also a budding ornithologist, and as a teenager I practiced the art of falconry,

because the peregrine was my favor-ite bird. I’ve always loved animals, so organic pet food seemed like a natural product line extension to me. It was a challenge to convince Dad, but we finally launched the pet line in 2005 and it’s been highly successful. Because the type of food an animal eats affects its quality of life, it’s vital to make sure pets receive the highest quality of foods that are closest to what they would eat in the wild. Plus, the happier our animals are, the happier we are.

For more information, visit Newmans OwnOrganics.com/index.php.

Ellen Mahoney is a writer and radio producer. Email [email protected].

You don’t need

a silver fork to

eat good food.

~Paul Prudhomme


healthykids

As the Sierra Club notes: “Camping today includes the traditional fun of being outdoors in a group and [at the same time] can also be an experience in eco-friendly

living and practices.” Families looking for the perfect green summer camp will find programs for every child, from the nature neophyte to a budding biologist or environmental activist. Campers can choose to dig into organic farming, nat-uralist explorations, conscious living classes, green building programs or even sustainable living projects in exotic places. Camp has always proved a perfect time to unplug from daily routines and connect with the extraordinary. As Peg

Smith, CEO of the American Camp Association, observes: “Camps have been introducing children to the wonder and beauty of the natural world for 150 years.” Fortunately, the trend continues, in spades.

What’s in StoreEco-friendly camps can prove to be both an educational and experiential immersion in the living of green values for a child, establishing a pattern for life. Many camps mirror the sustainable practices families follow at home, like using energy-saving devices, composting and encouraging healthy eating and organic gardening. For example, campers entering kindergarten through sixth grade like experiencing farm life at the Gwynn Valley Camp, in North Carolina (GwynnValley.com). Youngsters pick vegetables from the organic garden, milk the cows and gather eggs. This camp grows 70 percent of its food and has implemented many energy-saving practices. In Maryland, at Camp Calleva’s sustainable farm (Calleva.org), attendees learn about environmentally friendly design through hands-on alternative energy projects that change each year. Their Build Green and Grow Green weeks, for instance, have engaged campers in building a rainwater collection system for crops and farm animals, a biofuel project

ECO-CAMPS FOR KIDSby Gail Condrick

Just the mention of summer camp evokes parents’ memories of communal living, new challenges and outdoor fun in close encounters with nature’s wonders. Today’s new generation of eco-friendly camps for our kids offer all of these experiences and more.


and this summer, a windmill alternative energy design. Likewise, the Green River Preserve, in North Carolina (GreenRiverPreserve.org), offers environmental programs for the academically gifted, creative and curious. Kids take daily hikes with naturalist mentors, learning the science behind their expe-riences, and help harvest, eat and compost vegetables grown onsite. Of course, traditional camp activities add to the fun. The camp partners with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Eth-ics, which encourages caring stewardship of Planet Earth. Teens from 13 to 17 years old enjoy programs offered at the Omega Teen Camp, in Holmes, New York (search Teen Camp at eomega.org). On top of outdoor adventures, the camp offers 50 class selections, from dance, yoga and Tai chi to meditation and “Face Your Fears” consciousness classes. When it’s time for dinner, they enjoy vegetarian and organic food selections, with most meals made from scratch. Know a mature teen, ready for travel and community service? BoldEarth Adventures’ (BoldEarth.com) summer camps include between six and 40 hours of service. Partici-pants might plant and harvest organic vegetables in rural Ecuador, rehabilitate wild animals at an Amazon conserva-tion project, or help restore hiking trails in Colorado.

Find the Best Green Camp Start an informed search for eco-style kids camps by region, activities, special needs and age groups at AmericanCamp Association.com and ChoiceCamps.com. Individual camp websites typically state their mission and philosophy, camp-er/staff ratio, counselor qualifications, facility accreditation and camp building and operating practices that promote green living.

Circle Pines Center

Session I June 26-July 9 Session II July 10-July 16 Session III July 17-July 30

Serving locally-sourced, organic foods while teaching peace, social justice, environmental stewardship and cooperation as a way of life.

For More Information: Contact: 269.623.5555 OR www.circlepinescenter.org

Summer Camp


Outward BoundEco-Adventures Instill

Confidence and Character

by Karen Adams

When Jon Howard was a shy 16-year-old, he took a four-day canoe trip on Florida’s Peace River with Outward Bound that changed his life. “I came

away with a belief inside me that no matter what happened in my life, I could deal with it,” he says. Today, he directs the organization’s national at-risk program from his office in Tal-lahassee, helping kids from around the country similarly gain inner strength. “Many people think of Outward Bound as a physical experience,” Howard says. “It is, but it’s also mental and emotional. When you align all three, that’s when it’s most powerful.” When Katie Pastuszek was 14, she spent 10 days back-packing and rock climbing in the West Virginia wilderness. Her Outward Bound-designed trip instilled a deep love of nature and taught her that she could take on unimagined challenges. “Those characteristics stay with a person for life,” she says. Today, Pastuszek serves as executive director of Outward Bound’s Philadelphia center. The pioneer in adventure-based education programs, Outward Bound has been building confidence, character, leadership and a sense of service in young people around the world for 70 years. Today, the organization is active in 34 countries, with more than a million alumni in the United States alone. All Outward Bound programs challenge participants to go beyond their own self-perceptions. Some trips venture into the wilderness; others explore urban environments and new neighborhoods, where kids often provide community services. They all learn life skills. “Their experiences help these kids overcome challenges when they go back to their daily lives, whether they face gangs or bullies or other pressures,” says Jeff Baierlein, exec-utive director of the Baltimore/Chesapeake Bay center. They see their lives differently, he says, and they learn to make good choices, which often include new activities, peers and goals. By the end of an Outward Bound trip, all the kids share a sense of respect and belonging. “No matter who they are,” concludes Howard, “they definitely become aware that they’re part of a bigger picture.”

For more information, visit OutwardBound.org.

Karen Adams is a Natural Awakenings editor and freelance writer.

More Youth Wilderness Adventures

4-H Summer Camps 4-H.org

Big City Mountaineers Wilderness Program BigCityMountaineers.org

Boy Scout Camps Scouting.org

Earth School Wilderness Skills LoveTheEarth.com

Girl Scout Camps GirlScouts.org

Quiet Heart Wilderness School QuietHeart.org

Two Coyotes Wilderness School TwoCoyotes.org

YMCA Summer Camps YMCA-Summer-Camps.com

Other Youth Adventure Camps Search MySummerCamps.com

For families who prefer to explore close to home, the Sierra Club gives tips to turn any backyard into a year-round environmental adventure camp. One suggestion involves putting up a tent, unfolding sleeping bags and grabbing flash-lights for an outdoor evening looking up at the stars (search Backyard Camping at SierraClub.org). Summer is far from the only season for Earth-oriented ex-periences. Young people can make the most of environmental programs sponsored by local parks and recreation departments, Scout troops, schools and churches, any time they’re offered.

Benefits of the Natural WorldCamp allows kids to take a break from electronics and breathe in a renewed sense of nature’s daily miracles. Con-necting to nature fights the “nature deficit syndrome,” spot-lighted in Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, in which he comments on the state of too many of our youth today: “A kid today can likely tell you about the Amazon rain forest—but not about the last time he or she explored the woods in solitude, or lay in a field listening to the wind and watching the clouds move.” Louv is founder of the Children and Na-ture Network (ChildrenAndNature.org). Whether our perfect eco-camp is educational or sustain-able, in the mountains or under a backyard tent, the experi-ence of just being in nature can be life-changing for a child and for the whole family.

Connect with Gail Condrick, writer and workshop leader, at GaelaVisions.com.


Note: Visit www.NaturalWestMichigan.com for guidelines and to submit entries. All Calendar events must be submitted online by the 15th of the month prior to publication.

tuesday march 1Good Things Getting Better: Grand Opening- 10:00am-7:00pm. Tracy’s Faces is happy to announce their relocation and expansion. You are invited to come Celebrate Tracy’s Faces Holistic Day Spa is becoming a full service Salon and Day Spa. 5570 Wilson Ave, Ste. J in Wyoming. 616-667-9690

wednesday, march 2Beginning Tarot- 6:00-8:00 pm. 4 classes held on Wednesday evenings. Material covered the Major- Minor Arcana, meditation to open psychic. Also learn how to do a Tarot reading. Delton. Call Ken 800-260-4544 or reikiconnect.com.Healing, Dance and Drum– 6:00-8:00 pm. With Laura Armenta and Patricia Hickey, this workshop is an opportunity to explore and share the love of movement and rhythm. Fountain Street Church. Grand Rapids. 616-459-8386.Homeopathy: Address most ailments with 12 basic remedies - 6:30 pm. Dale Tamminga, N.D. discusses homeopathy, how it works in the body, and suggests remedies to have on hand in the home. Harvest Health-Cascade store. Grand Rapids. 616-301-1833.Guided Meditation and Healing Circle - 7:00-8:00 pm. Escape from stress and discover an inner world of calm, peace & joy through guided meditation, and energy healing from Healing in America-trained healers. $5. Holistic Care Approach, 3368 E. Beltline Ct. NE, Grand Rapids. 269-929-6796.

saturday, march 5Earth Changes: A Monopolar Magnetic Field?- 4:00-6:00 pm. This presentation will discuss the nature and history of past changes to the Earth’s magnetic poles and unusual recent anomalies in the Earth’s magnetic fields $6. Nature’s Spiritual Connections. Grand Rapids. Please pre-register with NSC by calling 616-929-4204 before March 17.Family Open Gym- 7:00-9:00 pm. Members $8. Nonmembers $12 Adults are FREE! Gymco. 2306 Camelot Ridge Court SE Grand Rapids. 616-956-0586.

calendarofevents

sunday, march 6Mardi Gras Family Party- 2:00-6:00 pm. Live Jazz, make your own mask, games, activities, Costumes welcome! Minerva’s Hand. Spring Lake. Contact Jessee @ 616-405-1214 or visit minervashand.com.

monday, march 7Story Time: Learn What Your Name Means Day- 10:30-11:30 am. Celebrate “Learn What Your Name Means Day” by coming to our story time, learning what your name means, and then making your own name bracelet or necklace. Free event! Hop Scotch Children’s Store. Grand Rapids. 616-233-4008. [email protected] Moms Bloom Volunteer Training- 6:30 pm. We help families with a new baby. If you like working with moms and babies, this is the opportunity for you! Grand Rapids. Find out more at momsbloom.org and contact Angie at 616-447-9788 or [email protected].

tuesday, march 8Detoxification- 6:00 pm. Free community workshop sponsored by The Foundation for Wellness Professionals on how to Reduce Toxins and Lose Weight Through Nutritional Cleansing. 4150 East Beltline Suite #4 Grand Rapids. Seating is limited to the first 30 callers. Make your reservations today by calling 616-447-9888.Fat Burning Tips for Weight Loss- 7:00 pm. Have you tried every diet there is and still struggle with your weight? Receive some fresh thinking on weight loss tonight. The Wellness Forum. Grand Rapids. Please call 616-942-7907 for reservations.

wednesday, march 9Community Spiritual Drum Circle- 7:00-8:30 pm. Spiritual drum circle. All are invited. Bring your own drum or borrow one of ours. This is a wonderful chance to experience the flow of energy in a positive way. A love offering is appreciated. Use upper level entrance. Unity Church of Peace. Ada.

Guided Meditation, Prayer and Healing Circle - 7:00-8:00 pm. Relax to guided meditation, and receive energy healing from local healers while church chaplains pray over your prayer requests. Donation. Unity Church on the Lakeshore, 41 So. Washington, Douglas. 269-857-8226.

friday, march 11Sentimental Journey: Dinner Theater Cabaret - An original musical cabaret production featuring vocals from the 1940’s. Tickets include dinner, dessert, show & dancing. Cash bar. 225 E. Exchange Street, Spring Lake. For details visit www.c3exchange.org. Tickets at sentimentaljourney.eventbrite.com.West Michigan Women’s Expo- 10:00 am-8:00 pm. Over 400 exhibits and seminars tailored to women and their families. Health, Beauty, Fitness, Fashion, Cooking Stage, Finance, Vacation, Food, Spa Services, Gardening, Home Décor’ and more! Tickets at the door. Open to the public. DeVos Place. Grand Rapids. More info at kohlerexpo.com.

saturday, march 12Sentimental Journey: Dinner Theater Cabaret - An original musical cabaret production featuring vocals from the 1940’s. Tickets include dinner, dessert, show & dancing. Cash bar. 225 E. Exchange Street, Spring Lake. For details visit www.c3exchange.org. Tickets at sentimentaljourney.eventbrite.com.Maple Syrup Weekend- Hands-on weekend workshops will introduce participants to the basics of making maple syrup. Identify maple trees, help tap the trees, collect and boil sap, stoke the fire, and learn how maple syrup is made. Join our pancake feast on Sunday morning. Circle Pines Center. Delton. 269-623-5555.Growing Older...Becoming Wiser Workshop- 9 :30 am-12:30 pm. Women exp lor ing opportunities and challenges in the third stage of life...the time when we reap the wisdom from our years of experience. $15 each or 2 for $25. Circle of Crones. Briarlane Apts, Community Building. Grand Rapids. Contact Chris Belding: 616-887-7854 [email protected] Yoga for Home Practice, morning retreat- 10:00 am- 1:30 pm. For all levels and abilities, includes a delicious home cooked vegetarian lunch and refreshments. A longer, overnight retreat is also possible. $35. Self Realization Meditation Healing Centre. Bath. Pre-registration required. 517-641-6201. SelfRealizationCentreMichigan.org.


West Michigan Women’s Expo- 10:00 am-8:00 pm. Over 400 exhibits and seminars tailored to women and their families. Health, Beauty, Fitness, Fashion, Cooking Stage, Finance, Vacation, Food, Spa Services, Gardening, Home Décor’ and more! Tickets at the door. Open to the public. DeVos Place. Grand Rapids. More info at kohlerexpo.com.Basic Astrology Class, Day Three by Mary McGuire- 10:00 am-4:00 pm. You will apply all of the knowledge you have learned and read charts in a workshop atmosphere. $50/day. Returning students please bring back previous handouts and charts. The Healing Center. Lakeview. For information call 989-352-6500 or 989-414-2762.The Runic Journey to Mastery workshop- 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Uncover the meanings of the runic symbology, view simple spreads for problem solving and construct your Personal Destiny Profile. $25. Following workshop intuitive readings for $30 from 2:30-5:00 pm. The Coptic Center. Grand Rapids. Pre-Register by calling 616-531-1339.

sunday, march 13Basic Astrology Class, Day One by Mary McGuire- 10:00 am-4:00 pm. Learn about the different signs of the zodiac, planets and the houses of an astrology chart. $50/day. Your birth chart information is required when signing up. The Healing Center. Lakeview. For information call 989-352-6500 or 231-414-2762.How to Live a Spiritual Life–10:00-11:00 am. Come join this uplifting monthly Eckankar Worship Service. Free. Dominican Center at Marywood, Room #4, 2025 East Fulton St, Grand Rapids. 616-245-7003.West Michigan Women’s Expo- 11:00 am-5:00 pm. Over 400 exhibits and seminars tailored to women and their families. Health, Beauty, Fitness, Fashion, Cooking Stage, Finance, Vacation, Food, Spa Services, Gardening, Home Décor’ and more! Tickets at the door. Open to the public. DeVos Place. Grand Rapids. More info at kohlerexpo.com.Is it Dyslexia?- 1:00 pm. Discussions will revolve around the characteristics of dyslexia, the root cause of dyslexia, and how the problem can be corrected. Free seminar held at DeVos Place during the Women’s Expo. New Chapter Learning. Grand Rapids. Call 616-534-1385 to pre-register. For more info visit newchapterlearning.net.

monday, march 14National Children’s Craft Day Celebration- 10:30-11:30 am. Come join us to make a variety of crafts at different stations throughout the store using environmentally friendly art supplies! There will be coloring, gluing, stamping, and more! Fun for older babies on up. Free. Hop Scotch Children’s Store. Grand Rapids. 616-233-4008. [email protected].

tuesday, march 15Nourishing Our Children- 7:00-8:30 pm. A dynamic presentation to parent groups that explains why many traditional foods now considered unhealthy are, in fact, vital to the growth and intellectual development of our children. Free. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Grand Rapids. 616-309-9147. nourishingourchildren.org.

wednesday, march 16John Friend- John will be at From The Heart Yoga & Tai Chi Center, 714 Wealthy Street SE in Grand Rapids from 9:00-11:30am on the 16th & 17th and his evenings will be spent at the Wege Ballroom at Aquinas College, 1607 Robinson Road SE in Grand Rapids from 6:30-8:30pm. 616-336-9642. How to use Essential Oils & More- 1:00-3:00 pm. and 7:00-9:00 pm. New to aromatherapy? Learn more at these monthly classes about how the body works and how you can incorporate the magic of the oils into your daily regime. FREE. NaturalHealth4Today. Please RSVP 616-698-6148.The Importance of Structural Health- 7:30 pm. Dale Tamminga, N.D. and Dr. James Heath, D.C. discuss how structural alignment affects the immune and endocrine systems, nutrient absorption, and more. The Wellness Forum. Grand Rapids. 616-301-1833.

thursday, march 17Free Patient Education Night- 6:00-7:00 pm. Dr. Ann Auburn presents “Conquering Intestinal Problems and Regaining your Health.” Learn how to take control of your insides with helpful hints and ideas from Dr. Auburn. Join us for this free informational lecture. Natural Health Improvement Center. Grandville. 616-301-0808.

friday, march 18Sentimental Journey: Dinner Theater Cabaret - An original musical cabaret production featuring vocals from the 1940’s. Tickets include dinner, dessert, show & dancing. Cash bar. 225 E. Exchange Street, Spring Lake. For details visit www.c3exchange.org. Tickets at sentimentaljourney.eventbrite.com.Pure Meditation Foundation Class for adults– 7:00-8:30 pm. Now is the time to conquer stress, improve concentration, find inner peace, and so much more. $40 includes continuing support. Self Realization Meditation Healing Centre. Bath. Pre-registration required. An overnight retreat is also possible. 517-641-6201. SelfRealizationCentreMichigan.org.

saturday, march 19Renewable Energy Conference-8:30-4:00pm. Learn about new trends in the renewable energy field, meet experts and learn how you can make your home more energy efficient. $40 members, $50 non members & $20 students. Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, 701 W. Cloverdale Road, Hastings. 269-721-4190. Maple Syrup Weekend- Hands-on weekend workshops will introduce participants to the basics of making maple syrup. Identify maple trees, help tap the trees, collect and boil sap, stoke the fire, and learn how maple syrup is made. Join our pancake feast on Sunday morning. Circle Pines Center. Delton. 269-623-5555.Sentimental Journey: Dinner Theater Cabaret- An original musical cabaret production featuring vocals from the 1940’s. Tickets include dinner, dessert, show & dancing. Cash bar. 225 E. Exchange Street, Spring Lake. For details visit www.c3exchange.org. Tickets at sentimentaljourney.eventbrite.com.

Design a Moon Garden- 10:00 am -12:00 pm. Plan a relaxing spot in your yard to sit back and enjoy flowers that bloom at night and fragrant night plants. Minerva’s Hand. Spring Lake. [email protected]. 616-405-1214.Basic Astrology Class, Day Two by Mary McGuire- 10:00 am-4:00 pm. Learn how planets aspect each other and what this means plus more. $50/day. Returning students please bring back previous handouts and charts. The Healing Center. Lakeview. For information call 989-352-6500 or 231-414-2762.Reiki Level 1-10:00 am-5:00 pm. Intro to Reiki w/ Ken & Dana Gray. Discussion of the chakras, Reiki 1 attunement & the Reiki 1 symbol. Learn how to give and receive a reiki treatment. A great class for self-healing & spiritual growth. $75. Delton. Visit reikiconnect.com or call 800-260-4544.Yoga of Weight Loss: A Divine Reconnection with Food & Body: Module 2: Healing Body Image- 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Revolves around body image and movement, culture, yoga psychology, and embodiment practices to heal body image on its deepest level. $28. Expressions of Grace Yoga. Grand Rapids. 616-361-8580 expressionsofgraceyoga.com.Herbal Gardening- 2:00-3:00 pm. It’s Spring and we can think about our gardens again! I love growing herbs and I’m going to share my master gardener advice with you. $20. BarrieBeau Herb Farm. Nature’s Spiritual Connections. Grand Rapids. Please pre-register with NSC by calling 616-929-4204 before March 17.Spring Cleaning. Detox. Quick & Easy – 2:00-4:00 pm. Lose weight and get healthy. Detox improves lives. Blend yoga and nutrition for the ultimate cleanse. With Amanda Geerts and Marro Spehar. Visit AmandaGeerts.com or Seva.net for details. Space is limited. East Grand Rapids. Call Seva Yoga at 616-458-2541 to register.

sunday, march 20Empowering Dance Workshop- At Armenta Studio, 955 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids. 616-235-9642 or [email protected] Marg Meditation- 9:45-10:45 am. With Robert Sames, this is a meditation practice based on experience as opposed to knowledge and is designed to be practiced while living an everyday traditional life. Fountain Street Church. Grand Rapids. 616-459-8386.

monday, march 21Silly Song Sing-Along with Dilly Songs -10:30-11:30 am. Local musician Aaron Vande Wege created Dilly Songs to be both delightful and silly songs that are fun to sing along with. Join us for a live musical adventure in song and silliness! Free. Hop Scotch Children’s Store. Grand Rapids. 616-233-4008, [email protected] the Appalachian Trail- 7:00 pm. Tim Keenan hiked 2,178 miles of the Appalachian Tail in 2009. Beginning his hike on March 29 in Springer Mountain, GA he completed in just less than six months. He will show photos and talk about his hiking journey. Free. Grand Rapids Public Library. 616-988-5400.

tuesday, march 22Health Hazards of Mercury Poisoning- 6:30 pm. Dale Tamminga, N.D. and Dr. Tom Grias,


sAv e t H e dAt efriday, April 15Shooting in the Wild: Education, Ecology and Ethics in Wildlife Films - Distinguished film producer Chris Palmer is the Wege Foundation’s 15th annual speaker at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center from 4-5pm. Lecture is free and open to the public. RSVP to [email protected] by April 6.

sAv e t H e dAt ethursday, may 12Re-discover Your Health Workshop- 5/12-5/14. What are the correct tools your body needs to perform it’s own miracle’s? Dr. Dana C.Young will offer a FREE class 7-9pm on 5/12, Discuss Anatomy of cancer & L-Forms on 5/13 9-5pm & Dr. K. Stephen Whiting will teach solving the top disease issues: Diabetes, Heart disease and Weight Management on 5/14, 9-5pm. Grand Rapids Holiday Inn Airport. Contact Clara VanderZouwen, 616-698-6148.

sAv e t H e dAt esave the date eventsMust be submitted online each month at NaturalWestMichigan.com. Events priced $80 or above require a corresponding display ad. There is a $45 charge per listing, up to 50 words. If you are a current advertiser, distribution site or non-profit you may use this listing in place of one of your free listings for a $25 charge.

D.D.S. offer information on the damaging effects of heavy metal poisoning in the body and discuss ways to regain health after exposure. The Wellness Forum. Grand Rapids. 616-301-1833.Chinese Acupressure Face Lift Class- 6:30-8:00 pm. A natural daily routine that improves elasticity, reduces eye wrinkles, jaw pain, stress. Cost: $40, bring a friend $35 ea. Lisa W. Lee International Wellness Partners. Spring Lake. 616-634-2714.CranioSacral Study and Support Group- 6:45-9:00 pm. Open to all Upledger-trained practitioners. Cost: $5. Facilitated by Ellen Costantino. Holistic Care Approach 3368 Beltline Ct. NE, Grand Rapids. Contact Jamilah Tuuk at 616 340-0543 or [email protected] for further info.

wednesday, march 23Discovery Preschool Open House- 5:30-7:00 pm. Come and visit Gymco’s movement based preschool. Families will learn about the benefits of moving while learning! FREE. Gymco 2306 Camelot Ridge Court SE, Grand Rapids. 616-956-0586.Ladies of the Lights: Michigan Women in the U.S. Lighthouse Service- 7:00-8:30 pm. More than 50 women served the sailing community from 1894-1954. Hear the stories of ten of these women from Patricia Majher, editor of Michigan History magazine and author of the book Ladies of the Lights. Free. Grand Rapids Main Library. 616-988-5400 or grpl.org.

thursday, march 24Dinner at The Heritage- 6:00 pm. Join us tonight for a special vegetarian dinner. Chef Kevin Dunn will share some of his ideas for delicious plant-strong entrees. The menu is in the planning stage, so price has not been determined. The Heritage. GRCC. Grand Rapids. Call 616-942-7907 for reservations.Homeopathy: Address most ailments with 12 basic remedies - 6:30 pm. Dale Tamminga, N.D. discusses homeopathy, how it works in the body, and suggests remedies to have on hand in the home. Harvest Health-Cascade store. Grand Rapids. 616-301-1833.Community Book Discussion: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot- 7:00 pm. The Grand Rapids Public Library is partnering with Grand Valley State University’s Community Reading Project. As a part of this project, the Library will co-host with the Grand Rapids Study Club a community discussion about Skloot’s book. Free. 616-988-5400.What is Thai Therapy & How Can it Help You- 7:30-9:00pm. Seminar at Armenta Studio, 955 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids. 616-235-9642 or [email protected]

friday, march 25We e k e n d w i t h Ly n n M e d o w : T h e Ethics of Yoga-6:00-9:00 pm. Accessible Modi f i ca t ions and Ad jus tmen t s . $40 . Both Friday & Saturday $90. Seva Yoga LLC. East Grand Rapids . More in fo and regis t ra t ion a t sevayoga.net . 616-458-2541.Yoga Nidra: Relax & De-stress Intentionally- 6:30-8:30 pm. Cultivate awareness and

sensitivity with the practice of Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep)...an ancient practice that bypasses the conscious mind to access the subconscious for powerful transformation. $20. Expressions of Grace Yoga. Grand Rapids. 616-361-8580. expressionsofgraceyoga.com.

saturday, march 26Lakeshore’s Mom to Mom Sale– 8:30 am - 4:00 pm. Recycle gently used Baby & Kids Clothing, Maternity Clothing, Nursery Furniture, etc. Proceeds benefit a local nonprofit. Booths are limited. $20 rental fee and you keep the money from your sales. Harbour Towne Yacht Club. Muskegon. Call 616-893-0650 by March 21st. West Michigan Spa & Wellness Expo- 10:00am-4:00pm. Spa Products, vitamins, anti-age products, homeopathy, naturopathy, gift items, home decor, home improvement, spa products, household specialty, purses, bath products, fitness, kitchenware, specialty food items, weight loss products, alternative medicine and more. Visit spaandwellnessexpo.blogspot.com. Grand Haven Community Center, 421 Columbus Ave, Grand Haven. Weekend with Lynn Medow: The Ethics of Yoga-1:30-6:30 pm. Accessible Modifications and Adjustments. $60. Both Friday & Saturday $90. Seva Yoga LLC. East Grand Rapids. More info and registration at sevayoga.net. 616-458-2541.

monday, march 28Music Time with Carol Johnson- 10:30-11:30 am. For more than twenty years, this local singer-songwriter has delighted audiences of all ages. Carol’s songs sparkle with energy. Come join us. Free event. Hop Scotch Children’s Store. Grand Rapids. 616-233-4008. [email protected].

tuesday, march 29Taste of Home Cooking School Simply Spring Event- 4:00-7:00pm. Meet tons of local vendors and business owners. Plus complimentary Chair Massage with Kate and Glenn f rom MI Cl in ica l Massage . [email protected]. Community Reformed Church, Zeeland.

wednesday, march 30Gluten Free Demo- 4:00-6:00pm. Learn about a gluten free life style and receive complimentary Chair Massage from Kate with MI Clinical Massage. [email protected]. Apple Valley Natural Foods in Holland.


ongoingevents

Pilates on the Mat- 6:00 pm. Beg/Int. Move with grace and flexibility at the only studio in Holland featuring the STOTT PILATES® Method. Align Fitness. Holland. AlignFitnessofHolland.com or call 616-928-0929.

Kripalu Yoga with Marro Spehar - 7:30 pm. Gentle/Moderate. Drop-ins welcome. For more details visit our website at sevayoga.net. Seva Yoga Studio, 2213 Wealthy Ste 220, East Grand Rapids. 616-458-2541.

tuesdaySunrise Hot Yoga- 6:00-7:30 am. Yoga combining traditional poses and sequences intended to increase the sweat and completely detoxify the body! $15. Satya Yoga Center. Saugatuck. 269-857-7289.

Gentle Hatha Yoga with Mitch Coleman- 7:45-9:00 am & 9:15-10:30 am. Drop-ins welcome. Visit WhiteRiverYoga.com for more information. Classes meet at White River Yoga Studio, 8724 Ferry St. Montague. 231-740-6662.

Yoga for Everyone- 10:00-11:15 am. Robert Huttinga PA-C. $3.00. The Healing Center. Lakeview. TheHealingCenterOfLakeview.com. 989-352-6500.

Elimination Communication Parent Group- 11:00 am. 2nd Tuesday of the month. EC is a natural and hygienic way to care for your baby’s elimination needs. Free! Hop Scotch Children’s Store. Grand Rapids. 616-233-4008. events@hopscotchstore. com.

Barre Fitness Class- 5:30 pm. Jiggle-free arms, toned thighs, lifted seat! $5 to try first class! Align Fitness. Holland. See full schedule at AlignFitnessofHolland.com or call 616-928-0929.

Beginning Tarot w/Ken Gray at Subtle Energies- 6:00-8:30 pm. Meet 4 Tuesday evenings March 8th-April 5th to learn basic tarot spreads and open your intuitive centers. $60. Delton. Register online reikiconnect.com. 269-671-4455.

Therapeutic Yoga- 6:00-7:30 pm. Complete floor-based practice intended to let the skeletal system and muscle groups relax, encouraging a deep release of aches and discomfort. $15. Satya Yoga Center. Saugatuck. 269-857-7289.

A Course In Miracles (A.C.I.M.)- 7:00-8:30 pm. This self-study system is unique in teaching forgiveness as the road to inner peace and the remembrance of the unconditional love of God. Unity Church of Peace. Ada.

wednesday$30 Off BioMeridian Assessments- State-of-the-art profiling and tracking of all 58 meridians in the body with take-home computer generated results to assess progress. Grand Rapids. 616-365-9176. For more info visit integrativenutritionaltherapies.com

A Course In Miracles (A.C.I.M.)- 9:30-11:00 am. This self-study system is unique in teaching

Note: Visit www.NaturalWestMichigan.com for guidelines and to submit entries. Events must be re-submitted each month by the 15th of the month. Events subject to change, please call ahead.

sundayC3Exchange, Inclusive Spiritual Community: Awakenings- 9:00 am. Chants, meditation, prayer. No experience necessary. Come as you are. C3Exchange, Inclusive Spiritual Community, 225 E. Exchange Street, Spring Lake. 616-842-1985. c3exchange.org.

C3Exchange, Inclusive Spiritual Community: Main Gathering- 10:00 am. Progressive spiritual teaching with music, meditation, discussion and children’s program. C3Exchange, Inclusive Spiritual Community, 225 E. Exchange Street, Spring Lake. 616-842-1985. c3exchange.org.

Unity Church of Peace - 10:00 am. Celebrating God’s presence in human nature. Offering uplifting messages that are spiritual without being religious. Youth programs & Nursery. Unity Church of Peace 6025 Ada Drive SE, Ada. 616-682-7812. www.unity-churchofpeace.org.

Worship Service- 10:00 am. Coptic Minister Denise Iwaniw. The Fourth Sunday of each month we host this time of self-reflection and sharing. This month’s Love Offering will be new or used winter clothing. The Healing Center 332 S. Lincoln, Lakeview. 989-352-6500.

Unity of Muskegon “A Church of Light, Love & Laughter”- 10:30 am weekly. Sunday Services & Youth Education. Minister: Rev. John W. Williams. 2052 Bourdon St., Muskegon. 231-759-7356. unitymuskegon.org.

The Coptic Center Sunday Series – 6:00 pm. An ongoing series of inspirational speakers, centering and the piano music of Karen Lauck. The Coptic Center, 0-381 Lake Michigan Dr NW, Grand Rapids. 616-531-1339. TheCopticCenter.org.

monday$30 Off BioMeridian Assessments- State-of-the-art profiling and tracking of all 58 meridians in the body with take-home computer generated results to assess progress. Grand Rapids. 616-365-9176. For more info visit integrativenutritionaltherapies.com.

Yoga-Beginning- 9:00 am. This is where you start. Learn the basic poses, strengthen, breath awareness and relax. For more information visit SmilingLotusYoga.com or call Smiling Lotus Yoga, 103 E. Ludington Ave, Ludington. 231-852-0849.

Prana Yoga Nidra- 9:00-10:30 am. Begin with conscious breathing & meditation, quick flow yoga, and end w/ Nidra (yogic sleep & relaxation). $15. Satya Yoga Center. Saugatuck. 269-857-7289.

La Leche League of Oceana County- 10:00 am. Meets the second Monday of every month. Shelby United Methodist Church, 68 E. 3rd St., Shelby. For breastfeeding or meeting information please call Amanda at 231-861-2535.

forgiveness as the road to inner peace and the remembrance of the unconditional love of God. Unity Church of Peace. Ada.

Kripalu Yoga with Marro Spehar - 10:30 am. Gentle and 7:30pm. Gentle/Moderate. Drop-ins welcome. For details visit sevayoga.net. Seva Yoga Studio, 2213 Wealthy Ste 220, East Grand Rapids. 616-458-2541.

Slow Flow Yoga- 12:00-1:30 pm. Anusara-Inspired w/ a strong focus on alignment. Progress each week in your practice, your postures, and the study of yoga. $15. Satya Yoga Center. Saugatuck. 269-857-7289.

Pilates on the Mat- 6:00 pm. Int/Adv level STOTT PILATES® Method mat class, must have permission to attend. Align Fitness. Holland. AlignFitnessofHolland.com or call 616-928-0929.

A Course in Miracles - 6 :00-8:00 pm. Love offering accepted. Robert Huttinga PA-C. The Heal ing Center. Lakeview . TheHealingCenterOfLakeview.com. 989-352-6500.

Grand Rapids Buddhist Meditation Group- 7:30 pm. Wednesday evenings. March 1st thru May 31st. Sitting and walking meditation followed by book study. Beginner’s welcome. Free. Sacred Space. Grand Rapids. For info, contact Barb Howard, 616-452-2115.

thursdayBarre Fitness Class- 5:30 pm. Get addicted to Barre Fitness just in time for summer swimsuit season! $5 to try first class. Align Fitness. Holland. See full schedule at AlignFitnessofHolland.com or call 616-928-0929.

Childbearing Year and Beyond: Fertility Awareness- 6:00 pm. Third Thursday of the Month. Class about holistic parenting and living, from pregnancy through early parenting and beyond. Held at Full Circle Midwifery. Hesperia. Advance registration is required. Contact Amanda @ 231-861-2535.

fridayYoga-Intermediate- 9:00 am. Learn the basics. Holding poses longer, moving deeper into your practice and awareness of the core. For details visit SmilingLotusYoga.com or call Smiling Lotus Yoga, 103 E. Ludington Ave, Ludington. 231-852-0849.

Kripalu Yoga with Marro Spehar - 7:00 pm. Gentle/Moderate. Drop-ins welcome. For details visit sevayoga.net. Seva Yoga Studio, 2213 Wealthy Ste 220, East Grand Rapids. 616-458-2541.

saturdayGentle Hatha Yoga with Mitch Coleman – 9:00-10:15 am & 10:30-11:45 am. Drop-ins welcome. Visit WhiteRiverYoga.com for more information. Classes meet at White River Yoga Studio, 8724 Ferry St. Montague. 231-740-6662.

Sweetwater Local Foods Market- 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Every other Saturday. Indoors at Hackley Health at the Lakes, Harvey St. 1/2 Mile South of Lakes Mall. Exit US 31 at Pontaluna Rd. Muskegon.


...connecting you to the leaders in natural health and green living in West Michigan. To find out how you can be included in The Natural Directory log-on to www.NaturalWestMichigan.com/advertising.

BuildiNG / coNstructioNdlH coNcePtsKyle HassLicensed Residential Home [email protected]

Locally owned and operated. Specializing in building custom livable and affordable new homes that are Energy Efficient and utilize Green Building practices. Unmatched efficiencies and uncompromising quality. See ad page 21.

cHiroPrActic cAre

dyNAmic fAmily cHiroPrActicDr. Ronson Dykstra & Dr. Ronda VanderWall4072 Chicago Drive, Grandville616-531-6050

Family owned and operated in the heart of downtown Grandville, Dynamic Family Chiropractic focuses on lifestyle improvements through living a maximized life. A safe and natural approach to health through the combination of exercise, nutrition, detoxification and chiropractic care.

scHAfer cHiroPrActicANd HeAliNG sPADr. Andrew Schafer 1801 Breton SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506 616-301-3000

Treating musculoskeletal conditions, and specializing in back pain, sciatica neck pain, and headaches. Also offering physical therapy, massage therapy, and postural awareness. Most insurances accepted. Breton Village area. www.grchirospa.com. See ad page 7.

clotH diAPersBootyful BABy BoutiQue, llcAllendale, Michigan 616-892-1525www.bootyfulbabyboutique.com

Modern cloth diapers that are proudly made in Michigan. A healthy choice for your baby, your wallet and our Earth. We love to help parents make the switch!

thenaturaldirectory

AcuPuNcturesAmir rAJANi, mdMedical Acupuncturist mmpc Internal Medicine890 S. Washington, Ste. 130 Holland: 616-396-1907www.mmpc.com

Medical acupuncture can be an effective treatment for many chronic conditions, including pain, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Samir Rajani, MD is certified in medical acupuncture and practices at mmpc Internal Medicine.

AlterNAtive HeAltHPrActitioNer

out of tHe Blue iNcNancy Despres RN, MBE351 Cummings NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49534616-453-4215www.OutoftheBlueInc.net *UPDATED*

Out of the Blue helps find alternative ways for achieving optimal health through the use of homeopathy, enzyme therapy nutritional supplements & hair mineral analysis. Now carrying homeopathic Hcg drops for weight loss.

AyurvedAmiNdful Body trANsformAtioNChad: [email protected] online at: myzconnection.myzrii.com Click “Join” to get preferred customer rates

How are you getting your daily supply of Haritaki, Jujube, Schizandra, Ginger, Amla, Turmeric, Tulsi, Green Tea, Guggul, and Gymnema? Experience what Ayurvedic specialists around the world already know!

BodyworKwHolistic KiNesioloGyHeAltH services, llcBarbara Zvirzdinis, WK, CMT616-581-3885www.WKHealthServices.com

Certified Massage Therapist offering Therapeutic & LaStone Massage. Certified Wholistic Kinesiologist, Reconnection Healing Practitioner, Certified Herbalist, Certified Acutonics Practitioner, Certified Reflexologist, and a Certified Matrix Energetics Practitioner. See ad, page 29.

for sAle80 Acre Farm. Insulated, vinyl sided, 6 bedroom home. Dairy barn, workshop, 4 stall garage. Muskegon/Hardy area. $239,000. Rob Breen 231-652-1100.

Sandy Pines Lot 818. 32 ft, 1984 Kropf. Enclosed porch, shed, deck, 2 golf carts. Furnished. $22,900. Lake view. Kathy 616-896-8315.

House, Barn & 7 acre Farm on Lowell schools bus line. 2,500 sq. ft. Rustic ce-dar sided New England saltbox with ce-dar sided 2-story barn. 4-bedrooms, 2 ½ baths. Large country kitchen with island and walk-in brick fireplace, wide pine plank floors, wood ceilings & beams. Living/family room has large stone fire-place $289,000. Call 616-443-8446.

oPPortuNitiesC U R R E N T LY P U B L I S H I N G NATURAL AWAKENINGS MAG-AZINES - For sale in Birmingham, AL; Lexington, KY; Manhattan, NY; Pensacola, FL; Tulsa, OK and Southwest, VA. Call for details 239-530-1377.

sPAce AvAilABleOffice Space for Rent in a holistic heal-ing and counseling center in Big Rapids, MI For more information, please contact Bonnie Cripe at 231-592-8090 or email at [email protected]

classifiedsTo place a Classified Listing: Email list-ing to [email protected]. Must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publication. $1.00 per word; must be pre-paid.

I always say

centered food equals

centered behavior. ~Marilu Henner


dysleXiA

New cHAPter leArNiNGSandra McPhallLicensed Davis Dyslexia Correction Provider616-534-1385www.newchapterlearning.net

Providing the Davis Dyslexia Correction® Program that has grown to be the most widely used program in the world correcting approximately 20,000 dyslexics per year with a 97% success rate.

eNerGy HeAliNGAmA~deus®Beth Cosmos Grand Rapids: 616-648-3354 www.ama-deus-international.com

Ama~Deus® healing energy method is a hand mediated technique aligned with love. The energy helps to enhance one’s own and others growth and awareness or physical and emotional healing. See ad page 33.

mAtriX eNerGeticsBarbara Zvirzdinis, WK, CMT616-581-3885www.WKHealthServices.com

Matrix Energetics is a system used to heal, transform and create new possibilities in your life. Using principles of quantum physics and subtle energy Matrix Energetics helps you to shift into a more balanced state. See ad page 29.

esseNtiAl oilsBe youNG esseNtiAl oilsClara Vander Zouwen616-698-6148www.NaturalHealth4Today.com

Certified in Aromatherapy by Dana C. Young PhD, for Pain issues, PMS, ADHD, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Weight loss and more. Offering Emotional Release, Bio-Energy Scans & Ionic Foot Detoxification. See ad page 14.

HeAveNly HeAliNGs Holistic HeAltH servicesJodi Jenks - Reiki Master4434 Knapp St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525www.heavenlyhealings.org

I am a Reiki Master that also does Essential Oil therapies including Raindrop Therapy, Emotional Clearing and Spiritual Journey work. Call or email for appointments or questions, 616-443-4225 or [email protected].

coloN HydrotHerAPyHArmoNy ‘N HeAltHMary De Lange, CCT., CMT.1003 Maryland Av., N.E.Grand Rapids616-456-5033www.harmonynhealth.net

Certified therapist since 1991 offering colon therapy in a sterile and professional environment. Using a holistic approach colonics relieve constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloat, poor digestion, back pain, body odor and more. See ad, page 25.

tHe Body ceNter-HollANdMarcella Clark, CMMT, CCHT650 Riley Street , Ste AHolland, MI 49424616-834-2596

Gentle, effective and professional colon cleansing designed to drop toxin levels and improve nutrient absorption. Get relief from bloating and constipation, fatigue and arthritis pain. Warm, secure environment. www.TheBodyCenter.us.

triciA e. GosliNGHolistic Care Approach3368 Beltline Ct NE616-481-9074

Offering an advanced client-centered dimension of colonics: gentle, safe and effective. Eliminate toxins and enhance well-being. 15 years of experience. Also offering Quantum Biofeedback sessions. I-ACT certified Instructor. Visit www.holisticenergy.virb.com

couNseliNGJANice de lANGe, PH.d 1514 Wealthy St. SE Ste 260, Grand [email protected]

A mind-body-spirit approach for trauma and abuse recovery, PTSD, low sense of self-worth, panic & phobias, anxiety, depression, relationships. EMDR & Energy interventions.

deNtistry / HolisticdeNtAl HeAltH & wellNess ceNterDr. Kevin P. Flood DDS4990 Cascade Rd SE, Grand Rapids616-974-4990www.FloodTheDentist.com

Comprehensive Holistic Dental Services – Amalgam Removal & Replacement. Bio-Compatible, metal-free materials, Low-Dose Digital X-Rays, Gentle Anesthesia. See ad page 48.

HeAltH educAtioN ceNtertHe wellNess forum830 Forest Hill AveGrand Rapids, MI 49546616-942-7907www.WellnessForum.com

Educational programs for personal health improvement - Workplace wellness programs - Wellness Forum Foundation focused on school nutrition and children’s health - National conferences.

HeAltH food storesAffordABle NutritioNJoel D. Manning, CNC®, Owner7493 Cottonwood Drive, Jenison616-667-1346

Affordable, natural approach to better health. Certified nutritional consultant. 20 years experience. Offering select high quality vitamins and nutritional supplements. Weight loss, cleansing, sports nutrition & more! Senior & Everyday discounts. Visit www.Affordable-Nutrition.com.

HeAltH HuttGrand Haven - 616-846-3026Muskegon - 231-739-1568North Muskegon - 231-744-0852www.HealthHutt.net

Natural & organic foods, vitamins & herbs, sports nutrition, gluten free food, natural body and homecare products. Open 7 days a week. See ad, page 29.

Holistic HeAltH ceNters

tHe HeAliNG ceNter352 S. Lincoln Ave, Lakeview989-352-6500www.TheHealingCenterOfLakeview.com

Naturopathic / Holistic Practitioners. Licensed Physician Assistant, Certified Natural Health Professionals. Private consultations. Counseling & Classes. Blood typing, acupressure, emotional release, iridology, homeopathy and more. See ad, page 20.

HomeoPAtHyBoB HuttiNGA352 S. Lincoln Ave, Lakeview989-352-6500www.TheHealingCenterOfLakeview.com

A Physician assistant since 1976, specializing in naturopathic and homeopathic care. Also, certified Silva Method instructor. See ad, page 20.


full circle midwiferyservice, iNc.Patrice Bobier CM, CPMHesperia - 231-861-2234 www.FullCircleMidwifery.com

In private practice since 1982 - specializing in homebirth. Over 1200 births attended. Offering midwifery care that maintains a family-centered safe birth experience. Empowering women to stay healthy during pregnancy, give birth naturally and parent in the best ways.

Home BirtH PArtNers, llcSusan Wente, CNM, Dr. PH231-652-3247www.HomeBirthworks.comThis regions only Certified Nurse Midwife with 32 years experience – over 3000 births attended. Providing pre-natal, home and hospital births and postpartum care. Gynecological and Doula services available.

multiPle sclerosis

AmANdA GeertsHealth Coach616-502-2707www.amandageerts.com

Get support to take control of your health and your MS. Amanda Geerts received her Health Coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. See ad page 25.

PersoNAl trAiNer

sHAPe your life studios1290 36th Street Wyoming, MI. 49509616-318-3503www.shapeyourlifestudios.com

Personal training for Women only $10 an hour in a small group setting. Spinning (Indoor Cycling) for Everyone only $10 a class. No contracts or membership fees.

QuANtum BiofeedBAcKtriciA e. GosliNGHolistic Care Approach3368 Beltline Ct NE616-481-9074

This highly complex device is a non-invasive technology that energetically scans & harmonizes the body’s stresses and imbalances, reducing those imbalances that make us uncomfortable. Visit www.holisticenergy.virb.com

reiKi

HAeleN Holistic treAtmeNtsConnie Jean Cunningham www.haelenholistic.com616-446-6906

Certified Usui Reiki Master and Karuna ® Reiki. Offering professional reiki treatments, classes, personal instruction and guidance. Specialized treatment areas include chemotherapy support, PTSD, phantom limb pain, stress, and spiritual expansion.

HeAl witH KAtieKatie Ray269-804-9307www.healwithkatie.com

Katie Ray is a Certified Massage Therapist and Reiki Master. Offering deep tissue and medical massage, Usui Reiki treatments, and healing attunements.

PAulA BoJseNReiki Master Teacher and Gendai Reiki Shihan616-283-6339www.reikihaus.com

Reiki Haus is your source for quality, in-depth Reiki classes at all levels. Both Western Traditional and Gendai (Japanese) Reiki are taught. Treatments are also available, specializing in PTSD, RAD, and fibromyalgia.

retreAt ceNtertHe leAveN ceNterLyons, Michigan989-855-2606www.leaven.org

A place of beauty on the banks of the Grand River where you can find rest and nourishment for your body and spirit. Offering workshops, retreats, and rental space year-round.

scHool/educAtioNNAturoPAtHic iNstitute of tHerAPies & educAtioN503 E. Broadway St Mt. Pleasant, MI. 48858989-773-1714www.nite-mtp.com

Educational Programs: Natural Health 1-4 Years, Birth Assistant 6 Months (1 weekend per month), Massage Therapy 1 Year (2 weekends per month), Individual Classes available. 15 years of excellence. See ad page 2.

sPiNNiNGsHAPe your life studios1290 36th Street Wyoming, MI. 49509616-318-3503www.shapeyourlifestudios.com

Personal training for Women only $10 an hour in a small group setting. Spinning (Indoor Cycling) for Everyone only $10 a class. No contracts or membership fees.

KiNesioloGywHolistic KiNesioloGy HeAltH services, llcBarbara Zvirzdinis, WK, CMT616-581-3885www.WKHealthServices.com

Certified Wholistic Kinesiologist, Certified Massage Therapist, Reconnection Healing Practitioner, Certified Herbalist, Certified Acutonics Practitioner, Certified Reflexologist, and a Certified Matrix Energetics Practitioner. Specializing in muscle testing, massage, energy medicine, nutritional counseling, lectures and classes. See ad page 29.

mAssAGe tHerAPydyNAmic cHiroPrActic & mAssAGe tHerAPyErin Kieffer, MT4072 Chicago Drive, Grandville, MI 49418616-531-6050

I offer Swedish massage with Integrated Techniques, chosen specifically to your unique body. Relieve those tired and sore muscles and rejuvenate! Call for on-going monthly specials and discounts. www.DynamicChiro.com

scHAfer cHiroPrActicANd HeAliNG sPASheri Beth Schafer, CMT, Reiki Master1801 Breton SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506616-301-3000

We have multiple certified massage therapists offering relaxation, prenatal, deep tissue massage, and medical massage. We also offer Reiki, chakra balancing, and Ayurvedic bodywork. Breton Village area. www.grchirospa.com. See ad pages 7 & 30.

midwiferyBirtH soNG midwifery servicesYolanda Visser CM, CPMGrand Rapids 616-458-8144www.BirthSongGR.com

Homebirth services since 1982. Committed to facilitating natural birth, bonding, strengthening the family, informed active participation, and lending dignity to women through their birthing experience.

natural awakenings magazine ~ march 2011

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