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Thrive Like Thor

Friday, July 16th, 2010

This weekend at the Bite of Seattle, like Thor, Thrive is raining down upon the bright, green Earth 100 cases of fresh, young Thai coconuts. Who said there weren’t any thunderstorms in the Seattle rain shine? Also on the menu is our famous Cacao Bliss Mousse and Oh My Samurai noodles. We’re stationed on the Fischer Pavilion under a giant “Green Bites” banner next door to Chaco Canyon and Mighty O!

Fresh Update! ::: Thrive wins “Best of the Bite” Award for the Green Bites!

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Challenge: What is your story?

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

When I look back and ponder the events and turning points of my life, I realize they are all connected. Each experience, whether triumphant, dismal, regretful, or just downright embarrassing, have been part of my journey. They are all sections of my life’s narrative. And we all have one, whether we choose to read it or not.

When I saw patients, I would always start by finding out about their story – who they are, where they are from, what is important to them, what are the external influences in their lives, and what have they been through to ultimately be sitting in front of me. A person’s story is very powerful and can be extremely informative. It speaks of one’s regrets, prides, and hopes. It discloses their joys and their angst. But most importantly, it is their story and, much like a fingerprint, it is unique and special to that person.

I believe it is that story, their narrative, that drives them subconsciously. It is often part of the reason they choose certain lifestyle behaviors, such as overeating, smoking, or drugs. It is often part of the reason the are engaged in dysfunctional relationships with partners, family, and friends. It is sometimes the reason why there are issues at work. And it is certainly part of the reason they are not in the optimal health they could be.

We are a sum of our experiences. All experiences are to be embraced and understood. We learn from what we did and we learn from what we did not do. We learn from others who have always been beside us and we learn from those who held a short stint during a section of our narrative. It makes us who we are.

What seems to be the tricky part is acknowledging our true self. Too often we try to forget and ignore parts of our life. Too often we sit and wish things had been different. Too often we try to be something we are not. This leads to internal conflict and emotional distress that in turn leads to poor health choices and reduced well-being.

The challenge I pose to you is to develop sincere introspection. Read your story. Value where you have come from and where you are today. Honor the person you are, no matter what flaws and faults you see, or what mistakes have been made in the past. Know that your story continues to develop and changes are on the horizon. Each chapter has an ending, but also a sequel. The sequel is largely dependent on the previous chapter.

If you know and live your story, you will be better motivated to make the choices and decisions that best suit the person you are at that moment. Your negative back talk will become incessant chatter and your outlook will be grand. You will at the same time be excited about the future and alive in the present moment. This will bring contentment. Contentment breeds health and happiness.

Tell me your story.

Ilene S. Ruhoy, MD, PhD was born and raised in New York City. She received her MD from the University of Pittsburgh and her PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Nevada. Ilene serves on faculty at Touro University Nevada School of Medicine and lectures at venues across the country on the interconnections between the environment and human health. She is passionate about nutrition as medicine and human well-being. Her next clinical endeavor will be a pediatric neurology residency at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Having recently relocated with her husband and six year old daughter to Seattle, she is excited to be plugged into the Thrive community. Ilene thrives on helping other people find their way to optimal health and happiness. Ilene can be reached at ilenesue@gmail.com.

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Just Be

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

It seems to me we do not take enough time to just be. Sometimes when I think I need some time to just sit and do nothing, my thoughts immediately go to how I could either be doing something or that doing nothing seems like a waste of my time. Indeed, when there is time off from our various work and social obligations, we often feel the need to go and participate in something “fun.” We feel we must go somewhere, do something, see someone, or experience everything. We pack, we plan, we fly, we drive, we sightsee, we hike, we eat, we do just about anything but just be.

I think vacations and experiences are important and have their own cathartic, therapeutic effects. But when did vacationing become synonymous with relaxing? They are often not relaxing at all if you consider relaxation to be a calming of your nervous system and senses. There is something really wonderful to being alone with just yourself and your thoughts. I am not referring to meditation. My meditative practice is something that is vastly different from my practice to “just be.” Meditation takes us to new realms, both spiritually and physically.

The practice to just be asks us to be alone with and aware of ourselves. This could even take place in a public setting such as a park or a café, as long as we did not arrive there with someone else. The practice to just be asks us to take note of what we observe of our surroundings, recognize what our judgments are, and acknowledge what labels we place on our experiences. The practice to just be asks us to confront our thoughts, the very ones we often do not have time in our busy lives to ponder. While practicing, we could see if we own alternative perspectives or interesting solutions.

To just be on a regular basis can have a whole host of beneficial effects. It can improve our memory. We are busy and our lives are so complex, the neurons in our brains often do not have enough time to build and cement the connection that holds our thoughts together. Taking the time to ponder your daily lives and activities can help activate those connections and provide a greater foothold on your memory. At the very least, the practice of just be can help remind ourselves of things we want to do or say.

To just be on a regular basis can improve our sleep. We tend to put off sleep. We are natural creatures who have evolved with circadian rhythms based on night and day. Yet we resist these natural rhythms by integrating other activities into our nights instead of sleep. We keep lights on in the house, we watch television, surf the Internet, play video games, eat, drink, and socialize. Nightfall, or dusk, is a perfect time to just be because it fits with our natural rhythms. It is a time to wind down, and prepare the body and mind for sleep. Alternatively, instead of jumping out of the bed at the first buzz of the alarm, take time in bed in the morning to just be and contemplate the day behind you and the day ahead of you. These methods will help to improve your body’s natural rhythms and ultimately improve your sleeping habits.

Perhaps most importantly, to just be can reacquaint you with yourself. Popular media bombards us with messages telling us who we are, what we like, what we want, or what we don’t want. Taking time to just be will allow you to re-affirm what defines you and your identity. Your definition and your identity are different from any other one individual which is why it is important the practice to just be is a solo practice. We are but one connected to a community. But who we are is up to us.

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Excitement surrounding the Raw Food Teacher Certification

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

A message from Monika Kinsman, Creator of Thrive :::

The Staff at Thrive is out of our minds excited to announce our newest program, the Raw Food Teacher Certifications. When Schall approached us about launching this program nearly two years ago, we were fully enrolled — just not quite administratively equipped to handle the fullness of Schall’s awesomeness. Since her first approach, Schall has developed the curriculum beyond all expectations… the sort of blow-your-mind like a NASA space-shuttle launch you’d expect from all of us. We are crazy about our customers and are absolutely LIT UP by the possibility of transferring the type of professionalism and grace that Schall brings to the table. So buckle up, prepare for launch, and mostly… Prepare to Shine.

For more about this program, please visit www.ThriveTeachers.com

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Raw Food Teacher Certification August 13-15th

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

This is a 1 year program (13 months) designed and taught by Schall Adams to help you create or expand your own raw food teaching business. The program provides training and a year of follow-up support that will enable you to teach classes & workshops or privately coach people to eat raw foods. You will be taught how to create your first class and get it booked with some paid registrations before you finish your certification weekend.

Any information that doesn’t require face to face time will be handled through teleseminars to keep your costs down.

How will you benefit from this training?

If you already have certifications: Because this program has a customized component to it you will be able to address any of the concerns or issues that are holding you back. The program is designed to help teachers develop their own philosophy and teaching style. One of the important aspects of this program is to build your “platform or brand” as well as booking and marketing your classes.

If you have been wanting to become a raw food teacher: There are many raw food programs out there for you to choose from, some are really wonderful and some are not. If you want a program that will teach you how to create your own recipes, develop your own style and philosophy, and support you for a whole year after you are certified, then this program will give you what you need to be successful.

If you are a raw food newbie: One of the key skills for successful raw food preparation is to learn how to create TEXTURES with the specialized equipment. This develops your understanding of how to create the different types of raw foods and builds a foundation for you to be able to develop your own recipes. You’ll start your raw food teaching career off right with the knowledge you need to understand raw foods and the continued support to help you develop your abilities. It also provides support for developing your teaching style and philosophy as well as how to book and market your classes.

All students: Each of you will receive the benefits from all of the above. You will become the kind of raw food teacher that you want to be as you develop your skills, your philosophy, and your platform.

Visit our site at www.ThriveTeachers.com for more details.

Registration will open soon. Classes are limited to 10 students and are expected to fill quickly. The hands-on workshop will be taught in the classroom at Whole Foods in Roosevelt Square.

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Defending my food

Friday, April 30th, 2010

My husband (a vegan) and I (a vegan and sometimes raw foodist) often marvel at how our food becomes a topic of conversation in social eating situations. I have been at work, out with friends, or on an airplane, innocently chomping away on my unintimidating meatless, dairy-free meal and someone will invariably make a comment on my food. It is usually in the form of, “Is that all you are going to eat?” or “Don’t you crave meat?” or “Can’t plants feel pain too?” or, my personal favorite, “Aren’t you hungry all day?”

Now, for those who know me, I hardly appear malnourished or underfed. That is not a concern. Plus, my job and goal in life is to care for and cure the masses. So to even imply that I would intentionally risk nutrient depletion and undernourishment would also imply I was misguiding and ill-advising multiples of people. I take food seriously, of course, but only because it is such an important part of our health and our culture.

I think food is our medicine and it should be treated as such. It is not something to taken likely, as we have the options of soothing our body and tending to its needs approximately three times each and every day. And while thinness is associated with fewer health concerns and common disease patterns, then obsession to simply be skinny for the aesthetic sake of being skinny can lead to a range of negative psychological patterns such as stress, anxiety, obsessions and compulsions .

But to eat for one’s health is not only imperative in today’s antagonistic health care climate, but EMPOWERING. To feed one’s body, on a cellular level, so that it has a multi-organ effect, is to give one the physical and mental clarity necessary to be truly present in life and enable one to confront all of life’s obstacles and focal points.

So, then, why do I not take a peek at my neighbor’s plate and make comments? Something like, “Don’t you know what you are doing to your (fill in organ)?” or “How can you eat that?” or, perhaps, “Doesn’t that food make you feel full and stuffed all day?”

Because putting someone on the spot to defend what they have chosen to eat for that particular meal is really not the kind of conversation I hope to have. There should be a certain expectation of respect for personal dietary choices. I sometimes get frustrated at the prospect of having to explain my food choices in a social, non-clinical, setting. I am bewildered by the amount of people who do not seem to appreciate the myriad of food choices there are for those who choose a natural path of eating. I do not want to be made to feel as an outcast at a dinner party or a restaurant gathering (“what are you going to be able to eat, Ilene?” “Should I prepare a different plate for you, Ilene?)

Life is what we make of it and I am trying to make mine consist of a raw, vegan diet. And while I am not always successful, I try to take it one meal at a time and make a good choice for my state of health. If one is interested in alternative food choices and the reasons behind it (of which there are many), I am more than happy, in fact, welcome the opportunity, to engage in a friendly discussion. But, please, not at the dinner table.

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Raw Food for a Week

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

I embarked on a raw food journey – well, at least for one week. My favorite Raw Food restaurant, Thrive, along with my other favorite organic restaurant, Chaco Canyon, teamed up to offer a “Raw For a Week” program whereby participants agree to have all meals and snacks catered by the delicious offerings of both dining establishments.

Truthfully, I was skeptical at first. Not about the myriad of benefits of raw food nutrition, but about the feasibility of eating only raw food in my lifestyle. I am, after all, the mother of a six year old.

But I was game because for years I have studied, lectured, researched, practiced, and preached on food as medicine. As a physician and a scientist I have many opportunities to do so. Yet there was always some inconvenient obstacle that prevented me from taking my own advice to the nth degree. So I accepted the challenge to consume nothing but uncooked foods for one whole week.

It was so much easier than I expected. The hardest part was giving up my morning coffee but even that was not as life shattering as I feared (or, rather, that my family feared!) I relished the fresh juices, raw granola, exotic salads, and raw miso soup. There were so many options to tango with my taste buds that I never once yearned for baked goods (my weakness) or pizza (my other weakness). There was a replacement choice for just about anything I previously enjoyed. There is even raw gelato!

I learned that I actually love the taste of fresh coconut, fresh avocado, dates, and nuts. I was amazed at how inventive and imaginative the chefs are at designing full and complete meals with nothing but uncooked ingredients. The menus offer a wide variety of options and go way beyond salads but even the salads were chock full of atypical salad ingredients. And the quantity of food was astounding. For most days there were three meals, two snacks, a dessert, and a juice. I felt as if I were eating more than I usually do – which I did not think possible.

The biggest testament to the raw food diet, however, is how wonderful I felt during and after the week. With all the food I was consuming, I never felt uncomfortably full and I had tremendous amounts of energy. My digestion was smooth, skin clear, and sleep sound. I even lost three pounds. Perhaps more importantly, I began to feel natural hunger again, something that is often lost when we eat too many processed foods. My usual fare started to appear less appealing to me.

There is no question the natural state of foods offers so much more nutrition that our current food culture of cooked and processed foods. The health and healing benefits of deriving our energy from natural and whole foods surpass almost anything conventional health care can offer to prevent disease and improve our well-being.

Since my week of raw food, I am much more aware of the foods I consume. Indeed, shopping for food is a whole new experience. I no longer reflexively reach for my usual fare. I now take the time to consider the myriad of raw food choices. The convenience of the program was instrumental in helping me remain raw. It is often difficult in our modern food world to maintain a raw diet – but it sure is worth it.

As I continue to walk my talk and explore the raw world in which we live, I will be sure to share my experiences, thoughts, and insights.

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Thrive and BizX

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

As a business owner, I’m always interested in opportunities to ensure my business is growing and evolving to keep on pace with the latest trends. Thrive opened in the midst of the 2008 economic melt-down and while many restaurants were hurting for business, mine has experienced unprecedented growth. Having started the business with extremely limited financial resources, and given the growing pains we have been experiencing, I’ve been eager to find a way to accomplish some of the initiatives that I think are important for our growth and sustainability. Because restaurants are a very risky business proposition for banks, especially given the financial climate we are in, the banks have not been eager to help, to say the least.

I recently learned about a company called BizXchange, that works to save companies cash, bring them new business, and increase their purchasing power. After learning about BizX, I signed Thrive up to become a member, hoping that we’d be able to get some things accomplished that would not be possible with our limited cash flow and financial resources. BizX has exceeded expectations. Since joining a month ago, not only has BizX has helped Thrive generate over $1,000 in new sales, but we’ve been able to put these funds to use to tackle important projects that were tragically on the back burner. With summer coming and a broken A/C system, I’ve been extremely concerned about losing business due to the heat like we did last summer, and I’ve been concerned about the well-being of my employees. Thanks to BizX and King’s Heating and Air Conditioning, I was able to get our A/C system restored within days. The Thrive Headquarters office, which has been busting at the seams with employees, files, and random odds-and-ends, was also able to get a facelift with functional, recycled office furniture and filing systems from Prospera Office Interiors. And personally, I was able to win some points with an out-of-town guest by taking her to the Teatro ZinZanni dinner show, which I paid for using BizX dollars.

I’m grateful for BizX and the opportunities it has, and will continue to provide and I’m excited to see what’s possible for continued to growth and business success! Next up: recreating our storefront with awesome BiX signage so that more customers can find us. Stay tuned. And if you own a business or know someone who does, talk to me about joining BizX! I love BizX so much I became a BizX Account Executive and do that in all my “spare” time. You won’t regret it, and new things will become possible that you haven’t yet dreamed of.

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Chocolate Elixirs and Superfoods

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Learn to use Cacao beans, paste and powder to make amazing drinks, and learn the benefits of adding cacao and other superfoods to your daily routine. We will use teas and nut/seed mylk to make the base for our elixirs, then add cacao, superfoods, herbs, and your favorite sweeteners to complete this energizing meal in a glass. Additionally learn about mesquite pod meal, maca root, yacon root, ahswaganda, mucuna, shilajit, and more.

Taught by our own Alchemy Goddess, Julia C. http://www.divianaalchemy.com/

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Spring Juicing and Cleansing for Vibrant Health and Weight Loss

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Spring is an excellent time to cleanse your body. Learn about safe and effective ways to cleanse your colon, liver, and gallbladder. If you’ve been feeling a bit sluggish, tired, or run down, you can perk up your system by cleansing your organs of elimination. If you’d like to lose a few pounds, the cleansing programs make that easy. Many people lose belly fat when nothing else has worked. If you’d like to learn more about juicing and cleansing, join Cherie Calbom, MSN, The Juice Lady, for this fun, delicious, and informative class. Check out Cherie’s website for more information on this incredibly informative and highly educated superwoman! http://www.juiceladyinfo.com/

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