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Wake Up, Live The Life You Love! This is a great best seller book series, and I have the opportunity to be a co-author along with Dr. Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and many, many other inspirational people in a new book of this series called "Seizing Your Success". This is a great book at a great price! Pre-order your copy now!

Today's Feature Article: Do you wear the same wardrobe year around? Of course not, you wouldn't think of it. We all wear different clothes for the different seasons. Do you eat the same kind of foods year around? That wouldn't make any more sense! If you don't know why or why not, read on and enjoy!

Feature Article

The Seasons of Foods That Best Fit Our Bodies Many of our fresh grown foods come in a particular season, while many other foods are best eating in certain seasons. As we understand the seasons and what is best eaten in different seasons, we will come to understand nature better and what it provides naturally as well as how our bodies respond better to certain foods in the seasons. Because our bodies depend on natural enzymes for cellular growth and digestion, we need fruits and vegetables "in their season", or fresh and raw when they are coming off of the trees. Fruits in general have specific seasons. For example, in the western US, during the winter time when colds and sicknesses occur, the citrus fruits are available. Citrus fruits are great cleansers for colds and flues. In the spring come the strawberries, grapes, apricots and peaches. Summer time brings on all the melons, full of water to keep the body cool. In the fall, we have the heartier fruits such as apples and pears. Keep in mind that in different climates throughout the world, these fruits do vary, but there is a pattern of when fruits are available. Vegetables have their season of production as do fruits. For instance, lettuces, beets, turnips, radishes, etc. grow better in the winter or spring, rather than in hot weather. Tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squashes, peppers etc. don't naturally grow in the winter time, but during the summer as well as all fruits of the vines. The heartier squashes such as pumpkin, banana, butternut, acorn, etc. are harvested in the fall. Meats are available year around, however, there is a time when they are best eaten and when they are best not eaten. Meat is the hardest protein to digest, and in order for the body to digest it, it takes more energy. Eating meat is like riding a bike uphill - the body is working harder and in doing so it creates heat. Eating a salad is compared to riding a bike downhill - it's a breeze! So think, when do we need to heat the body? During the winter time is great, but do we need that extra body heat in the summer time? It makes sense to omit meats as much as possible during the spring to fall, and eat other easier digestible proteins such as nuts and beans. Even grains, sprouts, vegetables and fruits have protein so we don't need to worry about not having enough. We would do better to think more about cutting out all the extra protein we don't need. In summary, certain foods are best eaten in certain seasons. Spring and summer foods are lighter and more cleansing to cool the body, while fall and winter foods become more hearty and heavy producing warmth to the body. If you stop and think about it, you don't wear the same clothes summer and winter, so why would you eat the same foods? Eating ones that are more combatable to the season makes more sense. Wouldn't you agree? To a Healthier Lifestyle, Erleen

Brown rice is a wonderful food. It still has the bran layer and the needed roughage, and is satisfying, nourishing, cleansing and full of nutrients. Most are not only unfamiliar with brown rice and how good it is, but are also unfamiliar with the different way of cooking it for use.

For great fluffy brown rice, follow these instructions:

3 cups water
1 cup brown rice

Always use 3 parts water to 1 part of brown rice. In saucepan on burner, heat water to boiling and stir in brown rice. Turn down heat to barely simmering; simmer for 30-35 minutes or until most of liquid is gone. With a small amount of liquid left, turn burner off, top with saucepan lid, and leave on burner for another 10-15 minutes to fluff. Yes, is may require more time to cook, so just start your meal a little earlier! You can enjoy fluffy brown rice in so many ways. It's a great breakfast cereal, great in rice pudding and all kinds of main dishes, and a wonderful addition in green salads. Try it!

Hint: It's one of those foods that are so handy to have on hand already cooked in the refrigerator. Double the recipe, then have it ready to use as needed!

Erleen loves teaching people down-to-earth principles of nutrition as she sees the positive changes in others lives as they live the principles of good health and eating. She has a passion for wholesome foods and their life giving qualities. Her many personal experiences and years of study and research qualify her as an expert in health education, speaking, and consulting. Contact her now for your next conference, for health consultations, or for an upcoming event!

"The Ultimate Healthy Lifestyle!" is a TEN CD series with all the information you need to begin your journey towards a Healthier Lifestyle! Erleen serves as your guide, distilling over twenty-five years of health education and research into easy to listen to lessons on how to begin, where to begin and more! Check out this CD series today!

Sprouting is great indoor gardening. Learn to sprout easily with the Sprout Master, the best sprouter on the market. And it is a super simple process. Just soak the seeds overnight, drain and pour into the Sprout Master, now just rinse and drain 3 times daily (at every meal). It's that simple! If you want to start out right with some seeds, we also have alfalfa, lentil, mung bean, clover, radish and sunflower. These are all organic too! Check out The Sprout Master and seeds here!

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