February Newsletter

• Personal Note from Dr. Ritamarie
• Teleclasses and Events
• Feature Article: 7 Strategies to Reduce Belly Fat and Brain Fog
• Featured Food: Amazing Brussels Sprouts
• Recipes: Rosemary Brussels Sprouts – Raw and Roasted
• About Dr. Ritamarie
• Energy Enhancing Resources Dr. Ritamarie Recommends

Hi %$firstname$%

I’m getting the February newsletter out to you right under the wire.  February is about to draw to a close.

As you can see by the date at the top, this was close to completion several days ago, but the events of the weekend and family and work obligations delayed the final proofing and adding my personal note to you.

I felt like February offered almost an overload of events and I’ve had a hard timekeeping up and deciding which ones to share with you.  As a result I decided that starting in March I’ll be sending out a week at a glance newsletter to let you know about some of the awesome health talks that are available, from me as well as some of my colleagues.

Here are three that topped my list. If you missed these, it’s well worth the investment in the replays.

1- The Great Health Debate – Intervews with over 20 health experts debating what is the ideal diet.

2- 2011 Tapping World Summit – Empowering presentatations and practical application on improving your health, overcoming cravings, improving your financial status and so much more. 

3- Premier Summits “Dozens of Easy, Proven Ways to Lose Weight… and Keep It Off” – I was one of the speakers on this information packed series

As for the monthly newsletter, we’ve had a bit of a hiatus from the newsletter due to staff turnover
and overcommitting on my part.  I am now committing to getting a
newsletter out every month. 

Family News: A couple of weeks ago we got a dog.  It’s been almost 25 years since we had a dog.  My almost 13 year old son Kevin has been begging for a puppy for years.  He finally convinced us it would be a good idea.  He actually found Cassidy online at a nearby pet shelter and fell in love at first sight with her photo.  She has proven to be a perfect pet.  Sweet disposition, calm, well behaved.  The only problem is she’s not yet housebroken.  Yikes…… Below are pictures of Kevin(12), Eric(16) and Scott with Cassidy.  We now have a second female and our first carnivore in the family!

This weekend was chock full of Vibrant Health promoting events.  Saturday evening was our monthly live foods pot-luck meeting and we had over 40 health minded people hang out with us.  I did an impromptu talk on detoxification and it was a big hit.  I need to start videotaping my talks at the potlucks.  If you missed my blog talk radio show  about Detoxification on Wednesday, you can catch up with a lot of what I spoke about on Saturay night. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-ritamarie/2011/02/24/boost-your-energy-with-cleansing-and-detoxification

Sunday we taught a class called A Taste of Mexico in which we taught how to make tamales and stuffed peppers as well as a variety fo cheese sauces and fillings.  I ran straight from the class back home in time to make myself a smoothie and enjoy meeting my Green Cleanse participants. 

Although we had a bit of a hiatus from the newsletter due to staff turnover and overcommitting on my part, I am now dedicated to getting a newsletter out every month. I have lots to share. 

Please  drop me a line and let me know if you have any special requests for articles and recipes int the newsletters to come.

Love, Health and Joy to you,

Love and Health and FUN,

Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

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The class was amazing.  Everyone raved about the tamales and stuffed jalapenos.  Karen shared how she makes dozens of tamales and stored them in Ziploc bags in the freezer, then warms then for 45 minutes in her dehydrator
to serve.  I’m ready to do that for my kids.  They love the frozen vegan tamales we get at the healthfood store, but I don’t like the oils they use.  You can still get the videos and learn the secret ingredient that makes the dough very similar to traditional corn masa. www.drritamarie.com/go/tamales

February 27, 2011 – Green Cleanse Program:

Kickoff of the February March Green Cleanse.  It’s not too late to join us – you’ll just be a day or two behind!  I am so looking forward to a cleanse.  I did my precleanse assessments this morning and I’m looking forward to seeing how much improvement I make.  We have over 80 participants, dedicated to feeling energetic, strong and vibrant.  www.GreenSmoothieCleanse.com

March 3, 2011 – Blog Talk Radio Show on Dr. Ritamarie’s Impressions the Great Health Debate

Kevin Gianni of Renegade Health just hosted an 8 day event during which he interviewed a variety of health experts.  He paired up experts who were polarized on a particular topic, i.e. to meat or not to meat, probiotics vs. anti-probiotics, cooked food vs. raw food, and low carb vs. high carb.  I’ll share my opinion, observations and conclusions! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-ritamarie

March 15, 2011 – Blog Talk Radio Show Topic : 
How to Once and For all Actually Stick to Your Diet and Exercise Program Long Enough to Get Lasting Results.

I know you’re well intentioned.  We all are.  I’ve gained and lost over 100 pounds in my lifetime…and I’ve never weighed more than 125 ever!  I gained and lost the same 5 – 15 pounds.  Over the past 25 years I’ve worked with thousands of people and learned a bit about how to make a commitment and stick with it and I’m going to share my secrets with you. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-ritamarie

March 17, 2011 2pm CST – Free teleseminar on Women Getting Fit Telesummit:   Digestion Can Make or Break Your Weight Release Efforts.

Signup for the whole series of empowering fitness and weight loss topics.  In my talk, discover 3 secret strategies for revving up your metabolism and burning excess fat, learn to identify the immune draining energy thieves that lurk in your pantry and embrace simple strategies for balancing your hormones that make releasing weight a breeze.                      https://drritamarie.com/wp-clone/go/WomenGettingFit

March 24, 2011 – Free Teleseminar on Global Teleclass:  Solving Your
Personal Energy Crisis:  Natural Approaches to Adrenal Fatigue and Thyroid Imbalance:

Energy is something you take for granted…until you no longer have it.  Learn to prevent and reverse adrenal and thyroid dysfunction using the ancient healing wisdom of pure food, fresh air, movement and rest combined with modern scientific research in biochemical testing and whole food and herbal supplementation.  Get back your zest and enthusiasm for life, your trim figure and a body that feels ready to get up and go! http://www.globalteleclass.com

March 26, 2011 – Living & Raw Foods Vegan Potluck & Information Exchange

• I will be out of town for this event and I’m looking for someone who’d be willing to host the March event.  Please email drritamarie@drritamarie.com to let us know if you can, otherwise the March pot-luck will be cancelled.
• For Guidelines about what to bring go to www.DrRitamarie.com/potluck. Sign up at www.DrRitamarie.com/meetup to get location and directions.

May 19 – 21,011– Green Smoothie Girl Retreat:  Overthrowing the Standard American Diet One Family at a Time

I’m a featured speaker at this 3 day event in Utah.  My talks will be Self-Care for the Caretaker, Pregnancy, Infant, and Toddler Nutrition and Gluten Intolerance: what does it look like in your family? There’s a kids program as well as an adults program.  Robyn, aka Green Smoothie Girl has put together an amazing program.  https://drritamarie.com/wp-clone/go/GreenSmoothieGirlRetreat

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Brain fog and belly fat are complaints I hear often in my practice.  In fact, I think they are almost epidemic.

In my experience, the most common cause of both is stress.  When you experience stressful situations, your adrenal glands take action to protect you and ready you to fight or get away.  After all, in the olden days, the biggest stress you might encounter was being chased by a hungry tiger.  Your adrenal glands secrete adrenaline, a neurotransmitter that creates a high level of stimulation to your system and causes your nervous system to operate from what’s known as a sympathetic dominant state.  It also secretes a hormone called cortisol.

Adrenaline is short lived.  As soon as the perceived stress dissipates, it decreases.  Cortisol lasts a lot longer.  Some of the effects of cortisol create the phenomenon of excess belly fat and brain fog.  Cortisol causes fat to be released from storage and turned into sugar…which is a very good thing if you’re running away from a tiger.  It also causes you to become more efficient at burning fat for energy – you’re not going to be able to refuel while in pursuit by a hungry animal.

However, most modern day stressors don’t require physical exertion.  Getting stuck in traffic, financial concerns, an over demanding boss, juggling children’s activities and needs and all of our modern day stressors are all non physical.  Thus when your fat stores are released and turned into sugar, the lack of physical exertion creates an increase in your blood sugar levels, which causes extra insulin to be released.  The extra sugar then gets converted back into fat.

The interesting thing is that while the fat may have been evenly removed from storage, under the influence of cortisol and insulin, most of it gets stored back around your belly. Continue Reading …

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.

Lately I have been craving Brussels
sprouts.  The odd part is I’ve never
really liked Brussels sprouts.

It all started one evening when my
husband was out and I decided to surprise him with one of his favorite vegetables
– Brussels sprouts. 

A friend had said her favorite way
to make them was roasted.  I’d never
eaten or made roasted Brussels sprouts but I figured I’d give it a try.  The recipe I made is below.

I took one of the Brussels sprouts
out to see if it was done.  I bit into it
thinking I would take a bite then spit it out because as I said before, I have
never liked Brussels sprouts.  I took a
bit and really liked it.

I ended up eating half of them
before Scott even came home

Since then I’ve made the recipe several
times.  I would go so far as to say I’ve
been craving them.  Given my new found fascination

with Brussels sprouts I decided to do some research to determine exactly what
my body is telling me it needs.

What I discovered is that Brussels
sprouts are an incredibly nutritious vegetable that offer protection from cardiovascular
diseases as well as colon and prostate cancers.

So here’s the scoop about the
nutritional benefits of Brussels sprouts. Continue Reading …

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Recipes
by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Roasted Rosemary Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 2 cups Brussels sprouts
• 1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kelp
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Rinse Brussels Sprouts and place in a bowl
2. Pour olive oil over sprouts and mix well.
3. Sprinkle in remaining ingredients and toss to cover well.
4. Place on baking tray and put into oven, preheated to 375 derees.
5. Roast until soft, about 45 minutes.

Raw Rosemary Brussels Sprouts

• 2 cups Brussels sprouts
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kelp
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 fresh squeezed lemon

Directions

1. Rinse Brussels Sprouts and remove any discolored or damaged outer
   leaves.
2. Cut into thin slices.
3. Place in a bowl
   and add
   salt.
4. Massage Brussels sprouts until they start to soften and wilt.
5. Add remaining  ingredients and toss until well coated.
6. Allow to sit
   and marinate for 15 minutes or up to several hours.
7. Spread Brussels sprouts on a dehydrator
   tray lined with a non stick sheet and dehydrate at 140 degrees F for 2
   hours.
8. Sprinkle in remaining ingredients and toss to cover well.
9. Reduce temperature to 110 degrees and continue dehydrating until
   soft.
10. Serve immediately

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Periodic cleansing and resting your digestive track is essential for vibrant health and boundless energy.  While going away to a retreat center and fasting on green juices is probably the best way to do this, let’s get real.  Who has the time?  And cleansing on your own is just not as effective as having a support group and a mentor with over two decades experience to back you up and cheer you on. Green Smoothies are a great way to cleanse because you’re not hungry all the time.  Find out more about how you can feel more energetic, less bloated and stronger andleaner than ever.

Brain fog, belly fat and exhaustion can be caused by subtle changes in your biochemistry and imbalances in the nutrients you need to function at full throttle. If not addressed, these imbalances can progress to serious, life threatening disease. Sometimes these subtle imbalances go undetected for a long time, until they reach a tipping point. You can feel fine while the imbalances slowly eat away at your vitality and over time develop serious signs of deficiency.  Find out more here…

Imagine the pure joy of biting into a tamale or stuffed Mexican chile pepper…knowing that it’s made from completely whole, nutritious raw and living plant ingredients? Loaded with antioxidant rich vegetables, these decadent Mexican meals leave you feeling light and energized without the typical post meal heaviness that follows eating traditionally rich food. Mexican food is delicious. The creamy texture and spicy flavors mingle to create a delightful taste sensation. The problem is most Mexican meals are very heavy. There’s a lot of cheese, oil and meat in traditional fare.  Find out more here…

Everyone loves a good piece of bread…preferably warm and soft right from the oven. Unfortunately as much as we love bread, conventional bread doesn’t love us back. The warm delicious breads of your memories contain ingredients that compromise your health. Amongst these, gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains, and casein, a protein found in dairy protein have been implicated in a wide range of health conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis, irritable bowel, asthma, ear infections, sinus congestion, eczema, autistic spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sensory integration disorder.  Find out more here…

Cheese seems to be an almost universal comfort food! Cheese and crackers, wine and cheese, or simply cheese by itself has an appeal unlike no other food. With all the evidence and research suggesting that dairy products can cause serious health conditions, ranging from allergies to cancer, you may feel heart-broken that one of your favorite foods is just not conducive to good health. Giving up cheese is one of the most challenging things my patients and students are asked to do in the interest of creating vibrant health.  Find out more here…

Are you struggling with the effects of overeating your favorite comfort foods? Pizza, bread, crackers, chips and cookies taste great while you’re eating them, and usually leave you feeling good for a short while afterward, too. Then, a couple of hours later you feel exhausted, you can’t think straight and you feel bloated. Or…do you chow down on all the comfort food goodies and wonder what the problem is because you don’t feel any of these side effects. Then on the other hand, you just can’t lose that extra 15 pounds and you have chronic allergies and sinus infections.  Find out more here…

You’re not alone in your love of desserts. Everyone we know loves desserts, just like you. You love how they taste as the flavors burst in a symphony of joy on your tongue and how delightful you feel as your spirits lift from the emotional comfort. Many of your favorite desserts likely bring you back to a time when you were very small and a well intentioned loved one offered you a sweet treat to calm and soothe you. And so it began. The aroma of freshly baked desserts trigger fond memories of the past, making it hard to resist.  Find out more here…

For additional programs, books and resources visit www.drritamarie.com/shop

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You’re welcome to share any of the articles in this newsletter. When you do, please use the article in its entirety and include this complete blurb with it:

“Would you like to learn more simple strategies to achieving vibrant energy, a strong lean body and an extraordinary life? Check out my web site, www.DrRitamarie.com, for free articles, free resources and to sign up for my free report “7 Simple Strategies to Jumpstart Your Energy Practically Overnight”

Internationally recognized speaker, author and mentor, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo is the “Woman’s Fatigue Expert and Vibrant Health Strategist.”

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