One-Gen Food Program Blog

My Ode to Green Smoothies

2010-12-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you've heard someone in your life waxing poetic about how much better they feel when they eat their greens. And if you're anything like me you nod your head and wait until their gone and then you eat a cookie...

Well, I've become one of THOSE people. I'm now an official card carrying member of the Green Smoothie Fan Club.

A few months ago Wes and I became the proud owners of a Vita-Mix. I'd been lusting after one for a long time and we were finally able to score one thanks to the people and the friendly shopping channel. My purpose in getting one was to make green smoothies. For those of you new to this topic, a green smoothie is made with lots of greens and some fruit. Blend it up. Drink it down. And let the healing begin!

I've been having a green smoothie for breakfast most mornings for the past month. And you know what? I feel better! Really! But I'm not just feeling better physically. I'm finding that it's helping me emotionally, too. Since drinking the smoothies, I find that my moods are more stable and I don't go into overwhelm as much. It's almost as if my foundation is being strengthened. I attribute this to the smoothies helping to balance my hormones and brain chemistry.

Josephus & the Wisdom Council say most of us have become nutritionally deficient and a multi-vitamin is not the solution. Instead we must bring wholesome minimally-processed foods into our bodies and replenish the nutrients with the highest quality foods. The green smoothies do just that.

If your New Year's intentions include bringing more vitality to your body, you may want to consider adding green smoothies to your diet. There are tons of articles on the internet about how to begin. I'd also like to invite you to consider joining us for the One-Gen program that begins on January 4th. We're going to rock the new year with love, joy and lots of healthy wholesome food!

Preparing for the One-Gen Food Program – My Journey

2010-11-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

The One-Gen Food Program begins on January 4^th, 2011. For those of you new to the program, the One-Gen Program is designed to bring more harmony and balance between your physical and energy bodies. There are four pillars to the program. The first pillar – and the one causing the greatest consternation for people is six weeks of eating “one-generation” foods – these are foods direct from mother earth, minimally processed.

The common theme among people considering the program is a sense of nervousness about eating only wholesome minimally-processed foods for six weeks. I can appreciate the anxiousness! When Josephus & the Wisdom Council first brought forward the program I tried not to listen. But it’s not always easy to drown out guidance – especially when it is my Higher Council asking me to make changes.

In theory – this shouldn’t be such a big deal. However for many of us it is a challenge. After all, if it was easy, we’d already be eating this way, right?

Well, I’m a foodie. A food addict. Generously overweight. Food has been my thing since I was a kid. I’ve tried everything. Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig. Liquid Protein. Master Cleanse. NutriSystem, Slim Fast. Phen-Fen. Even weight loss surgery in the form of a Lap-Band.

My belief is that that many of us have a metabolic imbalance. Our hormones and neurochemistry are prone to food addiction. And we might be able to say no the first time… the second time… but by the ninth time the voice says, “EAT the COOKIE” – we likely give in…

Josephus & the Wisdom Council have a theory about this… a theory shared by a growing number of sustainable food advocates. Present day food addiction is amplified by eating highly processed foods.

Our bodies seek nutrients. Good nutrients. From things like organic kale and summer squash. Not from chemicals pressed into the shape of miniature Fred Flintstones.

Josephus & the Wisdom Council say that if we will eat minimally processed foods for six weeks, we will begin to bring more vitality and energy into our bodies. And if we’re fortunate, it will assist us in breaking free from the addictive nature of compulsive eating.

The One-Gen Program is designed to reintroduce you to the pleasures of eating foods designed to delight, fortify and love your body. You can learn to trust your appetite. You can learn to crave foods that are good for you. You can eat meals that energize you. You can eat in such a way that you actually want to be in your body rather than floating somewhere high above it.

If like me, you are a bit daunted at the idea of making this shift, here are a few tips:

1. Visit your local farmers’ markets and adventurously try new fruits and vegetables. Quite often produce from the farmers’ market tastes much better than the produce at your local chain supermarket. During the One-Gen Program you’ll have a chance to retrain your palate to the deliciousness of fresh sustainably produced foods.

2. Begin to phase processed foods from your pantry. As you run out of an item, do not replace it. At least until the six weeks are up… Instead, begin to buy wholesome foods that you’ll be able to eat during the program. Using this approach – I recently came home with a bag of dehydrated kale chips rather than my usual potato chips.

3. Ask your angels to begin working with you to begin making the shift to healthier eating habits.

4. Be kind to yourself. You’re going to get LOTS of support on this journey.

5. Remember – this is only for six weeks. You can do just about anything for six weeks. After the six weeks – you can renegotiate your approach to food.

We are looking forward to sharing the journey with you! If you would like to schedule a mini-consultation with me about the program, please contact me. It is a blessing to support you!

Top Ten Things I've Learned from the One-Gen Program

2010-10-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

We've just completed the first cycle of The One-Gen Program. When we all started this journey eight weeks ago, most of us were nervous and scared at the idea of giving up processed foods for six weeks. At one point, Josephus & TWC said, "You are incredibly powerful women and yet you are trembling at the idea of not eating bread for six weeks -- hmm... that may be something you want to look at." You just got to love it when your guides give you a hard time (but with love, of course!).

In celebration of the completion, here are the Top Ten Things I've Learned from the One-Gen Program:

Raw Chocolate Pudding is really, really good and can take the place of most sugary chocolate cravings. And it's SO simple: place 2 ripe avocados (sans seed & skin of course), 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup carob powder, 1/2 cup agave syrup in your food processor and blend until smooth. That's it! It's heavenly!
I feel better when I limit my consumption of processed foods. I know, file this under "Duh!" but it's amazing how my headaches, lethargy, crankiness and fogginess diminished as I ate densely nutritious foods.
Kale actually tastes good! Who knew? Not me. My favorite way of making kale is the Massaged Kale & Mango Salad from Aarti on the Food Network. I actually crave this now. A minor miracle to be sure!
Receiving healings and attunements from Josephus & TWC really make a difference. Most of us on the program will attest to this. The guides gave us attunements several times a week designed to help diminish addictive patterns, bring higher vibrational energy into our bodies and much more.
There is something sacred and healing about a journey shared. For much of my life I held my food addictions as somewhat shameful. It is a remarkable thing to embark upon a healing adventure with others.
I can survive discomfort. That sometimes what I really desire lays beyond my comfort zone. And if I can just hang in there through the hard parts, it really does get easier.
When they say not to get on the scale, DON'T GET ON THE SCALE! During our second week many people were sharing that their pants were getting looser & it felt like they were losing weight. J&TWC emphatically asked us not to weight ourselves during the program as it could trigger subliminal sabotage. So what did I do? Yep. I weighed myself. The scale hadn't budged and I felt totally deflated and defeated. If non-physical beings could shake their head and say, "we tried to tell you..." they would have. The moment after I had weighed myself I wished I could undo it.
Eating wheat and gluten really makes me tired. The few times I ate non-One-Gen foods, I was exhausted almost immediately. That's really amazing to me!
Perfection is not the goal. Most of us were not 100% perfect on the program. But the little experiments with non-One-Gen Foods gave most of us a reason to stay on the program. When we ate processed foods we really didn't feel well.
I can do this!!! I'm delighted to say that I'm continuing to eat this way. It's really a huge win for me!

If you could use some support in clearing processed foods from your diet & coming into greater harmony with your physical & energetic bodies, we have another One-Gen class starting on Tuesday, October 25th. We'd love to have you join us!

Receiving Gifts from Food

2010-09-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

I facilitate a project called The Receiving Project. It is designed to assist people in recognizing and opening up to all the gifts that life has offer. Since I began this project, I find that my eyes tend to look through the lens of receiving.

So you can imagine how I perked up when Josephus and The Wisdom Council mentioned the idea of receiving in relation to the food we eat. This had never actually occurred to me before. I never thought that food was giving me a gift. I was aware, of course, that food provided nutrients for my body. But I had never given much thought to it before...and I certainly never entertained the idea that I was receiving a gift. Sometimes a yummy, sugary, starchy treat was a gift I received. But I didn’t pay much attention to what food could give to me. In fact, if I was to notice anything that I was getting from food it was belly aches, heart burn and that sluggish food coma feeling after a big meal.

So, in beginning The One Gen Program, I set the intention to notice what it was that I could receive from food. I decided to pay attention to what and how I felt on all levels in relation to the food that I was consuming. Honestly, I did not know what to expect. That didn’t seem to matter one bit, as the gifts rolled in anyway.

After the first day and half of feelings kind of crappy, I received my first real gift of the program. I had spend day 2 on an airplane and had an abundance of healthy snacks, but hadn’t eaten a real meal by the time I landed in the late afternoon. I was feeling tired and cranky when I finally arrived at Josie’s, an organic eatery in NYC. I ordered the steak because I felt in dire need of some protein. I swear, within minutes of eating I felt my energy return. I could feel the nutrients of the veggies and meat within me. I no longer felt tired. My mood balanced out. I felt like I was really receiving the bounty of the food into my system. The food was wholesome and yummy. I digested without issue (which for me, is a great gift.)

I spent the next few days driving with my parents down to Florida and eating at some of the most amazing organic restaurants. The gifts of energy and nutrition kept coming. I wasn’t experiencing the yucky feelings I had been accustomed to after eating. Well, at least until our stop over in Gatlinburg, TN. The only organic restaurant was closed, so we grabbed something at the least offensive place I could find. I ate no sugar and no gluten. And yet, what I had receiving was no gift. It was a case of the blah’s. I was tired. My stomach hurt. I was over all in a yucky space. My mom, who had been eating One Gen along with me, also felt bad so we knew it was the food.

That night, we drove to Knoxville and had a great organic meal. Again, I felt the shift come pretty quickly. I felt a greater sense of balance in my body. I felt like I had more energy. I once again realized that those feelings were what I was receiving from food; they were my gifts. This was in such contrast to the stomach aches and lethargy that I had been receiving in the past.

Since then, I have enjoyed noting the nutrients that come from the food I eat. I like seeing how a food feels in my body after I eat it. This is such a pleasure when I know the food will empower me. I am grateful to know that food has more to give me then a quick sugar rush.

Releasing the "Diet" Mentality

2010-09-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Embarking on a new eating plan brings many challenges. I thought the hardest thing on the One-Gen Proram would be giving up sugar. Thanks to the daily attunements from Josephus & the Wisdom Council, that's been a rather easy process. But getting my brain out of the "Diet: I must lose weight!" thinking has been a whole different story.

Each time I start cooking I hear my mind automatically going to "Not too much oil, it's fattening!" or "You really want that avocado? Think of the calories!" As I am allowing myself to cook and consume God's edible creations, I find my enjoyment marred but this constant monitoring in hopes of losing weight. Weight loss is not a primary objective for the One-Gen Program, but more a side effect (and I want to put "I hope!" here, but I shouldn't be thinking that way, should I?).

Since I was 13 I have struggled with fluctuating body mass, and for more than 30 years now I have monitored my food intake. Not that I always made healthy choices, but always painfully aware of the caloric and fat values of food that passed my lips. So now when I enjoy a handful of delicious roasted almonds or the perfectly ripened avocado, I would prefer to enjoy their vitamin rich yumminess rather than calculating how many calories they contain.

It is my intention for the duration of the One-Gen Program to focus on eating the foods that are one generation away from mother earth. When thoughts of caloric content creep in, I intend to refocus on my body's needs and hungers. With each meal I intend to let go of that diet mentality, and reclaim food as energetic fuel. I am certain in time I will find food to be an experience of nourishment and joy rather than an entity to judge and monitor.

How about your diet mentality? Have you found that it hampers your ability to enjoy your food? I would love to hear some ideas on how you've managed to shift this thinking.

I feel it working....

2010-09-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

Well we’ve almost made it a week. I think the consensus with all of us has been that the first couple of days were the most difficult, but it’s getting easier and for the most part, we are all starting to feel better and better.

I know that I’ve noticed some differences. I’ve been receiving a large number of angelic downloads. You know, the ones that make your ear ring. In fact, I’ve also found myself aware of many pressure changes around my head which I had noticed before, but not with this frequency. Obviously my peeps are working closely with me and for this I am so very thankful! I’m also feeling a lot less bloated. Horray!

Today was lovely. My plan was to visit another organic/natural store mostly with the idea of figuring out which had the best prices on the items I intend to buy regularly. It is a terrific store, selling everything organic and natural from clothing to produce, but I really felt like having a pork chop this week and was fretting because they didn’t have any free range pork. From behind me, a lovely earth angel came up and told me about her favourite place to buy meat, our local farmer’s market. She told me the prices were better, they had free range, and the people that owned the company were lovely. Well that was it, we paid for what we needed and headed off to the market.

We’d dismissed the market previously as our regular place to get supplies because we’d bought fruit there some months before and found it outrageously pricey. What we didn’t realize was that if you shopped around just a little more within the market, many other vendors had prices that were actually quite good.

We found the free range meat store and to my surprise and delight, the price of four free range pork chops was less than I would have paid for them at the supermarket. The owners of the kiosk were lovely, just as our angel of meat said and we were so excited that we decided to order our Thanksgiving turkey from them. Up here we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, so I’m very excited that we’ve secured what we need already.

This week’s menu will include my pork chops of course, but I’ll also be doing a curried pumpkin soup which has always been a favourite around here and a one-gen experimental sweet and sour stir-fry. I’m going to give this fudge that everyone is raving about a try too.

What has probably been most profound this week for me has been the inner strength that I’ve discovered in myself. Three days ago my personal life took a very difficult turn. During the worst of the crisis, the desire to just give up and get myself the greasy cheeseburger was almost unbearable at times. I got through it though and I didn’t have anything I shouldn’t have. Previously, I had always felt that my eating habits were somehow out of my control, much like an addict feels. My revelation is that I actually do have control, in fact, if I can get through the difficulties I faced this week without giving in to temptation, there probably isn’t much I can’t do in this life. This revelation alone has made this entire program worth it for me, no matter what the outcome. Take THAT evil cheeseburger!

Bring on week two!

All my love,
Trena

~ Trena Barnes is an ATP® and clinical hypnotherapist practicing in Calgary, Canada. www. Treeoftranquility.ca

How to Open a Coconut

2010-09-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

I embarked on the One-Gen Program because I knew in my heart I needed this kind of push to change my way of eating. I was clearly headed to (if not already at) Sugar Mountain and Carb Kingdom, and I wanted my train to detour into Veggieville. I thought if I joined a group my chances of success were duly multiplied, and the One-Gen Program definitely fit the bill.

What I had not counted on was confronting something I have long ignored – my ignorance when it comes to healthy fruits and vegetables. The first day I stepped into Rainbow Bridge (the local healthfood store in Ojai), I stood dumbly staring at a long array of vegetables, and realized I did not even know what half of them were. Then I spied a coconut and thought that would be excellent for my morning green drinks (which are super yummy and I’ve had every day!).
So the coconut and and a couple foreign greens came home with me. Once home, I was proud of my find since this was something I had never done before. But I quickly realized I had no clue how to open a coconut. I consulted my husband who suggested a hammer and chisel, but that didn’t sound too safe to me, so I let him do it (weak female moment). He did manage to crack the thing open, but getting the meat out was super tough, so he looked up online to figure it out. He found that if you bake the coconut, it helps the meat to separate easier. So into the oven it went, and it was after the baking and separating that I discovered my new favorite snack – roasted coconut!

What I’m starting to realize with the One-Gen Program is that it is vital that I step out of my fruit and veggie comfort zone. Exploring the dozens of fruits I’ve never tried is truly the best way to create a delicious eating plan that is easy to stick to because of variety. Since my first coconut I have now tried chard, kale and bok choy – all greens I had never had before. I can’t say I loved them all, but at least I’m moving in a new direction, and I approach each new veggie as a new adventure. And who knows, perhaps I will discover another treat like roasted coconut!

Do you have a favorite veggie recipe? Please do share it with me!

Going Backwards

2010-09-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am working backwards. Normally, when I would start a new thing, especially a new way of eating, I would begin very methodically. I would do a lot of shopping and cooking. There would be tons of preparation. I would be reading recipes and finding new places to eat. Everything would be just so. I wouldn’t necessarily tell anyone about the changes I was making. I would isolate some so that I could have more control over my diet and my thought process. And this would go on until I got comfortable. Then I would be able to relax and let things flow. In the past, this would go on for a few months and eventually lead to me slipping back into older patterns of eating and not caring about what it would do to my body.

This time, it is different. I knew from the the get go that I would be traveling for about the first 2 weeks of the program. I wouldn’t be scouring the internet for food ideas. I wouldn’t be cooking and preparing everything I ate. I had to tell everyone I was going to be about the OneGen program. I had to trust that I could do this and that I would be supported.

And I am happy to say, so far so good. I’m on day 2 of my travels and have been able to find and eat OneGen food. I brought a backpack full of nuts, fruits and other some raw bars. My family ate an a awesome organic restaurant last night and I felt very satisfied without being over stuffed. Tonight I will be eating Rosh Hashanah dinner with family and I am sure that my eating will go smoothly. I am excited to see how the rest of this adventure unfolds...and I trust it will be wonderful.

Feeling the Shifts

2010-09-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is the big day. I must say that over the past few days, the dread I’d been feeling has given over to a sense of relaxation about the whole process. I’ve allowed myself permission this weekend to eat whatever I want, and quite to my delight, I have not enjoyed a single thing. I was looking forward to having my last McDonald’s binge on Friday evening when my husband arrived home for the weekend, but the fries were dry, cold and tough and the burger tasted terrible. I have no idea if this is because of attunements we’ve been given, or because my body has begun preparing for the program, but I’m thankful because the cravings are going away and my last tastes of my favourite things have not been satisfying.

My fear at the beginning of this was much less about what I was going to eat and much more about how I was going to get it and prepare it. I guess voicing that concern was all my angels needed to help me with it. I can’t explain better than this but, I’m fine with it now. I put together a shopping list that includes foods that are quick, easy and I know I’ll love. None of them will require much more than 20 minutes to make and even though I’m busy, I definitely have 20 minutes.

If you remember at our gathering on Friday morning, I was worried about the fact that I won’t have access to a vehicle very soon. By Friday afternoon, I had a revelation. You see, my pattern in the past with food has often been to go to the grocery store with great intentions and buy lots of healthy food to eat. I then get it home and when it comes time to eat it, I crave something else. The craving often becomes so great that I’ll jump in the car and buy whatever it is that I want. We’ve wasted a lot of food this way as it goes bad before I get a chance to eat it, not to mention the gas and money. With no car, this is not going to happen. I’ll have to shop on weekends when my husband is home and I’ll have no choice but to eat what we have. Our nearest fast food (and supermarket) are an hour’s walk away. No craving can make me want to walk that long!

Yesterday I spent a delightful day out in the garden. Labour Day in Canada means that the growing season is almost done. I can conceivably expect snow here by the end of the month so I did some harvesting of veggies. This year (and I don’t believe this is a coincidence) we caught the gardening bug and my husband and I did a container garden. It is simply a 4ft. by 4ft. trough that we put right over our grass and grew our own veggies in. It has been lots of fun and we’ve had plenty of fresh produce over the summer. The picture here is what we pulled out yesterday including to our surprise, some very large potatoes.

As I wrote up my grocery list today, I was elated that much of the produce I’ll need for this week I already have from my very own garden. How exciting is that?! Later I’ll be going to our local organic store called Amaranth food market. Everything there is organic, sustainable and humane. I’ll be picking up Agave, the rest of my veggies and free range chicken in preparation for the week.

I also spent yesterday making some snack foods for this week. I did up another batch of Kale chips and following the success of those, I used my garden zucchini to make chips as well. I realized that I’m now prepared with salty snacks, and I’ve decided that if I have a sweet snack craving, I’m finally going to try a dessert recipe from Doreen Virtue’s book The Art of Raw Living. I’ve decided to try the Almond Butter Cups which are supposed to be similar to Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, a weakness of mine. I’ll let you know how they turn out!

I’m curious to see if any of you are also feeling this new-found calm about the whole thing?

With peace and love,

Trena

~ Trena Barnes is an ATP® and clinical hypnotherapist practicing in Calgary, Canada. http://www.treeoftranquility.a/

Last Supper Syndrome

2010-09-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

It happens almost every time I start a new food plan. In the days leading up to the "kick-off" I begin acting out. The part of me that rebels against constraining food rules awakens and tries to convince me that I must eat all my favorite foods before they are gone FOREVER!

I'm sure I must have several past lives where food was scarce and I had to eat worms or something like that.

However in my modern civilized life, it tends to play out in the desire to gorge myself with cookies, candy, Chinese food and other soon-to-be-contraband. Any of you that have signed up for Weight Watchers more than three times in your life will know what I mean.

Josephus & the Wisdom Council are very wise... they have tried to mitigate the Last-Supper-Syndrome by setting up the One-Gen Program to have an end date. All I have to do is stay on course for six weeks -- then everything is up for negotiation. Yet, I'm finding that as the start date of Monday approaches, the part of me that is addicted is raging loudly to gorge on things One. Last. Time! As if cupcakes and chocolate will be beamed off the planet by punishing forces who seek to deprive me forever from food that I love.

I don't have any words of wisdom about this except to fess up. I find that when we confess our inner journey, it has as tendency to open the doors of love and compassion. As Josephus continues to say, "If this were easy, you'd already be eating this way. Be patient. Be kind. All is well."

BTW - I SO wanted to post a picture of sugary contraband with this post. But the angels convinced me that it would not be supportive of myself and others. So I'm posting this adorable One-Gen friendly bento box that I can imagine myself enjoying... someday...

Me and My Inner Drama Queen

2010-09-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

The other night, after I decided to do the OneGen Program, my mind began racing. I was caught up in worries about giving up bread and pasta. I was all in a tizzy because I wouldn’t have cake on my birthday (which turned out not to be true, since it started the day after). I especially got myself worked into a lather about how I would manage while travelling. I would be having Rosh Hashanah dinner with family that I don’t know all that well and then proceed to spend a week on the road. I would be in the south and I couldn’t eat BBQ. This was going to be a disaster.

And then as clear as day I could hear within me, “Well someone’s being a drama queen, huh?” The spell of worry was broken and I could laugh again. I remembered that this did not have to be hard. This did not have to be a disaster. I did not have to make this into an impossible hullabaloo just because it was a shift in my life. Not all change needs to be an upheaval. Sometimes the time has simply come for a shift. This could be graceful and fun. I could trust that I have the ability, skills and resources to handle any challenges that may show up.
I was able to know that I have done the work. I am not starting from ground zero here. I am coming from an exceptionally well walked and well loved path. There is an inner channel within that is clear and ready to enter into a world of loving with my relationship to food and my body. The grounding and anchoring that I have been seeking from food over the past several weeks can be replaced with heartfelt support from myself, from spirit and from community. This is something I am ready for.

I know that the changes I am seeking to make in my habits are radical for me. But to make them into something that they are not...especially before any changes have actually taken place does not serve me. I commit to being one of open mind and open heart in this process. I am ready to begin (but not until after my birthday :-).

--Jo Anna

Beginning the One-Gen Food Program.

2010-09-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

It’s finally here, the beginning date for the One-Gen Food Program. I’ve approached this program with a mixture of excitement and dread. As we went around the circle to introduce ourselves during our first class last night, I found myself telling the group that food has always been my nemesis. I haven’t spent my entire life overweight, but a good chunk of it. I tend to yo-yo drastically, a habit that started when I was only 10. On the upside, I’ve been attracted to physical activity since then as well even though I’ve never been very good at sports. When I’m active, I deflate like a balloon, when I’m sedentary, I blow up. Though I don’t eat that much, I admit, food is an addiction for me. When I’ve had a lousy day, that McDonald’s double quarter pounder cures what ails me.

The thing is, I’ve been getting the guidance about my eating habits, in particular, to make the switch to veganism since I was in my early teens. As I studied spirituality, what was said over and over again was that a veggie lifestyle opens you up to increased spiritual and psychic abilities. It seemed like a good idea but telling my mother I wasn’t going to eat most of the food served was met with a simple, “then I guess you don’t get anything!” Yes, my mother shared my propensity for “roundness.”Over the years, my angels tried again telling me to go vegan. This time in a way that spoke a little more loudly to me….through music. As I listened to my favorite artists and learned who they were, most, if not all of them were vegan. I finally gave it a try, and for almost a year, I gave up meat and dairy. I admit, it felt great. I was eating sustainably, and my body really liked it. Why did it end? Well I met my future husband and with pressures of career, relationships, and life, I just stopped cooking. It was much easier after a long day to pick up something quick on the way home. Thus started my addiction to fast food.

Since then, I’ve known I need to go back to veganism, or at least eat healthier…and I really want to! But for those of you who’ve quit smoking (actually, I quit smoking after 10 years and found it easier to do than to quit the fast food) you know that giving up addictions aren’t the easiest thing to do. This is why I’m so excited about One-Gen. Most of us in the group feel the same, or at least similarly about food. Many of us wake up worrying about what we are going to eat, and go to bed feeling guilty about what we ate. As lightworkers, we feel a calling to help others, but it is often a thorn in our side that we cannot help ourselves in this area of our lives. This time, as we work toward changing our eating habits, we are going to have spiritual help. Josephus and the Wisdom Council will be giving us with messages of support and energetic attunements designed to make this easier. As a group of strong women, we will support each other in making the changes.

So as I listened to Josephus and the Wisdom Council speak last night, my hope began to soar. My favorite tidbit from these amazing beings was this: “You are all couragous women. Many of you channel invisible beings and yet, you are terrified of the thought of not being able to have a piece of bread for six weeks.” That pretty much said it all for me. Someone finally understands!

So this week, my homework is to find organic, unprocessed food. I know there are lots of places in Calgary to find these things. What am I facing? For the first time in my relationship, my husband is working away from home. I’m lonely and lonely means cheeseburger. No, lonely shouldn’t mean food, but perhaps a short term goal could be, lonely means organic peaches. I’m determined this time. But as with any hurdle I’ve had to climb in the last couple of years, I will be asking for help from my divine team….so really, how can I fail?

~Trena Barnes is an ATP® and Clinical Hypnotherapist in Calgary, Canada. www.treeoftranquility.ca

Books that are Changing My Life

2010-09-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Josephus & the Wisdom Council (the group of Guides that I channel) began encouraging me to create the "One-Gen Program" to assist me and others like me in bringing greater harmony to the integration of my physical and energetic bodies. The key component of this integration? Food. Specifically healthy, wholesome, minimally processed foods filled with vitality and nutrition. To facilitate this shift, they asked me to eat foods they call, "One-Generation Foods" (meaning that they are one-generation or less away from Mother Earth) for a period of six weeks.

Simple, huh? Many people on the planet already eat this way....

But food has been my addiction my entire life. I LOVE food. It is my art, it is my passion and it is my friend. I've been caged in an obese body most of my life. I've tried everything from Weight Watchers to weight loss surgery to try and heal my connection to food. But alas, they would work for a while, but at some point, food would win again.

The idea of eating only wholesome organic foods for six weeks terrified me. And what I came to find out, it terrified a lot of other people. It would seem that many of us are addicted to processed foods. Our palate and biochemistry has become addicted to the super sweet-fatty-salty experience of foods that have been highly modified to meet the needs & desires of our on-the-go lives.
And I wondered, could I really make this radical shift in my food consumption for six weeks? If you've had any issues with food, then you know the terror that arises at the idea of undertaking a food-related "diet"... terror that keeps score of all the other times when intentions and hope were high but the outcome was grim.

Josephus & the Angels kept encouraging me... their words of comfort included:

This is only for six weeks. You can do almost anything for six weeks. It doesn't have to be forever.
It's OK if you're cranky about it. In fact, you may be cranky for the first two weeks while you acclimate to the physiological and psychological shifts.
We'll be there with you providing you encouragement, love and light.
The goal is not to "diet" or lose weight. The intention is to cultivate a vital energy field so that you can integrate the higher energies that are coming to the planet.

It sounded good to me, but I was still nervous. I asked them to help me make the shift.

What happened next feels like a mini-miracle to me.... They began introducing me to books that are helping me to shift my relationship and understanding of food and nutrition. It is a profound journey of understanding more deeply that much of the food that I'd been consuming is but an over-processed facsimile of God's true flavors. That is why freshly picked produce kick's butt on anything you'll find on a supermarket's shelf. I feel as if I'm having an awakening about food. Me -- the woman who has been reading the calories and fat grams on foods for the past three decades. I'm learning all about food again.

As a result, I'd like to share with you some of the books that are changing my life:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
by Barbara Kingsolver

This is a beautiful account of how author Barbara Kingsolver & her family moved to the family farm to live sustainably for a year. This book has made me fall in love with the idea of gardening, shopping from local farmers' markets and educated me on the value of shopping locally. I LOVE this book!

Food Rules, an Eater's Manual
by Michael Pollan

A sweet little book that has 63 rules for eating more sustainably and healthier. A perfect companion for the One-Gen Program. Here are a few of the rules: #11 "Avoid foods you see advertised on television." #36 "Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the ...color of the milk" #44 "Pay more, eat less" It is written by food evangelist, Michael Pollan

The End of Overeating
by David Kessler

If you have experienced addictive eating habits and wondered why you have had such challenge in curbing your food choices, I highly recommend Dr. Kessler's book. I consider this to be one of the most important books I've read on the topic.

I Am Grateful: Recipes and Lifestyle of Cafe Gratitude
by Terces Engelhart

I had the food equivalent of a religious experience when I was eating at Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley a few weeks ago. The food was beyond delicious and everything (including the mint shake) was One-Gen! I said, "If I can eat here for the next six weeks, this program will be a breeze." Their recipe book is going to be one of my go-to-tools for inspiration about how to make live food delicious!