Friday, August 16, 2013

Cooking For the Harvest - Fall Cooking Class with Mary McCabe


Cooking for the Harvest - Fall Cooking Class with Mary McCabe

Quick dinner entrees and healthy meals that embrace the bounty of late summer and fall! Cooking demonstration and tasting. September 12. 6:30-9pm. $40 
 Register Online: fallcooking.eventbrite.com

Cook the best and feel your best!A big part of taking care of your body is knowing what you're putting into it. At SHI we teach you how to feed your body the right way without sacrificing flavor. SHI's cooking classes are the perfect way to learn plant-based, healthy and delicious cooking techniques that maximize nature’s best flavors and nutritional value. 

Where: Strengthening Health Institute (SHI)1149 N. 3rd St. Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-238-9212 or info@strengthenhealth.org for registration or more information. 
Register Online: fallcooking.eventbrite.com


Friday, June 7, 2013

The Wellspring of Health: Mindfulness Meditation during June 19-23 Intensive Seminar


The Wellspring of Health: Mindfulness and Meditation practices connect us with our inner-self whose home is a deep connection with nature - that force which provides physical and emotional refuge, rejuvenation and prosperity. 

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Anh-Huong and Thu Nguyen as they return to Philadelphia to teach special mindfulness meditation classes during our upcoming June 19-23 Intensive Seminar. We hope that you will join us for this unique opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills-based tools for cultivating lasting health in your life!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Ready For Spring!


It’s hard to imagine that spring is around the corner. We have just had our first bit of cold weather here on the east coast. It is really hard to think about spring at this point. Personally I am wondering if we are going to get any serious snow storms this winter.

On February 2 the ground hog will let us know how quickly spring is coming this year. I have never tracked the accuracy of the ground hog. However, I like this ritual since it reminds me that spring will be here before long. 

The ancient Celtic holiday of Imbolc celebrates the beginning of spring or the time when all life is reborn in early February. Also, according to the ancient Oriental calendar, spring begins on February 4. All of these dates are midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and signify the time when nature’s energy starts to change towards spring. This is the time when we start to feel fed up with the winter and spring fever begins. 

To be healthy we need to follow nature’s calendar and begin to change when she does. In the winter we tend to eat more well cooked and warming dishes, things that will keep us warm and energized. Generally it is not a good idea to overdo it on ice cream and other foods that make us feel more sensitive to the cold. We still need lightly cooked vegetable dishes and raw salads that are mildly cooling to keep us fresh throughout the winter.

Starting in early to mid February it is time to very gradually lessen these well cooked and warming foods and re-introduce foods that are light, refreshing and cooling. This way our body gradually adjusts to the coming of spring and follows nature’s pattern. Add more lightly cooked vegetable dishes, raw salads, vegetable dishes and enjoy some oranges and tangerines. 

It is most important to not consume any foods that are extremely cooling such as ice cream or iced-drinks until the warm weather is stabilized, well into the spring. If we take cooling foods when we have a brief warming period in the spring and the weather turns suddenly cold again the harmful effects tend to go deep inside and cause prolonged or lingering illnesses well into the spring.

The same also applies if you go to the tropics during the cold winter months. While we are enjoying the warm weather and sun, it is fine to have tropical fruits, drinks and other cooling foods. If we overdo it on vacation however, we may have problems when we return to the cold. It is good to be moderate with our food and drink choices during winter vacations. 

Personally, Susan and I prefer to go on vacation in April or early May so that when we return the weather is similar enough. Whatever your preferences, I hope these suggestions help you make a smooth transition into the spring and to get the most out of our remaining cold weather. 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Holiday Special Offer



Learn to practice 7 EASY Steps to lifelong physical, 
emotional and spiritual health.

    SAVE $700, if registered by November 9th.   
    SAVE $500, if registered by November 16th.  

  SAVE $175, if registered by November 9th.

Call 215.238.9212 or email info@strengthenhealth.org today to receive these special savings.

With the holidays right around the corner, it is the perfect time to pave the path towards feeling great! What could be a better time to refine your culinary skills and build the foundations for a life of balance and gratification? Our courses take students to higher levels of well-being, and closer to their personal goals, whatever form those may take. By taking our classes you can expect to feel rejuvenated and uplifted, equipped with the tools necessary to live a healthy, enriched life filled with the warmth and happiness that is so important to share with the world. But don’t take our word for it, read what other people have to say about our programs:

“The food makes me feel wonderful and energetic, it nourishes my creativity! Thank you for opening me up to many possibilities.” -Daphne Darpoh. Allentown, PA. 
“My expectations for the Intensive Seminar were were exceeded! Denny and Susan are clearly well-versed and skilled in their teaching - truly inspiring, creative and intuitive! I can now see myself eating & living macrobiotically for many years in the future.” - Martha Jones. Austin, TX.

Call 215.238.9212 or email info@strengthenhealth.org today to receive these special savings.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Creating Order out of Chaos


After Superstorm Sandy has slammed the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, it is hard to imagine that nature alone is responsible. Even if you deny that there is global warming and that we are at least part of the cause, it is hard to miss the fact that the severity of storms and earthquakes is steadily increasing. The five most expensive natural disasters in history have occurred in the the last 18 years, since 1994. Two of these disasters have been in the U.S. It is still too soon to say which number Hurricane Sandy will be on the list.

It seems evident to me that our excessive diet and lifestyle, together with our complete disregard for nature are strong contributing factors to the recent changes in weather. Some people think that the weather is a reflection of our inner feelings, thoughts and turmoil. Everyone knows that a happy person brightens a room when they enter and that happiness and laughter are infectious. The opposite is also true when someone who is upset or tormented shows up. We influence our environment in the same way that our environment influences us. We usually feel more uplifted on a bright, sunny day.

They say that people with a green thumb talk to their plants. I know my wife does and we have a house full of beautiful, happy plants. It stands to reason that nature is a reflection of our overall health, including our innermost thoughts and feelings. From this subtle to a more gross reality, our daily choices of what and how we eat can have an enormous impact on the health of soil, waterways, ecosystems and the global climate.  Part of one whole, it is not a coincidence that the general public and environment simultaneously face ill-health on catastrophic and pandemic proportions.   

In health, our energy, thoughts and emotions go through a range of ups and downs that are not overly extreme. Some days are better than others but we generally feel and act okay. As we start to loose our health, these physical, emotional and mental extremes start to increase. We experience more physical, emotional and mental ups and downs. Nature is loosing it’s health and these extremes between hot and cold, floods and droughts are increasing worldwide. These extremes are also causing storms and earthquakes to become more severe. 

As nature looses it’s healthy order it is increasingly more important to bring order into our daily life. Order and chaos balance each other. Try to keep you mealtimes, daily activities, rising and sleeping times as regular as you can. Go outside for a walk, meditate or do your yoga at the same time each day. Try to be as regular and consistent as you can in a comfortable way. Life pulls us in different directions so it is not always possible to be as consistent as we would like, but having an intention of such a routine will always pull us in the right direction.

At the Strengthening Health Institute we teach people how to create lasting health and personal fulfillment through order in diet, eating habits and lifestyle practices. I am always amazed to see the power of these simple practices as I watch people transform each day of our seminars and into their daily lives. I hope to see you here soon to help bring some order to the mounting chaos around us.