Whether you're bound by financial and family obligations, or single and just starting out., it's a big challenge for many people to walk away from a situation of familiarity and relative comfort. Yet we're a generation or two away from the people who stayed in one job, or one corporation for their entire lives - it's now common for people have 4 and 5 careers in a working lifetime. There are more opportunities than ever to work at something that's truly nourishing - either by finding the work you love, or loving the work you find. When our work life is fulfilling, it's rewarding on so many levels - time stops, you feel incredibly stimulated and engaged, and it's a joy to get up in the morning to get going. When was the last time you felt that way? How is your health impacted by your work? Are you ready to make some changes?

I believe we're spiritual beings living in a material world, and we are each here to accomplish something important - and sometimes it's a journey to discover what exactly that is. This is something I feel very strongly about, since a big career transition has brought me right here, right now with you!

I used to work in advertising for a large financial services organization, where I was well-paid but feeling very unsatisfied on many levels - the situation did not mesh with my values or big-picture goals for my life, the commute was a grind, and so on. When my job was cut, I was given a gift - the gift of time to figure out what I really wanted to do. With the help of a compassionate counselor I was able to reconnect with my lifelong passion for health, wellness, fitness and food, and a buried desire to work individually with people to help improve their lives. So I went back to school to become a health counselor, and never looked back. As challenging as this road has been, life feels much richer now, I physically feel so much better, and I've met so many amazing people that I would have never crossed paths with had I gone back to a corporate job.

(Part of this essay is adapted from Integrative Nutrition: The Future of Nutrition, by Joshua Rosenthal)

Are you ready to learn how to get healthy and stay healthy on the job, whatever that job might be? Contact me to find out about how Shining Life Nutrition can help you get there.

For such a tiny, ancient organism, Spirulina is an astonishing nutritional powerhouse. So small that its size is measured in microns - a millionth of a meter - this spiral-shaped blue-green algae was among the earth's first life forms. Classified somewhere between the plant and animal kingdoms, it's one of Nature's most abundant sources of chlorophyll, which makes it an exceptionally nurturing and cleansing food. It's also the highest source of protein, beta-carotene and nucleic acids of any animal or plant food, which benefits cell renewal and is anti- aging.

Spirulina's protein is exceptionally concentrated and "bioavailable," meaning we can easily extract it during digestion. In fact, the digestive absorption of the protein in spirulina is 4 times greater than that in beef, and about 2 or 3 teaspoons of spirulina has the protein equivalent of two to three ounces of meat. This makes it an efficient and economical resource for vegetarians and vegans, as well as people who have been eating too much meat.

It's also one of nature's rare blue foods. Spirulina's blue pigment, phycocyanin, is a biliprotein shown to inhibit cancer-cell formation, and has a drawing-together quality that, in the brain, helps to bring together amino acids for neurotransmitter formation, which increases mental capacity. Spirulina provides important essential fatty acid GLA, which helps with immunity and inflammation; detoxifies the kidneys and liver; and the benefits go on and on.

Spirulina is an acquired taste, although I happen to really like it. As I write this, I'm drinking it in a large glass of water (really!). It's very green tasting, somewhat salty and earthy. In powder form -- it also comes in tablets, capsules or flakes -- it's easy to add to smoothies, as I've done in the recipe below, or soups, sauces and energy bars. Start with a teaspoon or 2, then work up to an average dose of 1-2 rounded tablespoons per day (10-20 grams). Be sure to rinse out your mouth after consuming spirulina - some of that healthy greener-than-green color can stay with your teeth, while the nutrients get to work in your body.

For another informative article on the miracle of spirulina, go here.

Source: Paul Pitchford, Healing with Whole Foods, 3rd edition., pp. 148-9; 227-32

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh or frozen berries, preferably organic
• 1-2 tablespoons protein powder (I prefer unflavored Nutiva Hemp Protein powder)
• 1 rounded tbsp. Spirulina powder
• ½ cup plain organic yogurt (dairy or soy), or soy milk
• water, cold unsweetened herbal or green tea for thinning
• 1-2 tbsps. ground flax seeds (add last)

Other add-in ideas:

Lucky for me, the most interesting people come to my lectures. At my April talk on Healthy Skin at Ecco Bella, I met an editor of the fun shopping website Top Button, who subsequently interviewed me for the site's "Eco Button" section, which covers all things green. Starting next week, our conversation is scheduled to be featured as Top Button's "Eco Pick," so I encourage you to check it out. Thanks, Jennifer!

I'm also happy to say that I've been elected VP of Marketing for the Essex Chapter of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO). I'm thrilled to become more involved with this dynamic organization, and be a part of its success over the next year. So watch for updates on meetings -- and remember, men are welcome too.