health Archives - Not Strictly Spiritual

Jun 7

PBS features a real doctor of the Church, one with the bedside manner of a saint

“From a spiritual standpoint what I try and do as a physician is that even if I can’t cure the situation, even if I can’t cure the condition, if even I can’t make it all go away, if they’re being overburdened with that cross, if I can just hold up a corner sometimes, it might make it light enough for them to be able to carry it and move on.” Those are the beautiful and somewhat unexpected words of Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in caring for people with disabilities. Read more

May 31

Yogis in the mist

Today was a classic case of turning lemons into lemonade. What had at first seemed like a potential inconvenience became a blessing. Read more

Apr 24

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A little honesty from the back row of yoga class

I returned to yoga class this week after a long hiatus, and while it was sooooo good to be back on my mat, it wasn’t without its challenges. But probably not the challenges you would expect. When it comes to my Y-based yoga classes, my struggles have less to do with balancing and strength poses and more to do with other people. I know, that’s probably not something I’m supposed to admit when I’m trying to reach some higher level of spiritual development, but I think a little honesty is a more direct route to that spiritual place than total denial and the inner wailing and gnashing of teeth. If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, I guarantee you know what I mean. Hear me out… Read more

Mar 20

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Have you hugged your colon today?

We interrupt our wall-to-wall Pope Francis coverage for my annual post in honor of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is celebrated in March. Every year at this time, I parade out a photo of my fine-looking colon to get your attention. (Yes, that is my actual colon, as it appeared during my most recent colonoscopy, which was done just over a year ago.) Read more

Jan 15

Real comfort food feeds the soul, not just the belly

Here’s a reader question that just came in, and I think it’s a good one, something we have to think about if we’re looking to break our food obsessions:

“I’m sure I need to read the book, but I’m wondering how to embrace the fact that food IS comfort on some level, we can’t really separate that from our experience with it. I love the image of Jesus cooking for the disciples on the seashore, when they had been out fishing all night. And in fact He gives HIMSELF to us as food! So it seems counter-intuitive to me to try to minimize the comfort aspect of our relationship with food in the quest for health, as people often do. How do you see this issue?” Read more

Jan 14

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I gotta be me: Diary of a diet detox

A few weeks ago, as some of you may recall, I decided to do a pretty hard-core diet detox based on a 21-day plan created by my health and fitness guru Kris Carr, author of Crazy Sexy Diet and creator of Crazy Sexy everything. Granted the start of December was probably not an ideal time to attempt a detox, what with all the holiday festivities in the offing, but it’s so me to try to do something at its most challenging, like I need to prove I can not only detox but I can do so under the most stressful food circumstances. I’m like the Navy Seals of detoxing but without the Night Vision goggles. Read more

Jan 13

So, a Cuban and an Italian walk into a kitchen…

Today the “Pray, Love, Then Eat” blog tour makes a stop at Day by Day, blog of my friend and Catholic press veteran María de Lourdes Ruiz Scaperlanda. I have to thank María for a fun interview that allowed me to cover some new ground on this topic. Gracias, amiga, for the chance to talk about Cravings on your blog: Read more

Jan 12

I love when my writing is compared to chocolate

I can’t think of anything better than having my book compared to a chocolate mint melting in your mouth. Thank you, Sarah Reinhard at Snoring Scholar, today’s “Pray, Love, Then Eat” blog tour stop, for saying my book is like an Andes mint. That made me so happy, even if it also made me want to eat chocolate for breakfast. Read more

Jan 10

Author of ‘Weightless’ weighs in on ‘Cravings’

Kate Wicker, author of Weightless: Making Peace with Your Body, had this to say about Cravings at her blog today, the fifth stop on the “Pray, Love, Then Eat” blog tour:

“I had the honor of reading an advanced copy of Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God by Mary De Turris Poust, which I highly recommend. It’s an uplifting read for anyone who has struggled with their weight or food and longs for freedom from obsessing over every inch of flesh. In her meaty (lots of food for thought here!) and excellent book, Poust devotes an entire chapter to the dangers of multitask eating and why it’s important to develop a more mindful approach to meals.” Read more