Inspired!Lead Your Life - Live Your Purpose

LIV Villagerestoring, raising and releasing the next generation

4 STEPS TO CREATE AN INSPIRED TEAM!

Fat or Fad: the true villain?

Free to Be Me Embracing authenticity

Are YOU effectively branded?

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Sean Willard

sean@smswillard.com

www.smswillard.com

I am delighted to bring you the first edition of the Inspired! Magazine us to take a closer look at the seemingly ‘safe’ aspects of our lives, while branding coach, Tim Davis, poses 20 Personal Branding questions that help us identify if we truly have what it takes to outwit our competition. I have also included some handy pointers from Audrey Moralez on ways to authentically develop an inspired team that will successfully go the distance. This edition’s Inside Out: Leading with the Heart column has been dedicated to the Kwazulu Natal based NPO, the LIV Village, which addresses the very real needs of vulnerable and orphaned children in its local community. This Inspired! edition is all about authenticity, so give yourself a ‘check-up from the neck up’ and establish if you are living ‘REAL’?

A Word From the Editor

Sean

As an Inspirational Speaker, Coach and Author, it is my driving passion to help others discover and unlock their true potential. In keeping with this overall ethos of my Life Attack Coaching Program, Inspired! aims to encourage and motivate its readership in the area of leadership and purposeful living. It includes articles that cover a range of pertinent topics, which draw on expert advice and insights from top leaders and professionals.I have dedicated this issue to exploring the theme of Who is Fooling Whom? Are we living authentic lives? In her article Free to Be Me, Professional speaker, coach and author, Sandy Griffin, challenges us to grow and evolve beyond our constricting circumstances by encouraging

A Word From the Editor

15MondayMarch 5, 2012

Nomahlubi Jordaanj o rd a a n n @ av u s a . c o . z a

AMERICAN children’s book au-thor and illustrator, AshleyBryan, travels the world to“open up the voice to theprinted word”.Bryan recently visited Port

Elizabeth’s Ubuntu Education Fund inZwide, where he has not only been donatingbooks since the organisation was founded,but where he has also been sharing valu-able lessons with children from variousschools.

Bryan does illustrations to poems andhas done selections of black American spir-ituals from the many songs slaves created.

The songs include This little light of mine,He’s got the whole world in hishands, and When the saints gomarching in.

“I’ve done six selections be-cause black slaves createdthousands of spiritual songs,which are sung throughoutthe world.”

Reflecting on the number ofyears he has been an illustra-tor, Bryan says: “I was makingbooks since kindergarten andI never stopped. We would doletters and numbers and for each numberwe had to do pictures.”

In his professional career, Bryan has pub-lished about 40 books, including illustra-tions of American spiritual songs, poetryand African folk tales.

His work, he says, has never been aimedonly at children.

“When you are doing a folk tale, you arenot just doing it for the child. You are doingit for all ages. Because everyone loves sto-ries and they read to their children becausethat makes the child interested in booksand learning.

“I always hope that an adult will enjoy mywork. Whatever I do, I hope it appeals to allages because I feel, if it appeals to the childin me, it will appeal to the child in you be-

cause we all have one thing in common: wehave all survived childhood. And I alwayssay never let that child in you die.”

Through his work, Bryan strives tocounter forces that make it difficult for anychild to grow as a human being, “c re a t i v e l yand constructively”.

He frequently visits various countries in-cluding Kenya, Japan and South Africa todeliver books.

He first came to South Africa after Amer-ican student Jacob Lief, a co-founder ofUbuntu Education Fund met former schoolteacher, now chief executive of the organ-isation, Banks Gwaxula in 1999.

Lief and Gwaxula both had a passion forcommunity development and had a dreamof starting a non-profit organisation.

“I came to support what they were doing.I would come and chant poems to the chil-

dren, read books to them anddo art with them.

“I followed it (project) stepby step, year by year and nowbecause his parents (Lief’s)live on the island where I live, Ikeep up with every develop-ment.”

“Jacob knew that I travelledthe United States and theworld, trying to open up avoice to the printed word.

At the time, we were working withschools.”

Bryan, who engages his audience, part-icularly children, by getting them to repeatthe chants after him, has done the sameeven in countries where people are re-served, like Japan.

“It’s wonderful to open up the life of theprinted word and here in South Africa, I’vebeen doing the same thing and making chil-dren bring art to life.”

Bryan has received awards for his work,including best picture award and has re-cently been awarded a lifetime achieve-ment award.

The lessons he has been teaching chil-dren all over the world include loving one-self and knowing learning and reading areimpor tant.

HOT TOPIC: ECONOMIC FREEDOM FOR SA MAJORITY: PAGE 23

Fo c u sTV, FUN & GAMES: PAGE 24

BOOKS

The Herald

Called to bring written wordHis heart is in helping children develop

OPINION:SEEING WITH

MIND’SEYES

PAGE 22

ENCOURAGEBUSINESS THAT

BRINGS REVENUEAND JOBSPAGE 22

‘. . . the loveof readingis thedevelopmentofknowledge

“It’s the love of reading that I get across. Itgives you the ability to help others becauseyour knowledge will be of service to others.“We build on reading, the love of reading isthe development of knowledge. It does not

matter what area of a profession you go in,the heart of it is reading.” He has also beenpreaching the importance of the love of po-etry and of always exploring one’s voicethrough words of poetry. “I’ve been trying

to bring poems alive through the voice be-cause poetry needs performance.” Br yansaid although his family was c o n c e rn e dabout his health, he would “continue doingwhat I’m doing until the Lord calls me.”

FOR THE LOVE OF CHILDREN: American author and children’s book illustrator, Ashley Bryan reads one of his books to children atthe Ubuntu Education Fund Picture: SAM MAJELA

1. ALEPHPaulo CoehloJonathan BallR195

2. FLASH AND BONESKathy ReichsRandom HouseR221

3. AFRICAN DAWNTony ParkHorizon BooksR200

4. DEVIL’S GATEClive CusslerRandom HouseR221

5. LANGUAGE OFF LOW E R SVanessa DiffenbaughPan MacmillanR195

6. HOMECOMING OF SAM-UEL LAKEJenny WingfieldJonathan BallR195

7. THE STRANGER’S CHILDAlan HollinghurstPan MacmillanR195

8. CRY HAVOCSimon MannJonathan BallR206

9. BELIEVING THE LIEElizabeth GeorgeJonathan BallR216

10. LOCK ONTom ClancyPenguinR257

EXC L U SI V EB O O KS ’

B E STS E L L E RS

M o n ey QUOTE OF THE DAY“We have an obligation and a responsibilityto be investing in our students and ourschools. We must make sure that peoplewho have the grades, the desire and thewill, but not the money, can still get thebest education possible. ” – Barack Obama

TIP OF THE DAY“The chief value of money

lies in the fact that one livesin a world in which it is

ove re s t i m a te d . ”- H. L. Mencken

CELEBS & THEIR CASH

SOPHIE NDABA-HARRINGTON‘

HOW I MADE IT: SEAN WILLARD

Motivated tochange careers

I knew therewas

somethingelse out there

for meCHANGING TACK:Motivational speaker SeanWillard has successfullychanged career paths afterworking as a pharmacist for20 years following a‘lightbulb moment’one morning in 2008

Picture: BRIAN WITBOOI

The Herald FINANCE

REPORTER Gaongalelwe Moatshe inter-views, SABC1's Generations actress andbusinesswoman, Sophie Ndaba-Harring-ton on her money matters.

Q: Are you a spender or a saver?A: I am a saver and a saver!Q: Have you ever been in debt or really

short of cash?A: Starting out in business is never

easy so yes during the learning stages,years ago, I purchased certain thingson account but in time Irealised that cash ispower!

Q: Is there anythingthat you really like tosplurge on when youcan?

A: Shoes.Q: What do you think

of internet banking?A: Internet banking is

the best thing sincesliced bread! I can'tfunction without it.

Q: How do you separ-ate spending with yourpartner?

A: We mostly shoptogether and have fun!

Q: How do you preferto pay for things – cash,credit card or account?

A: I prefer using mydebit card. That wayyou manage your account and it is asafer way to shop.

Q: Is there anything about money thatyou hate dealing with?

A: Giving it to a service provider! Butseriously who wants to give away mon-ey except sharing with those less for-tunate from time to time?

Q: How does the taxman treat celebsand their cash?

A: There is a system as we have ourallowances so I guess as long as you doreturns you'll find they treat you asthey should.

Q: Will you have enough money whenyou retire?

A: Yes I have a retirement annuity.Q: What car (and model) are you driv-

ing and is it expensive to maintain?A: I drive a Mercedes Benz, CLK 500

cabriolet. My only constant trauma isreplacing tyres andrepairing rims. Pot-hole hate! But otherthan that, it is fabu-lous.

Q: Do you own anyshares or unit trusts?

A: Yes.Q: What projects

are you busy with andhow do you fund yourprojects?

A: I have a founda-tion and an eventmanagement busi-ness. So we fundraisewith companies thathave social responsi-bility divisions and in-dividuals willing togive to those less for-tunate.

For my events man-agement business, I

use a simple system: I spend clients’money on what they would like.

Q: What is your advice forup-and-coming stars?

A: Have passion for this industry oryou won’t make it. It involves longhours and is not as simple as it seems!But it's fun if you work hard and arepassionate about anything you chooseto do!

Brian Haywardh aywa rd b @ av u s a . c o . z a

WHEN formerNelson Man-dela BayschoolboySean Willardwoke up one

morning in 2008, he could notbreathe as a result of a severeasthma attack despite neverhaving suffered from the condi-tion before.

That moment – one celebritytalk show host Oprah Winfreyrefers to as “a lightbulb mo-ment” – saw Willard take stockof his life and decide to com-pletely change career paths,from a successful pharmacist toa motivational speaker and au-t h o r.

Today the 44-year-old speak-er can boast sales of his firstbook, Have a Life Attack – whichhe self-published last year andwhich a publisher has nowpicked up – edging closer to the10 000 sales mark. Such salesare no mean feat for a pharma-c i s t - c u m - a u t h o r.

Recalling the life-changingmoment, Willard said: “I wasconvinced it [the asthma at-tack] was a nightmare, until mysister-in-law burst through thedoor screaming and shouting.That was the event forcing meto ask myself ‘Have I reallylived?’”

After 20 years in the pharma-cy industry, Willard – with theblessing of his wife, Michele –sold his phar-macy inFranschhoekand began hiscareer in moti-vational speak-ing.

On Fridaylast week he ad-dressed pupilsat his almamater in the Bay, Grey HighSchool, where he advised pu-pils to have a plan for the yearahead.

“I shared a story from [re-nowned US motivation speak-er] Les Brown and how he wasteased by kids at school, untilone day a teacher challenged

him saying ‘Never let some-body else’s view of you becomeyour reality’.”

Last year, one year into hissuccessful new career path,Willard took a sabbatical to theUS where he was mentored byleaders in the field – B ro w n ,Paul Martinelli and John CMaxwell.

The success of all three menis laudable, with Maxwell alone

having authoredmore than 70books, earninghim the title of“number one lead-ership guru in theworld”, saidWi l l a rd .

Reflecting onthe change in ca-reers, Willard said

he began to “sense that I knewthere was something else outthere for me” in the mid-2000s,before the asthma attackpushed him to take the leap andbecome a motivational speaker.

“I started speaking in 2009. Inabout 2005 I read a book inwhich [theologian] William Bar-

clay said that the most impor-tant days in one’s life are theday you were born and the dayyou discover why.

Initially apprehensive tospeak in front of crowds,Willard said: “I was asked at apharmacy nutrition conferenceonce to address a crowd ofabout 400 people. As I turned toface the crowd, I turned to facemy fears and destiny. Beforethat I was not over the hill ex-cited about public speaking.”

ý Willard will be back in theBay on April 25, for a morningtalk at the Ray Mhlaba Confer-ence Centre, themed “Lead yourlife, live your purpose”.

Free To Be Me, Creating The Dance Of Your Life

by Sandy Griffin

2

20 Questions To Ask When Developing Your Personal Brand

by Tim Davis

Book ReviewHave a Life Attack (Sean Willard)

by Jean Morrissey

4

6 10 12

Inspired! CONTENT

LIV Village

by Jean Morrissey

Developing an Inspired Team

by Audrey Moralez

The Big Fat Lie:Are You Fooled by

What’s Healthy?

by Carol Green

14 18 22

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Sandy Griffin

www.sandygriffin.com

Growing and evolving means risking leaving the fibers of the comfort of the cocoon that’s been woven around us by others and ourselves. And the risk of breaking free from the cocoon and using our wings is scary.What if the wings do not open up?What if I can only fly for a little bit and then I fall?What if I am not as pretty, as proficient, or I cannot fly as high as the other butterflies?My cocoon was my marriage. Like a lot of people, I was blindsided by the viciousness that I did not see coming. I was going to marry my prince and live happily ever after. The names that were flung my way by “my prince” were

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CREATING THE DANCE OF YOUR LIFEFree to be Me

“Don’t laugh so loud. People are looking at you!“Why don’t you hang around with that nice girl down the street instead of that other girl you hang out with?“Why are you dating someone with an earring?We live our lives trying to be what others want us to be, doing what they say is “right” even if we don’t believe it’s really right for us. The day inevitably comes when others’ plans for us don’t fit any more. Their agendas become a shoe that we have outgrown, a shoe that hurts when we put it on.So what do we do? How do we please others and ourselves too?

It seems that from the time we are born, the people around us are telling us what to do.

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myself a voice in my marriage; I faced the fear of flying on my own – “How am I going to afford to raise three girls? What if no one wants to hire me? How will I know when to change the oil in the car? What if men don’t find me attractive? Interesting?” I eventually realized the pain of flying into the unknown was less excruciating than the pain of staying in my cocoon. The

darkness of my shell was blinding me to the beauty of life. I was not waking up to days of sunshine. The abusive name calling drowned out the sounds of life: birds

singing, kids laughing, music playing. Laughter was not a part of my life any more, but a very distant sound. Even time spent with friends had gone from fun and carefree to a chore.There comes the day we cannot help but think, “There has to be more to life than this!” When we break free of our self-imposed cocoon and

names fitting for a malicious person, not the woman that I had worked so hard to become.Not realizing at the time that “hurt people hurt people”, I crawled deeper into my comfortable, silent cocoon, turned off my emotions, locked the door to my heart, and I tried to keep my husband – the person who stood valiantly in front of hundreds of people 20 years earlier and

vowed to love and cherish me – from battering my spirit.Eventually the cocoon that protected me started to smother me. I began to feel the urge to beat my wings against the crusty walls of my reality so I could break free and fly away.Mustering my courage, I began to stand, give

I eventually realized the pain of flying into the unknown was less excruciating than the pain of staying in my cocoon““

9Inspired!

You’ll discover gifts that have been locked inside of you for far too long. I found that my sense of humor and ability to tell stories became an attractor to meet and connect with new people. My years of experiences and reading so many books enabled me to share my locked-up knowledge with hungry minds. The world will be a better place because you believed in yourself; you heeded the restlessness that beckoned you to make a change. One day you’ll ask yourself, “Why did it take so long for me to emerge as ME, the real me, the me that I was put on this earth to be?”There is power in acknowledging that you want more. More laughter, more friends, more opportunities, more life to be lived, more sunshine in each day – even rainy days! You deserve to be free. You deserve to be YOU!Spread your wings a little wider and believe! You were created to soar! Fly butterfly, fly! Farther than you have ever imagined!

finally spread our wings and fly, we learn that being free feels good.As time goes on, your flight – your path – will become more fulfilling, more gratifying, and you will begin to attract people who will cheer you on and support who you are becoming. As I began to believe in myself I found myself surrounded by people who, with their love and faith in me, challenged me to be more than I ever thought that I could be. People who pushed me to take my gift of speaking and not settle for using it for doing good things, but to use it to accomplish great things!

So what do we do when the fear of “breaking free” outweighs the familiar pain we have learned to manage?

Stop. Stop running from life. Stop the excessive shopping, drinking, eating, and gambling. Stop keeping busy. Stop and listen to your heart. Don’t run from one kind of pain to another.

Keep a journal of your thoughts. Write down what you are thinking and keep track of what is going on in your heart. Watch as your feelings transfer from your heart to paper and then disappear as you confront what has been locked inside.

Take one step at a time. Like Dorothy, looking down the yellow brick road toward Oz, which seemed so far off in the distance, you will start your journey the same way: by taking the first step. And then the next and the next…

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Tim Davis

timdavisonline.com

20 Questions TO ASK WHEN DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONAL BRANDChances are that you are not the only person who does what you do. You have competition and you need to develop strategies to outwit them and get the ideal clients to call you. That is where developing a personal brand comes into focus.When done right, your personal branding will showcase you as the undeniable choice in the market; however there are a lot of questions

that you need to answer so that you can nail down the right brand for you.We are in the process right now of launching The Slim Down Diva brand. Building a brand takes time, but you can see the progress we are making at the links below. Hopefully this will get your wheels spinning on some ideas for you personal brand.

1. What is Your Passion?2. What is Your Personal Story?3. Who is Your Niche?4. Is Your Niche a Large Enough and Profitable Audience?5. Are You Willing to Invest Your Time?6. Are You Willing to Invest Your Energy?7. Are You Willing to Invest Your Money?8. Are You Willing to Stand Out from the Crowd?9. Are you Willing to be a Leader?10. Are You Willing to be Challenged?11. Are You Willing to Speak and Hold Seminars?12. Are You Willing to Put Yourself in the Spotlight?13. Are You Willing to Stay Committed?14. Are You Willing to Be Consistent?15. Are You Willing to Do Audio Recordings?16. Are You Willing to Write and Publish Your Own Book?17. Are You Willing to do Video Marketing?18. Who is your ideal client?19. What is their biggest challenge?20. How Fast Can You Solve Their Problems?

Did you notice how many questions related to YOUR decisions about investing your time, energy and money? Building a Personal Brand takes commitment, but the rewards are staggering!?Did

you notice

Here is a list of 20 questions that you need to ask when you sit down to develop your personal brand.

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Have a Life Attack paints a sometimes amusing picture of a stagnant, uninspiring life that can nevertheless be revived by taking up Sean’s Life, Love and Laugh Attack Challenges. With each distinct section of the book catering to a pertinent area of need, Have a Life Attack serves as a guide that can be easily revisited and applied throughout the various ‘ages and stages’ of life. Those who do not wish to be left ‘itching’ for more adventure, meaning and change in their lives should be sure to steer clear of reading this book!

Inspired! BOOK TITLE│Have a Life AttackAUTHOR│Sean WillardPUBLISHER│Embassy Books

Sean Willard’s first ever self-help book is an instant attention grabber. From its punchy title to its inspiring and engaging subject matter, Have a Life Attack is an easy yet compelling read that should leave you in deep reflection on the true quality and status quo of your life.

Reviewed by Jean Morrissey

Restaurant • Guest Suites • Winery

La Petite Ferme, Franschhoek Pass Road, PO Box 55, Franschhoek, 7690, South Africa

+27 (0)21 876 3016/8 info@lapetiteferme.co.za

14

Jean Morrissey

info@liv-village.com

www.liv-village.com

031 561 2800

One such initiative, the Lungisisa Indela Village (LIV) in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, has been established to provide residential care to parentless and vulnerable children. The Village is comprised of 16 complete homes that provide 45 children with safe residence where they can receive the unconditional love, spiritual

discipleship, care and nurturing that they need. A school on the LIV grounds sees to the formal education of all 45 children. “Children are tomorrow’s future, so the manner in which they are raised will influence who they become. HIV/AIDS and poverty have resulted in many children being abandoned and

Millions of children across the globe find themselves at great emotional and physical risk due to the far-reaching effects of war, poverty, unemployment, disease (such as HIV/AIDS) and the reality of domestic violence, rape and abuse against those most powerless to prevent it. In South Africa alone there are an estimated 3.5 million orphans who do not have the means to meet their most basic, daily needs. Against this challenging backdrop, it is very encouraging to learn of organizations that are committed to working at ground level to provide effective and empowering support to the most vulnerable and at risk.

V i l l a g eL I V

15Inspired!

Inside Out: Leading with the Heart

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17Inspired!

orphaned. We want these children to grow up to be a generation that will influence positive change within South Africa, our continent and indeed the world. If these children are equipped with the essential moral values and life skills, they truly can live lives that influence and inspire significance and lasting impact.” (Tich Smith - Director and Founder of LIV)Rescue a child, restore a life, raise a leader and release a star is the core vision behind LIV. The concept for the village was birthed out of the Indlela (www.indlela.org.za), and Lungisani Indlela (www.lungisani-indlela.org.za) Non Profit Organizations, which continue to work with thousands of vulnerable women and children, through various projects in the Amaoti informal settlement in KwaZulu Natal. These projects include the support of 29 local crèches, life skills training in the schools,

aftercare support for children at risk, family crisis support through an Aids Crisis Home, and a Back-2-School programme.LIV Business Pty Ltd has also been established to address the ongoing sustainability of the Village, and to provide skills training and employment (including future vocational training) for the immediate and surrounding community members. Future plans for the Village include the building of an additional 80 homes in which to place vulnerable and parentless children. The housing project looks to be completed by the end of 2012 and will also provide accommodation and support for a further 96 mothers.To find out how best to support this most worthy cause, contact Karen Van Schalkwyk at info@liv-village.com or on (+27) 031-561 2800/2802/2803.

Rescue a child, restore a life, raise a leader and release a star

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Audrey Moralez

audreymoralez@att.net

John C. Maxwell says in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership that, “leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.” So the question becomes, “how do I influence others in a way that creates motivation, commitment, and enthusiasm?”What if we looked at success in a new way?

Have you ever found that you want success for others more than they want it for themselves? Motivation, or the lack thereof, is very personal. Is it possible to inspire someone and lead them to success?

Developing an Inspired Team

What if the “feeling” of success became the goal and we started to think about our leadership role as the facilitator of an experience that paid dividends in pride, fulfillment, recognition, and relationships? What might an inspired team look like and how do we build an atmosphere of inspiration and motivation?

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1. Paint a vision of what is possibleYou can quit on a goal, but you can’t quit on a vision. As much as we would like to think that we are rational creatures, the truth is that we are emotional beings. Success requires sacrifice, risk, investment, and challenge. The only way to sustain forward momentum is to inspire others with a vision worth working for. When the going gets tough, the people may just get going…toward the door…unless you have given them a reason to stay…and a reason to stay invested. Vision is where the power is; vision is where the heart is. If you have invested in your team and built the vision in them, they will have the motivation to sustain them.

2. Focus on their potentialPoint out their strengths and praise what they bring to the organization. Speak to their abilities and what you believe they are capable of. A

5 Steps to creating an Inspired Team:

21Inspired!

person with low morale says, “There is nothing I can do. I can’t make a difference,” while a person with high morale says, “I have something important to do. I can make a difference.” Build belief in your team by making it clear that each person is significant and has a central role to the team. As a result, your team will begin to understand and believe that you care about their personal growth and success.

3. Celebrate with themBecome their cheerleader. Everyone needs to know that they are important. Share in their journey by noticing and commenting on their improvements and contributions. Make it clear that you appreciate the efforts of every person on your team.

4. Over deliver on your supportEquip your team with training, encouragement,

and resources. Make it your priority to develop others and provide everything that they need for them to achieve personal, collaborative, and organizational goals.

5. Have funLeadership is serious business, but when done right people are both inspired and able to enjoy themselves. They are likely to be more collaborative, team-oriented, success-driven, and fulfilled. Ultimately, success is not something to be accomplished or achieved; success is an emotional reaction to an event. People are motivated by the experience that you, as the leader, create for them. Are you creating a relationship, an invested partnership and a vision that matters? Success is the emotional byproduct of a leader who both cares about the people and the mission.

5 Steps to creating an Inspired Team:

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Carol Green

tasteofhealing.com The Big Fat Lie:Are You Fooled by What’s Healthy?

Anyone old enough to remember the 80s will remember it as the era that brought us big shoulder pads, leg warmers with shiny leotards and the craze of low fat and fat free diets. There probably isn’t a diet out there I haven’t personally tried or cooked for a client, yet after each one, I (or they) inevitably ended up in worse shape than before. In fact, the nation emerged from this decade, well, larger. So what’s up? What is really to blame for the escalation in muffin tops and heart attacks?

In 2001 I had the good fortune to study the art of French cooking in Lyon, France. Surrounded as I was by fabulous food, I discovered that French cooking is first and foremost about great ingredients, unprocessed, ‘un messed with’ food (food in it’s real form), and yes, cheese, eggs, and butter, lots of glorious butter! I experienced this French paradox first hand as I ate meals (in

moderation) with wonderful cheeses and sauces loaded with butter...and didn’t gain weight!

After this stint in France, I returned to chef on a mega yacht, sailing the blue waters and catering to an elite high end clientele. Sadly, my new French ways were usurped by the latest diet and health craze requested; macrobiotic, vegan,

23Inspired!

spa cuisine, fat free, the saturated fats where always the villain! And so my cooking school notes gathered dust as I appeased my clients and convinced myself this was the way to go.

Later I entered the health and wellness business, while facing serious health challenges of my own and never feeling like I was quite finding the answer. Last year I enrolled to continue my education in nutrition with the Nutritional Therapy Association, a school grounded in traditional foundations, and discovered that, to my relief, the French way is indeed quite correct!

For years we have been fooled into thinking

that fat is the villain when the issue really lies in a collective problem of damaged and bad fats, compounded by a sugar epidemic. When fat is removed from a food it is usually replaced by some sort of carbohydrate; the typical diet low in fats and high in carbohydrates has a detrimental effect on blood sugar, placing burden on vital organs and leading to inflammation in the body.

It may be hard to believe that with the world wide obesity epidemic the fatty acid deficiency is epidemic. Such a deficiency can lead to allergies, musculoskeletal, endocrine, cardio-vascular and immune issues, and even depression. Most diets are not deficient in

24

fats, just loaded with all the damaged fats and deficient in the healthy fats required for optimum health. So let’s have a quick look at a few of the valuable roles of fats in the body. They:• provide a source of slow burning energy for

the muscles (including the heart!);• help maintain healthy cholesterol levels in

the body (inflammation is the main culprit in heart disease) ;

• are vital to the make up of cell membranes;• are necessary for healthy liver function:

building healthy cholesterol and bile.• are imperative to managing the inflammation

process;• are required for the absorption of fat-soluble

vitamins, A,D,E,K;• help create healthy hormone balance;• make food taste fabulous!

Does this give us license to slather everything in butter then? Not at all! The key here is

moderation and the correct macro nutrient ratio, (taught to us as 40% carbohydrates, including produce; 30% proteins and 30% good, healthy fats). Look carefully at the quality and source of the fats, and beware of the real imposters

Saturated fats (found in sources like animal fats from grass fed beef, and tropical oils like coconut oil), which is wonderful to cook with, especially for high heat cooking, as it is highly stable.

Monounsaturated fats (found in olive oil and oils from almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts and avocados).

Polyunsaturated fats (these are very unstable and go rancid easily, so never use heated), found in sources such as flax, pumpkin and hemp.

For optimal health, a balance of good fats is required. The following are

examples of your good fats:

25Inspired!

fats are very unstable, very necessary to good health in terms of EFA’s (essential fatty acids), but many can not be heated and should not be exposed to light, therefore a great deal of the oils on the supermarket shelf in clear plastic bottles under bright light are already damaged!

The way your grandparents ate on the farm was the ideal way really! Take a feather out

of their cap and begin to avoid all highly processed fats and to acquaint yourself with traditional oils from trusted sources. I came across these photos (left) which pretty much sum up the good fat/bad fat dilemma. On the far left we have margarine, in the

middle, reduced fat margarine and on the right is butter!

If even the flies won’t eat margarine, why should you? You cannot fool mother nature!

such as highly processed vegetable fats, hydrogenated fats and partially hydrogenated fats, which will be in obvious places like fried foods but will also show up in many packaged foods such as cookies and crackers. In short, be sure to read food labels!

With the exception of canola, soy and cottonseed oils, which should all be avoided, the difference

between a good fat and a bad fat is the way they are processed and stored, not in the inherent nature of their source. Living fats and oils are very sensitive to light, heat and oxygen and become rancid very easily. Unsaturated

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Inspired! AUTHORSSandy Griffin

is a professional speaker, coach and author of Free to Be Me! Creating the Dance of Your Life. SandyGriffin.com

Audrey Moralez is a writer, speaker, and coach. She works with professionals wanting to create a purposeful, passionate, and service-driven life.

Carol Green is an optimal wellness educator and well-traveled professional chef whose passion it is to assist and empower individuals to achieve optimal wellness.

Jean Morrissey works as a freelance writer in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She loves writing pieces that are authentic, engaging and informative.

Tim Davis is a speaker, trainer and personal branding coach who assists others in achieving a professional branding edge to set them above the competition.