The Source's weight management program: sensible, healthy and personal

Warwick — January is a new beginning, a clean slate, a chance to look forward instead of back. The resolution made by most adults is to lose weight. Most stick to a diet and exercise program for a short time. The Source of the Healing Arts, an integrative health program started by psychotherapist Barbara Priestner-Werte, has a different idea. The Source’s weight management program combines nutritional counseling, whole foods cooking, and self-hypnosis and guided imagery to create a comprehensive weight management program geared toward a life-long approach to eating. The program started in October, and a new session is slated for mid-January. Participants meet weekly for support and get whole foods cooking instruction on Saturdays. As part of The Source of the Healing Arts Integrative Weight Management program, Cathy A. Vogt, owner of A Natural Chef, teaches the participants what whole foods are and how they are prepared. “We focus on choosing quality ingredients, cooking techniques, making simple-quick meals, shopping tips and more,” said Vogt. Each participant goes home with recipes, samples, information and something new to add to their diet each week. “Little by little we work at creating new, healthier habits,” she said. Vogt has been preparing food for over 20 years and her educational experience includes professional training at The Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Culinary Arts. She is currently continuing her studies at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in Manhattan, to become a certified holistic health counselor. A holistic health counselor is a professional who works with clients in a structured and individualized program helping them to make step-by-step changes in food, diet and lifestyle issues at a pace that is comfortable for the individual. A Natural Chef currently offers many services including whole foods cooking instruction, private and group classes and customized private services. Planning whole food family meals, reducing refined sugar in diets, planning healthy meals that can be made quickly, weekly menu planning for specific dietary needs and other topic’s are covered. A Natural Chef also offers private chef services for those who don’t have time to cook for themselves, yet want delicious, whole, balanced meals. “Food is the fuel that is absorbed into our bodies on a cellular level that creates our blood and in turn nourishes and supports our overall health,” Vogt said. “I believe the majority of our food supply today is of poor quality; grown in nutrient depleted soil with large amounts of carcinogenic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Animal protein, including commercial dairy products, is raised using growth hormones and antibiotics. In order to be healthy, we need to start with foods that are whole and healthy.” Poor quality animal and dairy products, refined and processed foods, sugar and poor quality fats are a major part of many people’s daily diets these days,” added Vogt. “Finding a diet that supports your health is an individual journey. There are many basic components of a balanced diet that need to be considered for good overall health; we are each individuals with specific needs. Finding what works best is often confusing,” Vogt said. As part of new services being provided by A Natural Chef, Vogt will be offering a free initial health history session. During a health history session, participants will spend about an hour going through their health history and goals for their health. Self-hypnosis is another part of the weight management program at The Source. Offered by Peggy Cosimano, R.N., B.S., self-hypnosis is a holistic, natural state of focused concentration and relaxation, a way of relaxing and setting aside the conscious mind, while at the same time activating the subconscious mind. Positive suggestions, guided imagery, in the form of thoughts, feelings, and pictures, can then be offered directly to the subconscious mind, enabling the individual to act on these suggestions with greater ease and efficiency. Self-enrichment, self-management and self-empowerment are natural outcomes. Cosimano says some of the areas where self-hypnosis can initiate change and promote growth in your life are: Increased relaxation, increased focused attention, stress management, improved memory and decreased test anxiety, positive self-esteem, self-confidence, pain management, time management (increased organization, efficiency and decisiveness), increased motivation, management and change of habits such as weight reduction and smoking cessation, insomnia, performance improvement (public speaking, sports), creativity and improved quality of life mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Cosimano taught self-hypnosis classes as part of the initial Integrative Weight Management Program which the Source of The Healing Arts. In the three sessions, participants learned how to hypnotize themselves and how to develop and offer themselves individualized, positive suggestions for positive change. Discussion on how to evaluate their change and to amend their suggestions, as needed, is an ongoing process. Cosimano is planning to offer self-hypnosis classes to The Source’s cancer support groups and other programs that are developing. “Learning self-hypnosis means tapping into your inner sources to maximize your well-being, to be who you want to be, to learn to channel more effectively the inner energy that is already yours more positively, more consistently,” said Cosimano. For more information about programs offered by A Natural Chef, or to schedule a free health history session, call 845-258-0136 or e-mail Vogt at Cathyvny@warwick.net. For information about the Integrative Weight Management program at The Source of the Healing Arts call, 845-986-1977.