We at Faces of Astarte are excited to join in on Aubrey promotions so you can get their great products at even more reasonable rates, known as a value product, Aubrey Organics commitment is to the consumer offering the highest quality most efficacious products at an affordable price.January 2012 Aubrey Promotion is their Rosa Mosqueta Skin Care line at 20% off!!

Aubrey Hampton: HiStory of Rosa Mosqueta Oil

Aubrey Hampton founder and formulator of Aubrey Organics was the first to use organic rose hips seed oil (Rosa Mosqueta oil) the purest of it’s kind grown in the southern slopes of the high Andres Mts in Chile, in a pollution free environment  in his personal care products some 26 years ago.

Today many companies tout using rose hip seed oil, still Aubrey was the forerunner and single handedly changed the economy of Chile from drug running into the worlds biggest producer of organic rose hip seed oil.

Benefits of Rosa Mosqueta Oil

Aubrey choose to use Rosa Mosqueta oil in his formulations because it is very rich in essential fatty acids (linolleic & linolenic) so important for healthy youthful skin and therefore a powerful anti aging treatment.

Rosa Mosqueta protects and supports skin’s collagen with Vitamin C and powerful antioxidants

Rosa Mosqueta restores skin’s moisture balance and improves texture and elasticity

Due to it’s amazing cell regenerating qualities it is used for severe burn scars, acne scars, surgical scars and various skin conditions.

Topical application is not advised for live acne,though internal supplementation has improved skin conditions. Scars left by acne will benefit from direct application of the oil when acne has become inactive.

Extremely effective at stopping and often reversing skin sun damage from the sun, also helps hyperpigmentation.

Usually applied topically to the skin as an oil it is also taken in capsule form; an awesome combination!!

For research data check out this site

About Aubrey Organics

TESTED ONLY BY WILLING HUMANS NEVER ON ANIMALS

Stop in and get your Rosa Mosqueta from Faces of Astarte at Expressions Eco Salon for All Ethnicties today!

Beauty & Blessings ~ Naturally!

By Christine Shahin

This is a season of parties and giving – no one wants to be a scrooge even in the midst of a recession, which can put us into trouble if we get caught up in appearances.

What can we gift ourselves and others that truly reflect our values of caring for each other, our planet and economy.

This time of year we are inundated with messages of looking fabulous for the parties – and that’s “all good”, as a business owner of an eco-salon this enables me to provide the services and products clients seek in a natural healthy option and supports me to do what I love doing – deep gratitude to you again.

What ever the Holydays we “celebrate” we are reminded to care for our less fortunate, a most important contribution for which we have many more this year than in other times; with our own budgets stretched, we will purchase inexpensive items because “it’s the thought that counts”.

Consider that “inexpensive” can actually cost more in other regards, displacing true product cost and value. Take for example the super frilly packages of smelly cosmetics made from cheap petrochemicals, they contribute to water and air pollution which returns to us in compromised health as well as topical exposure to toxins; often if there isn’t respect for the environment there isn’t respect for fair labor practices and so our poverty mentality is reinforced.

We have entered the Season of Reflection on many levels:

• Winter Season the time of year of shorter days with longer nights, we are inclined to spend more time in doors; a good time for more internal/introverted probing…what needs change and how to?

• Big Box Sales Season enticing us to spend – think smaller. I was in a local small business the other day and heard the woman owner say to a shopper – “anything you would like I will discount for you!” The shopper was surprised and the owner responded “It’s the holidays, that’s what it’s about”…

• This Season of Recession also heeds us to change what is no longer working…
  • Gifting natural non-toxic organic items extends beyond the gift to include benefits to friends, family, community and planet at large.
  • Gift Wellness, give spa/salon services that rejuvenate body, mind and spirit.
  • Gift yourself and community a Local Living Economy, shop local

Featured  Herb:

Mistletoe the white flowering herb hanging in the center of doorways encouraging kisses annually actually is respected across cultures and religions for medicinal and spiritual qualities. Mistletoe is an evergreen  parasitic plant that grows on braches of trees.

Christian folklore holds that Mistletoe was once a tree whose wood was used to create the Cross of Christ; ashamed the tree shriveled and changed into a plant that bestows good on all who pass under it.

There are very hopeful and exciting studies currently being conducted on Mistletoe in the area of immune therapy. Mistletoe therapeutic attributes include:

• Normalize Blood Pressure
• Normalize Circulation
• Improve Nervous System & Endocrine System Performance
• Reduce Chronic Fatigue Symptoms
• Regulate Metabolism
• Reduce Menopausal Problems
• Reduction of Stress

As printed in the Utica Phoenix December 2011

Beautiful You ~ Naturally is a monthly column for the Utica Phoenix focusing on natural beauty options from Garden Concoctions to Salon Industry Products sprinkled with updates on legislation pertaining to personal care  products written by Christine Shahin, Licensed Cosmetologist, owner of Faces of Astarte & collaborator of Expressions Eco Salon for All Ethnicities IN Little Falls NY, Christine@FacesofAstarte.com

By Christine Shahin

Looking at the ingredient list of your favorite fragrance is a list of unpronounceable words. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 14 secret ingredients not listed on labels, called trade secrets, created mostly from synthetic chemicals; it is legal for trade secrets to be exempt from labeling.

The word fragrance usually denotes a chemical combination, anywhere between 30 to 300 different chemicals to create a scent that encourages you to purchase a product again and again. Fragrances are a common ingredient in household and personal-care product

Fragrances may seem harmless; some of there less troublesome issues are eye, nose and throat irritants while their more detrimental effects are linked to damage of liver, kidney, thyroid, immune and reproductive systems.

Almost all fragrances are stabilized with phthalates: plasticizers and fragrance carriers that are banned in children’s toys, but still used in a wide array of consumer products, especially those containing PVC (polyvinyl chloride yes in household cleaners and personal care products!)
Phthalates are commonly found in nail polishes, in hair sprays for their ability to make these products flexible; they are also in the vast majority of fragrances, to stabilize, or “fix” perfumes making their scent last longer.

Children are especially vulnerable to phthalates; a developing baby is extremely defenseless to the effects of toxic chemicals as they develop so quickly in mother’s womb, and that growth is easily influenced by toxic chemicals. Unlike adults, babies have a very limited ability to rid their bodies of foreign toxins.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that higher prenatal exposures to phthalates significantly increased the odds of motor and behavioral developmental delay during the preschool years. The Center for Health Environment and Justice summarizes the mounting evidence against phthalates in “This is Your Brain on PVC.” The facts on trends in learning disabilities are startling:

• Learning and developmental disabilities appears to be rising, affecting about one in six children in the U.S.

• Children in special education programs classified with learning disabilities increased 191 percent from 1977 to 1994.

• Reported cases of autism spectrum disorder have increased tenfold since the early 1990s, now one in a hundred American children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorder in the United States. Evidence indicates prevalence may be as high as 17% for all school children.

• There has been a six-fold increase in ADHD between the years 1985 (0.7 million cases) and 2000 (4-5 million cases) in the U.S.

Many detractors say these numbers are inflated, that we are better today at identifying these problems in children, which may be true in part, but the numbers are alarming and too staggering to dismiss.

There is Good News since phthalates don’t accumulate in our bodies; when the source of exposure is removed, levels decrease quickly.

Make a difference for you and your family; read labels and skip products with “fragrance” and phthalates. When purchasing items such as shower curtains, food wrap, flooring, made with PVC plastic (vinyl) remember the communities and workplaces where these products are manufactured bear the biggest toxic body burden and see if you can use something else.

As printed in the Utica Phoenix Nov. 2011

Beautiful You ~ Naturally is a monthly column for the Utica Phoenix focusing on natural beauty options from Garden Concoctions to Salon Industry Products sprinkled with updates on legislation pertaining to personal care  products written by Christine Shahin, Licensed Cosmetologist, owner of Faces of Astarte & collaborator of Expressions Eco Salon for All Ethnicities IN Little Falls NY, Christine@FacesofAstarte.com

Skin Smart Summer

Western cultures are borderline irrational about the slightest exposure of unprotected skin to sunshine due to the reputation between skin cancer and exposure to sun. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently advises that ultraviolet light, therefore sunlight, is so hazardous we should “protect ourselves against ultraviolet light whenever we can see our shadow”.

Still, sun exposure is crucial for being healthy and basic to our body’s ability to make vitamin D. Partly because of current recommendations, we are witnessing vitamin D levels decline and related health problems increase.

Evidence is strong that vitamin D protects against osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, bone fractures  (vitamin D strengthens muscles which improve balance & movement thereby preventing falls), cancer, hypertension, metabolic functions, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and vulnerability to infections. Mice bred for susceptibility to multiple sclerosis have been completely protected against development of this disease when given high doses of vitamin D.

Darker complexions need more exposure to sunshine – up to 45 mins of uninterrupted sunshine daily. Living more indoors combined with living in CNY …that can be a challenge so supplementation is usually recommended.

Even so heeding EPA’s advisory to “protect ourselves against ultraviolet light whenever we can see our shadow”, we spread copious amounts of products claiming to do just that – protect us from the sun, but many contain ingredients called absorption enhancers which allow for greater assimilation and when combined with sunshine actually make us more sensitive to the sun increasing our exposure and contributing to skin cancer!!

Here are a handful of points to remember concerning Sunscreens:

Choose sunscreens with zinc and titanium; the right choice for children or people with sensitive skin and those who want the best UVA protection without possible hormone-disrupting chemicals like oxybenzone or vitamin A, which may be carcinogenic on sun-exposed skin. Do not choose sprays or loose powders, so they don’t pose inhalation dangers.

Avoid vitamin A-laden sunscreen products most use a form of vitamin A, called retinyl palmitate; recent scientific research done by the federal Food and Drug Administration indicates the chemical may be photocarcinogenic – that it may heighten skin cancer risk when used on sun-exposed skin.

You may assume that an SPF 30 sunscreen offers double the protection of an SPF 15, actually the difference is slight, SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of rays, while SPF 30 blocks 97 percent.

Ratings above SPF 30 don’t offer more UV protection, they let the same 3 percent of UV rays through as an SPF 30 sunscreen.

SPF 30 offers adequate protection when extended sun exposure is expected and SPF 15 is suitable for everyday use.

Studies show that high-SPFs greater than 50+ give users a false sense of security exposing users to as much or more ultraviolet rays than people who use lower SPF products.

Still no federal sunscreen rules; the FDA stated its intention to regulate sunscreens over 20 years ago in 1978. While the policies are still in bureaucratic limbo, many sunscreen makers sell products that overstate sun protection and underperform in the real world so in the meanwhile select products with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide which are natural sunscreen ingredients, each of which is a key protective ingredient.

Note the terms “waterproof” and “sweat-proof” on sunscreen products more accurately means water- and sweat-resistant, they DO need to be reapplied after exercise or contact with water. “Sunblock” is not a completely accurate term as NO product can block all harmful rays.

Some sunscreen products display logos from the American Cancer Society (ACS). This does not indicate that the ACS has tested or endorses the sunscreen — the companies pay a royalty fee for the right to display the logo.

Be smart in the sun – enough to lightly brown but not enough to turn red or burn. The best sunscreen is a hat and a shirt or cotton gauze tops/pants as well as shade. No chemicals to absorb through the skin, no questions about whether they work and you get to create your own style!

** If you should burn sooth with equal parts water and apple cider vinegar in a spritz bottle – spray on hot skin and let dry for relief

As printed in Utica Phoenix Summer 2011

Beautiful You ~ Naturally is a monthly column for the Utica Phoenix focusing on natural beauty options from Garden Concoctions to Salon Industry Products sprinkled with updates on legislation pertaining to personal care  products written by Christine Shahin, Licensed Cosmetologist, owner of Faces of Astarte & collaborator of Expressions Eco Salon for All Ethnicities. Christine@FacesofAstarte.com

Every one of us is a Natural Beauty in all of our diversity of ages, shape, ethnicity, and cultures. When we no longer look to change what we are, but embrace the beauty we have each been given, then we shift what is important from the temporary to the permanent.

One of my most favorite quotes about beauty is from the Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran, “Beauty is not of the Face, Beauty is a Light in the Heart.” Who is not touched by someone’s love, joy, enthusiasm, inspiration, etc., despite outer appearances?

Being a Natural Beauty does not mean that we can never enjoy wearing makeup, coloring our hair, or a variety of other enhancements: Self Care, also known as “Pleasure Healing” (a wonderful book by Mary Beth Janssen), is an important method of nurturing ourselves and others.

Still, seeking perfection solely through such actions, which produces variant results, has us constantly measuring ourselves and constantly wanting.

The purpose of makeup or clothes or hair, etc., is to add radiance to the world in the form of beauty and enjoyment; the meaning comes from how we use them to contribute to ourselves and others. Hair, makeup, or other personal style is the same as any other art form, and can nurture body, mind, and spirit when used as such.

List all your beautiful qualities: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Should you find something needing more care, honor it with simple first steps.

Often we get caught up in what others hold as a beauty standard, be they loved ones, or current societal trends, which can be hurtful if we are not confident enough to know what works for us, or recognize how to enjoy these standards without getting caught up in them.

I once had a woman upset with a cut another stylist had given her; she wanted something that was going to make her feel good about herself, as she should. Still, after conversing with her I realized that what she was really looking for was the cut to make her happy, rather than being happy and enjoying a good cut.

I told her so, and said that I didn’t want to cut her hair because she was seeking for something where it could not be found. She said she wanted it anyway…obviously I gave her lots of love and attention as well as a beautiful cut; she remained unhappy and must have gone to another stylist with the same story.

Cosmetologists, stylists, cosmeticians- what ever you call us, or we call ourselves- are human; we have good days and not so good days. We each have areas where we excel and others where we get by. I tell my friends and clients to have a backup because there may be days I am not available, or perhaps you like the way someone cuts but prefer how I color, or visa versa; as professionals we should understand.

Still we are not able to fill your emptiness with our talents, unless you accept we are fallible, willing to allow us to learn who you are, what you like, make some mistakes, practice forgiveness, and grow together.
You work on you, I will work on me, together we work on us, nurturing each other, create beauty in community and the greater good.

As printed in the Uitca Phoenix June 10, 2011

Many years ago there was a saying “Sh*t Happens” some of you may remember it. People said it frequently for everything and anything that seemed to at random get in the way, “not be right”, set us back. Then we evolved to “Shift Happens” which originally meant when we shift our perspective our perspective shifts so what seemed a random setback revealed a perfect opportunity or transformation. (recently “shift happens” is coming to mean globalization and or alien revelation)

More and more we are called to “see” beyond the obvious. Illness a time to recreate health and relations, grieving ~ a portal of renewal, stress an opportunity for surrender and allowing…

My daughter preparing to return to her place in the world, received a text to which she asserted “our world is falling apart” when I asked her what had happened she said “you know about the birds falling out of the sky, fish dying by the millions.” I felt so devoid of any wisdom. Mama’s usually can share something to comfort and redirect right? Inaction is a form of action knowing when to use each is vital, and after 2 decades of front line activism, now creator of an eco-salon where the “action” happens via services and sales, my daughter’s eyes made me pause and question my place in The Plan. Is what I am doing daily enough in a world of wiki leaks, occupations, wars, and too much more? Remembering that War is Over if we WANT it… then action is SHIFTING from something to something else and in this hologram I have yet to discover it but realize this… there is a fine line between putting our attention elsewhere and turning away from being the solution….still, we are HERE NOW a most amazing witness time… and a time for action in many ways inside and out.

Drawing strength from all of you and hoping to give strength back
May we always find
Beauty & Blessings in everything

While Blase and I have decades of experience as cosmetologists and we each have had a previous salon, we both have niches that are not main stream. Blase’s expertise is ethnic/cultural services: weaves, locks, extensions and more; my passion is all salon services & treatments as natural, and even organic, as we can get, including colors, perms, relaxers, facials etc.

Some of the products we offer are very revolutionary so require special attention to application details. Even though we have decades of experience, we are still learning as well because the products we offer are so cutting edge they work differently that what we are used to.

We have heard other salons tell their clients that these products do not work…the reality is these products do not work the same as products they are used to working with; there are more steps, still the results are awesome! No burning scalps and hair is healthier!

In our learning curve we have  experienced a snag with color fading; but those wanting natural or more natural color treatments have been willing to try again (at our expense) while we have learned what it takes to ensure staying power of colors and even making them last longer than more chemical colors!

The other exciting coloring options we are working with are PURE MEHINDI HENNA, Indigo and other plant pigments for hair. These have a long lineage in cultural traditions and are more mud pack/ clay consistencies.

With these pigments the longer the pigment is on the hair, the better the color result. Many women LOVE this option! For local women we apply the pigment, wrap their hair and send them home for however many hours they want to “process” (while they do computer work, art work, house work etc) and then they come back for their wash and style. For those who are not local, they relax, read, do computer work (we are wireless!) enjoy tea & snacks or other salon services.

The thing about working with the various types of natural pigments is to know which pigments to use on whom!

• Are you coloring for fun or covering gray?
• Are you just starting to turn gray and have never colored before?
• Have you been using salon/ over the counter permanent colors and have significant gray and regrowth?

All of these particulars must be taken into consideration to place you in the right natural pigment products for YOU.

Regular salons and cosmetologists will not have the understanding of these needs or the various different types of natural pigment lines and offerings to fit you in the right one for you.

They also may not have taken the time to learn what additional steps need to be done with the hybrid permanent natural colors or they may feel the steps are prohibitive and can’t take the extra time, hence they believe the products won’t work at all.

At Expressions, this is our forte, this is our priority, to enable you to achieve what you want as naturally as you want it, some real natural, others maybe less toxic. This is our pledge to you – to be the best wisdom keepers of which natural products and services you want, and place you in what will work for YOU.

With patience and dedication we will achieve this together.

Expressions: For the many ways YOU are

410 Canal Place, Suite 202, Little Falls, NY 13365

Christine: 315.868.7960     Blase 315. 219.2828

It has been only eight months since I moved into the first floor of the Stone Mill; shortly after I arrived I bought a shampoo bowl and hired Betty Ann to Feng Shui the best place for it to be, the result was amazing. A lot of effort went into the move, then to reposition into the Feng Shui design was like another move, still it was SO WORTH IT!

Loved the location and so did clients and friends. I was in the same building as Spa at Stone Mill where I provide Aroma Therapy Acupressure Facial Massages, and Herbal foot soaks. The Florentina Salon down the hall from the Spa was Terry’s, a most wonderfully talented stylist colorist and human being.

After many years Terry came to a place of marching fourth. His heart is so big, none of us wanted to believe that he would go, though we all wanted his happiness. He visited family and upon his return announced his plans to relocate – still we all held our breath thinking that it may have been a mood that would pass, but it wasn’t, he actually moved 3 weeks earlier than projected.

Terry touched people deeply- he gave much and reaped much. Our daily chats were about to come to an end, his smile and walking art works would soon be missed, there would be an empty salon…

Did I have the stamina to move AGAIN? Chris Connolly owner of the first floor and Ole Sal’s Cafe & Creamery worked so hard to install the Euopean shampoo sink! I just got everything perfect. Was the Feng Shui moving me upstairs? The negative self talk went on and on.

It was one of the hardest betwix places to be. My colleague Blase, a Caribbean native, and I had been visioning adding ethnic hair services in my shop launching it during Little Falls annual Garlic & Herb Festival and now the salon was becoming available.

Not wanting to let Terry go, but if he was really leaving, it felt like Providence opened a door that should at least be explored. Terry and I had the heart to heart conversation; Blase & I found ourselves quickly purchasing items Terry was not able to take, then the keys were in our hands. Was I happy? Yes! Was I sad? Yes! The embodiment of what appears to be contradicting emotions is a peak state of awareness.

All I could do was sit with “it”…sit with the reality that my friend was leaving, and in his going, a gift of a dream fulfilled. His presence is in his absence because now, even though it looks very different, I am daily in his space, surrounded by his beautiful plants, and his clients finding me when seeking him.

Left: Florentina Salon Right: Expressions

Deep GRATITUDE to husband Steven Wood who hauled, painted, sawed, hammered, made manifest the vision (Yes we had Betty Ann Feng Shui us again and again it is AMAZING!)

Garlic & Herb Festival Grand Opening of Expressions Eco Salon for All Ethnicities was a full house complete with a ribbon cutting with Mayor, Alderwoman, friends, family and new faces.

David Taylor (Stone Mil) Mayor Peters, Blase, Me, Robin Prinzhorn (CARE) Kim Kelley Alderwoman

As colleague Mary Gressler LMT said “You have to walk through the opened door or you will always wonder”.  Are we the Riding a Wave of self determination (manifesting our dreams) or are we floating twigs in a river whose current is too strong for us to do anything else (a door opened we walked through)? I would like to think the former although it feels much more like the latter; either way there is DEEP GRATITUDE for the wave or the river, for bitter sweet partings and beginnings, for Providence and for the profound expereince of how acutely interconnected everyone and everything is.

Come experience Expressions

“It” not only happens to be a life journey but “me” too so I am calling this time in my experience Me-volution. Sometimes I wonder if I really know me, even when I think I do!

I have been “doing” and creating without really understanding why. It’s as if the thought moves into the deed and while I am “doing” I keep thinking “do I really want this?” Do you have this ever happen to you or is this my personal malady?

It’s not that I am not loving creating and the creation – I do! It’s just so interesting how “things” are turning in ways I would have thought a year ago “not interested” or 2 years ago “crazy” but now is a reality!

I bought and, my great landlord Chris, installed a salon sink in my newly Feng Shui’d shop. Now the Feng Shui part I have always wanted to do – thought it would be the house.

I have read some books and thought of taking classes but when the sink wanted to come into my shop – and that’s how this feels, I definitely did not want to place  it in a wrong location … that’s when I called Betty Ann. She lives in Little Falls and is a professional Feng Shui consultant/designer and YES I am amazed and thrilled with the results!

But this is about THE SINK and the puzzel it is to me! Years ago I had a full service salon but I never saw retuning to it – I enjoy the educational/consulting part of my mission; but there are not many non-toxic natural hair coloring cosmetologists and I was moved to install a sink and provide this much needed service.

Sink is installed!

My first reunion with the shampoo bowl was actually for a wash and style for a mom and grandmom of a groom. My God/dess the stress around “did I do what they expected”, “were they on time”, “am I their crazy experience”  was enough to make me rip the sink out!!

This self beating after services  was one of the reasons, aside from kids hanging from the salon rafters, that i decided to let go my original salon! I carried that stress … and let it go… repeatedly  through out the whole weekend (Sat-Tuesday) Picking it up – dropping it – pick it up – drop it…

I kept wondering do other cosmetologists go through this or is this just my personal negative self talk? When I returned to the shop on Wednesday – there was a small hand written thank you note that helped the bees (they were not butterflies!) in my stomach to sleep.

Here’s to doing and creating and not knowing why! Just because the journey must include a sink?! Onward with Me-volution!

Food by Patricia & Melting Pot Caterer

It’s true, an Open House is about serving others but a healthy dose of Self-love is always in order. I choose food for others that I can share in, because I WILL cheat (“special occasion” ~to hurt myself!). I feel it when I cheat; I am really just cheating myself of the liberation that comes from feeling healthy, energized and vital when I consume positive choices.

We  “know” the dangers of sugar but moving away from it can be as challenging to the average person as quitting alcohol is for an alcoholic. The average American, including children, eats almost 2 lbs of sugar a week!

John Robbins book Healthy at 100, reveals that our children are not outliving us due to their food and lifestyles we as parents have given them.

As a Holistic Beauty Practitioner it is ALL ABOUT YOU, but you could not receive knowledge that is not lived. A favorite story of mine is about a mother who took her child to the guru asking the guru to tell the child to stop eating sugar, since “it’s not good for him” The guru responded, “Come Back in two weeks”; when they returned the guru said “Stop eating so much sugar it’s not good for you” The shocked mother quipped “We had to come back in two weeks for you to tell him this?” to which the Guru smiled and stated “I had to quit first”. There are some mentors who merely tell the knowledge but do not live it.

We can “feel better” ease the emotional pain of living… or we can experience Total Transformation. Kat James’ book The Truth About Beauty has the tricks on how to break the sugar addiction with success – I tried 3 or 4 times always relapsing until I read her book and incorporated her “food upgrades” it has been 4 years now that I am sugar free and free of cravings for it!!!

Counselors mentor us to SURROUND ourselves with people and places that are “good” for us; the same goes for food. Deepak Chopra said to eat “real food” defining it as “having no label”.

There is more than enough scientific research concerning effects of sugar on our body ecology from simple inflammation to severe diseases. As for my not wanting to offer meat – that is more of a personal option and while I have been a vegetarian over 20 years with a “moral” perspective that ending violence begins on my plate, I am aware that ALL life forms, including veges and fungi etc. are consciousness; my main reason for not offering meat is due to cost since grassfed hormone free meats are more costly, plus skipping meat on occassion is ok! I splurge on other very yummy options. By focusing on ME and MY health for MY events – all the foods YOU will consume will be DELICIOUS, DECADENT AND HEALTHY FOR YOU TOO!!

It’s ALL ABOUT ME and it should be ALL ABOUT YOU too!