Please consider joining us in Taos New Mexico for a new approach, new recipes, and a new experience. There Are Limited Spaces Available.

We are inviting you to join us for a very unique detoxification and liver support program. Maybe you just need a check-in and realignment to get back on track with healthy eating and living. Perhaps you take medications, have had bouts of sugar addiction and/or excessive carbohydrate intake, have had limited sun exposure, or have concerns with the effects of alcohol consumption. If you are interested in addressing any of the above, this program is for you. Additionally, there will be special attention paid to some genetic patterns and lifestyles that that can greatly influence our ability to detoxify...everything from stress hormones to the effects of charred or smoked foods.Participants are encouraged to bring their 23andme results if they have them, as John will help them assess their own personal Detox Profile and they will learn what they may need more of for optimal liver detoxification.Why Taos?I discovered the Mabel Dodge Hunan Lodge last November when my friend invited me along on a writing retreat: “The Writing Life with Barbara O’Neil”. It proved to be the perfect setting. I knew we had to bring a group there. It is just magical and the sense of history seeps into your bones. Every room is different and because it is an historic house, there is much character and charm. You can sense the conversation that took place here over the past 120 years. You can cozy up to a fireplace, take a walk into the desert and hang out in a cozy library.The Diet?We will be following a low carb diet, including 3 meals daily. You can choose how you want to approach the week in terms of gaining knowledge of your body and your needs. On Sunday, we will outline your options, so ultimately you will choose. If you wish to be on a supervised ketogenic diet, we can make that happen and teach you how to use a ketogenic meter to monitor your own ketones each day. You will learn about the benefits of intermittent fasting and if this is something you would like to try or would like to adhere to. The offerings will support your choices. All meals with be low carbohydrate and high fat with very good animal protein.During the cooking demonstrations, I will be offering cooking (such as braising, searing and roasting) strategies for you to take back to put to use in your kitchen. I keep it delicious with loads of herbs and spices, yet simple and uncomplicated and show you how you can make this happen in your kitchen every week. Why the Liver?Everyone is interested in detoxification as it is, of course, essential to health. However, there are misconceptions about it that might lead to ineffectiveness. Any approach to supporting or enhancing detoxification should directly support liver function. The liver requires an array of micronutrients that many people are deficient in and which could worsen with prolonged fasts or very limited food selection. Foods rich in carbohydrates, especially fructose, deplete the liver. Are there detoxification programs centered around fruit or fresh squeezed fruit juice? Unfortunately, yes. Additionally, foods rich in polyunsaturated fat place unique metabolic stresses on the liver. Limiting these foods or possibly eliminating them temporarily can also have great benefit.Foods rich in magnesium, choline, the sulfur containing amino acids cysteine and methionine, as well as those that support glutathione production and gall bladder function are most essential. In essence, a true liver and/or detoxification program should include foods that support and should eliminate those foods that provide major challenges. Many individuals use non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs daily for pain management, statins to lower blood lipids, and also live or work in environments that include a variety of toxins, with minimal sunlight exposure. This creates the perfect storm, most notably for the liver. While most people rely on annual physical exams that may or may not include liver enzyme tests, these rarely reflect a suboptimal detoxification capacity for one's liver. Nor do simple liver tests or annual exams reflect fatty liver disease. It is sobering to acknowledge that two thirds of Americans have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).What will I take away?We will be looking at, and cooking, slow burning carbohydrates that are loaded with nutrients and fiber and you will learn about phytonutrients, carotenoids, polyphenols and how these work with your body to keep you healthy. We will be eating and cooking non-starchy vegetables and good sources of animal proteins.You will learn how carbs affect your blood sugar. You will learn how sugar affects you hormones and how it increases inflammation, raises triglycerides and raises blood pressure and lowers hormones…. the list goes on and on..the learning and understanding of how all this works in our bodies creates incentives for us to change our daily habits.You will learn about: reading labels, which foods to avoid and which foods to stock your pantry with for ultimate, go-to quick meals. (You will walk away with a “stock your pantry” shopping list). You will learn about good brands to seek out for your own cupboard.We will cover a few shopping topics like how to buy organic verses conventional foods and a week’s worth of recipes following the Taos retreat, so you have the tools to integrate these meals into your daily life.You will learn about high quality foods and what to eat and how to cook them easily and we will show you how to plan for meals. You will learn what steps you need to take to reduce your risks for disease.Sample of a day and of course- everything is optionalMorning sunrise walkBreakfastLectureCooking Demonstration & LunchLectureAfternoon 2-3 Hours of Free TimeCookingDemonstration & DinnerQuiet Time - Journal Writing or MovieKey ingredients in recipes:Dandelion greensBeetsOlive oilDaikon radishesGoat cheeseLeeksArugulaZucchiniBrussels sproutsAsparagusKaleCollard greensRaspberriesDairy from Cows and Goats A2/A2 yogurt or goat milk---raw or made into kefircheeseBuckwheat groats or non-roasted kashaPumpkin and/or winter squashGrass Fed Beef, Pastured Organic Chicken, Lambs Liver,Pastured Organic EggsCLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION AND PRICING INFORMATION