Interview of Evita Ochel

Evita Ochel, B.Sc.,B.Ed.,CHN

Title: Holistic Nutritionist

Evita is the author and editor of Evolving Wellness. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in the areas of Biology and Biochemistry, a Bachelor degree in Education and is a certified Holistic Nutritionist.

She has been a secondary school science educator for the past 7 years and is currently a writer, speaker and researcher in the areas of holistic health and wellness, in order to achieve and maintain optimal health.

She also specializes in the anatomy and physiology of the human body, environmental studies and topics that deal with spirituality, self-growth and empowerment to inspire each individual to live out the highest version of who they are.

Website or Blog www.evolvingwellness.com

Below are some of the questions we asked Evita and her answers.

What are your five most important accomplishments in life?

Hmm, great question. You definitely made me pause to really think here, as for several years now I focus on living each day to the fullest. With this approach, I really have detached myself from having one event more important or significant than another. But if I had to narrow 5 things down, up to this point, they would be:

1. Freeing myself by retiring, from a job I loved, at a very early age of barely having turned 30, to pursue even greater passions in my life

2. Marrying the love of my life, who is my best friend, work partner, co-creator and so much more

3. Having 3 prominent web sites, where I get to reach out to people, teach and help others in the areas of health and wellness for the mind, body and spirit

4. Attaining optimal health by refining my dietary lifestyle to reflect natural, wholesome, and organic nutrition

5. Traveling to over 15 countries to explore other cultures, wildlife and climates

When did you get interested in natural, wholesome, balanced and organic nutrition?

My interest in the field of health began when I was only a teen. Only at that point I was more interested in pharmaceuticals and the medical field, not knowing that we are capable of preventing diseases before we are faced with situations where we need to cure them.

As my formal schooling progressed in this field and I became a high school science and health teacher, I really started to internalize what I was teaching to the kids, and began to see the body in a whole new light. All of a sudden it dawned on me that we do not need to get sick, suffer and try to cure ailments.

We can actually prevent them, as our body is amazing at healing itself, or not getting sick in the first place if we give it the right support. This is where my passions for natural, wholesome, balanced and organic nutrition skyrocketed.

I learned and researched and continue to do so to this day, the problems with processed food, a diet based largely on animal products or diets unbalanced and deficient in nutrients.

What are some of the benefits of being vegan over vegetarian?

As I learned and researched various foods and nutrients, I adopted a vegetarian diet with no meat. The more I learned however, the more my food choices changed to the point where today I have adopted a vegan diet and believe this to be the healthiest option, if approached from a natural and non-processed perspective. Some of the benefits of being vegan over vegetarian include:

- An increased consumption of fruits and vegetables (the most nutrient dense foods) as we eliminate things like eggs and dairy

- A decreased or completely eliminated consumption of saturated and trans fats, thus more beneficial for preventing weight gain and heart disease

- A completely eliminated intake of cholesterol (as it is only found in animal products), thus more beneficial for people with cholesterol problems

- Decreased intake of toxins and chemicals, which accumulate and are found in the bodies of animals, and thus their products, such as mercury in fish or pesticides in milk and beef

- Decreased problems with iron absorption, as dairy actually inhibits iron absorption

- A more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to go, as one does not rely on any animal farms, which we know today are the biggest sources of pollution and greenhouse gases

- A more animal-friendly way to go, as millions of chickens and cattle still suffer each day for conventional eggs and dairy products

Any products or services you would like to share?

There are no products that I have for people to buy. My sole goal is to provide knowledge to people and empower them to take accountability for their health, by taking it more into their own hands.

Each one of us can do this mainly with our habits, such as the foods we eat, the exercise we do, the amount of sleep and water we get, and the general positive state of our mind.

In the future I hope to publish several books to bring all this information in one, neat package, but for now the information I share can be obtained for free from my web site EvolvingWellness.com, where I can also be contacted for personal nutritional consulting services.

Name five activities one can do at home to better their lifestyle?

1. Revamp your fridge and cupboards. Stock only items that are of high nutrient dense quality. This way should hunger or a craving call, you only have healthy options from which to choose.

2. Get a high quality water filter. Water makes up most of your body, and yet each day most of us drink water that is in many ways unfit for our consumption as it contains toxins, chemicals, pharmaceutical remains, and even heavy metals.

3. Open your windows on a regular basis and toss all air fresheners. Indoor air makes a huge difference in the quality of our health and should be turned over regularly, not masked with toxic products that irritate the airways.

4. Reduce and change personal care products. Many untested chemicals are found in everyday products, like our shampoos, deodorants and toothpaste. Often we don't need as much as we use, and anything we put on our skin has the potential to be absorbed, where it can further weaken our system inside, including create more unnecessary detox work for the liver.

5. Do house chores, gardening, etc. While we should all have some kind of a daily exercise routine, something as simple as doing daily tasks around the house, can stimulate a healthier state of being. On days where there is not much to do, simply go for a 30 minute walk.

Any tips you can share about healthy weight loss?

The biggest thing to achieve healthy weight loss is to stay away from all diet products. These are highly processed foods, which do not create a healthy balance in the body, for the body to feel comfortable to release extra weight. Any weight lost is normally forced, and hence comes right back when we get off of the products.

Losing weight in a healthy manner takes time and is always possible with healthy food choices and an exercise program. This is the first thing people must realize. There are a lot of toxins stored in fat, which the body is not going to give up easily until we prove that there can be an appropriate environment for them to exit the body quickly, such as daily bowel movements and sweating.

This is why I recommend for anyone who is serious about losing weight the healthy way to try an all natural, plant-based lifestyle for only 1 month and be amazed at the results. This is even if they didn't start an exercise program yet. Stay with these habits until the required weight has come off.

One does not need to stay with such lifestyle, but needs to seriously refine their old bad habits, if they don't want the weight to come back. What I have found though, is once people see how good they feel everyday with this lifestyle, they don't want to go back to their old ways.

What is Ayurveda and how can it help?

Ayurveda is a way of life, that stems from ancient Indian traditions, and incorporates a holistic view of health and healing. It is a system of knowledge that addresses the body, mind and spirit, to empower the individual to live a more balanced and happy life.

Ayurveda can also be seen as an ancient science – that is still applicable wholly to this day, where the state of a being is not just deciphered through anatomical means and observations, but one which has a component of “feeling” from within to it.

Ayurveda can help as it brings us closer to the natural balance of nature, as well as our internal world. Ayurveda recognizes and respects certain relationships, whether it be between different foods, weather patterns, physical symptoms and more.

It allows us to have a greater understanding and appreciation of our internal as well as external balances, which are needed for optimal health.

Are there any other areas of health that one should look into if interested in weight loss or even just optimal health?

Yes. Perhaps the most overlooked and still highly unfamiliar area to many, including traditional doctors is the whole field of the acid-alkaline balance within the body. We know today that our body prefers a slightly alkaline state. Blood, which is the major transport system and high indicator of our health has a pH of about 7.35 – 7.45.

When we have an acidic lifestyle, such as regular processed or fast food, regular alcohol, extreme physical activity or stress, our body becomes acidic. This in its truest sense cannot happen though, or we would actually die, so the body does everything it can to maintain the blood at an alkaline pH. This normally involves the removal of many minerals such as calcium to buffer the acidic state, and placement of acidic toxins in body fat.

We know today that a naturally alkaline state is optimal for our health, where as an acidic state is one where the body is prone to weight gain, difficult weight loss and all sorts of diseases, including cancers and infections. Just by managing that, one can experience drastic weight loss and an overall good feeling of health and vitality.

How long has your website been online?

EvolvingWellness.com has been online since March 2008.