THE BODY PATISSERIE IS GOING PLACES!!!

Thank you to all who have supported us! We've enjoyed bringing you amazing products in fabulous scents! However, we have decided to make some changes...

We will be temporarily closing down our site until July, 2010 as we move our headquarters to Henderson, Nevada!

Please stay tuned to see our fabulous new site with wonderful products that will not only appeal to pastry lovers... but to ALL!

Once again... Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you in July! In the interim, look for upcoming new posts on A Sweet Existence.

With Sweet Goodness,

Shermaine

Has Happiness become the Myth of the 21st Century?

A Sweet Existence means more than simply what we put into our bodies. I mean that's great, we should all eat healthier for our physical wellbeing, but what about our mental and emotional wellbeing?

I decided to make this particular post my last for 2009 because I wanted it to be one which we could think about as we enter the new year.

I read a survey last night that 70% of Americans are UNHAPPY with their jobs. 70%? That's an astounding number! And it made me think to my own upbringing. I don't know about you but I was told -- you get a good job, have great place to live, drive a great car. I can remember throwing out certain things that I wanted to be when I grew up only to be told... that's not going to make you any money. I would answer, but it's what makes me happy; only to receive the reply "Happiness has nothing to do with it -- making money is the way to go". How many of you have been told the same thing? But why does happiness have nothing to do with it? Could this be the reason that pharmaceutical companies are making trillions of dollars each year from the sale of Xanax, Cymbalta and the like? Because happiness has nothing to do with it?

I'm sorry to tell you... Happiness has EVERYTHING to do with it. I am a big biography person.. Particularly biographies about super successful people. And they all stated... Do what you love! If you do what you love to do, you will do it well. When you do it well, the money will come. The sad part about this is we have been so programmed to believe that money and happiness are synonymous, that we are so busy chasing the money doing something that we hate and wonder why we are not getting where we want to be. Why is my blood pressure out of control? Why am I 100 pounds overweight? Why am I underweight? Why am I depressed?

We have thrown happiness by the waistside so much, till we don't even know what we LOVE to do anymore! We don't dream anymore... We walk around in a perpetual state of unconscious routine. We are in Auto-Pilot. We've become drones..

What are we teaching our children? Are we raising the next generation of anti-depressant users because we are going to teach them that happiness doesn't matter? Now I'm not saying teach them to be lazy. But while we are preaching hard work, maybe we can throw happiness in that talk somewhere.

I realize that we all have responsibilities. Children to put through school and many bills to pay. But I'd like for you to do something as we go into the start of a new year... DREAM! I want you to ask yourself, if I could do anything in the world, what would that be? Then think of others that are successful doing that very thing. Why can't that be you? Trust me, it's not a waste of time (I've been told that one too). Every success begins with a thought (I wrote about thinking earlier this year).

We spend the majority of our day on our "job". That's way too much time to be unhappy.

Make a committment to yourself to strive for happiness. Don't worry about what others will say about your dream. Don't listen to those who say you can't do that because you're the wrong color, or wrong gender, or wrong weight. Those people are unhappy and want you stay in that dark place with them.

Happiness can be real.. Not a myth like Big Foot or the Lockness Monster.

Be blessed this holiday season and thank you for taking time to read my posts! See you next year!

With Sweet Goodness,

Shermaine

CYBER MONDAY SALE!!

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Happy Holidays!

With Sweet Goodness,

Shermaine

HAPPY HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH THE BODY PATISSERIE!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

We all need to watch our pennies during this holiday season -- which is why we are offering 25% off your ENTIRE ORDER until December 1st. There is NO MINIMUM ORDER REQUIRED!

What a great way to treat yourself or someone special to skincare that is both pampering for your skin and scrumptiously scented!!! So click here to start shopping!
Apply Coupon Code HOLIDAY1 at checkout!!

Cod Liver Oil --- Tastes Bad, But Is Really Good.

Hey Everyone,

I can remember the very unpleasant childhood memory of a daily dose of a teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil. My mother would call me into the kitchen or bathroom with that spoonful of yucky stuff. It was horrible tasting and sometimes even made me gag! My mom even tried to get the oil in different flavors like Mint or Cherry. And what did it do to the taste? NOTHING! It tasted like Mint flavored yuckiness!! Anyway, she gave it to me in attempt to keep me cold free during the winter months and to keep my skin clear and hair healthy year long. You know what? It worked! Let's see why...

Cod Liver Oil has high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, and very high levels of vitamin A and vitamin D (remember my post on Vitamin D deficiency??). It is widely taken to ease the symptoms of arthritis as well as other health benefits. but has also been clinically proven to have a positive effect on heart, bone, and brain as well as helping to nourish skin, hair, and nails.

Cod liver oil is effective in treatment of household burns because of its high vitamin content, often leaving no burn-related blister.

Use of cod liver oil during pregnancy is associated with lower risk of Type I diabetes in the offspring.* This effect was found only in mothers taking cod liver oil, not in mothers taking multivitamin supplements. Cod liver oil taken by nursing mothers improves the breast milk by increasing the amount of fatty acids, which promotes brain development, and the amount of vitamin A, which helps prevent infections. However, pregnant women should always check with their doctors regarding the safe amount of Cod Liver Oil to take and should never take more than is recommended as excessive amounts of Vitamin A can be very detremental to the health of the child.

So you see... Even though it tastes really bad, Cod Liver Oil is beneficial to our health in so many ways. Although you can take this supplement in pill form, it works best when you take the oil directly. You can find it anywhere from the GNC to Walmart.

So.. hold your nose and grin and bear it (and have a lot of orange juice to wash it down with). You will see that in this case, the good definitely outweighs the bad! Protect your body, protect your skin!

With Sweet Goodness,

Shermaine

*Stene LC, Ulriksen J, Magnus P, et al. Use of cod liver oil during pregnancy associated with lower risk of Type I diabetes in the offspring. 2000. Diabetologia 43:1093-1098. DOI: 10.1007/s001250051499 PMID 11043854 full-text (free)

Spirulina -- What's That?

Hey Everyone!

I take Organic Spirulina every day. I do so because I have a tendency to run B Vitamin deficient and anemic. So this morning as I took my pill, I thought this would be a perfect topic for my blog as I told you I would be concentrating on strengthening the immune system so hopefully we don't have to ingest so many medicines this winter.

So here we go! Spirulina is a cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae). Cyanobacteria are found in almost every conceivable environment, from oceans to fresh water to bare rock to soil. Aquatic cyanobacteria are probably best known for the extensive and highly visible blooms that can form in both freshwater and the marine environment and can have the appearance of blue-green paint or scum. Scum? Sounds appetizing, right? Keep reading... Spirulina is cultivated around the world, and is used as a human dietary supplement as well as a whole food and is available in tablet, flake, and powder form.

Spirulina contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55% and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source. It is a complete protein containing all essential amino acids, when compared to the proteins of meat, eggs, and milk. It is, however, superior to typical plant protein, such as that from legumes.

Spirulina provides docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is the most abundant omega 3 fatty acid (polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFAs) in the brain and retina. It comprises 40% of the PUFAs in the brain and 60% of the PUFAs in the retina. 50% of the weight of the neuron's plasm membrane is composed of DHA.*

Spirulina contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E. It has also been shown that people who use Spirulina regularly have had their blood pressure and cholesterol levels improved.

So... I know you all have seen the green powder at your health food store and it doesn't look tasty. But, Spirulina is a great supplement for keeping our immune systems healthy. ...and in pill form, you don't even have to taste it (wink!)...

Protect your Body... Protect your skin!

With Sweet Goodness,

Shermaine

*Meharban Singh (March 2005). "Essential Fatty Acids, DHA and the Human Brain from the Indian Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 72" (PDF). http://medind.nic.in/icb/t05/i3/icbt05i3p239.pdf. Retrieved October 8 2007.

Echinacea -- Our Wintertime Friend

Hey Everyone,

For the past few months, we have been constantly hearing about the H1N1 virus and the flu. It has everyone in a panic and now people are lining up for this new vaccine. I realize that this is needed.. I too will be getting the shot as soon as it's available.

But I was thinking.. I haven't heard anyone talk about what can be done to strengthen our immune systems. Cold and flu viruses prey on weak immune systems. And although there are medicines to help get rid of these viruses, shouldn't we be trying to prevent getting them so there's no need for these medicines? For the next few posts, I'm going to concentrate on our immune systems... A Sweet Existence means living our best life... A Sweet Life.. And staying healthy is a part of this existence. So here we go...

Echinacea (shown in the picture above) is a genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the family Asteraceae which are commonly called purple coneflowers. All are endemic to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. It was widely used by the North American Plains Indians for its general medicinal qualities. Echinacea was one of the basic antimicrobial herbs of eclectic medicine from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century, and its use was documented for snakebite, anthrax, and for relief of pain. In the 1930s echinacea became popular in both Europe and America as a herbal medicine. According to Wallace Sampson, MD, its modern day use as a treatment for the common cold began when a Swiss herbal supplement maker was "erroneously told" that echinacea was used for cold prevention by Native American tribes who lived in the area of South Dakota.

A 2007 study by the University of Connecticut combined findings from 14 previously-reported trials examining Echinacea and concluded that Echinacea can cut the chances of catching a cold by more than half, and shorten the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days.

Echinacea can be found everywhere from WalMart to Whole Foods. So let's strengthen our immune systems and have a "Sweet" winter. You know what they say... An ounce of prevention..! Protect your body!

With Sweet Goodness,

Shermaine