On the Journey to Pascha
Rita reflects on the journey of Great Lent, and encourages those of us who feel we have lost our way. Setting realistic goals can help us to keep our focus on the rest of the journey towards Pascha.
Mar 31, 2017
Food, Faith, and Fasting
Ancient Ingredients for Modern-Day Health
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Episodes
Accountability and Fasting
Rita provides good insights into how we can keep the fast of Great Lent, and encourages us to stay connected to others who can help us be accountable and on the right path.
Feb 23, 2017
Interview with Jamey Bennett
Jamey Bennett approached me about doing an interview as on ancientfaith.com he has blogged about fasting and created music about healthy eating. Jamey shares his thoughts from his blog post titled, "Paleo Living and Orthodox Lent."
Jan 17, 2017
Simplifying the Advent Fast
Rita encourages us to deepen our Advent Fast by simplifying our choices of what and where to eat, so that we can spend more time attending services, praying and serving others who are in need. She also introduces a new program called My Beautiful Advent which can be found at http://www.mybeautifuladvent.com.
Nov 01, 2016
Compassion is Necessary for Change
Caring for our health and fighting our passions requires compassion. We need to start with showing compassion to ourselves to aid us in creating sustainable changes.
Sep 19, 2016
16-Hour Fasting
In this podcast, Rita discusses how fasting can actually lead to healthier food choices. She will also look at a 16-hour fasting approach and it's benefits to care for our body and soul alike.
Jun 11, 2016
Fasting like the Holy Fathers
Rita Madden shares the latest research regarding the way fasting helps our bodies to function properly, even as we keep our focus on prayer during Great Lent.
Apr 08, 2016
Meditations on Great Lent
Rita Madden shares some readings from "Meditations for Great Lent" by Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou, and reminds us that the purpose of Lent is to grow in humility and love. Sign up today to be apart of My Beautiful Lent!
Mar 09, 2016
Gluten - My Beautiful Lent
Rita interviews Cynthia Damaskos about the current research on gluten. Rita and Cynthia are the creators of My Beautiful Lent, a program to help Orthodox Christians in all stages of life to use the fast for the nourishment of the soul, leaving room for the blessings that the Church intends and that God wants to give freely. Find out more at http://www.mybeautifullent.com
Mar 02, 2016
Stress and Intro to My Beautiful Lent
Many people feel they are experiencing some intolerance to foods (and for sure some people do) but some may be experiencing stress and when their body is in stressed mode it can create physical symptoms that do not feel the best. We will look at the teachings of the Desert Fathers for some wisdom to help with stress. In addition we will explore the program My Beautiful Lent (http://www.mybeautifullent.com) which is an online program being released this Great Lent (2016) to help decrease the stre...
Feb 19, 2016
FFF Group Setting - PSA
This PSA provides information about where to access ideas and guidelines for the FFF Group Setting.
Feb 03, 2016
Stress Management and Almsgiving
Rita describes the benefits of creative almsgiving for both our spiritual and physical well being.
Feb 01, 2016
Dedicating a Fast
Rita discusses dedicating a fast to someone to aid us in deepening our prayer for them.
Jan 11, 2016
New Year's Resolutions
Rita offers suggestions for how to keep your New Year's resolutions.
Dec 26, 2015
Chapter Six
Rita discusses the sixth and final chapter of her new book, which focuses on stress management.
Dec 11, 2015
Chapter Five
Rita discusses the fifth chapter of her new book, which focuses on exercise.
Dec 04, 2015
Food, Faith, and Fasting
Rita introduces her new book Food, Faith, and Fasting: A Sacred Journey to Better Health, published by Ancient Faith Publishing.
Dec 02, 2015
Chapter Four
Rita discusses the fourth chapter of her new book, which focuses on fasting.
Nov 20, 2015
Chapter Three
Rita discusses the third chapter of her new book, which focuses on portion control.
Nov 13, 2015
Chapter Two
Rita discusses the second chapter of her new book, which focuses on how to create balance with our food choices and also sugar consumption.
Nov 06, 2015
Sacred Eating in the Workplace
Many times we eat outside the home—be it at work, at a friend’s home, or at a restaurant. This podcast will provide strategies on how to eat in a spiritually minded manner in the work environment.
Jan 15, 2015
Sacred Eating
St. Maximus the Confessor explains to us that nothing that God has created is in itself bad. It's the gluttony that is bad, not the food. In this session, Rita looks at snacking and how it can have a negative impact on our health. She also provides some practical tips for moving away from mindless snacking.
May 18, 2013
The Eastern Orthodox Healthy Eating and Living Toolbox
This will be the last podcast for quite some time as Rita takes a break to focus on conducting food and faith workshops. Here she reminds us of the importance of allowing the traditions of our church to be the basis for our health management.
May 08, 2013
The Buddy System
Supporting each other with our health efforts can be an act of love. Rita discusses the importance of taking advantage of the buddy system.
Apr 10, 2013
Let's Not Fake the Fast
Rita encourages us to enter into the true spirit of the fast as we begin Great Lent.
Mar 14, 2013
Eating as a Way to Deepen our Communion with God
In his book For the Life of the World, Father Alexander Schmemann writes, "In the Bible the food that man eats, the world of which he must partake in order to live, is given to him by God, and it is given as communion with God. Rita explains how we can work toward making eating a time of communion with God.
Feb 15, 2013
Dining with Alcohol
Rita explores ways in which to have a healthy relationship with alcohol.
Feb 13, 2013
Eating in a Chaste Manner
St. John Chrysostom gives us a rule that can help with portion control in the era of Super Size and the Double Big Gulp. He states that we should “eat just to alleviate your hunger.” This sounds like a very good rule, but how do we apply it to our everyday eating practices? The listener will walk away from this episode with tips on portion control and being satisfied with less. The listener will also learn how this can help with longterm weight and chronic-disease management.
Feb 06, 2013
Nourishing the Body to Serve As an Aid to the Soul
Around the tenth century, we hear the venerable St. Simeon the New Theologian explaining that many illnesses are caused by a disorderly and irregular diet. Does a saint speaking to us one thousand years ago have answers for our food choices today in the world of egg beaters, diet sodas, and fat-free foods?
Feb 06, 2013
The Relationship Between Forgiveness and Mindful Eating
Did you overdo it during the fast-free period of the Holy Nativity? Are you frustrated with how you ate and that lack of attention you paid to your body? Do you struggle with overindulgence on foods and beverage? Rita discusses how and why we must forgive ourselves and move forward.
Jan 16, 2013
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