Welcome to our second edition of the Be Totally Fre*e-zine! It comes closely on the heels of the last one, but since this is a bi-weekly newsletter, you can expect to receive it twice a month…no more, no less! I hope you enjoy it and forward it to your friends.

If you haven't checked out our amazing, newly redesigned website, www.betotallyfree.com, I hope you'll take a few minutes to do that. There is a great QUIZ, an intriguing REPORT, fun PHOTOS with participants, and NEW SERVICES.

Now for the BEST news of all: Our upcoming “Breaking Fre*e from Emotional Eating" 6-week Transformational Teleclass series starts next week, and we are offering it on a “love offering" basis! Yes, that's right. We've refunded those that have already paid and won't charge anyone else a dime. People can decide what they want to give, and don't have to give at all. Why are we doing this? Well, even though we have numerous expenses including maintaining our website and the administrative costs of sending this e-zine (not to mention our living expenses,) we have decided to hold fast to our conviction that if we provide enough service, with enough love, our needs will be covered. In other words, “God's got our back!"

This seems crazy to many, but it feels right for us. Now, we are definitely open to receiving tithes, donations and love offerings. In fact, we hope that some of you will be inspired to donate today (see ‘make a donation' page on our website.) But the main service we provide to those suffering with addictions, besides our 50+ years of combined experience with overcoming addictions, is love. And we can't charge money to love…or it isn't love.

So sign up NOW for our 6-week TELECLASS series which begins this coming Monday, June 19th (we changed the date.) Also, we have a great new bi-weekly conference call that we offer just so you can learn about what's new with BTF and how we help people heal completely from ALL obsessions, compulsions and addictions. Check it out!

There's more, so read on…

With love,

Tricia Greaves

I have a hard time with "night eating." I do well during the day, but late at night, when everyone is asleep, I pig out! I eat all the leftovers, I clean out the cookie jar, and then I'll eat several bowls of cereal! What is it about the nighttime that makes me want to eat? -Awake in Ann Arbor

Dear Awake:

You're not alone. In fact, most of the evaluations we get from people come very late at night, when someone is in the middle of a binge, desperately seeking help online! Night eating is so common because that is the time when it is most quiet. When we are distracted during the day with work, kids, and activities, we aren't aware of our feelings and aren't as inclined to overeat. But when it is quiet the feelings creep to the surface. And because compulsive eaters are afraid of feeling feelings, we turn to food to stuff them down. Another reason for nighttime eating is when we have experienced sexual abuse or trauma in our past. Either it happened at night, or when we sleep, memories surface in our dreams. We fear nighttime and going to sleep and we eat instead. Eating is always a symptom of deeper feelings and turmoil inside, so instead of trying to control the eating, try to address the underlying fears. Get in the habit of writing before going to bed. Write about your day, write about your fears, or just write and see what comes out. Then make sure you have someone to talk with about your feelings. Having been nighttime eaters, and having overcome sexual abuse issues, ourselves, these are the kind of issues we address through Metasteps and Be Totally Free!

*Do you have a question you'd like to have answered? Write me at askitbasket@betotallyfree.com.

You Are What You Eat! (A New Spin)

Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables listed below will expose a person to nearly 20 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to a fraction over 2 pesticides per day.

Adjusting your eating habits can lower your intake of pesticides -- sometimes dramatically so. Substitute organic for conventional produce that is consistently contaminated with pesticides. When organic is not available, eat fruits and vegetables with consistently low pesticide loads.

Peaches lead the list of most contaminated fruits, followed by strawberries, apples and nectarines.

Spinach, celery, potatoes, and sweet bell peppers are the vegetables most likely to expose consumers to pesticides.

Should I stop eating certain foods?

It is recommended that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables because they're essential to a healthy diet. But you can and should cut back on pesticides--just as you might cut back on fat, calories or cholesterol.

What about washing?

Washing will not change the rank of the fruits and vegetables in the Guide. That's because nearly all of the data used to create these lists comes from the USDA Pesticide Data Program (PDP) where the foods are washed and prepared for normal consumption prior to testing for pesticides (apples are washed and cored, bananas are peeled, etc.).

While washing fresh produce may help reduce pesticide residues, it clearly does not eliminate them. Nonetheless, produce should be washed before it is eaten because washing does reduce levels of some pesticides. However, other pesticides are taken up internally into the plant, are in the fruit, and cannot be washed off. Others are formulated to bind to the surface of the crop and do not easily wash off. Peeling reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel.

The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

July 5th UPLIFTING 1 hour conference call--Wednesday at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern. For more information and to register, click here.

June 19th 6 week TRANSFORMATIONAL TELECLASS begins: Breaking Fre*e from Emotional Eating--Mondays at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern. For more information and to register, click here.

We have extended our monthly special to June 19th.

We have 2 NEW CDs on our website entitled: “When We Have Trouble With God," and “A Moment's Peace, Visualization and Meditation for the Overactive Mind." Who couldn't use a little help with spirituality and slowing down our busy minds? Order now for a 20% discount available only until June 19th.

After overcoming her own lifetime battle with compulsive eating, drinking and weight-without the use of diets, pills, medication or excessive exercise-Tricia Greaves founded Be Totally Fre*e!, a non-profit organization that offers a unique and permanent solution for overcoming all addictions. To learn about the hope we offer to those who have tried everything to stop, visit www.betotallyfree.com.