Spring Allergies

There are many ways and forms in which allergies present themselves to us. Being that it’s spring, I am going to focus on spring allergies and how you can mitigate their impact on you and prevent them next year. Depending on how deep the root cause(s), it might be too late to completely knock them out this time around but you will be ability to notice some improvement in well-being right away with this information. 

In the majority of the cases, spring allergies are nothing more than aggravated and vitiated kapha dosha coming out of the body from not following the proper ritucharya (seasonal protocol). Vata (air & space) and pitta (fire & water) may or may not be involved depending on what symptoms are manifesting but what I see is that most people who are bothered by spring allergies could be benefitted by primarily reducing kapha dosha. What is kapha? It’s composed of aap (water) and prithvi (earth) and when the sun of spring starts to shine it will start melting the excess kapha the same way it melts the snow. Now our bodies all need kapha for stability, support and structure. What we don’t need is to have so much that we manifest it into sluggish digestion, lethargy, a runny nose or watery eyes. 

What seperates Ayurveda from almost ever other health system is it’s view on the seasonal changes and how we humans need to adapt our diet and lifestyle as the year goes on. Basically, you can’t expect to do the same things and eat the same food all year with the same results. To some degree, everyone knows this but what everyone doesn’t seem to have is the knowledge to take this to where it needs to in order to prevent allergies. This is where Ayurveda comes in. 

What Ayurveda says about late winter and the transition to spring (Late February to mid-May) is that you need to add in more warming foods and spices and less cold, overly oily and heavy foods.  Don’t overdo the sweet, sour or salty tastes either. A few examples of foods to cut down or eliminate are yogurt, wheat breads, ice cream, rice, fish, beef, cheese, coconut, pizza, baked potato [with or without the works] and bananas.

Just by avoiding these kind of things in the transition to spring and in spring itself, you will have less mucus and less allergy symptoms. You must work to increase the digestive capacity or there will be imbalance in doshas and also improperly digested nutrients known as aama creating trouble in the body. Allergies are just one thing which occur from not follow the seasons appropriately. It’s your bodies way of alerting you that things need to change. 

Increasing the digestive fire and reducing the increased dosha is the aim here. The qualities of food you want to eat to do this are light, warm, pungent, bitter or astringent. It’s all on you to do this for yourself. The pollen count is irrelevant to what is going on inside your body.

Examples include:

Grains -  millet, quinoa, barley, sorghum or amaranth 

Legumes - chickpea, mung beans, masoor  / red lentil, kulattha / horse gram, kidney bean

Spices - black pepper, ginger, hing, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, mustard seeds, fenugreek, caraway, ajwain and black cardamom, basil, marjoram

Vegetables - dandelion greens, carrots, watercress, onion, kale, nettles, chives, garlic, fenugreek leaves, bitter melon, radishes or aspragus
Meat - goat 

Snack - raw honey (aged at least 1 year)

Beverages - warm water, green tea, tulsi tea, ginger tea

Being active in the day is also very important. You can not sleep late or nap in the day time. Not at all. Wake up before the sun if you can to get the body moving. Get bundled up in the morning and go outside and run, start up a yoga practice, sign up for a boot camp, join cross fit or even dance excessively in your living room. Whatever it is, you must do something active in your day. 

Start by making these changes now and see what happens. If you follow these dietary and lifestyle priciples in the next late winter and you don’t notice that your allergies are less troublesome then you should go see an Ayurvedic practitioner to advise you on more specific recommendations. 

Recipe :

Garden Millet

1 C Millet

2 carrots (chopped)

1 shallot (chopped)

2 pieces green garlic (chopped)

1 bunch of aspragus (chopped) 

Small bunch of chives (chopped finely)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp black pepper

rock salt (to taste)

1 TBS ghee 

2 Cups of water

1. Heat ghee in pot
2. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes
3. Add green garlic cook for 3 minutes
4. Add mustard seeds
5. Add carrots
6. Add millet
7. Add water, salt and pepper to pot
8. Bring to a boil over medium heat then lower heat
9. Cook for 15 minutes
10. Add asparagus & stir gently
11. Cook 5 more minutes
12. Serve with chives on top

Summer Sunny Days

The hills of West Marin that were bright green just days ago are starting to turn brown. There is no clearer sign to me that we are transitioning from vassant ritu (spring) to grishma (summer). As the sun’s effects on us get stronger, the heat and dryness will be at their peak. In this area, this changing of season is quite clear and noticeable to those even remotely in tune with their bodies and with nature.

In my house, we are certainly in seasonal transition mode. Most of the things that were helping us through spring are now being cooked with less frequently or, in the case of mustard oil, not at all. Our activities are changing. There is even more outdoor, water play. For Lily it seems that every day is now no pants day and we are getting quality moments in the early sun that are good for the vitamin D.

Two weeks ago, I was blessed to be at the Vedika sangha and have the chance to get some quality tips on how to get through the summer without too much dryness. We must mindfully consume kapha. By kapha in this context, I refer to things such milk, squash, water and coconut. It is imperitive to have these things that are moist and cool in potency (i.e. cooling to the body) or we will feel depleted and exhausted from the heat and dryness of the sun. We do not want our bodies to dry up like the hills.

For adults this is the season for napping. When my daughter decides to take her mid-day nap, I will take advantage of nap time and take one myself as often as I can. The reason naps are beneficial this summer season is because they increase snigdha / moistness in the body. Resting is better than too much exercise which is contraindicated. There is nothing like sitting on a chair outside, relaxing in summer heat. While the heat may be drying, it is important to experience the heat and not hide out in the AC, as long as you follow the basic tenets of grishma ritu (summer). Being in AC all summer could cause your body to not go through normal seasonal change which is not good for your health.

The foods which we should begin to cut down on include the pungent, bitter and astringent tastes which were so dominant in the spring. It is now time to favor moist, sweet, cooling, liquid, flowing and slightly fatty and fragrant foods. This along with the massive vitamin d we get from being outside makes the next few months the happiest time of year for many including me. For the next week, slowly introduce more summer foods like summer squash, rice, pumpkin, beets, opo squash, carrot, okra. Stop using raw onions in dishes and cook them in ghee instead.

In regard to drinks, start adding raw sugar to the takra turning it into a lassi. Maybe even add mango. Drink less chai and add fennel or toasted coconut when you do make some. Get some coconut water. I like the one in the glass bottle. Juices (no sour) are ok. I say, the fresher, the better. Favor pomegranate and grape juice. If you can find it, sugar cane juice is also recommended. If you are in the Bay Area, I have been seeing sugar cane at the Marin Civic Center Farmers Market on Sundays. If you or your kids drink spiced cow milk, use less warming spices and now switch to cardamom and fennel. It is highly recommended to drink milk at night in the summer. Instead of reaching for wine (which is prohibited), I now do milk. A pretty far cry from what I used to do but I feel so much better.

We should be favoring oily foods cooked with ghee or coconut oil, but in less quantity since the heat squelches our appetite a bit.

To summarize (with thanks to Shunyaji for the list!), these are the specially recommended foods during the next couple of months:

Cereals: Wheat, Oats, Rice, Sweet Corn
Lentils: Mung Lentil (Green and Yellow)

Spices: Concentrate more on cumin, fennel and coriander seeds or powder. Only use rock salt (Saindha namak), Mint, Cardamom

Dairy: Ghee (Clarified Butter), Milk (Cow or Buffalo), Sweet Butter, Yogurt Lassi with added sugar,
Fruits: Mango, Pomegranate, Dates, Coconut (also drink coconut water to stay hydrated), Nectarine, Plums, Raisins, Honey Dew, Cantaloupe. Keep in mind that all fruits consumed in summer should be ripe and sweet. Discard if they are sour or unripe.

Vegetables: Limes (versus lemons in Lemonade), Cucumbers, Beets, Carrots, Summer Squash, Opo Squash, Green beans, White Onions (versus red), Mint, Coriander leaves, Okra, Snake gourd, Yam, Wax Gourd, Cauliflower
Non Vegetarian: Keep at a minimum. Some fish such as Grass Carp (Rohu) is okay. Or enjoy very lightly or minimally spiced soup of chicken or goat meat (relatively clear / light soup).
Special products: Gulkand (Rose petal jam – 1 tsp )

Foods to Avoid as much as possible during summer:
Papaya – very heating
Pineapple – very heating
Watermelon
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Garlic – minimize or at least cook in ghee. Do not eat raw in summer.
Peanuts
Pickles
Chilies
Peppers
Red onions
Alcohol
Red Meat
Mustard oil and mustard leaves in cooking – very heating

Lastly, don’t forget to spend some time out in the moon light!! Or as my daughter calls it, moop :)

Recipes:

Grishma smoothie

Dates squashed with honey, raisins and rock candy

Mix with water

Put in a clay pot

Place pot iin the moon light

Blend like a smoothie

Drink !

Coriander Water

Mix ¼ TBS coriander seeds with 16 parts water

Keep overnight in the moonlight

Strain

Drink to quench thirst

Matzah Ball Soup

Pesach is just around the corner, so I figured it was about time I dropped my amazing matzah ball soup recipe on y’all. Ever since I was a kid matzah ball soup has been a staple, and the food which always makes me think of my family holiday meals. It is the ultimate comfort food!

For 17 years, I considered myself a vegetarian except for matzah ball soup. I had no tolerance for seeing chunks of chicken in the soup, but I just felt so good after eating it that I didn’t give it up. Last year I officially ended my vegetarianism and now make bone broth weekly. After Lily was born, I literally was craving meat soup. It took me a few months to really give in and go buy some bones at the farmers market but now I have no problem with it. In fact, I really get into it and I am sure to thank the chicken / goat for sacrificing itself for the benefit of our health.

A few of the benefits of bone broth are maintaining joint health, strengthening the gut walls and supporting immunity.

Science validates what our grandmothers knew. .. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.”

- From “Broth is Beautiful” by Sally Fallon Morell

From the Ayurvedic perspective, goat meat is more tridoshic / balanced than chicken. Chicken is more heating to the body, which is why traditionally it is used to help cure colds in the form of a light, nourishing soup.

Recipe of the day:

Slow- cooked Chicken / Goat stock

Ingredients -

• 5 lbs chicken / goat bones (feet, necks, wings, head)
• 1 onion
• parsley
• dill
• 2 carrots
• 3 inches burdock root
• 2 inches turmeric root
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 piece of celery
• celery root
• 2 TBS sherry wine vinegar

1. Add bones and water to crockpot up to 1 ½ from top
2. Add the vinegar
3. Let sit for ~1 hour covered
4. Add the rest of ingredients
5. Turn on low
6. Cover and cook for 20 hours
7. Strain

You can use this as a base for making a soup. Just add salt, herbs, vegatbles and/or matzah balls. You can also use it to cook rice in. My daughter loves her rice with chicken stock and greens.

Matzah Balls

• 1 cup matzah meal
• 1 small onion (finely chopped/grated)
• 4 eggs (lightle beaten)
• 3 TBS melted chicken fat, ghee or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1) Stir together all ingredients until well blended

2) Cover and chill at least 1 hour

3) Bring an 8-quart pot of salted water to a simmer.

4) With wet hands, roll matzah mixture into 8 balls

5) Simmer, covered, until cooked through, about 35 minutes (matzah balls will expand).

6) Don’t look!

7) Remove with slotted spoon

8) Transfer to simmering soup and let matzah balls simmer for 5-10 minutes

9) Serve

Note: These balls are guru / heavy to digest so if you have a weak digestion then just stick with the soup !

The Sleep Issue

Im not going to claim that Im an expert on sleep or that I have the secret key to easy night time parenting. Far from it, in fact! My kid doesn’t sleep through the night on a consistant basis at all. She goes in and out of good sleep phases just like most of the young kids I know. What I can talk about is the things I do that I think helps her to relax, keep vata dosha mitigated and, if all other things align, to maybe even sleep better. Sometimes this means 7-5am and no peep. Other times, its hard to tell what is going on but she may wake up 2 or 3 times. I think there is some correlation between her teething and waking but I don’t know for sure.

A little bit of sleep history. At 3 months we had the best sleeper. She consistently slept 9-10 hours straight a night. This lasted only 3 months and then it got bad for about 6 months. After she grew out of the co-sleeper and her sleep had regressed to constant waking, we decided that the only way I’d get sleep is by taking her into the bed with us. So at about 7 months, she joined Jon and I in bed. I really liked the cuddling but I couldn’t get comfortable at all with her next to me so we needed to end that. But it wasn’t easy. She still was nursing to sleep and would wake if you moved her.

We sought the help of the No-Cry Sleep Solution to help us have a plan. Our goal was for her to sleep in her crib in her room. First step was to move the futon mattress to our floor and put her to sleep on that. She would sleep part of the night on the floor by herself and part of the night with either Jon or I on the floor with her. We did that for months and then made the move to her crib at about 1 yr with that futon on the floor for us to lay on as needed. Somewhere in this, we decided to night wean. That wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t had the most amazing husband to do all of the night wakings and be by Lily’s side. I have no other tools besides boob. And she does wakes less since she doesn’t expect milk all night.

We always had a routine going and for most of the time, going to sleep hasn’t been the problem for us. The routine and the time preceding the routine are very relaxed. That’s the main one. No over stimulation. Too much stimulation increases vata dosha and that is not what you want to do before bed.

One of the foods that I specifically use for helping with sleep is urad dal. Some of the longest sleeps she has had were weeks where I made it a few times for dinner. Urad dal is vata reducing but it is a little heavy to digest so its only good for those with healthy agni/digestive fire. Luckily for us, all of our household falls in this category. Urad dal gives strenghth , increases breast milk, improves quality of semen and promotes sleep, to name just a few benefits. Our current favorite is these yummy urad dal pancakes/chila (recipe below). In school we learned how to make them with mung beans which were a favorite first finger food for Lily. A little while ago, I came across a recipe for the urad dal chila. My recipe meets both of those together to form one that works for my families’ needs.

Another that we now incorporate is milk w/ nutmeg. We are now trying to wean from the breast and give cow milk.

We start the routine with a bath filled with essential oils. I always use lavender and sometimes patchouli or sandalwood. I like to burn incense as well. Dim lights. A really nice mood. Then we move to her room where she gets her head and feet massaged by brahmi-sesame oil. This helps to reduce vata and is good for nerves, intelligence memory among other things.

After that we put on our pajamas, read some books, have milk and go to sleep. The night could go any which way from there but I do think all of these things don’t make it worse. Sounds lovely, right? Who wouldn’t be relaxed from that routine?

Recipe of the day:

Urad dal pancake

Ingredients -

• 1 cup split w/ out skin urad dal (soaked over night)
• 1 tsp amchur / mango powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbs shredded ginger
• ½ tsp himalayan rock salt
• 1 cup spinach (chopped)
• 1/3 cup ghee

1. Heat pan
2. Grind urad dal to paste using some of the reserved water from soaking
3. Add spices and spinach to batter
4. Spread ghee in pan
5. Ladle batter into pan / spread thin like a crepe
6. Cook approx 30 seconds on each side / until brown
7. Serrve with chutney or eat as is

It's Potty, It's Potty Time

When my daughter was 11 months old, I went online and bought a potty just to see what would happen if I put her on it. I figured that at least she could sit there [with diaper] while I use the bathroom since she was getting too big and squirmy for me to hold while I go. The first time I put her bare bottom on it she smiled and peed. Thankfully, I got a picture to share:

About a week later came her first poop on the potty. Up until that point, she had been anything but regular, which was driving me crazy being as into Ayurveda as I am. Within the first week of pooping on her potty she was going like clockwork first thing in the morning. Sometimes she would go again later in the day and sometimes she wouldn’t, but always first thing. Finally, there was relief from the worry for me and for her belly.

I have never been so glad I followed my instinct to buy that potty, as it has been a huge factor in her digestive well being. I really just followed her lead. She has always communicated that she was going to poop before she went so it made sense for us to do this as opposed to waiting until 2 or 3 like many parents do. There is research to show that there is a window of time around when a child is learning to walk where you can introduce the potty and make it part of your normal routine. Our experience was that we avoided the typical potty training/power struggle that happens with most of the older toddlers. We got on the potty train at the right stop and it has really worked for us.

Using the potty throughout the day has not only aided her in gaining control of her bowels, it has been another means of bonding with communication and building confidence. I truly think she was holding her poop in during a short period where she just didn’t want to poop in a diaper. All signs point to that as she has only gone #2 a handful of times in her diaper since that first time in the potty. Now at 16 months, she both says “poo poo” and takes our hand to the bathroom when she wants to go.

There are a few books out there on elimination communication but for us it really happened organically. By the time I got a book to flip through, we were already going to the potty consistently and there wasn’t much more to learn. If you have a child you want to try this with, start by taking them to the potty right after meals, after they wake up or any other times you know your child typically goes in his/her diaper. Add more times once you get those down. You can do it at intervals like once every two hours. Remember, they need to use the bathroom a ton at this age so do what works best for you. There is no need to be completely out of diapers unless that is what everyone wants. It’s not about that. It’s more about helping the child be aware of their bodily functions and making the potty a normal thing. If they aren’t pressured or coerced, it’ll just progress from there. No need to bribe them or trick them. Perhaps read one of the potty books out there to them while they sit. We are big fans of Prudence and Hannah. It’s all about creating comfort on there so bring books, toys or your singing voice with you and create a good atmosphere. Making the potty a place that she wanted to be encouraged her to relieve herself regularly which is crucial to digestive health.

Recipes of the day:

Chickpea and Kale:

Ingredients -

• ½ cup chickpeas (soaked over night)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp ajwain
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• Salt
• 1 cup kale (chopped)
• Coconut butter (optional)

1. Heat ghee in pan
2. Add ajwain
3. Add coriander
4. Add chickpeas
5. Add water
6. Add salt
7. Add kale
8. Cook until chickpeas are soft and water is gone
9. Top with dallop of coconut butter (optional)
10. Serve with rice or chapati (indian flatbread)
    

Super Nourishing Mung - Nettle Soup:

Ingredients -

• ½ cup mung dal (soaked for 4 hours)
• 3 cup boiled water
• 2 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
  
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• pinch of asafoetida/Hing
• 1 inch fresh ginger (grated)
• salt
• 2 carrots (chopped)
• colander of nettles (chopped in food processor/dont get stung)
  

1. Heat ghee in pot
   
2. Add asatoetida / hing
3. Add cumin and fenugreek
4. Add turmeric
5. Add ginger
6. Add carrots – sauté for ~3 minutes
7. Add mung dal
8. Add water
9. Add nettles
10. Add salt
11. Bring to boil
12. Simmer for ~15 minutes adding any water you may need to get desired consistency
13. Stir stir stir to break down the cooked mung dal / or puree if desired
    

This soup is great for nursing mothers. Fenugreek, cumin and nettles are all galactagogues. The nettle is a good source for calcium and iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sulfur, zinc, copper, chlorophyll, fatty acids, folate, plus vitamins K, B1, B2, B3, B5, C, and E. Its minerals help build blood, and it is useful in the treatment of iron deficiency hence it is great for restoring blood that was lost during childbirth.

You Are What You Digest II

By the time my daughter was eating solids, I was way into Ayurvedic cooking. It had become just a normal part of life up here at Casa de M.E.M.P.H.I.S. Because I knew she was getting milk of the highest quality, I didn’t rush into giving her solid food. I figured she would eat when she was ready at some point after the 6 month mark. I offered here and there but she would stick it on her tongue and spit everything out. It wasn’t until she was about 9 months that she swallowed her first piece of avocado. Then the real work began. If you think it seems overly complicated to keep your own system in balance, you’ve never tried to do it for someone who can’t speak. For the next 2 months, we struggled with her maintaining perfect regularity. I tried many different types of foods and eating schedules.

She is now eating three or more meals a day so I have recently attempted to cut down nursing in order to let her food digest. One of the [many] Ayurvedic food rules is that you don’t mix milk with other food so we try our best to not nurse within two hours of food. It’s not always a smooth process but we do our best and it shows in her regularity. I notice that she gets that big bloated belly on the days where there is no space between meals or snacks. Since the day is not always perfectly on a schedule, there are a few exceptions that work for us such as a pre-nap snack of oatmeal (recipe below). Knowing that I will be nursing her before nap, I give a small oatmeal snack, which according to Ayurveda is one of the foods that you can mix with milk. The foods that mix well with milk are sweet in taste just like milk. Some examples of these food items with sweet taste are rice, cream of wheat, mango, almonds, dates, raisins. You should not mix milk with sour, salty, astringent tastes and you shouldn’t mix it with fruits other than mango, dates and raisins so we avoid having anything but these things when I know for certain that she will be nursing.

Typically, eating meals, snacks or milk too close together creates aam [undigested food particles]. It doesn’t matter how healthy those things are separate, together they may sour in the stomach causing gas and other digestive ailments. It will only lead to trouble. If not in the immediate digestive problems, a bad habit of mixing milk with sour, salty or astringent tastes will surely show itself in years to come. For instance, eating kitchadi (ayurvedic super meal) with a big cup of spiced milk will make you feel heavy and bloated while each of those separate leave you feeling light. If you or your kid are grazers, snackers or frequent nursers and experience the symptoms of aam being formed, cut it out! If you are still nursing frequently enough where its tough to make space for meals, try giving your child more things that are compatible with milk.

An idea which greatly benefited my daughter was to create set snack/meal times so she would fill up on solid food and not want to nurse all the time. Like almost everything else with young children, it’s all about the routine and habits. Start offering them the sweet meal and see if they cut back nursing to build that space in between feeds. Change is usually hardest for the parents. From my experience and that of people I talk to, this jump to more time between eating usually happens pretty quickly if given a chance. A busy, varied play schedule certainly helps too. A lot of babies and toddlers just nurse frequently out of boredom and to be close to their mom. My daughter anticipates meal time just the way she knows its time to take a bath in the evening. Kids love sweet taste so it shouldn’t be too hard to introduce into the diet. After they start leaving time for the food to digest, they will be hungry enough to eat whatever it is you make for them. It may be hard to adjust to a new eating schedule in the short run but it will greatly benefit your kid’s health in the end.

What currently works for us is serving a light breakfast of stewed apples (recipe below) two-three hours after she wakes up and nurses and then offering oatmeal 2 ½ hours after that for her to eat before she nurses and naps. She does quite well with that. The afternoon consists of a post-nap savory lunch and dinner. Depending on if she nurses when she wakes up from nap, the times may shift a little and include a snack like raisins and nuts. All the while throughout the day, she sips on warm water just like I do. Keeping to this as a rough sketch of daily meals is really keeping her digestion working well. That could all change any day but I am pretty vigilant and can adjust according. That’s really all it takes for anyone. It doesn’t take some deep studying of Ayurveda, just pay attention to the cause and effect. Perhaps I am a tad crazy but I like to have a good understanding of all that goes into and out of my daughter’s body. Hopefully this craziness pays off with good eating habits and very little sickness for a lifetime.

Recipes of the day:

Stewed Apples:

Ingredients -

• 1 organic apple
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp organic raisins or chopped dates
• 1 clove or pinch of ground clove
• ½ in cinnamon stick or 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cardamom
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1. Dice apple into small pieces.
2. Add ingredients to pot
   
3. Bring to a boil
4. Cook apples until soft ~ 15 minutes

Benefits - Enhances vitality, builds immunity, stimulates regular bowel movements and adds to overall well-being

Spiced Oatmeal:
Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup steel cut or rolled oats (soaked overnight)
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1 cup organic whole milk (optional)
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch of ground clove
• 5-6 raisins
• 3-4 almonds (soaked overnight, peeled and chopped)
• maple syrup

1. Put all ingredients except for maple syrup in pot
2. Bring to boil
3. Lower heat to simmer
4. Stir frequently
5. Cook until very soft
6. Top with maple syrup

You Are What You Digest I

Healthy digestion is super important. Without it, you can’t have good health. Even worse for parents is that kids with poor digestion aren’t nearly as pleasant to be around. Some (like mine!) sleep terribly when they get irregular poop. We will go into some kid specific digestion and sleep later, but first let’s discuss what keeps our digestive system working.

I know that many western medical doctors say that it is okay for young kids to not poop every day. I have even heard some say that it is fine for adults to not go daily! I have no doubt that it’s common, but it is a sign of inefficient digestion often caused by an imbalance of the doshas, primarily vata and kapha. Some examples of causes are quality of milk (both cow and human), too much food/drink, improper food combinations, poorly cooked food, poorly chewed food, eating while standing up, eating at wrong place or time such as in front of the TV or late at night. Sometimes the cure for mild digestive problems is just sitting quiet with your food and only your food.

As I’m still nursing my toddler, I take extra care of what I eat. If you are breastfeeding a baby or even a toddler then you should also be mindful of what you eat in order to prevent colic and constipation in your child. Not all milk is created equal. It is important to get that vata dosha under control. Too much vata dosha and you will see signs of dryness, constipation and gas. There are many things that can help with this. One easy way is to include a wide array of spices in your diet such as cumin, coriander, fennel, ajwain, fenugreek, etc. You can even make a tea out of these. I typically cook one or two of those spices in ghee and then add vegetables or dal. Speaking of ghee [clarified butter - recipe below] eat lots of that! For nursing mothers, somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon in each meal should do a good job of nourishing the body. Also, don’t snack on chips or eat ice cream as those aggravate the vata and kapha doshas respectively. In general, you should try not to snack but I know how hard it is to stick with only 3 meals a day when you are eating for two. If you are craving a salty snack, fry up some pumpkin seeds in ghee with a few of those spices and you will have a more enjoyable snack than anything you could get in a vacuum-sealed bag. And if you are craving a sweet snack, I suggest cutting medjool dates in half and stuffing with ghee and a spoon of crunchy almond butter.

There is an easy way to test if your milk is of good quality: take a drop into a cup of water. If it disappears than it is of good quality. If it sinks or floats then you may need to adjust a few things in your diet.

I am prone to having too much vata in me, which has shown itself through the milk floating in the water. It might have even sunk at times in the beginning of the year when I had developed a kapha imbalance. Even though I was eating healthy, my whole system was slowed down from overeating the wrong foods when I was pregnant. Even eating a diet of mostly kitchadi for 2 months couldn’t fix my agni [digestive fire] woes. Luckily, I had access to the Vedika Jyoti Clinic and got a prescription for herbs to take which really helped. Now that I am back to having a strong agni, I stick with a few key things in my diet to keep my system running well, and the better my system runs the higher the quality of my milk. At night, I either have warm spiced milk w/ ghee or I take a teaspoon of triphala before bed. Both of these things are extremely good for keeping things moving. Triphala, meaning three fruits, contains amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki. They are extremely useful in cleansing the gastrointestinal tract. If I’m feeling like my agni needs a little boost before a meal, I fire it up with a few thin slices of fresh ginger sprinkled with Himalayan rock salt and a dash of lemon juice. By taking the ginger 30 minutes before the meal I ensure that I can break down my meal properly. On Thanksgiving, I offered it to my guests before the meal and trikatu (see previous blog) after the meal to save people from feeling like they were going to keel over from eating too much heavy food. For those rare occasions where there is too much gas and undigested food after eating, I may throw back a teaspoon of an herbal formula called hingwasthak. When drank with warm water, it provides instant relief. Same goes with making what I call, Colic Tea (recipe below). This one is particularly useful to make and put in a medicine dropper to gently cure colic in babies.

Some other things that I do to ensure that my family doesn’t get stuck with any stomach trouble includes avoiding leftovers, salads, raw foods, dry foods and only drinking warm water. It is especially important to avoid those things in the postpartum period and as much as you can while nursing a child. It sometimes takes a while for your system to get back to where it was before you were pregnant and any parent knows how sensitive kids bellies can be. Simply put, eat foods that are light and nourishing. For me, cutting out raw foods was the most noticeable difference of them all. There was a two month period (when I didn’t know any better) that I was eating at Café Gratitude, a raw food restaurant in the bay area, a lot. During that time, I was increasingly anxious and all of the aches and pains from pregnancy in my knees and feet got exponentially worse. This is because vata dosha governs this area of the body and I was just overdosing on vata. My body was having major trouble digesting the food and I had no clue. It was weeks before I noticed the pain and increased anxiety both of which are signs of vata imbalance in the body. Luckily for my feet, I soon found ghee, the true love of my life. Now that I treat by body well with warm and nourishing foods, I have no aches and plenty of high quality milk for my little sweetheart.

Recipes of the day:

Colic Tea:

Ingredients -

• 1 part cumin
• 1 part coriander
• 1 part fennel

1. Mix the three ingredients together
2. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of this mixture to hot water
3. Let it steep for 15-20 minutes
4. Strain
5. Either drink or put in medicine dropper

Ghee:
Ingredients -

• Organic, unsalted butter

1. Warm the pan on the stove and add the butter to it
2. Bring to a boil on high heat and then on medium-low
3. Dont remove all the foam that is formed initially
4. Wait some time until that foam sinks to the bottom and then skim the semi-solids from the top
5. When the ghee turns slightly golden , it's done, turn off the stove
6. Let ghee cool
7. Carefully pour through fine sieve into a bowl or a jar
8. Ghee is best stored at room temperature and it improves with age

Curing Colds In The Kitchen

December 9, 2010

It is December and the weather has become colder and in some places more wet. Since this is typically the time of year where we are all more susceptible to colds, I thought I’d make my inaugural post about the different ways my family and I prevent and cure colds. Ever since I’ve been studying Ayurveda at Vedika Gurukula, we haven’t had anything more than a runny nose for a day or two in this house. Sometimes, I feel like an Ayurveda magician! Life is easier when you have a few tricks up your sleeve and I’m here to share what I’ve learned with you. These tips that I offer are very easy to handle for both you and your kids. When I break out the spoon with honey and spices, my one year old daughter goes “mmmmmmm!” before she even eats it.

Colds are a very common problem that we all have experienced: runny nose, sneezing, dryness. If not cared for, they can lead to worse infections in the body. For this reason, it is extremely important to learn how to eliminate the excess kapha [watery secretions in the body] and rebuild our system to health.

One of the causes of cold-like symptoms is weak digestion. This is something worth paying close attention to. 

Other causes to the common cold are exposure to cold or extremely wet conditions. This occurs because even though we think we are our own self-contained organism, we are not separate from our outside environment. Akasha (Ether), Prithvi (Earth), Aap (Water), Tejas (Fire) and Vayu (Wind) compose the Universe, including the human body. Hence, if it’s wet and cold outside, you may experience this in your own body.

“When our creator, that one great intelligence, sometimes called God, sometimes Nature and sometimes referred to as 'IT" was (and is) creating the universe - the same building blocks were used. Hence, what connects each one of us is that we all are composed of the same essence (energy) and is that we are all essentially the same. Whatever difference that we perceive is not a qualitative one, merely quantitative. When we sit in front of the Grand Canyon or any other large splendour of nature we observe it's natural offering of space and stillness - and before long we embody the same stillness and space. When we sit by a lake or river we notice sentiments and hidden emotions arising in our hearts and a busy noisy city street aggravates anxious thought and sensations in spite of us.” – Shunya Pratichi Mathur For more information read about “Dance of the Doshas”

These Ayurvedic remedies involve using honey, warming herbs and spices to help you break down and force out mucus while re-kindling your digestive fire. While the idea of a snotty nose might not appeal to you, chances are that if you can transition from being ‘stuffed up’ to ‘blowing it all out,’ then you are well on your way to recovery.

There are many remedies out there that work and I encourage you to explore all the knowledge and information that is available. My intention with this post is to be a good resource for those unfamiliar with the healing powers that many common things in your kitchen hold. Start by really paying attention to how you/your kids feel afterwards. One suggestion is to keep a journal.

It is important to remember to not overdo any of these remedies. Since, many of them increase heat in the body, too much could create a whole new set of health problems.

Lets start with some basic things to avoid when preventing or curing a cold:

* Avoid cold foods and drinks.

* Avoid yeast, salt, cheese, yogurt, chocolate, and refined sugars and flours. All of these increase mucus.

* Avoid overeating, especially at night.

* Do not eat when you are not hungry.

* Avoid sweet and juicy fruits including oranges, bananas, pineapples, figs, avocados, tomatoes, coconut and melons

* Do not eat between meals.

Tips for prevention:

* Follow the diet appropriate for your constitution and current condition

* Eat seasonally

* Takra - buttermilk (recipe below).

-It enhances agni [digestive fire] & like a nectar in cold season, BUT avoid when already have excess mucus and when it’s cloudy out. Do not drink after sunset.

- This is my daughter’s favorite! I believe it was her 4^th word after "mama", "dada" and "more". I give it to her after or in place of meals. Even my dogs love it!

* Chyvanprash - The main ingredient amalaki is the richest natural source of vitamin C

* Neti pot – keep nasal passages healthy

* Use turmeric in cooking

First sign of mucus/cold:

* Trikatu w/ honey or trikatu w/ warm water - up to 3 times a day

-Trikatu is made up of Pippali (long pepper), Shunti (dry ginger) and Maricha (black pepper). It is available in powder & capsule form

* Cold Calm homeopathic medicine by Boiron (also available in pellets for kids!)

* Eat light foods (no dairy, wheat, sugar and fried foods)

* Don’t sleep in daytime even if tired

* Cinnamon w/ honey or cinnamon tea

* Turmeric w/ honey

* Licorice w/ honey – twice a day

* Ginger juice w/ honey

A quick note on honey –

It should always be raw and unheated. Heated honey creates toxicity in the body.

Honey also enhances the medicinal qualities of what it’s combined with and helps them to reach the deeper tissues.

Food :

Kitchadi (recipe below)

Mung Dal

Homemade chicken stock w/ turmeric ( for young kids, cook white basmati rice in the stock)

Eating only these foods or foods that are similar is most important for when feeling the onset of a cold or the cold is already full blown. You do not want to clog up your system anymore than it already is. These foods will help while most others will only hinder the progress you are trying to make.

Steam for congestion:

Boil eucalyptus oil/leaves and inhale steam

Boil dry ginger and inhale steam

Recipes of the day:

Takra:

Ingredients -

• 1 part - room temperature whole milk yogurt
• 4 parts - water that is previously boiled but brought back to room temperature

1 part yogurt : 4 parts water

1. hand whisk/churn yogurt with a molinillo (or use immersion blender)
2. add water to yogurt
3. churn until frothy

You can add digestive herbs such as fresh ginger/salt, cumin, curry leaves, trikatu.

Kitchadi:

Ingredient -

• ½ cup white basmati rice
• 1 cup mung dal (soak in water for a couple of hours)
• 2 cups of vegetables – beans, greens, squash, carrot, etc
• 1 pinch of hing (asaofetida)
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 TBS of ghee
• Himalayan rock salt (to taste)

1. Heat ghee in pot
2. Add hing
3. Add cumin seed
4. Add turmeric
5. Swirl and add all of the ingredients
6. Mix well
7. Add 2 more cups of water
8. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes on low-medium heat
9. Add more ghee on top if desired and garnish with cilantro

There is a plethora of knowledge out there. These are just a start for some easy things to keep on hand. You don’t need to do all of these things. Give one or two a try and listen to your body. Then, share your comments below.