The Ayurvedic Vegan: How to Survive Winter

“Vegetarian diet stimulates those forces in the organism which bring man into a kind of cosmic connection with the whole of the planetary system”. -Rudolf Steiner

While it's hard to argue with cosmic connection, sometimes we need to be brought back to Earth.

As the clarity and illumination of early fall morphs into biting winds and dreadful temperatures of late Autumn and early Winter a discernible shift takes place not only in the weather but energetically as well. I've misplaced my keys, can't seem to settle into meditation, my hands have turned freezing and will not return to normal temperature for at least four months. I'm spacing out in the middle of conversations, getting distracted in yoga class, more easily aggravated by my little ones. I'm craving hot showers every day. And as usual, but in a much more intense way, I'm hungry. I mean really hungry. In Ayurveda, this is the shift into vata season, and I am of a very strong vata constitution, and also vegan. Which creates a bit of a conflict with the philosophy of Ayurveda which recommends dairy and animal proteins to ground that spacy vata energy.

Vata represents cold, dry, wind, air and ether. This can be the most challenging time of year for those of us with vata constitution. Animal proteins are heavy and grounding, oily, filling; and warm raw milk at the end of a meal is meant to aid in digestion, cool down and soothe that wiry energy.

Ayurveda is a perfect science, and also ancient, and also based on ancient assumptions. Taking Ayurveda literally and placing it in the context of modern America can be a tricky thing. I wonder if the ancient Yogi's would still feel our current systems of agriculture and food processing to be congruent with the principle of ahimsa (non-violence). Something to chew on. But first:

Chew your food, set an intention: Of course this is important year round, but in winter, when all kinds of viruses are going around and we are in “survival mode”, it is extra important to eat your food with intent. What is this meal doing for you? Creating alkaline? Grounding and stabilizing you? Satiating a fierce hunger? Recognize when you are eating impulsively and slow down. Chewing thoroughly releases digestive enzymes in saliva that break down carbohydrates into simple sugars (helping to combat sugar cravings) while you enjoy your meal more slowly and experience healthier digestion. Try using chopsticks. Great satisfaction comes from chewing mindfully.

Stew your food. Hearty soups and stews chock full of grounding root vegetables such as winter squash, carrots, burdock, and potatoes are moist and dense. Find some great recipes that excite you and try them out. Make double batches so you can eat throughout the week (or freeze some so you will have a delicious meal on a cold day too unbearable to leave the house!). Switch it up by stirring in brown rice or quinoa, add water and miso to make more of a different concoction. Add raw garlic and ginger to boost immunity. Don't be afraid to eat outside the box and have soup or stew for breakfast either, a very warming and grounding way to start the day.

Bake your own bread: What a great project for winter. The idea is that upward vata energy wants to be redirected downward and channeled in a creative way; hand kneading bread is a fantastic way to do this. On top of which a good, hearty, spelt bread does wonders for filling up that hungry belly. Add chia, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds to your dough for extra protein!

Black beans soaking

Learn how to cook beans: Beans are an indispensable part of a plant based diet, yet Ayurveda recommends cutting them out in winter, when vegans need extra protein the most. Beans have a drying quality because they absorb water in the body. So be sure to soak your beans for at least twelve hours in tons and tons of water, and then cook your beans in tons of water as well. As the beans absorb the water through cooking, add more. The more water the beans absorb through cooking, the less they will dry out the body. Cook your beans for several hours, this is how our ancestors did it. Since it is a long process, cook a lot and freeze for future use. Add herbs that aid in digestion such as epazote, cumin, and garlic (also tasty). Pay attention and see which beans agree with your body the most! For me, the smaller the bean, the easier to digest, so I favor lentils, split peas, and mung beans in winter.

Increase superfoods: Superfoods have so many benefits and most importantly for winter, boost immunity. If you are looking for nutrient dense foods that pack a lot of punch to keep you strong and energized throughout winter, incorporate superfoods rather than animal products. Some of my favorites are maca, spirulina, cacao, and goji berries.

Warm up your smoothie: If you are a smoothie head like me, you will notice that switching up your smoothie routine seasonally can be of great benefit. While in the summer I often have smoothies for breakfast, this time of year I switch breakfast to a bowl of warm oats or stew, and have smoothies in the afternoon when digestion is fired up and the sun is working it's mojo. Add a knub of fresh ginger and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to your smoothie and replace ice with cold fruit. Your smoothie will take on a much more warming quality this way.

Oil up: If you love to take warm baths and showers, be sure to slather on some coconut oil before you hop in, especially on the palms of your hands and bottoms of the feet. You will feel more invigorated and energized afterward rather than drained.

Increase meditation and a long cool down period after exercise or yoga. Life is so busy, sometimes we only have five minutes or so for meditation or savasana. Wintertime is not a good time to skimp on these. They are the most grounding practices one can incorporate, so sit down and enjoy the stillness. If you really don't have time, get creative. Alternate nostril breathing at traffic lights, legs up the wall while talking on the phone, or dare I suggest five less minutes of screen-time in exchange for five extra of meditation?

Enjoy this time of hibernation and don't worry, this too shall pass! The delicate blossoms of Spring would be nothing without Winters deep freeze.

Lisa Hicks is a Holistic Health Counselor and passionate Yogini, vegan, and mindful mama.  To learn more about her practice Grassroots Nutrition, or to schedule a free one hour consultation, visit http://lisahickshc.com/

How I Got My Kid to Eat Leafy Greens

 I got to experience a very proud Mama moment today .  Dashing some raw kale salad with finishing touches I let my two year old Leo try a bite and he said “Mmmmm”, meaning, yum.

I've always read that if you're kid doesn't like a food, to keep offering it, and eventually they will come around. Well, this is about the many-eth time I offered Leo leafy greens, and he finally responded positively. Here's how I did it:

1. I snuck it:  Although today was the first day he volunteered to eat a big heaping plate of leafies, he has actually had them many times before. Maybe not the ideal way to get your kid eating vegetables, I thought if Leo at least had greens in his memory palate, he would eventually choose to eat some. We blend leafy greens into smoothies, and include them chopped up teeny tiny in stir fry's, pasta sauce, scrambles, etc.

2. I asked for help. Leo is my partner in crime. Although I often dream of going by myself, I am glad to take the kids with me to experience the store. Since we eat little processed type foods, I can ask Leo to pick out lots of things.  (If we were eating processed foods he would not pick based on instinct but rather based on the advertisements, that is why I mention this). I ask him to choose his own apples, I ask him to smell the spices we get from the bulk aisle to make sure they're extra smelly, I ask him to help me put the groceries away, and I ask him for help while cooking. This makes him feel so special.  
   
   
   When making raw kale salad you have to break up the kale into small pieces and massage them with your hands until they become tender and juicy. A child loves this task.  In this particular kale salad I added dried cranberries and walnuts. Leo saw me do this and became interested in the salad because he knows he likes cranberries and walnuts in his oatmeal and for snacks. He began to equate the salad with stuff he already likes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. We ate and continue to eat greens. A lot. Any parent knows how sponge-like kids are, how observant and watchful they are, and of course, how much they admire, and want to be just like their parents. If we are drinking out of coffee mugs, Leo wants one. When I eat with chop sticks, Leo wants a pair too. Aside from the few months when he first started solids and I made purees, I have never gone out of my way to feed him different food than we eat. If he doesn't like what we are eating I excuse him from the table and in a kind way explain to him that he will not be offered food again until the next snack or meal time. Often times he will come back around a minute later and eat. If he doesn't, I know he is not going to starve, give him extra snack later and let it go. 
   
   
    So the scenario goes something like this: We sit down to eat and lets say tonight we are having tofu scramble, home fries, greens, and toast. Leo's plate doesn't have any greens on it because I know he doesn't like them. He observes our plates and see's what is different. He wants to be like us so he inquires about the greens. I offer him a bite off my plate, he spits it out, we move on. No judgment, punishment, reward, it is what it is, and we continue to eat. Until today. Triumph! Not only did he eat a big pile of kale, but then asked for seconds.  It was truly amazing.  
   
   
   
   
   
4. I stopped worrying. Once, for about two seconds, I started to worry about Leo not eating his greens. But when I thought about the healing properties of greens as blood purifiers and for detoxification, it dawned on me that a healthy toddler may not really need these things. His diet up until now has consisted of breastmilk and whole foods. His organs, intestines, and blood are still so very young and healthy; he doesn't need greens the way that adults do. So I stopped worrying about it. He loves lots of vegetables that are great for development, such as carrots and squash. I didn't have my first bite of kale until I was in my twenties, so I thought, even if it takes twenty years, he will probably come around.
   
   
   Although I am writing this about my toddler, I am confident that it can be applied to any picky eater or person who does not have a lot of experience preparing or eating greens. And if you've heard about or read about all the amazing benefits of leafy greens but simply don't like them, keep trying. There is a recipe, or a type of green that will work for you, and eventually, your palate might ask you for more. 
   
   
   A great place to start is with kale chips. They are very easy to make and taste like potato chips.
   
   
   Another tip is to start fresh. The difference in flavor and texture between a fresh bunch of local kale, and conventional kale from the store (or frozen or canned) is indisputable. Try it out sometime. If you have a garden or farmers market, start there. You may find you didn't like greens before because of quality.

The recipe for kale chips and raw kale salad are on my website and linked below, along with a fantastic article about the many benefits of incorporating leafies into your diet, yes you!  

 http://lisahickshc.com/raw-kale-salad-cranberries

http://lisahickshc.com/kale-chips-12

http://www.organicauthority.com/health/reasons-kale-is-the-new-beef-nutritious-sustainable.html


Lisa Hicks is all about everyone, everywhere, eating leafy greens.  To learn more about this visit:  http://lisahickshc.com/

Almond Milk

Ah milk alternatives.  We've tried them all, spent way too much time at the store staring at the ingredients in those mysterious Tetra Packs wondering, "what's THAT?".  We've dabbled in cows milk, awkwardly trying to figure out the best one to choose, seeking out sources for raw milk, and still, nothing resonates.   

Here is my conclusion:  homemade almond milk is a super effective way to incorporate the yummy, comforting, white liquid into one's diet without compromising health, ethics, and budget.  As a Mom who practically lives at the grocery store, I am constantly weighing out the nutritional value of foods I spend money on, versus their actual cost.  In other words, why spend $3-$4 on a box of some snacky type food which has very little nutritional value, is highly processed, and comes with all kinds of packaging when I could make a big batch of homemade granola bars which would not only be just as, if not more cost effective, but also more delicious, more fun, and of course, much healthier.  Or, use that $3-$4 on some extra pieces of fruit to have for a snack, what an idea!  

So once my son finally weaned himself from breast milk we went on the search for a good alternative that would soothe and delight him, and not make me worried about compromised quality of ingredients, etc.  Making my own nut milk has proven to be the best alternative for us.  Here are some of the options we tried:   

First, cow's milk (and dairy products in general).  Organic, hormone free, etc, the stuff is expensive and you still don't know the particular ethics and methods of the company you're buying from.  If you have the opportunity to get involved with a local dairy farm, that is wonderful.  I highly encourage anyone adamant about having dairy in their diets to visit the local farm or even volunteer to work on the farm for a day.  Experience the food, the animals, and make sure it continues to resonate.  

I'm not going to pretend that I support this industry for the sake of not being controversial on my blog.  As a Holisitc Health Counselor, 100% committed to sustainable agriculture and environmental practices, I simply cannot advocate the use of abundant dairy in any diet.  The hazardous environmental impact that dairy farming has had on the environment is catastrophic.  When examining the nutritional value of milk and dairy products, it becomes clear that they cause more harm than good in humans- raw or pasteurized.  There is nothing found in dairy products that cannot be found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.  Nothing.  Plant based alternatives are also easily digestible and have many  other nutrient-dense qualities.  What was once a comforting luxury is now an overused staple in American diets and many common health ailments could easily be minimized with the elimination of dairy in the diet such as obesity, sinus and respiratory problems, headaches, hormonal imbalances, acne, and indigestion to name just a few.

Needless to say that experiment didn't last very long.  When giving Leo cows milk (both raw and pasteurized), I found him to have excess mucous, congestion when sleeping at night, and inconsistent bowel movements.  

I have heard wonderful things about the benefits and digestibility of raw goats milk.  While having the pleasure of spending a summer landscaping in Woodstock, NY, I couldn't resist the urge to stop by the infamous herb and nutrition guru Susun Weed's place for some of the real deal raw goats milk.  It was fun.  I didn't like the taste of it, and quite simply, if I don't like the taste of something, I don't eat it.  A wise philosophy indeed.  

Onward to soy milk and nut milks.  There is so much contradictory information out on soy these days, it can be mind boggling.  In a nutshell (or perhaps a bean pod) soy beans have an immense wealth of nutritional benefits.  They are an excellent source of protein with higher levels of folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, fiber, vitamin K, as well as other minerals and omega-3 fatty acids than animal proteins.  Fermented soy beans in products such as miso, tempeh, and tofu take on a magical quality.
      

However, something to mull over.  Pick a bunch of soybeans from your garden, or get some from the grocery store, and see how long they stay fresh in your fridge.  Then take a look at the expiration date on a carton of soy milk at the store.  Hmmmm.  How can something that lasts for only five or six days in your fridge last for several months, un-refrigerated, in a store or warehouse you wonder?  Heavy, heavy processing.  The nutritional benefits of soy are not recognizable by the time you pour the stuff onto your favorite granola.  Paul Pitchford so honestly expresses:  "Regular soymilks are corporate junk, they are denatured and a non-food. Be part of the revolution to grow and make your own soymilk!"  http://www.documents.healingwithwholefoodsproducts.com/a_soygood+.pdf

Apply the same logic to other milk alternatives.

Aside from heavy processing, unless you very specifically seek out unsweetened milk alternatives, they almost all have evaporated cane juice or some other type of processed sweetener.  This perpetuates an unfortunate cycle of tricking people who try to make healthy food choices into becoming addicted to sugar.

Lastly, the Tetra Packs used to package various foods these days such as milk alternatives, soups, and stocks, are not as environmentally sustainable as they claim to be.  Tetra Pack prides itself on being "green", and while it is positive that the inner linings of Tetra Packs do not contain BPA, only 20% of America has access to the recycling facilities that process Tetra Packs.  The rest goes into landfills.  Just a thought.  

 Here are the ingredients in Blue Diamond brand Almond Milk:  ALMONDMILK (FILTERED WATER, ALMONDS), EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SEA SALT, POTASSIUM CITRATE, CARRAGEENAN, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D2, D-ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL (NATURAL VITAMIN E).

The ingredients a homemade recipe calls for are:  

• 1 1/2 cup of raw almonds
• 64 ounces good quality water

Here is the link to the almond milk recipe on my website as well as three recipes that incorporate the use of the leftover almond pulp:
http://lisahickshc.com/almond-milk
....Including raw chocolate pie...

Enjoy!

And Asheville peeps, stay tuned!  A fermentation class at my house is in the works!  Soy milk, tempeh, coconut kefir, sourdough starter and other easy DIY delights!

Lisa Hicks is a Board Certified Holistic Health Counselor who loves living in Asheville, NC, being a Mama, and spends entirely too much time in her kitchen... visit her website to get inspired and learn more about Grassroots Nutrition:  http://lisahickshc.com