Grudges Grievances, Ego and Forgiveness

Over the years I have seen clients with many and varied emotions, some of these were on the surface and others long held so close inside that they had become a living part of that individual.
Many chronic health conditions have emotions attached to them and indeed part of their very existence. Each person wants to get rid of their arthritis, indigestion, migraines, psoriasis, chronic pain etc, but they are often unwilling to let go of the emotions that have become a part of that disease.
Why?? Mostly it is because we tend to live in a world of blame. “It’s your fault I feel like this”, or it’s “your fault I don’t have enough”, or “I am not appreciated, I don’t matter”!
There are several homeopathics that come to mind for these long held grudges and grievances, and they show up often in the testing we do. Ledum is common and is for the person who can hold onto their grudges so strongly that it places stress and strain on their tendons and ligaments, the tension in their body is immense and tends to show more for men but also women who feel they have been wronged.  The other is Sepia and more often for the hard working woman, who cant let go, is a control expert and wants to be isolated and do it all herself, yet will blame others and has trouble forgiving.
In Ayurveda medicine the mind and the body are totally linked and a daily practice of gratitude, forgiveness and acceptance and responsibility of the life we are daily creating will help us to let go of an unhealthy ego that wants to blame.
This daily practice then allows for better digestion, assimilation and elimination which of course will benefit the whole body.
There are also many kitchen herbs to help with the mind and emotions as well as certain tastes, the sweet taste being very important, and no that does not mean refined sugar.
If you are interested in learning more about Ayurveda, mind and body please join me in series of 6 classes; I will be running through the year in our wonderful community room.

Nutrient dense vs energy dense foods

Have you ever found yourself feeling like a nap in the middle of the afternoon or even getting home from work to collapse on the couch unmotivated to do anything? There may be a really simple change that you can make that will make a huge difference to this.

There is a great amount of difference in the level of nutrition that you can gain from the food you eat. It is common to see people that are overfed and under nourished. What this means is the body has all of the energy requirements met but doesn’t have the nutrition to perform daily tasks.

One of the main culprits here is sugar, The American Heart Association (AHA) have said that added sugars “contribute zero nutrients” and are just empty calories “that can lead to extra pounds”. Excess amounts of sugar have been linked to obesity and heart disease, added sugar is commonly found in foods such as soft drinks and fruit juices, confectionery items and breakfast cereals.

The problem with eating until you feel full is that your body will always process and absorb sugars at a fast rate, meaning that high sugar foods have an effect on the circulating blood levels of sugar. Your body recognises that high levels are not great for long term health so acts to reduce the amount of sugar in circulation. This is where you may have experienced a crash of energy either mid morning or mid afternoon. When we get here we look for sweet foods to pick us up quickly making things worse.

This is in comparison to some of the nutrient dense foods which fill you up for longer and gives your body the nutrition that it needs in order to function and optimise health. This means that there is a steady release of energy into your body and you feel more balanced and stable for longer.
It isn’t a surprise that these nutrient dense foods are whole foods that have not been processed. Food in its natural state! Some examples of these foods are

avocado
tahini
cacao
oily fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel)
green leafy veggies
beetroot
pumpkin

By increasing the intake of the nutrient dense foods in combination with reducing the amount of processed foods, most people will reduce their sugar intake by about one half!This brings the focus back to real food that has been recently living.

Baked salmon and dill
Ingredients:
•    Salmon steaks x 1 per person (4)
•    Lemon juice x 1 cup
•    Salt and pepper to taste
•    Fresh dill – 1 small handful
Method.
Line a baking dish with foil (conducts heat) and then with baking paper (to prevent sticking). Place the salmon steaks in a row. Squeeze a good amount of lemon juice over your salmon.
If you like add a little salt and pepper and then place a small amount of dill leaves on the top as decoration and for complimentary falvours.

Options:
Add beetroot and pumpkin as roasted vegetables.
Add avocado as part of a green leafy salad

Lentil Dahl

Ingredients

1 Brown onion
1 tsp Tumeric
1 tsp Sweat paprika
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 cms of finely sliced ginger
1 tsp Garam masala
2 cups Lentils (red or brown)
1/2 cup Coconut milk
1 tbs ghee
1 tin of tomatoes crushed

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Directions

Put some ghee in a pan on the hot plate. When hot add spices. Chop onion and stir through spices.
Add lentils raw and the add a small amount of water & 1 tin of tomatos. Stir continuosly to avoid sticking. As lentils soak up water add more until they are soft. Blend with a bamix and add some coconut milk just before they are ready.

Note:

Cooking with legumes (lentils are a legume) it is best to soak them for 6-8 hours. After this drain this water off and add more water, gently heat this and simmer for 15 minutes or until starting to go soft. Drain this water off, it is at this point where you add them to this recipe. By doing this you eliminate many anti-nutrients that reduce the benefits of eating legumes

Herbal Focus:

Calendula:
This little beauty tends to be the first flower out in the springtime and has such a lifting effect. Calendula is used for healing of skin so is ideal to have in your garden for when your kids get those scraps on the elbows and knees. Calendula is used for treating colds and flus as it is great for draining the lymphatic system which tends to get clogged up. You can make a tea out of the flowers which is great for cleansing your skin.