Good food (including lots of sweet treats) are an iconic part of the holidays. So of course you don’t want to miss out (nor should you!) The important thing to know is that balanced blood sugar is important for more than just maintaining a healthy …
In the Ayurvedic tradition, Dinacharya (or “daily routine”) is one of the most powerful tools for improving overall health and well-being. Ayurvedic medicine employs a holistic range of healing modalities, including diet, herbal therapies, exercises like yoga, massage, meditation, and lifestyle practices to bring the …
Fall is in the air! Whether you work (or play) in the wellness community, or outside it, get ready for Pumpkin-Spice everything!
But did you know this cozy, cinnamon-y (it’s a word) flavour combo is more than just #fallvibes? This warming autumn beverage actually finds its roots in one of the world’s oldest healing sciences, Ayurveda.
Ayurvedic scholars estimate that this ancient school of medicine originated in India over 5000 years ago, and it is still used widely in many eastern cultures as the dominant form of medicine today.
The term “Ayurveda” is derived from the Sanskrit words, “Ayur”, meaning “life”, and “veda”, which means “science” or “knowledge”. Thus, “Ayurveda” literally translates to “knowledge of life”, and encompasses a holistic blend of herbal medicines, therapeutic diets, and lifestyle factors like massage, yoga, and meditation to promote healing.
Built upon the concept of universal interconnectedness, the body’s “constitution” (prakriti), and life forces (doshas) are the foundations of Ayurvedic medicine. The three principle life force energies (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), each possess their own unique blend of the five elements: earth, air, space, fire, and water. It is the balance and interplay of these energies which Ayurvedic practitioners believe make up every element in the cosmos, including your individual biochemistry, and it is the imbalance of these energies which is at the root of all illness, (or “dis-ease”).
In Ayurvedic medicine, Fall and early Winter is considered the season of “Vata” (the air/ether constitution). As we move out of summer, the rough, dry, mobile, and cold qualities of Vata are elevated in our environment, our bodies, and our minds. Aside from the harsher weather, this time of year also tends to coincide with a sense of frenetic busyness as schools start back up and the holiday season approaches.
Now more than ever, it’s important to slow down and ground ourselves through the use of warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon (which, by the way, are also proven to help balance blood sugar and aid digestion), and nourishing, healthy fats like ghee and coconut milk.
Grown on the earth, pumpkins are also considered to be very grounding and nutritive during Vata season. This earthy quality gives pumpkin its natural relaxant effect, making it a very comforting ingredient in times of stress. Both physically and mentally grounding, pumpkin has a mild natural sedative effect, supported by its high magnesium and potassium content, which helps to relax the muscles and nervous system. Pumpkin is also rich in tryptophan, which encourages healthy sleep and balances mood by acting as the precursor to serotonin, our primary “feel-good” hormone and neurotransmitter.
The demulcent qualities of cooked pumpkin also make it amazing for digestion, coating the digestive tract and acting as a protective barrier for mucus membranes. It’s high water and fiber content help to soothe inflammation, promote bowel regularity, and balance blood sugar, and adding a pinch of nutmeg to pumpkin has been shown to increase its bio-availability and enhance these beneficial effects!
Unfortunately, most mainstream pumpkin spice lattes are not what we would typically call “healthy” (containing massive amounts of sugar, artificial flavour, and caffeine, completely negating any potential health benefits).
Lucky for you, at Pure Nature, we have an organic, non-GMO, dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Latte by Organic Traditions. Lightly sweetened with coconut sugar, this limited-edition, at-home mix contains 100% real pumpkin, a blend of Vata-pacifying, organic spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and clove, and a touch of healthy fat from coconut milk powder, making it the perfect, creamy sipper for when you’re wrapped in a blanket watching the leaves dance in the chilly autumn breeze outside the window.
The mix also contains organic coffee powder, so it can still serve as your much-needed morning pick-me-up! Visit us in-store to pick up your Organic Traditions PSL before they’re gone! Or if you’re someone who needs more of a “chill down”, check out my Ayurvedic Sleep Tonic recipe, available in the Well Fed Cookbook.
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus This old adage has perhaps never been so well encapsulated as it is in the idea of “Germ Theory vs Terrain Theory”. In 1892, a Russian immunologist named Elie …
It’s tough to imagine going from this – gorging myself on pasta, bread, and piles of fresh buffalo mozzarella in Italy – to repping the #lowcarb, #glutenfree & #dairyfree life. Once upon a time, I was known for having a stomach of steel. I loved South …
Guys, I made a thing!
A little over a year ago, I started working on a healthy recipe cookbook. At the time, I didn’t think it would take me more than a few months. Now here we are, and it’s FINALLY done and out there in the world.
But the The Well Fed Cookbook is so much more than just a healthy recipe book. It represents the culmination of my journey with health and nutrition. Its pages contain everything I’ve learned – both through my formal training as a nutritionist, and through personal experience – about food, its connection to our health (both mental and physical) and our relationship with our bodies.
All of the recipe testing/creation, graphic design, photography, and written content was done by yours truly.
The Well Fed Cookbook is an e-book, which means you will be e-mailed a PDF upon purchase.
It is with the sincerest gratitude, honour, and excitement that I share it with you.
$19.99 CAD
In this podcast episode, I had the supreme honour of interviewing with holistic health consultant, Rebecca Leonardes. Rebecca is a certified life coach, ayurvedic consultant, essential oil educator, and an all-round empowering and vibrant soul inspiring others to bring forth their best selves. Together, we …
As much as we would like to believe that there is a perfect diet that will benefit every single person on the planet – health-wise, ecologically, and spiritually – without exception, this just isn’t the case. Literally every “body” is different. We all have a …
Too often, I hear these toxic words from clients: “I hate my body”, or “I can’t stand this or that about myself.”
I can think of many times in my own past when I’ve personally spoken the worst of all: “I hate myself.”
Because of the media, diet culture, and social conditioning (and through no fault of our own), we don’t realize that, by having this mindset as our starting point, we are defeating ourselves before we’ve even begun.
Now, after years of poisoning myself with those words: “I hate myself”, and watching the inevitable domino-effect of self-destructive behaviours that follows, the most fundamental tenant that I teach my clients is: Self-love comes before change, not the other way around.
“Tonic thoughts produce tonic chemicals; toxic thoughts produce toxic chemicals.”
– Michael Beckwith
But how do we practice self-love and self-acceptance without risking complacency? It’s a common concern. After all, if we learn to truly love and accept ourselves exactly as we are, right now, what motivation is left for us to make healthy changes?
The answer is much more simple than you might think.
Imagine you have a child. If you are a parent, perhaps you don’t have to imagine. You already know that you love that child more than life itself, exactly as they are, right now. In your eyes, they are perfect – freckles, asthma, tantrums and all. And at the same time, you want what’s best for them. You want nothing more than for them to become the most vibrant, happiest, healthiest version of themselves. You want this for them, not IN SPITE of your unconditional love for them, but BECAUSE of it.
YOU are Someone’s child. You are worthy of the same unconditional love and care. The missing link between self-acceptance and self-improvement is nothing more or less than self-trust. The only difference between you and your child is that you are a grown-ass adult. Trust that you are capable of holding space for two truths simultaneously. You are whole and beautiful and perfect, just as you are, AND you are worthy of the brightest possible future.
I can tell you from experience that, through the practice of fierce, unwavering, relentless self-love and acceptance, positive results will naturally manifest, and the healing will begin.
The short answer: no. It can happen, but it should by no means be considered “normal”. Hair loss can be the result of any number of things – from genetics to hormone imbalances, stress, or nutritional deficiencies, whether you are following a plant-based or any …