Food is about nourishment and enjoyment, and should be viewed this way.  Something to savor.  A meal by yourself, or a meal with friends – it doesn’t matter.  Food is about communion – between us and what nourishes us.

I have not always had a healthy relationship with food.  It seems that most of us, especially women, have not.  I dieted in high school, and experimented with purging.  In my 20′s I over-exercised and under-ate.  I learned that fat was bad, and that low-fat, highly-processed fake foods were good for me.  I still see this anti-fat mindset with many patients I work with.  At age 19 I could sit down with a whole box of Snackwells and inhale the entire box.  And I was still left empty inside.  This is because our brains and bodies need fats.  Some of the amazing processes that healthy fats contribute to include: building our cell membranes, making hormones, giving us radiant and healthy skin, cushioning our internal organs, and helping the body use fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K).  There is also a slew of research pointing to the importance of fats for our brains – both the cognitive and emotional parts.  Those sound like really important functions to me!

Back to the lack of satisfaction with the “foods” I was eating.  A big reason for the lack of satisfaction was that my body was not getting this important nutrient it needed – healthy fats.  It was however, getting a lot of insulin spikes from the high-carb, low-fat diet I was on.  And why has diabetes become such an epidemic in the midst of all this low-fat eating?  Exactly!  So began the endless cycle of elevated blood sugar, the resulting sugar crash, and subsequent reaching for more sugar.  What a roller-coaster!  Serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for mood, becomes elevated as well after a sugary snack.  (The “sugar high.”)  Then we crash and crave more sugar to elevate our mood.  So we have both of these processes going in our bodies when we eat high-carb foods.  No wonder I kept reaching for more!

It took a long time for me to break out of society’s demonization of fats and embrace a healthy relationship with real food.  It has been a process of paying attention to how I feel when I eat certain foods, and of learning to be comfortable in the body I have.  I eat a lot of fats – nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut products, local, humanely-raised meats.  They taste good to me and I feel well when I eat them.  I don’t eat grains because they make me feel horrible.  Sometimes I eat refined sugar – in the form of ice cream – but I know that I will feel tired and sluggish the next day, and will also have horrible sugar-cravings for a few days afterward.  When I choose to eat ice cream, I choose to feel less-than-my-best the next day.  I don’t do it when I am working the next day.  I eat a ton of fruits and vegetables.  I am thankful that I have cultivated a relationship with food where I feel empowered and nourished by the choices I make.

All of this talk about food is making me hungry for dinner.  Of real food – local eggs, and a “cauliflower rice” (grain-free!!) and veggie stir-fry.  And these for dessert.  Delicious, savory, satisfying real food.  A communion where I will not be wanting for more.

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I will explain by using an analogy.

Imagine a big bowl of nutritious, hearty, vegetable soup.  Only you don’t like veggies.  You eat the soup because you know it’s good for you.  You don’t savor the different textures and flavors of the vegetables.  You choke it down as quickly as you can so you can get its nutrients.

Now imagine that same bowl of soup.  Only this time you love vegetables – all vegetables – but this soup is specifically made from the veggies that are your absolute favorites.  You bring your nose close to the soup and take a deep inhale, savoring its aroma.  You look at the soup, enjoying its variety of colors. You are so excited to eat this soup, not only because it has your favorite vegetables, but also because you know it is so good for you.  You put your spoon in and take your first bite of soup. It is even more delicious than you anticipated!  You take your next bite, and really savor and enjoy that bite as well.  You take your time with the soup, appreciating each bite.  You also reflect on the nutrition this soup is bringing to your body.

So I pose this question: which way do you think you will absorb the most nutrients from the soup?  Which way of eating will benefit you the most?  I would bet that the second way of eating would yield more nutrients for your body, not to mention a more enjoyable eating experience.

Are you the person that holds their nose closed and dutifully chugs down her herbs every morning and night?  Or are you the one who looks forward to her daily herbs?  The one who spends 10 minutes sipping the herbs and reflecting on the herbs’ healing powers?  Do you thank the herbs for their gift?  Do you thank yourself for taking your herbs?  I strongly believe that gratitude and presence greatly increase our enjoyment of the world.

If you are the person who chokes down her herbs, are you interested in trying to form a better relationship with your herbs?  Maybe even growing to enjoy this integral part of your day?  Perhaps you could look up the names of the herbs in your formulas.  Read about what they are doing for you, and meditate on this as you drink them.  Maybe you’re a visual person, and would resonate with looking up pictures of the herbs.  Try to find whatever it is (for you) that brings consciousness to taking your herbs.

And don’t worry – if you still can’t form a relationship with your herbs, if you still chug them with your nose held closed – you will still get benefits from them. They are just that powerful.

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For my first post I will be sharing a recipe.  I should start off by saying that I love trail mix.  Let me repeat myself:  I LOVE TRAIL MIX!!!  Yes, I love it so much that I will shout it out in this blog to the entire world.  That being said, I am usually not a fan of pre-made bulk bin trail mix.  It’s either bland or has one ingredient I don’t like in it.  (As an aside, those of us with a gluten intolerance need to be careful with trail mixes and bulk bins in general.  Trail mixes with tamari in them can have wheat, especially if the ingredients don’t specify that it’s a wheat-free tamari.)
So what’s a person to do?  Make her own trail mix of course!  The following recipe has been my favorite mix for the last month.  I have been getting the ingredients at Earth Fare, but I suspect Greenlife should have most of them as well.
You can buy as much or as little of each ingredient as you want.  I usually buy equal amounts because I don’t like any one ingredient to be the dominant taste.  You might prefer it otherwise.  And now for the ingredients….

* Brazil Nuts
* Macadamia Nuts
* Pecans
* Dried Tart Cherries
* Shredded Coconut    (I like the large unsweetened chunks from Earth Fare – they are meatier and more tasty than their smaller counterparts)
* Almonds   (Lately I have been using the blanched, slivered almonds, even though these are not as nutritious as their unblanched counterparts)

Mix the ingredients in a large bag (after you’ve paid for them separately!) by shaking well.  Your trail mix is done.  This is my favorite mid-afternoon snack.  The fat & protein in the mix really fill me up and give me sustained energy.  Plus trail mix is easily portable – perfect to grab on the go – and requires no clean-up.  My kind of snack!  This mix is also delicious added to plain yogurt or to (gluten-free) oatmeal.

Since I am a health practitioner, this blog would not be complete without speaking of the health benefits of this yummy snack.  I will be discussing both the western health benefits and benefits according to Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) theory.  All nuts contain fiber and protein.  Individual nut information to follow…

* Brazil Nuts:  Amazingly high in selenium.  Selenium is an anti-oxidant that is essential for thyroid health.  Brazil nuts are also rich in magnesium, phosphorous, copper, and manganese.  They further benefit our health with fiber, iron, thiamin, calcium, and potassium.  Lack of selenium may be linked to loss of cognitive function later in life.  In TCM, brazil nuts nourish the Liver.

* Macadamia Nuts have the highest amount of beneficial monounsaturated fats of any nut.  Monounsaturated fats have been shown to help lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and raise HDL, the beneficial form of cholesterol.  They are also high in manganese and have smaller amounts of copper, magnesium, phosphorous

* Pecans contain good amounts of manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorous.  They are also higher in fiber than most nuts.

* Dried Tart Cherries are a great source of beta-carotene.  They also contain Vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, and fiber.  They also contain melatonin, the body’s natural sleep hormone.  In TCM, cherries nourish the heart.

* Shredded Coconut contains manganese, protein, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, selenium, potassium.  Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids , which may help increase insulin production and utilize blood glucose (aka lower blood sugar).  In TCM terms, coconut nourishes the Heart, extinguishes wind, and is an all-around tonic.

* Almonds are very high in Vitamin E and riboflavin, and also contain folate, thiamin, and niacin.  Almonds, like coconut, may help increase insulin production and lower blood sugar.  Almonds are used in TCM to move Lung Qi, stop coughing, transform phlegm, and moisten the intestines to help with constipation.

A TCM note: Please bear in mind that nuts can exacerbate Dampness in someone who has Dampness or Spleen Qi Vacuity.  If this is part of your Chinese Medical diagnosis, please eat sparingly.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.  Enjoy your trail mix!
In health and healing,
Liz

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