Onions are good for teeth as they’re antibacterial and spinach has teeth remineralizing properties, so chomping on a few leaves is a good thing! 🥬
Have you ever thought about the worse that could happen in a situation like dental worry, but it didn’t end up so bad?… Or end up at all?
…And that’s usually because your worry prevented a bad outcome. Some worry is healthy… it’s built into our DNA human-ness.
But in society, we tend to demonize all worry when it can help us to magnify an area we should focus more on, and then put the thoughts to rest.
Worry is healthy when it prevents growing problems. And worry is healthy when it helps us come up with better solutions.
When it falls healthy short and is outta balance, is when the scales need to tip back to peace and calm.
Don’t let your worry take over your Vata mind and from living life… because long-term stress is an inflammation cause in the mind-body connection that shows up in or on the body as a warning.
When you’re conscious knowing what you’re doing and thinking, you activate your subconscious to help you out in the back of your mind.
…EVEN when you can’t connect the dots.
Your subconscious mind is like your passenger seat helper who’s providing directions even when you’re focused on what’s in front of you.
…So, when I didn’t get to the dentist because of the pandemic and several moves later, I thought I would have a bad report.
A month before I could get into the busy dentist’s office, I did everything to keep my teeth and healthy smile at their maintained best… flossing with multiple flosser types, brushing, rinsing, and even scraping. And if you have teeth and dental worry about your teeth, then you may floss more often.
These days, it’s so much more easy… we have much better dental supplies from convenience stores than we did as kids… or imagine what they did back in the Stone Ages?
And those memories and dental worry kept me magnifying on healthy habits leading up to the Big D-Day…
At that dentist chair moment, time stood still and I was pleasantly surprised with the assessment. I had nothing to dental worry about.
It was a compliment when I heard the word “good” from my new dentist, and was even asked about how I take care of my teeth.
She asked me what I did. And my response was, “I do everything!”
I shared my routine and healthy daily teeth habits that make up for the food and coffee acid, and sugar buildup. Really the best tip is to brush more often softly or with an electric toothbrush. 🪥
…There’s nothing new under the sun. ☀️
But I also told the dentist about teeth healthy foods I ate to fortify the good and diminish the bad. We add back healthy for a more neutral effect.
So often we forget that foods act as secondary toothbrushes when we can’t get to our toothbrush.
You don’t need to dental worry if you brush after eating sugary foods.
And with acidic sources… you can soften the blow. For ACV, use an eyedropper or a straw where you drop the liquid to the back of your throat.
And certain foods are teeth helpers that have Vitamin D, calcium, and other minerals that re-mineralize natural teeth enamel.
That’s double bonus points for bones and teeth. 🎯
Stronger teeth enamel helps prevent common inflammation or an infection spreading inflammation.
Because inflammation or worsened infections in the mouth can cause problems just like inflammation in other parts of the body.
To counteract, they say that flossing can add 4 years and so can eating beans. (They these days are healthy social media sources that’s common knowledge). But at worst, you won’t lose 4 years, so it’s worth the effort gamble. 😉
Healthy habits matter today big time for results tomorrow. And we can get a good dose of influence from the Blue Zones (discovered by Dan Buettner), where their habits feel like worlds apart from our modern, Western world.
But we can adopt their healthy ways. And I share a few of mine below along my journey including a healthy potato habit I have. 🥔
As for healthy habits, I’ve been eating whole-wheat bread and foods since I was young. I don’t think I ever had a slice of white sandwich bread. It was wheat, rye, or pumpernickel… but never white.
Whole wheat cherry glace pancakes with frozen Greek yogurt for Sunday brunch! 🥞
I’m so glad I didn’t let those past years of dissatisfied field trip bag lunches hold me back. Those and other healthy habits are happy keepers.
Below you’ll learn about some Sunday brunch inspo that came from healthy habits and endings too.
And what you create as eating healthy habits today becomes your tomorrow’s habits. And can be part of happy memories.
Some of them stick around from when you were younger, and still work. They need no replacement.
When I was younger, working smart was en vogue. Why?… je ne sais quoi.
…Maybe we were trying to learn how to cut corners? But working hard never went outta-style. Work was (and is) what made the world go round but talking about grunt work especially would be like going rogue.
And today, in a sharing society, we learned that there are no shortcuts. The good stuff is in the work and comes from the working hard process. So glad we kept the healthy habits. 🌱
And even the tough work proved useful for growth and experience.
Especially when we’re young, we need all the experience we can get…
In those years, I walked everywhere. I had no wheels. I walked to the bus, to the dentist, to school, on the paper route, and to my friends’ houses.
And when my high school friend got a new set of wheels, a brand spanking new red Cabriolet convertible for her 16th birthday, she offered to pick me up in the mornings to take me to school. It surprised me when I turned down that exciting offer.
My young mind told me that I shouldn’t count on that routine. Our young intellects were at work even when we weren’t fully conscious. 😉
And in a higher gear, I knew I made the right choice.
At that moment I solidified the habit of counting on myself… and not taking shortcuts that breed laziness.
And a good way to break out of that mold is to exercise even when we don’t feel like doing it. You always feel better after the burn.
An easier way is to step outside. Because there you don’t feel the sting. You don’t count calories burned. Your wristband does it automatically for you.
And you breathe in new air and let your senses do the rest.
And when you naturally go up and down steps, you’re doing exercise without having to convince your brain to work. It’s automatic to your mind and legs.
Simply, if you want to get to where you’re going, you need to take steps… or even better, the stairs. Fair, right?
Too often we automatically think of exercise as cardio and keeping up our heart rates. That’s just one type.
And the kind that makes a difference will be the exercises and moves you do.
Another habit area is consistently showing up.
Your presence becomes known. And you’re seen as someone who’s accountable and takes the time to be available. We all like to know people like this.
It’s a form of welcomed dependability.
And there are ways we all can be consistent whether it’s online or in-person. And where we can be part of our community.
For some years, I was part of organizing a regular brunch group. It fit what I was doing. I was helping others plan their hosted events, so why not host my own? It was volunteer mixed with fun healthy habits.
What made the group special was that we (I had a co-lead with me) opened the event to everyone. There were always newcomers to the group and the DC metro area. And the restaurant of choice had to set up several tables.
It was fun to try out new local restaurants including swanky Michelin Blue Duck Tavern places, historic National Press Room restaurants, and mod-deco fare ones on the Potomac River. Many celebrated Cherry Blossoms 🌸 like this one (speaking of en vogue):
And we met restaurateurs like this distinguished chef who put foodie restaurants on the maps in the 90s before Jose Andres.
Restaurant lunch time for brunch isn’t usually busy like dinner so that was a good fit for all. And being plugged in that way became part of healthy habits that season.
And during those years, as a theme, I was also inviting my own bunch to the restaurants where I ran the group events.
Similarly, if you take a look at your healthy habits, you’ll notice some repeats. Your regular habits that stick become what sticks out in your life tomorrow and years later.
Taking inventory of your healthy habits will help show you the gaps so you can have a fulfilling life.
You can consider:
Where are you spending most of your time?
What do you wish you were doing more of?
Are you plugged into your local community in some way?
How are you helping the world?
Just some food for thought as you go about your week.
This used to be one of my favorite lunch meals when they had a loaded potato fixins' bar at my work. The skins are often tossed out and are loaded with fiber and vitamins that can be cooked, baked and enjoyed in our daily meal healthy habits!
I used to start mornings with very little protein and amino acids for breakfast. Cereal took the place of whole foods. And very little adorning… like these waffle trees decked out for holiday Advent season we’re in. 🎄
These days, there are more options like a quinoa cereal bowl, where you get a complete protein meal.
The amino acids are what matter. You won’t see that on most food packaging labels. Both essential and non-essential amino acids.
The nine essential amino acids come only from foods, and like the ones I’m sharing today. They synergistically work together. One essential amino acid you may know by heart is tryptophan because Thanksgiving turkey has made it famous. And maybe you felt the sleepy effects this past week if you celebrated. 🦃
Tryptophan is also found in a range of foods like soybeans, nuts, seeds, and egg whites.
…And chicken too. Here’s one I made with an herb blend I made in advance. If you only could have smelled the herb-y aroma coming from the oven. The seasonings blew the traditional thyme, rosemary, and garlic recipe away!
I did add back some rosemary to zhugh up the balsamic plum apple compote I added at the end. ‘Tis the season!
…Anyway, where was I? …Ok, so the other essential amino acids are the names ending in “ine” that you don’t see on most food packaging.
You usually only see “protein” as the macronutrient labeling, unless it’s protein powder packaging or a nutritional supplement bar that breaks down the granular protein ingredients.
We need amino acids for protein synthesis and tissue turnover. The body needs the right combo of essential amino acids (only found in foods). And essentially we determine what we put into our bodies so we have a lot of smart food decisions we can make.
And a complete protein has all 9 essential amino acids. And why I often start my mornings with a quinoa cereal bowl. I say often because Vatas like to mix it up… lentils porridge, warm oatmeal, and sweet potato soup are just a few others I can think of. …oh, and smoothies too!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because you break the fast from eating for about 12 hours or so.
And since we’re talking numbers here…
As an adult, you need daily protein at least a recommended .36 x your weight.
For a female that can be at least 45 grams of protein.
And you can get to that daily goal much faster with lean animal proteins like 4 ounces of chicken breast (36 grams) and 1 cup of yogurt (12 grams or more).
…Beans and egg whites are healthy protein sources too, but you’ll be eating a lot to get there…
A whole can of beans (regular 15.5 ounces) is usually under 15 grams of protein. But is still a good protein and a great source of minerals like potassium that we need. So 2-3 cans a week is good plus other protein sources.
And legumes are good too. One I enjoyed as a little girl was when I would pick out the sugar snap peas at the grocery store and add to to the bag. It’s funny how the grocery store hasn’t changed a bit in that way, as there are still the same bags and ties …and maybe there will be better recyclable ways in the future. ♻️
Then at home, I enjoyed the snapping sound of taking off the ends (one side is the stem). That was my helper job. The peas were left in the pod and they were cooked all as one.
Snap peas, btw, are a good source of collagen and have a ‘lil protein, more than I expected for their petit pois size. That’s what we used to call them in catering and when I studied French.
These days, I take collagen protein supplements for stronger hair, skin, and nails. It’s easy to add to your coffee, and even better when eaten with vitamins like C in fruits and B6, B12, and B3 in eggs and animal proteins.
That could help make you rethink your morning choices! 🥣
And so many foods operate like this where they work better and rely on other nutrients and vitamins to operate and get absorbed more easily.
And to get to the simple bottom line… that’s why it helps your body to eat nutrient-rich diverse meals and a variety of foods all the time, so the nutrients synthesize and operate in harmony like an orchestra! 🎶
And getting enough protein to build lean muscle mass. As you age, you lose muscle. Lean animal proteins are rich sources (like lean fish, salmon, and poultry) to help build muscles because of the amino acids.
And if you’re trying to lose weight, replacing fat with protein is an efficient way. Protein macronutrients have fewer calories than fat macros.
But whether you choose a diet high in proteins is your choice. You know how your body operates optimally (and non-optimally).
As a quintessential Vata body (…and maybe you are too), I’m never fully full enough without lean animal protein like fish and chicken that have higher amounts of carnitine, in addition to the plant-based ones.
We’re lucky that nature provides for us.
One protein source that comes to mind is Wild Alaskan salmon which feeds the Alaskan wildlife and us humans. Adult salmon lay their salmon eggs, and as they age they know to instinctively swim to the shallow streams where the entire animal ecosystem grocery shops for their instant salmon meal. How’s that for healthy convenience food?
The animal kingdom is fascinating to watch. And fun to watch in related-timeless classic movies, like The Lion King which is still one of my Disney favorites.
It has evolved (as we have) from its original cartoon version to CGI animation and live-filmmaking. I don’t know if you remember those movies we watched with the 3-D movie theater cardboard glasses we got with the red and blue cellophane lenses to bring alive the effects in a Jaws movie. …It’s laughable today.
Those were the days. 😊
And in real life, sharks and lions are still at the top of the food chain. We need them to keep the animal ecosystem running in the wild. Just like us humans with our healthy checks and balances so we can rule the earth.
And so to stay on top, we need to keep our bodies renewed. And make sure we get enough amino acids like leucine (to stimulate mTOR) for new tissue growth. …And maybe that’s a great reason to keep dairy and egg protein in your diet? 🥚
Just food for thought… until next time!
A good source of protein are clams and you can add them to your soup.
Waffles are a metaphor for getting the life you want. Looking at each waffle cell can help remind you that you’re not limited to syrup or honey in just one cell. There can be a sweet overflowing abundance.
This week I made a sweet snack: waffle s’mores. S’more please! 😋
What I love about waffle machines are that you can make individual, or to-order waffles in my home kitchen restaurant (haha). My way is imperfect (aka easy!) and fast. You have waffles in less than 5 minutes and enjoy in less time.
And without having to fire up the oven or a sautee pan when you’re not in the mood or it’s warm outside (like these 80-degree November days). I have a simple Cuisinart waffle maker that you can find (or a similar one) with a Black Friday deal. To justify with inflation, you’ll save money not cranking up the oven!
Then when you use an oil spray bottle, you don’t need to add oil in your waffle batter recipe. You use less and that can be healthy good and economical. And spraying, makes waffl-ing fast (...ok, what is the term for cooking waffles?). 🧇
In a pinch, you can use an emptied regular 16.9 oz water bottle. Then screw a clean spray nozzle spray to the bottle, like the kind you use to water mist a plant that’s easy to find at a convenience store, if one’s not in your home.
And then add pour in your choice of mild oil. You can choose from canola and coconut, to light EVOOs. Then lightly spray the waffle maker, top and bottom. And with light oils you can make savory waffles, and not just sweet ones. Just sayin’! 💡
And whatever kind you choose,the waffles come out easy… sometimes in seconds, and you get this nice browned waffle.
Ahhh… and there it is, fast and easy. Forget about pancakes.🥞 Those are so-last year. Now, I just made the pancake people unhappy.
Just kidding, but I probably will stick to waffles myself.
…And you?
Sharing about waffles, I’m reminded of some franchise hotel breakfasts where they have self-waffle machines. So that’s where you may have practiced before too. Those are the sweet morning kind served indoors. I made the s’mores kind good also for outdoors. 🪵
So, to make the melted waffle sandwich, just tear or cut with a knife your waffles into 4 or quarter sections, and use 2 sections for the top and bottom “buns.” Add your sandwich ingredients like chocolate and marsmallow in the middle (check that the middle layer ingredients don’t go over the sides of the waffles). Then put your sandwich back in the waffle maker until your sandwich ingredients are melted (like a panini maker).
All this can take less than 5 minutes to make when you become a pro waffle maker.
On the lighter topics, this is my new home kitchen tool obsession. 😊
And speaking of home, most of us spend our days checking on people, things, pets, plants, a chore’s progress, or what we’re making.
But often we forget to check on the most important thing… Ourselves. It’s easy to distract ourselves with what we can see in front of our eyes (that’s not always a mirror).
Our eyes are the gateway to our soul and influence our mind.
Changing to Abundance Mentality (For Getting the Life You Want)
And when I gradually switched from a victim mindset to an abundant one, that’s when I could start manifesting and co-creating new and better things. That’s creativity in the highest.
Wow, that’s a big leap forward but that’s where I’m going this week.
Because I believe there’s nothing more important than getting ourselves and our mind-body aligned with what we want in life.
Our decisions come from the lens we look out from. And in how we nurture our lives. We can make fear-based decisions that don’t help us.
I know this because I lived for the first 35 years of my life with a victim lens that I wasn’t even aware of. You can learn this in relationships where you react. And those reactions give you highlighted feedback.
And you can learn from other clues. Like when I created a vision board when they were popular (maybe they still are?), none of the pictures I cut out and pasted on the board panned out because I was looking from the wrong lens. Those ideas came from the same limiting victim mind that I used to look out from in my everyday life.
And after a massive corporate layoff I was part of, I had a chance to make bolder self-improvement changes as I restarted my life in most areas.
That’s when I connected the dots, expanded my horizons, and put to use my knowledge of the mind-body connection.
And I worked to slow down stress. That’s not totally doable or ideal working in the city. But, it was a big step forward from my past.
Plus, living in a city environment, there are more options, like many yoga studios and classes to choose from. And the environment you’re in can help to center your intentions as it did for me.
And in the slow seasons of life when I was waiting for areas to pan out, I evolved into a better version of myself.
As I leaned into character trait desires I wanted in mind, body, and spirit, they gradually became my life in alignment.
And the veil of the victim mentality disappeared somewhere in those seasons. And when it did, I could see that in the past I held myself back. You know, those parts of you that make up you, but that your work never sees.
And changing those parts change you. For a better life, an adult walks or runs, and a butterfly flies. Neither creatures crawl around with the earlier life limitations.
With the ability to look up and out, you gain abundance with a higher viewpoint, which helps you to better look in.
Changing Perspectives (For Getting the Life You Want)
And that starts by changing thoughts. Last time I shared on negative energy and that’s how life can be unless we proactively make the switch throughout the day so we can get to our abundant thinking.
Sometimes it’s easier to change the home thermostat temperature from cool to heat, than our minds.
We don’t do the switch if we’re not conscious because we have to fight against ego thoughts.
We can live tormented in our negative thoughts without catching on to how much time wasting it’s causing us.
Friend, I lived liked that for many years. So making up for lost time 😂, I choose to never live like that again. And you can too!
You can tell your ego to take a hike! And walk away from others’ egos, and not feeding their egos when they’re acting up.
If you’re aware of the concept of ego and how it’s the root of most people problems, then you’re ahead of the pack. And most high ego folks aren’t reading this because you know, they know it all. 😉
But most don’t consider themselves high in ego compared to so-and-so [insert a name] and those they see in the world acting out. The ego is much more subtle. It’s part of the air.
And just by comparing, that’s ego in action.
Recognizing Ego in Others (For Getting the Life You Want)
When I moved away from the Washington DC area, only then did I realize how polluted the air was, full of egos. It’s a great city with a lot to offer, but living there carries unique burdens.
It isn’t that other parts of America aren’t impacted by politics, but there it is in the air and not just on television or yard signs. People living there are very careful when speaking about politics (a big no-no), and a faux pas to mention in formal public setting conversations. And even informal ones.
Those ways trickled down to the suburbs where I spent most of my time. And early on in my work days, I would encounter other people’s egos all the time in management. I didn’t know what happened to that calm person from a few hours ago.
Today if I encounter those situations, I remove myself. Life’s too short. And that takes you steps away from getting the life you want.
Being under an ego spell, the other person doesn’t realize they’re engulfed by their ego at that moment (but they could if they chose to be more aware). They could choose the better thought channels.
But when it’s too late, they can appear like the Incredible Hulk compared to the normal person they usually are. Where did David go?
They act and say things that are off-base or aren’t how they usually react. You feel a huge disconnect as they try to rile you up with their words.
When you come back to that person later, the person remembers what or at least part of what you said and hopefully what they said. So that’s why it’s good to plant seeds when they’re unconscious. But just enough so you can get out alive, lol.
And often looking back, they’re sorry for what they said that no longer makes sense to them anymore why they struck a chord that way.
Were they just having a bad day? Did their medication not kick in? Or, does the person have split personalities?
Everyone, just blame it on what they ate (that’s not anti-inflammatory 😊), so you all can move on …and keep your ego at peace.
And as we’re only weeks away from the Holidays, I want to bring in the theme of peace as much as possible. That helps us stay calm and is just what the doctor ordered. 🍎
After many moons and decades, anti-inflammatory eating has caught on like wildfire for the health-conscious. I remember when gyms cropped up like micro greens, and healthy living in the U.S. was focused on getting fit through cardio exercise.
…And was less focused on healthy eating to prevent inflammation and disease.
…While all along heart and cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers are still the leading causes of mortality in the U.S. (CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm)
So, then we shifted to a healthy diet as the core strategy for preventing diseases, providing energy and nutritional medicine, and the #1 answer to losing weight.
I watched daily the evolution of this through my management lens working in catering and as an event meal planner… kinda like subscribing to and watching a YouTube channel, except social media didn’t exist back then.
Today, the health-conscious are tuned into anti-inflammatory eating, with plant-based whole foods, quality protein, healthy dairy, and good heart oils. Just in time as cognitive decline and diabetes rates are on the fast rise.
A food’s nutritional composition, low glycemic index, and synergistic food impact on the mind-gut connection have never been so celebrated.
And, that makes me happy because I’m a foodie who loves good-tasting healthy food… and maybe you do too!? 🎂
Whole, plant-based foods are greatest when they’re at their seasonal best and the star in a flavorful-exciting meal.
Today we know our energy in old age (longevity) is heavily influenced by our lifestyle and healthy eating pattern choices. (Harvard Study: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/following-a-variety-of-healthy-eating-patterns-associated-with-lower-heart-disease-risk/)
Through lifestyle choices, we get to play a big role in our physical and mental health destiny, and in the mind-body connection. It’s realistic to aim for a goal of being active at 💯. 🎯
Anti-Inflammatory Eating Goals No Matter What Age or Body Type
Anti-inflammatory eating works for all ages and body types. It’s a healthy eating lifestyle that embraces food variety (biodiversity) and includes sustainable everyday foods where you’re rewarded with feeling good and a body you’re comfortable with… and that helps so you don’t have to switch into different clothing sizes in-between seasons.
You can have food sensitivities and substitute those food items or brands with another highly nutritional equivalent.
Anti-inflammatory isn’t a diet, but it can be a lifelong food plan and THE DIET you stick to, to maintain a consistent healthy body.
…And It’s probably the only anti-anything I live for these days as I believe in peace when at all possible. 😊
In anti-inflammatory eating, there’s generally not a need for elimination diets when the body is running smoothly; and if it’s not, specific anti-inflammatory foods can help restore you back.
Meal planning with daily anti-inflammatory foods (as top of mind), you support your efforts to prevent preventable health issues down the road and chronic inflammations that can mysteriously show up one day.
When you’re younger you may not think about these maturing signs, but older and wiser, we feel our internal body changes by the quality of our daily life activities.
No matter what AGE you are, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory can be your healthy targets, as you look and feel your best today and in your bright, promising future.
We know it’s never too early to start naturally reversing any damage.
There is no downfall to anti-inflammatory eating…
I suppose you can eat too many carrots, but you’d probably grow bunny ears too. 🐰
…Anything is possible, but not likely.
And if you’re on the Vata body side of the spectrum, you appreciate all the variety 🌈, and not eating the same thing every day.
And if you’re on the Kapha end, your healthy, lighter food moves can usually get heavily rewarded, spilling over into other complex body systems winning you bonus points.
Below are the different body types according to Ayurveda in case you’re not sure what your type is.
You can see which one (and sometimes a cross between two) of the Ayurvedic body types you most resemble. By going through each of the 10 statements, you choose the one that most accurately describes you and your body.
Then total up the count for each column seeing which one you have the most check marks in. That’s your dominant body type.
It’s your natural way and the body you’ve gotten used to. Usually, one type is more dominant, but you can have a close second or a tie.
Plus, the types fit more like in a circular pie (or percentage pie if you like math descriptions), where the 3 fit as 3 slices.
Everyone has traces of all 3 types even if one type is just a small sliver or a few crumbs (…can you tell I like food descriptions?).
And this is good to know …especially if you don’t like your body type diagnosis here. I’m sure you also fall into some of the descriptions in the other types or in different times of your life 😉
These come from the learnings I had back in 2008.
No matter which BODY TYPE you have, each one of us can benefit from daily anti-inflammatory eating.
Eating anti-inflammatory is like cardio exercise. …in that, we reap healthy benefits as we have a heart that runs better with our healthy moves.
So, then armed with this information, you can better plan your daily anti-inflammatory “eat from the rainbow” meals that can become your established eating-being way.
Enter The Healthiest Combination: Ayurveda Habits and Anti-Inflammatory Eating
In my relationship with food, I choose anti-inflammatory foods when grocery shopping, and then make easy home meals based on what balances my dominant Vata sweet tooth-to-salty craving body.
And I use food as natural “medicine” to help restore my Ayurvedic imbalances—Kapha, Vata, Pitta, or a combination of them that get out of whack for any of us at any time.
Think of the 3 body types in us like colliding earth, wind, and fire (…and like the timeless rock band who still plays in harmony… and just this past weekend).
…Do you remember (the 21st night of September)?… 🎸🎺🎤🎶
…So anyway, with all the chaos brought into our bodies, layering anti-inflammatory foods and balancing them with Ayurvedic food choices is a good way (and I think the best way!) to smooth out undesired moods like anxiety, depression, anger, and any shades in between.
These mood types that linger as undercurrents or that are obvious to us (and others), can cause chronic stress leading to inflammation and debilitating diseases already mentioned.
But the good news is… subtle food changes can change our subtle moods (…nice tongue twister there 😊).
This is true for all ages, types, and sizes as we all can carry off-balance moods seasonally or from time-to-time.
Even though my size is usually consistent year-round, I have a big Vata sweet tooth and too much sugar irritates my skin. That’s a sign of a Pitta body imbalance.
With The 2 A’s (Anti-Inflammatory and Ayurvedic) approach I know I’m doing everything I can to support my prized health and honor the body that was given to me… and that can be your intention too.
So, I put together a list of 200 anti-inflammatory foods so you know easily what to grocery shop for (and shortcut to the checkout line).
The healthy and anti-inflammatory shopping lists help you decide what to grocery buy and fill your kitchen with when you’re lazy or feeling a ‘lil Kapha… and you want to make easy choices… and not have to search high and low in your fridge and cabinets trying to figure out your next meal when it can be made deliciously in minutes or in one bowl with ideas on-hand.
Plus you can overlay the Ayurveda food lists provided, so you have all the researched nutritional food knowledge and references, food lists, and meal ideas all in one place and at your fingertips…. and have the food knowledge I acquired from my decade of event meal planning working with chefs. You can use the list of ingredients and take the flavor ideas to make similar simple, tasty meals that impress you and those you’re feeding.
Another benefit to anti-inflammatory eating that I’ve learned is that your at-home healthy practice can change your sugar.
What do I mean by this?…
At home, you can control the ingredients you eat.
Since 2020, I took up baking regularly. I built a deeper relationship with ingredients and food. I learned to modify bakes without refined sugar (or any white sugar-type substitute) that irritates the skin. And in other body types, sugar can add to insulin resistance and wreak other body havoc.
I do make a few exceptions, but pretty much I’ve learned to enjoyably swap what I once loved (sugar!) with sweet anti-inflammatory ingredients that I now prefer the taste of… because taste is super important to me, as it is to you! 😋
These days, I’m choosier with flavors and I think that makes for better-tasting and healthier bakes.
I’m sure if I got a taste of something super boozy sweet now like in a restaurant dessert with an oozing middle, I would probably only be able to take a small bite without thinking it was too sweet.
So, what you eat regularly changes your body desires and tastes to match your diet.
You are what you eat (and you can become what you eat).
…So that’s another benefit of making the healthy switch!
Your healthy desires catch up to your habits and routines.
That’s good hope for sugar cravings or any other unhealthy weak-in-the-knees food cravings (like the FF word 🍟).
…And if you were to offer a diabetic person, a sugar-free yummy cookie, they probably wouldn’t want it, but if they did, they wouldn’t enjoy it the same way they would if they had the taste of sugar regularly.
So, our tastes also change to help us out.
That’s some good inspo if you want to cook or bake more today or into this year.
And, I’d add... if you have pantry ingredients close on hand, you’re more likely to pick up this handy life skill sooner if you want. You can decide to keep a good shelf-life food pantry, in addition to shopping regularly for fresh ingredients or meals.
You could also keep a secondary “food as medicine” kitchen cabinet that includes spices like I do.
If that’s far from what you do today and you’re not there yet, but wanna be… be encouraged that your desires change. Like in my home cooking journey…
I rarely turned on the oven or stove at home when I planned menus all day at work as a catering sales manager. I came home tired and had a couple boxes of pasta and tomato sauce in my cupboard… nothing for me to get excited about even after I re-charged my energy.
Grocery store shopping was my personal foodie food event. Cooking was the last thing I wanted to do being around food conversations all day.
And in your case, you may be dead dog tired by the end of the work week, overwhelmingly busy season, or just had a Pitta day, that all cause you to want to stay away from the stovetop oven… yes/right?
But you could change your mind and ways when you get used to sniffing and reading ingredients that you have on hand at home a few steps away from the couch that you can check out on your way back from the bathroom or reaching for a snack 😉… and that way you can see that you can actually make your own this-and-that just as easily as going out or to the store.
A factory doesn’t need to supply all the combined ingredients in a package for you to enjoy. Food was available before we had modern machinery.
So you can put ingredients together yourself in seconds or minutes and without all kinds of convenient gadgets and kitchenware.
And those mindful minutes can be very therapeutic.
That can lead you to want to learn more about different types of interesting ingredients available out there.
That’s when cooking or baking starts getting fun! 🎉
And can inspire you to experiment …plus then you’ll have all this extra energy from your enhanced healthy anti-inflammatory eating lifestyle you’ve adopted, that can take you to explore the local farmer’s markets for seasonal produce.
That can be as enjoyable as your other travel excursions without all the hassles. I LIKE TO DREAM HEALTHY BIG…and you can too!
Btw, Happy International Yoga Day today (as awareness mentioning)! As planners, we love when dates stay the same every year like this June anniversary. 😊
FREE Intermittent Fasting Guide For Healthy Living
