Vata Management

I am now in full-time Vata management mode. The forecast in Boston for the next few days is "Vata" (English translation: cold, dry and windy). Combine the fast-paced, multi-tasking, constantly-texting society in which we live with a Vata-provoking weather front and you've got a recipe for imbalance. Whether or not you are a Vata-predominant individual like myself, now is the time to soothe and pamper yourself to prevent your doshas from going totally out of whack this winter. Vata is the instigator for many diseases and has this really annoying knack for aggravating Pitta and Kapha.

OK, maybe the situation is not as dire as I make it seem. But for me, I can't take the change of seasons and drastic drop in temperature lightly given my delicate constitution. So what is my strategy for staying balanced? I slow down and ground myself with several Ayurvedic tools and tactics.

Ayurveda views the microcosm (the human body) within the context of the macrocosm (the surrounding environment) and therefore makes accomodations for climate and season. While many of the treatments it employs may seem weird to the average Westerner (self-administered oil enema anyone?), Ayurveda is actually an allopathic system. Ayurveda definitely does not use pharmaceuticals and other strategies which work against the natural order like Western medicine does. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "allopathic" as "relating to or being a system of medicine that aims to combat disease by using remedies which produce effects that are different from or incompatible with those of the disease being treated."

The principle that forms the basis of most treatments in Ayurveda (there are a few exceptions which I can't discuss here), and makes them "allopathic" by definition, is the utilization of qualities that are opposite to those of the renegade dosha. Ayurveda is a holistic system which addresses "aggravated doshas" before and after they have spread and unfortunately manifested themselves in the form of diseases which have Western diagnoses. So even if a person waits until they have been diagnosed with a chronic condition which has been developing for years, the Ayurvedic practitioner will prescribe a protocol which targets the underlying doshic cause.

Since Vata, which is mostly governed by the air element, is cold, light, dry, rough and mobile, Vata-pacifying treatments rely on substances and actions with heavy, warm, smooth, stable and grounding qualities. For instance, suitable foods for Vata include root vegetables, fats & oils (especially sesame oil which is heating), dairy products, wheat and rice. In addition to heavy foods, bodies that are very "airy" can be brought back down to earth with meditative practices and routine. Sesame oil massage is also grounding and helps to counter excess dryness. Self-massage (abhyanga) with organic, unrefined sesame oil (yeah, it smells really yummy) is a great remedy for all sorts of Vata conditions (for more info, check out my tips for getting into the habit).

This past week, I made a kick-ass Vata-pacifying soup that was too good not to share!

Five Spice Japanese Sweet Potato Soup

2 - 3 tablespoons unrefined sesame oil (yes, you can use the same bottle for your abhyanga)

1 small onion, chopped

1" piece fresh gingerroot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 pounds Japanese sweet potato*, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" pieces

1 teaspoon five spice powder

1 small can (about 5 oz.) coconut milk

2 1/2 - 3 cups filtered water

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

1/2 cup rice milk, as much as needed

1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat and saute onion, gingerroot and garlic for about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent.

2. Add sweet potato and five spice powder. Toss to coat potato with seasonings and cook 2 minutes. Then add coconut milk, water and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes until sweet potato is tender.

3. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or in a conventional blender) until silky smooth, adding enough rice milk to achieve desired consistency. Season, to taste, with salt.

*I used a purple-skinned "Japanese sweet potato" which was sweeter than candy! But you could probably substitute any kind of sweet potato such as "Garnet" or "Jewel yam."

Sprouting isn't just for Hippies

I've started sprouting and soaking a variety of grains and lentils over the past month. As if I don't already spend enough time in the kitchen, I decided to try some even more meticulous methods of food preparation after attending the Four Fold Healing Conference. Some of the information presented by Dr. Cowan with regard to diet conflicted with certain Ayurvedic principles I hold dear but most of his guidance reinforced my knowledge. Ayurvedic cooking techniques, as I have described in previous posts, are designed to "pre-digest" food and enhance agni (the digestive fire). Dr. Cowan and Sally Fallon advocate a diet that relies more heavily on animal products - high quality ones like raw milk & grass-fed beef; but they also emphasize the importance of properly preparing food to ease digestion and ensure assimilation of nutrients.

Whole, unrefined grains are praised by nutritionists for their relatively high vitamin and mineral content (compared to refined grains and white flour), but methods of preparation which maximize their health benefits are often ignored. Recipes designed to appeal to busy families offer shortcuts that undermine the natural goodness of key ingredients like brown rice and wheat berries. Whole grains need to be soaked to neutralize their phytic acid which binds with minerals like calcium, iron and zinc thereby inhibiting absorption of these nutrients. Adding something acidic (like lemon juice or vinegar) to the soaking liquid can help reduce the soaking time required. Using whey (the liquid that runs off in the production of cheese and which you can acquire by draining yogurt in cheesecloth overnight) to soak grains introduces lactobacilli which break down phytic acid even more effectively.

Commercially produced whole wheat bread and whole grain breakfast cereals may cause more harm than good (and may be a contributing factor in the prevalence of food allergies). Most convenience foods which proclaim to be "made with whole grains" contain more white flour, sugar and other additives than they do actual whole grains. And the processing of whole grains by major food manfacturers does not help the body to assimilate them. If anything, it makes them harder to digest and introduces toxins.

So the trick to including more whole grains and legumes in your diet with the most health benefits is to adopt habits that make them as convenient as processed foods. First, you'll need to stock your pantry with the right ingredients (in my book, grabbing something from the cupboard is certainly more convenient than stopping at Dunkin' Donuts for a bagel on the way to work).

Here are a few things that I have started to do:

1. Place a serving of rolled oats in a small saucepan with water and a little whey before I go to bed at night. In the morning, I just add some raisins & cinnamon, turn on the burner and I have a hot breakfast in about 5 - 7 minutes.

2. To sprout lentils, I soak them overnight then rinse them twice a day (once in the morning while cleaning up breakfast and right before bed, after putting my oats on the stove to soak) until they grow their little tails. (There are a ton of resources on the web which explain the how and why of sprouting.)

3. If I notice my fridge getting empty, I immediately begin soaking a cup of brown rice, barley or other grain that I think I'll want to eat for lunch (with veggies and sprouted lentil soup - recipe below).

4. For a quick snack, I grab a piece of Ezekial bread, made with 100% sprouted grains, and spread on some organic, grass-fed butter or ghee. Yum!

Sprouted Lentil Soup

Makes about 3 servings

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled & finely chopped

1 sprig thyme or rosemary (optional, but delicious)

1/2 cup lentils sprouted to yield about 3 cups

4 cups broth (vegetable or homemade organic chicken broth)

salt & black pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute a couple of minutes until soft. Add garlic, celery and carrot. Cook about 5 more minutes until vegetables are tender. Throw in thyme or rosemary spring and cook a minute.
2. Add sprouted lentils, broth and some salt, to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and, covered, for 10 minutes. Season with additional salt & pepper, to taste.

Soups On!

There's nothing I crave more in December than a steaming bowl of soup (with some rice or bread on the side) to help soothe and hydrate Vata, who's cold, dry, light. and rough qualities are excerbated by the Boston weather. So I'll share with you a recipe for "Fennel-Apple Soup" which I prepared a couple days ago. I chose to use fennel for its digestive and carminative properties (aka. "anti-flatulent" - yup, I'm not afraid to admit it. I've got GAS, which I blame on aggravated Vata). The key flavor booster in this recipe is the toasted fennel seeds. Toasting whole spices in a dry skillet before grinding and adding to the pot is a traditional technique in Indian cooking used to enhance the flavor of a dish. The food scientist at Cook's Illustrated explains that "toasting a spice whole brings its aromatic oils ot the surface, contributing to a stronger, more complex aroma when ground."

This recipe yields over 2 quarts of soup so plan to have company over or freeze some for later.

Fennel-Apple Soup

Ingredients
2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 fennel bulbs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
¾ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” chunks
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley

Directions
1. Toast fennel seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool then grind in a spice/coffee grinder.
2. Remove stalks from fennel bulbs and set aside some of the fronds for garnish. Wash fennel and remove inner core then cut into thin slices
3. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced onion and fennel. Cook vegetables with ½ teaspon sea salt covered, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 15 - 20 minutes.
4. Add potatoes, apples, vegetable broth, and ground fennel seeds. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
5. Allow soup to cool slightly before pureeing in a blender - do in batches! * Ladle soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with parsley and reserved fennel fronds.

Medicinal Insight! Fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgaris) act primarily on the digestive and urinary systems. Fennel is most well-known for its carminative property - fennel tea is an old remedy for treating colic in babies. Adults can benefit from chewing roasted fennel seeds after a large, heavy meal. Fennel is cooling so useful for Pitta-type conditions such as hyperacidity and diarrhea. Fennel and coriander seeds are often combined for use as a diuretic.

* This is another important lesson for the novice cook: Be very careful when processing hot ingredients in a blender. Do not fill the pitcher more than half way up and make sure to secure the top with a dish towel in hand. I probably don't have to tell you this. Thanks to the consequences, no one is likely to make the mistake more than once. . .