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Summer, sunshine and roses. What a delight they are to have in the garden with the variety of colors, blossom shapes and fragrances. Long a symbol of love, war, politics and beauty, roses have worked their way into our hearts and into our cuisine.
A little history first. Fossil evidence date roses back nearly 35 million years, with cultivation beginning nearly 5,000 years ago–likely in China. Now there are 100-150 estimated species of Rosa growing wild or cultivated on nearly every continent. The Romans and Middle Eastern cultures used roses for medicinal purposes, celebrations, perfume, as confetti at celebrations or to honor royalty. Well, who doesn’t want to walk on a path sprinkled with roses?
Rose oil and water was considered legal tender for trade and payments during the 7th and 8th centuries–not quite as crazed a trend as the Dutch tulips bulbs. And there was the famous “War of the Roses” in the 15th century– the red rose symbolized Lancaster and the white rose was the symbol of York.
In the early 1800′s botanically illustrator Pierre Joseph Redoute’s completed “Les Rose,” a collection of watercolor paintings from the roses in Napoleon and Josephine’s gardens at Chateau de Malmaison. This work is still considered one of the finest botanical records of roses.
Personally, roses hold a dear place in my heart. My grandfather was a master gardener and cared for several public rose gardens as well as his own. Grandma would harvest the petals for potpourri and jellies. And my parents kept a very neat rose garden right outside the front door. Pretty magical to be able to loose yourself under an enormous Austrian Copper rose bush for a nap, to fill vases with roses, to be able to identify each rose just by fragrance.
Enough history and sentimentality…
Western nutritional highlights
From a western nutritional perspective, roses don’t hold significant levels of minerals and vitamins except for vitamin c, which is most abundant in rose hips rather than the petals. Where roses shine is in their energetics.
Rose’s Eastern nutritional energetics and highlights.
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Clears heat, cools the blood and stops bleeding
Rose has a very clearing, cooling and calm nature. Patterns of blood heat include rashes, fever, nose bleeds. Doesn’t matter which organ has the heat (liver fire=constipation, stomach fire=mouth sores, etc) rose will help cool heat patterns. |
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Harmonizes menstruation, strengthens and harmonizes reproductive qi
That’s right, roses are wonderful for treating reproductive disharmonies including: irregular or painful menses, PMS, low self-esteem, excessive bleeding, impotence, infertility and low libido. But don’t just keep it to the ladies. Roses help to increase sperm count and resolve sperm incontinence. |
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Clears Liver qi congestion and promotes bile flow
Liver qi stagnation? In Chinese medicine the Liver is responsible for ‘free and easy flow’–meaning the qi, blood and fluids in the body are moving easily. Liver qi stagnation appears as depression, mood swings, mid back pain, pms, constipation, flank pain, nausea and headaches. If you have angst, anger, irritability or frustration you have some liver qi stagnation. |
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Nourishes the Heart, settles Shen and lifts depression
Very simply put, Shen is the spirit that is housed in the Heart. When the Heart’s Blood and Qi are harmonious, Shen is nourished and we responds appropriately to the environment. We can build meaningful relationships and can experience joy and laughter. When it is not nourished or unsettled we see patterns of insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, and inappropriate relationships (too close or too far). In extreme conditions we can see hysteria, irrational behavior and delirium. |
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Clears toxins, reduces swellings and inflammation
Think boils, furuncles, carbuncles, abscesses and shingles. It clears toxic damp heat in the colon that causes painful diarrhea too. |
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Heals and repairs the skin
Use it internally and/or externally, rose is useful for eczema, ulcers, sprains, red irritated skin, wrinkles and spider veins. |
Seven ways to use roses
- A cup of tea– There are several varieties of rose tea available at local stores, or simply get some dried organic rose blossoms and petals and have make your own. I often mix my with other flavors–last night raspberry leaf, nettle, and rose. To further cool the day down, I dropped in a few frozen blackberries.
- Eat rose petals–dash them over salads, top berries or cakes with them.
- Use as rose water or rose oil–use the water to flavor teas or as a refreshing facial rinse. Drop oil into a calming bath or use as an essential oil…a few drops a day under the tongue can go a long way. Rose water.
- Make up a vinegar–use for everything from sun burns and bug bites to an unusual salad dressing. Rose vinegar.
Be well!
April
reposted with permission from aprilcrowell.com
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Peas
Seems that people either love them or hate them, but there is really nothing like the taste of peas plucked straight off the vine. Their sweetness comes from the natural sugars that begin to break down into starches the moment you pick them. We think of as an early food crop, but with little planning, you can harvest them in most regions from late spring to late autumn.
Vegetable or Legume?
Both–peas are eaten both dry and fresh (green). Native to India, there are more than 50 varieties of peas and Idaho is one of the largest producersof peas in the US. Much of the world eat peas in their dry form, especially in the Middle East and Asia. Americans, however, eat most of their peas in the fresh form. Dry or fresh, their nutritional and energetic values change a little, but these little legumes make an wonderful addition to any diet.
Western nutritional take on peas
Excellent source of protein, vitamins A and B and minerals including calcium, sulfur, potassium and iron. Dried peas are a great source of fiber. Green peas (fresh or frozen) have vitamin C, K and carotenes, that are lost in the dried form. Like other legumes and lentils, peas lower cholesterol, especially in their dried form.
Eastern energetics of peas
Peas have neutral temperature and very sweet flavor. They enter the Spleen and pancreas, the Stomach and Heart (relaxing). Peas help to calm down the Liver when it is overly taxed and burdened with toxins. They reduce ‘rebellious qi’, a condition when the qi is moving the opposite direction that it should. For example, rebellious Stomach qi appears as acid reflux, gerd, hiccups, belching and coughing when eating. Peas also have a mild laxative and draining (diuretic) effect. Beans, overall, help us adapt and become tolerant to life changes and challenges. Dry peas have a drying nature and should be avoided in conditions where the body is very dry and thin. Need a reminder on energetics? Click here.
A tip on growing
Want to have fresh peas all season long? Not a problem, you will have to step away from the commercial varieties that have been raised to have a singular harvest time. Plant ‘first ealies’ like “Feltham First” in late-autumn for a spring harvest. In late winter to early spring, plant varieties such as “Onward” and “Alderman” for main crop harvest. Check with your local organic nursery for heirloom varieties and their planting and harvest time.
Using peas fresh
Eat both shelling and pod varieties straight from the vines. Use peas to liven up green salads, or toss them in a stir fry or simple grain salad with a light vinaigrette. Peas are wonderful plain as a simple snack and split pods and stuff them with an herbed goat cheese for a summer picnic. Minted pea soup is one of my spring favorites.
Using peas dried
Dried peas are used widely in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Because they are dried and have a drying nature (sop up wet, sagging conditions) they are often used in dishes with oils or to help counter oil meat dishes, like lamb. Dry peas do not require soaking and cook up quickly. Use them in recipes that would call for lent
ils in grain dishes or soups–think of masalas. Snack on dried plain or herbed dried peas–great for hikes. You can also sprout peas. As a general rule, sprouts contain all the energetic and nutrient potential of the plant activated all at once and readily available for digestion–yum!
Peas and rice–completing the protein
Lentils and legumes are excellent protein sources and a wonderful way to reduce your animal protein intake. However, there is a bit of a problem–they lack all the amino acids, making them an incomplete protein. By combining beans with a particular grain, the problem is solved. In the case of peas, use them with rice and your amino acid profile is complete. Classically, peas and lentil soups are served with a rice or grain in them or as a side.
Making dried peas more digestible
Of all the beans, peas are among some of the easiest to digest. If they are new to your diet sometimes people may encounter difficulties in digesting them. Try using herbs like fennel, mint or oregano or curry spice to aid in digestion. Use kombu or kelp when cooking them to aid their absorption. Chew thoroughly. Consider using charcoal tablets and digestive teas until your body get used to digesting them.
Eat well!
April
reposted with permission from aprilcrowell.com
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Rhubarb has a long medicinal history. Its use spans Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to Galenic and Islamic medicine. Indeed this powerful little purgative (meaning it moves the bowels) is not an herb that is likely to disappear. Today, rhubarb’s rhizome (root) or Da Huang (big yellow) is still used extensively in classical and newer Chinese formulas to move the bowels and release excess heat and damp conditions in the liver.
But enough of the roots, we going to talk about the stalk or stem.
Though rhubarb’s broad leaves are toxic, the stem offers a surprising array of vitamins and minerals. The stems vary in color from deep red, pink, white to green and have a similar shape to celery stalks. Like celery, rhubarb is a vegetable despite the fact that it ends up in many desserts. Let’s take a closer look at what rhubarb has to offer besides a very tart flavor.
Calcium–Rhubarb is loaded with silicon an important component in the absorption of calcium. And it’s packed with calcium itself, boasting about 30-35% of the RDA based on a 2,000 calorie diet–wonderful for your bones, teeth and heart without building up a bunch of phlegm.
Vitamin K, A, C & E-Vitamin K is essential to helping blood clot and aids your body in the absorption of vitamin D and many other nutrients. Rhubarb rocks nearly 60% of your RDA of K in a single cup. It also sports a healthy amount of vitamins A, C and E–the antioxidants that clear the body of disease and free radicals. Sounds kind of liver oriented, doesn’t it Chinese medicine practitioners?
The B-Vitamins- Small amounts of the B’s are present in rhubarb, but its enough to take note of these include thiamine, riboflavin and folate, niacin, vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid.
Other nutrients and trace minerals-A single cup of rhubarb provides small amounts of magnesium which plays a role in utilizing calcium, vitamin D and potassium. Potassium in rhubarb helps to balance out fluid and minerals–out with gout. And the phosphorus helps to keep teeth and bones strong. Rhubarb offers some iron, supporting blood health. And trace amounts of copper, slenium, manganese and zinc appear as well.
Now that we’ve fractionalized the poor rhubarb–let’s look at it from a whole, Chinese energetic perspective.
Rhubarb is cold energetically, it drains downward and removes excess heat and damp from the Liver, Stomach, Heart and Intestines and promotes bowel movements. The sour flavor specifically enters the Liver, moving out congestion and dampness.
Shall I simplify?
Heat in the Liver- What this looks like is liver qi congestion, anger, frustration, digestive stagnation, pms, ringing in the ears, –check out Liver yang rising. Patterns like Hep C, mono and high cholesterol are damp heat in the liver and gall bladder.
Heat in the Stomach-We see burning sensation in the stomach, acid reflux, GERD, bleeding gums, excessive thirst and bad breath. This can also be a component in constipation caused by heat. Yep, there is more than one pattern that can cause constipation.
Heat in the Heart-Anxiety, palpitations, nervousness, thirst, anxious and excessive speech and dream disturbed sleep. You might actually have a burning sensation on the very tip of your tongue.
Heat in the Intestine-Heat anywhere will dry up the fluids in the system, making you thirsty. With lack of fluids in the intestines the body cannot properly move the bowels aka, constipation.
Wonderful– Put this all together and rhubarb is a fantastic food to help purge out excess heat from the system, especially if you indulge in too many animal proteins which are hot! Great for spring cleaning. But before you go noshing on your plant, there are a few contraindications.
A note of caution–rhubarb is a laxative, avoid use if you are nursing, have diarrhea, loose stools, or are very deficient.
Be well,
April
reposted with permission from aprilcrowell.com
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“What’s for dinner?”
It’s a common question that can turn into an amusing (or annoying) game. When you have a busy schedule it can be a daunting task to figure out how to eat well–let alone eat.
I’ll tell you a little secret–it’s all about habits.
Our culture has put emphasis on economy and convenience, at the cost of our connection to self nourishment, and I’m not talking about restorative yoga. Think about it. We spend less time planning and preparing meals than any other culture in the world, and we have increasing disease and health costs that are directly related to dietary habits. Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, GERD (okay, there is a virus involved sometimes here, but I assure you, if you slow down how you eat, it improves considerably), kidney stones, ulcers, gout, heart disease–you get the picture. We all know nutrition is important, what and how we eat is the basis for our energy, ability to health and overall health.
Wonderful. So how to we start improving how we nourish ourselves?
Simple–create new habits that make better nourishment and eating habits a priority.
You will be hungry today, so why let that surprise you? Why not plan for it instead? Your health and soul will thank you. Let’s play with a few ideas.
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Create time
If your current habits don’t allow you the time to menu plan, shop, prep and cook–budget some time. Put it in your day planner or on your ‘to do’ list. If you skip meals, put the time for them in your planner as well. It usually takes me about 15 minutes to make a menu for the week and I usually take 2 hours 1x a week to prep and cook so that my kitchen time is cut down during the rest of the week. It gets simpler the more you practice it–trust me–you can create time  |
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Shop in your cupboard–use it or lose it
Browse through your cupboard, fridge and freezer before you make a menu. If you can focus some of your menu around what you already have, you will save time and reduce waste. Have asparagus that’s looking a little floppy–how about asparagus sauté, soup or stir fry? This time of year, I am clearing out the cupboards and freezer from last autumn’s harvest so the I can make room for this year’s abundance. Pumpkin custard it is… |
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Make a menu
I grew up with the menu on the left–whine or complain and you can cook it yourself. Which is fine, we are often ungrateful for what we have available and who prepares it. My mother always had a plan, so we rarely played the ‘what’s for dinner?’ game. Anyway. Now that you know what you have in your cupboard you can head to the store with a plan–rather than coming back with random items and nothing seems to fit together. Menus don’t have to be elaborate, and you don’t have to cook everything from scratch. The menu is a guideline. The point is to work from where you are and use to simplify and evolve your cooking and eating habits. |
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Go to the store or market after you’ve made your menu
Save money, frustration and time by knowing what you need rather than trying to plan on the fly. Try not to shop when you are hungry–ending up with pickles, chocolate, chips and little else makes for weird meals. With the farmer’s markets and CSA happenings, I actually do some of the menu planning after shopping so I can eat what’s available. Ooooh…fresh morrels…what can these little gems become? Wild rice and wild mushroom soup or morrel, asparagus fettucine alfredo made with traditional or made with nut milk? Yum! |
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Prep a Salad
“Eat your greens.” They are essential–really, but that’s not what we are talking about this time. Take a few moments to clean, wash and blot your greens. Or buy them that way. I have a large planter of mixed greens (arugula, spinach, beets, mustard, chard, nasturtiums, endive) plugging along on the patio. The mix provides variety and it only takes a few moments to go clip the large ones for the evening meal. Then you simply dress the salad. Carrots shavings, chopped radish, little red onion, a handful of seeds or nuts and a quality dressing. Top with a little leftover meat if you have it, serve with a grain pilaf–dinner! |
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Prep a Grain Dish
Barley, rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth…lovely grains. Grains, grain salads or pilafs can be made up ahead of time and tossed over salads, served as sides or have a little meat added into them. How about an Herbed almond, amaranth pilaf or a quiona tabbouleh? I often make up a large pan of just plain rice; toss it in soup, breakfast wraps, porridge or serve as a simple side. Clara rolls it with a little seaweed and sesame seeds for rice balls for lunch. |
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Double or Triple It
If you are already cooking, make a little more. It’s pretty simple to double soups, stews, and many other dishes. Use the leftovers to create breakfast. Freeze some of it down for the next time you run late or something comes up. Dips and patés are easy sources of protein, fiber and are wonderful after school snacks. If you bake potatoes, bake extra and use the leftovers in frittatas, soups, or simply reheated and severed with fixings. |
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Make a soup or stew
Soups are the most forgiving food. They are easy to digest, easy to vary the flavor and change them into something else and a wonderful way to use up leftovers. Don’t have time to make your own? Stock up on organic stock, frozen vegetables, dried spice mix (no msg or chemicals, please.) and BPA free cans of beans. Flavor to your tastes–voila–dinner in a hurry. P.S. when it comes to adding items into the soup if you are unsure if the flavors will combine-here’s a trick. Smell the soup, then smell what you are planning to add. If your nose says ‘no’–don’t combine them. If it’s not a ‘no’, then you can add them and adjust your flavors. |
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Eat slowly with grace, joy and gratitude
“Sit down, be thankful for what you have and chew your food.” Ever notice that food tastes better when you are in a good mood? Meal times used to be honored times, when the focus was nourishing, not what’s on CNN. Turn off the tv, don’t answer the phone, step away from Facebook. When we take the time to be thankful for our blessings and nourish ourselves with intention it’s really quite profound. Often times this simple rule is enough for some of my clients to stop using antacids. |
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Plan for the busy days
Orchestra, track, meetings, parties–busy, busy. When you plan out your menu, take time to look at the week schedule. I come home late on Thursdays, therefore, I don’t want to cook, so the menu is set that for either leftovers or dinner out. If you know you are going to have to rush home, then grab the kid before soccer, pack up a snack or meal when you are cleaning up dinner the night before.
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Have staples and easy snacks on hand
Take stock of what you have and what you might need. Root vegetables, squash, frozen vegetables, whole grains, dried nuts, dried fruits, nut butters, dried (or canned BPA free) lentils and legumes and seeds, etc. Obviously, this list will vary household to household. Look to see where you are at and how you can improve your stock. A bowl of apples and pears setting out on the counter it is more likely that you will grab that for a snack than rush out for a candy bar. How about carrots and celery with nut butter or hummus or a handful of nuts? |
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Involve the family
Learning to plan and prepare meals shouldn’t fall to just one person in the family unless you’ve divided the work that way. Why? It’s a life skill, everyone should learn. Especially if there are children in the household, get them involved. Have them pick out one or two meals to have each week, have them participate in cooking and clean up. |
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Be flexible and keep an open mind
Don’t worry if you fall off the menu here or there, they are just a guide to keep the hassle down. Remember to be willing to try new things and explore. If your mind is open to being able to try new foods or create new habits, those around you will likely mirror it. Have fun! |
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What is calcium?
Calcium (Ca) is an essential macromineral for humans. How calcium is absorbed, what vitamins and minerals it needs to be with, how much we need and in what form is a bit a matrix to untangle. My goal here is to present what calcium is and why we need it without boring you to death or writing a full essay—whew.
Forward!
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in humans, making up about 1.75-2% of your body weight. Nearly all of the calcium in our bod
Although our bones make up our frame and create structure, they are highly subject to the body’s needs–meaning they aren’t static. Bones are at their strongest at about age 30, and they are constantly restoring themselves…if they have the building supplies. There is a constant adding too and pulling from the bones. If there is a deficiency of calcium in the blood and nerves during times of high stress, we will leech the calcium from our bones weakening ourselves.y is found in the bones about–about 98%, equaling about 2.5- 3 lbs worth an adult . A meager 1% of the overall calcium is found in the teeth.After about the age of 30, their ability to build declines. Women are at greater risk of bone loss (osteoporosis) and calcium loss simply because of varying hormonal and physiological differences from men. Whatever your gender it important to build bone mass during youth and early adulthood.
What does calcium do?
Here is a starter list of the ‘big’ items:
- Builds and maintains strong bones and teeth–smile pretty and stand tall
- Calms and sedates the nervous system–relaxes you
- Alkalizes the body–blood PH likes to be slightly acidic, however, the standard American diet is highly acidic, a primary factor in many diseases.
- Aids in proper muscle contraction–everything from leg cramps to proper heart beats
- Important in proper blood clotting
- Essential for proper parathyroid (PT) functions–also if the PT is not functioning properly you will not absorb calcium properly.
- Essential for proper secretion of hormones
- Aids in proper bowel and gastrointestinal functioning
Calcium and the heart
Calcium circulating in the system as Ca ++ (ionized calcium) is responsible for simulating the contraction of the heart. Magnesium aids in the relaxation phase of the heart, while sodium and potassium buzz creating the impulse for the heart to beat. Generally, the calcium and magnesium are recommended at a 2:1 ratio.
Calcium and Vitamin D
Sunshine increases the body’s ability to manufacture Vitamin D, is essential in helping the body absorb calcium. You just need about 20 minutes a day. Want to get more specific? Expose the back of your neck to the sun, where you can easily absorb it.
Calcium acid and dairy
Although calcium helps to alkalize our body, it requires stomach acid to absorb it. For this reason, take calcium between meals when the stomach acid is higher. Taken before bedtime the calcium will help calm and settle the nervous system and aid in sleep. For seniors, women over age 35 and those with low stomach acid calcium citrate is most easily absorbed form, or consider using a HCL supplement. Although it is true that calcium is high in dairy products, it can be hard to absorb for those with lactose intolerance. Seek out plant based sources if you are lactose intolerant or have a lot of phlegm and mucus that dairy can increase.
Eastern peek at bones and calcium
In Chinese medicine the development of the spine, brain, bones, and teeth is under the rule of Kidney functions (no correlation in western medicine, really here). Any development delay or abnormality in these processes is an indicator of ‘failure to grow and thrive and essence (jing) deficiency.’ Strong tonics and specific points would be utilized to increase Kidney’s rule over growth and development. Again, this is Eastern functional principles and has no real correlation to western medicine in this perspective. Calcium specifically subdues yang rising (hot heads), it strengthens the body and stops pain. Like most minerals, calcium ‘anchors the spirit’– meaning it settles down anxieties, worries and relaxes us.
How much calcium do you need a day?
Like every other mineral and vitamin it depends on your age, gender, life conditions (stress, etc) and what you eat.
The current adequate intake (AI) is
- Infants-1 year: 220-500 mg./day
- Children 1-10: 800-1,000 mg./day
- Children 10-18: 1,1000 mg./day
- Adult men and women: 800-1,000 mg./day
- Pregnant and lactating women: 1,200 mg./day
- Postmenopausal women (not taking estrogen): 1,200 mg./day
Daily intake of up to 2,500 mgs. of calcium is considered safe. If you have a healthy diet and lifestyle activity that is mostly free of calcium killers you may not need much supplementation. Increase supplementation during times of growth, stress, spiritual growth, lactation, pregnancy, acute illness and heart issues. Check with your nutritionist to see what additional dosing and form you may need.
How to get more calcium and build bones
- Exercise regularly. Regular walking makes the body lay down extra minerals on the the bones–specifically in the hips, legs and spine.
- Increase silicon rich foods which aid calcium absorption: Horsetail tea (the herb, not actual horse’s tail), oatstraw, kelp, kombu, lettuce, parsnips, buckwheat, millet, dandelion greens, celery and cucumber (esp. the peel), carrots and apricots. There are a few studies that indicate that horsetail tea actually may close up dental cavities….
- Eat foods rich in calcium, magnesium and chlorophyll–you know the green things.
- Avoid foods from the solanum family–aka the nightshades–potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Eat marrow broth regularly–’like begets like’. Eating stock made from bones and marrow is a fantastic way to build bones.
High Calcium Foods
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calcium in mg for 3 1/2 oz. portions |
| Food |
Mg of Ca |
| wakame |
1300 |
| kelp |
1000 |
| Swiss cheese |
530 |
| wheatgrass |
514 |
| chia seeds |
450 |
| sardines with bone |
440 |
| cheddar cheese |
400 |
| almonds |
233 |
| spinach, cooked |
233 |
| amaranth |
222 |
| parsley |
203 |
| turnip greens |
191 |
| dandelion greens |
191 |
| brazil nuts |
186 |
| sunflower seeds |
175 |
| corn tortillas |
170 |
| chick peas |
150 |
| arugula |
150 |
| quinoa |
141 |
| black beans |
135 |
| pistacios |
135 |
| kale |
134 |
| spirulina |
131 |
| molasses, blackstrap |
130 |
| tahini |
130 |
| yogurt |
122 |
| cottage cheese |
120 |
| beet greens, cooked |
117 |
| collard greens, cooked |
117 |
| whole milk |
112 |
| sesame seeds |
110 |
| dried figs |
100 |
| tofu |
100 |
| walnuts |
99 |
| salmon |
80 |
| thyme |
81 (mg/T) |
| poppy seed |
127 (mg/T) |
| dill |
100 (mg/T) |
Calcium and bone killers
The following is a list of lifestyle and nutritional habits that increase bone loss and strip the body of calcium.
- High fat diet
- High protein diet–calcium is used to neutralize high acidity in blood
- Sodas and phosphorus foods–again, calcium is called from the bones to neutralize the acid
- High sugar intake
- Chocolate intake
- Coffee
- Lack of regular exercise–especially weight bearing
- High stress
- Chronic Kidney disease
- Steroids
- Anticoagulant medicines
- Antiseizure medicines
- Smoking
- Hyperthyroidism
- Acute illness
- Yeasted foods–bread and beer
Here’s to your healthy bones and a calm mind!
April
Reposted with permission from www.aprilcrowell.com
April Crowell, Dipl.ABT, CH
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Autumn and early winter are the peak harvest times for nuts. Nature’s little powerhouses, nuts possess all the energy, nutrients and materials to create a towering, strong tree, making them one of the richest foods available for humans to eat.
One short blog isn’t enough space to tackle all 300 edible types of nuts, but it is more than adequate to get a brief overview of the nutritional benefits and energetics of nuts along with safe handling, storage and some ideas of how to incorporate nuts into your diet.
Western nutritional highlights
Although nuts will vary in their content of protein, oils, vitamins and minerals we can look at them overall and get the general idea of what they have to offer.
- Protein– All nuts are high in protein. A 1/3 cup serving of cashews contains 21 grams. However that same serving gives you 260 calories–something to consider if you are calorie counting. These amino acids are pretty well balanced but lack the methionine and tryptophan found in animal proteins. However, mixed with grains, as many traditional cultures do, you can easily balance the meal.
- Fats–Don’t let the word scare you. We need healthy fats to maintain healthy hormones, immunity, and nervous system. It’s fats that give nuts their delicious flavor that satiate us. Luckily, most nuts are high in unsaturated fats (happy fats), and many of them have been shown to successfully help lower blood lipid levels (high cholesterol) and aid in the treatment of heart disease. In fact, nearly all nuts have appeared in studies and are shown to be beneficial in lowering cholesterol and protecting the heart. Nut’s fat content varies from about 50% (found in peanuts and almonds) to the nearly 70% (found in macadamias and pecans). Remember, a little goes a long way. Keep your servings to about a handful a day.
- Fiber–1/4 cup of almond provides about 4 grams of fiber. Fiber is essential for maintaining healthy bowel movements, weight balance, hormones and colon health. Need more info on Fiber?
- Vitamins and Minerals–Here again, nuts vary but many contain iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin E and zinc–to name just a few.
The Chinese energetics of nuts
As a group nuts build and strengthen the body. They add on weight and fight deficiencies. Yin building (fluids and fats) and warming nuts are good for thin, weak and frail types but should be avoided if there is excess dampness, phlegm or yeast. Too many nuts can scatter the energy making a person feel ungrounded or unfocused.
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Almonds
Almonds have a fairly high fat content (60%). They are high in vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. From a Chinese medicine perspective almonds are sweet and have a slightly warming nature. They benefit the Lungs and Colon by relieving cough and moving out phlegm, making them useful in chronic asthma and constipation conditions. Raw almonds are very beneficial in fighting heart disease and lowering blood lipids and the treatment of colon cancer. |
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Cashews
Kidney shaped cashews benefit the–you guessed it–the Kidneys and the Heart. Lower in carbohydrates than other nuts they offer vital minerals including copper, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc. Most of the fat in cashews is in the form of oleic acid know for protecting against cancers and heart disease. |
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Chestnuts
Chestnuts are one of the oldest nut varieties. They have been a staple for many cultures in Europe, Asia and America and there are hundreds of varieties grown throughout the world. Chestnuts hold the honor of being the only low-fat nut. They contain a mere 1 gram of fat for 1/3 cup serving and about 70 calories. Chestnuts contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, and folic acid. They are the only nut that contains vitamin C–providing nearly 1/2 the RDA dosage in a single 3 oz serving. The offer up fair amounts of manganese, copper and magnesium. They have a sweet, warming and grounding nature. Chestnut soup anyone? |
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Hazelnuts or Filberts
Hazelnuts have been eaten by the Chinese for at least 5000 years and they have a long history throughout Europe. Commonly appearing in candies and sweets filberts are the nut used to make Frangelica, a sweet liqueur. A 1/3 cup serving provides nearly 500 calories and 12 grams of protein, and 48 grams of fat–but nearly all of that fat is monousaturated fat. They are high in many of the B vitamins, vitamin E, copper and zinc. Hazelnuts have been shown to help high cholesterol levels. |
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Peanuts
Not truly a nut, but a legume. Peanuts hold the honor of being one of the most allergenic foods. They are also susceptible to a carcinogenic fungus that is more potent than DDT. Does this mean they are bad for you? No–peanuts are shown to protect the heart and help balance LDL and HDL levels. They are high in B1 & B3 and trace minerals. Just remember to buy organic, high quality and use a variety of nuts, not just one type. |
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Pecans
Pecans were a staple in the Native American diet, and praised by Spanish and French explorers. Pecans are very high in fat–nearly 71% of their content, most of which is heart healthy oleic acid. Pecans have high levels of B1, B3, B5, B6, copper, magnesium, manganese and vitamin E. Pecan’s have been the star in multiple studies (including several by the American Heart Association). |
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Pinenuts
Dozens of pine trees throughout the world produce edible seeds. Pinenuts are high in protein, low in fat and high in potassium and magnesium–another bonus for heart health. They are high in iron–great for blood building. Famously used in Mediterranean cuisine, pinenuts are one of the most expensive nuts and one of the most unstable nuts. They become rancid quickly, so be sure to buy from a good source and store in the freezer. |
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Pistachios
Another ancient, heart healthy nut pistachios are stars when it comes to vitamins and minerals including; B1, B3, B6, copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, selenium, calcium and potassium. Another nut shown to help lower blood cholesterol, pistachios also have the ability to reduce inflammatory dermatitis. In Chinese Medicine terms, they enter the Liver and Gallbladder and treat jaundice. |
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Walnuts
Walnuts look like little brains…and that is exactly where they benefit–the brain. Dating back to 7000 BCE, walnuts likely the oldest tree food eaten by man. Their are two main species. Black walnuts are smaller and little more bitter than the English walnut which has a larger, sweeter, white meat. Again, walnuts have a significant ability to lower cholesterol. Unlike other nuts, however, walnuts are high in arginine, which allows the bloove vessels to relax. They also possess ellagic acid, a cancer fighting antioxidant. In Chinese medicine terms, walnuts benefit the Heart, the Kidneys, the spine and the brain. |
Preparing and storing nuts
Nuts are high in fats. Once these fats are exposed to air, the oil becomes unstable and starts to oxidize, becoming rancid, which can cause problems with allergies, asthma, joint and nerve problems, itching and burning in the mouth or lips. Whenever possible buy nuts still in their shell, which will keep for a year in a cool, dry place. Once shelled nuts can be stored for up to a year in the freezer or a 4 months in the fridge.
How to prepare nuts
- Soaking nuts–I recommend soaking shelled nuts for 2 hours to overnight before using. Soaking starts the sprouting process, making the nutrients of the nuts more digestible. In bitter nuts, like walnuts, the tannins float away in the rinse -water making their flavor. All nuts become softer, sweeter and have a more butter like texture.
- Oven drying nuts–Once nuts are soaked, drain them and spread them out on a cooking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20-40 minutes stirring occasionally. Nuts should be fragrant. Scrape nuts from hot pan onto a cooling surface or pan. Use immediately or cool them thoroughly before storing in the fridge or freezer.
- Toasting nuts–In a heavy ungreased skillet, toast nuts over medium heat until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Pour nuts onto into a cooling pan or surface to stop the cooking.
A few ways to include nuts in your diet
- Homemade granola– Make up a large batch of granola and freeze it. Because granola has nuts, seeds and grains, all of which have oils in them, it can become rancid quickly. Store prepped granola in the freezer and pull it out to toss on yogurt, serve with warm almond milk, pack in hiking bags or stuff into baked apples.
- Make nut milk–Easy to make and use. Nut milks have unique flavors. Make a thicker cream to pour over hot baked apples or make thinner to add to smoothies. They make wonderful hot chocolate too!
- Toss them onto a salad.
- Add them to rice or whole grain dishes.
- Candy them–Drizzle a little honey or maple syrup over nuts and roast with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Toast until fragrant. Or, if you prefer savory, roast them with sage, rosemary and thyme. Great for gifts.
- Just leave them out on the counter–If there is a bowl of nuts (shelled or unshelled) hanging out, somebody starts munching on them. I never leave out large bowls of unshelled because of the unstable oil–but usually the bowl is emptied before they can go rancid.
- Toss them onto hot cereals–Livens up oatmeal, teff, quinoa or whatever your morning porridge is.
- Make a crust–Use the left over nut pulp to make a crust for meats or fish.
Be well!
April
reprinted with permission from www.aprilcrowell.com
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“Squash would be great for you to eat.”
It’s a common recommendation here at Pulse. Why? Simply put–pumpkin and winter squashes are the perfect food for strengthening your Spleen and your core. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.
The winter squash family includes: acorn, butternut, Hubbard, pumpkins, spaghetti and turban squash–to name a few. They all have a tough outer rind or peel making them great for storage through the long winter months.
Western nutritionally speaking, all winter squashes are excellent sources of vitamins C, B1 and B6, niacin, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid and pantothenic acid. Squashes are high in carotenes, which gives their flesh its rich orange-gold coloring. The darker the flesh, the higher the concentration of carotenes which protect against cancer and type 2 diabetes.
From an Eastern nutritional perspective winter squash are the perfect food for the Spleen which rules the digestive system. The strength of your Spleen allows for toned muscles, strong vibrant energy, helps to support a strong immune system and is the basis for building Blood in the body. A healthy Spleen allows for clear thought and the ability to study—no more muzzy mind. Winter squash strengthens and warms the core, tonifies Qi and drains damp. Translation—they help regulate blood sugar, remove excess damp conditions like candida, phlegm and mucus and create a strong lasting energy and digestive system.
With their naturally sweet, neutral flavor winter squash can lend themselves easily to sweet or savory dishes. There nearly as many ways to cook squashes as their are varieties. The trick is to try several different ways of cooking to find what you like. However you choose to cook it, make sure it is tender all the way through but not mushy—unless you are making baby food. Below are some simple ideas.
Playing with flavors
Add Zest- Add a splash of lemon, lime or orange to brighten the flavor.
Sharp Cheese- grate on a little parmesan, feta or Asiago to bring out the squash’s nutty flavorings
Spice it up- Use savory combinations like curry, coriander and mace. Or sweeter combinations like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice.
Play with herbs- Squash’s earthy notes are perfectly complimented by sage, rosemary and thyme.
Choose your method of cooking
Sauté it- Peel and dice winter squash then season with salt and pepper. Toss in a little rosemary, sage and lemon to brighten the flavor.
Roast it. Winter squash cubes with other root vegetables like beets, onions, carrots and sweet potatoes. Try it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme and sage. You can also roast it with a sesame oil and tamari sauce.
Bake it- If your squash is small enough to fit in the oven whole simply puncture a few slits in it with a knife so it won’t burst while cooking. Cool and then clean out the seeds and the flesh should easily fall away from the peel. This is an excellent way to prep squash before using it in a soup or making pumpkin/squash pack for pies or baked goods like Cranberry Pumpkin Bread.
Steam it-diced squashed in a steamer basket for a moister squash.
Stuff it- acorn, butternut or small pumpkins that have been halved, cleaned and prebaked with a flavorful lentil or rice pilaf like Acorn Squash with Butternut Risotto
Toss it in the soup pot-check out these two great recipes for squash soups and stews. Try Curried Pumpkin Soup.
Fill ravioli- with a a squash puree with a little asiago or goat cheese.
Layer it- into lasagna, casseroles or au gratins.
Puree it-for a pasta sauce with a little broth and cream.
Mash it-as a side dish with a little butter and your favorite spice.
Contributed by April Crowell
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Autumn’s arrival means it is time to get ready to go back to school–and lunches.
School lunch or homemade lunch? Are school lunches wonderful or awful? Answer: It depends.
As a Holistic Nutritionist, I don’t just focus on the best quality, local and organic food. It’s an ideal, however I fully recognize that nutrition in America is in a crisis state–swinging wildly from excess to starvation. Many people are fortunate enough to afford broad variety and exotic foods, choosing what and when to eat while others struggle for a meal each day.
The lunch program may be hideously dismal or a bounty–how you view it will obviously be peppered with your current life situation. Speaking professionally, the school lunch program is strongly lacking and filled with low quality food–rootbeer flavored milk?? Ick! However, I realize there kids that are amazed with abundance and variety that school lunch has to offer.
Food is absolutely a place where we can do better as a people.
Don’t go running after the Lunch Lady–she’s not in charge of funding. We are seeing change through local groups and organizations like Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. However change takes time, but that is not the purpose of the this blog. My goal is to create awareness when it comes to eating. We all want our children to ‘grow and thrive’, to do well in school and have more opportunities than we’ve had. Learning how and what to eat is a part of that and it begins with parents. Chinese medicine isn’t just about healing–it’s education. ”To heal the child you must heal the parent.” Unless your child is the one shopping and cooking, it is up to the parents or guardians to teach them.
Tips and ideas to help simplify school lunches–and meals.
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Make a menu and involve the family
This helps on so many levels! Sit down for 15-20 minutes and write out a menu for 5 or 6 days. Involve the family. Being able to get up and look at list of the fridge that says “oatmeal with fruit and nuts” is what’s for breakfast and knowing that you are roasting a chicken for dinner that will become part of lunch tomorrow makes life easier–really. I base my menu around when I have time to cook and make sure there are left overs. Make your first menu based on what’s in the house and your work schedule, or write up your menu before you shop. Need some more ideas? Check out 13 Tips to Simplify Your Meals. |
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Be prepared
Here’s a big one–write up a list with your children about what you can put in a lunch and post it on the fridge. Sandwich? Soup? Hummus and veggies, wraps, leftovers? The trick is to create habits of thinking creatively. Once you have a menu and a list of foods to nosh on–go shopping. Make sure you have containers to pack lunch in. There are hundreds of re-usable environmentally friendly lunch containers available now. Pick something out that fits your budget and appeals to your child–whether that is a stainless steel bento or brown bag.
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Pack the night before
Pack lunch the night before so you avoid the ‘morning rush and forget something’ syndrome. Dinner leftovers are fantastic for lunch. As you pack away dinner, have out your lunch containers and portion a little into each one. Pop them into the fridge and grab them the next morning. But, what about heating them up? Honestly, not necessary in most cases. I leave my lunch out on the counter at work all the time, it’s room temperature by lunch. Nope–that is not enough time for it to go bad–that takes a day or two. |
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What’s for Lunch? Just a few ideas |
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Soups and Stews
Perfect for building minds and bodies. Soup is easy to digest, can be light or densely nutritious. Make soups from scratch and double or triple the batch. Freeze some down if you have extra. Check out some of the healthier redi-made soups like Amy’s Organics. 5 to 10 minutes on the stove top while breakfast is going and then pour it into a stainless steal thermos. Get variety going: Egyptian lentil soup, pho, beef stew, chicken and dumplings, pumpkin stew, minestrone…the list goes on. |
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Sandwiches and Beyond
Bored with sandwiches? Maybe you have to clear gluten out so many breads aren’t an option. Think out of the box. Sandwich doesn’t have to be the main feature. How about hummus and veggies, baked sweet potatoes with a few nuts and cinnamon, leftover roast chicken? Try veggie wraps, sushi and miso soup, mashed potatoes and turkey, pot stickers–Clara was a plethora of ideas today. |
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Snacks
Snacks are must in school lunches and after school….but they are just that–a little something to tidy you over until the next meal. They don’t need to big or heavy, sweet or overly processed. How about an apple, a handful of mixed nuts or seeds, rice cakes with almond or cashew butter, dried fruit, grain salad, nosh on some seaweed or have a little black bean dips with crackers? A little yogurt and granola, carrots and celery, kale chips–you know–real food. Make up a specific list of snacks to have on the fridge so ideas so ideas are there for the you and the kiddos. |
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More than milk and cheese
Despite what the dairy industry would have you believe, milk and cheeses aren’t perfect foods. Often milks are highly sugared and flavored, and unless organic it’s loaded with hormones and antibiotics. Same is true of cheese. Dairy also creates a tremendous amount of phlegm, so if allergies, asthma or obesity are an issue, pull it back or out of the diet. Calcium!?? Calcium is in many foods, especially greens and seaweeds. Sure a little here and there is fine, but 3-5 servings a day is way too much. Check out the list of foods high in calcium in Boning Up on Calcium. |
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What’s to drink?
Water–really. We need water for hydration, and it isn’t actually necessary to get calories in liquids unless your diet is greatly lacking in nutrients. Today’s school lunches are often packed with sugary sodas, vitamin drinks, smoothies and juices. Add a slice of lemon to water, or move to herbal teas or vegetable juices. Sure, a little here and there is okay, but put it into perspective, are you burning through boxes of vitamin drinks or sodas? To help wean off of sweet juicy drinks, dilute them with water or a fruity tea. |
Remember–school lunch can be healthy and it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Pick one or two ideas and focus on those for a few weeks–build a new habit then add in another.
Be well!
April
Reprinted from Aprilcrowell.com with permission.
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There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance.
Henry David Thoreau
I grew up on my grandparent’s farm outside of Caldwell among vegetable gardens, berry patches, orchards, flower gardens….and bees. My grandfather held many passions but at the top of the list were roses, walnuts and bees.
Grandpa’s bee hives would come to life every spring as soon as the daffodils bloomed. The apricot and crab apple trees buzzed with life and the melodious hum meant fresh honey. In a few weeks we would be blessed with plates of oozing honeycomb. The honey, gently flavored with whatever was blooming, ranged in color from gold to dark to nearly black and was always delicious.
The collection of honey dates back to 7000 b.c.e., and it shows up in nearly every form of medicine. However, they have fallen out of popularity due availability of processed white refined sugar. Let’s face it, refined sugar is cheaper and easier to attain. You don’t have to risk stings or waiting for the right season–we want it now! Honey also adds a distinct flavor to whatever it goes into, another put-off to spoiled taste buds, but I digress.
Like all real food, bee products hold medicinal properties and energetics–the post metabolic phenomenon of what it does in the body (heat, cool, etc.). Here’s a brief picture of bee’s bounty.
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Bee Pollen
Honey bees travel from flower to flower harvesting the male germ then carrying it another plant thereby fertilizing the female germ cells. It’s a big job and we rely on honey bees to pollinate neatly 80% of our food crops. The pollen left on the bee’s body is then brought back to the hive where the bees combine it with enzymes and nectar. Bee pollen is tiny granules of gold, green and brown with an fragrant sweet flavor. Pollen is highly nutritious and provides an instant blast of energy. Local pollen is commonly used to treat allergies. Try it out gently at first, start with a few granules on your tongue the first day then gradually increase to about a 1/8 tsp. If you are allergic to bees, stay clear. |
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Bee Propolis
Bees gather this thick gooey resin from tree bark and buds, especially from conifers. This resin is the glue that is used with their wax to build the hive. Propolis is highly antibiotic and protects the hives from bacteria and viruses. Propolis is bitter and sticky, but very effective as an antimicrobial and antibiotic for humans. Thank you, bees. |
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Royal Jelly
The food of the queen. How can it not have benefits? Royal jelly is a milky white substance excreted by the workers to feed the queen. It is superior in nutrient value to all of the other bee products. From a Chinese Nutrition perspective it nourishes jing (essence) and is useful in ‘failure to grow and thrive’ patterns. It strengthens, builds, creates stamina and longevity. It’s powerful stuff and little goes a long way. |
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Honey is neutral and sweet and moistens dryness
Honey (and all bee products) correlate to the Earth Element, which governs the Spleen and Stomach. It strengthens qi (energy) and blood and creates vitality. But be warned, due to its sliding nature honey is damp and is therefore contraindicated in damp and phlegm conditions. Our ‘delicate’ lungs can get dry easily. Honey’s nature is sliding lubricate and moisten the tissues of the lungs. Use for chronic dry coughs and other ‘dry lung’ disorders. Honey also helps to treat constipation if the cause is dryness. |
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Nutritional makeup of honey–from the western view
Honey is packed vitamins and minerals including iron and manganese. It is particularly high in riboflavin and B6. 1 tablespoon gives you 60-65 calories, 17 grams of carbs and .1 gram of protein. Honey is highly antioxidant and studies are finding that regular consumption prevents blood lipid build up and improves circulation. Honey is also considered a superior sugar form for helping athletes maintain blood sugar levels and aiding in recuperation after endurance. |
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Use Raw Honey for wounds and scars
Raw honey is antiseptic (fights toxins) and analgesic (counters pain). Use it to relieve pain from burns, scratches and bug bites. Yep, a little raw honey will ease the pain of a bee sting after the stinger is removed. Honey has long been used to heal up scars. A recent study pitted honey against a standard combination of iodine and alcohol for healing C-section and hysterectomy wounds. The honey group healed faster and with less incident of infection and less scarring. It is also widely used now to treat acne scarring. |
Vanishing Bees
Bees provide us with some wonderful blessings, however, our bees are in danger. Colonies are collapsing due to toxins in pesticides–specifically those derived from nicotine. Although this view was suspect for many years, new proof is out and several nations have banned the use of these toxins. Sadly, America is not yet convinced that these pesticides need banned. The loss of bees would, literally, collapse our food production–not a good thing.
Find out more here.
Reprinted with permission from
Aprilcrowell.com
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Sprouting
How to grow your own healthy live food
By Nathan Mandigo, ABT, Amma Bodywork Therapist at Pulse Holistic Health
It’s spring! That wonderful time of year when the grass greens up, trees leaf out, flowers bloom, and many people plan their summer gardens. But what if you live in an apartment or don’t have a green thumb? How do you enjoy the benefits of growing your own food? Answer: sprouting.
Why sprout?
Seeds contain all of the materiel necessary to create a new plant. They are high in proteins and carbohydrates as well as containing many of the essential vitamins and nutrients necessary to sustain life. Because the plant sprout is relying completely on the materiel in the seed for its initial growth, all of the nutrients that are locked up inside the seed are transferred into the sprout, making it much easier for us to extract those nutrients.
Sprouting seeds is easy and rewarding.
 Sprouting seeds carried by the Boise Co-op The easiest seeds to start with are alfalfa, clover, or radish. Alfalfa and clover are the most commonly encountered sprouts and are used by many restaurants on sandwiches. Radish sprouts are a little spicier and some people find them a little bitter, but they make excellent additions to salads and soups. Any grain, seed, or legume can be sprouted, some require a different technique than this article is covering but a quick search on Google turned up many fantastic resources for how to sprout anything.
To get started with sprouting you will need only a few basic items: a quart mason jar, a sprouting lid (a specialized plastic lid that has many small holes in it) or a clean nylon and a rubber band, a towel to wrap the jar in and the seeds you wish to sprout.
To begin we need to activate the seeds for sprouting which is accomplished by soaking the seeds. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of seeds in the mason jar and completely cover the seeds with water (don’t worry about too much water at this point) and allow the seeds to soak undisturbed for 6 to 8 hours.
Once the seeds have soaked, we need to rinse them. This is where the sprouting lid or clean nylon and rubber band come into play. Place whichever covering you have on the jar and drain out the soaking water. Pour more water through the covering and gently shake the seeds and again pour off this water. A common mistake that Sprouters make is to leave the seeds sitting in water, this can cause the sprouts to mold, so we want to drain off as much water as we can.
Now that the seeds are soaked and have had their initial rinse, shake the seeds into the long side of the jar, and with the jar on its side, cover the jar with the towel. Seeds sprout best in the dark and warm, the towel serves both to keep out light and keep the temperature constant.
For the next 3 to 5 days, at least twice a day, repeat the rinsing process, making sure to continue to keep the jar covered between rinsing. This ensures that the fledgling plants have enough water and also minimizes the chance of mold or insect growth. During this time you should see the sprouts develop in the jar with pretty dramatic changes from day to day.
 Once the sprouts are about an inch long and have 2 tiny little pale leaves at one end, it is time to expose them to the sun. Place the jar in a sunny spot for an afternoon and your sprouts will rapidly change from pale green to a vibrant dark green. Even during this phase, continue to rinse the sprouts as they can quickly dry out and wither in the sun’s heat. Also, keep in mind that the longer the sprouts are exposed to the sun, the stronger the flavor they develop.
The next step, and this one is optional, is to rinse off the seed hulls. This can be done in a salad spinner lined with a paper towel, or in a large bowl of water where the seed hulls will either float to the top where they can be skimmed off or fall to the bottom.
Whether you choose to rinse the seed hulls off or not, pat the excess moisture off the sprouts and store in the refrigerator. They will keep for 3 to 5 days.
What do I do with all these sprouts?!?
Spouts have many uses in cooking. As mentioned above, they are excellent on sandwiches, in salads, or thrown into a hot bowl of soup. They can also be cooked into many casseroles, used on tacos or in other Mexican dishes, or added at the last minute to stir fry. Or, my personal favorite, pinching a handful out of the fridge for a nutrient dense and satisfying snack. The biggest thing is experiment and enjoy!
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It seems that ‘allergy season’ comes earlier every year. Although it may be true that certain seasons have a propensity to bombard us with excess pollen, there isn’t really one season for allergies. Some people only suffer during a particular season while others may suffer all year long. Some people are allergic to only one thing, while others suffer from a multitude or combination of allergens. Whatever the individual pattern, it is estimated that nearly 50 million Americans suffer from allergies.
From a Chinese medicine (CM) perspective allergies appear when our Wei qi (defensive qi) is very weak or the pathogen is immensely strong in comparison. This is very similar to how colds and flus invade the system. How does this happen? One of the 6 pernicious influences (cold, dry, damp, hot, summer heat and wind) invades. Your body’s natural defensive system (the wei qi) should rally to fight and hopefully expel the pathogen. However it may succumb if the system is too weak, the pathogen too strong, or our actions allow the pathogen to perpetuate. Treatment and prevention of allergies are focused on the individual, treating both the acute (sniffling, sneezing, etc.) and focusing on building the system to prevent and reduce reoccurrence.
What can you do?
Allergies can be particularly tenacious and difficult to treat, especially if they are severe or chronic–but they can be treated, you just need to be tenacious. Here are some ideas.
Know thyself
Half of the battle is knowing your constitution and your pattern. For example, if you have a history of colds or Lung qi weakness, treatment will focus on rebuilding that energy in times when allergies aren’t acute. If you have a lot of phlegm, treatment will focus on draining phlegm even in times when the allergies aren’t flaring up. Be aware of other situations that trigger your allergies. Is it in the spring? When you are around cats? When you walk down the detergent aisle in a store? Once patterns are identified then lifestyle habits, nutrition and herbs can be clearly focused to treat.
Wage war on phlegm and dampness
Excess dampness and mucus congest the lung, sinuses and respiratory system. Dampness bogs us down, making you feel muzzy headed, slow and heavy. If dampness perpetuates it congeals into phlegm which is even heavier and slows down the immune system stifling the Wei qi. The presence of excess dampness and phlegm are often a huge component in allergies as well as other diseases including candida, diabetes, some forms of arthritis and even cancers. Foods that perpetuate dampness include: dairy, processed and refined grains, yeasted foods, sugar, tomatoes, pork, oils and fats–time to cut out the cheese covered pasta. Foods that help to cut damp and phlegm include: squash, onions, turnips, radishes, and dark leafy greens. Pungent spices such as; rosemary, thyme, basil, clove, cinnamon and mints are helpful too.
Improve your diet
Foods can benefit or hinder any condition in the body. If you are actively trying to treat a pattern such as allergies caused by wind damp, then including foods that both drain dampness and eliminate wind are the perfect match. Add them into your diet while eliminating foods that cause dampness or wind. Ask your practitioner for examples.
Build in the ‘off season’
When you are not suffering acutely it is the ideal time to build the system. As we build, we become less sensitive and will not react as strongly–if at all– to the pathogen. This again means being tenacious and working towards prevention not just treating acute symptoms.
Exercise
Proper exercise increases circulation, respiratory function, immunity–it goes on. Let’s face it, proper exercise is imperative for vitality. There isn’t one perfect exercise–the key is find the exercise that you enjoy that is matched to your needs (we can help you with that, too).
Be prepared and act
Stock your cupboards with the teas, herbs and foods before the season lands on you. If you start to feel a little congested, maybe because you indulged in too much ice cream, use a steam to clear your sinuses and pull your diet back to more clearing foods. The benefits of instilling preventative habits are amazing–they just require you making a new habit. “Oh, I feel phlegmy? I will opt for the onion soup rather than the cream of mushroom.”
Watch out for wind
One of the 6 pernicious influences, wind is often present in colds, flu and allergies. To understand wind you simply need to see how it moves. In the body, wind invades in the upper regions, through the sinuses, back of the neck and ears. It moves quickly and transforms rapidly. It sends chills down the spine and makes us sniffle, twitch, have a scratchy throat, headache or watery eyes–and wind often carries in cold or heat with it. Wind rises in the spring, just as we are shedding our heavy clothes leaving us vulnerable and open. Wear scarves and hats to protect from wind invasion. People with Liver pathologies are vulnerable to wind. Quick test—do you like the wind? If you just cringed and crunched up the back of your neck and said ‘no, I hate it,’ you are likely susceptible to Liver CM patterns.
Be well, wear beautiful scarves.
April
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by April Crowell
Dipl. ABT(NCCAOM), Certified Instructor (AOBTA), Certified Holistic Nutritionist
 The Five Element Theory of Chinese Medicine (CM) carefully observed the natural phenomenon and flow of the seasons. Each of the five (yes–five) seasons were assigned an element, organ system, quality, temperature, direction, sound, taste and emotion–just to name a few. For example: Spring is represented by wood, the Liver and Gall bladder organs, birth and new growth. Summer is fire, and coorelates to Heart, Small Intestines, Pericardium and Triple burner. It reflects the peak of growth and activity. Autumn is metal and corresponds to the Lung and Colon, it is the stage of decline. Late summer is earth and represents the transition of seasons (equinox and solstices) it ireflects in the Spleen and Stomach and is the center force. Winter is water and represents the Kidney and Bladder, cold and the final decline before spring’s growth. These correlations became guidelines for everything from when to go war to identifying disease patterns in the physical body.
Winter’s chilly darkness often makes us want to slow down– or hibernate. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In Chinese medicine winter is a time of reflection and introspection, a time when we should rest and conserve our Qi (energy within the body). It is a chance to rebuild our strength for spring’s rapid burst of new life. Classically, the Chinese (and other cultures) believed that we should live in harmony with the seasons. This was especially relevant in times when human’s lives were dominated by the elements—simply catching a cold could be life threatening. Today, those of us living in the industrialized world suffer little from the extremes of nature yet learning to harmonize with each season can make a huge impact on our health and well-being.
Ruled by the Water element, winter governs the Kidneys, Bladder and adrenal glands. Called the ‘Root of Sealed storage’ one of the Kidney’s many functions is protect our Jing (essence). This essence is used a little everyday to nourish us, but extreme lifestyles or severe illness can deplete it rapidly. This essence cannot be rebuilt in quantity, but activities such as meditation, proper rest and nourishment will guard it from depleteing too quickly. Deficiency of essence appears as early greying of hair, problems with bones and teeth, poor development and early aging. The Kidneys also rule our will power and drive, they help fuel the fire that warms the other organs allowing them to transform food into energy (Qi). A deficiency here may appear as exhaustion, cold body, lack of sex drive and the will to move forward in life. But don’t worry, you can positivitely influence any condition of mind or body with a little direction. By learning to shift with the ebbs and flows of the season we can move through life with greater ease and winter is a wonderful time to learn how to replenish and rebuild your storage.
Winter can be an excellent time to replenish your deep reserves.
Below are some great ideas to help you rebuild during the cold months.
 Meditate
The benefits of meditation are innumerable and it is truly one of the most profound ways to help strengthen the Kidneys and overall well being.
Nourish yourself
Eat more seasonally appropriate foods like warm hearty soups, root vegetables, winter squash, whole grains, and roasted nuts, all help to warm the body’s core. Foods that specifically benefit the Kidneys include: kidney beans, seaweeds, and micro-algae.
Rest
Try to get to bed a little earlier to rest well. Studies now also link weight gain around the middle to excess stress combined with less than 7 hours of sleep.
Get moderate exercise
Movement lifts the spirits. If you don’t exercise much, bundle up and go for a walk. If you exercise excessively, slow down a little to conserve your Qi.
Brighten your space
Whether or not you celebrate the holidays, refresh your home or workspace with cheerful colors or seasonal décor. Holly’s bright berries, pine’s uplifting scent and a few splashes of red will add warmth to your home and enliven your spirit.
Get Acupuncture or Amma
A little rebalancing can go along way.
Laugh–Laughter is the sound associated with the fire element. The water and fire elements share a deep connection of mutual support and exchange. Laughter during the dark months can help warm the connection between Kidney and Heart and lift your spirit. “One’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time–pills or stairs.”
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Contributed by Kim Rene
 For centuries, the Chinese have touted the benefits of mushrooms. Taoist sages believed that mushrooms protected them against illness and increased their longevity. Early Chinese text suggested that the Ganoderma (Reishi) had powers to protect the heart and liver, calm the mind, improve mental clarity, increase stamina and help the body resist infection. In 1928, this fungus gained acclaim in the Western world, with the discovery of Penicillin, this discovery encouraged a whole class of antibiotics we use today. Since then, scientists have confirmed these traditional beliefs by studying their effectiveness on a wide variety of illnesses and conditions. Loaded with polysaccharides, research on mushrooms have shown them to be effective cancers fighters, not by producing antitumor effects, but by strongly stimulating the immune response that activates macrophages which fight foreign pathogens. Many mushrooms also possess cytotoxic, antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral properties.
In Chinese medicine, Winter is the season of the Kidneys which are the the root of our energy and gives us our impulse for life. During these Winter months, energy moves inward making it an ideal time to nourish at the root level. Keeping ourselves warm, getting plenty of rest and participating in activity that strengthens the core and tones the posture are all beneficial for the kidneys. Winter is also the ideal time to tone the yin energy of the body and strengthen our immune system. Mushrooms are an excellent source of nourishment for Winter. They are warm in nature and tone yin, blood and qi. Adding mushrooms to miso soup and stews is an easy way to get them into your diet. Additionally, there are a number of deeply nourishing mushroom formulas and tinctures available. Some of the mushrooms most beneficial to the kidney include Cordyceps, Coriolus, Poria, Reishi and Shiitake mushrooms.
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Fabulous Fiber
By April Crowell, Dipl.ABT, CHN
“Eat your muffin, it’s full of bran—it will make you move.” I’m not sure which was more bothersome at 14, eating the dry, flavorless muffin being presented to me or having my favorite grandmother get into a goofy discussion on bowel movements with me. Being around lots of elders, I was accustomed to what would come next if I didn’t eat the muffin. I could live without another lecture. Thankfully, I found ways to get the benefits of fiber in the diet without the torture of these bland foods.
As a practitioner of Amma Therapy and Holistic Health, I am continually amazed at how simple dietary shifts can have the most profound effects on client’s conditions–whether young or old. Fiber is a primary recommendation as diseases like diabetes, IBS, Crohn’s and obesity soar.
What is fiber?
Simply put, fiber is nature’s laxative and is the substance matter of plants that isn’t broken down by the body during digestion. It comes from the leaves, stems, seeds and secretions of plants.
What health benefits does fiber offer?
Although fiber doesn’t provide the body with energy, it is an essential nutrient for digestion and overall health. It adds bulk to the stools, absorbs excess water and softens the stools to make elimination of waste and toxins easier. It also:
 Lentils and legumes are excellent sources of fiber
- Protects your intestines and keeps them working comfortably to help move toxins and fecal matter out of the system
- Prevents constipation and hemorrhoids
- Absorbs excess moisture from the stools, reducing diarrhea
- Reduces the risk of cancers, especially colon cancer
- Reduces the risk and impact of diabetes by slowing glucose absorption to help regulate blood sugar
- Treats and prevents bowel disorders including: IBS, Crohn’s disease & diverticulitis
- Creates bulk in diet making you feel fuller, therefore aiding in weight loss
- Manages and lowers blood cholesterol levels
Where do you find fiber?
In a nutshell, fiber is found in whole, vegetable foods this includes: nuts, seeds, lentils, legumes, whole grains (with the bran), vegetables and fruits. If you’ve ever made jelly you have likely worked with pectin. Pectin is a soluable fiber found in the peel of fruits including apples and pears and gives jelly its texture. Most of the fiber in fruits and vegetable is found in the skins—so don’t peel your fruits! There are two forms of fiber or roughage:
Soluable Fibers
Soluable fibers mostly come from plant cell walls like apple and pear pectins (yep, the same stuff that gives jelly its texture), gums, mucilages and algals. They dissolve in water in the intestinal tract. This process helps to delay transit time through the GI tract, regulates your blood sugar by slowing absorption of glucose and lowers cholesterol.
Insoluable Fiber
Insoluable fiber, like bran, is “scratchy” plant matter that adds bulk to increases fecal weight to produce bowel movements, slows starch and glucose absorption.
| How much fiber do you need a day?The average American eats about 10-13 grams of fiber a day, that’s almost 1/2 of the daily recommendation—yikes!Today’s Standard American Diet (SAD) is heavy on refined and processed foods and full of meat products—foods that are nutrient dead and often void of fiber. |
The current adequate intake (AI) is
- Children, 4-8 years of age 25 grams/day
- Girls, 9-13 years of age 26 grams/day
- Boys, 9-13 years of age 31 grams/day
- Adults 38-40 grams/day
- Adults over 50 22 grams/day
Having more than 50 grams a day of fiber is not recommended. |
How to get more fiber into your diet
- Try to eat 5-7 servings of vegetables and 1-3 servings of whole grains daily.
- Gradually increase your intake—about 5 grams a day. If you have no idea of how much fiber you usually eat, track your diet for a week. There are many online sites like Calorie Counter where you can do this. If you add too much too fast it can cause gas and bloating.
- Eat seaweed! Seaweed has a wonderfully high fiber content, averaging about 32-56% of its it dry matter.
- Try your next baking project with coconut flour—it’s gluten free and marvelously high in fiber.
- Toss Chia seed into a smoothy or protein shake. Use it to thicken gravy or sprinkle it over your salad just before you eat it.
- Eat more whole grains like teff, amaranth, quinoa and millet. Rices and grains that have been hulled have much of their bran removed.
- Leave on the skin! Eat fruits (apples, pears, etc) and vegetables (cucumber, potatoes, etc) with their skins intact
- Add lentils and legumes into your diet. If you do not frequently eat them, add them slowly.
- Add in dips like hummus or white bean dips into your diet.
- Add in an organic bran cereal a few times a week.
- Water please! Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses per day, to help move the fiber through your system.
- Spice it up! Dried herbs and spices are packed with fiber. 1 T of cinnamon boasts 4.2 grams of fiber; rosemary, savory and other spices aren’t far behind.
|
A Few Fiber Foods
|
Food |
Amount |
Grams Fiber |
| Grains |
|
|
|
coconut flour |
1 cup |
48 |
|
navy beans |
1 cup |
19 |
|
amaranth |
1 cup |
18 |
|
black beans |
1 cup |
16 |
|
red lentils |
1 cup |
16 |
|
split peas |
1 cup |
16 |
|
rolled oats |
1 cup |
12 |
|
quinoa |
1 cup |
10 |
|
soybeans |
1 cup |
8.6 |
|
whole wheat pasta |
1 cup |
6 |
|
brown rice |
1 cup |
3.5 |
|
whole wheat bread |
1 slice |
2 |
|
white bread |
2 slices |
1.9 |
| Vegetables |
|
|
|
kombu |
2T |
9 |
|
peas |
1 cup |
8.8 |
|
avacado |
1 med |
6.8 |
|
carrots |
2 medium |
5.2 |
|
winter squash |
1 cup |
5 |
|
sweet potato |
1 medium |
4 |
|
kale (raw) |
1 cup |
1.3 |
| Nuts & Seeds |
|
|
|
chia seeds |
2T |
7 |
|
flax seed |
2T |
4.8 |
|
almonds |
1/4 cup |
4 |
|
tahini |
2T |
3 |
|
walnuts |
1/4 cup |
3 |
| Fruits |
|
|
|
raspberries |
1 cup |
6.2 |
|
pear (with skin) |
1 medium |
4 |
|
apple (with skin) |
1 medium |
4 |
|
prunes |
4 dried |
3.1 |
|
apricots (dried) |
1/4 cup |
3.5 |
|
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 Sniffle, sniffle, cough…
The dismal mantra is already echoing in schools, stores and workplaces.Fall is here, and with it cold, and flu season. This is an excellent time to take some simple measures to reduce your chances of coming down with ‘something nasty’.
What are colds? What is the flu? Why do we catch them? Why do some people never catch colds? Why do others always catch them? We all wonder, fortunately, Chinese Medicine (CM) can clear up many of these questions.
Exterior invasion by pathogens of wind, cold or heat are the primary culprits according to CM. Pathogens manifest in the body in ways descriptive of their names, for example: wind moves quickly, creates itching and attacks the neck and joints. Cold contracts tightening the muscles and the person will feel cold. If there is heat the person will be thirsty, may sweat and have a fever.
According to Chinese medicine there are two main reasons that a pathogen can invade our body:
- The pathogen is exceptionally strong.
OR
- Our immune system is compromised and we are weak allowing a pathogen to enter our bodies.
Exceptionally strong pathogens are seen in cases of serious epidemics, where people with even the strongest immune systems might fall prey to their devastation–think of the Black Plague.
Good news is, Chinese medicine has been successfully treating colds and flu for thousands of years.
ACT NOW!
If you feel like you are ‘under the weather’, do what you can (see below). Stop your regular multivitamins and tonifying herbs–they will strengthen the body in the condition it is in–making the cold stronger. And then call and get in for an appointment. Get Amma or Acupuncture to stimulate your immune system.
- Know thyself - this means your body’s patterns. Chinese medicine at its best is educational, by learning whether your system has excess, deficiency or weakness in particular organs you can learn to balance out your system–your practitioner can help learn your body’s patterns and how to treat in illness and strengthen in times of wellness. For example: if you chronically get colds, sinus infections or strep throat, get in now to learn how to prevent and treat them more holistically.
- Should you come in for treatment if you are feeling under the weather? Yes! At Pulse, will be able to help stimulate your immune system and treat the specific pattern (fever, chills, dull headache, sharp headache, etc.) that you are dealing with. However, if you are unable to drive–please stay home.
- Sweat it out- During the first 24 hours of a cold invasion if you can get into a hot tub or bundle up to sweat, you can often drive the cold back out to the exterior. This is not advised for those who are weak, deficient, yin deficient or bleeding–don’t know if you are? Come in.
- ACEZ–add in vitamins A, C, E and zinc.
- Drink echinacea, ginger tea or a cold tea combination.
- Be prepared for the next time-no one loves to run to the store when they are ill, so stock your cupboards now with teas, herbs and liniments to help you through the season.
Be well!
By April Crowell, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM), CHN
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 We are glad you asked!
Nutritional and dietary habits are some of the most profound changes we can make that will have a broad effect on our well-being. Whether we eat processed fast foods, eat irregularly or enjoy a healthy whole foods diet–our relationship with food defines how we live.
What can nutritional changes treat?
Honestly, what can’t it treat or radically improve? Almost anyone will benefit from increasing the vegetables in their diet. Still, no two people are alike and we have different nutritional goals and needs, your Holistic Nutritionist can help you understand your individual needs help you incorporate specific foods to meet those goals. Below is a short list of disharmonies that can be treated or improved through nutrition.
- acne
- acute disease (colds–yep, ideally, you change your diet to treat the current condition present)
- arthritis
- autism
- bronchitis
- cancer
- candida
- chronic fatigue
- chronic or acute pain
- cystic fibrosis
- depression
- diabetes
- eating disorders
- fibromyalgia
- gall bladder disorders
- gout
- headaches
- high blood pressure
- hyper/hypo thyroid
- improved athletic performance
- infertility
- irritable bowel, Crohn’s, Diverticulitis
- liver disease
- menopause
- MS
- menstrual disharmonies
- pms
- recovery or injury
- weight loss
Eat well, be well!
April
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Candida Albicans is a naturally occurring, single celled fungus present in the intestines and genitalia that is usually benign. Normally, the body balances the growth of candida in a healthy individual. Yeast overgrowth occurs when the body cannot balance a healthy ratio of candida, either due to depleted immune or digestive system and inappropriate diet. In such cases, candida will cause infection and increased toxins in the body. It is estimated that more than 80 million Americans suffer from candida overgrowth. The pattern causes a myriad of symptoms including: fatigue, vaginal yeast infections, sinus and throat infections, skin rashes, mucus in the stools and weight gain–to name just a few. Usage of antibiotics, birth control, cortisone drugs and diets high in sugar and refined foods increase chances of yeast overgrowth.
Fortunately, candida overgrowth is highly treatable! At Pulse, your Holistic Nutritionist will be able to create individualize treatments and dietary plans through detailed assessment of tongue, pulse, personal constitution and current nutritional habits. Recommendations and treatments (often including Chinese Herbs, Amma Therapy and acupuncture) will then focus on not just the acute pattern (candida) but the underlying causes, thereby helping to rebuild the digestive and immune systems.
Below are a few general guidelines for treating candida.
- Eat cooked foods. Candida is a form of dampness in Chinese Medicine, a sign that the digestive fire is weak. Cold and raw foods weaken or put out the digestive fire.
- Increase your vegetables to 7-9 servings a day.
- Plan ahead! Dietary changes are imperative for effective treatment of candida. Your nutritionist can help you learn how to meal plan effectively.
- Reduce glutenous foods. Again, candida is ‘damp’, gluten perpetuates this condition. Gluten free grains include: millet, amaranth and brown rice.
- Increase damp decreasing foods like: pumpkin, aduki bean, chick peas, winter squash and onions.
Again, your practitioner will be able to better hone a specific treatment plan to your needs to call or book today.
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 By April Crowell, Dipl.ABT, CHN
“Eat your muffin, it’s full of bran—it will make you move.” I’m not sure which was more bothersome at 14, eating the dry, flavorless muffin being presented to me or having my favorite grandmother get into a goofy discussion on bowel movements with me. Being around lots of elders, I was accustomed to what would come next if I didn’t eat the muffin. I could live without another lecture. Thankfully, I found ways to get the benefits of fiber in the diet without the torture of these bland foods.
As a practitioner of Amma Therapy and Holistic Health, I am continually amazed at how simple dietary shifts can have the most profound effects on client’s conditions–whether young or old. Fiber is a primary recommendation as diseases like diabetes, IBS, Crohn’s and obesity soar.
What is fiber?
Simply put, fiber is nature’s laxative and is the substance matter of plants that isn’t broken down by the body during digestion. It comes from the leaves, stems, seeds and secretions of plants.
What health benefits does fiber offer?
Although fiber doesn’t provide the body with energy, it is an essential nutrient for digestion and overall health. It adds bulk to the stools, absorbs excess water and softens the stools to make elimination of waste and toxins easier. It also:
- Protects your intestines and keeps them working comfortably to help move toxins and fecal matter out of the system
- Prevents constipation and hemorrhoids
- Absorbs excess moisture from the stools, reducing diarrhea
- Reduces the risk of cancers, especially colon cancer
- Reduces the risk and impact of diabetes by slowing glucose absorption to help regulate blood sugar
- Treats and prevents bowel disorders including: IBS, Crohn’s disease & diverticulitis
- Creates bulk in diet making you feel fuller, therefore aiding in weightloss
- Manages and lowers blood cholesterol levels
Where do you find fiber?
In a nutshell, fiber is found in whole, vegetable foods this includes: nuts, seeds, lentils, legumes, whole grains (with the bran), vegetables and fruits. If you’ve ever made jelly you have likely worked with pectin. Pectin is a soluable fiber found in the peel of fruits including apples and pears and gives jelly its texture. Most of the fiber in fruits and vegetable is found in the skins—so don’t peel your fruits! There are two forms of fiber or roughage:
Soluable Fibers
Soluable fibers mostly come from plant cell walls like apple and pear pectins (yep, the same stuff that gives jelly its texture), gums, mucilages and algals. They dissolve in water in the intestinal tract. This process helps to delay transit time through the GI tract, regulates your blood sugar by slowing absorption of glucose and lowers cholesterol.
Insoluable Fiber
Insoluable fiber, like bran, is “scratchy” plant matter that adds bulk to increases fecal weight to produce bowel movements, slows starch and glucose absorption.
How much fiber do you need a day?
The average American eats about 10-13 grams of fiber a day, that’s almost 1/2 of the daily recommendation—yikes!
Today’s Standard American Diet (SAD) is heavy on refined and processed foods and full of meat products—foods that are nutrient dead and often void of fiber.
The current adequate intake (AI) is
Children, 4-8 years of age 25 grams/day
Girls, 9-13 years of age 26 grams/day
Boys, 9-13 years of age 31 grams/day
Adults 38-40 grams/day
Adults over 50 22 grams/day
Having more than 50 grams a day of fiber is not recommended.
How to get more fiber into your diet
- Try to eat 5-7 servings of vegetables and 1-3 servings of whole grains and daily to meet your body’s fiber needs.
- Gradually increase your intake—about 5 grams a day. If you have no idea of how much fiber you usually eat, track your diet for a week. There are many online sites like Calorie Counter where you can do this. If you add too much too fast it can cause gas and bloating.
- Eat seaweed! Seaweed has a wonderfully high fiber content, averaging about 32-56% of its it dry matter.
- Try your next baking project with coconut flour—it’s gluten free and marvelously high in fiber.
- Toss Chia seeds into a smoothy or protein shake. Use it to thicken gravy or sprinkle it over your salad just before you eat it.
- Eat more whole grains like teff, amaranth, quinoa and millet. Rices and grains that have been hulled have much of their bran removed.
- Leave on the skin! Eat fruits (apples, pears, etc) and vegetables (cucumber, potatoes, etc) with their skins intact
- Add lentils and legumes into your diet. If you do not frequently eat them, add them slowly.
- Add in dips like hummus or white bean dips into your diet.
- Add in an organic bran cereal a few times a week.
- Water please! Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses per day, to help move the fiber through your system.
- Spice it up! Dried herbs and spices are packed with fiber. 1 T of cinnamon boasts 4.2 grams of fiber; rosemary, savory and other spices aren’t far behind.
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 As Autumn creeps in I stock my cupboards with a few items to prevent and treat colds and flu. Gan Mao Ling, Kwan Loong oil, vitamin C, Immustim or Wellness Formula, to name a few, but one of my favorites is simple and reliable elderberry tea and syrup.
All parts of the elder plant have a long history in folk medicine. The flower is used to promote sweating and resolve phlegm from exterior pathogens. The inner bark and root are used as strong emetics and to relieve stubborn constipation. The leaves and berries can be made into poultices with vinegar or honey to relieve damp heat in the skin such as poison ivy.
Elderberry syrup is one of the first things that I reach for when someone is starting to fight a cold or flu. From a Chinese medicine perspective there are two major reasons that we get sick: either our system is weak and susceptible to exterior invasion (Lung qi and wei qi deficiency) or the pathogen is exceptionally strong relative to us (think of plagues). Elderberry helps to strengthen any Lung deficiency condition, giving your immune system a powerful boost. It is antiviral and anti-infective, perfect for fighting off those pesky viruses. The berry also has expectorant, diaphoretic and diuretic properties to help move fluids, the bowels and relieve phlegm. It even helps treat food poisoning. Elderberry is high in calcium, vitamins A, C and B6 and iron—and, best of all, it’s tasty and kids don’t usually mind it.
So how do I use it?
I start to use elderberry tea (often mixed with other teas like berry or nettles) several times a week at the start of school or weather transitions. The syrup is handy for if one of my family comes home ‘a little under the weather’ or having been around someone who was sick we take a tablespoon 2-3 x a day for one day. For someone who actually gets sick, I recommend taking the syrup through the course of the cold. Remember to get rest and get in to see your Amma Therapist or Acupuncturist for treatment!
Be well and stay healthy this season.
Contributed by April Crowell
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Here’s a few tips to help keep you cool this summer
Occassionally, we spend too much time in the sun, or the season changes so rapidly that we have problems adapting. Here are some simple tips to use when Summer heat invades.
Get out of the sun, and cool off—but not too much! Excessive cold will contract the pores and stop sweat—keeping heat locked in the body.
Reduce your activity.
Include the foods listed in Expanding into Summer’s Light.
Drink plenty of water. Again, avoid excessively cold drinks as they will chill you too rapidly and stop sweating and damage the tissues.
Avoid heavy foods like nuts, dairy, fried, meat and sweets that will stagnate the qi in the body.
If you aren’t sweating use mild pungent foods gently to start sweat: cayenne, cinnamon, curry, pepper, etc.
Come in for a treatment. Acupuncture and Amma Therapy are excellent ways to help the body regulate and adjust to the changing season.
contributed by April Crowell
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 Wheat Grass Juice
Spring is an excellent time to try wheat grass juice for the added boost it can provide the body. Wheatgrass juice is the juice made from sprouted wheat. Just a single ounce of wheatgrass juice has the nutritional equivalent than 2 pounds of garden vegetables. It raises the basic nitrogen exchange, and is therefore a tonic, which, considering its stimulating properties, cannot be compared with any other. Wheatgrass juice is very high in enzymes and chlorophyll. It contains up to 70% chlorophyll, which is an important blood builder. It is especially good for athletes, because it is a juice, and is assimilated by the body in 20 minutes.
The starch of the wheat berry is stored energy which, when converted to simple sugars, is a quick energy source. Wheat grass picks up 92 of the 102 minerals in the soil, and contains all the vitamins science has isolated. Because it is such a concentrated source of nutrients, it naturally shuts off the appetite centers in the brain.
Wheatgrass juice is perhaps the most powerful and safest healing aid there is because it has the ability to strengthen the whole body by bolstering the immune system.
When the immune system, (Wei Qi), is strong, the body can easily withstand invasion of foreign pathogens (bacterial and viral).
Externally the high chlorophyll content makes it well suited as an external skin application. It relieves itchiness from rashes, insect bites and helps heal burns as well. Wheatgrass juice is also effective in soothing the skin as result of burns caused by radiation. Radiation protocol used in cancer treatments often produces severe burning of the local area radiated. Fresh wheatgrass can be applied as a plaster to any burn, cooling and moistening the burned area after each treatment. A severe sunburn can also benefit from wheatgrass plasters.
When chlorophyll is taken internally in adequate quantity, it reduces or eliminates offensive body and breath odors. Studies show that it is effective in neutralizing obnoxious odors in the mouth from food, beverages, tobacco, and metabolic changes causing bad breath. It effectively neutralizes obnoxious odors from perspiration due to physical exercise, nervousness and menstrual odors.
Chlorophyll also stimulates peristalsis, improves the intestines, and is a mild diuretic. Science has proven that chlorophyll will arrest growth and development of unfriendly bacteria. It acts to produce an unfavorable environment for bacterial growth, rather than by any direct action upon the bacteria themselves. This is directly opposite of antibiotics which destroy all good and bad bacteria in the gut creating conditions of overgrowth by the many bacteria.
You can find wheatgrass juice locally at any of the juice bars and at the co-op. Or, try growing your own and juicing yourself!
Drinking Suggestions:
ORANGE GRASS
1 oz Wheatgrass
3 oz. carrot juice |
WHEATGRASS ENTRÉE
1 oz Wheatgrass
1 oz beet juice
2 oz celery
4 oz carrot juice |
WHEATGRASS RUSH
1 oz Wheatgrass
1 oz beet juice
1 oz apple juice
2 oz carrot juice |
SWEET WHEATGRASS
1 oz Wheatgrass
3 oz pineapple |
HAPPILY APPLEY
1 oz Wheatgrass
4 oz apple juice |
VEGETABLE TREAT
1 oz Wheatgrass
2 oz spinach
2 oz beet juice
2 oz carrot juice
1 clove garlic
½ tsp. cayenne |
Reproduced from Pulse spring newsletter 2009
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