Just For Today…
After publishing my last post I felt a giant weight release itself from somewhere behind my sternum like a great knot loosening.
The Seven A’s of Healing
As soon as exams screamed to a halt, I embarked on my summer reading list starting with When the Body Says No, by Canadian author and medical doctor, Gabor Maté. This book explores the mind-body connection, the relationship between stress, especially due to familial relationships, and the onset of disease.
Channel Your Inner Diva
It’s time to talk about everybody’s favourite health topic: menstruation!
My own personal story begins when I made the big switch from pads to tampons after joining the high school swim team and starting a part time job as a lifeguard.
Meet Giacomo
Meet Giacomo, my Italian neighbour. Giacomo enjoys gardening, making his own wine, cooking for himself and has recently undergone triple bypass heart surgery and is recovering fabulously. He has just celebrated his 92nd birthday.
Puppies or Painkillers?
A university called Chapman U organizes and program called “Furry Friends for Finals” in which students can pet one of ten puppies stationed outside the library the week before exams as a means to de-stress.
Gone Fishing: The Benefits of Fish Oils
My Italian grandmother (“La Nonna”) remembers a time when, during World War II in rural Italy, she and her sister were given a daily supplement of cod liver oil, as part of a public health campaign under Mussolini’s government.
Naturopathic Doctors as Health Advocates?
Walking down University Avenue in Toronto past all the major hospitals, including the Princess Margaret, a hospital that specializes in oncology, one can’t help but notice the lines of smokers puffing away outside, in front of the hospital doors, in the frigid February air.
Glorious Kale Chips!
Sometimes I wonder about the so-called “health food” that we encounter in health food restaurants like Fresh in Toronto. I mean, what exactly constitutes a health food?
Are fried onion rings healthy just because they were breaded with quinoa instead of corn batter? I am inclined to say no: fried onion rings, whether they are breaded with quinoa or corn, are still fried. Sometimes our good intentions fail when we prepare healthy foods in the same, unhealthy way as fast foods.
I think it was Meghan Telpner of “Making Love in the Kitchen” who said that a health food is a food that promotes health, not just a food that doesn’t cause disease. Does that mean that those with a fetish for salty, crispy snacks face a lifetime of deprivation? I assure you not! Allow me to present The Kale Chip: a salty, crunchy snack that will indeed make you healthier! As Dr. Phil R. says, “It’s like sunshine for your cells.” (Well, maybe not, but they’re still great for you!)
Kale is a dark, leafy green, full of flavenoids (potent anti-oxidants), vitamins, minerals and fibre. It can be cooked like spinach, used instead of lettuce in salads and, best of all, slowly baked into crispy, savoury chips, to satisfy your salty tooth!
How to make them:
The Kale
I buy a huge bundle of kale for $2.99 at Metro at Spadina and Bloor. This bundle is good for at least two batches of kale chips. Break up the kale leaves into chip-sized pieces, wash them thoroughly and drain out any excess water.
The Dressing
– 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
– 1 tbsp tahini
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– pinch of salt
(if you find that the dressing isn’t enough to adequately cover the kale pieces, increase the amounts in the appropriate ratios to make more).
All good chips come with seasoning (come on, when was the last time you craved plain chips?). To make this health-promoting seasoning, add apple cider vinegar, tahini, garlic powder and salt together and mixed well to create a sauce. Then pour the sauce over the bowl of kale pieces and toss thoroughly to cover the kale evenly.
Next, spread the dressing-covered kale pieces onto a baking sheet and set your oven on its lowest temperature: in my case, 140 degrees.
Let the kale bake for 4 hours, turning the leaves over at the midway (2 hour) mark.
After 4 hours, take them out, let them cool and, in the morning, pack these little babies into a little container to take with you to work or class. For me, a 5-hour nutrition class goes by much more smoothly when I have a delicious, vitamin-packed snack to munch on!
Ayurveda: The Doshas Part 3 – Kapha Dosha
This is the third part of the Ayurvedic Dosha Series. In Part 1 we discussed Vata Dosha and, in Part 2, Pitta Dosha.
While most people are predominant in one constitution, there are a number of people who represent a combination of two Doshas – I myself am Pitta-Kapha dosha – and even a very small number of people who identify as being Tridoshic (people who represent an equal proportion of the three constitutions). Each constitution has its own strengths and weaknesses. In balancing a person’s Doshas, the goal is to reduce any aggravations and tendencies towards imbalance so that we can experience the strengths that are present in our individual personalities.
Kapha, the third and final dosha, is made up of earth and water element. Kapha is wet, grounded, slow and substantial. People who are predominant in Kapha dosha embody the following characteristics:
– Larger body size and tendency to gain weight easily
– Moist, oily skin and thick hair
– Rounded facial features: large, calm eyes, full lips and large, bright teeth
– Slow metabolism: little hunger, cold temperature, slow digestion and elimination
– Relaxed, calm and humorous demeanor
– Tendency towards laziness and lethargy
– Sentimental and loyal with a tendency towards attachement
– Slow and constant with excellent endurance
Kapha dosha tends to be slow, steady and constant. People of this dosha are relaxed and easy-going but have a tendency to be overly lazy. Kapha types do well working with people and are often loyal and nurturing friends and family members. People of this constitution have the tendency towards disorders of congestion: edema, weight gain and depression.
Kaphas can achieve balance by engaging in vigorous physical activity such as brisk walking, running or weight-lifting. When doing yoga, Kaphas benefit from the more sweat-inducing Ashtanga or Bikram yoga types. People of Kapha constitution should avoid sleeping in late and eating greasy, heavy foods. They should instead focus on eating pungent and astringent foods (think spicy rice crackers and salads). A good restorative yoga pose for relieving Kapha-like congestion in the lower body is to lie on the ground, with a pillow under the sacrum and the legs straight, at 90 degrees above the hips (or against a wall).
Balanced Kapha has a strong sense of well-being, steadiness and affection. Kapha types learn slowly but have a great ability to retain information and have a great memory.
For more information on Ayurveda and the 3 Doshas (and other Ayurvedic theories and lifestyle tips) click on the following resource:
You can also check out the Continuing Education Ayurveda educator, Matthew Remski’s beautifully written blog at:
Ayurveda: The Doshas Part 1 – Vata Dosha
Ayurveda is the ancient Indian science of healing meaning “Science of Life” (maybe that’s why I was drawn to a degree in Life Sciences!). Similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine, ayurveda uses the elements as a means of understanding certain properties of nature.
Ayurveda’s 5 elements differ from those of The 5 Element Theory of TCM. They are: ether (space), air, water, fire and earth. Distinct combinations of these elements form to create 3 Doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These Doshas characterize various properties of nature and, in humans, combine to form a unique constitution. Achieving a perfect health balance has much to do with pacifying the dominant Dosha that characterizes your individual self and enhancing less dominant Doshas.
Vata Dosha is made up of the elements air and ether. A person who is predominantly Vata will have some of the following characteristics:
– Thin build, difficulty putting on weight
– Shorter or taller than average
– dryer hair that may break easily and is typically curly
– Tendency towards nervousness or anxiety
– Digestive problems (excess gas, bloating)
– Tendency to move or fidget
– Naturally creative and spontaneous
– Has a hard time staying on task
Vata is airy and like the wind. Therefore, people who are dominant in this dosha tend to have drier skin and hair, feel ungrounded and anxious at times, often get distracted and have a harder time staying on one task. When balanced, Vata types are very creative, sensitive individuals who are full of ideas and inspirational energy. They thrive as artists and working in creative think tanks, in a setting where they can generate a million ideas at once.
Balancing Vata dosha involves setting a routine. Vata should wake up, have meals and go to bed at the same time everyday. Sleeping in (if possible) to the later hours of the morning is beneficial. Vatas are balanced by eating lots of warm, cooked and oily foods (soups, stews and curries), which help combat their tendency towards dryness and flighty digestion. This constitution also benefits from slow, constant, repetitive exercise such as restorative or yin yoga and long, gentle walks. Lying in “corpse pose” with pillows across the thighs will help weigh a Vata aggravated person down. That, combined with meditation, can help balance a nervous Vata mind and help ground Vata’s airyness.
Visit my blog tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday for Part 2 – Pitta Dosha and Part 3 – Kapha Dosha!