A sacred space to honour our bodies

When was the last time you took a few minutes to really appreciate your body? To feel good in your skin and thank all the processes that happen without you having to think about them or do anything about them? (like breathe or circulate blood or digest your food – just to name a few) When was the last time you took a moment to appreciate your body as the magnificent being that it is? Really… when you think about it, it’s miraculous what is happening inside of us at every single moment.

So often we look at our bodies with disdain and sometimes even disgust. “These jeans make me look fat” or “I wish I had better hair” or “will this skirt hide my ass?” How loving is that? This continual nitpicking and negative self-talk about our bodies only serves to keep us unhappy and dissatisfied with ourselves. And ultimately, it keeps the true health and vitality we seek just out of reach.

Believe me, I know of what I speak. I started studying classical dance when I was very young, and by the age of 10 could list off all the things that were “wrong” with my body. I would spend literally hours scrutinizing myself in the mirror, dissecting all that wasn’t absolutely “perfect” by some totally unachievable standard. By my teens, my list of body flaws was pages long. Even now, when I “should know better”, I struggle sometimes when I look in the mirror.

Recently I’ve been doing more work with clients on reframing this relationship with our bodies. How can we take some time to love and cherish these beautiful and incredible physiques we live and move in?

Here are three ways you can create sacred space to honor your body and thank it for all it’s doing for you every day:

1. Soak your feet in a tub of hot water with lavender essential oil and Epsom salts at the end of the day. It’s a beautiful and soothing way to ground yourself, to take a few quiet minutes before you go to bed to get into your body, and to warm up cold toes in the winter months.
2. Light some candles, pull out the yoga mat, and do some nice slow stretches and gentle, calming yoga poses like child’s pose before bed. This is a time to take some deep breaths, to calm yourself, and to quietly acknowledge what your body has been doing for you all day long.
3. Fill the bathroom sink with hot water and, using a washcloth or small hand towel, give yourself a hot towel scrub. Just dip the washcloth in the hot water, wring it out, and scrub your skin lightly until it’s a little pink and warm. You don’t need soap or oils, just use hot water. Light some candles to create some ritual around the experience. Wash yourself with the same love and care as you would your own child.

How will you honor your body this weekend? Will you join me and set aside some time – even just a few minutes – each day to really love and appreciate your body? Let me know what works for you! Every person is different and you’ll find a way and a practice that fits into your life and schedule. It only takes a few minutes, and you’ll be surprised at how powerful it can be in changing the way you look at yourself in the mirror.

Homemade Sauerkraut – Raw cultured veggie goodness!

Yesterday’s recipe was for homemade cream cheese with a handy by-product of whey. Today, I’m going to use some of that whey we made in another one of my all-time favorites: homemade sauerkraut.

(Another big thank you to Sally Fallon and her fantastic cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats for this recipe.)

You can buy sauerkraut from the store, but often it’s made with vinegar, too much salt, and the vegetables are pasteurized, which reduces their nutritional value. This homemade sauerkraut is a type of raw cultured vegetable - a whole different creature.

Raw cultured vegetables – also known as lacto-fermented vegetables – are vegetables preserved through a process of lacto-fermentation. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Starches and sugars in vegetables and fruits are converted into lactic acid by many species of lactic-acid-producing bacteria, or “lactobacilli”. Numerous important chemical changes take place during this type of fermentation, far beyond their practical purpose of preservation.

• Cultured veggies are already partially digested, so they’re easy on the system. Not only are they readily absorbed by your body, they enhance your body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients from the other things you eat at the same time.
• They’re delicious, and add a unique flavor to your meals.
• They help to balance the pH of your digestive tract.
• They offset the toxic and carcinogenic effects of the charcoal from BBQ.
• They are naturally packed with digestive enzymes and probiotics, which support the health of your digestive system.
• They help to heal the lining of your intestines by promoting the growth of healthy flora.
• They promote a healthy and strong immune system.
• And last but certainly not least, they help reduce sugar cravings.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Many traditional cultures have preserved veggies and fruits using this method. The most commonly known is the European version: sauerkraut, or lacto-fermented cabbage. Here’s how you make it.

Equipment you’ll need:

• Big bowl
• Meat hammer, wooden pounder or a pestle
• Quart-sized mason jar

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp whey (see whey recipe from yesterday’s posting)

In bowl, mix the cabbage with caraway seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound the mixture with the hammer, pounder or pestle (my personal favorite) for about 10 minutes to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. It keeps for months. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but it improves with age.

Homemade cream cheese with a useful by-product

As I mentioned in my post from yesterday, I spent a little time this weekend doing food prep to make sure the fridge is stocked with healthy, yummy options. I’ll be sharing the recipes I used over the next few days. This recipe – it’s more of a process than a recipe, actually – is often one of my starting points: homemade cream cheese.

(A big thank you to Sally Fallon and her fantastic cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats for this recipe.)

Why start here? Well, it’s actually not the cream cheese that I’m going for; it’s really the by-product of the cream cheese – whey – that’s produced in the process. But the cream cheese is delicious, nutritious, and because I made it from organic whole milk plain yoghurt, I know it’s got nothing in it except the nutritional goodness I’m looking for (or what I add to it for flavoring).

What’s whey? you ask. Whey is the liquid that remains after milk has been curdled and strained – a byproduct in the manufacture of cheese. Whey is filled with minerals, it helps digestion, and it’s a great starter for one of my favorite foods: cultured vegetables! (stay tuned for a recipe for cultured sauerkraut later this week!)

I don’t like to go through the whole milk curdling process, so I skip that step by using yoghurt instead. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Big bowl
• Large sieve
• Clean tea towel or cheese cloth

Ingredients:

• 1 large container organic, whole, plain yogurt (the best quality you can find! If you’re lucky enough to have a source of RAW milk yoghurt, that would be the ideal find.)
• Sea salt to taste

Line a large strainer set over a bowl with a clean tea towel or cheese cloth (I prefer the tea towel). Pour in the yoghurt, cover and let stand at room temperature for several hours (this can take up to 12 hrs). The whey (clear liquid) will run into the bowl and the milk solids will stay in the strainer. Tie up the towel with the milk solids inside being careful not to squeeze. Tie this little sack to a wooden spoon placed across the top of a container (like a big pitcher) so that more whey can drip out. Store the whey in a mason jar in the fridge (keeps for up to 6 months), and the cream cheese in a covered glass container (keeps for about 1 month).

I add a little dash of sea salt to the cream cheese for a really delicious and nutritious cream cheese. If you want to spice it up a little, you can also add:

• Roasted red pepper, diced
• Spinach, chopped fine
• Garlic, minced
• Chives, choped
• Olives, chopped

Use your imagination and try different flavors. It’s delicious and makes a great quick snack by spreading it on celery sticks.

Summer-inspired healthy habits

There’s no better time than the summer to make a renewed commitment to getting healthy. The long days, the blue skies, the warm evenings… all provide ample opportunity to build in healthy habits that are so much fun you barely notice they’re good for you.

Here’s a small sample of some healthy habits that I’ve been playing with the last couple of months. Try them out and let me know if you have some to add!

• Early morning yoga, outside in your backyard or patio. You don’t have to be a full-fledged yogi to do some nice morning stretches. Dust off that yoga mat, take it outside at the crack of dawn, and do some sun salutations.
• Long evening walks. Explore your neighborhood. Take the dog out. If you don’t have a dog, take your cat. Or your spouse/child/boyfriend/girlfriend/next-door-neighbor/coworker. Or even just yourself. It’s a great opportunity to turn off the TV and move your body.
• Get to know your farmer’s market. Dedicate a weekend morning to explore what’s growing in your area. Pick a fruit or vegetable you’ve never tried before, ask the farmer how to prepare it, and try it out! You’ll be surprised at what you come up with. (That’s how I learned about Kohlrabi – a vegetable I couldn’t even pronounce, let alone prepare, until a month ago.)
• Spice up your water. Summer’s a time when it’s more important than ever to pay attention to your water intake. Add a few slices of cucumber, some fresh mint, or a slice of grapefruit, orange, lemon or lime to make water a little less ordinary.
• Get out of the gym. Gym’s are obviously great places to exercise, especially in those deep dark months of winter. But on glorious sunny summer days, consider moving your gym workout outdoors. Dig your old Frisbee out of the far recesses of the hall closet. Exercise can double as play time, and vice versa.
• Take the family for a hike. Pack up a picnic, bring lots of water, and head into the hills. In most cities you don’t have to go far to find some beautiful outdoor spaces to explore.