Recipe: Ayurvedic Golden Milk

Golden milk is a yogi's not-so-secret healing beverage for vitality, strength, and mind-body relaxation. It can be enjoyed in the morning as a non-caffeinated tonic, or before bed in lieu of dessert for an unwinding evening.

AYURVEDIC GOLDEN MILK

1 tsp coconut oil or ghee

½ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp ginger powder (sub 1/2 tsp grated ginger root)

⅛ tsp cardamom powder

1 cup milk of choice (option to dilute with ½ cup water)

1-2 cracks of black peppercorns

1 tbsp raw honey

METHOD

Bring a small saucepan to low heat. Add fat and let it heat up. Add turmeric, ginger and cardamom and whisk continuously for 1-3 minutes until fragrant. Make sure spices do not clump. Add a little bit of milk if you notice spices are starting to burn. Add the milk and continue whisking. Bring milk to a gentle simmer. Add the black pepper and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and whisk in the honey. Enjoy!

NOTES

• Boiling honey denatures its inherent medicinal properties, leaving it solely as a sugar for culinary purposes. Before adding in raw honey to your golden milk, dip your pinky finger in the liquid. If it can withstand the heat for 3 seconds, the temperature is just right for the honey, and you will still get its medicinal benefits.

• I like to dilute the milk with water, about 3/4 milk to 1/4 water ratio.

• If you're palate is well-versed with spices, increase the

• Tempering the spices (tadka) in a fat is optional. Adding fat increases flavor and aroma, and also creates an environment where vitamins and minerals are bioavailable for the body to digest and properly assimilate.

Makes 1 cup

Takes 5 minutes

Copyright 2022, A. Chavez, Original Recipe.

Recipe: Fresh Almond Milk

This recipe is an all-season staple, but I especially look forward to making it in the colder months when warm beverages are a necessary indulgence. Save and refrigerate the almond pulp to make Almond Pulp Cookies. Homemade almond milk pairs well with Clean Nature's Granola.

FRESH ALMOND MILK

1/2 cup almonds, soaked, with skins peeled (optional)

2 cups water

1 date, pitted (sub 1 tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar)

Pinch of pink Himalayan salt (optional)

METHOD

Soak almonds overnight in room temperature water. If you're pressed for time, soak almonds in hot water for 2-4 hours. Strain and discard water, then rinse the almonds. For an added bonus, remove the almond skins by hand. The skins are known to have phytates which are nutrient blockers. This is an opportunity to practice a moving meditation and patience. From a culinary perspective, removing the almond skins yields a creamier texture with snow white color.

Blend almonds, water and date for 1-2 minutes. Add pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

Strain liquid through a cheesecloth, chinois or strainer. Save the pulp to make Almond Pulp Bliss Balls (see recipe here). Remaining liquid is your almond milk. Refrigerate for 1-3 days.

NOTES

• For a creamier texture, change the almond to liquid ratio to 2:1 (2 cups water to 1/2 cup almonds).

• Substitute almonds for cashews, pistachios, or nut of choice for other alternative milk.

Makes 2 cups

Takes 5 minutes + soaking time

Copyright 2022, A. Chavez, Original Recipe.

What is Ayurveda? How Does it Relate to Nutrition?

Origin and Background

Ayurveda is the art and science of positive living and healing. It is a complete holistic medical system that addresses the mind, body and spirit in relation to its environment, nature, and the cosmos. It recognizes that the microcosm reflects the macrocosm, meaning that we are not separate from nature. Ayurveda is comprised of 6 different but complementing philosophies that unite to form a life science that focuses on prevention and quality of life, thus emphasizing that health is not merely absence of disease. Its two main goals are to preserve health and maintain balance amongst healthy individuals, and to restore balance to those suffering from imbalances in the mind and body. “Ayur-” translates to ‘life,’ and “veda” translates to ‘true knowledge’.

Simply put, Ayurveda is the Science of Life, or the Science of Wisdom and Longevity.

Ayurveda is the oldest documented health care system, originating in ancient India over 5,000 years ago and still practiced today. It is commonly described as the sister science to yoga; yoga working to purify the mind, and Ayurveda working to purify the body. Its healing mechanisms include dietary and lifestyle guidelines, yoga, breathwork, and meditation, herbal supplements, daily exercise regimens, and natural detoxes and rejuvenations. It addresses the energy behind the natural changes of physical material by peeling back the structural layers to get to the functional layers, eventually reaching the soul level, a place where harmony, health, and longevity exist - our true nature.

Ayurveda and Nutrition

Ayurveda uses diet, lifestyle, and herbs as ongoing maintenance in our daily lives. By aligning with the natural intelligence of the body, we have the opportunity to tap into our greater wisdom. It is an applied, common sense science, both intuitive and practical, emphasizing realistic application versus conceptual knowledge. There is no one size fits all approach, nor any blanket statement to serve all, rather it is completely individualized and tailored to meet each person where they are at. Ayurveda does not treat symptoms, it illuminates the root causes of illnesses or imbalances. Because Ayurveda is functionally oriented, it is said,

“You are not what you eat. You are what you digest.”

Ayurveda looks at the qualities of foods and how they digest and metabolize in our bodies. Our digestive capacities are so revered in Ayurveda because it is what transforms food into absorbable, usable material that we can then call nutrients. The ability to digest and absorb enhances the body’s vitality. Ayurvedic nutrition goes far beyond a life of calculated eating and restrictions. It encourages us to hop off the ever swinging pendulum of polarity to find the middle path, a road of balanced diet and lifestyle practices. Selecting quality ingredients, cooking for ourselves, incorporating lots of spices and herbs, being mindful of portion control, listening to hunger cues, eating consistent meals at consistent times each day, and eating slowly and with presence are a few food habits that Ayurveda promotes.

Ayurveda is again specific, personalized, and unique to each person. Its wise science facilitates the body and mind so that it can transform, grow, and evolve with practiced awareness, presence, and mindfulness. Because the mind has the ability to be transformed, so do our bodies and how we relate to them, ourselves, environments, and the rest of the world. Ayurveda suggests simple and realistic goals that can be sustained for life and used as tools in the future to apply when needed. Ayurveda is a very complex, grand medical system. If one argues they could intellectually understand it in a lifetime, I’d argue back that it would take many lifetimes to understand it in the heart.