As a yoga teacher and lover of all things yogi, I attempt to bring this mentality to everything. I'm also a certified raw food chef and create amazing cleanse experiences for my clients and host raw uncooking classes, continuing this mindful practice in all areas of my life.

Mindfulness

• *Eat your main meal before 2p and don't eat anything after 7p. this will allow your body to digest the food more fully. Try to eat at the same time every day.

• *Chew your food slowly and with reverence.

• *Eat organic, fresh foods as often as possible.

• *Prepare your own food, using your hands as much as possible instead of spoons, mixers, or processors. Think of cooking as a meditation practice. then eat with your hands as well, making the connection between your hands and you belly. (Ethiopian Cuisine is a great idea for group get together's!)

• *Don't cook or eat when you feel agitated or distracted. You infuse the foods you prepare with your energy and emotions. Cooking with loving attention brings joy to those who eat your food.

• *Always say a prayer of gratitude before you eat. (or just acknowledge the foods beauty and how luck you are to eat it!)

• *Stop eating before you're full. Yogis fill their bellies only two-thirds full: one-third with food and one-third with liquid. The remaining third should stay empty to help the stomach digest properly.

• *Take a walk after eating; don't go to bed right after a meal.

A sadhana is a type of mindfulness practice, a way of fully participating in something. Yogis believe everything has its own sadhana, including eating and cooking (or 'uncooking'!). Here are some suggestions to get the most out of the food you eat and to promote optimal digestion.

"there are some people who eat an orage but don't really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future. They are not really present, with body and mind united." -Thich Nhat Hanh

What are superfoods?

Superfood is a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may provide health benefits as a result. For example, blueberries are often considered a superfood (or superfruit) because they contain significant amounts of antioxidants,, vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber. You don't need specific foods for specific ailments. A healthy diet incorporating a variety of the following superfoods will help you maintain your weight, fight disease, and live longer. One thing they all have in common: Every superfood is going to be a 'real' (unprocessed) food, you don't find fortified potato chips in the superfood category.

How can I use and incorporate superfoods in my daily life?

• Beans
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Dark Chocolate (RAW chocolate is best!)
• Oats
• Oranges
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Soy
• Spinach
• kale
• Tea (green especially)
• Tomatoes
• hemp seeds
• Walnuts
• almonds
• chia seeds
• Yogurt

if you click on the words above I offer other posts I've written with more info about the wonderful superfoods and also a few recipes to use them in!

 All of my superfood blends have all the best superfoods in one place. No need to purchase them all separately, just buy one bag instead of 8! 

Cacao Magic superfood blend has raw Cacao powder, raw cacao nibs, tocos (vit E for hair, skin, nails) chia seeds (good fats to burn bad fat), maca (balances mood), reishi (chinese immunity herb), cordyceps (chinese herb for weightloss) and chaga (energizing herb with no caffeine). 

The Green Dream superfoods have chia seeds, maca, mesquite (high in iron), tocos, spirulina, hemp powder and fresh vanilla bean. 

Our Berry Bliss superfood blend has camu camu (top antioxidant food in the world), pomegranate, acai (combats stress), goji (prevents heart disease) organic whey protein (recovery & rejuvenation-very clean protein source) tocos (improves digestion, glowing skin & strong nails from Vitamin E) camu camu (immunity) and mangosteen (antibiotic & anti-fungal). 

the Yummiest Superfood Yet ... Dark Chocolate

Research has shown that dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and can lower blood pressure. It's recommended that you look for chocolate with 60% or higher cocoa content; the darker, the better! In addition, the darker it is, the lower the fat and sugar content. Now that's my kind of health food!

here are two recipes using dark chocolate/cacao (chocolate in it's most raw form):

1. Peppermint Patty Recipe

2. Delicious Chocolate Cake

and Here's an awesome breakfast I've been making lately--super filling and superfood rich!

Superfood Oats

• 1 C Steelcut oats (follow instructions on the box)
• 2 T Cacao Magic blend
• 1 T goji berries (see pic below)
• 1/2 Organic Canned Pumpkin
• 1 t coconut oil (i like Garden of Life brand)
• 2 T almond butter (i get Trader Joes brand, raw & creamy)
• 1 T Agave or Raw Honey (i buy from our local farmers market) or Stevia if watching sugar
• Cinnamon to taste
• fresh berries for topping (like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)

1. follow instructions on box for cooking steelcut oats. (can also use quinoa or instant low-sugar oats)

2. The last minute or so, add the pumpkin, almond butter, goji berries and cinnamon. Stir all ingredients until mixed.

3. Remove oats from heat. Mix the coconut oil, cacao powder and agave/honey/sweetener in the bowl you'll be using and mix well with a spoon until it forms a chocolate sauce. Pour oats in bowl. Add fresh berries. Enjoy!

*double/triple the amount so you can save in containers for easy power-breakfasts in the next few days!

Maca is a plant with a radish-like root that is used as a food and for medicinal purposes. Although maca is unrelated to the ginseng family, it has been dubbed "Peruvian ginseng" because it is used as a folk remedy to increase stamina, energy, and sexual drive.

Maca improves both male and female hormone balance, supports the adrenals, increases stamina, helps with erectile dysfunction and increases sex-drive and fertility! I would start with a teaspoon a day in a smoothie and increase up to 4 teaspoons a day. Read on to read more details!!

Maca-an Adaptogen

In the 1930s, Russian scientists studying plant medicine coined the term adaptogen to refer to a plant that promoted non specific benefits to an organism while inducing NO negative side effects.

An adaptogen is a substance which raises the non-specific resistance in an organism. Adaptogens enable the body to enhance its power of resistance and adapt to external conditions. They work with the body's natural rhythms to help rebuild weak immune systems, re-mineralize poorly nourished bodies, and increase energy and endurance.

The endocrine system is a collection of glands that produce chemical "messengers" called hormones essential for normal bodily functions. A wide variety of physiological processes are carried out unconsciously by these "messengers". Once released they flow directly into the bloodstream and are transported to organs and tissues throughout the entire body.

Scientists and doctors are now finding maca to be one of the best natural ways to regulate and support endocrine health. This action regulates metabolism, energy levels, growth, sexual development and the sense of well being and attitude.

Thankfully, maca does not contain hormones itself. Instead it provides a unique set of nutrients that directly fuel the endocrine system and help the glands to produce vital hormones in precise dosages predetermined by one's own body.

Sexual drive and fertility

According to folklore, ancient Incan warriors took maca before going off to battle to make them physically strong. However, they were later prohibited from taking it, in order to protect conquered women from their heightened libidos.

One study looked at the effect of 4 months treatment with maca tablets on semen quality in nine adult men. Treatment with maca resulted in increased seminal volume, sperm count, and sperm motility. A 12-week randomized controlled trial looked at 1,500 mg maca, 3,000 mg maca, or placebo. After 8 weeks, there was an improvement in sexual desire in the men taking maca.

So why does maca feel so good?

Personally, because I eat a primarily vegan diet, my body is somewhat low in iron and B vitamins. Although I eat as many plant based foods that contain iron and B vitamins, sometimes I need to take an iron and B vitamin supplement. I find that the days I have maca I don't need to supplement with the vitamins (OR COFFEE!)  because my body feels nourished. As an adaptogen, maca works broadly to contribute to overall well being. It nourishes and calms the nerves with calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B12 , and fatty acids, all of which work beneficially on the nervous system.

I would experiment, just like any other superfood or food, and try it each day for a few weeks and see how you feel. In my experience with maca, the best way to tell if it's affecting you is to take it away after some time.

Maca comes in pill form or is ground into powder. I include maca powder in many of my own smoothies, and in those of my clients when they are doing a cleanse or raw-life experience.

*I would avoid maca if you are on birth control.

Here's a video that includes some info about maca AND a recipe to use it in! (you can add it to anything, start with 1 tsp and work your way up!)

Pregnancy and Healthy Food

It's been incredibly difficult to eat healthy food since I've been pregnant. I don't crave anything uber healthy and the thought of going into the kitchen to make a green smoothie makes me want to vomit. I don't want any of my staple foods: nothing raw, no ginger tea, no chocolate? It's the strangest thing.

First Trimester

The 2nd month of pregnancy was the most difficult for me. I wanted the classic "I'm sick/hungover" foods.. anything to take the nausea away. This downward spiral began with sweet potato fries, and then slipped into zucchini fries, which then stumbled into regular french fries as long as they were from somewhere that claimed anything somewhat related to health like In and Out (made from real potatoes! cooked in Cholesterol free oil!) or Astro Burger (unlike McDonald's: the devil). For weeks all I craved was fries, squishy challah bread, matzoh ball soup from a local deli, and eggs. I later discovered that potatoes and eggs are both high in folic acid, which is my pretend reasoning behind it being okay.

guilt?

To be honest, I stopped feeling guilty very early on about this stuff. Yes, I would prefer to eat raw beautiful organic foods. Yes, I would prefer to have a green juice or smoothie at least once a day, and be as vegan as possible. However, this baby is in control, not me. This is the baby's body, I am purely a vessel. I am obviously being as healthy as I can possibly be, choking down veggies, taking my iron and folic acid, and getting enough protein and fats.

Cool things about being preggers

A really interesting thing has happened in this pregnancy: my lactose intolerance has vanished. I can eat any type of cheese or dairy i want: NO STOMACH ACHE!!!!! I still don't drink regular milk, always rice, coconut or almond milk, but i can eat CHEESE! It's been pretty awesome. My favorite snack is Caprese Salad--organic mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and heirloom tomatoes with ground pepper and balsamic. Delish! I'm sure my lactose intolerance will return, and that's fine with me. All of this is somewhat dreamy anyway. I read about another woman whose asthma completely disappeared while pregnant (but returned, unfortunately, a few months after the baby came). It's truly amazing how different our bodies are in this state. Amazing what our hormones control and have the power to alter!

Moderation! Organic! Use your head.

My point of this babbling is this: whatever is happening with your body when your preggers is completely fine and normal. If you're craving random foods, don't feel guilt. Everything in moderation. Make sure you get enough veggies and fresh fruit. If you're going to eat meat, make sure it's organic and grass-fed. ENJOY THIS PROCESS it will be over before you know it, and wallowing or obsessing over how many calories you're eating is an absolute joke. No worries, the baby feels EVERYTHING! Try not to stress out...laugh at yourself, I crack up the entire time I'm in the drive thru line getting a breakfast sandwich or denying a vegetable.

Also, in no time you'll be back to yourself. I'm already working out practically like I used to and today I was completely raw until about 4p... it's happening quickly. Cherish every moment (pregnant or not!)