Gomashio

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Caroline

DSC_9495 v2Gomashio, or sesame salt, is one of my favourite remedies. Not only is it useful for reducing salt consumption, particularly for those who suffer from high blood pressure and water retention, it is a remedy that can assist in easing headaches and digestive disturbances. Gomashio is an energetically balanced food that alkalizes the digestive system and calms the mind.

Less salt is used for children, less active adults and in warmer seasons than used below. Sprinkle half a teaspoon of gomashio on grains or casseroles. Place a small amount under the tongue to ease headaches.

[break]

Ingredients:

1 tspn sea salt

20 tspn unhulled sesame seeds

[break]

Recipe:

Heat sea salt in fry pan until very hot, stirring

Place sea salt in a mortar and pestle and grind.

Wash the sesame seeds

Add sesame seeds to fry pan while wet and cook while stirring until seeds become puffy

Place in mortar and pestle on top of sea salt and grind to a coarse consistency.

When cooled, place in a sealed jar.

Gomashio will keep at room temperature. Make in small amounts so it stays fresh.

 

Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fasting in Spring

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Caroline

Fasting in spring is a good way to shift from the richer diet of winter that is generally higher in salts and fats. Fasting detoxifies the liver, makes the body feel lighter and can give us greater mental clarity. However, there are several important elements to consider before making the decision to fast.

The most important point to consider about fasting is whether it is appropriate for your current health status. If you are ill, have a chronic or acute medical condition, are pregnant or nursing a baby or are frail or weak, fasting is contra-indicated. Fasting should not be undertaken in cold weather nor when you are busy or stressed. If you are unsure about whether it would be safe for you to fast, consult with your doctor. However, everyone can benefit from observing stage one of the fasting process below.

It’s also important to remember to plan your fast and do the necessary preparation. Have the food and beverages you will need ready, decide what foods you wish to avoid, and make sure your schedule is light on the days when you eat less (if you wish to do that part of the fast). If you have not fasted before, you may experience some unpleasant effects as your body starts eliminating toxins: headaches, tiredness, nausea, runny nose, itchy skin, tired or burning eyes, feeling faint or ‘spacey’ etc so it is essential to have time to rest and have adequate fluids and remedies. Be careful to ensure that you stay warm during the process.

Chewing well is essential to the fasting process. It ensures better absorption of nutrients from the smaller amounts of food that are being eaten. It helps you to feel fuller and more satisfied when eating smaller amounts of food or food that is less rich. The focus you provide to your body helps to increase your intuitive sense about what is right for you.

Ensure that your last meal is completed before 7pm so that all food is digested before sleeping to allow the liver to cleanse.

Also remember that fasting is something that should be done moderately so that you gain maximum benefit with fewer unpleasant side-effects. I recommend (from experience) fasting in three stages:

  • Stage one: for 5-7 days, eliminate alcohol, refined sugar, tropical fruits and fruit juices, flour products, coffee and tea, chocolate and high fat foods from your diet (e.g. eggs, nuts, butter and cheese, chips, sausages and bacon, fried foods etc). Increase your consumption of wholegrains and vegetables, particularly sweet and green vegetables.
  • Stage two: for 1-2 days, eat wholegrains and lightly-steamed, leafy green vegetables. For those with less experience fasting, eat normal portion sizes. For those with more experience, eat half the amount you would normally eat.
  • Stage three: for 7 days, gradually start adding more whole grains and vegetables, sprouts and beans to your diet and gradually increasing the portion sizes of your meals. Try to widen your diet without including the foods you eliminated in stage one. Be careful not to overeat.

For people who do not have experience with fasting, just following the first stage will be enough to start, particularly if the liver cleansing process is quite unpleasant. If any side-effects are felt, you should rest, ensure that you drink adequate water or herbal teas and consider taking remedies such as ume-sho-kuzu, ume-kuzu, or eating an umeboshi plum (see the Remedies page for details). Do not go deeper into the fast and wait for the symptoms to subside. The side-effects will clear and you will feel better afterwards. For those who drink alcohol and coffee regularly, the side-effects may be stronger and more unpleasant. You may wish to split the first preparatory stage into two, eliminating coffee and alcohol first and then the other foods.

While the effects of the cleansing process may range from unpleasant to painful, once it’s over we can appreciate that fasting in spring is a really worthwhile thing to do. I find a greater sense of calm and clarity on a mental and emotional level and greater levels of patience to be some of the greatest benefits of fasting in spring.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or book in for a treatment where we can plan the appropriate way to fast for you.

Posted in Diet, Seasons | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Spring and the Wood Element

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Caroline

Spring is a time of renewal and new beginnings. After the dormancy of winter, green plants start to push upwards through the ground as roots spread into the earth. The foundation of the upward-moving energy is laid upon the foundations of the resting phase during winter. Seeds sprout and organize themselves, expressing their direction and irrepressible purpose.

Similarly, as the weather warms, we also feel a new sense of activity and purpose. As the days become longer and warmer we also set our plans into action. We rise early and spend more time outdoors. We spring-clean our homes and bodies, moving away from heavy stews, casseroles and fatty foods of winter and move towards raw and lightly cooked foods and fasting to detoxify and renew.

The liver and gall-bladder are the organs associated with wood energy, which is responsible for the storage and distribution of nutrients as well as detoxification. As such, it is largely responsible for the storage and distribution of our vital energy and governs the direction and purpose of our energies. Liver energy is associated with the function of planning and gall-bladder energy is associated with decision-making – how plans are put into action. When either of those functions is thwarted, the response is usually anger, the emotion associated with the wood element.

There are two common imbalances associated with wood energy. The most common in modern society is the hard-worker pattern, where we assume too much responsibility and put our focus into organizing and executing plans and making decisions. When this pattern becomes extreme, it can lead to rigidity, impatience and frustration, belligerence, stubbornness and lightning anger. The hard-worker becomes stressed and exhausted and usually turns to stimulants such as alcohol to help relax. The other pattern is the person who is perpetually disorganized and has difficulty making decisions, causing frustration and impatience for themselves and others. Taken to an extreme, it can be difficult to find direction or purpose in our life and can lead to depression.

These imbalances can show up as stiffness or shakiness in the muscles and joints, nervous strain and difficulty in sleeping, eyestrain and headaches, poor digestion and nausea, irregular menstruation and per-menstrual and menopausal symptoms. Reducing and eliminating fatty foods, sugar, alcohol and other stimulants and not eating late at night reduces the burden on the liver and gallbladder. Eating raw and lightly cooked foods, particularly green vegetables, sprouts, and good quality vinegars is important, based on a diet that focuses on whole foods. Fasting is also an excellent way to detoxify and renew the liver but must be done carefully to avoid problems. Check back soon for the next  post where I’ll discuss how to fast safely.

Posted in Seasons | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Winter Hotpot

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Caroline

Winter Hotpot

This recipe is warming but light, ideal for a change from heavy stews and casseroles. It’s also quick and easy to make and is versatile – you can use any combination of vegetables you have on hand. Keep this recipe completely vegan by using tofu or tempeh or use dashi stock and add seafood at the end instead of tofu.

 

Ingredients:

Kelp/seaweed

1.5 litres of water

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 suede (rutabaga), peeled and chopped

1 potato, peeled and chopped

2cm of lotus root, peeled and chopped

2-3 cups broccoli cut into florets

Shitake mushrooms

1cm knob of ginger, peeled and chopped

1 packet of tofu or tempeh, cubed.

1 tbspn of soy sauce/tamari or salt to taste

 

Recipe:

Place seaweed in water and soak for 20 – 30 mins.

Place water and seaweed in pot (preferably ceramic) and bring to simmer

Remove seaweed, chop coarsely and return to pot

Add carrots, potatoes, lotus root, suedes (or other root vegetables) and ginger, cook for 5 minutes

Add more water if needed

Add broccoli and tofu, tempeh or seafood of your choice and simmer until cooked

Add soy sauce/tamari or salt

Serve with cooked noodles or bowls of warm grains such as brown rice.

Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Mid-winter Moxa Special

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Caroline

I’m offering a mid-winter Moxa special, absolutely free. for my Zen Shiatsu clients to help everyone through winter, available from Tuesday July 9 to Friday July 20.

Moxibustion is the burning of dried mugwort close to the skin, which in Eastern medicine is said to improve the circulation of blood and energy in the body. I’m offering all Zen Shiatsu clients an opportunity to experience moxibustion with a moxa box on the sacrum in combination with a Zen Shiatsu treatment. A 10 to 15 minute session of moxibustion on the sacrum will help to relax and ground your body, providing deep internal warmth to help combat the winter cold. Moxa is a deeply penetrative heat that warms the pelvic area and the lower back and can relieve lower back problems. In women, moxa warms the uterus and can assist with many menstrual issues. Most people who experience moxibustion report that they sleep better and have more energy on waking.

Moxibustion on the sacrum will be offered to all clients unless otherwise contra-indicated.

For more information about the usual fee for moxibustion, please see the treatments and programmes page at The Spirit of Touch website. To make an appointment, check my calendar for a time that suits you.

Also look out for my next blog post at The Spirit of Touch in the next few days which will give you more information about adjusting your diet for winter.

Posted in Specials | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Autumn Mushroom Soup

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Caroline

Autumn Mushroom Soup

This is a lovely recipe from Japan that I’ve modified to include healthier ingredients. The combination of mushrooms and seaweed is good for balancing the higher intake of dietary fats in autumn that warm the body and kuzu balances the digestive tract and the intestines. It’s simple to make but takes a little organisation beforehand. I hope you enjoy it (as well as the use of pictures on the blog!).

 

Ingredients:

100g of fresh mushrooms: choose from shitake, oyster, shimeji etc, remove stalks and slice

4-6 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in boiled water, remove stalks and slice when soft, reserve water

1 tbspn olive or other vegetable oil

1 tspn mirin or rice wine (optional)

1 tbspn tamari or soy sauce

2 tbspn sake (I like Goshu Blue, an Australian sake)

2 tblspn kuzu dissolved in 2-3 tblspn water.

1.2 litres of dashi stock (made beforehand, see recipe below)

Sea salt and spring onions

 

Recipe:

Add oil to pan and heat.

Add chopped mushrooms, stirring occasionally until they soften – 2-3 minutes

Add sake, soy sauce and mirin, allow mushrooms to fully soften

Add dashi stock and bring to boil

Take off heat, add dissolved kuzu and return to heat stirring constantly for a few minutes

Add salt to taste (I find ¼ tspn is fine)

Serve in small bowls and garnish with spring onions.

Serves 4 people. Recipe can easily be doubled.

 

Dashi stock – 3 versions:

  1. With bonito flakes:

Add I postcard-size chunk of kombu seaweed to one litre of water. Sit for one hour.

Place water and kombu in saucepan and heat until bubbles start to form.

Remove kombu and add one cup of water

Add 5-10 grams of bonito flakes and bring to boil.

Remove from heat, allow bonito flakes to fall to bottom of pan, strain and use.

  1. With dried shitake mushrooms – as above, except add 2-3 mushrooms with the kombu and water in the saucepan.
  2. The cheat’s way – put water, kombu and either bonito flakes or mushrooms in a jar in the fridge overnight, strain and use.
Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sugar, chocolate and vegetarians

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Caroline

I have had many Zen Shiatsu clients lately who are vegans or vegetarians and still consume daily or regular amounts of sugar and chocolate. Refined sugar and chocolate are energetically extreme foods that rapidly cool the body and cause large swings in mood that are correlated with the rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels. As such, they are foods that should be used occasionally rather than regularly or daily and should be eaten sparingly in autumn and winter.

In the case of vegans and vegetarians, usually when meat, chicken and eggs are no longer eaten, the body naturally desires less sugar and chocolate since the extreme cooling energy of sugar and chocolate is necessary to balance the extreme warming energy of animal foods. The meat/sugar balance is not an optimal one since there is a yo-yo effect from one extreme to another which causes its own set of health problems. But if animal foods are reduced or eliminated and sugar and chocolate continue to be eaten, usually due to emotional cravings, there are fewer ways for vegetarians to balance the extremes. This results in digestive problems such as an acid condition in the stomach, bloating, belching, borborygmus,  problems with bowel movements, digestive weakness, menstrual problems in women, colds and infections as well as the accompanying emotional patterns such as irritability, neediness and an inability to cope with some of life’s difficulties and challenges nor find satisfaction on a physical and emotional level.

The solution for vegans and vegetarians is to find the right protein/carbohydrate balance and chew well to extract the natural sweetness of wholegrains and vegetables. Small amounts of fruit juice, brown rice syrup or maple syrup can be used in desserts to help satisfy cravings and reduce the withdrawal symptoms of tiredness, anxiety and low spirits. Salty foods such as miso, pickles and soy sauce/tamari can be used more frequently to bring the body back to balance. Eating pungent, astringent or sour tasting foods such as pickles when craving sugar can also help diminish cravings. Following these guidelines is one the ways to ensure that being vegan or vegetarian is a sustainable choice in terms of health and well-being in the long-term.

Posted in Diet | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adjusting Diet in Autumn

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Caroline

As the weather turns colder, our bodies require warming foods to counteract the cold. Pungent foods warm the body and help to eliminate the excess cooling foods we have consumed over the summer. The energetically centred diet can be adjusted to include radishes, ginger, cabbage, turnips, green vegetables such as kale, carrot and turnip tops, broccoli, cauliflower and lotus root. Brown rice is the grain for autumn and is particularly good to eat pressure-cooked. Sea vegetables, miso and pickles (see the ginger pickles recipe) are also recommended.

The continued consumption of foods that cool the body in autumn will often lead to a variety of problems. Cooling foods such as fruits and fruit juices, refined sugars, alcohol and coffee, flour products, nuts and nut butters and dairy products contribute to cooling the body and creating excess mucus in the lungs and large intestine. Meat, chicken and eggs warm the body but also create an excess of mucus. The most common symptoms of this type of diet in autumn are constipation and diarrhoea, dry skin and lips, rashes, difficulty breathing and a lack of vitality. Eventually, these symptoms can develop into colds and a variety of respiratory infections.

The centred diet, when adjusted for autumn, is particularly important for those with a history of allergies and respiratory problems. However, as in all cases, it is necessary to experiment with how this diet works for you and observe the effects it has on you. Those who wish to may continue to consume animal foods and other foods as they like. But if anything does go wrong, the energetically centred diet adjusted for autumn is a tool that you can use to help you get back your health and sense of well-being.

Posted in Seasons | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“What type of diet should I follow?”

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Caroline

One of the most-asked questions in my practice is ‘What type of diet should I follow?’ It’s an issue fraught with conflicting information from public health authorities, food marketing and advertising, new diet fads on the best-seller lists, religious and spiritual traditions and snippets of information gleaned from television and magazines. After several decades of exploration and experimentation, including several years of study, I’ve realized that the best diet for each of us to follow is based on our individual needs, keeping a few basic guidelines in mind:

  1. Eat an energetically centred diet based on whole foods and chew them well.
  2. Adjust your diet according to the climate you live in and the change in seasons.

An energetically centred diet is one based on whole grains, vegetables and legumes. These foods are energetically centred, being neither too warming, cooling, drying nor too mucus-forming. They have a naturally sweet taste and can be eaten freely at any time of year or in any climate. However, it is essential to adjust this basic diet according to climate and seasons. In cooler seasons and climates, include foods that warm the body and, in warmer seasons and climates, include foods that cool the body. Similarly, in dry climates/seasons include foods that moisten the body and in humid/wet climates/seasons, include foods that are less mucus-forming.

All of these guidelines must be considered in the context of your own needs, including pre-existing health conditions, the amount of physical activity you undertake etc. In the next post, I’ll discuss how to adjust the energetically centred diet according to the climate and seasons.

Posted in Diet | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Guilt, self-judgement and food

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Caroline

Guilt and self-condemnation about food appear to be endemic. In my practice, I often hear this self-judgement about food choices. I’ve heard ‘I know it’s bad for me’ many times. But this guilt about food is misplaced, in my view. Rather than feeling guilty about our food choices, we may choose to focus on the gratitude we have towards the food we are consuming and how it is nourishing us. As we become more food-aware, we all know that a diet rich in wholegrains, legumes and vegetables is the healthiest choice – these are foods that we love and will love us back! But eating other foods like cakes and pastries, chocolate, pasta and breads occasionally is fine too. The guilt surrounding eating these foods can be worse than the effects of eating the foods themselves. We all need to celebrate and these foods, as well as alcohol, are part of our cultural expression of enjoyment. So enjoy in moderation and throw out the guilt. The important thing is to have a good enough relationship with food that you know when to stop and return to our usual foods. Unfortunately, chocolate, refined sugars and other celebratory food are not one of the essential food groups and these foods don’t love us back. But as we listen to our bodies and feel how these foods affect us, we’ll want/crave less of them anyway.

Our relationship with food can be as neurotic or stress-free as we want to make it.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment