What to eat for how you feel
Remedial recipes for meltdowns, stubbornness & overwhelm
I hope that this dispatch will inspire you to look at your food as energetic, medicinal fuel that helps to balance your body, mind and soul. Based on the families that I work with, I chose three feelings that are commonly experienced as challenging. The good news is you can support each one of them by working with the sense of taste:
“The Explosion Tamer” (anger or meltdown, Pitta): creamy rosewater popsicles and yummy cardamom tea cookies
“The Stubborn Softener” (Kapha): spiced stewed plums and heart-opening golden lemonade
“The Self-Esteem Boost” (Vata): Grain-free Chai Spiced Noats
Enjoy!
How to Eat for what you Feel
There is a fine line between the body, mind and soul. This line is rather invisible, Ayurveda refers to it as Nadi’s: the energetic channels in the body that connect the energy points at the skin to the organs, nervous system and subconsciousness. A rich selection of those energy points is at the tongue. These points can be stimulated with touch (i.e.: tongue scraping as well as having textured nutrition) and taste. Ayurveda works with 6 tastes. Each taste corresponds to a sense, an organ and… A Dosha. Dosha’s come in incredibly handy when trying to paint a picture of our inner landscape: Feeling rushed? Vata. Feeling on edge? Pitta. Feeling lethargic? Kapha. Infinite feelings can be grouped under one or a combination of two Doshas. This is great news! Why? It means that we can use taste to redirect our energy.
I picked three feelings that I’ve seen popping up in most families I work with and will serve a few recipes to help you balance these feelings and their underlying Dosha.
1. The Explosion Tamer
Anger or meltdowns (Pitta)
Explosions of anger are often seen in toddlers, after which they will get less frequent, or more to the point: less visible. Later in life, feelings either become more manageable or, internalised until the last straw. Leading to a heated conversation or an outburst of anger. And of course, there are PMS-related situations where it feels like a small thing can offset big feelings paired with heat.
Anger, frustration, a rise in temperature and passion are all in the domain of Pitta Dosha. Pitta combines the fire element with the water element and is pushed out of balance when the fire becomes more abundant than the water. It’s a plain explanation of why these feelings may take over during the luteal phase: the follicular phase resembles the water element in all its fertility. When the egg did not receive the gift of life, the fire element takes over. It’s just a slight raise in temperature, but enough to experience a whole other spectrum of feelings (and skin impurities alike).
In all people, including little ones, without a menstrual cycle, the explanation is no different. A raised temperature is always involved.
Along with PMS, hot and dry weather, a sports environment, alcohol consumption and a meal rated “🌶️🌶️🌶️” without cooling condiments alongside the spice, are on the list of your mind-body’s explosion hazards.
One more thing: both internal and external explosions are more likely to happen on an empty stomach. This is because the emptiness puts digestive enzymes (water element) to rest, and all the whilst the fire becomes more and more hungry for fuel. Of course, there is a primal perspective to back this up, too (fight and flight vs. rest and digest) but I will focus on what I know best in this article (Ayurveda, that is).
The recipes
We need two flavours to counterbalance, or preferably prevent explosions:
The bitter taste. Think leafy greens, red vegetables including radishes and beets, and (it’s in the word) bitter melon. Other things on the list are teas made of burdock root, marshmallow root, lavender and turmeric
The Sweet taste. Think low GI grains, root vegetables, homemade cream and juicy, ripe fruits.
Keeping your tummy satisfied with 3 bigger or 4 smaller meals a day, including the bitter taste on each plate and making sure your food doesn’t go spicier than black pepper, ginger and turmeric is a great first step to prevention. But it’s good to have a plan B, too. I am a living example of needing plan B so I wanted to give you a quick fix, too.
Rose Water Popsicles (vegan)
Note: you will need popsicles moulds before you get started with this one
2 cans of full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp organic rose water
Pinch of cardamom
Place the coconut milk in your fridge, long enough for the contents to become solid
Scoop the thick, hardened, cream from the cans. This cream is what you will be working with. You can use the water for cooking vegetables.
You can place the solid cream in a plastic, heat-resistant (toxin-free) plastic cup or bowl. Place this bowl in a bigger bowl that is half-full with freshly boiled water. Wait until the contents melt.
Next, mix all the other ingredients in and place your mixture into the popsicle moulds.
Place your moulds in the freezer for about 6 hours or longer.
Feeling heated or on edge? Does your child need a snack to keep him going until the next meal? Pop-the-popsicle out and enjoy!
*Ayurvedically, the best time to have the popsicle is between 10 am and 2 pm when the sun is shining the brightest and our digestive fires are still strong.
Cardamom Tea Cookies (1 dozen)
1.5 cups almond meal
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rose water
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with (beeswax) parchment paper.
Whisk together the dry ingredients (top half)
One by one, drizzle the wet ingredients on top. Stir until the dough begins to clump together. Pinch it with your fingers to test how clumpy it is.
Now, roll rounded tablespoons of the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the parchment paper, each 2 inches apart.
Before you pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, flatten the dough balls with your fingers so that they form round, thin cookies.
Hop, in the oven until the edges begin to brown (8-10 minutes) and you’re ready to calm down.
2. The Stubborn Softener (Kapha)
Maybe your body feels stiff; perhaps you have become more opinionated; or you just can’t let go of a feeling, an object, or a person. Maybe it’s all of the above. Kapha is the Dosha to represent the water and the earth element. It goes out of whack when either of these two heavy qualities takes over. For example, when you’re crying more, both happy and sad tears, the water element is aggravated. The same element causes a congested respiratory system in late winter, too. When the earth element takes over, stubbornness and clinginess are telltale signs. Stiff muscles are an easy way to tell, too, although little ones are likely to stay bendy whilst clinging on to something (you!).
The Recipes
Kapha has the tendency to show up with lethargy and no motivation to change. The taste that relates to this is sweetness. A little bit of sweetness typically reminds of us a childhood-like worry-free existence and comfort. Too much sweetness (which is the case with a Kapha imbalance) is associated with addiction (not wanting to change) and heaviness (which has a lot in common with being stubborn). The opposite of sweet on Ayurveda’s taste palette is pungent, bitter and astringent. You will find out below how yummy these tastes can be.
Make this your go-to for when you feel weepy, stubborn, stiff or lethargic. Your little one will love these just before they are under the weather (when clinginess typically increases) and will add just a squeeze of openness to the mind.
Spiced Stewed Plums (makes 3 cups)
For breakfast or nurturing afternoon snack
1.5 cup water
juice of 0.5 lemon
1 cup dried plums
0.5 orange, thinly sliced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin sticks
3 cloves
0.5 tsp cinnamon
Bring the water to a boil on high heat in a medium saucepan.
Once boiling, add in the other ingredients.
Feel free to turn the heat down and simmer until your plums are nice and soft. Best to cover them up whilst simmering. It will take about 30 minutes.
Take them off the heat and let them stand for another 5 minutes.
Place your servings in a bowl; the residue can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week. Please reheat them with a dot of Ghee before you serve them again because this recipe doesn’t do the trick when served cold.
Spicy Golden Lemonade for 4
This one might be more suitable for older kids and, obv, yourself. Easy on the ice!
3 cups water
1/4 cup (Manuka) honey
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (or orange juice for the little ones)
1 cup ice
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, crushed
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (or 1/4, for the little ones)
Optional: spiced drops of Rose and Vanilla
First, make the syrup. Boil the ginger and turmeric with 1 cup of water, covered, in a small saucepan for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes whilst you’re doing some stretches
Stir in the honey until dissolved (and chant Ohm, why not)
Place it in your favourite jug, in the fridge, until chilly
Nice and cool? It’s time to combine the syrup with fresh lemon juice and the remaining 2 cups of water. (Best to be added to your favourite jug).
This lemonade is a great conversation starter. Add spiced drops of Rose and Vanilla for a heart-opening twist.
3. The Self-Esteem Boost (Vata)
Vata is the windy, spacious energy that combines the air and the space element. Vata types are gifted with impressive speech as much as with creative expression. Painting, creating, cooking, making music and coming up with stories - it never stops. Because they have so much air, they are easily moved from one place and thought to another. They love being on the go and connecting with many. In the process, they tend to pick up on other people’s (and beings alike) feelings, too. And when they don’t have enough alone time to calm down and ground, it can become difficult to draw a line between their own feelings and those that belong to others. The same air tends to influence thoughts, too, and they come at a high speed. Much like their creativity, it never stops! As a result, Vata types are prone to exhaustion and self-doubt. If this sounds like you or a loved one, you can offer the stability of earth and the resistance of the water element by adding sweet notes and a pinch of fruit and veg-derived salt to every meal. It’s important to have both food and drinks at room temperature or (preferably) warmer. Fuzzy drinks and anything else you can think of that adds air to your body (like talking with food in your mouth 🤭) are off-limits, too.
Now that we’ve got that memo, let’s talk about a grounding recipe to weave into your staples. The best thing for Vata is consistency, hence I decided to share a self-esteem-boosting meal with you rather than a beverage or snack. Oh, and, this meal is good to prevent from overwhelming as well.
Grain-free Chai Spiced Noats
What I love most about this recipe for Vata People (or Vata phases for that matter), is that you can enjoy this breakfast bowl without having to eat grains. Grains are a very (!) valuable staple in Ayurveda, but too much of it can be hard to digest and accumulate in the bowels to form ama (a layer of toxins). Off all three dosha’s, Vata is the type that will constantly reach for grains. It’s crunchy, doesn’t require much energy to eat (much more to digest it, but that is not the point in the go-go-go lifestyle) and is sweet. The sweet taste is healing for Vata, but it’s important to find it in more than one source. Sweet Potatoes are filling, alkalizing, and easy to digest. Especially when you enjoy this warm, will keep you grounded for a while.
5oz mashed sweet potato
4 oz unsweetened non-dairy milk
1tbsp grated ginger
1tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ghee or coconut butter, melted
1 tsp coconut sugar
pinch of pink Himalayan salt
Optional: cashew butter or protein powder
Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Warm over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
That’s it. It’s really that fast! Your breakfast bowl is ready to be transferred to your dish. Stir in cashew butter, almond butter or 1 scoop of protein powder. Feel free to add pumpkin seeds or pumpkin butter, too.
I hope you will enjoy these recipes. If there are any other feelings you would like to explore, hit reply and I will listen (read) 💕
Signing off,
Deborah Rose