Delicious AND healthy

One of my dear friends does an alkaline detox on a regular basis and has a wonderful blog where she shares her recipes and other bits and pieces. Over the past week I've tried two of her recipes, red quinoa paddies and leek and feta pancakes. I'm not a particular wiz in the kitchen, but managed to make delicious meals from her easy to understand instructions (the pic below is hers though, my sauce was slightly more dribbly and pancakes slightly less round... figured you'd be more likely to check her blog out this way!!). Want more details, here's the link: Alkaline Foods - a healthier life

Wise Word of the Week #2

Earlier today I had one of those great moments that make you appreciate the simple things in life. A friend and I sat on her veranda enjoying a magnificent view, a gorgeous smokey cup of Lapsang, some delicious tarta de santiago and a lovely conversation that made me think of one of my favorite poems.  

The Journey by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice--
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.

I found this poem in a book on the bedside table at a friends house the night that I left my job nearly 2 years ago. At the time, I was going through a pretty all-encompassing self-discovery process, one where I, for the first time, was allowing myself the time and space to hear that new voice, which turned out to be my own.

"Economics as if people and the planet mattered"

Ok, so I have a Master in Economics and my old me would argue that statement to be a bit of an oxymoron. However, there's a great organization called nef (or the new economics foundation) whose sole purpose is just that. They focus on "promoting innovative solutions that challenge mainstream thinking on economic, environment and social issues" and they do some really interesting work. There's one particular thesis of theirs that I really like, it is called "Five ways to wellbeing". It basically lists five key actions to incorporate into our day-to-day lives to improve our wellbeing; 1/ Connect (with people around you), 2/ Be active (exercising makes you feel good), 3/ Take notice (basically about being present and general mindfulness), 4/ Keep learning (try something new) and 5/ Give (because giving is receiving). Do note that this is actually a research paper, it is an evidence based report. Have a look at some more details and get inspired to improve your wellbeing: Download "Five ways to wellbeing"

We are how we eat

We've all heard the "we are what we eat" and the more recent "we are who we eat", I'd like to add another slogan to finish of the trinity -- "we are how we eat".

I've just finished a great book called "Yoga for the Digestive System" written by an Australian medicine graduate turned yogi. There is an old naturopathic belief, which this book subscribes to as well, that all disease starts in our gut. Digestion is something we most often take for granted, because it happens on its own, subconsciously or "naturally". And what do we do with things we take for granted? Well, we use and abuse it... we eat in front of the TV or computer, we eat standing up or on the go, we have heated arguments or debates over a meal and we shove huge amounts of food down our throat and expect it to be taken care of.

My brother-in-law was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It is a terrible disease of the gut. Made me read every single word in this book, and in several related articles, just a little more carefully. So, the things I have learned and that I will try and apply to my life (recognizing it's not always easy):

- Overeating is very detrimental to our health. Our internal organs are not built to take on the amounts of food we eat in the West today. A healthy amount of food to eat is about the size of your two hands cupped together. Basically, undigested food is worse than no food. Eat smaller portions less and live healthier for longer.

- Pay attention to your mood as you eat. Do not eat when you are tense, stressed or angry. All of these upset states affect our autonomic nervous system and disrupts our body's ability to properly digest the food. It is actually better to skip the occasional meal than to eat in an upset state.

- Respect the food. Prepare it with awareness and care and make it look tasty. This will help very important enzymes get produced in your saliva and your stomach. If you're not the one preparing the food, perhaps just take a moment when it has arrived on your plate and, literally, salivate over the upcoming meal.

- Chew your food!! Be careful not to start thinking of the next bite as soon as one has hit your mouth. That way we tend to swallow before the food is properly chewed and we create more hard work for our gut. Stay present and focus on the bite that's in your mouth, that will make it taste a lot better too!!

I'll end with a few lines from the book that I like: "No organ causes so much trouble as the tongue. It can get us into endless strife outside as well as inside. Talking and eating rank amongst the hardest body processes to control." So, granted, all of the above is easier said than done, but by trying to apply some of these principles to my life most of the time, I hope to live a healthier life.... in body, and thus also in mind and soul. 

Wise Word of the Week #1

We are very fortunate to live in the age we do, as the amount of wisdom available to us at the click of a button is incredible. I think we could all greatly benefit from a little shot of it everyday. Just a little line, quote or poem, to help us start the day on a nice footing.

"Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find all the
barriers within yourself that you
have built against it" - Rumi

This poem always make me think of the classic break-up line "it's not you, it's me". And whilst that is often used as an excuse, it is probably more true than the user is willing to admit.

I firmly believe that it is through our interactions with other individuals that we get one of our biggest opportunities to grow. We learn from them, we get triggered by them, but most importantly we get a chance to observe our own behaviors and reactions and change them to the better. And the key to the whole things is adopting the attitude that "it all starts with me".

Wanna read more about this? I found a great article by Lisa Firestone, Ph.D. whilst googling the break-up line: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201012/it-s-not-you-its-me-the-truth-behind-the-excuse. I love her idea of people unilaterally disarming (in short: not being reactive and lashing out even when one is provoked) and what a better world we would have if that was the case.

Finally, a little word on the picture! It's a photo of a homemade dried COUPLE (get it?!) of figs made by my landlordess. You take two figs, slice them almost all the way through, and then put them together facing each other, sprinkle with fennel seeds and then put out to be sun-dried by the hot summer sun. Utter deliciousness

Please, walk with me

I'm on a path. It's not a straight path. More like one of those paths where you take one step forwards and then a few back and then skip ahead a few steps just to find yourself back on square one a moment later. But for some reason I can't seem to kick back, relax and stop trying. I want to reach that foggy mist in the distance, because I just know that there's something mighty and worthy at the end of the path and, in the mean time, I'm thoroughly enjoying the walk, stroll, trot...

Yoga, in its broader form, presents us with an eight-limbed path. Over the past two years, I've started taking this on-board as a guide, or a map, of how to live and ultimately how to get in touch with who we really are and what really matters. I'm creatively, but respectfully, adapting the ancient yogic guidebook to suit my general level of yogicness. You see I'm still struggling with just getting my head around understanding some of the latter limbs, for example; dhyana or meditative absorption. How does one get absorbed in meditation? Hopefully I will find out and be able to tell you about it... Or actually, probably not. Because that's one of the things that are so great about yoga, it doesn't preach, it's simply experiential. It just tells you to try for yourself and see what happens.

Anyway, this hugely gratifying walk of mine is taking me past some truly amazing literature, inspirational people, some interesting ideas or alternative ways of looking at life. Or sometimes just some simply delicious recipes or beautiful sunsets. And I want to share it.