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rejuvenation

4 Key Foods Throughout Pregnancy

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rice and dairy

According to Ayurveda, there are 4 key sattvic foods used in varied ways throughout pregnancy for most mamas: new basmati rice, pure ghee, butter and milk. These foods are naturally sattvic (harmonious and pure), building, easy on the digestion when properly used, and do not create mental and emotional negativity in their nature.

For vegan mamas, the list of 4 becomes 1 – just new basmati rice (not aged, and not brown due to the heating quality of brown rices), and these mothers often crave the three dairy options during pregnancy. Whatever foods are actually used, much care must be taken to substitute for these foods with sattvic, pitta and vata pacifying, ojas building qualities of other foods. For example, some common substitutes for dairy include:

Old, processed or life-force weakened foods undermine nutrition, as does slow maternal elimination. The stress of our prevalent Type A/rajasic overdrive in modern cultures will deplete the life-energy and nutrients for mama and baby. Poor digestion or poor food choice can create ama, which can lead to morning sickness and other problems.

Many other foods are important too, of course, but these take a special grounding, pitta and vata balancing, and ojas enhancing role.

 

Panchakarma — Ayurvedic Cleansing for Conception

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hands on back

To prepare for receiving the highest vibration soul and providing the healthiest new body for their baby, the mother and father both to need to calm and balance their doshas, eliminate ama and reduce rajas and tamas in their minds. This manifests as a need to purify body and emotions in some way.

Ayurveda spells out how we can prepare the body and mind for healthy sperm and ova and optimal conception. It’s called Panchakarma and post Panchakarma Rasayana (rejuvenation therapies). This is a fascinating education for practitioners, but you’ll want to attend the Dhatu and Panchakarma advanced classes with Vaidya Bharat (ayurvedsadhana.com) to unfold this juicy understanding.

Although each mother has brilliant natural maps for growing a baby, she and her partner can make choices in preparation for supporting baby’s plan for incarnation, to cleanse and then strengthen the intricate communications between Baby’s DNA and unfolding her subtle body blueprint. Conception calls on mother and father’s reproductive essence in the sperm and ovum, on their consciousness and on their desires, to match baby’s desire and life purposes. The blueprint structures are built to the soul’s purpose and style, and everyone wants this to be in greatest bliss and success for life.

Panchakarma has been proven to significantly, safely and gently remove significant amounts of petrochemical pollutants in a short time. The body stores these in fat, reproductive, brain and endocrine tissues and these are not easily removed by western cleansing methods. The unique methods of cleansing employed by Ayurveda are safe and gentle, but it is very important that it is done properly to prevent side effects; many practitioners are only partially trained.

Rasayana therapies are rebuilding and rejuvenative, perfect for preparing to concieve and the body receives the benefits of rasayana much more effectively after the Panchakarma sequences are complete. Cleansing without rejuvenation afterwards is not a good idea for those wishing to conceive!

Wheat Free & Gluten Free Mama-Baby Cookies

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Did you know that healthy carbs and sweets honestly help counter depression, anxiety, and other mood imbalances?   They are calming, grounding, strengthening, rejuvenating, milk producing, satisfying, sweet tempering, comfort food.  That’s good for baby – and everyone else, of course.  Best leave out a few ingredients, like chocolate, and see below.

So, cookies are not inherently a sinful food, ladies and gentlemen!  Serotonin increasing, there are multiple reasons the nervous system benefits from sufficient good carbs, properly prepared and used.  If you know the metabolic principle “Vata dosha” let’s just say cookies are a vata pacifying food, if you digest them well ;-).

photo

About 2 weeks after birth or when bowels and digestion are working well, our mamas LOVE our cardamom shortbread cookies so much they keep asking for them again. Free of  leavening, egg, and with lotsa good fats and carbs, they suit our craving for good calories and healthy building foods.  Needs are much higher after birth, right?   Digestive needs are too, hence the leavening and egg free; follow your AyurDoula’s guidance too.

So to adapt the usual recipe, AND make them wheat or gluten free, we take iron rich sugars with organic good cholesterol fats with non-gmo grain/flours, some digestive spice…. It’s not classical Ayurved, but with good digestion and elimination works better than most sweets and they give more lasting fuel.  So satisfying!  The complex carbs, protein and fats give stabilizing blood sugar ie longer burning fuel and nutrition.  Stability is well, very desirable with the post birth fragility, even if we don’t usually think in those terms THERE’S OTHER BENEFITS, NOT JUST THE YUMMINESS OF COMFORT FOOD!

Here’s a variation for WHEAT FREE OR GLUTEN FREE SHORTBREAD. The first grain option has gluten, the second does not.  Many handle the first better than wheat.  Yes, it is more digestible than the gluten free option for most.  See key notes below on the gluten free option.

1.5 cups unbleached spelt flour (or amaranth flour)
1/2 cup barley flour (or sorghum flour)
1 cup butter
1 cup succanat
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2-1 tsp ginger powder
1/4-1/2 tsp salt option

Option: 1/4-cup or so whey from yoghurt, or coconut water, water (or something similar).

The moisture is definitely not required but helps the food processor capture all sugar and butter into smoothe, and makes them a little lighter.  A standard shortbread recipe has an extra 1/4-1/2 cup flour but I find the spelt and barley or amaranth/sorghum options are drier and need more fat.

Yes, fat to counteract dryness in the body.  Opposite of dry is oily, in Ayurved.   Opposite of dense is liquid, including water, whey, oil et al.

To prepare:

  1. Set butter out to soften, earlier.*
  2. Turn oven on to 300 degrees and get your 9X12 ish brownie pan out. No butter or flouring is needed.
  3. Put butter, sugar, AND spices in the food processor or mixing bowl. Blend well, optionally adding a little liquid.
  4. In separate bowl, add flours and use a whisk to mix and fluff.
  5. Blend in the buttery mixture in the flours. IT works better NOT to put all in the food processor unless you just give a few pulses the gluten will over develop and make cookies tough.**
  6. Press the mix into your baking pan.  Sprinkle nuts on top if you like, or add to batter.
  7. Put in the hot oven (300 not 350) and SET YOUR TIMER for about 25 minutes – check then and optionally add 5-10 minutes – some ovens are cool or baking pans smaller (translate, more per square inch to cook) than others.   They are better a little soft and not burnt on the edges, and they will crisp up when cool.
  8. While still somewhat warm, cut into desired size and shape.  Remove when cool and enjoy!  Store for several days if they last that long in your home, in covered jar or tin.

Optionally

  • Add a few nuts or seeds to add protein staying power, or even chopped candied ginger (ummmm!) or Tbs fresh lemon peel….options are many.

    Cookies and tea
    Our wheat-free Cardamom Ginger Shortbread with “Sweet-water Lactation Tea”
  • Great with a teaspoon of anise seed instead, which is a galactagogue (promotes lactation), by the way. They are not just for taste.
  • We might add chopped dates or fig later, but raisins and other dried fruits have a sour “vipak” (post digestive effect) and add more risk of fermentation in the gut.  So we minimize this combination with other foods of any kind, cereal included.

* *GLUTEN FREE NOTES:  I did put flour in with butter/sugar in food processor, when we made a 3 parts amaranth and 1 part sorghum flour version of this recipe though. Note that the amaranth is higher protein, but a more astringent and heavier food. Better wait another week or 3.   Many gluten free mixes are on the market.  Those with legume flours may be more gas producing for mama-baby.  Which means, risky to comfort and health.  Those with potato or tapioca starch along with grain flours, may be more complex on your digestion too (grain enzymes being different from starch enzymes and sometimes confusing our tummies).  As noted, this one is heavier too, but neither amaranth or sorghum is a grain really.  See what works, experimenting when digestion is stronger.

* Have you ever compared the difference between organic and non-organic butterfat?  Make ghee with them, and taste the stuff at the top and bottom.  You will never go back to non-organic.

 

 

 

 

Cool it with warmth – Crazy Idea?

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Keeping Cool with warmth – crazy idea?  The common sense of it is known by the Egyptians, Ayurvedics and others in tropical countries. Early postpartum mamas often enjoy hot water bottles on tummy and lower back, maybe breasts or neck, even in hot summer weather.  I’ve seen it many times!  OK, I haven’t researched other cultures much, just a few stories.  Like using HOT temperature peppermint, green or black tea to cool down in the mideast.  Sounds weird and there is more explanation than I can offer now… but here are some common sense and reflections on this dance of the opposites –

Hot tea may make you sweat – sweat evaporates and cools that way.

Many herbs have cooling energetics – many astringent, sweet, and light bitter herbs, even when ingested at warm temperature.  They can be used in pregnancy and postpartum teas and foods.  All mints, raspberry, oat straw, coriander, sandalwood (use pinches of the powder), fennel, cumin, tarragon, rose, chrysanthemum, cilantro, small amounts of lime (not lemon, it heats) and many other herbs can be used to cool.  These are more helpful than just doing bland foods and drinks – try small amounts steeped into water and see.  Midwives use more of some for the mineral content.  Nettle is also cooling, though diuretic and less valuable for Vata types.

Of special note for right use – small pinches cardamom, even small amounts of clove and turmeric can transform food and experience with their penetrating (“pungent”) qualities, yet post digestively cool.  Licorice, mostly avoided in pregnancy except in small amounts in formulation by Chinese or Ayurvedics is tonic for adrenals, pitta and Vata.  Yet licorice should be avoided with HBP and water retentions.

For the same reason, minimizing energetically (beyond temp) foods and drinks like red meats, most fish, tamarind, chilies, raw garlic and onions, tomatoes, and most citrus helps, even if they are served cool temp.

So the naturally abundant sweet juicy fruits and sweet, astringent, bitter and moist vegetables – most of them ripened with the heat, have cooling and gently cleansing effect though they nourish and build.  Coconut, grapes, and pomegranate stand out.  Peaches, most melons, later season mangoes, succulent green vegetables and opo (loki) squashes are particularly refreshing and cooling yet nourish, rebuild and are easy to digest.

Vegetables and more astringent fruit like apples and pears need the heat of cooking and seasonings for the early or unusually vata exacerbated postpartum system to prevent gas, bloating, and less obvious signs of malabsorption or incomplete products of digestion.  The dark green leafies do us more good in the spring and fall when they naturally are happiest in the garden, and after a few weeks post-pregnancy.  Easy to digest well cooked mung or matpe lentils, or for non-vegetarians, something like long cooked chicken soup complements protein needs, along with the use of cooling energetic dairy (milk), a few almonds, moist dates and and grains  during the day, even though the milk is taken warm and with at least a little (sometimes much more) digestive spice, and generous use of cooling but digestively enhancing clarified butter.

Hanging out by waterfalls, rivers, and in the moonlight sound nice?  Exercise for the joy of it, which means after birth, after some weeks, gently strolling.  And in water is great for pregnancy and after 6 weeks post;  sleeping outside may nourish later stages, walking barefoot in the cool grass or seashore – you remember these probably.  These are tonic behaviors which warm the heart, nourishing a feeling of connectedness with Mother Nature and ourselves and helping us feel at home where we are – part of what we these days call “chilling out”.

Things which expand the capillaries in relaxation can help disperse core body heat and still support our primary topic, of postpartum rejuvenation.  Core warmth is super important for rest, digest and transformative rejuvenations needed.

Sweet floral essential oils are well known for their antidepressant, usually cooling, relaxing and calming properties.  Rose, geranium, jasmine, vetiver, lavender, ylang ylang, chamomile, helichrysum and others.  They “warm” the transformational processes – hormones, heart, liver and blood vessels with their potent and gentling properties.  They put us in touch via mind-body coordination whereas strong pungent coolants like peppermint and eucalyptus may create too much sudden change, contractions from the overwhelm and be too extreme to nurture the needed subtle experience of connectedness and self-referral, self-correcting dynamics of awareness.

Warm oil Ayurvedic massage actually helps support this dual need of the times – It supports the body’s thermoregulation to work better, which was slowed down from natural fatigues of birthing and caring for Baby – so the inner heater and cooler both work better.  It also supports the core work so needed after such deeply transforming as well as usually hard labor to be tended to.  IE, Relaxation  puts us into rest, digest and transform, rejuvenate, while stress hormones put us into a state of fight or flight which tightens us up and keeps us HOT and geared for outer, not inner work.

Those living in hot damp climate feel the heat the most.  They should do less of these heat therapies, favoring warm instead of hot foods and drinks, a little less heavy on food and massage oils, and delay their massage treatments for maybe 3 days after the birth says Dr. Bharat Vaidya, quoting the ancient classical textbooks in Ayurveda on postnatal care.   Hot damp weather does a lot of the needed work and is a blessing.  Too much oily massage and heat too soon can increase kapha unduly – the priority the first few days still is to re-kindle or strengthen Agni, the digestive fires, which is specifically heating.  Professional guidance and care is particularly helpful during the first weeks to navigate this dance of the opposites in our various tissues and systems best.  Mothers DO need to AVOID air conditioning as much as possible.  The cold draft of “refreshing” AC can exacerbate natural weaknesses.  OK, I dare you to carry on this conversation with me if you doubt.

I shared some of this with a midwife who was grateful to understand why their clients (in Florida summertimes!) would not let them turn on any AC even for giving birth.  Everyone was dripping, but mama’s system, and baby’s, work best with this integrative experience of keeping their cool via mind-body integration awareness, supported by warmth.

And try the cooling effect of sattva, if you know what that means.  You could start with simple alternate nostril pranayama.  At this time, don’t worry which hand, and if baby is falling asleep in one arm at the breast – great – now is your time.  Baby needs 10-15 minutes often, to settle into stable deeper sleep.  Perfect time for you to purr.  This breath practice in the postpartum time should be done without any strain, force or breath retentions – simply inhale in through one nostril closing the other, naturally full breath, then switch nostrils for a naturally full out, and in on that side.  Switch – out, in.  Switch – etc.  for about 10 minutes.  The shift in brain wave patterns accompanies a chilling out mentally, physically and emotionally, a balancing of core and surface circulation and comfort, and much more.

Does this biochemistry make sense to you?   Let me know!  And consider Ayurvedic Midwife Terra Rafael’s course, Enhancing Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth with Ayurveda (21 hours), and my core class on postpartum ayurveda, Ayurvedic Maternal and Newborn Care.

Warmly,

Ysha

Why avoid yoghurt postpartum, and why is it overrated?

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Why/when to avoid yoghurt postpartum, and why is yoghurt overrated for probiotic use?

Hello Cheryl !

It sounds like your lassi was yummy!   Yoghurt does have benefits after childbirth, after 2-3 weeks, in specific preparations.  And it has some not critical but – for some moms can be more of an issue risks, depending upon when and how it is used.

After childbirth our digestion is so fragile, and little things make a big difference for mama and baby sometimes for long time to come.  “42 Days for 42 Years” is a pretty stunning statement about it!  Yoghurt is creamy, cloudy, sweet and sour inherently – these things can help rebuild and knit tissues back together, sour can even help digestion.  It contains a little, or more probiotics, not a lot.  It is taken usually cold which complicates maternal digestion and absorption of the nutrients.  It is sour which has it’s place and risks.

Lassi is a dilute yoghurt, buttermilk or Kefir drink.  If not made with ice or fruit, and including some digestive spices (yes and with sweet or pinch salt), can act as a digestive with a non-meat or egg based meal, esp legumes, esp lunch time when our agni is highest.  Note that postpartum legumes have to be cooked to thin or light creamy broth also for a few weeks.

Yoghurt and soured dairy in general are advised to avoid for all of us after say 2pm, or certainly after sun goes down. Though the least problematic of this category, yoghurt is more phlegm producing than *properly used* milk. Agni (digestive fires or enzymes) are weaker at that time of day, and these foods even yoghurt easily clog channels in this way.  I believe it has something to do also with how much time it takes for the layers of yoghurt vs milk digestion, and that in the nighttime, more food means less of Ma Nature’s intended work on the body.

The all so popular yoghurt or any dairy with banana is also contraindicated for everyone.  This food combining tends to create some heavy incomplete products of digestion which clog the “shrotamsi” (channels) and risk buildup into carcinogenic influence, per Dr. Vasant Lad.

Postpartum conditions in first few days are such that although we need some very specific digestive spices which are also warming, and warm temp foods, other warming energetics with includes sour and even salt for 2-3 days or more, is generally contraindicated. Add to that the heavier nature of yoghurt, classical ayurved as I have learned it avoids yoghurt even in lassi for at least the first 10 days after birth.

That time period is when the body is still strongly bleeding or just lightening up, and at risk of increase after decrease is still high. IE, excess even to hemorrhage, and especially in our culture of doing too much after childbirth.  Sour, salt, laxative foods and herbs, doing too much, the wrong type of heating influences all can increase blood loss.

And most people eat pre-prepared yoghurt. If made with sweeteners, the culture value is pretty much stopped.  Yogurt past a day they say changes properties to more sour, less digestible, more phlegm producing. The probiotic value is minimal also compared to what is needed to re-culture the gut flora after antibiotics. Best use something more focused there – a liquid or rehydrated powder preferred.

Homemade Kefir seems to have better culture also, and should be treated like yoghurt when using.  Store bought kefir, IMO, and we know this about many yoghurts, must have some milk added to it after culturing, to even out the flavor and stabilize it form souring too fast.  But this creates another food combining issue.  Sweet milk and soured milk digest in different time zones and locations in the gut, and confuse the body, creating ama also (incomplete products of digestion) .

It is quite the story, isn’t it?  Controversies are I’m sure tweaked reading this post.

Add to all this, the sequence of dhatu (tissue) nutrition, so little understood in the west.   For instance, one’s self-assessments which really do not go beyond, for those who even make the connection, whether we have gas, bloating, constipation, loose stool, or heartburn from our food. Per Ayurveda from food to finest product of digestion, beyond rejuvenating the deepest tissues (reproductive), is at least 32 days most foods – who knows how to “feel” what our food 4 weeks ago did?  To say nothing of the extra time involved after childbirth, at least 42 days instead of “32”.  There are exceptions, including the fact that sweet taste is the first digested from upper stomach where generally it is absorbed. And milk properly used, is said to potentially convert to ojas in a few days.

As you must know, occasionally breaking the dietary “rules” or advice is not nearly the issue as is often doing so.  I hope this discussion helps?  And encourage you to just lean into any changes.  It takes time to make changes and we have to honor gentleness there too, of course.  Sometimes the scales are hard to read, which is priority.  This is one of the reasons to have someone who knows how to make the postpartum “rules” delicious and satisfying, helps so much!

Great to be still in touch, I honor our connection and all the amazing work you do.

Ysha

Warm Smoothies

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Nourish postpartum mothers for lactation, strength and rejuvenation with warm smoothies.  Sound wierd?  They are delicious, or can be.  Here is a Mother’s Nourishing Oat Drink.  I would love to hear recipe play.

Maya Tiwari’s cookbook, A Life of Balance has some good recipes to work with, and can use some modifications for the postpartum window.   Coming out of a long home spring cleanse (PK style), my agni is iffy and my craving is for rejuvenating influences – I’m a good candidate (using less oil/ghee) for testing postpartum recipes.  How about you or loved ones?  Children love these too.

Both barley and oats are reported by some sources helpful for lactation.   Barley being astringent and more cleansing, it will be more for Kapha moms or after first few weeks, or if there is a cold and she still needs this soothing, nourishing effect.  I’m playing with oats today.

In Ayurved we know the gunas (qualities, out of 20 in nature) here are important influencers on lactation (notes below).

This one is quite good, was easy with pressure cooker and blender, and can use some refinements still.

Nourishing and Strengthening Oat Drink
serves 4

Quick and Easy!

2 cups pure water in medium pressure cooker
1/4 cup steel cut oats
2 cup water on oats, in stainless inset bowel for pressure cooker
3 T iron rich sweetener – dates, succanat or jaggery syrup not raisins
1/2 tsp anise or fennel seed
2 – 3 slices fresh ginger
2 T light sesame oil
1/4 tsp mineral salt
1/2 tsp Bala

or use 1 tsp-1Tbs extra ghee per serving for early postpartum mothers

Instructions

  1. Put oats, sweetener, herbs, fat and salt with 2 cups of pure water in stainless bowel, on a stainless trivet or a few ball jar screw on lids, in the pressure cooker.  This setup will prevent the oat water from sliming the pressure cooker valve.
  2. Put at least 2 cups of pure water in the bottom of the pressure cooker – should come up or just over the trivet in a medium or smaller pressure cooker.   You will need more water in a larger pot.
  3. bring the pressure up and cook for several minutes.  This/instructions vary a little from brand to brand and by my experience, is not critical as long as it is cooked enough.  Turn it off and let set until pressure is down – this continues to cook safely without your attention.
  4. Add your warm (not boiling hot) oat mix and the cooking water in the pot to the blender.
  5. Process well and serve warm, and the same day.  Wonderful snack or early morning food for mama; she gets  extra ghee in hers.

Notes – the oats, anise or fennel and qualities (among the 20 gunas) of this preparation all support good lactation:  warm, oily, moist, sweet, very easy to digest includes some digestive and appetite enhancing spices usually.  Extra thin, creamy texture and all this is grounding, integrating, building to plasma/lymph tissue (rasa dhatu), from which breast milk is made.

If you like to play with recipes, here are some suggestions in keeping with postnatal needs –

  1. whatever source oats you have available – no pressure cooker needed for quick cookers.  Whole/steel cut gives best flavor
  2. presoak the steel cut oats or other grain
  3. instead of sesame oil, use ghee (min 1 tsp /cup, maybe 1 Tbs for most new mamas)
  4. 1/2 Cinnamon stick in with the oats – powder for quick oats
  5. dry ginger (and sesame oil) for kaphas
  6. more water for stove top cooking
  7. 2-4 Tbs soaked cashews after 10 days
  8. or 2 T soaked hulled mung after first few days, for added and balanced protein, with extra 1/2 cup water
  9. leave out herbs if desired.  notes:
    • the Bala is for strengthening nerves, grounding, special Vata rasayan
    • or Shatavari after 8-9 days for galactague and female systems rejuv; estrogenic
    • or Ashwagandha after 8-9 days for grounding, mamsa dhatu, vata, and doing too much
    • or Vidari Kanda or Wild Yam for progesterone supports
  10. Varieties of rice instead of oats – (be sure to soak and pressure or long cook) – favor a few whole cloves, maybe few cardamom seeds.

Madhavi Rathod’s mother taught me the Raab recipe in our cookbook, which is prepared differently, also quick and easy.   You can use rice and other flours in that way also, for even more yum and gluten free options.  For some, especially vegetarians, wheat is particularly satisfying and grounding.  Semolina (organic, please due to all the things they do to the plants these days) may bother some with gluten sensitivity, but the outer husk of wheat which has been removed for semolina, is the culprit as allergen for many of us.

Please share if you get a recipe which sings, ok?  Although I must admit, this body is quite pleased with the results of what I drank 1/2 hour ago.

Enjoy!
Ysha