Pumpkin "Cheesecake"

One of my favorites during the holiday season is pumpkin cheesecake. I now enjoy this healthier delicious version with no cream cheese, refined sugar or flour.   

Crust: 

1 3/4 cups almond meal (from Trader Joe's or grind your own almonds in food processor)

1/2 cup raw almond butter

1/2 cup dates

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Filling:

2 cups Greek yogurt (Fage brand works best and whole milk works best)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Chop dates with almond meal in food processor. (If the dates are too tough and dry, add 1 tbs of hot water). Add almond butter and maple and pulse in processor until its all mixed in.

Press into a pie dish and bake at 375 for 10 minutes, until it starts too brown. Let it cool.

Meanwhile mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl until consistency is smooth. Once the crust has cooled down, pour the filling in. Refrigerate and let it set for a few hours. 

The Mind and Body Connection

Our body is composed of various biological systems, linked and coordinated with each other via the nervous system. The nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord, and from there it branches out to a network of nerves that connect to both the sensory and internal organs. The entire nervous system regulates bodily functions such as the circulation of blood, digestion of food, and breathing while carrying the information the body needs to adapt to its environment. Some of these responses reach our consciousness and some do not. For example, when we interpret a situation as dangerous, we become aware of our fear, but we are unaware of the physiological responses of elevated blood pressure and greater blood flow to the muscles as less blood flows to the digestive organs. Similarly, most stressful situations will have the same effect i.e. impaired digestion.Psychological events and stress levels will affect physiological functions. Yet many nutrition professionals continue to preach that loss of weight is the result of the number of calories ingested versus the number burned. If our emotions affect every part of our body and in particular our digestive system, how can they not be part of the equation?!Stress can be a major contributing factor to gaining weight. Not only because you might be driven to consume more calories, but also because its link to weakening digestion and to heightening fat production. Creating more stress around your weight loss process is counterproductive.Each time we stress ourselves out (yes, we are responsible for our own reactions to any given situation,) we demand our body release a surge of adrenalin. The more we stress, the more adrenalin we need. If we are not careful to replenish ourselves with good nutrition, stress relief and rest, our body will no longer have the fuel to keep up. Commonly this leads to cravings for caffeine and sugar which can stage a similar effect on the body. Caffeine and sugar can contribute both to emotional stress and weight gain. Without giving the body any real nutrients, most coffee brands and refined carbohydrates will cause a rise in blood sugar levels and get our adrenals to release more “juice”, giving us a renewed false sense of energy. This type of continuous behavior can trap the nervous system in ‘survival mode’ where digestion and other functions are impaired, the internal organs are weakened, and the adrenals are overworked (leading to other symptoms like insomnia).The Placebo effect: The mind is powerful beyond belief. A placebo is an inactive substance given to satisfy a patient’s symbolic need for drug therapy. It is also used in medical studies to compare results with an active drug. If the actual drug shows equal results to a placebo, it is discarded. That is because a placebo does in fact draw results.The placebo effect validates the relationship of body and mind. If the body believes it is healthy, it functions as healthy. Healing happens when our nervous system is in ‘relaxation mode.’ When the body trusts that our environment is safe, it puts the focus back on healing the internal organs of any impact caused while stressed. This strengthens the digestion system.The more ease you create in your life, the stronger every system of your body will be.If you are working on improving your health, take a look at what negative and limiting thoughts you are currently holding about yourself. Write them down and rephrase them into positive thoughts. Start loving who you are, rather than who you want to be. A seed holds the potential of a flower but will never bloom unless you shine some light on it. Come out of the dark.Carve out time to relax and replenish, find a way to move your body in a way that you enjoy; take a few deep breaths before each meal to calm the nervous system and stimulate digestion.Bring love into the process. When we feel love in a situation, our body is at ease. Our breathing is deeper, we trust in the moment, everything flows. Falling out of a state of love and trust, is when we contribute to dis-ease. on.

Apples

New England is known for its variety of apples.Their unique blend of sweet and tart flavors are a product of the region's long, hot summers and crisp fall days. About 40 varieties of apples are commonly grown while the industry is still largely family-owned. 

Apples are rich in phytonutrients that function as antioxidants, supporting our heart. Rich in both insoluble fiber (like cellulose) and soluble fiber (like pectin), apples can help keep LDL cholesterol levels under control, and lower these levels if too high. Along with antioxidants and fiber, apples are abundant is flavonoids, preventing inflammation and blood clotting. They also help regulate blood pressure and overproduction of fat in the liver cells. 

Much of the fiber, antioxidant and flavonoid content is in the pulp. If drinking apple juice, choose the "cloudy" apple juice rather than the "clear" juice in order to get the benefits of the pulp. 

Protection Against Asthma and Lung Support: Flavonoids unique to apples (such as phloridzin) play an important role in supporting lung health. Several studies have significantly connected apples to lowering asthma risk. Interestingly enough, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (dated back to 6000 BC), the fall is a season in which the lungs and large intestine need to be nurtured _ the same season in which apples are grown!

Organics: Be aware that apples are listed among the top 12 fruits and vegetables highest in pesticides. To take full advantage of the antioxidants in apples, it's important to include the skins. Since the skins are exposed to the spraying of pesticides, organically-grown apples are highly recommended.

Recipe: Quick Apple Sunday

1 apple

1 Tbs almond butter

2 Tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs chopped almonds or granola

1 Tbs shredded coconut

In a small mixing bowl, blend the almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until it is smooth like caramel sauce.

Cut the apple into 1/4-inch pieces and place in a sundae serving bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the apples and top with the almonds/ granola and coconut. 

Balancing Diet With The Fall Season

In nature, fall is a time when everything begins to slow down, and the expansive energies of summer begin to contract inward and downward. Leaves fall, grasses dry, and the sap of the trees go into the roots. Similarly, we can often feel in our own lives that it is time to organize the scattered patterns of summer and create new rituals that will best support us through the slower winter months. Fall provides us with the process of cooling and slowing down. 

While nature may be slowing down, our schedules often don’t allow us to do the same. We must take extra care to be sure not to fall out of sync with the natural cycle around us.

All foods and flavors have different effects in the body. Some foods are warming while others cool the body’s thermal temperature. Here in New England, the vegetables that grow in the summer cool our bodies during the hot and humid season. In the fall the vegetables growing have a more warming, dense and stable effect. When we eat seasonal, local foods, we receive the energies that naturally balance out the seasonal shifts that occur within our bodies. 

The way we prepare our food plays a role in the effect it has on our body. Rather than keeping to the raw foods and grilling methods of summer cooking, which keep the cooling properties, fall and winter are about meals that are cooked on a lower heat for a longer period of time. This releases the more warming qualities of our food and provides a settling affect which in turn helps internalize one’s focus. 

Baked foods, sautéed foods, heartier foods, and root vegetables all contribute towards the thickening of the blood. If one lives in a cold climate, it is necessary that the blood gets thicker as the weather grows colder.

Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that we can use different flavors to synchronize the body’s energy with the seasons. During summer, pungent, spicy foods may have served a purpose as they provide an outwardly expansive energy; causing us to break into a sweat. Since fall is a process of contracting our energy inwards, we want to incorporate sour flavors as they have a similar effect. Sour foods include sauerkraut, olives, pickles, vinegar, leeks, adzuki beans, yogurt, lemons, limes, sour apples and sourdough bread. Extremely sour foods should be used in very small amounts as they have a strong effect.(*1)   As we move further into winter, the salty flavor will be of value for its contractive benefits. Wholesome salts are found in foods such as unrefined sea salt, seaweeds, barley, millet, soy sauce, miso, or pickles that are prepared in salt water.(*2)

*1 Caution: Minimize sour foods when feeling a “heavy mind or body” or constipation. 

*2 Caution: Minimize salt in conditions of over weight, edema, lethargy, or high blood pressure. 

The Pros of Protein

What is Protein?

Protein is found throughout the body. It is in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. It makes up the enzymes that power many chemical reactions important to our daily functioning.

Twenty or so basic building blocks, called amino acids, provide the raw material for all proteins. Because the body doesn't store amino acids, as it does fats or carbohydrates, it needs a daily supply to make new protein.

Can you get too much protein? 
A standard American diet usually adds up to excess protein consumption although not getting enough protein is quite common as well.
To digest protein, the body releases acids that need to be neutralized with calcium and other buffering agents. Eating lots of protein, such as the amounts recommended in low-carb or no-carb diets, takes lots of calcium. Some of this may be pulled from bone. Following an overly high-protein diet can weaken our bones over time.

Not all proteins are alike
Most animal sources of protein contain all the amino acids needed to build new proteins. Most vegetarian sources contain partial amounts of the various amino acids while lacking in others. If keeping to a vegan or vegetarian diet with no meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy, you need to incorporate a variety of whole grains, beans, vegetables and nuts to be sure you are getting all the necessary amino acids. One great example of a vegetarian sourced protein is quinoa. This grain contains all eight essential amino acids to make a complete protein.

Which type of protein is right for me? 
Different body types digest various proteins differently. Some bodies have a higher tolerance to the acidity of meat while others do better with fish or beans. Depending on your ancestry, blood type, age, lifestyle and temperament, you can understand what proteins work best for you at this stage of your life. An overheated type A personality with a hot temper should most likely avoid consuming red meat. An overly lethargic individual should probably consider lighter proteins as well. On the other hand a spacey individual who has a hard time completing projects and is easily susceptible to feeling cold, might benefit from the grounding, warming and assertive qualities that red meat has to offer.

Quality: Where is your protein coming from?
Concerns about the adverse health effect of red meat or butter began around the same time we started factory farming. Such products didn’t seem to impose much of a problem when cows roamed in the sun eating grass and we were actively working the fields. Health conditions began to develop as our lives became more sedentary and we began to eat the meat and dairy of animals which had been excessively crowded into small spaces and fed unnatural diets filled with antibiotics and hormones. Choose grass-fed and antibiotic-free beef, free range organic chickens and eggs, and organic dairy. The same is true with vegetarian protein sources. Conventional soy is a massively produced crop, normally genetically modified and heavily sprayed with chemicals.

Related Article: Soy Products and Their Controversy

Soy Products and Their Controversy

Soy can lower cholesterol, reduce menopausal side effects such as hot flashes, help prevent breast and prostate cancer, aid weight loss, and help ward off osteoporosis. Some of these benefits have been attributed to soy’s unique characteristic of high concentrations of isoflavones, a type of plant-made estrogen (phytoestrogen).

On the other hand most soy products are highly processed and many people have an undetected intolerance to soy. Soy is listed among the top five foods that Americans are most allergic to.

Soymilks and tofu can be great transitional foods for protein and dairy but I wouldn’t recommend using them on a regular basis for long periods of time. If you are substituting meat for soy based “meat-like” products, begin exploring with some of the products listed below. If you’ve been enjoying soymilk for quite a while, explore rice milk or almond milk as a new alternative.  Keep it rotating.

Since soy is the hardest to digest of all beans, it is helpful that it has been processed into more digestible products. Even so, these are highly processed foods. Soy products that have been minimally processed and naturally fermented for easier digestion include tempeh, natto, miso, or edamame.

 

Miso: Known for it ability to reduce toxins—including those from second-hand smoke—and act as an anti-carcinogen and digestive aid (hence, in Japanese culture, a small cup of miso soup before most meals). The darker the color, the more potent the medicinal value. Try brown rice, barley, or chickpea miso.

Natto: A potent digestive aid. Considered to aid in the regrowth of body tissue, it also helps to regulate blood sugar, contains no salt, and is an excellent source of protein. It has a sticky, viscous coating with a cheesy texture. In Asian countries, natto is traditionally served as a topping for rice, in miso soups or with vegetables.

Tempeh: An easily assimilated protein and energy-building food, it contains the important omega-3 fatty acids. This process also creates a natural antibiotic, which supports the immune system. With it’s smoky nutty flavor, tempeh can be marinated and grilled, baked, fried, added to soups, casseroles, stir-fry or chili.

Tofu: Supports the colon and the lung system, and is a cooling food for those who feel too hot or have high blood pressure. It is a great source of high-quality protein when consumed with whole grains, and also contains calcium, iron and potassium. Tofu easily absorbs the flavors of other ingredients with which it is cooked. Firm tofu is dense and solid and can be cubed and served in soups, stir-fried or grilled. It is higher in protein, fat and calcium than other forms of tofu. Soft tofu is good for recipes that call for blended tofu. Silken tofu is a creamy product and can be used as a replacement for sour cream in many dip recipes. 

Edamame: Young soybeans that can be eaten hot or cold, as a snack or appetizer, or added to any dish, salad or stir-fry. It is a quick and easy protein option since it takes only about 5 minutes to prepare—just boil, drain and drizzle with a touch of toasted sesame oil, or eat plain with a sprinkle of sea salt. Edamame is easy to digest and is exceptionally high in fiber, to help increase regularity.

Soy Protein Shakes and Power bars:

Shakes and bars made of soy-protein-isolates should be avoided. Many milks and tofu-based ice creams are from SPI (soy protein isolate). SPI is a cheap way for companies to add protein to energy bars to make them seem healthy. It is the left over byproduct of creating soy oil so instead of throwing it away, it gets added to processed foods to add protein. This process is done through a high temperature chemical process.

For protein shakes; use protein powder made of Hemp, Pea, or Brown Rice. All these are high protein powders that are minimally processed. For a boost, add a tablespoon of an all natural almond, peanut, sesame or sunflower butter into your shake. 

Getting Down To The Core

 The ‘Core’ is defined as a center or foundation. It is not without reason that we refer to our lower abdomen as our core. When we speak of strengthening our belly muscles, we refer to it as ‘core strengthening’. Our core is our center of gravity. Martial arts, dance, yoga, archery, weight lifting or wood chopping are all preformed better when coming from the core. However our core is not limited to just our physical center. The teachings of martial arts or yoga explain that our mental, emotional and spiritual centers reside in that same core location. The practices of meditation, theater, painting, or cooking, that are not necessarily related to motion, all teach that centering around the core is an indispensable key to achieve mastery. In Eastern cultures the core is referred to as ‘the sea of Qi’ (Chi), your vital life force. Centering awareness and breathing into the abdomen is a practice that opens our perceptions. 

Most of us go through our days forgetting our core. We rush around breathing shallowly into our upper chest. No longer using the muscles around the diaphragm at their fullest potential, we grow stiff and harden through the mid section of our chest, bellow the breast. This muscular congestion develops into a chronic block of breath flow, life force, through our bodies.

With the breath stuck in the upper chest, we continuously trigger our nervous system into fight or flight response. A shallow breath is like a continuous gasping; it is designed to stimulate our nervous system into a state of emergency. This is our body’s natural way of receiving quick spurts of oxygen in times of danger; in case we need to run or fight a predator. If we get caught in this survival mode type breathing, we may experience symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, chronic fatigue or any other stress related disorder. 

On an energetic level, we have blocked access to our intuition that resides in our gut (our gut feeling.) We rely solely on the brain to figure things out, keeping all our energy up in the chest and head and therefor creating tension in the neck and shoulders.

Meanwhile the lower abdomen isn’t getting much attention. It grows stagnant. A common symptom of stagnation in the abdomen is weight gain around the midsection. Often, this is a symptom of too much cortisol, a stress hormone, rather than just caloric intake. Our digestive system is weakened due to the high level of stress that the body is experiencing and digestive disorders may occur.

Core Breathing Exercise:

Pay attention while sitting in your computer chair or driver’s seat to see if you are caving into your mid section and belly. How many hours a day do you spend folded in this manner?

1) Sit up tall and focus on breathing into the belly. Be sure not to push the breath in forcefully but rather calmly invite it in.
2) Once you grow comfortable with the flow of breath in the belly, deepen the breath so that it begins from the lower abdomen and expands upward until it fills the chest as well. As you do so, concentrate on slowing down the pace of the breath and prolong each inhale and exhale.
3) Begin to explore the feeling of breath in the back of the body. If this is difficult to do, lean back into a chair and notice the different parts of your back pressing into the chair as you inhale and exhale.

If you are having a hard time feeling one of the stages, stay there for as long as you need. You may just be practicing the first part for a few weeks. Each attempt to deepen the breath wakens the nerve endings and softens the muscle tissue. The more you practice, the easier it becomes. Make it a habit to set a timer each day and spend at least 2 minutes practicing. You can do this while sitting at your desk. Before reaching for coffee or sugar to keep you going, try these exercises when you begin to feel your energy drop.

Summer Recipes

Summer is the peak of the season for northeastern fruit such as peaches,cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and melons. Many of our favorite vegetables, such as tomatoes and sweet corn are best when picked at thepeak of ripeness and eaten while still very fresh. This is a great time of year to visit the farmers markets.

Enjoy seasonal fruit for breakfast or a snack.
Make a salad of fresh local tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, and onions.
Grill fresh sweet corn in the husk with your summertime barbecues. If the corn is very fresh, it needs very little cooking and can even be eaten raw.
Grill vegetable kebobs with onions, peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, and eggplant.

Cold Soba Noodle Salad

8 ounces soba (buckwheat) noodles
6 cups water
1 bunch sunflower sprouts or pea shoots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red radishes
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped cucumber

Dressing:
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2-inch piece grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Put soba noodles into a pot of 6 cups boiling water and cook until tender, no more than 8 minutes. Rinse with cold water when finished cooking.
Mix all vegetables and noodles in a large bowl.
Combine ingredients for dressing in a separate bowl, then pour dressing over noodles and mix well.


Summer Barley Salad

1 cup barley
2 ¼ cups water
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 bunches arugula
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 carrot, chopped
½ bunch scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons

Place barley, water and salt in a pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
Wash arugula and chop into small pieces.
Place sunflower seeds on a cookie sheet and toast for 5 minutes in a 350-degree oven, being careful not to burn them.
When the barley is cooked, let it cool and then transfer to a large mixing bowl, mixing it with all ingredients. Add salt and pepper if desired.


Late Summer Corn Salad

4 ears of corn
½ small red onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ bunch cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Boil corn in a large pot for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pot and cool by running under cold water. Cut kernels from the cobs and place in a large mixing bowl.
Mix with all other ingredients.

Are You Living On The Edge?

Modern nutrition does not lend much attention to how diet influences our emotional being. While we may recognize how an emotional state can lead to certain eating habits, we haven’t paid much attention to how the foods themselves can create certain emotions or stress.

Food contains more than just vitamin A, B, or C. Just as our bodies pulsate with energy, food contains energy as well. As the two energies mix, our food can have either an expansive effect in our body or a contractive one.

When we consume sugar, caffeine, alcohol or drugs we feel “lighter”, hence more expansive. If we eat meat, eggs, salt, or hard cheeses, the feeling can be more grounded. This is a more contracted energy.Too much contracted food can make us feel heavy and lethargic. Too much salt can make us feel tight. Too much alcohol or ice cream can leave us with a headache. Expansive has a more upward moving energy while contractive has a more downward one.

If an individual’s diet consists mostly of contractive foods, heavy in animal protein and cheeses, his or her diet can be too extreme on the contractive side. Since the body is always looking for balance, we may experience cravings for something expansive like sugar or alcohol to balance us out. A craving for a sweet dessert after a meal is not uncommon. Have you ever had an experience that you were so full and heavy but when dessert showed up, you were suddenly ready to eat more?

Cravings are not a bad thing as many of us seem to perceive them. They are the body’s natural search for balance. Not to say that the dessert is going to balance you out. It will most likely cause havoc, cancelling the digestion of your meal, leaving it to ferment undigested in the stomach. Even so, since the body is in search of finding center, the thought of something more uplifting when feeling full can sound appealing.

Each craving holds a clue to help us find balance. In this case, the desert craving may be a clue that the overall diet needs to consist of less contractive foods.

Lifestyle as well as diet can cause cravings for expansive foods. When we feel stressed, our body will contract and muscles will tighten. This tightness is a state of contractiveness. If we feel contracted in life, we will crave expansiveness for balance.

At times of stress we may be reaching for a candy bar or a cup of coffee to keep going. We may crave a cold beer or ice cream at the end of a stressful day. If this is the case, your body is signaling it needs more expansive experiences throughout the day. Implementing some simple stress reducing techniques, can help eliminate the craving.

Can a person also be too expansive? Absolutely! If you are only eating fat-free, substituting breakfast with a cup of coffee, minimizing caloric intake, (while often binging on sweets), you are too extremely expansive. In this case, more grounding energy is needed. Often you can overcome the sweet tooth by adding more grounding foods such as healthy fats and a proper breakfast.

Our diet is woven into the fabric of our lifestyle with respect to our physical, biological, emotional and spiritual aspects.

Use your body’s feedback to understand how to change your diet:If you feel tight, tense, or too rigid, reduce the amount of contractive foods. If you feel too spacey or scattered, increase your contractive foods and diminish the expansive ones.

Are You For Real?.... Discovering Superfoods!

Choosing a healthy diet means choosing a natural diet. Natural foods come in various forms: raw, cooked, fermented, or dried. Foods stop being natural when processed with chemicals or preservatives. Some foods which may look natural are not if they have been raised or grown with hormones or through genetic engineering.

We fill our shopping carts with substitutes for real food. We grab animal byproducts like cold cuts, hot dogs and processed cheeses. We’ve been told that soy sausage or fake bacon are “health foods” when in fact they are highly processed products made from soy byproducts.
Health food is real food as nature created it. Our focus on healthy eating is usually limited to the type of food we are eating. We commonly overlook the importance of the quality of food. If we cease to pump our animals with antibiotics and hormones and stop processing the food with nitrates and preservatives, there would be no need to substitute it with other highly processed “healthier choices” like a soy burger. You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created it.

If you do eat these types of food, eat them in moderation and choose real meat products from real, grass-fed, naturally raised animals, free of all chemicals and preservatives. Furthermore, be sure to balance your diet with plenty of vegetables, especially the green leafy ones.

Superfoods:
If we only ate grains, fruit and vegetables from soil rich in natural nutrients, and meat from animals fed natural food, we would maintain a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals.
But let’s be honest; that’s not easy to do even if we planted and raised everything ourselves.

Super-foods are naturally nutrient dense. Unlike many dietary supplements, super-foods contain many nutrients that support each other and prevent the kind of imbalances that often occur when taking only vitamins.

Here are some of the major super-foods:

1. Goji Berries: Goji berries are a complete protein filled with antioxidants and trace minerals. These berries can improve eyesight and boost production of growth hormones. Add to your trail mix or top off a breakfast cereal with it.

2. Raw Chocolate (aka cacao): Contains more antioxidants than red wine, blueberries, acai and goji berries combined. Full of magnesium to help the body stay alkaline, an amazing source of iron, and it contains tryptophan, a mood-enhancing nutrient. Keep in mind that raw cacao - raw chocolate that has not been cooked (as opposed to most chocolate bars) - retains more nutrients. You can find raw cacao as powder, nibs, or whole beans.

3. Maca Root: Enhances libido, rich in calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, selenium, and silicon (for bone strength). It supports the endrocine system and thyroid in accurate hormone production. Maca is great for rebuilding the adrenal gland, which is our body’s center for handling stress. It counteracts the damage caffeine causes to our adrenals.

4. Bee Pollen: Contains all twenty-two essential amino acids, increases endurance, improves muscle growth and definition, and is packed with B vitamins to bolster against stress.
* it is important to start with a small amount of bee pollen (1/4 tsp) to ensure that you are not allergic to it (signs of allergy include light swelling as well as moderate difficulty in breathing).

5. Spirulina: Contains 65% protein, supplements B12, builds the blood with its high chlorophyll content, and is full of beta-carotene.
*This algae is cooling and wet: if you are prone to feeling cold avoid using large amounts

6. Hemp Seed: contains all essential amino acids, has brain-building and liver-supporting lecithin, is rich in vitamin E, and contains essential fatty acids to protect the skin from sun exposure.


Workout Shake (1-2 servings)
Put away your soy protein shakes and start making your shakes with hemp powder. Enjoy the flax and hemp for their essential fatty acids, the banana for potassium, the spirulina for cellular regeneration.

2 Tbs hemp seed protein powder
1 tsp maca root powder
1 tsp spirulina (or less when first getting used to the taste)
2 Tbs flax
2 Tbs raw cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bee pollen
1 banana
Handful of almonds
1 cup of water
optional- natural sweetener of choice- maple/ raw honey/ agave (I don't find I need more sweetness. If using raw honey, omit the bee pollen from the recipe)

Mix all the ingredients in blender until smooth.