Displaying items by tag: natures rhythm

It makes sense. As many of us spend more time at home, some of us staring at lawns whose only nutritional value is in the odd dandelion, and some of us just wanting to be more self-reliant, more and more people are feeling the urge to grow something edible. And it’s true that growing food can make us more self-sufficient and give us a feeling of control in a world in which so much is out of our control.

But growing food also gives us this triple whammy:

1. People who grow more vegetables tend to eat more vegetables;
2. People who eat more vegetables tend to be healthier; and
3. Healthy people are far less likely to get seriously sick with COVID-19.

The truth is, growing nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables is one of the best health insurance policies you can take out.

Turning Lawns into Food Gardens

As a society, it’s not like we don’t have the land. Lawns are the single largest irrigated crop in the US, covering nearly 32 million acres. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables grow on only about 10 million acres in the United States. This means the space that American lawns occupy could provide enough land to literally quadruple the amount of fruits and vegetables grown in the country!

Home gardening is a rapidly growing movement. Heirloom seed companies like Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange are already overwhelmed with orders and have resorted to rationing on their websites. Nurseries and garden centers nationwide report booming sales of vegetable and herb seeds and plants. And Google Keyword Trends shows the newfound popularity for searches such as “growing food,” “vegetable gardens,” and “victory gardens.”

Wait, “victory garden”? What the heck is that?

The Origins of the “Victory Garden” Movement

The first Victory Garden movement began during World War I. With millions of Americans fighting overseas, the US government diverted commercial crops to the European theater and redirected transportation towards moving troops and munitions instead of food. Ordinary citizens stepped into the breach and started a food garden wherever they could: rooftops, fire escapes, empty lots, schools, and backyards. The efforts of ordinary “stay-at-home” Americans saved entire European populations from starvation and disease.

These “war gardens” or “victory gardens” persisted following the war’s end during the social distancing that accompanied the global 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Americans, Canadians, British, and Australians kept their gardens growing right through the Great Depression and World War II. At one point, 20 million backyard, school, and community victory gardens provided more than 40% of the vegetables eaten in the United States.

The World War II revival of victory gardens, while expressing solidarity, sacrifice, and patriotism, was tinged with an overlay of racism as Americans gardened to replace the lost labor of the many Japanese farm workers who were forced into internment camps. But let’s remember that at its roots, and for decades of hardship, the concept of a victory garden was birthed to help feed a nation and then help it survive a pandemic.

The Current Threats to Our Food Supply

Many people are experiencing disruptions in our food supply chain now, seeing empty grocery store shelves, waiting in long lines to buy staples, and hearing daily stories of food hoarding. Those of us used to next-day Amazon delivery are now waiting weeks or even months for food deliveries — if they ever come. Food banks and pantries for the poor are experiencing long lines, and in some cases, have had to resort to rationing. So what’s causing these problems?

For one thing, a large segment of the food industry caters to institutions that have largely shut down for the time being: restaurants, schools, hotels and conference centers, stadiums, theme parks, airports, and cruise ships. Manufacturers can’t just repackage industrial-sized bags of rice and flour into consumer sizes overnight. And tragic amounts of fresh produce are rotting in fields and orchards because the system isn’t set up to transport fruits and vegetables to hungry consumers. Meat and dairy are particularly affected, partly because it’s harder to transport animal-based foods safely and partly because the slaughterhouses, dairies, and processing plants are, themselves, hotbeds of COVID-19. (Editorial aside: Now could be a great time to go plant-based, if you haven’t already made the leap.)

Border closures, grounded airlines, closed ports, and restrictions on movement have also made it harder to continue food production and transport goods internationally. And since much of the food sold in the US today originates from overseas, supply chain breakdowns create the potential for shortages of critical ingredients or components.

Political issues are exacerbating the crisis, too. As more front-line workers in the fast food and grocery industries are hospitalized with or die of the virus, others are going on strike and engaging in protests against the apparent disregard for human life shown by the policies of Walmart, Amazon, and other large retailers that remain in operation.

Given all these present threats, which have arisen on top of a food system that was already fragile due to unsustainable farming practices and rampant inequities (food service and agricultural workers weren’t exactly being treated like royalty, to begin with), it’s no wonder home gardening is making more and more sense.

10 Reasons to Start a Food Garden Today

Even if you aren’t struggling to get enough food to feed your family, there are still a bunch of good reasons to start a food garden.

1. Self-reliance

The industrial agriculture system that provides most of our food is inherently unstable. In a few generations, we’ve depleted some of the richest topsoil deposits in the world. And we’ve resorted to using synthetic fertilizers and increasingly toxic pesticides and herbicides to maintain productivity. There’s no way this industrialized and chemical-dependent method of farming can continue to feed us long-term. By starting to grow your own food, you begin to assert control over your family’s food supply.

2. Sense of Purpose

I’ve seen a lot of “humorous” memes to the effect that the most patriotic thing we can do these days is stay home and binge-watch Netflix. While it’s true that social distancing saves lives, there are many things we can do that can make the world a better place. For one, we can plant and tend a garden to feed ourselves. If you’re not in the long line outside the supermarket, then the line is that much shorter for everyone else. Today’s food garden takes some of the pressure off an already teetering food system. And if that’s not patriotic, I don’t know what is.

3. Learn a New Skill

Gardening is a skill set — one that’s fun to learn and invaluable once you’ve gotten the hang of it. And I would argue that the ability to grow your own food is as fundamental to survival and well-being as reading, writing, and computer literacy.

4. Cleaner, Safer Food

Unless you’re buying only locally-grown, organic fruits and veggies, the produce that you get from the supermarket is often laden with pesticides, herbicides, and protective wax coverings. When you grow your own, you’re in charge of quality control. Growing a small food garden allows you to pick pests off by hand or use non-toxic pest management options. Therefore, you don’t need to rely on toxic sprays and powders to keep critters off your cauliflower. And since most “fresh” produce that you can find in the supermarket was harvested a week or two before you can buy it, the food that you grow yourself will be much fresher, with a higher nutrient profile.

5. Get More Fruits and Veggies in Your Diet

I’ve never seen a seed catalog selling Pop-Tart bushes and Snickers trees. Your food garden will naturally contain the healthiest foods on the planet: fruits, veggies, legumes, and roots. And what you grow, you’ll eat. Even picky eaters won’t be able to resist a ripe heirloom tomato or just-picked kale and cucumber salad that they harvested themselves.

About that delicious, funny-looking heirloom tomato: You will have a hard time finding that variety in your big supermarket. Most produce varieties aren’t bred for taste or nutrition. Instead, they were developed to withstand transcontinental shipping in 18-wheel freightliners. When you start a food garden, you have the opportunity to buy varieties that taste much better and are far more nutritious than the standard ones you’re used to. The only downside is that you have to eat them within a day or two of picking, which is not really a downside at all!

Global Public Service Announcement: If you’re doing OK financially, and looking for a worthwhile project to support, check out veganic gardener Will Bonsall’s Scatterseed Project. Will has been saving rare and heirloom seeds for over 40 years. And his collection contains the only known examples of certain varieties that may thrive under the pressure of climate change. As Will says, “Genetic diversity is the hedge between us and global famine.” The documentary Seed: The Untold Story features his work. Watch this segment of the film, and consider supporting Scatterseed to ensure that these infinitely valuable seeds survive. 

6. Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease

The science is abundantly clear that the more whole plant foods you consume, the lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. This is a compelling reason to add more fruits and veggies to your diet at any time. But it’s even more urgent an argument during the coronavirus pandemic. Studies out of New York are showing the link between chronic disease and COVID-19 mortality. Eighty-nine percent of those who died from the virus had pre-existing chronic conditions. And obese people were twice as likely to die as those of normal weight. This is the perfect time to clean up your diet, reducing your intake of processed and animal-based foods, and upping your consumption of life-giving plants.

7. Reduce Your Grocery Bill

Like any new hobby, you can start gardening frugally, or you can buy every labor-saving device on the market. If you begin with just a few packets of seeds and a couple of bags of potting soil, you’ll recoup your investment through a reduced grocery bill within a few months. If you’re converting a lawn into a garden, you may not even need new soil. And if you haven’t been spraying herbicides on your grass, you may have nutrient-rich soil ready for your first round of crops without adding any amendments. An added bonus is if you can compost your kitchen scraps, saving money on fertilizer by creating a nutrient cycle from garden to kitchen, back to garden.

8. Avoid Virus-Contaminated Food

Many of us pick up a piece of fruit at the supermarket, feel it for freshness, and then put it back down if we aren’t satisfied. If you assume that we haven’t broken that habit completely, then it’s likely that some of the produce on our supermarket shelves could already be contaminated with SARS-CoV-2, and possibly other pathogens as well. Sure, you can take it home and wash it well, but think of all the surfaces it can touch, as well as where your hands will go before you can disinfect everything. The produce you grow in your garden will contain only the pathogens that you bring to them.

9. Get Outside

If you have a piece of land — even a small yard — then gardening gives you a reason to spend time outside. Even as we try to stay safe through social distancing, we also need sunshine, exercise, and fresh air to be well, physically and mentally. There are also significant health benefits to being in contact with soil. Getting dirty supports our immune system, and many of the compounds in soil can improve our mood and cognitive functioning. Some researchers have gone so far as to call the soil microbiome a “human antidepressant.”

10. Grow It Forward

In addition to growing a bounty of beautiful vegetables for yourself, consider sowing a few extra seeds to support your local food shelf. Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) is sponsored by GardenComm to help connect local growers with agencies that serve the food insecure. No PAR committee in your community? No problem. Grow those plants, and then reach out to your local food pantry or soup kitchen to make plans to share from your harvest. If you grow an overabundance of anything, there’s no need for it to go to waste (or turn into compost) when it could feed hungry people instead.

How to Start Your Food Garden

If you’ve never gardened before, the most important thing is to avoid overwhelm. There are many guides out there to help you get started with minimal investment, effort, and confusion.

1. Use a Planting Calendar

First, check a planting calendar for information on what grows where you live. The United States Department of Agriculture has a Hardiness Zone Map that will tell you what “zone” you live in. The zones differ by first and last frost date, average high and low temperatures, and hours of sunlight, among other criteria. Once you know your zone, you can check seed packets for information about when to plant and harvest in that zone. You can also Google “[Your state or city] planting guide” or planting schedule. You’ll find excellent information from seed companies, local agriculture extension offices, and universities that will tell you what grows well in your region and how to plant, nourish, and harvest those crops.

2. Do Your Research

Next, read up on edible gardening for rural, suburban, or urban environments (depending on where you are). Some good books include The Urban Micro-Farm, Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist, and Edible Landscaping.

Once you’ve done a bit of research, talk with your family members about what foods they’d like to grow and eat. You’ll get a lot more help and enthusiasm when you gear the garden to their goals and desires. Once you’ve got a plan, it’s time to decide how you’re going to garden prior to ordering seeds or seedlings, gardening supplies, and potting soil.

3. Prepare Your Garden

The most straightforward method is to remove grass with a hoe, rototiller, or (for much bigger areas) a small tractor. And then, work the underlying soil for tilth and nutrients, and start planting directly into the ground. You might also want to conduct a couple of simple soil tests for pH and nutrient content. Gardening stores sell test kits for a few dollars. And local agriculture extensions and county agencies often allow local farmers and gardeners to bring in soil samples for free testing (Although check with them first since social distancing may have shut down this service in your area). Once you’ve tested, you can determine what (if anything) you might need to add to your soil and what plants are most likely to thrive in your conditions

Container Gardening

If you don’t have a yard suitable for cultivation, the easiest way to get started is with containers. You can use pretty much anything: large flower pots, milk crates lined with burlap, wicker baskets, and non-toxic grow bags can all serve. You’ll need drainage, so you’ll have to poke or drill holes in the buckets and plastic containers.

Containers are actually ideal in that you have total control over the soil. And you can position them for maximum sun and protection from wind. If they’re small enough, you can even move them around. Plants that thrive in containers include tomatoes, herbs, salad greens, beans, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, and dark leafy greens.

If you have no outdoor space, you can garden indoors with containers. All you need is a decent light source. Garden centers will sell you specialized grow lights, often on timers, but they can be pricey. You might do almost as well with LED or fluorescent shop lights from a home improvement store. Wire shelving makes a great place to grow plants with the shop light attached to the shelf above. And if you have good outdoor lighting from windows, then you can let your plants photosynthesize the natural way — from the sun.

Straw Bale Gardening

If you have more space, but no good soil, consider straw bale gardening. You can turn a bale of straw (not hay, which contains seeds that will compete with your plantings) into a growth medium by watering the bale for 10 days or so, topping with potting soil and planting seeds right in the soil. As the straw breaks down, its nutrients become available for the growing plants.

The Sheet-Mulch Method

If you have a lawn that you’d like to convert quickly to vegetable production, consider the sheet-mulch method. This consists of putting down cardboard or some other organic material to block the growth of grass. And then, adding layers of mulch, compost, and topsoil on top of the former lawn. This works much better with established seedlings than sowing seeds directly into the mulch, so you’ll have to buy seedlings or start them indoors in trays.

Raised Bed Gardening

Another option is to create raised beds and fill them with high-quality growth medium. You can build the beds out of wood, or order raised bed kits online and put them together yourself. These tend to be more expensive since you’ll need to purchase enough soil and amendment to fill them to a depth of at least one to two feet, but you’ll be able to plant in them right away. Also, if your lawn contains pesticides, herbicides, and toxic building materials, raised beds can give your veggies a “fresh start” with clean, imported soil.

Greenhouses

If you’re fortunate enough to have space for a greenhouse, you can garden pretty much year-round. You can add weeks to the start of the growing season by starting seedlings in the greenhouse well before you can plant them outdoors. And you can grow fall crops like lettuce and kale in the greenhouse even in cold, snowy winters.

Whatever route you take, try to reach out to local gardeners, who will be able to balance your book knowledge with practical experience growing in your area. And don’t forget the University of YouTube as a great “how-to” resource for developing your green thumbs!

Thanks Ocean Robbins - The Food Revolution May 2020

Witnessing this beauty generates love 

Be pure love

If you need some guidance in managing your stress levels during this time of transition, I am seeing clients in my studio for private consultations, now we are in level two.

Message, phone or email if you would like to know more.

In love & light Leonie

Tapping and Your Beliefs

One thing I didn’t know about then but am a huge fan of now is Tapping. I would rather use a technique that helps me to heal on all levels before agreeing to prescription drugs or medical or surgical treatments.  That’s why I like Tapping and encourage you to try it for just about everything

Tapping, or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is a scientifically proven and very practical way to decrease stress hormones in your body. Studies show that people who use Tapping recover very quickly from whatever ails them, often in just a few sessions.

Whether you use it to reduce physical symptoms or for changing limiting beliefs, Tapping has the effect of releasing the emotional memories associated with your symptoms or beliefs. This happens when you acknowledge your symptom or a traumatic event while accepting yourself completely and tapping your fingertips on a series of acupuncture points on your face and body. Tapping these points sends a calming signal to your brain reducing the stress response. When stress hormone levels are decreased, you have much more access to the part of yourself known as the “Wise Mind,” the part that can guide you to the right answers and allow you to heal.

How Tapping Works

There are 12 major energy meridians in your body that have been used in traditional acupuncture for more than 5,000 years.  When the healthy flow of energy becomes blocked in your meridians, it also becomes blocked in your physical body. Tapping uses these acupressure points, but instead of using needles, you use your fingertips to tap the energy points on your body. 

When you tap on the energy points linked to a specific organ or system, you input energy directly into that meridian. Tapping, while using a positive statement — such as, “I have everything I need within me to create the financial abundance I desire” — works to clear your meridians and any emotional blocks from your body’s bioenergy system, bringing it back into balance.

Tap Away Beliefs That Keep You Tied To Energy Vampires

No matter what the dilemma is in your life – whether illness, grief, pain, financial distress, excess weight, bad relationships – or if you just want to be more effective in stating and implementing your goals – Tapping really can help.

The reason Tapping works is because you are shifting and then releasing energy patterns that no longer serve you.  So, if you have what I call an Energy Vampire (or narcissist) in your life, Tapping can work to help you rid yourself of the beliefs that keep you stuck in your relationship and that can haunt you even after you have released an Energy Vampire from your life.

The beliefs and feelings that keep you in relationships with Energy Vampires include: 

1. Feeling responsible for other people’s feelings.  Most of us know that our feelings are our responsibility; others’ feelings are their responsibility.  However, empaths often find themselves taking on the feelings of others.  
2. Thinking it’s your job to fix someone.  You feel you must rescue the other person and help them fit into an image of the way you believe things “should be.”  
3. Having intense feelings of shame.  Typically, people who have narcissistic parents feel shame on a deep level and believe that they must serve their parents or suffer the consequences, including emotional and physical abuse.
4. Needing to be perfect.  Having a narcissistic or mentally ill sibling or parent can leave you feeling like everything is your fault.  It’s common to beat yourself by working too hard, restricting food, or trying to be perfect in other ways and always feeling like you fall short.
5. Blaming yourself for your good fortune.  Empaths who are involved with narcissists often think that blaming themselves and feeling guilty protects them somehow from the narcissist’s moods and bad behavior.
6. Feeling you are not good enough.  Many empaths involved with narcissists feel that they are “not good enough” and that they have to earn love.  

If you have any of these feelings or emotional patterns, you are a target for Energy Vampires.  The good news is that Tapping on whatever you’re feeling helps to release those feelings and free yourself from the emotional patterns that keep you stuck in relationships with Energy Vampires.  For example, you can use the phrase “Even though I feel that I am not good enough, I love and respect myself.”  Or, “Even though I punish myself by trying to be perfect, I love and respect myself.”  

For more powerful & illuminating insights from Dr Christiane Northrup, check out her interview with Jessica Ortner on "Dodging energy vampires: An empath's guide to evading relationships that drain you & restoring your health & power". This interview is through facebook, tap on the link below to listen to the interview or google if this doesn't work for you :)

https://www.facebook.com/followingJessicaOrtner/videos/vb.266434333195/10155621955403196/?type=2&theater

Article by Dr Christiane Northrup MD

When you were a child you were probably told that going in the ocean would help heal your cuts and scrapes faster. Or, perhaps your mother had you gargle with warm salt water to soothe a sore throat. (Today, many holistic dentists continue to recommend salt water rinses to heal inflamed gum tissues and mouth sores). Yet, there is a huge debate as to whether salt is good for the rest of your body. For example, many people are told that they need to watch their sodium intake or they risk having https://www.drnorthrup.com/new-blood-pressure-guidelines-what-do-they-mean/“>high blood pressure. In fact, sodium has long been the villain when it comes to hypertension and heart disease and stroke.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns Americans to consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, less than your kidneys can filter in five minutes! If you use the My Fitness Pal app, you’ll notice that it warns you if you come within 1,000 mg of the limit. Other health organizations recommend even less than 2,300 mg.

But, sodium is an essential nutrient that your body depends on. And like any essential nutrient, getting the right amount is important for maintaining good health.

Why You’re Confused About Salt

There are a few pieces to the salt puzzle that keep people confused. One part of the confusion when it comes to dietary salt is that many people—doctors included—use the words “salt” and “sodium” interchangeably. However, they are not the same. Sodium is a mineral found in salt. Salt is a naturally-occurring compound comprised of sodium and chloride. Then there is table salt, which is created from natural salt but then is refined through a process of heating it to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which destroys most of its beneficial compounds. To use the words sodium and salt interchangeably is not accurate. But, to confuse table salt with natural salt is where you get into real problems, as with any refined foods.

Another area of confusion is the theory behind why salt is bad for you. The theory stating that sodium (and therefore salt) causes high blood pressure stems from the myth that when you eat salt, you get thirsty and drink more water. Your body holds onto the extra water in order to dilute the saltiness in your blood. This results in increased blood volume, which the theory suggests leads to high blood pressure. Therefore, the theory states, a low-sodium diet reduces blood pressure.

However, this theory has never been scientifically supported. In fact, some studies show that salt actually helps your body conserve water and makes you less thirsty. Additional studies show that the connection between salt and high blood pressure is more complicated or even non-existent. The Framingham Offspring Study—an offshoot of the Framingham Heart Study—found that participants who ate a low sodium diet (under 2,500 milligrams of sodium per day) had higher blood pressure than those who consumed higher quantities. And, more recent studies show that there is really no link between salt intake, high blood pressure, and risk of heart disease.

Why You Need Salt

Despite the fact that you will probably continue to hear messages that sodium is bad for you, your body cannot function without enough sodium, and the best way to get enough sodium is through dietary salt.

There are many studies that show the adverse effects of too little salt. Some of these adverse effects include insulin resistance and an increased risk of death from heart failure in patients with heart failure, plus an increased risk of death for both type 1 diabetics and type 2 diabetics. Low-sodium or low-salt diets are also associated with elevated LDL cholesterol and tryglicerides and low blood pressure (hyponatremia), which can be particularly concerning for certain populations such as athletes and the elderly.

And these effects aren’t just the result of purposeful salt restriction. Low-carbohydrate diets, such as Paleo and Keto, and certain medications can cause sodium loss. And even if you don’t eat a low-carb diet, if you don’t have a healthy microbiome, you may not be absorbing enough sodium from your diet.

Symptoms of sodium deficiency from salt restriction or poor salt absorption include dehydration, muscle cramps, headaches, weakness, irritability, and even cognitive decline. In addition, when you restrict salt, your body eventually will start to increase insulin to help your kidneys retain more sodium. Over time this can lead to chronically high insulin levels, a craving for sugar and refined carbohydrates, and a cycle of weight gain, insulin resistance, and even diabetes.

By contrast, adequate salt intake can help you to stay hydrated, prevent muscle cramps, support a healthy nervous system and a healthy metabolism, and even help you sleep better. And, while a diet too low in salt may reduce libido in both sexes, increase erectile dysfunction in men, and reduce a woman’s likelihood of getting pregnant, adequate salt intake may support reproduction.

How Much Salt Do You Need?

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the minimum physiological requirement of sodium simply to sustain life is 500 mg per day. However, in The Salt Fix, author James DiNicolantonio, Pharm. D., a cardiovascular research scientist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in St. Louis, says scientists have found that when people’s consumption of sodium is unrestricted, they typically consume between 3,000 to 4,000 milligrams per day. This amount holds true for people across all populations, in all hemispheres and climates, and across a range of cultures and social backgrounds. In other words, all humans gravitate toward the same sodium intake range every day. That’s because this amount of sodium intake is optimal and is driven by the hypothalamus, the part of the reptilian brain that keeps your body in homeostasis.

That said, whether you need to increase your healthy salt intake depends on many factors, including your diet and lifestyle. For example, if you eat a whole food diet, you may benefit from adding more healthy salt to your diet because unprocessed, all-natural foods are low in sodium. In addition, athletes, people who sweat a lot, people who take diuretics and other medications that cause sodium loss, and people recovering from adrenal fatigue can benefit from added natural salt.

However, sodium is present in high amounts in processed foods where it is often used as a preservative or a flavor enhancer—think monosodium glutamate (MSG) and “natural flavorings.” And even foods that don’t taste salty can have high amounts of sodium, including breakfast cereals and bread. So, if you eat a lot of refined foods (which I don’t recommend), you are probably already getting more than 4,000 mg of sodium per day.

The Best Natural Salts and How to Use Them

Adding natural salt to your diet is one of the easiest ways to ensure that you get enough sodium and other essential minerals, especially if you are active. The most common natural salts are sea salt, Himalayan salt, and Celtic salt. Each has a unique flavor and mineral composition. For example, sea salt often contains high levels of trace minerals, including potassium, iron, and zinc. It also contains small amounts of natural iodine. Himalayan salt comes from the ancient sea beds of the Himalayan mountains. It is rich in iron, which gives it a pink color, as well as 83 other essential trace elements, including magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Celtic salt is hand-raked in Brittany, France, and is gray due to the clay and sand where it is harvested. It is a moist salt that is rich in many minerals.

Other natural salts include black and red salt from Hawaii, and Fleur de Sel, a solar-evaporated sea salt typically used as a finishing salt. There are many more natural salts that you can experiment with, including exotic salts such as Vietnamese pearl sea salt. I encourage you to try many and use them in different ways.

Here are 7 rules of thumb if you plan to incorporate more salt into your diet:

Determine if you need more salt. If you eat primarily whole foods or are on a low-carb diet, such as Paleo or Keto, you may want to add natural salt to your diet. In addition, if you sweat regularly or a lot, you will probably want to try adding more salt. Finally, if you suffer muscle cramps, have trouble sleeping, or crave salty foods, these are signs that you need more salt. (Muscle cramps also indicate the need for more magnesium.)

Salt your food. If you want to try increasing your salt intake, start by adding a little to your food. It’s a great way to improve flavor and increase essential minerals. Salt also helps to improve your digestive process by activating amylase (an enzyme that allows you to taste your food), creating hydrochloric acid to support your stomach wall, and stimulating intestinal and liver secretions to help break down food and aid digestion. Plus, salt adds a satiety factor, so it may encourage more mindful eating and even help with weight management.

Drink sole water. We are often told to drink lots of water in order to stay hydrated and to flush out toxins. However, drinking too much water can cause your body to flush out minerals and electrolytes. It can also lower your metabolism. But, when natural salt and water are combined, the positive ions in salt surround the negative ions in water and vice versa. This creates a new structure, called sole, that is more absorbable. To make sole water start, by adding about 1 cup of natural salt to a jar and fill the rest with filtered water. Cover the jar with a non-metal lid and let it sit overnight. If all the salt is dissolved in the morning, add a little more until the salt no longer dissolves. (This is how you know you’ve reached saturation). Take 1 teaspoon first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Start slowly and work up to taking 1-3 teaspoons throughout the day as you feel necessary.

Track your salt intake. If you want to track your salt intake to determine what level is optimal for you, try using an app such as My Fitness Pal. Track your intake when you enter your foods and then take notes regarding how you feel, your energy level, your sleep quality, and more. After a few weeks, you’ll notice what amount of salt you need to feel good.

Monitor your blood pressure. If you have been told to restrict sodium due to high blood pressure, be sure to track your blood pressure at home while increasing your salt intake. You can buy a good quality blood pressure cuff online or at a medical supply store. Be sure to speak with your health care provider before changing your diet or using any supplements, and have your blood pressure checked during your visits.

Eat foods rich in potassium. It’s important to maintain the correct balance of electrolytes in order for your body to work optimally. The electrolytes that most commonly can become unbalanced include potassium, sodium, and calcium. To offset any potential imbalance while increasing salt, be sure to eat foods rich in potassium, including bananas, spinach, sweet potatoes, edamame, cantaloupe, and lentils.

Listen to your body. As with any new protocol, the best way to proceed is to listen to your body. Start by allowing your salt cravings to dictate how much salt you consume and in what form, then be sure to track how you feel.

Have you tried adding healthy, natural salt to your diet? What were the results?

Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Christiane Northrup, MD, is a visionary pioneer and a leading authority in the field of women’s health and wellness. Recognizing the unity of body, mind, and spirit, she empowers women to trust their inner wisdom, their connection with Source, and their ability to truly flourish.

Ready to Relax & Rejuvenate? Thanks to the wonderful team @mountskinandbody we have a Glow & Go 60 minute massage & facial treatment that could have your name on it, value $130. Other prizes include a private 75 minute YogAlign session with myself & a NZ print from artist @paulaknightartist.

Pencil in the date for our Bali Creative & YogAlign Retreat Info Evening on Thursday 26th July from 6.30pm at 682 Papamoa Beach Road, Papamoa.

Grab a friend & come meet the Retreat Team. Refreshments & lots of prizes drawn on the evening!

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries.

EVENING DINACHARYA, PART 3: RELAXING ROUTINES

By Shyam Kumar for Yogibeings

In Part 1, we looked at how Ayurveda considers sleep to be essential for good health and how establishing a consistent sleep routine goes a long way in enhancing the quality of rest and rejuvenation. Part 2 explained how the night is governed by different doshas at different times and how to synchronise your sleep routine with nature’s rhythm. Now, let’s look at establishing a soothing evening routine to help you wind down and prepare for a night of restful sleep.

Following a regular routine reassures your body that everything is well, providing a tremendous sense of comfort. Establishing a daily evening routine ensures that, with time, the body learns that these are signals that the day is ending and to prepare for a good night’s rest. It’s important to be consistent with the routine. Here are some things that you can incorporate into your evening routine:

Avoid that evening cup of coffee

Drinking coffee or any other stimulant prevents your brain from responding to fatigue, instead making you feel fresh and energetic. This causes problems in trying to sleep early. If you are suffering from sleep-related problems, cutting down on caffeine may go a long way in helping you sleep better.

Turn down the lights

Our biological clocks are highly sensitive to light. For most living beings, sunset is a signal that the day is winding down and it’s time to rest. In today’s modern life, there is so much artificial lighting that it severely interferes with the natural biological response to sleep. One of the best things you can do is to dim the lights at home as the sun goes down. This sends the signal to your body that the day is ending.

Reduce exertion

It’s best to reduce strenuous physical and mental activity at least two hours before bedtime.

Have an early dinner

Have an early dinner to ensure that the food is completely digested before you sleep. This prevents the accumulation of toxic waste (ama) in your body, which could make you feel dull and lethargic. It’s ideal to leave a gap of three hours between dinner and sleep time. To get used to eating early, you can begin by eating a lighter dinner than usual.

Wash your face

Wash your face with lukewarm water, preferably using an Ayurvedic cleanser. This cleanses the dirt accumulated through the day, removes oil from the pores and helps your skin breathe at night.

Massage your feet and scalp

Take a few drops of oil and do a slow, relaxing massage of your scalp. Wash and dry your feet and apply a few drops of oil slowly from heel to toe in slow, circular movements of your palm. This removes excess heat and relaxes the entire body.

In Part 4, we shall look at a few more things you can do before bedtime and how to incorporate these into our daily lives.

EVENING DINACHARYA, PART 2: THE DOSHIC NATURE OF SLEEP

By Shyam Kumar for Yogibeings

In Part 1, we looked the vital role of sleep in maintaining overall health, improving immunity and enhancing cognitive function. Establishing a consistent sleep and wake time goes a long way in enhancing the quality of rest and rejuvenation. Now, let’s see how different parts of the night are governed by different doshas, and how to synchronise our sleep routine with nature’s rhythm.

Ayurveda divides each day into two cycles:

1) The solar cycle which begins at 6 am and ends at 6 pm.

2) The lunar cycle which begins at 6 pm and ends at 6 am.  

The lunar cycle plays an important role in establishing sleep rhythm. This twelve-hour period is divided into three intervals of four hours each. The first interval from 6 pm to 10 pm is dominated by Kapha, the second interval from 10 pm to 2 am is dominated by Pitta, and the third interval from 2 am to 6 am is dominated by Vata. This fundamental understanding, along with knowledge of the current season and your doshic constitution helps establish a proper evening routine that is in harmony with the doshic influences.

Ayurveda recommends going to sleep before 10 pm. During this time our bodies are dominated by Kapha’s earthy, stable and grounding properties—ideal for a deep, soothing sleep. The period from 10 pm to 2 am is dominated by Pitta, whose qualities are intense, hot, sharp and acidic. This might make you feel energetic, impatient to be active, and prevent you from falling asleep. Staying awake at this time causes a phenomenon called second wind, where you stop feeling drowsy even when you are exhausted. Moreover, Pitta increases the digestive fire and leaves you craving that midnight snack!

The time dominated by Pitta is used by the body to repair its tissues, clean out toxins, enhance your immune system and perform daily maintenance tasks. This is also when the mind processes the undigested thoughts and emotions caused during the day and comes to terms with them.

Pitta gives way to Vata dominance at around 2 am and the atmosphere is dominated by qualities of lightness, mobility and coolness. The body begins the process of waking up around this time. Ayurveda advises getting up an hour and a half before sunrise when Vata dominates, so you can begin the day feeling light and refreshed.

Sleeping fewer hours in harmony with these cycles can leave you feeling more relaxed and energetic than sleeping longer hours going to bed late. However, falling asleep early is not easy for many of us. In Part 3, we look at establishing a simple evening routine that helps us to wind down and get ready for a night of soothing sleep.