What' s the key to beautiful healthy skin?

As we put away our winter clothes and put on our summer garments we notice too dry or too oily skin, acne, freckles, dark spots, pimples, cellulitis. It’ s time for all sorts of body scrubs, lotions and  butters that promise healthy, soft, hydrated and toned skins.

When skin problems appear we tend to look for an external solution, but did you know that most part of the problem and hence the solution comes from the inside?

The first step to  beautiful healthy skin starts in the kitchen

Our skin reflects the condition of our organs, so a skin symptom is telling you about an imbalance in your body and depending on the area of your face or body that it appears, it is actually pointing at which organ or vital function needs looking at.

Our bodies have the ability to cleanse themselves through four basic metabolic processes: breathing, perspiration, urination and bowel movements. Also sexual activity and, in women, menstruation, birth giving and breastfeeding contribute to the discharge of excess, toxins and residues. The same happens with physical, emotional or mental movement- they free metabolic energy.

When the above natural process are not enough to cleanse our bodies, because the intake is excessive, the body still has other mechanisms to rid itself from excess and toxins such as  diarrhea, fever or inflammation among others. If we continue to eat in a chaotic and excessive way for a long period of time, these unwanted substances can be discharged through the skin. They form a layer of fat under the skin, block the pores, hair follicles and sweat glands. Our skin will then look dry, because this layer of fat does not let oil and fluids to get to the surface. Many people believe that a dry skin means insufficient oil intake and they will increase it or put on more body lotion or thicker lotions for dry or very- dry skins, which will only make the condition worse.

There are external therapies to take care of your skin and improve its condition. However, they will not be effective in the long run if we don’t deal with the core of the problem, which is what we put inside our bodies and not on the outside.

On the 4^th of June we are having a workshop in Paphos where you can learn about external treatments and the kinds of foods that will help improve different skin problems. We will also cook and try specific recipes for a great looking skin.

About the art of cooking

We work eight or more hours a day and have plenty of other things to do apart from work, from taking care of our families and homes and, if we are lucky and still find some time and energy, exercising, seeing friends and indulging ourselves in our favorite hobbies.  

Such demanding schedules have brought about a fast food culture of processed foods of all kinds: frozen foods, microwave meals, instant snacks, ready-made sauces, etc. These processed foods lack energy and this is precisely the effect they have on us: they fill us up momentarily, but they fail to nurture and give us vitality.

Another option we have is to eat out or order take away meals. Usually such meals are cooked with too much fat and salt and we are in for an unpleasant digestion after having them.

Our physical, emotional and mental well being starts in the kitchen. If we are to enjoy healthy, peaceful and happy lives, the key is in cooking. And I don’t mean spending hours in the kitchen as our mothers and grandmothers could do, but finding the equilibrium between our busy lifestyles and a balanced diet, something which is possible with some knowledge, training and organization.

To master the art of cooking you need to know about the nutritional and energetic values of food and also different cooking techniques and their effects in our bodies. It is not the same to eat a root than a stalk, to eat a raw apple or a baked one, to salt your food while it is cooking or to sprinkle raw salt on it. I am talking about a way of cooking in which the choice of ingredients and the way of cooking them have a purpose: to keep us in the best possible health, to recover from all sorts of ailments and illnesses, to be emotionally and mentally strong and balanced. The effects of this way of cooking and eating are so remarkable than in a few months most people have improved their condition to an unbelievable stage.

And it is very important to let our children participate in this health creating process. They will enjoy the cooking, become more aware of what they are eating and start taking responsibility for their food choices. By introducing them to the art of cooking you are bestowing on them the most precious gift: the means to a healthy and happy life. 

Mediterranean Spring Chickpeas

I want to share with you today a recipe I've absolutely fallen in love with. I have named the recipe “Mediterranean Spring Chickpeas”, since I believe they are especially suitable for this time of the year when we can still appreciate a dish of stewed pulses on colder spring days, but with the contrast  of  the   lighter and more refreshing  energy provided by the lemon and the fresh herbs.  

The combination of the sweetness of the chickpeas with the acidity of the lemon and the flavor of the rosemary is just perfect.

It’s a recipe of my friend Maria. My humble contribution to it is in the way to boil the chickpeas. We’ll boil them the macrobiotic way with a piece of Kombu to ensure an easy digestion with no flatulence.

Ingredients:

1 cup of chickpeas soaked overnight, 1 stamp-sized piece of Kombu seaweed, 2 bay leaves , a sprig of rosemary (be generous), one chopped onion .  

For the lemon and olive oil dressing : 3 parts of olive oil, 1 part of lemon juice, sea salt, one crushed garlic.  

Preparation:

      Place the chickpeas in a thick bottom pan with the piece of kombu and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the flame to low and simmer. Skim and discard the foam that floats to the surface. When foam no longer appears, add the onion, the bay leaves and the rosemary, cover and cook until the beans are about 90 % done. If more water is needed during the cooking time, add it gently. 


Prepare the lemon and olive oil dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a blender. Add the dressing to the chickpeas and continue cooking until the chickpeas are soft and most of the remaining liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a serving dish and decorate with a sprig how fresh rosemary. Enjoy!

Now that avocados are in season, I would like to share a recipe with you that seems perfect for these hot spring days: a creamy avocado tart with a hint of lime. 

And not to forget about the energetic value of what we eat, this tart has  a refreshing, relaxing and comforting effect.  Enjoy!

Creamy lime and avocado tart

Ingredients:

Crust: ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, ½ cup chopped pecans, ½ cup dates, 1 to 2 teaspoons lime zest, a pinch of sea salt.

Tart filling: 1 ½ cup avocado puree, ¼ cup of fresh squeezed lime juice, ¼ cup rice syrup, 1 table spoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon lime zest.

Instructions:

1. Process the crust ingredients in a food processor into a thick paste. Take the mixture out of the processor and press evenly into two mini (10cm wide) springform pans. Place the pans in the freezer.

2. Blend the ingredients for the filling until creamy.

3. Pour half of the filling over the crust in one pan and the remaining half over the crust in the second pan.

4. Place pans in the freezer to set up at least for 2 hours.

You can decorate the tart with lime slices and lime rind strips.

5. Take out of the freezer, remove the spring form, let sit for 5-10 minutes, cut into slices and serve. Enjoy!

Why eat seawed?

The reasons to eat seaweed, apart from enjoying their delicious taste and recovering an ingredient now forgotten in the West but that used to be present in our traditional gastronomy, are mainly three. First, they help us get rid of toxic metals, radioactivity and pollution thanks to the alginic acid they contain. Secondly, due to their high content of minerals, they have an alkalizing effect in the blood that can help balance the acidifying effect of modern diets. 

Also, they can help dissolve fat and mucus deposits in the body resulting from an excessive consumption of dairy and meat. 

I highly recommend introducing them in your diet. There is a big variety, from the mild taste of the wakame to the salty and very tasty hijiki. You need to know how to use each type- some need only to be soaked and are ready for consumption while others have to be cooked -  and maybe start following some recipes and then follow your own intuition and add them to your favorite dishes or create new ones.

Is macrobiotics all about exotic Asian foods?

I have realized when talking to people about macrobiotics that a significant number of them have the belief that a macrobiotic diet is based on exotic Asian ingredients. This belief unfortunately establishes a prejudice against it and they miss the chance to improve their health and well being greatly.

Among the principles of Macrobiotics, I will mention only two that will make you understand how ill founded this belief is. One is eating according to our geographical situation. When we eat foods that grow in the climate we live in, it is easier to be in harmony with nature. It is better to consume local fruits and vegetables than those imported from distant countries. The second one has to do with eating according to the season, and the reason is the same: eating according to nature’s changing cycles will make us flow with the flow of nature.

If you look at macrobiotics recipe books, you will find such ingredients as miso, shoyu, tofu or different kinds of seaweed. Being George Ohsawa, the father of Macrobiotics, and his pupil Michio Kushi  Japanese, this was only  to be expected. However, the two principles stated above and which, in my opinion, should apply to any sensible approach to eating point at the fact that in our everyday diet the main ingredients have to be those that have fed our ancestors for centuries: local seasonal vegetables and fruits, grains, pulses, seeds and meat, eggs and fish from animals that have been raised and fed properly. Tradition is another principle of Macrobiotics.

There are some “superfoods” such as umeboshi plums, miso, Daikon which are very useful to restore health, but the staple diet that will make us healthy and vital should be made of the local foods we can easily find around us.  

Yoga and macrobiotics

I have been practicing yoga for  about 15 years and. Both the practice of yoga and following a macrobiotic lifestyle  have changed my life for the very best and I see them as complementary in my search for health, balance, happiness and greater awareness. 

Both are precious tools to reach the harmonization of the yin and yang energies, ida and pingala as they are known in yoga, which together regulate the various glands and organs of the body influencing the emotions and states of consciousness.

This is post intends to be some food for thought for people that like me practice yoga or some other kind of exercise that helps them find balance and enhance life force such as Tai Chi, Chi Kung, etc., but have not yet become aware that the  energetic and healing  work they are doing with such practices can be enhanced or diminished depending on the way they feed themselves. My point is that whatever practice you choose, it would be contradictory to feed yourself in such a way that would create in your organism the contrary effects to those you are looking for. Just a very simple example: it would not make sense to do breathing exercises to open and clean your lungs and eat foods that would contract or generate fat and mucus deposits in these organs.

So I invite you to discover the energetics of food, how they affect your physical, emotional and mental bodies and how they will help you reach the goals you have set for you with your yoga practice.

Here is a link to an  article of yogi Swami Gaurishankara Saraswati  talking about the common  features  of yoga and macrobiotics.

Sweetness and emotions

When  emotionally out of balance, many people resort to the chocolate bar, ice-cream or any other very sweet "treat" looking for the comfort they are missing. The effect they create is the contrary of what they were looking for: a sudden rise of the glucose levels in the blood unavoidably followed by a sudden fall which  makes you crave for the next sugar shot in a never-ending cycle of  euphoria and misery that creates a lot of unhappiness. Let alone the fact that sugar demineralizes you, makes you lose the strength, brightness, mental clarity and magnetism you need to attract the affection you are looking for when looking for that sweet taste.

It is important to stop and reflect on the way we create sweetness in our lives, whether it be through food, life style or mental attitude. We need sweetness for our brain to work well and our emotions to be balanced and the best way to get it through food is with whole grains, sweet vegetables and seasonal local fruits.

And now that cauliflower, red cabbage and apples are in season, here you have  the link to a delicious millet and cauliflower pie with red cabbage and apple recipe that will satisfy your body' s need for sweetness.

Cook and enjoy!

A pinch of salt

There is a lot confusion regarding the consumption of salt. We have heard plenty of times that salt is no good for our health and there are people that take pride in not using salt at all. Probable this confusion has to do with both the quality and the quantity of what we consume.

Unrefined sea salt has been a source of life and health from the beginning of times. It was considered so precious that people were paid in salt- hence the word salary. It is simply the result of the evaporation of seawater. Its composition is almost up to a 90% chloride and sodium, the rest being sulfate, magnesium, calcium and potassium also elements of extraordinary qualitative importance.  

But this   excellent ally to our health can become poison if refined and processed with chemicals and additives. Commercial sea salts available on the market today might vary in their chemical composition, but none has the same composition and proportion of elements found in sea water. Common refined table salt is 99,99% sodium chloride plus added iodine and dextrose (a kind of sugar). So we should take only unrefined sea salt  and avoid the refined ,  iodized one.

Another thing to bear in mind is that we have to use salt in cooking, never raw and that we can add the salt to our recipes using shoyu  or  tamari (see my blog on shoyu and tamari http://www.macrobioticscyprus.com/uncategorized/soy-sauce-shoyu-or-tamari/) , which also need to be cooked.

About the quantity, about half tea spoon a day is sufficient. We need to take salt because it contributes to a good drainage of toxins, allows life energy to flow and so boosts our vitality, improves our sexuality, favors concentration and stimulates digestion among other benefits. However, an excess of salt provokes stagnation of our life energy which manifests in hardening and contraction of the blood vessels, premature white hair, pain in the knees and kidneys, menstrual cramps, dry skin, liquid retention, hypertension, impatience, short temper, tension and mental rigidity. 

Salt?  Yes, unrefined and in moderation. 

Burgers

VEGGIE BURGERS

Burgers are an excellent idea to use left over grains or beans and give variety to our meals. Rice, millet, buckwheat,  barley or oats will make very nice burgers as well as beans such as lentils, chickpeas, black, white or red beans. It is important to use  some vegetables to add color and taste. Other ingredients that will improve the aroma and taste are  fresh herbs such as coriander, basil or parsley and pickles such as olives, capers or gherkins. While the fresh herbs   will provide  a characteristic and gentle  flavor, the pickles will give the necessary salty and acid taste to ensure our burgers do not come out too sweet.

Millet burgers

Ingredients: 1 cup of millet, 2 1/2 cups of water, one onion finely chopped, one clove of garlic finely chopped, one small carrot finely grated, fresh coriander, one tablespoon of capers,black sesame seeds, olive oil, salt.

Directions: Sautee the onion, garlic with some olive oil and a pinch of salt until the onion is soft. Add the millet and water. Bring it to the boil and the lower the heat to a very low flame. Cook for about 20 minutes (until there is no liquid left). Let it cool down. Add the capers, black sesame seeds and fresh coriander and make the burgers. Grill them some minutes per side on a hot grill or frying pan.

Lime, lemon and mint petit four with red berries syrup

The acid flavor is very refreshing and it helps avoid cravings for sweets. It is ideal for the spring time.

Ingredients: 

For the base: 150 gr  wholemeal flour, 100 gr almond flour, 40 gr sunflower oil, 70 gr rice syrup, lemon zest, water.
For the lime, lemon and mint sweet: liter rice milk, the juice of two lemons and one lime, the zest of one lime and half lemon, some mint leaves, rice or agave syrup to taste, 2 1/2 table spoons of arrowroot, 1,5 gr of agar agar for each 100 ml of liquid.
For the red berries syrup: 200 gr of red berries, 200 gr of water or apple juice, 1 tablespoon of arrowroot, rice syrup to taste.

Directions: 

Put all the ingredients for the base in a bowl, mix and spread on a baking pan (15 x cm). Bake at 170º for 10/15 minutes.

Heat the rice milk, add the citrus  zests, the arrowroot (previously dissolved in a  bit of rice milk), the lemon  and lime juice, the agar agar and  boil for 5/7 minutes.  When you remove it from the hob, add the mint leaves and let them infuse for some minutes. Sieve and pour on top of the baked base, put in the fridge until it thickens.

Put the red berries in a pan with the water or apple juice, add the arrowroot and the rice syrup. Boil for about 5 minutes.

Cut the pie in small symmetrical pieces like the ones in the photograph and decorate with the red berries syrup.

Enjoy! 

Cooking for children

Seeing their children grow healthy and happy is parents’ main concern.  Taking care of their nutrition is  of paramount importance and it could not be otherwise since childhood is the time of our biggest physical and intellectual development.

As I was saying in my previous post, what we eat and drink every day creates the condition of our blood and through it of our entire body. In other words, what and how you cook for yourself and your family will translate immediately in each one of you feeling more or less energetic, focused, peaceful, optimistic, etc.  True health starts in the kitchen.

Food does not only nourish the body but also the mind and the spirit.  By cooking good healthy food you will improve your and your family' s  health and quality of life and also increase  your energy, vitality and peace of mind. This is a great responsibility for the cook  and also a great power and we should learn how to use it for our the maximum benefit and that of the people we cook for. 

 

It is essential to get children eat the right food as soon as possible for, if they develop good eating habits when they are young, they are more likely to eat healthily when they are older.  Bear in mind that medical problems linked with a poor diet such as obesity, heart problems, type B diabetes, etc. begin with eating habits acquired during infancy or childhood.  Other problems such as hyperactivity, difficulty to concentrate, that seem to affect a growing number of children are also related to diet and can be prevented or solved in a very simple way.  

 

Cooking great food is   the best way of loving yourself and the people you care for. Get started!

On the 28^th of February at Utopia Collectiva in Nicosia I am  going to give  a practical and theoretical workshop on Macrobiotic Cooking for children.

In the workshop  I will teach: 

• ·         Which are  the best foods and cooking methods for your children during the first years of their lives and after.

• ·         How to cook   balanced and  nutritious dishes kids will enjoy. 

We will look into the different things children need at the different stages of their development, how to cook grains, vegetable origin  proteins and  vegetables, where to find more calcium than in milk, how to sweeten your family’ s  desserts without sugar… 

Taking responsibility for yours and your family’ s health and well being is a very empowering experience and  this workshop will help you  make this adventure exciting and simple.

Workshop details.

Saturday 28^th February

11:00 – 13:30: cooking

13:30 – 14:30: lunch

14:30- 15:30: theory

At Utopia Collectiva (Nicosia)

 

Cost: 40 Euros

Confirm participation by Wednesday 25th (99583947)

Get into the kitchen and become the director of your life!

Get into the kitchen & become the director of your life!

What we eat and drink every day creates the condition of our blood and through it of our entire body. In other words, what and how you cook for yourself will translate immediately in feeling more or less energetic, focused, peaceful, optimistic, etc.  

Food does not only nourish the body but also the mind and the spirit.  By cooking good healthy food you will improve your health and quality of life and also increase your energy, vitality and peace of mind. So, why don’ t you get into the kitchen and start the exciting adventure of creating  the conditions  you desire?

Taking responsibility of our health is a very empowering experience and it is also an unavoidable decision in so far as we wish to move towards plenitude and well being.

 I encourage you to  start cooking and create the daily mental and physical conditions you want for yourself and your family. Become the director of your life!

 

Dean Ornish is a clinical professor at UCSF and founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute. He's a leading expert on fighting illness,  particularly heart disease with dietary and lifestyle changes. 

Here you have a link to a 16 minutes talk on simple, low- tech and low- cost ways to be healthier and happier.

Dean Ornish talking about healing through diet.

What shall I cook today?

After very mild Christmas, it seems that  winter has finally arrived to Cyprus. Winter is the  time to nurture our bodies with strengthening energies that boost our inner heat.

 We need more fire, longer cooking time, saltier condiments without forgetting yin  condiments to give polarity and  dynamism to our dishes. Most important, we need to listen to our bodies and not be afraid of experimenting in the  pursuit of our own personal balance.

 Some  suggestions for winter menus:

• Miso soup + stewed chickpeas with millet balls + Onion and carrot kimpira

• Pumpkin soup + buckwheat with artichokes + Salad of boiled green vegetables and grilled tofu

• Onion soup + pressure cooked brown rice with aduki and pumpkin + steamed leeks and carrots

• Vegetable broth + Pasta with shell fish +  Salad of green leaves and pickled cabbage