Nourishing Coconut Beet Soup

I recently made some of my favorite soup to nourish a dear friend of mine who just had a baby. This soup sounds strange but believe me it is delicious and super good for you. In Chinese Medicine there is the idea that things in nature that resemble certain parts of the body are useful in curing issues with those parts of the body. In Western medicine this concept was developed by Paracelsus stating that "nature marks each growth according to it's curative benefit". Later this became to be known as the Doctrine of Signatures. Just looking at a beet tells you exactly what it is useful for, building blood. This concept is further proven by the fact that beets contain many blood building minerals such as iron, folate and manganese. It is known to purify blood to aid in detoxification, increase blood flow which helps lower blood pressure and helps with constipation due to it's high fiber content. You can see why this would be beneficial for a new mom. Coconut is specifically beneficial for building Yin which comprises the fluids of the body, one of which is blood. The fat in coconut oil is unique and different from most all other fats and possesses many health giving properties such as relieving pain and irritation from hemorrhoids, reducing inflammation and improving absorption of many vitamins and minerals. In Aryuvedic tradition, it is often suggested to women to improve milk supply,  as the milk that a mother produces is directly made from Yin/Blood.  In terms of fertility, signs of abundant yin can be seen leading up to ovulation in the amount of fertile mucus that is produced.  When yin is depleted, your body shows signs of heating up, as Yin is the cooling and moistening system of the body.

During pregnancy, Qi and blood become fully abundant resulting in thicker hair and nails and that glow that so many talk about. During the birth process, a woman loses a lot of qi and blood. This can show up postpartum with symptoms such as hair loss, anxiety, depression, low milk supply, fatigue, and memory loss. It is important to get on top of replenishing immediately postpartum in order to feel well and nourished.

This recipe is beneficial for everyone, whether it be fertility issues, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, menopause or general wellbeing. It is nutritious and absolutely delicious.

Coconut Beet Soup

ingredients:

2 to 3 small sized beets or one large beet cooked, chopped and peeled

2 to 3 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbs chicken or vegetable better than boullian (contains no msg) or even better homemade chicken stock.

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 tbs of virgin, unrefined organic coconut oil

sea salt to desired taste

Directions:

Wash and cook beets in about 4 cups of water. I use a pressure cooker which takes about 12 minutes. Run beets under cold water and remove the skin and chop. If using boullian, reserve 2 cups of water from the cooked beets and set aside. In a medium sized pot, melt the coconut oil and add the garlic until it becomes fragrant. Add the beet water, the boullian and the sea salt. To that, add the chopped beets. Using a handheld blender, puree the beets. To finish off add the coconut milk. Enjoy!

Preparing for Conception: Quality Essence

Jing which is Chinese for Essence is the basis for life. We are born with all of the essence we will   have throughout our life. It is given to us via our parents and a majority of the quality and quantity of it is based on the amount that they have to give to us at conception. You can think of Jing as the eggs in women and the sperm in males. A female has all of the eggs she will have throughout her life before she is even born.We use up our Jing throughout our life time. We can think of Jing as money in our bank account. We inevitably withdrawal from our source on a frequent basis throughout our live span but how much we take is dependent on how we choose to live our lives. If we choose to drink a lot of alcohol, eat foods that are not good for us, to stay up all night long and not get a lot of rest, to overwork and stress, we will use up our jing quicker. If however, we choose to be well rested, meditate, exercise in a balanced way, eat well and generally live a balanced life, we can actually add to our Jing and reserve a good portion for later in our life. It is no wonder that when we are in our 20s we are able to drink a lot, eat whatever we want, stay up all night and go to work early the next morning without truly noticing the consequences. That is until we hit our 30s and we have exhausted a good amount of our jing. Now a days this is of even more concern since we are choosing to have children later in life. Our choices preconception become even more vital. This is true for both men and women. Whats done is done but if we are considering having children it is time to start depositing back into the bank account. This calls for taking a good look at our diet and lifestyle. Are you eating fast food and highly processed foods a majority of the time.  Are you tired most of the time? Do you feel stressed often? Is your career mentally draining?       Are you sleeping well? What is your overall state of health? This is a good predictor of the quality and quantity of jing that you have to pass onto your unborn child. Recent studies have shown that the quality of life of the mother and father preconception is a great determiner of the future quality of health of their child. Knowing you have the ability to determine such a major aspect of your child’s life is great motivation to make changes where they are needed. Here are some tips on how you can start improving your health and therefor the quality of the egg and sperm that will create your child: *Eat whole foods and ditch the processed foods. *If you smoke cigarettes, develop a strategy for quitting. *If you drink frequently, cut down dramatically. *Find ways to bring peace and relaxation into your life such as meditation and yoga. * Up your intake of antioxidants such as; good quality dark chocolate, berries, beans, apples, cherries, legumes, and prunes just to name a few.