 Dates. I'm not talking about the activity you go on Saturday nights with your lover. I'm talking about the sweet, juicy, unctuous little fruits that are to die for.
Let me keep it real, real quick. I used to not like dates. I thought they were weird and didn't taste so good. Until Ayurveda. I just realized I was eating the wrong kinds! Anyway, let's get back to the dates. Dates. They are revered in Ayurveda to be filled with ojas. Ojas? Well, ojas is the subtle essence of kapha. Ojas is what gives us our immunity, and keeps our bodies healthy and vibrant. It gives us suppleness, the ability to be tender and loving. It makes sure that all the moving parts in our body are a well-oiled machine. It's important to nourish our ojas. There are different ways to do this. Food, being one of them. Dates are a great way to do this, because it has many of the same qualities as ojas--sweet, juicy, etc. Dates are also great for reducing vata and pitta. This shake is my go-to smoothie replacement. It's filling, nutritious, and I promise you a treat everyone will love. Ingredients:
Directions: Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend on medium speed, until all ingredients have been processed completely, and you are left with a smooth and creamy shake. Alternatively, you can warm the milk, dates, and figs on the stove to soften them up a little for approximately 7 minutes. Then, combine all ingredients including the warm milk with dates in the blender, and blend until all the ingredients have been well incorporated. *Note: If possible, try to use organic, non-homogenized milk for the date shake. Also, you can switch out the dates for dried figs every now and then for some variety. Both are great ojas-promoters. You can also add in ½ -1 tbsp of Spirulina/Blue-Green Algae. The color will change to a pretty green, but you won’t be able to taste it at all.
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I've spoken about the health benefits more than once on the blog and the newsletters. How it's important to get 1/2 your body weight in ounces daily, how you should drink room temperature water and not freezing ice cold. We've talked how hydration is key for so many normal functions of the body such as proper digestion, hydration of the skin, and lubrication of the joints. It's no mystery that water--the substance that is 75% of our bodies and 75% of our planet--is crucial to our over health and well-being. Unfortunately though, it is still so hard for many to have the right amount of intake every day. And I get it, to some it's not the tastiest thing. Some can't stomach the idea of drinking room temperature water. I've heard a million different reasons in my practice and with my friends and family. With that said, there are always solutions! Fruit infusion water bottles are all over the place these days. When I walk into work I can count at least 7-10 people who have some sort of fancy bottle that allows for them to infuse fruit to help with their water intake. And when I ask them if it works, they are so quick to say that yes, in fact it does. So, I thought, why don't I try it as well? I happened to be at Target, and found the Define Bottle. It's a beautiful double walled glass bottle with a bamboo top. It comes with a little cage for loose teas that separates if you want to put in just water and fruit. I'm not going to lie, I probably drank at least 4 bottles of my infused water and tea, plus the other plain water I was drinking. People are definitely onto something. Below are my top 5 fruit and tea infusions that I made. Try them out! Tell me what you think! I've also posted what the ingredients are good for from an Ayurvedic perspective. If you're curious to see what ingredients would
*Quick note: when I say mashed blue berries, I just barely squeezed the berries in my fingers so that the juice can slightly be released into the water to obtain the flavor. They weren't completely mashed into a mush. Try these out and let me know what you think. Here's to healthy hydration! Cheers!
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