Winter fruit

Now that we have passed the winter solstice, it is important that we limit our fruit intake along certain guidelines.  Since winter is the yin dominated season and fruit is one of the most yin foods that we eat, it is important that we pay attention to the types of fruit that we eat and how it is prepared.  According to our formula for winter, we avoid extreme yin foods and try to eat more foods that are yang in their food group.  As far as fruit is concerned, we want to eat the most yang fruits in winter.  So what would those be?

The most obvious characteristics of yang energy expressed are "small and compact".  So we would expect yang fruit to be small and compact.  Yin fruits would be larger and more expanded, juicier and less dense.  First we would want to eliminate tropical fruits like winter mellon, mangoes, other mellons, and citrus fruits.  Then we would look for fruits grown in the climate that we live in.  Blueberries, cranberries, apples, raspberries, cherries and other temperate climate fruits are more appropriate for the winter season than the larger, more yin fruits.  Some dried fruits are also welcome in the winter diet but it is good to reconstitute them so that they are not too taxing on the body's water supply.  Using these general guidelines you can regulate the amount of excess yin that builds up in the body and avoid placing the body in discharge condition.

As always, we recommend organic produce whenever possible.

Thanks for reading.

Holiday Treats

Last weekend I was asked to participate in a bakesale to help raise funds for a project that my yoga group is working on.  We want to bring a yantra to Dayton to support the community in a big way.  I thought about it and decided to make fudge.  Of course, I am not satisfied with making your Grandmother's fudge.  I wanted to make a fudge that was more nutritious with less sugar and no animal products.

Now as we approach the winter solstice, it is less and less appropriate to consume foods containing sugar as it is extremely unbalancing to the system during the winter.  So when we look at sweet foods, what can we use that is more appropriate for winter than cane sugar?  The answer, which I am sure you have all figured out before reading this sentence, is to use the sugar that is produced as far north as possible in the temperate zone.  So which sweetener is made in the northern regions of the temperate zone.  Maple syrup is the most common.  I have also seen a syrup made from apple cider which is delicious.  Rice syrup is another example of a sugar that is from a more northern region.  These sweeteners are much less unbalancing than those from tropical climates.

So I set out to find a recipe for fudge that would be more healthy.  I tried making fudge from mung beans flavored with chocolate, maple syrup and coconut oil for stability.  This tasted good but the consistency was not right.  It felt like hard boiled egg whites in your mouth.  Next I added half millet and half mung bean.  This was an improvement but still not the right consistency.  Then I was looking on facebook at my feed and there was a fudge recipe that used almond butter, cocoa, coconut butter and dates.  This proved to be really good and the texture was right.  I took that recipe to the bake sale and we sold out of the fudge.

But I am still not satisfied.  I am still thinking of what else I can do to make a healthy fudge.

Then I went to the grocery and in the health food section there was almond meal.  I looked at that and thought it would make a good base for a fudge recipe.  Right next to the almond meal was flaxseed meal.  Hmmm.  I had some flaxseed at home already and I really liked it on cereal. . . .  So I came home and threw a cup of flaxseed into the coffee grinder making flaxseed meal.  I combined this meal with one cup of cocoa and 1/4 cup of coconut oil melted over low heat and mixed with 6 tablespoons of maple syrup and a little vanilla extract.  I mixed this well and pressed it into a springform pan.  Placed it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours and then cut it into squares.  Now early reviews are good but I can and will eat about anything that has healthy ingredients.  The proof will be when my daughter comes over and maybe my son but at this point I think it is at least worth sharing with you because it just might fit into your holiday plans.

Have a spendid holiday season.

Love, Steve