It’s time to rethink your smoothie habit. You know that cold, blended fruit and veggie drink that you’ve been told is a healthful meal? Be honest: How do you really feel after you have one?
On the surface, smoothies appear healthful. Fruit is filled with vitamins and fiber. Protein powders have a long list of nutrients. Nut butters are filled with good oils. Yogurt, coconut oil, cacao, maca — what else do you toss in your blender? Taken individually, the ingredients in a smoothie seem to have all that your body needs to function. But Ayurveda asks you to look holistically. From this view, the results are different.
Combining fruit with other foods wreaks havoc on digestion, resulting in gas and bloating. Adding ice or frozen fruit dampens agni, digestive fire. Topping everything off with a heaping scoop of protein powder fills the void with something that is unrecognizable as food to your body. All this leads to uncomfortable digestive problems that are the first step on the path to illness and disease. If you’ve got a smoothie habit, leave them out for two weeks and replace them with the recipe of the month: A Date Shake.
When people stop drinking smoothies, they no longer feel unreasonably cold or experience gas and erratic digestive patterns. Vata, which governs all movement in the mind and body (blood flow, elimination of wastes, breathing and the movement of thoughts across the mind), is calmed and agni can strengthen. Life becomes suddenly easier.
Enter: The Date Shake! The dates, milk and ghee that make up this shake are not only nourishing and tasty, they are also known in Ayurveda to build Ojas. Ojas is an energy (and some sources say an actual substance) in your body that creates vitality, strong immunity and a sense of blissfulness. It is that “glow” that you see in truly healthy people.
This Date Shake is best as an alternative for anyone who is attached to sugary foods, are a good snack when you know your next meal won’t be for several hours and are also a hit with children. No matter how you enjoy it, once you try this lovely concoction of warm, spiced milk blended with sweet, plump dates, you’ll wonder why you ever thought that cold fruit smoothie was so good! Read on to make your own Date Shake or watch us put it together here!
Date shake
Serves one
Ingredients:
1 cup organic whole milk (preferably raw, but at least un-homogenized or substitute fresh rice milk)
1 tsp ghee
4 fresh dates
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
Directions:
Warm the milk, ghee and spices in a small pan until it just begins to boil. Stir gently. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Pit the dates and place them in a blender. Add the spiced milk and blend well. Drink consciously, enjoying each sip. Finish it up with a smile and the knowing that all is well!
Much love,
Charlie Wagner
source: Halepule.com