Awareness through Eating: Seasonal Food Shift

Pumpkin Soup

@insideawareness

Seasonal Foods – Changing over to fall foods @insideawareness Awareness through Foods seasonal food shift pumpkinsoup cayennepepper thyme, cinnamon, ginger

♬ Life is Beautiful – Deep Music
If you can’t view TikTok Video – Please see below for original.

Here on the southern tip of Vancouver Island Fall comes early. This year I noticed it began to shift in the last few days of July! It starts with the foggy haze rolling in during the early hours. For some somatic dominant experiences, this may mean a shift in the focus of attention on food choices that came earlier this year. I have observed that somatic experiencers are inherently more naturally in tune with the shifts in nature. In this little TikTok video clip, the food of choice was a can of pure pumpkin.

Pumpkin is low in calories, heart-friendly and great nutrition. Adding spices like ginger and cinnamon becomes a good choice for watching weight. Both spices are well known for curbing appetite and increasing the body’s metabolic rate to speed up digestion. Cayenne is a well-known spice to increases inner heat and is good for rolling into fall.

The recipe for pumpkin soup using canned pumpkin makes it quick and easy to make. The ingredients are probably ones already in the pantry that include; onions and garlic, plus spices and maple syrup. The recipe called for heavy cream which this writer doesn’t use or have on hand. Many will though. A couple of ingredients this writer added though were mushrooms, nutritional yeast and rice dream. The rice milk was a substitute for the heavy cream and won’t be used in future. It isn’t necessary.

This is a lovely soup for the fall and can be added to any meal or be the center of a meal. It’s seasonal and aligns with the current harvest in nature north of the equator. Along the southern tip of Vancouver Island, it is almost time to see fields of pumpkins emerging as the foliage dies back that once hid them.

In this post, the focus is on the seasonal shift in eating patterns that reflects the cultivating of awareness in the Awareness through Eating patterns here @insideawareness. There is also the dynamics of current food costs. This writer has stopped buying soup at the market due to a reaction to the prices. Pre-covid lockdown cans of soup that were a buck are now $4.00 or more. Each can of soup is being sold as a designer brand however they aren’t. This can of pumpkin was the cost of a can of soup and is far healthier meeting more functional needs in the alignment of body, brain and mind functions that generate emotional responses. This recipe is easy and fast and warms the heart knowing it is packed with ingredients that increase health and wellbeing.

Canned pumpkin on Amazon ranges in price from our local markets. One may want to invest time into getting a raw pumpkin, however there is the time and effort that would go into processing it. The consolation is that it makes more soup that can spread over 2 or 4 meals depending on the number of people. The link to Amazon is below. If you come across more economical pricing, do let us know here @insideawareness – contact. What has been of value for this writer to get from Amazon are Pumpkin Seeds. They are usually cheaper and fresher. Once again if you have insight on a cheaper source than you find fresh drop us a line or connect on social media. YuPik is the brand and size I normally choose.  

Life Hack: Pantry Remedy using Caster Oil

Maintaining wellness naturally

Castor Oil is an old remedy for a variety of alternative self care uses. It has been used for:

  • Arthritis
  • Headaches
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Labor induction
  • Joint Pain
  • Skin Care for Hydration and Elasticity
  • Skin Care to improve Collagen Production
  • Skin Care to remove lumps and bumps
  • Skin Care to remove dark spots
  • Skin Care to remove lines
  • Wound Healing
  • Antibacterial 
  • Anti-fungal 
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Hair and Nails Health
  • Laxative Constipation Remedy
  • Caster Oil Compresses
  • Liver Cleansing

Caster Oil is a thick sticky oil that comes from the Ricinus communis plant. When applied topical it is absorbed into the skin. Castor Oil has the deepest absorption depth into the soft tissue making it a popular skin care remedy.

It contains ricinoleic acid which supports its laxative influences. This element stimulates the soft contractions to push out bowel movements.

In the article on combining Caster Oil with Baking Soda I mentioned how it softens the soft tissue around joints and bones to increase the range of motion through micro-movements. This inspired my interest I was motivated further when it began to dissolve skin tags when used as a skin oil for reverse aging effects. The exploration continues however it is reducing fine lines and plumping out larger and deeper ones. .

More on Combining Caster Oil with Baking Soda or order Caster Oil on Amazon with these quick links:

This information is for educational purposes only. I only give suggestions that I have tried myself and have noticed change through exploration.

Life Hack: Pantry Remedies using Caster Oil & Baking Soda

Maintaining wellness naturally

I was introduced to Caster Oil the day I gave birth to my youngest child. It was a midwife’s strategy to induce labour. It worked. I don’t recommend it based on my experience.

However, Caster Oil is in my wellness pantry and a staple with so many uses. Recently I began to use Caster Oil and Baking Soda together as a skin exfoliant on my hands, lower arms, neck and face. During the time I combined these two ingredients and rubbed them into my skin, I noticed that they had more benefits than exfoliation. It supported reducing inflammation in the soft tissue. As a Feldenkrais Practitioner, I use my hands daily and this is an important tool to reduce any inflammation in my hands to increase the felt sense when using empathy touch with students.

Each of these ingredients alone has wellness benefits however in combination they enhance the healing properties of both of them.

Castor Oil – has a wide range of nature benefits

  • Joint Pain
  • Skin Care 
  • Hair and Nails

Baking Soda – has health and beauty care

  • Balance Stomach Acids
  • Skin Care
  • Oral Health

15 uses for this pantry remedy that combines both Caster Oil and Baking Soda

  1. Reduces itching of allergic relations by calming cooling and soothing inflamed skin

2.    Reduce swelling and itch from bites

3. Removes warts, bumps, cysts and pigmentation spots

4.    Anti-bacterial

5.    Anti-fungal

7.    Reduce infections

​8.    Clears up infections like athletes’ foot, ringworm and acne 

9.    Quickens healing

10.  Speeds up the growth of skin for wound healing 

11.  Reduces inflammation

12    Relieves joint and muscle pain

13.  Hydrates skin – soften the skin – youthful and vibrant appearance

14.  Revitalizes the skin – plumps it out and creates elasticity 

15.  Reduces eye bags

Measurements of each ingredient for different uses:

  • Warts, infection, pigmentation and bumps: 1 part to 1 part (equal measures)
  • Skin hydration and calming, wound healing: 1 part Oil to 1/4 – 1/2 part soda

Read more benefits for these ingredients or order them on Amazon with these quick links:

More on Caster Oil

More on Baking Soda

This information is for educational purposes only. I only give suggestions that I have tried myself and have noticed change through exploration.

Life Hack: Pantry Remedies using Baking Soda

Maintaining wellness naturally

@insideawareness

Life Hack – Baking Soda, Pantry Remedy, growing up with a whiskey drinker this was the morning after drink! Now it is being used to sleep better, balance stomach ph, & more…… pantryremedies, lifehackforstomachacid @insideawareness

♬ original sound – The Macarons Project – The Macarons Project

This video demonstrates a strategy that my father used daily to calm the acid in his stomach. At least once a day I would hear the spoon clinking in the glass and know exactly what he was doing. His only other wellness habit was tiny liver pills. I have no idea what those were and I no longer see anything resembling them. However, I was amused to notice that baking soda is in my wellness pantry. I use it for various natural pantry remedies and cleaners in my household. Some of the new ways I have begun to use Baking Soda is in my skincare. I would like to share its benefits in the post.

As a Feldenkrais Practitioner, I discovered that Baking Soda will soften the connective tissue that hardens with repetitive use and effort. Sometimes there is pain and restriction to the joint and bone movement. Baking Soda is a water softener and when bathing with Baking Soda in the water it also seems to soften the skin, facia, tissue and connective parts, like muscles and tendons, etc. This softening increases the range of motion in the joints and micro-movements of the bones. Here is more information on Baking Soda and its potential uses.

Baking Soda for health and beauty care

  • Balance Stomach Acids
  • Skin Care
  • Oral Health

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda. It is a versatile all-purpose powder that has many uses from baking to calming heartburn, and for personal hygiene, balancing ph in mouth and stomach, skin and oral care, urinary tract infections, household cleaning agent and now it is being studied for cancer therapy. Baking Soda has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.

Cancer Therapy

It is an adjunct to cancer treatment and is being studied for its effects on tumour acidosis.

Oral Care

It is common to find Baking Soda listed as an ingredient in toothpaste however it can also be used as a mouthwash. It reduces acid in the mouth and fights bacteria growth and gingivitis. In toothpaste it is used as a whitener and element to remove plague. However, it is abrasive and if used at home from the box straight without other ingredients like in toothpaste it can wear down the enamel with repeated use. It is also used for canker sores in the mouth and on the lips.

Measurements for mouthwash: 1/2 teaspoon to one glass of water

Deodorant

Sweat only smells when it meets bacteria. Mix baking soda with coconut oil or shea butter to make your deodorant. This would be a nice option as it would support the lymph node health in the armpits.

Measurements for Deodorant: 1/4 teaspoon to one teaspoon of coconut oil or shea butter. Coconut Oil also has antibacterial qualities.

Skin Care

Baking Soda is soothing for bug bites and sunburns. It reduces skin itch and with it’s antibacterial and antimicrobial properties it would support skin rashes, infections and wound healing. The best way to experience the qualities of baking soda on the skin is bathing for 20 minutes or more. It softens the skin and supports ph balance. It is enhanced with the addition of Dead Sea Salt Minerals and would make for a wonderful rejuvenating experience. Especially if some essential oils were added like Lavender for relaxation.

Measurements: 1/4 to 3/4’s of a cup of Baking Soda per full tub of warm to hot water. It combines Dead Sea Salt Minerals and use 3/4’s to 1 cup.

Combining other pantry items mentioned in this post to create your remedies could include:

  • Caster Oil – Read more
  • Coconut Oil
  • Dead Sea Mineral Salt
  • Lavender Essential Oil

Read more benefits for these ingredients or order them on Amazon with these quick links:

Spice Tea to reduce cravings

Here are some spices that seem to reduce cravings and balance out digestion. I find they even reduce hunger at meal so the meal sizes naturally become smaller.

Spice Tea – These spices are a natural way I tap into for reducing hunger between meals and meal sizes. They are also packed with nutrients missing in our fast food and eating out phases. It is also good for digestion. Fenugreek was recommended for mothers breastfeeding to help babies with digestion too!

  • If you need to stock up your cupboard here are links to Amazon Spices:

An eloquent definition of the differences in interpretations of the value of cooperation

I am sharing Damion Williams’s eloquent interpretation of the value word ‘cooperation.’ He is sharing an understanding of how this word is used for different effects in our Western culture. This is a seed of understanding that lit up my consciousness during a process of conversational groups gathering to integrate values. No one knew their inner definition and understanding of universal values or each had a different interpretation. I loved Damian’s eloquence in explaining this experience in the use of the value word cooperation that I had to share for educational purposes.

Today the Moon goes into it’s full phase.

Today, Sept 17, 2024 is the last full moon before Fall Equinox. It also reflects the phases of my goal setting program that is structured around the eight phases of the moon that reflects when he intentions set during he new moon phase are set. I suggest it is the phase where, ‘it is done.’

Here is a little clip of a moment in time on the eve of this full moon that happened on my desk as I was working. It was a moment to pause and reflect. I hope you enjoy it.