Jamie Abrams*Raw Food*Yoga*Teacher

Supplements For Raw Vegan Pregnancy

I recently had a question from a reader:

"I am curious to know if you are taking any sort of prenatal supplementation aside from your diet?"

I often get queries like this one, not only because I am a long-time vegan with a penchant for raw foods, but because we are travelling and I am not undergoing the meticulous antenatal care that I had during my first pregnancy.

In my first pregnancy I took supplements here and there. For the most part I couldn't handle the smell of my whole foods prenatal vitamin. I would get lazy about all the other extras, except my probiotic, which I took religiously. When I go off of taking a supplement I have always put it down to my body telling me it's not the right time for that particular thing.

This pregnancy is special in that my diet is even cleaner vegan compared to my first. Plus, I had the big bonus of spending 3 weeks during my first trimester at Hippocrates Health Institute, eating an abundant supply of the healthiest food on the planet. Hippocrates recommended several supplements for me. However, I know my inability to stick to a rigorous regime of pill-popping. But I do take the essentials.

I also think it is worth mentioning that all supplements should come from a whole foods source - not synthetically created in a lab, like Centrum or other popular cheap brands. You can read more about this in Dr. Brian Clement's riveting book Supplements Exposed.

Here are my supplements:

• LiveGive HHI- Zyme Digestive Aids - (digestive enzymes)
• LiveGive Power Powder (blue-green algae)
• Ortho Bone Vegan (calcium)
• Probiotic
• Rainbow Complete Prenatal Vitamin
• Chlorella
• B12
• Omega-Zen (marine algae based omega-3)
• Chia or Mila (for omegas etc)
• Sun Warrior Protein Powder (when I have it available to me - to help keep my blood sugar regular)

I know it looks like a long list, but I don't take them all everyday. Maybe I should, but the reality is that I don't have an easy time swallowing capsules or tablets (read below for my tip on how to make it child's play).

I make a blended something or other every day, in which I will break open my enzymes, power powder and calcium, plus I'll add my daily portion of chia seeds to it, too. Basically, I will open up and pour the contents of my capsules on or in food whenever/wherever possible.

Also, before leaving the UK I consulted a homeopath, during the consultation she gave me a tissue salt programme for pregnancy using the New Era biochemic salts. The tissue salt programme is followed to help both mother and baby maintain optimum nutrition and balance the mineral content of the body. So I have those to factor in as well. (Anyone interested in the programme just pop me an email at jamie at raw-yoga-teacher dot com and I'll send you the details.)

I hope this sufficiently answers the supplement question for enquiring minds. What have your experiences been supplementing while pregnant?

Raw Yoga Teacher Tip:

Okay, for capsules place them in your mouth, take a swig of water and then take your chin towards your chest. Now swallow. Capsules hold air and will naturally float to the back of your throat, making them easier to down. I can usually take more in one go using this method.

For tablets do the opposite. Place them in your mouth, take a sip of water and your chin upwards. There is not the same amount, if any air, in a tablet. Their dense nature allows them to gravitate towards your throat, making them easier to pass.

Receiving this tip from a friend at Hippocrates was a revelation. Let me know how you get on with it!

Handstands and Watermelon

I think I may have uncovered a little somethin' somethin' that will get your a.m. mojo zipping, zooming and zinging. If you feel groggy with the summer heat look no farther! 

In the morning I shake off the night with a varying yoga routine on our patio, listening to the cicadas and sea waves rolling up on to the piers below. Each session has a different tone and theme contingent upon how I feel. 

However, there is one pose in particular that I have brought out of hibernation and it has quickly become a regular. I have gotten back into the habit of practicing handstands. 

Handstands can be easy to leave off the morning menu, but I have been making a concerted effort to kick my legs up the wall, engage my arms and melt my heart into a handstand. But, before I marry my hands to the floor, I enter the sacred contract with myself to check my ego at the edge of the mat and be present and accept where I am in that moment. Some times my handstands feel easier than on other days, but I am always guaranteed to experience the post-handstand high, which is worth every sweat drop. 

If you still aren't convinced that reversing gravity should be on your carte de jour maybe these benefits will persuade you: give your vital organs a much-needed rest, improve circulation, respiration, along with elimination, increase concentration, mental clarity and provides the bone-strengthening benefits of weight-bearing exercise to the wrists, fingers, elbows, arms, and shoulders, which may help to prevent osteoporosis. 

Click here to read an excellent article on beginning a handstand practice. 

After my sun-filled yoga session I tend to refuel with a whopping plate or two or three of watermelon. As a matter of fact, these days I can't seem to get enough. 

Yesterday, we consumed an 8kg mammoth in a couple sittings and the day before a 7kg melon. Luckily, watermelons in Croatia are well priced, no doubt because they are locally grown. 

To be honest, I can't recall eating nicer watermelon anywhere else on the planet. Croatian melons are superior in quality - to me anyway. And of course it helps that they haven't been shlepped around the globe to make it to my mouth. 

Most people think melons are just a bit of water in a pretty pink and green package, however they are a summertime superfood and have the most nutrition per calorie of common foods. 

Here are some watermelon perks that should encourage you to get the juicy fruit running down your chin and elbows (of course you don't have to be as extreme in your consumption as I have been!): excellent source of vitamin C, B, especially B1 (thiamine) and B6 (pyridoxine), high content of lycopene, potassium and magnesium etc 

Click here to read more about the health giving mammoth we call a watermelon. 

Basically, what I am suggesting is that If you want to start off the day feeling like a powerhouse then include at least one handstand in your morning yoga routine then follow it by a watermelon breakfast. It really is a win-win combination. 

*As always please be mindful of your body when trying new poses. If in doubt seek the advice of a qualified yoga teacher.

Sunny Ice Cream and Happiness

We've been in Croatia the last month basking in the sun and luxuriating in the Adriatic Sea. We brought a stash of goodies with us for making treats and desserts. This recipe was my brainchild one day when I realised we were running low on cashews (from all the cashew-based ice creams I had been making) and had a bountiful supply of sunflower seeds. 

My two kilo bag of sunflower seeds were begging to be brandished on something other than the refrigerator shelf. I also had some mesquite powder that I had been avoiding - I don't usually care for the after-taste, but in this recipe it goes undetected by my scrutinising taste buds, so a bonus for us all! 

I encourage you to play and tweak with the measurements as the ones below are approximate (I am guilty of creating in the kitchen by using handfuls of this and splashes of that). 

At any rate you are sure to feel sunny on the inside after licking down a spoonful or two of this chocolate-peanutbuttery-tasting summer treat. If you really want your happiness meter to soar through the roof, try the meditation technique below! 

Sunny Ice Cream 

3/4 C sunflower seeds (soaked several hours or overnight)

1/2 C almond milk (can use H2O) 

3 TBS raw chocolate powder 

1 TBS mesquite powder 

3 TBS honey or agave (may need to adjust according to desired sweetness) 

1 tsp camu camu (optional) 

1 tsp chlorella (optional) 

1/4 C cacao butter, melted 

1 TBS lecithin 

Add first 7 ingredients into blender - save a little almond milk on the side as you want a thick smooth consistency and not too runny. Once well blended, add the cacao butter and lecithin and blend again until well mixed. Pour out into a tub and place in freezer for 3 hours when it will be ready to devour. 

The trick with making ice creams and mousses is not to get too gun-ho with adding too much liquid to the mixture. Start with small amounts. If your hand was a little heavy, try adding more chocolate powder and little more cacao butter (you may need a touch more sweetener, too). 

Finally, top with any fresh, seasonal fruits, bee pollen, cacao nibs or chopped nuts for an ice cream that is sure to get you lapping every drop from the tub. 

Happiness Meditation 

Do this anytime, anywhere for a lift to your internal happiness account. Zenchai and I love doing it together at night as part of his bedtime routine - so if you have any kiddlewinkles in your life spread the joy by adapting it to their understanding. They deserve to allow their inner-bright to shine, too. 

First think of an affirmation for yourself. Keep it simple. For example: I am healthy. I am happy. I am well. Choose up to three short statements. Zenchai and I use 'I am happy and free.' 

Then, repeat your phrase in your head, directing the thoughts towards yourself. Once you feel you have sufficiently loved yourself up, think of someone else you love. (Zenchai inevitably chooses his grandmere and then throws his arms up and says 'I love everyone!' Repeat your same phrase but this time sending it out to your chosen loved one. 

After you finish sending your super-groovy vibes out to your loved one, think of someone that you feel neutrally towards - ie. the cashier at the grocery store or the guy that pumps your gas etc. Visualise them in your minds eye and send them your affirmation. 

Now think of someone you dislike or are having difficulty with (for children this could be a bully or teacher). With that person in your mind send your well wishes towards them. Lastly, send out your happiness affirmation to everyone. 

Finish with: May everyone be happy and free. 

You don't have to do all five steps. If you need a quickie buzz booster just do the first and last steps. Your chosen affirmation does not have to be said aloud either, but do so when trying it with kiddies. 

It is magic to my ears when I close Zenchai's bedroom door and he is still happily chanting 'I am happy and free. I am happy and I love you.' until he falls asleep.

Globetrotting Yoga

I haven't disappeared - although it might feel like it. But really I am on a walkabout with my family. We sold-up our London abode early in January and have been globetrotting ever since. 

We've touched down in Morocco, Ecuador and dotted various European countries en route to Croatia, where we are now. With the salty sea by my side and ample sun, my morning outdoor yoga practice has been transformed by the heavenly scent of pine and lavender. So far Croatia has been the most stirring to my self-practice. My appetite to twist, turn, unfurl and wrap pours out on to my mat here. It hasn't always been the case in our other locales, where it felt like my yoga habit was done more out of duty than desire. 

Our diets aren't completely raw (not that we have ever sustained 100% raw for great lengths of time anyway), but we are enjoying the bountiful fresh produce - cherries and apricots call to us daily. 

Travelling vegan has been fairly easy too, especially as we tend to self-cater. My outlook on our diet hasn't changed greatly either - we still eat vegan and strive to eat as much raw as possible. 

However, I recently read a book - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - that has me questioning the way we eat. Click here to read more about this. 

As our epic travelling journey continues to unfold I'll be sure to share how my yoga rituals, raw/vegan eating and mothering metamorphose.

Orgasmic Raw Chocolates

These are a delicacy in our home. They also make a perfect homemade gift ~ just wrap them in a bit of wax paper, then foil and a lovely printed napkin, tie off with a fancy ribbon. Need I say more? Luxurious, raw, guilt-free chocolates made with love.

Orgasmic Raw Chocolates

Ingredients: 

¾ C ground pumpkin or hemp seeds

1 C mesquite powder

½ C lucuma powder

½ C raw cacao powder

¾ C coconut butter, melted

¾ C raw cacao butter, melted

3 TBS agave 

Preparation:

Mix the pumpkin seeds with the three powders. Really take your time here getting all the bumps out of the powdered mixture. Add the agave and stir in the butters. You have to work quickly as the mixture does get thick, which makes it a wee bit more difficult to place into cute molds. Optionally you can place everything in a high speed blender, but this can make it too thick for pouring. 

Stir in any additional bits (this recipe is very adaptable so go crazy!). 

Place in molds (our favourites are hearts, stars and roses) and refrigerate for 2+ hours until firm.

Optional Bits Suggestions:

1 capsule Vit. D, 2 capsules Ortho Vegan, 1 tsp spirulina, buckwheaties, chopped nuts, gojis

Image via Flickr: QuintanaRoo

30th Journey

' Make me sweet again,  fragrant and fresh and wild, thankful for any small event. ' ~ Rumi 

I feel like I have fallen in some twisted time warp. Yesterday, I celebrated my 30th journey around the sun. Of course, I had a beautifully marvelous day. However, I am somehow left with the inner confusion of ~ How did that happen? Where exactly did all those years go? How did they pass so quickly?

But as I have a blissy birthday spa weekend in Budapest, compliments of my hubs, I don’t think I’ll contemplate my conundrum for too long. Instead I’ll pluck-up and go pack my rucksack while munching on my last slice of left-over Dediquantum cake.

(For the nosey peeps wondering what was on the rest of my raw gastronomic birthday menu, it was wild mushroom quiche, parsnip rice sushi, massaged kale salad w/sweet miso dressing, chocolate buckwheatie krispies, fresh strawberries and Kate Magic’s Dediquantum cake iced with my beetroot-coloured frosting and raspberries.)

 

Chia, Nettles & Banana??

What do chia, nettles and banana mash all have in common? Well darling read on for some scrumptious recipes and a surprisingly goopey ending!

Lately I have had a couple obsessions. In the way of gastronomy there are two things that can get my heart racing with anticipation. Firstly, is my chia seed pudding and secondly is my nettle infusion drink. Okay, so you might not be dancing in your pants at the thought of drinking a nettle infusion, but I KNOW this Chia seed dish will do the trick. 

Chummy Chia Pudding

Rightly named so! If anyone dare to try a morsel from your bowl you will have a best mate for life!

Ingredients:

½ C chia seeds

2 C coconut milk (although not ideal you can use tinned if you can’t make it fresh)

1 tsp vanilla

agave or maple syrup to taste

1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice

Mix the above ingredients together, cover and place in the fridge for 10+ minutes. Then decorate with anything that gets you kicking in your knickers! My favorite combination is 2 fresh figs, a handful of fresh raspberries and a handful of small chunked raw fudge.

Not Chocolate Chocolate Fudge

¾ C coconut butter, melted

¾ C cacao butter, melted

¾ C pumpkin seeds, ground to powder

1 C lucuma powder

1 C mesquite powder

3 tbsp agave or maple syrup

Preparation:

Blend melted butters together. Re-blend with remaining ingredients. Spread into a glass dish or mold. Place in fridge for two hours or until set.

This fudge will treat any sweet tooth kindly and your body will love all the healing ingredients. By the way, pumpkin seeds are great for keeping your man’s swimmers strong and healthy!

(Please note my fudge is a spin-off of Kate Magic’s Camu Believe It.) 

Needing Nettle Infusion

1 C (1 oz by weight) dried nettle leaves

1 quart water

Bring the water to a boil. Pour over the leaves and let infuse for 8 hours or overnight. Strain into a quart sized container and store in the refrigerator. The infusion will keep for a few days. 

This is super easy to make. If it tastes too green add a splash of lemon and a drizzle of agave, honey or maple syrup. I can’t think of a better way to throw absorbable calcium and iron into the body. Drink, gulp, slurp and if you have any left-over I’ll pop round for a cuppa! 

And before I go I just had to share this with you. Last week my doorbell rang. I opened the door to see two ladies on my step (and no they weren’t selling anything or trying to convert me). Now believe it or not the first thing they said to me was “Is your mom home.” As you can imagine I was a bit shell shocked and I stood there for what felt like an eternity before answering that I indeed was the mommy. 

The ladies where incredibly apologetic for the misunderstanding, but quite frankly I just wanted to hug them both! I am still totally smitten, especially as I received the compliment on the eve of my 30th birthday month!

Now what I haven’t told you is that two hours before they arrived at my door I had smooshed banana and rhassoul clay all over my face. I definitely looked like some kind of ghoul, but it must have done the trick! So the moral of the story is before you knock on my front door for Chummy Chia Pudding and a cuppa nettle infusion make sure it isn’t my squashed banana facial day.

Image Credits:

Chia Photo, Fudge Shot, Nettle Pic and Banana Snap

Rawsheed ~ Night & Shining Armour

Okay, hands-down, I admit I had the choicest raw meal ever while I was in LA. After a long day at my Reconnection course I scuttled down to SunPower Natural Café for some digs. But to my shock and horror when I arrived the door was locked. They had closed well over an hour before I pranced up to their door. However, a night in shining armour appeared. Rawsheed is his name. He must have seen me poking my nose around their opening hours sign, decided to take pity on a hungry stranger and opened the door. Rawsheed offered to make me a ‘simple’ meal to take away. 

Being totally blown-away by his generous spirit, I readily agreed. He could make me anything or just throw some left-overs into a box and I would be just peachy. Rawsheed skedaddled back to the kitchen.

Ten minutes later he breezed back into the sitting area with a surprise take-away box. We had a pleasant yarn, then off I went with my mystery container to my hotel. Now anyone who knows me will confirm for you that I am terrible with anything covert and hush-hush. I had a thirty-minute walk back to my hotel with a box of enigma! Oh how the mind can wander.

To my lavish eureka it was a divine meal of macadamia Alfredo with kelp noodles, massaged kale salad and other scrumptious delights. This feast was by far the best tasting raw meal I have ever consumed. It was so mind-blowing that I returned the next evening to order the same thing. But not only are SunPower Natural’s savory fares out of this world, their shakes are a godsend. I slurped down a few of the strawberry ones ~ not in the same sitting though! 

Call me a softy, but I absolutely think what makes SunPower Natural’s food so succulent is Rawsheed’s good vibe. It has been said love is the best ingredient to season your food with and at SunPower Natural they put a liberal amount into their cuisine. <Rawsheed, if you a happen to read this, what does a girl have to do get her hands on that Alfredo recipe and strawberry shake recipe?!>

So if you happen to be in LA near Studio City then definitely make your way over to SunPower Natural Café. There is just no way you’ll come away from there disappointed or hungry. 

Psst…I also bought a box of the Fruit Burst Cookies ~ they were heavenly! I wish I would have brought more home

Getting Back On The Mat

This is an article that I orginally wrote for The Mother magazine issue 36. This really is a timeless piece whether you are a mother trying to get back on the yoga mat or a person just trying to get on the mat in the first place! If you are mother, father or anyone that has a child in your life then I highly recommend a subscription to The Mother ~ it is truly worth its weight in gold.

Getting Back On The Mat

Pre-pregnancy, I had been teaching yoga for six years. I had at long last discovered a style  of yoga that tantalized every morsel of my body, leaving me to tingle for more. My teaching and personal practice was wildly flourishing. Finally I was at home with my yoga. 

Then I became pregnant. Initially nothing in my routine had to change. I was feeling fit and strong – well, between being sick into paper bags and out of car windows.  As my bump grew I had to accommodate the physical change. During the late stages of my pregnancy I had to halt doing almost all yoga poses, which was bizarre for me. In times past when I had day-dreamed about my paradisiacal pregnancy and birth, yoga was always an integral component. But my body just couldn’t handle the additional doses of elastin. It just made my body too unstable and hyper-flexible. So I resigned myself to doing only aquatic exercises, although I did manage to perfect a floating tube yogic deep relaxation, which was at the very least entertaining for the other pool users and lifeguards. 

After the quick, ecstatic gorgeous birth of my babe I was taken aback by how horrendous my body felt. I was a young yogini in the pink and a lettuce-gobbling lady in a total wreck. I wondered when the Mac truck had steam-rolled me?  I was baffled in regards to my physical state, on top of which I was scrambling to cope with all of my new mumsy emotions, too.

Let’s face it, in the early days of mamahood I didn’t even have the opportunity to wash my hair let alone think about doing yoga postures. Breastfeeding on cue, baby-wearing and napping at any squeaks notice took over my time. 

Then when my darling was about three months old, I started doing some gentle postures with him. My body felt so tender and raw. I think I spent most of the time weeping on my yoga mat wondering where my old body had disappeared to. I was deeply mourning the loss of the ‘old me’ on so many levels. At the time I couldn’t see past my buxom breastfeeding boobs to really distinguish that this was the ideal kind of yoga for me. I needed to be in that unprocessed space to release the woman I used to be so I could fully embrace the woman I had become. Even though I had advocated for years that the practice of yoga came in all shapes, sizes and forms, if it weren’t for those soul-searching moments I am not sure I would have fully comprehended the meaning. 

However, while the Scorpion in me was trying to figure it all out, my physical body remained in the dumps. My emotional and spiritual bodies swayed from pure elation to discouraged, low and overwhelmed. Yoga had been an anchor to me in the past. But its essence had somehow slipped out of my yoni when I gave birth and it felt so elusive. 

I recall going to my husband when my sweet boy was about six months old, telling him I didn’t think that I would ever teach yoga again.  The yoga world seemed so far away from where I was and that maybe motherhood was giving me a fresh start to turn over a new leaf. He was shocked to hear my revelation, but as always he was supportive. Upon reflection that was just my Ms. Hollywood coming out, creating a bit of drama, or maybe I was slightly hormonal!  

It was then around moppet’s first birthday that we made the modest transition to a raw food diet. As a family we had reached a place where it finally felt like I had enough gumption to start forming a personal habit of doing yoga again. Beginning anew was really daunting, but I knew that I didn’t want to feel like something that the cat dragged in everyday. I kept reminding myself that our bodies have cellular memory and soon enough my body would feel sparkly. 

Perhaps it was the clarity of eating more raw foods, but I also admitted mentally that I had built a whopping imaginary fortress around how I could do yoga. Pre-baby days I dedicated 1-2 hours yoga per session. The notion that I needed a set amount of time alone made it impossible for me to get back into a yoga groove. The rigidness of doing yoga in a controlled way had completely shoved me off my mat entirely. Once I let go of that fairytale concept my yoga practice unfolded.

My asanas (poses) have been transformed by Zenchai. I try to quietly get on with my session, but for him seeing mummy do something that looks so cool is just temptation to play. Most days my postures are flavoured with him using me as a climbing frame or using my various body positions as a car park or tunnel. I really love sharing my mat with him. I must divulge that having him jump all over me while I do certain poses is extremely therapeutic. It is hard to tell if he consciously knows this, but he often gives me quite delightful adjustments – almost exactly how I would adjust a student in class.   His skill is just one of those mystical gifts that only children bring to us. Sometimes having my sweaty mat to myself is an enticing thought, but then I wouldn’t be blessed to have spontaneous moments of ‘yoga hugs’ or ‘yoga kisses’. My most magical memory was when I was in a headstand and he came directly in front of my face to give me the biggest kiss and to stroke my face. You definitely wouldn’t get that kind of wholesome TLC in a group yoga class or by practicing alone. 

I can now appreciate how healthy it is for him to see me taking care of myself and how important it is for him to see that mama has a life outside of wiping bums.  

As a mother, I have more opportunity to practice the living yoga, which is just as powerful as the mat practice. I can only hope you will be more savvy than me by staying on your mat even when it feels impossible or unrolling your yoga mat for the first time and jumping into the twinkles that await you in the great yoga abyss  

With my heart held high and feathers proud, the most humbling yoga experience I have had to date has been becoming a mother.

Addictive Nori Bites

Last week it all hit me. I really felt like I had lost my raw food mojo. Lately, more cooked food than I would like to admit has made its way into my mouth. In a desperate plea to get back to feeling like a fire-cracker, I made these Addictive Nori Bites. If you feel like you want your raw buzz back or want that fresh autumnal feel in your body then do try this recipe. These spicy little devils are perfect this time of year when the air is feeling chilly and you desire a bit of warmth in your blood.

Savour & Devour with Love! 

Addictive Nori Bites

Ingredients:

4 raw Nori sheets, cut into small squares

¾ C almonds (soaked overnight and rinsed well)

¼ C sunflower seeds (soaked overnight and rinsed well)

1 celery stalk, chopped

Juice f 1 lime

Handful each of coriander, basil and chives

1-2 tsp curry powder (you can always add more to taste)

Dash of cayenne

Dash Celtic sea salt (optional) or Braggs/Tamari to taste

Black sesame seeds for sprinkling

Preparation:

Cut Nori sheets into small squares and set aside.

Blend remaing ingredients in high-speed blender until creamy smooth.

Take dollops of the blended curry cream and place on to nori squares. Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern (optional). Repeat until all curry cream has been used. 

Sprinkle black sesame seeds on top. 

Place all squares onto dehydrator sheets for 2-4 hours. 

Store in the fridge – that is if you can stop yourself from eating them all in one go!

Psst...My snapshots in no way represent how scrummy these things are. My last batch was a lot greener than normal because I added a heap more of fresh herbs, but following the above recipe they will come out more curry-coloured.