Tridoshic and Yummy Peach & Green Chard Smoothie

Okay.  So I have been working profoundly on trying to understand food and my body.  If you read my article, Vata Balancing Smoothie, then you’ll know that I claim a Vata imbalance which means that I tend to suffer from issues of dryness, anxiety, and an overall tone of being high-strung.  Well, in doing more research and some careful observation, I have learned that I am actually tridoshic, which means that all three constitutions are active in my system. Every dosha test that I’ve taken finds me tridoshic. And truly, I feel the force of the three doshas very strongly in me.  I have the athletic prowess of Pitta, the curves of Kapha and the ashiness of Vata.  I can eat tons of raw food which is totally a quality of Pitta, but I MUST HAVE a warm meal in order to feel grounded, which is totally Vata.  I’m also very drawn to the fiery curries of Kapha.  My attitudes are a truly fine balance of Vata, Pitta and Kapha.  I feel good settling into an understanding of my constitution as tridoshic.  You can use any of these to help you find your dosha:  VPK, Nature’s Formulary (I think this is the most accurate and informative), and Life Spa (also quite detailed.)

The last several weeks have been about finding a great dietary lifestyle that I enjoy long-term.  I’m tired of the gas, bloating, and nausea that goes along with poor food choices.  I have learned that what is considered ‘healthy’ by some is not necessarily good for me if it causes me gas or upsets eczema in me.  I do not have any food allergies.  I am not intolerant of any foods, except excessive sugar, which I avoid in a refined state.  I am exploring Ayurveda, the traditional Indian approach to the body and to medicine, because it looks not just at the ‘body type’ but also at the attitude and the personality.  In Ayurveda there are essentially three constitutions:  Vata, Pitta and Kapha.  These constitutions are called doshas.  Every person has all three doshas present within them, however, we tend to lean toward one dosha more than another.  One of my besties is super-Kapha.  The other is super-Vata.  My Vata friend is slim, high energy, vegan.  My Kapha friend is slow as molasses, curvy and omnivorous. Neither one is right nor wrong.  Both are glorious, beautiful, intelligent, hard working, extremely loving, generous, sexy and fun.  But they are different energies and you can see it in their physicality and you can know it when you listen to them.  They’ve got different constitutions.

My investigations of these last few weeks have been to find a sense of balance in my doshas so that I can have a sense of peace and CONSISTENCY in my life.  My moods change like a leaf blowing in the wind.  That’s not true actually.  My mood is super consistent.  I’m always in a state of receptivity, joy and surrendering to God.  I’m pretty fucking happy, even if I do have moments when I want to rip off somebody’s head.  But it’s my willingness to let me have my whole spectrum of feelings that colors me happy…

… And it’s my habits that are ever changing and dangerous.  One minute I’m glued to my bed binge watching Orange is the New Black, binge eating popcorn with ghee and obsessively working on my work programs.  The whole time I’m scolding myself for not working in a cafe in the sunshine and consoling myself for having to listen to my own aberrations and on the lookout for my next watch/food fix.

My airy Vata nature is most clearly witnessed in my particular intellect– always striving for the light, searching, processing.  This light searching thinking process is what determines Vata and what determines what I experience in my body and in the world.  Vata is driven in the pursuit of perfection of something.  It is obsessive in its clinging to thought.

Pitta is fire and for me, I am Pitta in my lower chakras.  Highly sexual, highly creative and suffering the effects of anger, passion and unending desire.  A dragon lives inside of me.  On some levels it sounds very sexy and maybe if I didn’t have such strong Vata in me, it would be.  But the Vata in me takes the Pitta in me and makes me overthink EVERYTHING to the point that I become ineffective.  All this good fiery energy is held prisoner by my head.

The Kapha in me is slow, laid back and peaceful.  My Kapha goes with the flow and finds deep love and meaning in the smallest of things.  It’s Kapha’s drive for pleasure that screws me up.  Pleasure makes me reach for the comfort of home, hearth and food… yummy, heavy, spicy food that upsets the other doshas and piles on the pounds whilst I sit in bed all day.

So look, I’ve done a bit of Ayurvedic study, but I had been putting aside deeper explorations until now.  What you are reading about Ayurveda on this blog needs to be taken with a grain of salt.  For example, Pitta can be just as heady as Vata, and maybe even more so since Pitta is about intellect.  HOWEVER, I intuitively feel that Vata is very much about the upper chakra feeling of being carried away by thoughts, but Pitta is more about the intense probing and reach for understanding of thought in and of itself.  Vata might be The Thinker and Pitta might be The Philosopher.

They say that you can’t change your constitution, but I’m not sure.  I know that there was a time when I was super high strung and very Vata.  But since my mom died and I’ve started living my life on my own terms, I am a helluvalot less high strung.  Yeah, I’ve still got an underlying anxiety, but whereas I used to be confined to my home by fear, I now spend plenty of time outdoors, socializing, engaging and participating in my community as an engaged member.  Maybe it’s my tridoshic nature that makes me able to recognize all of the traits inside of me– and to be victim to them.  Hahahaha!  Actually, I do not consider myself to be victim to them at all.  I am victim to no one and no thing.  But I feel better recognizing the grace that is bestowed upon me by having a tridoshic nature, even though it is delicate to manage.

So this morning, I got up and was looking for something to balance Pitta.  I wanted to have a Pitta balancing smoothie, and Joyful Belly had a recipe that called for milk (cow’s milk), cucumber and raw sugar.  I thought, okay, I’ll substitute that cow’s milk for almond and substitute the raw sugar for dates and blend all that with a cucumber.  But then I got into the fridge and there was no fucking cucumber!  Ha!  So I had to rethink the whole thing and I came up with this yummy concoction that was so damned yummy that it blew my mind.  So here’s my…

Yummy Peach & Green Chard Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 peach (good for Vata and Kapha)
2 dates (good for Vata and Pitta, but shitty for Kapha)
1 cup of home-made almond milk (good for Vata and Pitta)
2 leaves of green chard (good for Pitta and Kapha)
ICE 8 small cubes (Vata loves it, but shouldn’t have it.  Pitta likes it and can have it in moderation.  Kapha can take it or leave it, but shouldn’t have it.)

Directions:

Pop all the ingredients into your blender and blend it until smooth.  Drink it down quickly so you get brain-freeze.  I’m just kidding.  Don’t do that.  Drink it slowly so you can savor it and really enjoy the tanginess of the peach and the grounding of those dates.

By the way, I’ve stopped mixing protein powders in my smoothies.  I have found that protein powders make my smoothies taste funky.  I’m never satisfied with my smoothies when they’re made with powder and it makes me not excited to make them.  Smoothies are so much better without the powder!!!!  Instead, I drink the powder separately, dissolved in water. It tastes benign and I just drink it down quickly like it’s medicine.

Anyway, I hope you try this smoothie and like it.  You can also adjust it as you need to.  For example, I know that it would be delicious with Spinach, and you could throw in some ginger to spice it up a bit.

Feel free to leave your comments below.  I’d love to hear from you!  And hey, if you’re interested in doing the 45 Day Radiance Challenge with me, then sign-up below…