OATMEAL MORNINGS

Ayurveda mornings: A grouding &

tri-doshic breakfast

As a pitta-vata (predominantly fire with a decent amount of air), I benefit from sweet and grounding foods to keep my digestion balanced and for overall mind-body health. This oatmeal is my regular go-to breakfast to bring in that balance. It also ensures I get at least one Ayurvedic meal in a day and that’s a habit I’m on board with.

“opposites therapy”

The sweet and grounding qualities of oats oppose the dosha qualities (fire + air) I often need to keep in check. This is based off of Ayurveda’s principal of “opposites therapy”—opposing a quality to decrease symptoms. Sweet and cooling foods keep my digestion strong and inflammation down. Grounding foods slow down my racing mind and bring in more relaxation. OPPOSITES THERAPY—this principal is the secret to it all.

Good news is, if you have a different dosha and different symptom imbalances than me, this recipe can be customized to support what you need.

oatmeal dosha tips:

1. OATS: Vatas will do better with rolled oats or quick-cooking oats as they’ll be easier on Vata’s sensitive digestion. Pittas and Kaphas can go with steel-cut oats or quick-cooking steel-cut oats.

2. SWEETENER: Not all sweeteners are created equal for the doshas. I use maple syrup as it’s cooling for Pittas. It’s also suitable for Vatas. Kaphas will do best with dried fruits. Think dried cranberries or apricots. Honey is okay for Kaphas as well but should be eaten raw, so in this case I would drizzle a little honey on top of the already cooked and plated oatmeal.

3. MILK/MYLK: Even though Pittas and Vatas can generally tolerate dairy milk (organic, whole and non-pasteurized), I just don’t really mess with dairy in the states if I can avoid it. I don’t trust it. So I either make my own seed or nut mylk or seek out brands with clean ingredients. Kaphas should skip the cow dairy altogether and opt for a seed mylk.

After many, many, many breakfasts, I’ve perfected this recipe to all my oatmeal desires and it’s wonderfully nourishing every single time. Try this recipe outline using the dosha tips above to customize your morning bowl. Enjoy!

AYURVEDIC OATMEAL

ingredients (one serving):

3/4 cup flax milk

1 date, finely chopped

Dash of cardamom + cinnamon

1/4 cup quick cooking steel cut oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill brand)

Pinch of pink Himalayan salt

1 tbsp sunflower seed butter (any nut or seed butter works)

Pure dark maple syrup

Topping options: roasted sweet potatoes ~ pumpkin seeds ~ toasted unsweetened coconut flakes ~ coconut yogurt

tools:

small sauce pot

rubber spatula

your favorite serving bowl

method:

1. Add milk, chopped date and pinches of both cardamom + cinnamon to a small sauce pot. Bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat (just heating the milk all the way through but being careful to not overheat the spices).

2. Once at a gentle boil add pinch of salt and oats. Stir with rubber spatula and lower heat to medium-low. Stir every minute or so to avoid the oats burning at the bottom of the pan. It’ll take about 7 minutes to cook through.

3. About 1 minute before oats are at desired consistency, add sunflower seed butter. Mix in with spatula and turn off the heat. Allow oats to sit for 1 minute in the pot as they continue to cook.

4. Use spatula to scrape out every lick of oatmeal goodness into your favorite serving bowl. I like to top mine with ALL the toppings and a good drizzle of dark maple syrup. Enjoy!

pro tips:

Toasted coconut flakes ~ I toast up a big batch of these weekly and store in a sealed-tight container in the fridge. That way they’re on hand to add to dishes for the week—yogurt, pancakes and even soups!

Roasted sweet potatoes ~ I also like to have a batch of roasted sweet potatoes on hand weekly. They’re so versatile and are an amazing addition to sweet + savory dishes. Just gently reheat in the oven or in a dry skillet.

mindfulness tip:

Try to carve out time to sit and eat breakfast in the morning without any devices. For everyone telling us it’s the most important meal of the day we certainly don’t treat it that way. Let the emails and the morning news sit for a few minutes longer and ground into this grounding dish. Smile with the sweetness.

oatmeal + the Ayurveda doshas:

~ Reduces Vata and Pitta due to its grounding and sweet nature

~ Kaphas can use steel-cut oats; be mindful with the sweeteners and use a nut or seed milk