Wellness is the new black. Where you purchase your green juice or vegetables is trendier than the label of clothing you are wearing. Lately most of the books or articles that I read are based on exercise, good food, and how they will enhance my energy, but I knew that.
However, I want more energy and to lose the foggy-brain-syndrome from consuming too much sugar. Regardless if that is wine or not, I want to have my body purring like a kitten. It seems lately that no matter how many essential oils I spray into the air or if I burn enough palo santo triggering my fire alarm from the lit stick and smoke, I am exhausted.
Because it is summer and I crave ice cold smoothies or anything frozen, the next-level ice cream has entered my recipe collection. One may wonder how ice cream can be considered good news for health or energy. I never get tired of eating avocados and by whipping them in a vita mix along with matcha, cacao, fresh mint, and schisandra to create an ice cream, I think I just may be onto something this summer. Healthy fats raise levels of good cholesterol while lowering the bad and avocados particularly are chock-full of healthy protein; in fact, it has more than any other fruit. Yup, it is a fruit. Maca enhances adaptability, supports hormone production and thyroid function while schisandra berry is an adaptogen which helps the body normalize its functions during stressful situations and increases the body’s resistance to stress and disease. So this ‘ice cream’ just may be the best thing for me this summer.
The idea of consuming more healthy fat is slowly becoming better known, although it was never exactly a secret. It seems that sugar and processed foods are the culprit to my low energy levels. It also seems that living on coffee during the work day and ending it by eating anything I want after five is no longer an option. Many CrossFit friends are following the Keto diet. Do you remember the bulletproof coffee phase this winter, coffee whipped with coconut oil and butter to sustain you for the first quarter of your morning? Well it is summer and I want cool. I want ice cold. I want ice cream.
After reading “Eat the Yolks by Liz Wolf, NTP, I happily enjoy fresh farm eggs, guilt free. So deciding to make my own ice cream with eggs, cream, a sugar substitute and healthy powerhouse ingredients just seems to make sense for those parched prairie summer days.
Any reservation I may have regarding ice cream this summer, will be thrown out the window while clutching my silver spoon and favorite bowl of iced superfoods. The idea of turmeric blended into coconut milk, cardamom, cinnamon and fresh ginger has captured my interest enough to pull out the old ice cream maker collecting dust on the top shelf. If I follow the idea of ‘going with my gut’ it can be taken literally. Inflammation in our body is triggered by processed foods, coffee, alcohol, and stress but not healthy fats, spices, or herbs. Some of these spices and herbs not only begs me to try new flavors but assists my health and energy levels. I look forward to finding farm products this summer to experiment with and create new recipes along with some of the herbs I have stashed away in my kitchen cupboards.
Perhaps the idea of including these ingredients into my ice cream this prairie summer may just be the new enlightened eating.
Sharlyn lives in Red Deer creating a feast with local ingredients. You can find more on Instagram and Facebook as Market Gypsy.