THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 22: YES TO TULSI (HOLY BASIL) 🌿

Tulsi, also known in English as holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum L, belongs to the mint family and is a cousin of sweet basil. It is a powerful aromatic herb that has been used extensively as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine. 

Its evocative scent is mesmerizing. Tulsi's unique fragrance qualities are spicy, sweet and herbaceous-somewhat minty, with a pronounced sweet, warm, clove-like essence.

Traditionally, tulsi is considered a purifier of the mind, body, and spirit. Some texts describe it as an adaptogen (stress modulator). One of the primary active compounds of holy basil oil is eugenol, which is a potent antimicrobial and is one of the compounds that gives it its distinct fragrance. Holy basil also contains other therapeutic components, including the flavanoids orientin and vicenin and phytochemicals such as rosmarinic acid and apigenin. The research on tulsi's other purported benefits looks promising, these include: blood sugar control, anti-cancer properties, and lowering stress hormones. 

As per Mountain Rose Herbs (one of my fave herb shops), holy basil has been “revered throughout India for thousands of years. Ayurvedic texts describe Holy Basil as a pillar of holistic herbal medicine and a goddess incarnated in plant form (the mother medicine of nature).” 

I distinctly remember my Nani - my grandmother - my mom’s mom - had a tulsi plant placed in the courtyard of her home in Gujarat, India. I am visiting her this fall and hopefully it’s still there!!

I decided to grow my own tulsi this year in my window box garden. It's growing like wildfire! I've been using the blossoms and leaves on my meditation altar, chewing on fresh leaves, and sometimes making a tea.

Give it a try! It’s a magical plant indeed! 💚

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 21: YES TO 🌿 COOKING

As you may know, I took a short break from The Year of Yes. It’s been a full and sometimes overly intense last few weeks. I needed some time to regroup. 

As promised, The Year of Yes will be including quick & easy plant-based meals! (See episode 20 for more details). 

My friend Scott and new East Williamsburg CSA neighbor-friend gave me the idea of garlic scape pesto. I took a look at a few recipes, but decided to make my own. So easy & quick! And so darn delicious!!

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches basil

• 1 handful garlic scapes 

• olive oil

• salt

• pumpkin seeds

• fresh / dried fresh pasta

Pulse together from lowest speed to medium in your Vitamix (or food processor if you have one.) I added more olive oil than I originally thought I needed  - enough to soften the leaves and make a nice chunky but moistened consistency. If you’d like to add parmesan to the mix, the pesto won't be completely plant-based, but i’m sure it’d be splendid and adda wonderful umami flavor. 

I used a fresh dried (eggless) tagliatelle. Pro tip* add enough salt your boiling pot of water to make it as salty as the sea. 

Pair it with a side of pan-roasted asparagus and cast-iron pan charred zucchini, pic 2! Or salad! Or sautéed spinach. Y U M . 💚

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 14: YES TO THE CLEAN 15

and NO to the DIRTY DOZEN (think: high toxin burden) . . .

Excellent resource, the EWG

If you’re familiar with the Environmental Working Group, great! If you’re not, the EWG is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. Definitely check out their website if you’re not familiar with them - they have lots of great information on everything from safer foods, the health of our tap water, and the harmful contents of beauty products (ewg.org).

Do keep in mind, however, that organic foods and farming, like anything else in life, is a complex issue, and never a black or white affair. Many factory "organic" farms are not as wholesome as they'd like to appear to be. When possible, I still choose locally grown organic foods for the reasons outlined below.

Why choose organic? Non-organic foods are often laden with endocrine disrupting toxins and have been linked to such issues as cancer, autism, ADHD, neurological issues, and pulmonary disease. There are also many other health issues that may be linked to pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that science is only starting to uncover. For example, there are studies exposing the burden of pesticide residue in breast milk.

Take a look at the two lists above. Since purchasing organic is usually more expensive than conventional produce, the CLEAN FIFTEEN and the DIRTY DOZEN are exceptionally helpful resources to help you decide which produce to purchase organic. 

Why organic farming? Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring comes to mind when I think about the current state of farming affairs in the U.S. and in many parts of the world today. Organic farming is usually better than current conventional agri-business farming for a number of reasons other than your own health. When done correctly, organic agriculture promotes long-term land and soil sustainability, minimizes water pollution, decreases climate change (by decreasing the use of petrochemical fertilizers & agricides and increasing the sequestration of carbon in the soil), and improves biodiversity (why those summer heirloom tomatoes are so darn tasty.) It’s also safer for those who are working to cultivate the food that gets to your local grocery and onto your plate every day.

What else can you do? Other ways you can help your health and the environment: purchase and eat produce that’s in season, eat less animal-foods and eat more plants, purchase what you can at your local farmer’s market, and join a CSA (community-supported agriculture). You can also take a look here for some safer alternatives to pesticides for insect control. Choosing these options help to remind us that we are all deeply interconnected - with the Earth, seasons, waterways and each other - and that your choices on a day-to-day basis matter.

Safe, healthy food for all

It deeply saddens me that toxin-laden foods are the norm and it seems completely inhumane that safer foods cost more that “conventional” foods. It’s another way in which socio-economic stratification develops in our communities and culture, where those who cannot afford healthier foods are left behind. We can speak with our dollars when we thoughtfully purchase organic foods, regularizing safer food for all. 💚

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 7: YES, SPICE IT UP!

At home with my Indian spice box.

It’s Valentine's Day tomorrow after all… so let’s get spicy!

Name a spice!

Tumeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, caraway seeds, chili powder, black pepper, clove, star anise, mustard seeds, ginger, paprika, chili flake, garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamon, asafoetida, chipotle... shall I go on?

Why are spices so amazing? For thousands upon thousands of years, spices have been used in food preparation and preservation as well as for their medicinal properties. At one time they were the hottest commodity out there (no pun intended), more valuable than gold, think spice trade, spice routes, and the accidental run-in with the Americas. As authors from Oxford Academic BioScience journal write, “Spices taste good, because they are good for us.”

1. Beauty, Flavor & Joy - Spices add gorgeous color and exquisite flavor to foods making them a joy to cook with and eat.

2. Health - Many spices have potent antimicrobial, anti-fungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and/or anti-cancer properties making them a healthy addition to your meals. A BMJ population based prospective cohort study showed that compared with those who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods 6 or 7 days a week showed a 14% relative risk reduction in total mortality. Furthermore, unhealthy pre-packaged and processed foods are full of added fats, salt, sugar and additives like MSG (monosodium glutamate) to entice our palates, mainly because they have stepped away from using spices for flavor.

3. Variety - They’re readily available, take up little room in your kitchen, and can be blended in nearly endless combinations, often working synergistically with one another or with other foods making them even more healthy (example: the active compound curcumin found in tumeric + piperine found in black pepper). Cooking with spices is a great way to keep things interesting while also keeping your body, mind, heart, and soul healthy. 

It’s no lie: variety is the spice of life. Look at all of the options you have! Comment below and let me know what your top three favorite spices are and why. 

Happy Valentine's Day! 💋 XOXO

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 3: SAYING YES TO ESTABLISHING A NEW HEALTHY HABIT WITH CLARITY AND KINDNESS

An example of healthy habit changes working, through objective evidence - labs.

This past summer, I was given the diagnosis of pre-diabetes (a.k.a. glucose intolerance or insulin resistance) and hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol and triglycerides). I was shocked and dismayed - me, an integrative and family medicine physician, whose primary practice is *prevention* and who, of course, *knows better.* I was developing metabolic syndrome, a lifestyle-based disorder that increases one's risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. According to the American Heart Association, at least 47 million Americans have it.

For me, the new habit was a change toward healthier, #plantbased food choices. I also started a few herbs & minerals to support this change. I have been sticking to this new habit with discipline, but that of course, doesn't mean perfectly.

Perfection is not essential and not realistic when making any new change. We are human after all, and life from time to time can be completely unpredictable. MOST of the time is good enough. Take a look at the results in the photo above, truly remarkable!

When starting a new habit consciously, it's incredibly important to really get into the *WHY* you want/need to make this change. The healthy habits that stick the best and that are easiest to follow have a clear WHY attached to them.

Formed habits mean your choices and actions get to be on auto-pilot, freeing up mental space for other things - like creative thinking. A 2012 British Journal of General Practice article gives us some insight on the development of healthy habits.

"Habits are cognitively efficient, because the automation of common actions frees mental resources for other tasks... [habit formation] begins at the ‘initiation phase’, during which the new behavior and the context in which it will be done are selected. [Then] automaticity develops in the subsequent ‘learning phase' ... and culminates in the ‘stability phase’, at which the habit has formed and its strength has plateaued, so that it persists over time with minimal effort or deliberation."

Better food choices have become more habitual for me. However, once you begin a new healthy habit, know clearly there are going to be days you do it really well and days you miss/forget/falter. Be kind to yourself and have no fear! Tomorrow is always a new beginning.

Your inner critic will encourage you to fail and try hard to make you feel like a failure. Acknowledge your inner critic, say “hi” to it/her/him/them, and then tell it “I acknowledge this voice, but you're not real, this is not me, you don't actually exist." Then remember the WHY you are making the change that you are and begin again. I know this may sound a bit silly but it truly works! Try it!

And remember, life is nothing but a million new beginnings. 💚

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.