Perfect Protein Filled, Gluten Free Pancakes

In Chinese Medicine 5 element food medicine, Buckwheat is bitter in flavour therefore it has benefits for the heart.

In Western medicine, buckwheat slowly lowers blood sugars and is beneficial to reduce inflammation of the blood vessels. It contains rutin, a mineral that helps lower blood pressure.

Bitter foods work with the Heart energy and help the most for those suffering with menopause symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, palpitations and insomnia. Foods with this flavour such as lettuce, chicory, kale, green tea, watercress and turnips operate as an internal air conditioner, because bitter foods, disperse heat.

When combined with Oats energy circulates whilst the nervous system and Shen (Spirit) remains calm. With a broad span of minerals, both ingredients support the kidney/bladder and build energy.

Oats with their slightly salty flavour bring warmth to the digestive system, helping to clear toxins, including cholesterol from the large intestine.

Gluten free pancakes can be difficult to make as it is the gluten in flour that gives pancakes their elasticity but the buckwheat is super stretchy without causing inflammation of the gut and blood vessels.

Oatmilk Pancakes

(page 97 of Good Food: Better Sex)

– 100g oats
– 100g buckwheat flour
– 350ml milk (almond and brown rice milk also works well)
– 1 egg
– Pinch of salt

Method

Liquidize the oats, buckwheat flour, eggs, salt and milk so that it becomes a silky mixture. In a large non-stick pan melt a nob of butter and coat the pan with it. Pour a ladleful (approx. 50ml) of the prepared pancake mixture onto the pan tilting it so that it covers the base with a thin coating. These are a crepe style pancake rather than thick American pancake. When bubbles begin to form on the top of the batter in the pan, flip and cook for another couple of minutes. These are delicious with maple syrup and lemon juice but excel with a savoury filling. Try chopping a tomato, a couple of slices of hard cheese, grate a small clove of garlic and lots of flat-leaf parsley.

After you flip the pancake place the ingredients on one half of the crepe as it cooks so when it’s done simply fold over the pancake to form a half moon, slide it out of the pan and onto the plate.

This batter is easier to use when it is made the night before and left in the fridge to settle, simply whisk it to wake any sediment that is sitting at the bottom and add more water or milk if it has become too thick to pour.

Your journey to health and balance is unique, and embracing the wisdom of TCM can help you achieve lasting freedom from cravings. Be kind to yourself, listen to your body, and enjoy the process of nurturing your health.

Until next time, stay balanced and be well.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

Joanne Faulkner is a Qi Gong teacher – Chi Flow with Jo – teaching live daily online Qi Gong classes to hundreds of people; a Shiatsu practitioner specializing in the energy of food in Traditional Chinese Medicine and a published Author. Her residential and day Wellness Retreats focus on Chi Gong, self-Shiatsu & Conscious Cooking Demonstrations, and are extremely popular.

Until recently, Joanne was the Irish representative to the European Shiatsu Federation and is the former Chairperson of the Shiatsu Society Ireland.

“Good Food: Better Sex” and “Shiatsu & the Art of Conscious Cooking” , both written and published by Joanne, are modern cookbooks full of delicious recipes, Traditional Chinese Medicine plus acupressure points for health and wellbeing.

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Foods for Brain & Body Balance

Recipes

FOOD FOR BRAIN & BODY BALANCE

Did you know approximately 50% of people will suffer from dizziness, vertigo, or a loss of balance in their lifetime.
Quite often there’s no medical reason or explanation given as to why or how you can fix it.

Here I share Traditional Chinese Medicine 5 element foods to support your body and brain, helping you come back to physical and emotional balance.

The body’s balance system works through a constant process of position detection, feedback and adjustment using communication between the inner ear, eyes, muscles, joints and the brain.
Deep inside the ear, positioned just under the brain, is the inner ear. While one part of the inner ear enables hearing, another part, called the vestibular system, is designed to collect information about the position of the head and the balance of the body. Movement of fluid inside the ear canals caused by head movement stimulates tiny, fine hairs called silica. When these silica sense movement, they transform this mechanical signal into a chemical signal. Chemical signals are what fires the neuron’s in the brain, this is what tells you when you are balanced.

So keeping the ears healthy is essential if we want to remain balanced. In Traditional Chinese Medicine each organ is linked to a season, a colour, an emotion, a flavour, a time of day and much more. This is the 5 element system and it’s really quite easy to follow so you can learn exactly what you need for your body.
The ears, in Chinese Medicine come under the rule of the Kidneys. Even in Western Medicine the ears and the kidneys are connected. Did you know that hearing loss is a potential side effect of Chronic Kidney Disease?

As we age, Kidney energy decreases and we can suffer with tinnitus, hearing loss and poor balance. It is essential to keep kidneys strong with the foods we eat, Qi Gong exercise and acupressure.

Foods that benefit the kidneys, according to the 5 element system are blue black foods such as Nori, Dulse, Wakame and all the family of seaweeds. Dark coloured adzuki, turtle and black beans are also very beneficial. Wheatgrass and Barley-grass with it’s deep dark blue green colour will nourish the kidneys and of course, water. Whilst not technically not blue/black in actual colour, the way in which we depict the image of water, is always blue.

Next, following the 5 element diagram, search out the flavour for the organ. For the kidneys it is salty. Quite often the blue black foods are naturally salty, such as seaweeds and it is the deeply mineral rich food of this flavour that will really nourish the whole kidney system which includes the spine, bones, brain, reproductive organs, hormonal and nervous system. Other foods that are considered salty would include oats and barley. You can find a full list in my 5 element cook books that cover the colours, the foods, emotions, seasons, acupressure points, and energy exercises for each specific organ and system.

One of my favourite recipes for nourishing the kidneys and supporting the bladder, reducing stress incontinence, lessening swelling, eye puffiness and water retention is Barley Water. It can help clear the bacteria that causes urinary tract infections, vaginitis and prostatitis.

If you have experienced stress, joint pain, sleeplessness, or maybe burnt the candle at both ends, then make this drink. Stress is kidney controlled, pumping the body full of adrenaline so that we can go that extra mile. However adrenaline-filled situations create acidic conditions in the body. This Barley water drink can maintain the pH balance in the bodily fluids, although you may also have to address lifestyle issues, as well as food choices, to maintain Yin Yang balance.

Barley is full of potassium and other essential minerals. Potassium levels drop as we age, maintaining healthy levels of this important mineral is key to combating age-related issues such hearing loss, low bone density and balance issues. Scroll down for the recipe below, which is one of mine and my many 1000’s of clients favourites, returning to it again and again every winter.

If you’d like to learn more about how to understand your body, maintaining balance and health you can buy my books or sign up to future recipes and ramblings here.

Or sign up for the FREE QI Gong class at the end of the Month. December is all about building strong bones with Qi Gong Exercise, Powerful Acupressure points and Food Medicine.

Barley Water

50g barley – pearl or pot barley
2 litres water
1⁄2 lemon
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of dillisk (Dulse) or Wakame seaweed

Instructions

Place the barley into a heavy-based saucepan with a good fitting lid. Pour in the water, add the half lemon, the seaweed and pinch of sea salt. Bring it to the boil and simmer for an hour, make sure the lid is on firmly. After an hour of a slow simmer, use a fine mesh sieve and strain the barley from the water. Using the back of a spoon push on the barley into the mesh to get as much of the white gloopy mixture into the water.

Your journey to health and balance is unique, and embracing the wisdom of TCM can help you achieve lasting freedom from cravings. Be kind to yourself, listen to your body, and enjoy the process of nurturing your health.

Until next time, stay balanced and be well.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

How to Eat what you Love

Events

Sometimes food can become the enemy – not eating this, staying away from that – gluten is bad, potatoes are bad, sugar is bad, no carbs, low carbs, only carbs. Is it clean food, is it good for my gut, is it good for my brain – it’s all very overwhelming and choosing what to eat can become a minefield. The fear of choosing the wrong thing and facing the consequence of bloating, swelling, gas, reflux, eczema, colitis, psoriasis and/or cramps makes food into a demon to be tiptoed around.

However in my experience, as a Shiatsu practitioner, food is rarely the cause of the problem yet it is the painful trigger of an underlying condition. By interpreting the triggers and listening to what the body is telling us, we can go deeper, understanding and treating the cause. In Chinese Medicine, it is seen as treating the branch and the root.

About 20 years ago everything I ate made me hurt. The stomach cramps were incredibly painful and I would be doubled over unable to move for hours. I didn’t know what it was or what foods were triggering it, for a while it seemed like everything set off the agony.

For months I tried all sorts of things to fix it. In the end, it turned out that I had picked up the helicobacter virus whilst visiting Mexico.

I eventually cleared the stomach ulcers but it left me with a sensitivity to many foods, especially vegetables. After many soups, my stomach got stronger and I was able to eat a wider variety of crunchy foods.

Now the only thing I can’t really eat is broccoli and Chinese takeaways. Of course, this doesn’t mean broccoli is a bad vegetable or that Chinese takeaways are terrible.

It just reminds me that I have to be loving to my tummy, to not overdo it with cruciferous veg, raw green juices or monosodium glutamate.

Food can be a marvellous way to really listen to our bodies. To understand their individual needs and love and care for them as a mother would her child. Of course don’t keep eating things that don’t serve you and make you ill, learn to listen to your body and use the system of Traditional Chinese Medicine taught by Shiatsu & Conscious Cooking to interpret symptoms and see food as medicine. It is a path to a life full of delicious love.

Your relationship with food mirrors your relationship with life so love the food you choose to eat. Choose it, prepare it and devour it with sumptuous, sticky, lickable vigour.

I’ll share with you a recipe that got me through the ulcers and has strengthened my stomach since. Even now when my stomach feels crampy or my oesophagus tingly from reflux, I make this dish and my stomach is soothed. I will be teaching how to make this dish at the “Love what you eat” Retreat – Living wheat and Gluten free taking place in Wicklow (1hr from Dublin) 19, 20 & 21 October 2018. – More details below the recipe

Herby Millet

Millet is the most alkalising grain which is easily digested by the stomach and spleen. This is so comforting and grounding; mouthful by mouthful you can feel your stomach relaxing. Firstly chop and gently fry an onion for a couple of minutes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 25g of butter. Then add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, a large handful of chopped parsley and 250g millet. Stir in on a gentle heat making sure all ingredients are coated with oil then add the 750ml of stock, a very big handful of chopped sage, a few sprigs of thyme, flakes of seaweed and salt. Cover the pot bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes, adding more stock or seasoning if needed.

I encounter many people and treat many clients who choose not to eat Wheat and Gluten. It suits them and their energy levels. Brilliant……. Fantastic ……..however some of them have lost their love for food. It has become a chore, feeling that there is no pleasure if there is no toast. So I have created a weekend where you can fall in love with food all over again. I will be teaching a great range of recipes from

French Onion & Miso Soup
Simple pressed salad
Asian coleslaw with Avocado Segments
Herby Millet with Shiitake Mushrooms
Wheat & Gluten free brownie
Anti Inflammatory tea with fresh Turmeric

And fantastic Buckwheat Pancakes which are a great substitute for wraps and quick sandwiches

These recipes will help with treating the symptom. They offer fantastic, loveable alternatives to the food that no longer serves you. To accompany treating the symptom we will also look at the root cause of the sensitivities to foods and offer solutions to turn of the nervous system, to encourage self-love and build ultimate health.

To decrease sensitivity in the body and lessen the triggers it is essential we can learn to self-soothe and that we know how to turn off the flight and flight nervous system so the body can rest and restore. This is how we treat both the branch and the root – approaching the body as a holistic system. True health does not come from taking the correct medication but from allowing the natural forces within us to flow.

To this end, there will be guided Loving Kindness Meditation practices, walking meditations through the wooded paths and down to the secluded beach.

Each morning I will be teaching the Makka-ho which are a series of 6 stretches which sedate and tonify the organs of the body. They remove blockages along the meridian channels and improve the flow of Chi (energy) throughout the body.

I will also guide you through a series of major Acupressure points in the body for Chi flow, health and wellbeing.

The retreat will be completely vegetarian and will have a focus on balanced, healthy eating – demonising food and making it the baddie is a missed opportunity to work out what is actually going on with our bodies. Rather than limiting my palate, reducing my taste buds and constricting happiness, I’d rather fling out my arms open wide, expanding into full health with a mixed bowl of deliciousness, still curious, still in love with food and life.

Emotional Healing & Community Support

The weight we carry isn’t just on our hips, it’s in our hearts.
Feeling like you “want to be minded” is your body’s cry for nurture, not discipline.

When you join Chi Flow with Jo, you don’t walk alone.
We move, fast, cook and heal together. That shared energy keeps you accountable and loved through change.

You don’t need to fight your bodyjust listen to her again.
Start with small rhythms: stop eating after 8 pm, massage Liver 13, sip lemon water in the morning, and join our January program to be supported every step of the way.

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

Or drop in for a class and feel it for yourself (sign up below). Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

Perfect Protein Filled, Gluten Free Pancakes

Perfect Protein Filled, Gluten Free Pancakes