Tempeh, Ghee and Easy Soup recipe

Sweet potato soup (serves 4)

This is a super simple, fast, delicious, nourishing and easy to digest meal that will make you feel good and energized.

What you need:

 2-5 sweet potatoes

1 can of coconut milk

50g red lentils / person

1 celery stalk

(1 onion)

(A couple cloves of garlic)

Turmeric

black pepper

Cayenne pepper

What to do:

Chop the veggies and put them in a pot with the lentils. Cover with water and heat to a boil. Skim off any foam, and add spices and crushed tomatoes. After 10-15 min add the coconut milk. Blend the soup to a creamy consistency. Enjoy alone or with a nice salad with avocado and fried strips of Tempeh.

A few words on tempeh: 

Tempeh is a traditional indonesian food made from fermented soy. The good properties of soy is that it contains all amino acids and is thus a very good source of protein. Unfermented soy is problematic because it has some very hard to digest compounds that mimic estrogen in the body, and if too much is consumed it will have an adverse effect on the endocrine system, making us too estrogenic with symptoms of moodiness, increased risk of cancer, feminine characteristics in men such as man boobs and low sex drive. etc. But when soy is fermented it loses all it’s negative effects and become a very nutritious and easy to digest source of vegetable protein. Soy also has the advantage of raising IGf-1 (insuline like growth factor-1) levels in the blood. Igf-1 is an anabolic hormone which means it will cause growth and regeneration of tissues. Too much can be troublesome, as can be the case when too much animal products are consumed habitually on a regular basis. On a vegan diet, especially long term, it might be a challenge to get the body to an enough anabolic state where it renews itself properly, we might feel unsettled and nervous and not sleep as good as we used to, and we might have a really hard time to put on healthy body mass. So for anyone on a vegan diet, and also for anybody who wants to get some of their protein from a plant source I strongly recommend tempeh as it’s super satisfying, easy to make and delicious.

Try it for breakfast with avoadoes and greens, or with your oats and/or smoothie if you’re into those in the mornings.

Here’s how to do it:

Get a pack of soy tempeh (there’s also other kinds out there such as grain and pea, but i prefer soy because of it’s amino acid content) cut as many strips as you’d like to eat and maybe a few extra to snack on later or to have with your next meal, Place the strips in a low dish and cover generously with olive oil, Tamari and a little applecidervinegar. The tempeh will soak all these in, without it will be quite dry. Let the strips soak in the juices for some minutes and then simply fry them in some coconut oil, or even better, grass fed ghee. To add some more building food to your vegan or vegetarian diet, add some fried tempeh strips to any meal of the day, or as a little satisfying snack if you need one, great with just some avocado, sauerkraut and some nice mustard. Mmm mmm mmm.

And some words on Ghee

Ghee is simply put pure butterfat, as in butter with all the water and protein removed. Usually it’s the protein in milk, especially an amino acid called casein that’s responsible for many of the adverse effect we might experience from milk products such as achy and swollen joints due to inflammation. In Ayurveda Ghee is considered a very sacred and medicinal substance, basically the essence of the essence of a humble, good willed and peaceful animal, the holy cow. Ghee is said to have the ability to penetrate tissue and go deep into to the body, carrying nutrients and medicinal substances deep into our cells. Ghee also has a lot of Ojas, an Ayurvedic term meaning essence, or crude life-force. In Chinese medicine this same concept is referred to as Jing. Generally all healthy animal fats contain a lot of ojas/jing. nuts and seeds, especially almonds are a good source of ojas, nut we must always remember to at least soak them in water overnight before consuming them. Back to ghee. If you are on a vegan diet i strongly recommend to make an exception when it comes to ghee as you will benefit greatly long term by having a few spoonfuls every day. Grass fed ghee contains the omega-3 fatty acids epa and dha which are anti- inflammatory and  crucial for a healthy brain and nervous system as well as healthy hormonal functioning and balance. Grass fed ghee also has fat soluble vitamins d, a and k2 which are crucial for strong and healthy bones and teeth. ghee made from conventional dairy will have much much less of all these compounds, so get grass fed ghee or make it yourself from grass ped butter, the Irish brand Kerrygold is one of the best I know.

Here’s how to do it:

Get your butter in a skillet or pot and heat it up on the lowest heat possible. As it melts it will begin to boil. Let it simmer and bubble and as white foam start to collect keep skimming it off. After some time the ghee will turn clear and you will start to see the bottom of the pot. Skim off any arising foam as well as you can. Pour the ghee through a cheesecloth or coffeestrainer and let cool down. discard the stuff you skimmed off. In India they mix it with sugar and give to kids and it might be pretty caramel and delicious. Probably not the healthiest thing for a westerner tho. The process of making ghee is great to turn into a prayer, ceremony and meditation, Infuse it with all your goodwill and healing intention for yourself and the world. Store it in a glass jar in room temperature out of light, it will stay good easily for about two-three weeks so make a batch that will last this long. Add a spoon or two to all your meals and see how full, satiated and happy it will make you feel. Bless the cows who transformed the essence of the earth in to this hormonal health nectar.

Daal and Kitchari Recipe

Hey all. Wanted to share with you my own versions of these classic veg dishes, they were among the first ones i started to do myself back in 2006 and they have been evolving together with me since. enjoy the kitchen magic you are about to create :)

Daal. (4 servings)

First of all, develop and learn to trust your feeling and intuition around cooking. Maintain a heart awareness in yourself, bring in all the ingredients, and the cooking food in this heartspace. Never do anything without it. Let it be your kitchen meditation. Incorporate a prayer and an intention of wellbeing and happiness for those you are cooking for as well as yourself. Surrender the process to the most high. Have trust and faith. as human beings we’r creators and an alchemists by nature and we can all make healing and delicious food.

Here’s what you need:

Red lentils 200g

Celery 1-2 sticks

Carrots 3

fresh fennel 0,5-1

Fresh ginger. Thumb size piece

(onions) 1

(garlic) 2-4 cloves

Grassfed Ghee or cold pressed Coconut oil 0,5-1dl

Crushed tomatoes 1 can

Tomato paste. 3-6 tablespoons

Grass fed dairy cream or coconut cream 1-2dl

Spices:

Cumin seeds

fennel Seeds

Turmeric powder

Paprika powder

Black pepper

Cinnamon

coriander seeds

Or any other spices you feel like trying, don’t be afraid to paint outside the lines. If you want strict, sattvic (balanced) Leave out onion and garlic.

And here’s what you do

Wash the lentils well, change water at least three times. This is an absolutely crucial step as dry lentils tend to be very dirty. Put in all your care in the washing, like washing the face of a baby. Heat up water in a kettle or a pot to a boil.

slice and dice Carrots, Fennel, Onions, Garlic and ginger.

Heat up the oil in a skillet. Add the whole spice seeds and fry for a moment before adding in all the stuff you just chopped. Let simmer on low heat for about ten minutes under lid, stir every few minutes.

Add tomato paste and dry spices, feel the right amount intuitively maintaining all the time an awareness of your own heart, connecting it to the ingredients and the food in making, incorporate an intention and a prayer of well wishes and care for those about to eat your food, yourself included. 

Let the mixture heat up while stirring. Add lentils, and a little more oil if too dry, don’t be afraid to put too much fat, it will make everything delicious.

Let lentils heat up and soak in the energy of your spicy paste and then add the crushed tomato. Mix in and heat up before pouring in the boiling water. Let the water level be slightly higher than the lentils. When boiling cover the pot and turn heat low.

Stir occasionally and add a little boiling water if the daal is too dry. Take care not to put too much water tho unless a watery daal is your cup of tea. Cook Silently for about half an hour. Enjoy with Rice, quinoa, steamed veggies, salad or whatever else you desire. I Love You.

Kitchari (4 servings)

A classic, Ayurvedic dish that’s balancing for all doshas and is used in cleanses because it digests very cleanly without leaving any toxins in the digestive tract. Traditionally is used split, yellow mung beans and basmati rice, but I like to use brown rice and whole mung beans. I like to soak these together over night, or even better soak overnight and then pour off the water and let the rice and beans sit in the pot under the lid for an additional 12-48h for sprouting. Kitchari will be done enough in 45-60min, but if you can let it go on low heat for up to three hours, this will really increase the potency of the food and make all the nutrients more readily available and easy to absorb.

Here’s what you need:

Brown rice 200g

Mung beans 150g

Carrots

(Onion)

(Garlic)

Fennel

Fresh ginger

Grassfed ghee or coconut oil

(Or any other veggies or root veggies you feel like incorporating. Soft, fresh veggies like broccoli or zucchini should be added late, about 10-20min before serving, while ie. Beetroot all the way from the beginning) If you want strict sattvic for balance and deeper meditation please leave out onion and garlic.

Dry Spices.

Fennel seed

Cumin seed

Turmeric

Black pepper

Coriander seed

And here’s what to do.

Soak and sprout rice and beans, wash first in three waters.

Heat a few liters of water in a pot or kettle.Chop up what needs to be chopped.

Heat up oil in a pot. Add the whole spice seeds and stir fry for a moment before adding in the stuff you just chopped. Turn heat low and cover the pot. Add the rice and beans, cover with boiling water and start simmering. Skim off any foam arising to the surface. Let simmer on low heat for up to 3h, stir often enough so the kitchari won’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Add boiling water if needed. Eat as desired with salad, sauerkraut, sprouts etc. I sometimes make a big pot of kitchari and stick it in the fridge and then keep on eating it for the next days heated up in the pan as I go about my business. Easy cos I don’t have to worry about meal prep for this period. Much Love and Enjoy.

September 2018 California

Greetings from Northern California. Fall is starting to be felt in the air.

I will begin by sharing the feelings arising in me about publishing this post. Fear of being judged, the text not being good or conscious enough, having too much ego, being small minded just writing about my own selfish experience when I could or should be writing about how we all should make the world a better place for the next generation. And here I am writing about eating meat and drinking tea. With that said I come back to myself love and that this is the real me, and my real experience this time around. I write more for myself than for anybody else. To move energy, to look at my experience from a different angle, to share to and write. And maybe, and hopefully somebody else will find at least a little interesting, or get some value from it. 

I flew in here the day before yesterday. Very smooth flow with immigration and took the Bart train downtown and walked to my hotel. Had a little cold going on and went out later to get some echinacea tincture from a small health food store. 

Woke  up early the next morning which was yesterday and went out into chinatown and this very local Dim Sum place filled with Chinese people speaking Chinese and drinking tea and having various dishes for breakfast. 

So I was sitting there feeling happy and drinking a pot of nice tea and having spare ribs for breakfast. Eating meat and animal fat again after two weeks of vegetarianism feels great. I feel much more stable in body and mind and my teeth feel much stronger. All respect to people who want to end animal suffering, I'm all for that too but I do think we're omnivores and personally my wellbeing is greater when i consciously eat enough animal products to stay my best. This is a topic worth gong into with more detail, around food combining and genetic expression etc. but that will be another blog, right now I want to stay on the traveling.

After Dim Sum and tea in two different restaurants which were very moderately priced by the way, I paid only about 10 in each, I went to check out some herb shops. Wild American ginseng was my primary desire but I ended up getting some sliced Korean Ginseng, wild Cordyceps and deer antler slices as well. I'd forgot how excited I get around these rare and precious herbs. Still looking forward to try them out as tonic herbs of this class shouldn't be consumed when one has a cold because they will close up the surface of the body system so that it won't be able to expel what need to be expelled.

I then decided to go to my friend Naeem's to pick up my motorbike stored in his garage for the past month. Him and his girlfriend had just had a little baby boy so felt special to visit them also for this reason. I ended up having a smoke with Neem and his homie which was surprisingly nice even if I don't really smoke weed anymore. Drank a lot of tea and had a super interesting conversation with his retired mother who is a very strong and special lady with a very mixed heritage of white, black and native American.

When starting to take off my bike jacket was nowhere to be found. We literally turned the whole garage upside down, took out a lot of stuff searching. But eventually had to give up. An interesting situation I didn't want to, and still don't want to blame anyone. But the jacket had to go somewhere. It might be possible It was left outside by me a month earlier, or maybe one of the tenants took it. Anyway, I decided to let it go, that jacket wasn't really me anyway. So rode on with my hiking jacket which works well enough even if it doesn't have any protective armor.

I was destined to Hopland a 100 miles north, the sun was setting and it was warm enough. Felt really good to be riding again. My odometer cable had broke a month before so it was a bit challenging to keep track on how many miles I rode. I also was riding with full throttle so gas was spent quicker than usual. I ran out of gas just about 10miles short of my destination. What to do but to start waving at passing cars, and lucky enough literally the fourth car passing stopped, and Brian and his wife and baby girl took me to a gas station where I got a gas can and gas and could continue on to my air bn'b. The place turned out to be a real gem, a small cob hut on this solar powered permaculture farm. As it is early morning when I'm writing this I still haven't really explored it much so Can't say more than that i feel very blessed to be here, sitting in this natural, well ventilated space with rounded forms inside.

So toady my plan is to ride around 240 miles along the coast and through the mountains to go back to hayfork and the farm that's been my base and home for three months and will be so for three more. Looking forward to the mountains, to get to nourish myself and rest. And of course to cook for the California tantra festival in about a week. wow. that's very soon. Exciting. My purest intention is for the food to be balanced, delicious, healthy and healing for everybody eating. And the kitchenwork to be fun, harmonious and crazy for everybody participating.

I feel very greatful and blessed for everything in life at the moment. My month in Europe and all the friends I got to connect to. My health and knowledge to keep healthy as best as I can. Good tea and herbs. And my freedom to live my life like I do. It's so amazing and humbling that I better just shut up about it now. I Love you, I thank You, I'm Sorry and I forgive you. Namaste.

Some of my favourite things

Some of My Favorite Things

What to me gets more interesting all the time is practises that takes only a little time and effort to do but that gives great results, some felt instantly and some more over the long term. And since I was also always into eating and drinking and changing my state through ingesting substances, I have over the last 10 years or so become ever more fascinated about substances that give me more energy and well being and nurtures me at the same time without depleting my body like coffee, alcohol or other recreational drugs. These has been Tonic herbs mainly from the Taoist tradition, and most lately high quality teas.

Wild Ginseng

This is my favorite herb of all times and I feel my being becoming ever more entwined with this very special and spiritual plant medicin. Wild ginseng is very rare these days and it’s quite pricey. Wild ginseng contains a lot of yin (earth/water) energy that really calms you and help you restore and adapt very efficiently to any circumstances. Ginseng energizes the heart, lungs and spleen energy and enhances your experience of connection to all living things. It tonifies, sort of collects, energy in to your central channel and helps you keep it there. Even though Ginseng is used as, and thought of mainly as an herb that tonifies your chi energy, gives you more energy and improves metabolism and gives an overall sense of well being, the really high quality old roots has a very subtle and beneficial effect on a persons Shen, or psychology, personality and outlook of life. It makes you more resilient, more calm, more loving and helps your spiritual practice tremendously. It’s said that one shouldn't be using stimulants like coffee alongside ginseng as their effect is quite opposite; coffee sort of disperses our central energy, blasting it out to circulate in your outer channels so you experience more energy for a short time, but in the long term your central energy will be depleted. For health, longevity and well being it’s crucial to protect and respect this energy, and for me this lesson brought to practice in every day life over the long term as a great achievement of maturity and wisdom.

The Five Tibetans.  (Video coming soon)

This set of excercises are done in synchronization with breath and take only around 10-15 minutes to complete. Some effects are  felt right away after doing the exercises, a sense of more groundedness, presence and energy movement throughout the body and energy field, a sense of being more collected. The major effects come gradually and over time when the exercises are performed correctly every day. The most important thing is consistence, to really do them every day and keep at it for long term. Personally I have been doing the five tibetans now for around three years and I can see how they slowly and surely sculpt my body and energy, building and building ever slowly but surely. It’s ok to miss a day here and there but never miss two days in a row. You can find instructions on youtube or online and please take seriously the instructions to start with only a few reps and weekly increase the numbers of reps by two, personally I had to learn this lesson the hard way. An interesting concept of gradual, slow building that takes years and years to accumulate, but whose benefits are undeniable.

Rebounding

So this is the practice of jumping on a trampoline, or a mini trampoline you can use in your own home, or on the porch or outside on a flat surface. Rebounding is a great exercise because the movement effectively moves every cell of your body with very little effort. It creates a pumping movement on the cells that help their metabolism, gets rid of waste and brings in new oxygen and nutrients. For best results do it outside and breath fresh air while rebounding. The best rebounder is the Swiss made bellicon trampoline that has strong rubber bands instead of metal springs. This creates an extremely pleasant jumping experience, soft, smooth, fun and quiet.  Rebounding really ramps up your metabolism for the rest of the day, even 10-15min is enough to create this effect. An other interesting effect of rebounding is the effects it has on your awareness and state of mind. It puts you in sort of a meditative state I usually start to notice after about 15minutes of rebounding. The mind gets more empty of thoughts, bodily  awareness grows and there might be new, creative thought forms arising in the mind. 

Sun Salutations

For years I used to do Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga every morning. After many years away from the practice I find myself doing Sun Salutations in the mornings again and being amazed by the results. The immediately warm my body up to the verge of a small sweat. They stretch my whole body effectively and makes blood and chi flow everywhere. They make my breath more whole and more deep. For the rest of the day I have stronger body awareness, especially my legs and breath. In the afternoons I many times feel some deeper emotions surfacing and being processed. So for now this is a practice I intend to hold on to for some time as it only takes around 20 min to half an hour each morning.

Organic, high mountain Oolong tea and Aged Pu-erh tea.

In Asia Tea is revered highly as a health enhancing agent and holistic medicin. This concept is quite unfamiliar for most of us westerners who grew up with Lipton teabags. Tea’s also been used spiritually and in ceremonial context because of it’s profound and rich effects on awareness and conciousness, that is when the tea is of high quality, organically grown, cured and prepared by traditional methods. In 2016 I decided to buy a small amount of High mountain organic oolong tea. I didn’t have many expectations and had really no Idea about how to brew it properly. After a few cups however I was amazed. The tea effected me greatly. It made me feel more calm yet alert in a relaxed way. I felt more grounded, positive and heart centered. My breath flowed more easily and I just felt really good all over, a very similar feeling to that of wild ginseng. Could this be for real? So I bought more oolong and had a nice love story the whole summer. Later I met a special brother at festival who was a real tea lover and connoisseur, and through him I found out about aged Pu-erh tea. The first one I ever tried was a tea from 1000 year old trees whose roots go down 30m in the ground picking up many rare and special elements from the earth. I could feel this tea slightly stronger, more dank and grounding with much wisdom stored in it’s essence.

Divine Healing Chi Kung. (Video coming soon)

This is an other set of energetic exercise that take only a few minutes to perform but whose effects you can really feel; they ground you, calm you and make you more present and heart centered, Its said that they work specifically on Lung and Heart energy.

Food Combining & Intermittent Fasting

These are tools to optimize your body's ability to digest and assimilate the food you eat so you get more bang for your buck and spend less energy on digestion. You will be healthier and potentially live longer when applying these principles around your eating habits.  Ideally you would do these two practises together. This might be more or less challenging depending on your life circumstances. 

Food combining made simple

For optimal digestion it’s good to keep it simple. Have as few different ingredients in every meal as possible, Ideally only one. Very Few of us are willing to go to this degree of asceticism. Below are some simple guidelines on how to get most out of the food you eat using the least amount of energy for digestion. If you get inspired and want to go deeper in to food combining there are plenty of theories available, these are the most basic guidelines that will give considerable benefit when applied.

1. Avoid eating starch and animal protein in the same meal. The digestion of these types of food in the same meal takes a lot of time and energy. Both types combine well with low starch veggies and greens such as broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, zucchini etc. You can also combine two different starches in the same meal with veggies and salad, ie. Rice & Sweet potato. Legumes go fairly good together with starch, and concentrated veg protein such as tofu and tempeh digest better together with starch than meat. Ideally you would also avoid eating concentrated veg protein together with starch and instead have it with greens and vegetables, and have another meal later on with starch and vegetables.

2.Always eat fruits alone, or with greens. One hour before, or three hours after a meal is advisable.

At first this way of eating may feel unsatisfying, you will not feel full after The meal and may have a sensation of something missing. You will however feel more energized and sharp after eating, and after some time you will get used to it. Less energy will be spent on digestion and more will be available for regeneration and creativity.

Intermittent fasting

This is the practice of having all your daily food intake within a certain time window, usually a 5-8 hour period. The benefits are similar to fasting for longer periods, but the practice is easier to integrate in to normal life and made into a  permanent way of life if so desired. Intermittent fasting will help your digestion and metabolism and tune up your endocrine system as well. You will feel more alert and your body composition will improve. Many people skip breakfast and have lunch and dinner. Personally I like to skip dinner so the body doesn’t need to run digestive processes at night, but can rather focus on repair, detox and restoration.  

What to expect

There will be a certain degree of emotional detox happening, especially if you tend to go to food for comfort and to avoid difficult emotions. 

When I started skipping dinner I would feel very lonely, sad and aloof in the evenings. A good thing I noticed immediately was the feeling of more time, so I started to make use of dinner time as my own special time to take care of myself or do something enjoyable.

It might take at least a few weeks to get used to the new way of living and eating, and probably months to really adjust. Your body will slowly adapt and you might feel starved from time to time. It’s important to focus on nutritionally dense foods, and to not be too hard on yourself if you have a snack or small meal outside your eating window from time to time. A ”relapse” done with self love and awareness will give you strength to carry on and make it less likely to overindulge in heavy binge eating. 
Before your metabolism fully adjust  to intermittent fasting there will be blood sugar issues and adrenal stress. Your body will go in to using reserves to give you the energy you need in the fasting window.  I find it's very good to use adaptogenic herbs such as ashwagandha,  reishi or ginseng to help the body cope with the stress of adaptation and over time you will find you don’t even really think about eating outside your eating window.

One aspect about Intermittent fasting I really love is the sense of feast and celebration when I brake my daily fast. I also love how sharp and ready to go i feel in the mornings, and how energized I feel after breakfast. My intention is to make intermittent fasting a permanent way of life if it keeps working out well for me.

Are you suffering from Low back pain?

Low Back Pain within a Chinese medicin context

I meet people all the time who suffer from low back pain. Usually we tend to believe the cause is in some way structural. This could mean muscular tension, misalignment or injury. In this text we will explore low back pain from the point of view of Chinese Medicine, especially the kidney system, and it's deepest essence called Jing.  Keep in mind this text is general in nature and the kidney system is not explored very deeply.

When we speak about the kidney in Chinese medicin we don't mean just the physical organ but a sum total of a set of frequencies in our system that manifest as bone, bone marrow, brain, reproductive system, joint health as well as the kidneys, adrenals and the emotions of fear vs .courage. With a healthy kidney system we feel safe and courageous, we sleep well and our body has strong bone structure and joints. We have a healthy appetite for sex and can have normal sexual release without feeling fatigued afterwards. When the kidney system is depleted or out of balance we might experience symptoms of low back or knee pain, weakened sexual function, fatigue or fear. 

The kidney system holds within a deep essence the chinese call Jing. This basically means our inherited, genetic strength, or the stored life force passed down to us through our lineage of parents, grand parents and great grand parents. This energy strongly influences our lifespan and quality of life, and it is slowly depleted just by living and greatly sped up by modern life stresses, stimulant use and excessive sexual activity. 

If you are experiencing low back pain is it worth to look at the following behaviors in your life and try to change them and see if it helps!

1.Stimulant use

Coffee, Yerba mate, tea, cacao, guarana, alcohol, tobacco, recreational/spiritual drugs. These all work by releasing a flood of neurotransmitters and hormones that excites your system, mind and emotions in various ways creating feelings of well being, alertness, focus, insights etc. They all have their proper use and can be a great help and tool for managing different aspects of life. Excessive use or even regular small amounts will use up jing. If we use up more than we can put back in from properly metabolized nutrition we will experience depletion of the kidney system causing different symptoms including lower back pain. If you on a regular basis experience lower back pain and you regularly take in stimulants mentioned above try to cut back or quit their use for some time, ie. a month and see if it helps.

2. Stress/overwork

When over a period time we are exceeding our body’s capacity of regeneration by working too much or being in stress for prolonged periods our body will use it’s reserves to keep us going. This will over time create a depletion in the kidney system that might manifest as lower back pain. Try to relax in the evening for a few hours before bed without exposure to computer/phone, take a walk in nature, meditate, read a book or just hang out with loved one(s) in a relaxed manner. If you find it hard to relax try moderate exercise earlier in the evening. Stressful times in our lives often go hand in hand with an increased use of stimulants to keep us going. This is ok sometimes, we cannot live full lives and avoid stress completely as we have responsibilities and need to accomplish things. If you experience low back pain stress might be the cause, so be mindful of this and try to get more downtime.

3. Excessive sexual activity

This concerns mostly male ejaculation. Semen holds a large portion of our available kidney essence or Jing in the form of minerals and fatty acids as well as the energetic charge of the body released in orgasm. Depending on your age a certain amount of releases is good for you, but when excessive it will deplete your kidney system. If you are a male over 30 it’s a good idea to quit habitual masturbation and get acquainted with tantric/taoist sexual practices where ejaculation is not necessarily a part of every intercourse. For females carrying and giving birth to a child is the most taxing on her body and in times of pregnancy extra care must be taken to nourish her Kidney essence.

4. Malnutrition/malfunction of digestive functions

This might mean weakness in the metabolism or digestive system, preventing the body from getting enough deep nutrion. This will over time also deplete the kidney system because the body will constantly need to use deep reserves as it’s not getting enough nutrition to produce the amount of energy needed for the output of the individual.  Do you have loose stools, irregular bowel movements or undigested bits of food in your stools? Do you experience tiredness after meals? Are you eating regular and balanced meals most days? A closer look in these topics may reveal that you are either not getting enough nutrition in, or that your body for some reason is not processing the food well enough to provide deep nutrition. The first step is to eat nutritious and well balanced meals around the same times every day, chew your food well and eat in a relaxed atmosphere without distraction. Avoid snacking and drinking large amounts of sweet drinks (also teas) in between meals. Avoid too many different foods in the same meal and don’t overeat.If you already have this routine more or less in place you might want to try herbs to strengthen digestion. Ginger tea is an efficient herb to use in periods, even better for long term, gradually working, building effect are Chinese herbs like astragalus (huang qi)  Codonopsis (dang shen), ginseng (ren Shen) or especially for women Angelica root (dang gui)

How to build kidney essence, or Jing?

Nutrition

It’s important to have a whole food diet devoid of processed foods and sugar. Moderate amounts of good quality animal produce will quite fast replace lost essence. Grass fed milk products is the most balanced ones. Bone broth is more effective but also a more aggressive therapy that more easily can cause imbalances. Seafood and eggs are effective as well as spirulina, chlorella and other micro algae. Keep in mind that seafood these days is very polluted, and animal foods in general are produced in a way that doesn't honor life. More on this topic in the post: animal vs. plant foods. Example of Other Jing building foods are: almonds, ghee, bee pollen and coconut.

Herbs

There are a number of tonic herbs that are safe to take on the long term that will gradually improve Jing essence. Some of the most beneficial are :He Shou wu, rehmannia root,  goji berry and cordyceps.

Exercises

In order to build our kidney essence we must have a good metabolism and move our bodies daily. Exercise should not be too taxing and should leave us feeling more energized after than before. There are specific exercises in the eastern traditions for building kidney essence, for example the five tibetans and various qi gong exercises. 

Quality sleep

Sleep is extremely important if we want to build our deep energy reserves. Points to consider: get to bed on time as every slept hour before midnight is equal to two hours slept after midnight. Try to relax for an hour or two before bed without any electronic stimuli, and don't eat heavy foods just before bed.

To conclude this article I'd like to point out that we really need to learn to respect ourselves and our bodies, especially our precious physical essence as it's the foundation of our health, strength, immune system and in the end our ability to create and manifest the kind of life we want to live. 

If your lower back is sore a lot of the time it might be you are low on Kidney Essence and may have to change some lifestyle factors to build your reserves back up again. This might help your lower back to get stronger and painless again.  I hope this information will help you, I know from experience that it works.

Animal and Plant Foods

Generally it’s healthiest to live mainly on a plant based diet as Many studies show that people that live the longest  have this type of diet. Animal products do have their benefits when used appropriately  with respect and care. 

A good question to consider is that no living being wants to die, and an animal raised and killed for food is no exception. Factory farming creates a lot of suffering and  heavy energies such as aggression and fear which is transmuted to it’s consumer, unconsciously in most cases. This is for me personally a good reason to steer away from animal products as much as possible. I’m on a constant mission of finding clean, sustainable sources of animal foods I can have from time to time without suffering, or supporting the misuse of life for profit.

In cases of bodily deficiency, malnutrition and weakness animal foods can provide a fast fix.  A plant based approach to building strength and nourish the deep reserves of the body might take longer, but might in the end also be a more sustainable solution that’s more beneficial for health and longevity.

 In correcting deficiencies and depletion caused by modern life stress with symptoms of having a hard time to relax, low back pain, constant worry, anxiety, depression and fatigue it’s essential to get enough medium chain omega-3 (Epa & Dha) , fat soluble vitamins (A, D, K2)  and minerals from our diet. A good quality fish or krill oil is an easy way to get Epa and dha. Plant sources are micro algae such as spirulina, chlorella and afa as well as the plant purslane.  Mineral storage are  also important to refill. Most easily this can be done with organ meats and fatty meats from free range animals fed a natural diet.  Bone broth is an excellent way of getting both healthy fats, fat soluble vitamins as well as bio available minerals into the system. 

A Plant based approach needs more care and patience as results will manifest more slowly.   Use a variety of the best produce you can find, vegetables, legumes, root vegetables, seaweeds, grains, spirulina, chlorella. Learn to make kitcharis and congees, they are very deeply nourishing. Helpful herbs from the taoist herbal system to replenish deep energy reserves and improve digestion in the body: he shou wu, gojiberry, astragulus, ginseng, rehmannia root, cordyceps and reishi.

The challenges of a plant based diet in modern times;

Factory farming and mono crops even organic mono farming  result in veggies and grains poor in nutrition. Many of us have a deficiency in medium chain omega3 fatty acids crucial for our brains and nervous system. if we have enough we feel calm and strong and can cope with stressful situations in an efficient way without losing our nerve. Usually we have far too much omega6’s from poor quality vegetable oils and seeds in our diets resulting imbalance with symptoms of mood swings and anger. Epa and Dha can be challenging to get from plant sources in modern times.

If you already have a balanced and healthy body and you’re used to a plant based or vegan diet you can get away with using plant based sources of omega 3’s such as micro algae, seeds (chia & flax), purslane or algae oil supplements. if you are already depleted /imbalanced and need to keep up an active lifestyle because of worldly responsibilities it might be best to use a good source of animal fats to replenish your body and correct the fatty acid balance to a more balanced state.

Animal foods such as meat, organ meats, fish, eggs and milk products as well as high quality supplements from the animal kingdom are nutritionally dense and strengthening foods that can be beneficial to consume at times of weakness, stress, depletion and fatigue. They quickly provide energy, strength and deep nutrition in the form of minerals, fat soluble vitamins, protein and medium chain omega3’s. If consumed habitually and In too large amounts they over time cause congestion in the system and shorten life span.

If we choose to use animal produce it’s essential to get them from responsible sources. We need to end the misuse of life for profit and treat all life on earth with respect and care. Large scale meat industry is an absolute disgrace and shouldn’t be supported anymore by anyone who respect themselves.

If you feel you need to incorporate animal products in your diet because of bodily deficiency or weakness, or because of demanding life conditions, please Choose produce from small family farms where the animals are treated with care and respect and have enough living space and get to roam around for their own food as much as possible. If you can visit the farm yourself and get a feel for the process by yourself you can decide if you can consume their produce with a clear conscience. If you don’t have any farms close to where you live try to get produce from farmers markets or online stores and co-ops that carry quality pasture raised produce from small farms. Organic and pasture raised produce found is supermarkets might be ok, but is usually mass produced.

Below is some information about different types of animal products that can help you make better choices for yourself and your loved ones.

Wild fish 

Wild fish have better quality fatty acids and is overall more nutritious than farmed fish that’s usually very toxic and nutritionally poor. Sea fish is very contaminated with heavy metals and radiation these days, but is generally  more nutritious than farmed fish. If you can get wild fish from clean lakes that’s great. If you do choose to eat sea fish please don’t have it more than once a week and make sure you have some chlorella before and after you eat as it aids the body to eliminate toxins. Farmed salmon is one of the most toxic foods found in supermarkets and should be avoided all together.

Milk products

Milk from animals who fed on pastures has a high concentration of fat soluble vitamins (especially A, D, K2)  and medium chain omega3’s, EPA & DHA. Depending on where in the world you live it might be easy or less easy to find grass fed milk products such as Butter, ghee and yoghurts.

Eggs

Make sure to get at least organic, or better pasture raised. If you can get some straight from a small farm where the chickens got to roam free the eggs will be of the best quality with dark yellow, even reddish yolks that indicate rich nutrition.

Organ meats & Bone broth

These are the some of the most nutritious and strengthening foods available. Make sure you get them from a clean source, pasture raised with loving care.  Liver is easy to begin with and once you get used to the strong taste you might come to like it very much. Bone broth is something worth to get acquainted with as well, find a recipe and give it a go. A far easier way of getting the benefits of bone broth is to get a good quality gelatin or collagen supplement. 

Supplements from the animal kingdom

Fish oil
A great source of medium chain omega3's. Make sure you get the cleanest product possible, like a pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Don't go for the cheapest option.

Gelatin & Collagen

An easy way to get some of the benefits of bone broth without all the hassle of actually making it. Gelatin & Collagen has building blocks for cartilage, joints, hair and nails. From a chinese medicin point of view these are very yin substances that help you to relax, restore and rejuvenate. A good brand is great lakes gelatin.

Colostrum powder

A powerful food that builds your immunity and heals your gut. It also enhances mood and gives a general feeling of well being. It's a perfect food with all essential amino acids and fatty acids. Be aware it can have quite an aphrodisiac effect especially together with Raw Cacao. The best colostrum comes from the company Surthrival.