Slow Birth is ecologically attuned midwifery/doula care with respect to the balance of nature.

Over the years, the Slow Food movement has benefitted from a lot of traction in the sustainable food community. Everyone speaks about slow food, the ecology of mother Earth, where our sacred food comes from, how it’s been cultivated, even the soil composition. The food justice and sustainable food movement prides itself on preserving just food for all.

Because I’m in the birth business, it got me thinking about how this concept applied to a new type of birthing model, one that is ages old but getting lost in the fast-paced world we live in. That concept is slow birth.

Slow Birth references labor and maternal care practices that are respectful and honor the inner ecology of the woman, her sacred anatomy, her innate wild wisdom and her attuned rhythms. It respects that birth can take time.

Like Slow Food, slow birth is about going back to the basics, celebrating what’s natural. That doesn’t mean without sophistication. It does, however, mean [...]]]>

Slow Birth is ecologically attuned midwifery/doula care with respect to the balance of nature.

Over the years, the Slow Food movement has benefitted from a lot of traction in the sustainable food community. Everyone speaks about slow food, the ecology of mother Earth, where our sacred food comes from, how it’s been cultivated, even the soil composition. The food justice and sustainable food movement prides itself on preserving just food for all.

Because I’m in the birth business, it got me thinking about how this concept applied to a new type of birthing model, one that is ages old but getting lost in the fast-paced world we live in. That concept is slow birth.

Slow Birth references labor and maternal care practices that are respectful and honor the inner ecology of the woman, her sacred anatomy, her innate wild wisdom and her attuned rhythms. It respects that birth can take time.

Like Slow Food, slow birth is about going back to the basics, celebrating what’s natural. That doesn’t mean without sophistication. It does, however, mean listening to the sophisticated rhythms of the body and acknowledging that you don’t always need technological support. The body is highly sophisticated and undergoes a host of processes to bring forth a baby.

The time of birth cannot be predicted, and this phenomenon of uncertainty leaves medical practitioners uneasy. So many women have the experience of being encouraged to take medications to “move things along.” With their haste to speed up their labor via drugs, they alter the woman’s internal hormonal ecology, and she can become disconnected to what is happening in her body and start to mistrust. No one can govern the female body but the woman who lives in that body. When practitioners take a position to modulate the normal course of a woman’s labor (without good reason to do so) they perform an act against nature. The connection to the Slow Food movement is strong here: The widespread use of agro-chemicals in farming are also an act against mother nature.

There is also the issue of unnecessary medical waste that is accumulated as a result of the technocratic birth model (which mirrors the inorganic waste, chemical compounds and natural resources wasted from industrial farming methods). Midwifery care is less expensive and less invasive, and midwives respect the mother/baby dyad. Organic farming is less expensive, uses less energy and the produce tastes better. We have a lot to say about this when it comes to our food, but what about when it comes to our wombs? We have to work with women and their bodies, not against them. We have to work with mother nature’s rhythms, not against them.

In my labor support work as a doula (Greek for “one who serves”), I strive to work with the mother and keep her in the hormonal flow and in a rhythm with her baby. We use breathing techniques, visualization, sound, movement, essential oils and therapeutic touch to help her labor comfortably. When a woman trusts her body and has proper support, she can have an empowering birth – no matter what the outcome. If Slow Food is a movement that takes us back to the land with respect and honor for sustainable food, then Slow Birth takes us back to the womb with respect and honor for the sacred process of birth.

For more information on how to optimize your health, visit TenderShootsWellness.com

Photo credit: bies

Mother Nature designed the perfect complete nourishment for your newborn. Breast milk is a highly alkaline, nutritive, substance that contains immune factor, an impeccable balance of fats, DHA, protein water, and happy hormones that meet the nutritional demands and emotional needs of your baby while promoting bonding and neurological development.

Mindful eating during pregnancy, after birth and while breast-feeding is essential to maintain optimal health and wellness of a growing baby and new mother. Your diet during this finite period is of the utmost importance. The dietary requirements for a nursing mom are high. Nourish yourself with whole foods to support ample milk supply, adequate energy and hormonal balance.

Your little baby’s complex immune system Every baby is born with passive immunity. This is the protection that your immune system provides for your little one throughout pregnancy. At birth, your baby has a supply of maternal antibodies that help protect against common childhood infections in the first months of life: coughs, colds, chicken pox, ear infections. During the second and third trimesters, [...]]]>

Mother Nature designed the perfect complete nourishment for your newborn. Breast milk is a highly alkaline, nutritive, substance that contains immune factor, an impeccable balance of fats, DHA, protein water, and happy hormones that meet the nutritional demands and emotional needs of your baby while promoting bonding and neurological development.

Mindful eating during pregnancy, after birth and while breast-feeding is essential to maintain optimal health and wellness of a growing baby and new mother. Your diet during this finite period is of the utmost importance. The dietary requirements for a nursing mom are high. Nourish yourself with whole foods to support ample milk supply, adequate energy and hormonal balance.

Your little baby’s complex immune system
Every baby is born with passive immunity. This is the protection that your immune system provides for your little one throughout pregnancy. At birth, your baby has a supply of maternal antibodies that help protect against common childhood infections in the first months of life: coughs, colds, chicken pox, ear infections. During the second and third trimesters, the baby’s immune cells are forming but not able to work on their own. Around six months, your baby’s immune system will be able to produce its own antibodies and the timing is great because your passively acquired antibodies run out at about six months of life. This is one of the reasons why it is best to breast-feed exclusively for at least the first six months of life. The longer you breast-feed the better off your baby, so consider it an investment.

Your milk is the bomb!
Breast-feeding is the best protection against illness and support for the baby’s immune system that a mother can provide. Breast milk wards off illnesses common in formula-fed babies, provides protection against allergies and gastrointestinal infections. Your milk is a good source of highly absorbable minerals, antioxidants and other antibacterial substances that protect the baby against bacterial or viral infection. Your milk is also a top-notch source of essential fatty acids, which are vital to proper neurological development, immune development and growth. Not to mention that each time you breast-feed you are bonding with your baby. When you experience the letdown reflex your body also secretes oxytocin (the love and bonding hormone) and you and your baby fall in love. So your milk is literally a love potion.

Maintaining your milk factory
While breast-feeding you must make it a priority to look after yourself. Feeding and caring for your baby is awesome and it’s tiring too. It helps to have lots of healthy, nutrient-packed snacks around to provide you with energy. Fruit smoothies, green juice, nut and fruit bars, yogurt, nuts, porridges, soups, hummus and crackers, sandwiches and trail mix all help to provide sustainable energy throughout the day.

Drink adequate water. Your body requires a lot more water to make breast milk, which is mostly water. Avoiding chemical additives and excess sugar is always good too.

Eat at least five portions of fruit and veggies daily. This will provide the fiber, vitamins and phytonutrients needed by you and your baby. Having a fresh green juice or fruit smoothie in the morning is a great way to get an antioxidant boost!

Avoid taking stimulants while breast-feeding. Caffeine found in coffee, tea, sodas and chocolate can cause irritability and restlessness in you and your baby, so beware.

Protecting a formula-fed baby
For a number of reasons some mamas aren’t able to breast-feed exclusively. If formula milks are the only option or if you have to supplement for any reason, then this section will come in handy. Avoid cow’s milk-based formulas! Cow’s milk is designed to take a baby calf from 65 pounds to 600 pounds within one year. Why would you want to feed your child a hormone-laden substance that builds body mass at an alarming rate? You could opt for a vegetarian formula. There are also milk banks for moms interested in finding breast milk donors. Just be sure to compare the essential fatty acid profile of the formulas and choose the best option.

Add a quarter teaspoon of infant probiotic to your baby’s bottle once a day. This will provide some of the beneficial bacteria that is present in breast milk and protect against gastrointestinal infection.

Add a few drops of organic flaxseed oil into your baby’s bottle once daily to provide a source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Rub the contents of a 500-mg evening primrose oil capsule onto your baby’s tummy after bath time to ensure a source of omega-6 essential fatty acids.

Avoid overfeeding with the bottle. Bottle-fed babies don’t have to work their jaws for the milk and often overeat. Fat cells are laid down in infancy and an overweight baby is likely to be an overweight adult.

Kiss your baby!
Okay, so by now you’re obsessed with your baby! Did you know that breast-feeding moms can protect their babies by providing tailor-made antibodies to the bacteria and viruses their babies come in contact with? You already have a plethora of antibodies that have been created throughout your life that protect you against certain diseases. Many are totally irrelevant to your newborn, but others will give your baby’s immune system a vital boost.

When you kiss your baby’s cheek, you are effectively sampling the bacteria and viruses on his face that he is about to ingest. The bacteria get transferred to your body where your immune system is stimulated to create specific antibodies to fight these pathogens. You then pass the tailor-made antibodies back to your baby through your breast milk. So each time the baby is at the breast he is inoculated. Keep kissing and nuzzling your baby. What a perfect miracle!

Your shrinking waistline
Hey Sugar, good news! Did you know that breast-feeding helps to contract the uterus back to its normal size? It also burns calories. Breast-feeding can burn up to 600 calories daily. Just from breast-feeding alone you can lose a pound every week. Breast-feeding is also linked to lower maternal weight gain.

Photo credit: nicora

Photo credit: Timothi Graham

If you are pregnant or want to support someone who is please take these 7 tips to a blissful birth journey and add them to your arsenal. Remember to practice what you preach and that will make you even more effective in assisting the mother-to-be.

Ways to Support the pregnant goddess:

1. Holding sacred space- a woman must feel safe in order to give birth, if the conditions are such that she is anxious or afraid, the labor will be stalled. This is often the case in hospital settings where the medical providers do not allow time, space, and ancestral ritual journey in birth to take place. If you are hooked up to monitors and getting poked and prodded under florescent light in a cool and sterile room every 5 minutes, it’s not likely you would feel safe. Create a setting whether you are birthing at home, in the birth center, or in a hospital where the mother can relax and feel safe and carry out her [...]]]>

Photo credit: Timothi Graham

If you are pregnant or want to support someone who is please take these 7 tips to a blissful birth journey and add them to your arsenal. Remember to practice what you preach and that will make you even more effective in assisting the mother-to-be.

Ways to Support the pregnant goddess:

1. Holding sacred space- a woman must feel safe in order to give birth, if the conditions are such that she is anxious or afraid, the labor will be stalled. This is often the case in hospital settings where the medical providers do not allow time, space, and ancestral ritual journey in birth to take place. If you are hooked up to monitors and getting poked and prodded under florescent light in a cool and sterile room every 5 minutes, it’s not likely you would feel safe. Create a setting whether you are birthing at home, in the birth center, or in a hospital where the mother can relax and feel safe and carry out her birth ritual.

Ways to create sacred space include: lighting candles, burning incense, playing soothing slow music, run a warm bath, chanting, kissing your partner, putting a sign on the door- knock before entering.

2. Encourage Sound- we spend so much of our lives focused on being quiet, in school, in church, at work, in transit. We are constantly being told to shut up. When are we ever given permission to make noise- during sex and birth. It is every important for a pregnant woman to make sounds to connect with what is happening in her pelvic bowl. Sound amplifies sensation and really helps during labor. The hardwiring for our mouth and throat is directly connected to our pelvic floor and sacred passageway (birth canal). When you open and relax the muscles in the mouth and throat and make low and deep bellowing sounds, you also relax the muscles of the pelvic floor and make birth easier for both mom and baby. Conversely, if mommy tightens her jaws, scrunches up her face and closes her throat, the pelvic floor muscles will follow. Sound is a gift so use it.

Ways to incorporate sound include: taking deep breaths and sighing long on the exhale, deep Ahhh sounds, Oohhh sounds, the birth sound- Om can be chanted as well.

3. Practice Deep Breathing- your breath is an amazing bridge between the conscious and unconscious because the respiratory system is both voluntary and involuntary. You don’t have to remind yourself to breathe, it just happens. But when we are mindful of our breathing we can tap into an energy in the unconscious realm. What ever state you are in, your breath will follow. If you are anxious your breath will be quick and shallow, if you are calm and relaxed your breath will be long deep. You can also breathe to encourage different states. If you want the breath to take you to a relaxed state you can start breathing long deep full breaths and it will send signals to the brain to calming you down. This is so helpful for birthing women because the deep breath along with the sound enhances the trance state during labor. Women can not journey into their labor in a Beta brain wave state, or regular consciousness. They must enter an altered state of consciousness for the cascade of hormones to descend and the primal state to turn on.

Ways to incorporate deep breathing include- bringing soothing familiar scents into the room and taking long slow deep full inhales through the nose and exhaling through the mouth(as it releases some of the internal heat energy)

4. Get Moving- Staying in a static position is a sure way to slow down the labor process. Moving around during labor is primal. Its part of how we manage the intense surges of energy in the body. Finding ways to move the body to promote comfort and and opening is key during labor. All of those prenatal yoga hip opening exercises, spinal flexions, rolls. Movement not only encourages the baby to move down it feels good for mommy too. Walking and hip swaying are especially helpful as women create more wiggle room in their pelvis and squatting increases the pelvic opening by 30%, which doesn’t sound like a lot but when you are pushing out a baby, it’s tremendous.

Helpful ways to get moving include: slow dancing, walking, hip rolls, cat/cow, squatting, showering,

5. Practice Visualization Exercises- Visualization exercises are a part of every major spiritual practice as a tool to support entry into an altered state. I mentioned that women can not give birth in a normal state of consciousness- when thinking about their dry cleaning, their phone bill, or whether or not they look fat, etc. This sort of jumpy linear thinking is our brain operating on beta waves and when we are in that state we are not producing the cocktail of hormones that we need to progress in labor. The mundane has to be transcended for a mother to begin the ancestral ritual journey that takes her into her birth trance. This also includes fear. Fearful thoughts will shut labor down, so powerful visualizations are key. The shift from Beta waves to Alpha waves where the mother enters an altered state is much like when we enter into meditation, or a good daydream, that’s the place where labor begins and from there the brain waves can lead to deeper altered states. Why this is important to know is because there is so much distraction around women these days no matter where they are birthing. Having a set of tools to transcend the mundane and the fear will help labor progress naturally.

Tools for visualization exercises- practice envisioning the baby moving down the birth canal at each contraction, find a few symbols that can help anchor you into the space ie, lotus blossoms, the ocean, candle light

6. Offer TLC through Touch- Touch transmits feeling and intention. If you can place loving hands on a woman and also know when to not touch her it is a huge asset. At certain stages of labor touch is very helpful. Caressing while sharing calming and affirmative words of support are very helpful at certain stages of labor. Be observant and see what the moment calls for: foot rub, sacral massage, caressing the forehead, etc. Our emotional energy field will transmit what we are experiencing onto others. Pregnant women are so sensitive in labor and can pick up on any frenetic, or ungrounded energy around them. Make sure to calm yourself and be prepared to learn and serve.

7. Practice Affirmations- Courage is feeling the fear and rising to the occasion anyway. When we encourage with loving words we help others move beyond fear, inspire them to keep the faith, and keep on moving. Affirmations are positive phrases. Speak in this love language of encouragement to help support the mommy-to-be.

Some affirmations include: Your body is wise and can birth your baby. You are beautiful and strong.

Photo credit: Timothi Graham

The energy that infuses the web of life is vast and continuous. It is a dance of duality: between light and darkness, sun and moon, Shiva and Shakti. This ancient dance of opposites is what animates our living energetic universe. It’s responsible for all living things in our experiential reality. The conjoining of this male and female energy gives rise to a new generation, new possibility and continuum. “Sexual energy and birth energy are one in the same,” as my brilliant teacher Sheri Winston says, “hormonally, neurologically, and energetically.”

Birth is our rite of passage. We must reclaim it as the world of obstetrics is doing everything possible to take the power away from our most fundamental and sacred experience-birth. What an incredible phenomena. Every second of every day someone on the planet is giving birth. Bringing new life into the world is the most sacred experience. But more often than I’d like to imagine women are not experiencing the empowering and sacred birth [...]]]>

Photo credit: Timothi Graham

The energy that infuses the web of life is vast and continuous. It is a dance of duality: between light and darkness, sun and moon, Shiva and Shakti. This ancient dance of opposites is what animates our living energetic universe. It’s responsible for all living things in our experiential reality. The conjoining of this male and female energy gives rise to a new generation, new possibility and continuum. “Sexual energy and birth energy are one in the same,” as my brilliant teacher Sheri Winston says, “hormonally, neurologically, and energetically.”

Birth is our rite of passage. We must reclaim it as the world of obstetrics is doing everything possible to take the power away from our most fundamental and sacred experience-birth. What an incredible phenomena. Every second of every day someone on the planet is giving birth. Bringing new life into the world is the most sacred experience. But more often than I’d like to imagine women are not experiencing the empowering and sacred birth experience, which is their rite of passage and their baby’s birth rite. Most people don’t even realize the depth of labor until they have experienced it and when you go to a deep place in your birth or support someone through their labor experience you gain something intangible but expansive that you didn’t have before. When you travel to what I like to call “the underbelly of the moon”, you are tuned into an experience that is ancestral and takes you along a journey that all of us took to get here. Down the sacred passageway of the divine and into the external world.

As a wellness maven in the arena of women’s health and in particular during the childbearing years I am fascinated by the magic of the female body and what it can do. In our monthly cycle attuned to rhythms governed by lunar energy, having the ability to conceive, birth, and nourish new life. It’s very empowering if we perceive our life cycles as vehicles for transformation. I’m alarmed by the growing number of unnecessary C-sections, low birth weight, and even the rise in infertility amongst otherwise seemingly healthy women. There is a disconnect with the divine energy- the Shakti (female)essence.

I have been holding space for women in nutrition, culinary, labor support, offering workshops in yoga techniques for labor, teaching prenatal yoga classes and have been invited to be present at some births which was an honor. Most recently I decided to take the journey as a Doula and was awarded HPC Community Doula Fellowship and look forward to offering educational support, advocacy, emotional support, and tools for women to get out of their heads and drop into their bodies in pregnancy. I want women to trust that their sacred anatomy was crafted perfectly for this experience of birth, bliss, and bonding.

I want to share some known observations from my personal experience and from other birth providers, and mothers that are helpful for women as they transition into motherhood. Remember not only are they giving birth to the baby but the baby is birthing the pregnant goddess into motherhood. Each is offering the other a divine experience that is designed to bond them for life.

Coming up tomorrow: Latham’s 7 Tips to a Blissful Birth

There is a difference from taking an orange flavored Vitamin C tablet and eating an orange ripe with sweetness, its pith, fiber, and juices. Get your vitamins the old fashioned way with delicious fruits and vegetables. Learn which foods provide the most nutrients and put them to use in your kitchen and with the kids. Taking supplements is one thing and definitely has its place, [...]]]>
As a wellness practitioner and vegan mother with a growing 6 year old boy, I am constantly getting questions from clients and other mothers about what vitamins they should take, how many they should take, what’s the best label for prenatal vitamins and kids brands, etc. Supplements can be a helpful way to ensure you are getting certain vitamins and minerals on a regular basis, but it doesn’t mean that you are necessarily assimilating those nutrients. Mother nature has packaged plant foods in such a way that they contain everything we need in one package; fiber, phytonutrients, micro sugars, minerals… what more can you ask for.

There is a difference from taking an orange flavored Vitamin C tablet and eating an orange ripe with sweetness, its pith, fiber, and juices. Get your vitamins the old fashioned way with delicious fruits and vegetables. Learn which foods provide the most nutrients and put them to use in your kitchen and with the kids. Taking supplements is one thing and definitely has its place, but at this time of year during the fall bounty, when farms are ample with a variety of colorful produce of every size shape and color – why not cut right to the source?

Fruits and vegetables picked at peak ripeness deliver the most flavor and texture. When used along side healthy foods like whole grains, legumes/beans, nuts, seeds, you’ll be sure to get all the nutrients you need to prepare your body for the season to come.

Plus, eating foods that are better for your body also tends to be better for the planet. Choosing nutrient-rich, unprocessed foods (preferably seasonal, locally grown ones) helps curb the estimated 24 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions produced the food industry, a large portion of which comes from processing and packaging. Unprocessed and unrefined, natural, and organic whole fruits and vegetables offer the body vitamins, phytochemicals, in an easily assimilated form. No supplement manufacturer has been successful in replicating the way nature preserves and delivers these important nutrients.

Plant cells have a perfect protective environment for vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals keeping them potent and effective so that you get the full spectrum of health benefits when you eat them. Unlike with supplements, you never have to worry that you are getting too much of a certain vitamin or wonder if one nutrient will cancel out another. Choose a variety of colorful foods to eat and let nature do the balancing for you.

Now let’s look at our ABC’s of Vitamins:

A- Vitamin A plays an important role in our ability to arm ourselves against colds and flus and may help prevent cancers. A maintains the respiratory, intestinal, and urinary tracts, and helps the skin protect against viruses entering into the body and it promotes healthy eyesight.
Where to find it- Apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, collard greens, kale, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, Swiss chard
B- Vitamin B, a family of team working nutrients including: thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, B6, biotin, folate, B12. Each helps the body transform food into energy. Some replace old cells with new ones while others help keep nerve and brain cells in working order. Folate is especially important for pregnant women in protecting the baby against certain known birth defects. Vitamin B6 and B12 may guard against heart disease.
Where to find it- Asparagus, avocados, beans, corn, green beans, leafy greens( dandelion and collards), onions,peas, whole wheat, yogurt
C- Vitamin C is the multitasking vitamin, preventing colds, a powerful antioxidant- countering the effects of free radicals that could lead to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and neurological problems.
Where to find it- Bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cherries, cranberries, kiwi, mangoes, onions, oranges
D- Vitamin D is getting attention increasingly because it helps the body absorb calcium- helping prevent osteoporosis. In addition to keeping bones and teeth strong Vitamin D regulates cell growth. Not very many foods are naturally rich in Vitamin D, our bodies main source of it is through sunlight.
Where to find it- Sunlight- get outside between the hours of 7-9:30am to soak up some Vitamin D
E- Vitamin E can help limit the production of harmful free radicals and defends against heart attack and stroke. E plays an active role in activating vitamin K.
Where to find it- Almonds, avocados, dandelion greens, sunflower seeds, kiwi, leafy greens, mangoes, tomato puree
K- Vitamin K helps stop bleeding, enabling blood to clot. K helps strengthen bones and increases bone density. Even though your body can manufacture this vitamin on its own from gut bacteria, its still important to get it from food sources.
Where to find it- Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, watercress

Mix and match your ABC’s in your meals using the tips below:

Use the Color Principal- when selecting produce just remember, the more colors, the more balanced your meals will be, ensuring that you and your little ones are eating your alphabet.
Keep it Fresh- To really get the full on nutritional benefits of these ABC packed foods, make sure to source them fresh and in the season, canned and frozen are less than excellent choices.
Pack it in Each Meal- Make sure that each breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack is an opportunity to eat whole foods. Consumption of convenience foods makes our bodies crave the vitamins and minerals that we are lacking and often make us hungrier. If you do have a snack like pretzels for instance, make sure to pair it with something like apple slices and almond butter.
Make it Tasty- Using a variety of interesting marinades, nut butters, sauces, spice mixtures to enhance flavor of vegetables and fruits and create yummy side dishes, main courses and snacks.
Make it Fun- If you go grocery shopping with young children, allow them to be a part of the experience. Have them choose a food for every color in he rainbow- for instance, “today I would like you to pick two purple fruits or veggies, and 3 green vegetables or fruits” it engages young kids and weaves in learning at the same time.

I woke up this morning with a gentle dewy breeze slipping through my window, tickling my face. Slowly I opened my eyes and noticed right away that there was a new and distinctive quality of light in the sky. I rose up to start the day- starting with my prayers of gratitude. Then gathered myself to go hike and run through Central park nearby. The warmth of the morning sun and the cool breeze had Spring written all over it. I’m solar powered, so the sensation of evanescent warmth ignited in me a vigor to be active and explore the outdoors.

I have a background in plant sciences and botanical studies, so I always take note of the plants, what they are doing, how they are growing, as I am well aware that Mother Nature speaks to us through her intricate plant world. Sometimes [...]]]> *CSL received so many recipes in response to our contest that we will be announcing the winner in Wednesday’s Goddess Group blog! Take it away, Mama Glow Guru…

I woke up this morning with a gentle dewy breeze slipping through my window, tickling my face. Slowly I opened my eyes and noticed right away that there was a new and distinctive quality of light in the sky. I rose up to start the day- starting with my prayers of gratitude. Then gathered myself to go hike and run through Central park nearby. The warmth of the morning sun and the cool breeze had Spring written all over it. I’m solar powered, so the sensation of evanescent warmth ignited in me a vigor to be active and explore the outdoors.

I have a background in plant sciences and botanical studies, so I always take note of the plants, what they are doing, how they are growing, as I am well aware that Mother Nature speaks to us through her intricate plant world. Sometimes I stop and pick what I consider to be powerful plant medicine-dandelion, red clover, plantain leaf, lamb’s quarters, mullein; all growing in a most peculiar way. It amazes me that a tiny seed would see fit to germinate, take root, and sprout up through the cracks of asphalt- that’s what I call an Uprising! Such determination inspires me to do the work that I do with Tender Shoots Wellness. Sprouting seeds and budding new life giving hope and possibility beyond what we can imagine.

Look around- these powerful weeds are nestled in with other vegetation, so you may not even notice them at first glance. I’m starting to see a lot of dandelion and red clover bunches which indicates that it is time to collect these plants and do our own spring cleaning- internally. Dandelion is a strong bitter herb that has an astringent and cleansing action on the liver and kidneys. It helps to break down fats stored in the liver and gallbladder and promotes healthy colon function. Its a great plant to introduce especially as we transition from eating hearty winter foods to light spring inspired meals. The young leaves are a great addition to salads, and sandwiches.

Red clover has a cleansing quality as well. It is a wonder herb, used in treatment of cancer, joint disorders, skin inflammations, mastitis, it acts as a blood purifier, cleanses the liver, a diuretic- helping to remove excess fluid from the body, and helps clear the lungs of mucous, it improves overall circulation in the body.

Take a moment to check out some tasty ways to incorporate these spring cleaning greens into your diet. Enjoy.

Sauteed Dandelion Greens with Garlic
2lbs dandelion greens, thoroughly washed
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, bruised and smashed open
crushed red pepper to taste
sea salt to taste

Boil the greens in salted water for up to 2 minutes. Shock in a bowl of ice water to stop the greens from cooking, and to retain the green color. Drain and lightly squeeze out water. Heat the oil in a skillet then add the garlic, cooking over low heat, as the garlic begins to brown add in the greens, stirring, to mix in the garlic flavor, cover and allow to cook, increasing the heat for 3 minutes. Season with sea salt and crushed red pepper. Please buy organically grown dandelion because since most folks consider them a pesty weed, they are usually heavily sprayed.

You can also add Dandelion greens to a mixed green salad, to pack in some extra protein, add some raw pumpkin seeds, or walnuts, or hemp seeds. Sprinkle some dulse flakes, add some avo slices, and add your favorite salad dressing and you’re in business.

To have a gentle cleansing herbal tea, try the red clover tea below.

Red Clover Herbal Tea
1 cup red clover blossoms (fresh or 1/2 cup dried)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
4 cups filtered water
agave nectar to taste

Bring water to boil, add clover blossoms and mint. Allow to steep up to 10 minutes, strain off the liquid and sweeten if desired. You can find organic red clover blossoms at herbal shops and farmer’s markets, and online. If you take the time to wander through some blossoming fields outside of the city limits you can harvest bundles of this herb yourself.

Welcome Springtime!

Guidance,
Latham