It is beautiful to see the increased awareness of the power of food but let’s be honest, it can be overwhelming at times. What to eat, paleo? keto? to go vegan or not? what about herbs…do we need them? It can be easy to add all kinds of things to your wellness routine but then how do you know which is beneficial for you?
One of the reasons we are so passionate about sharing turmeric is because this one plant alone is a powerful addition to health for all stages of life, especially for women. As females we have 4 distinct stages in life that we go through, each one having very specific needs.
Holistic nutritionist Kristin Dahl has written about these stages and we wanted to share part of her post which is full of wonderful advice. It also highlights some of the challenges we can have at this time, which is one of the reasons why we have developed our golden range.
Turmeric isn’t just another spice but an ally for the stage of life you find yourself in right now. We’re sharing this particular stage (The Maiden) because we know this is the majority of women who currently support us and our ethos. We want to show a little about the why and how easy it is to introduce WW Turmeric into your daily routine to support your wellbeing.
MAIDEN
Approximate Time Frame: 20’s until mature or until the conception of the first child.
Main Areas of Focus for Maidens: Digestion, absorption, integration, transformation, maturation, forming an identity, developing talents, hormonal balance and stress management.
Vulnerabilities of Maidens: This life stage is characterised by increased ambition, education and competitiveness. Overworking, inflammation and having a strong will can often accompany these areas of focus. With greater attention being placed on career and monetary gain, physical and emotional needs are generally disregarded.
Our newest adaptogenic blends take this support further, adding in herbs that have traditionally been used for thousands of years to support stamina and help you adapt to stress (3) (Ashwagandha - contained in our Golden Balance) and Brahmi (in our Golden Glow) promoting healthy skin and hair as well as supporting energy levels, focus and concentration (4).
Adults in this stage are naturally more prone to imbalance, irritability and hyper-acidity. This can cause acid-indigestion, heartburn and other digestive disorders, and is often followed by hormonal imbalance and, eventually, infertility.
For many women, it has become normal to experience monthly pre-menstrual pain, often so intense that they have to take days away from work. Whilst we definitely advocate seeking out support from a functional medicine practitioner or registered nutritionist to get to the root cause and rebalance hormones we wanted to find a more natural way to relieve what can often be very distressing pain each month. We combined two of the most potent plants to create our Turmeric CBD oil. Research has shown that both CBD and turmeric actually work on pain receptors in the body (8,9) which make it particularly effective for menstrual cramping. The list of benefits of CBD are extensive, you can read more here.
The habits developed during this time are often carried throughout our lifetime. Make this an essential time of self-care and self-love. The nurturing patterns created will serve as a preventative measure to our hormonal health, fertility, well-being and long-term vitality.
Self-care practices are a non-negotiable part of our wellness routine and we try and promote them as much as we can. We believe that turmeric doesn’t just belong in the kitchen, which is why we also love using our Golden Turmeric Honey as a facemask. It can help reduce skin inflammation, balance oily skin and speed up healing. Combined with the anti-bacterial, nourishing and softening properties of honey, it’s an inexpensive, non-toxic way to get glowing skin. (5,6)
Healing Nutrients for Maidens
The qualities of foods needed to support these years are cooling, hearty, energizing, and dry. These elements balance internal temperature, prevent inflammation, nourish the body, and have a grounding effect.
Nourishing Foods: Raw foods (during spring and summer), vegetables, greens, nuts & seeds (excluding peanuts), healthy fats (ghee, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados), pastured eggs, wild-caught fish, lean organic meats including organ meats, and grains like brown rice, quinoa, and buckwheat. Probiotic-rich foods are also highly beneficial (raw sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, miso, etc.).
+ Plenty of Water - Drink ½ your body weight (in lbs) in oz. daily
Nourishing Herbs: Cumin, fennel, mint, turmeric, nettle, red raspberry
Grounding Teas: Holy basil, burdock, lemon balm
Herbal tea is one of the easiest ways to introduce yourself to the benefits of turmeric. We also believe in turning the regular practices we do, like making a cup of tea into small mindful rituals. One of the most effective ways to reduce anxiety and improve your resilience to stress is by practising mindfulness (10). Being fully present in the moment with what you’re doing. Making a Golden Mylk® or tea in a beautiful mug, sipping it slowly, taking in everything around us. Allowing ourselves to find inner calm and happiness in the small moments is what wellness is about.
We also believe this time in our lives is about developing and nurturing connection, with ourselves and others. Food plays an integral part in this which is why we love finding turmeric-based recipes that are not only delicious but nourishing. This kitchari recipe by Kristin is one of our favourites.
Lifestyle Recommendations for Maidens
To balance the fiery nature of this life stage, focusing on activities that promote relaxation is incredibly effective. Engage in activities to balance perfectionist tendencies and foster a healthy relationship with both the self and nature.
We are huge advocates of being outdoors. Spending time in nature is scientifically proven to lower the stress hormone cortisol, as well as boost mood and improve focus and creativity. (7)
Develop daily self-care practices and routines. Deep breathing, meditation, self-massage, breast massage, dry brushing, long baths and ample time in nature are great places to start.
Did you know that Wunder Workshop has a sister company? Boobs Essential. Created by WW Founder Zoe, made with 100% natural ingredients and essential oils, to promote the checking and prevention of breast cancer. Prevention is always at the heart of what we do, especially for us women who need to nurture ourselves daily. Self-massage is also a beautiful way to connect to your body and to the wisdom it has.
Move daily. Yoga, practised in a studio or at home, with or without video guides, is grounding and has both mental and physical benefits. Also try strength training, pilates, swimming and dancing. Walk, run, or go for a hike on a daily basis.
Calm the nervous system. Think Gentle thoughts, gentle approach.
Meditation calms the mind, strengthens awareness, and relaxes the nervous system. Meditation can be practised independently or guided. Apps such as Headspace and Calm are convenient and accessible, with plenty of free guided meditations available on each.
Journaling is a powerful tool for gaining clarity and accessing intuition. At the beginning or end of each day, practice free form writing, just letting the thoughts flow.
Breathe. Take mini “breath breaks” throughout the day or whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed. Simply inhale deeply for 7 counts, hold for 2, and then exhale for 7 counts.
We hope you’ve found this information supportive. We want to thank Kristin for kindly allowing us to share part of her post, you can read her full post here.
Kristin is a holistic nutritionist and founder of Dahl House Nutrition and The Women’s Wellness Collective. A beautiful online space and membership program that offers a wide variety of ‘female healing protocols that educate, motivate and inspire profound transformation. Topics are organized by life stage and created with roots in holistic healing, herbal medicine & functional nutrition’. You can find out more here or follow Kristin here.
Words by: Clare Fairhurst @cfairhurst_
References:
(2) https://www.nature.com/articles/nature07201
(4) http://rspublication.com/ijphc/2015/april15/3.pdf
(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25200875
(7) http://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/the-science.html
(8) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29722036
(9) https://www.nap.edu/read/24625/chapter/6#90
(10) https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/pst-48-2-198.pdf