Superfood Shortbread Cookies and Immunity Elixir. Photo by Joy Coelho

Sweet foods can evoke sweet feelings of holiday cheer: hot chocolate, spiced lattes, and seasonal soups and stews. Adding tonic foods that strengthen immunity to recipes is a cleverly conscious comfort food hack that can make those foods even more powerful—so that when we eat them, we’re feeding our bodies, our souls, and the health of our immune system.

Mushroom Magic: Chaga, Reishi and Coriolus

These top three tonic medicinal mushrooms have a long history of traditional use as well as a proven track record in cuisines and traditional systems of medicine around the world for thousands of years. Their modern use in the US has been increasing in the past 20 years. There are numerous studies showing that mushrooms possess remarkable biologically active compounds with measurable protective effects on our physiology.

Reishi, chaga, and coriolus (also called turkey tail) have powerful anti-viral properties. They contain high levels of beta-glucans, which are compounds that keep Killer T cells on guard; killer T cells are one of the key cells of our immune system. These mushrooms also possess a kickass antioxidant called ergothioneine that helps lower inflammation systemically. That means that all of your pieces and parts have another awesome layer of protection.

The Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine published a study in 2005 reporting that mushrooms contain “compounds and complex substances with antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-tumor, antiallergic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, hypoglycemic, and hepatoprotective activities.”

In the wild, these mushrooms need to have strong antibacterial and antifungal defenses to survive. They in turn pass these beneficial compounds on to us to protect our human cells.

These stellar mushrooms have even displayed the ability to abolish some of the deadly multi-antibiotic resistant bacterial strains and microorganisms responsible for gut and skin problems. Did you know that penicillin and streptomycin are also mushroom extracts? Medicinal mushrooms have also been shown to protect our DNA from damage and can stop cell mutation while protecting our healthy cells.

Astragalus Root

Numerous scientific studies have confirmed that astragalus has antiviral properties and stimulates your immune system, demonstrating that it can aid in the prevention of the common cold or seasonal flua. Astragalus root is a mighty herb and has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for millennia. On a culinary note, it also blends (much like chaga), with chocolate and coffee as it leans into those flavors beautifully.

Astragalus improves many aspects of qi, including the “Protective Qi,” which is a part of the immune system, and “Upright Qi,” which supports the body against the forces of gravity.
Astragalus has been shown to have modulating effects for Th1/Th2 immune imbalances. It contains a number of tonic saponins, including Astragaloside IV, which is used in the patented supplement TA-65® and has been shown to slow down the shortening of, and even increase the length of telomeres.

Cold weather stresses our immune systems and can stimulate a cold sore breakout in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. A 2004 study evaluated the effects of astragalus on Herpes Simplex Type 1 and found that the herb has obvious inhibiting efficacy. In the Chinese Medical Sciences Journal they reported that astragalus is able to inhibit viral and bacterial growth in mice.

Raw Manuka Honey

Manuka honey is made by bees who pollinate the phytochemically active Manuka bush, which grows in New Zealand and Australia. This form of honey is a remarkable healer. Topically, a little Manuka honey mixed with colloidal silver can cut the healing time of a cold sore in half. The higher the potency of the Manuka the more power it wields. The honey’s potency will be indicated by a plus sign and a number, such as +16, +24 right on the front of the jar.

An old-school sore throat soothing trick is Manuka honey and fresh lemon juice in equal parts to swish and gargle. We don’t normally use raw honey in a hot drink or in baking as it loses its efficacy when heated.

All of these badass herbs can be in your biohacking arsenal of well-being year round.

JingSlinger Haute Chocolate

One of the great things about this hot chocolate recipe is that you can cleverly cloak the earthy, bitter-tasting medicinal herbs. Both discerning adults and persnickety kids drink it down and ask for more without detecting the cellular superfood upgrade they just guzzled. Once you chose the function you desire (in this case immunity), you can then use the appropriate functional herbs that lean into the flavor of the chocolate.

Immune System Tonic Hot Chocolate. Photo by Joy Coelho

Gather Up

1 cup (250ml) coconut milk
1 cup (250ml) water
3 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp cacao butter
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
¼ tsp vanilla stevia
¼ tsp chocolate stevia
¼ tsp toffee stevia
1 tsp xylitol

Jing It Up! (Optional additional superfood ingredients)

1 tbsp ghee/coconut oil
2 tbsp collagen powder
(If you can only find capsules of these herbs, no worries
simply open and empty the capsules into the blender)
½ tsp reishi mushroom powder
½ tsp chaga mushroom powder
½ tsp turkey tail (coriolos) powder
½ tsp astragulus
½ tsp vanilla powder

Sling It Up!
In a small pot, heat the coconut milk and water to a soft boil. Add your base ingredients into your blender, as well as any of the Jinged It Up options, and the sweeteners (or your other sweetener) of choice. Pour your hot liquids into the blender, put the lid on, hold the lid down tightly making sure the vents can still breathe, and blend on the lowest setting, gradually ramping it up to a high blend and blending well, for 30 seconds. Serve hot or cool down in your refrigerator and serve cold with coconut whipped cream.

Important Note: Whenever using any hot liquid in your blender, your blender will build up pressure quickly. Make sure you have a towel over your lid and begin blending on your lowest setting, before bringing it to a pulverizing high speed. Otherwise you might be painting your ceiling with your elixir!

Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies

Is it really possible to enjoy holiday cookies that enhance ingenious immunity? Yes! This sugar-free, gluten-free superfood shortbread recipe is a one-bowl-one-spoon quick-and-easy recipe from start to finish. It’s the answer to the traditional butter/sugar shortbread cookie AND it is both vegan (if not made with ghee) and paleo.

Hot Elixir with shortbread cookies to strengthen the immune system. Photo by Joy Coelho

Gather Up

1½ cups (160g) blanched fine milled almond flour
2 tbsp arrowroot flour
3 tbsp xylitol powder/sweetener of choice
2 tbsp organic full fat coconut milk
3 tbsp Nutiva superfood shortening or ghee
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp vanilla stevia
½ tsp psyllium husk powder
? tsp sea salt

Jing It Up

2 tsp pearl powder
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp MCT oil
? tsp vanilla bean powder
Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. This recipe will fill either an 8×8” or a 9×9” parchment lined cookie sheet to make cookie bars or simply roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick and cut with cookie cutters into the desired shapes.

*Chef Note – If you want to make a single large cookie that you cut into pieces after baking, you can simply form the dough into your pan of choice with your hands until evenly distributed. This does not require you to chill it in the refrigerator before forming the dough or to use a rolling pin.

Add all the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir with a spoon until a pliable, soft dough forms. Shape the dough by hand into a thick disk. Wrap in parchment paper tightly, place in a plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Place the chilled dough between two pieces of parchment on a flat surface and begin to flatten with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Rolling pin rings will help you get the right ¼-inch thickness.

Remove the top parchment and either cut into shapes or pat and smooth the dough to fit the shape of the pan. Place in the oven on the center rack to bake at 350°F/177°C for about 30-35 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch.

Cool and either dunk or decorate with the melted chocolate. Add nuts, coconut flakes and any other topping you desire to make the cookie or cookie bar wonderfully your creation. We encourage you to play with your food!

To dip these cookies for chocolate-coated superfood treats, melt your favorite sugar-free chocolate chips or bar on the stove in a double boiler and stir in a half-teaspoon of each of the tonic immune mushrooms. We definitely recommend using the double boiler method (we personally do not microwave anything).

Joy Coelho and Jay Denman

Joy Coelho and Jay Denman (the JingSlingers) are tonic herbalists and superfood specialists who have a combined 30+ years of conjuring up culinary magic. Together they customize optimum health protocols and menus for their star-studded clientele who grace the Red Carpet from the Oscars to the Grammys. Their cookbook Food with Benefits debuted in early 2016 and is a #1 Amazon Best Seller. jinslingers.com

The post Indulge & Support your Immune System appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Into the Blue Superfood Smoothie. Photo by Joy Coelho

Into the Blue
Drink the Love Molecule in your Superfoods for Enhanced Performance

The magnificent performances at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro remind us of the amazing capabilities of the human body. Optimum performance, however, is not possible only for Olympic athletes. We can supercharge our bodies, and more importantly our brains, by mindfully choosing just the right fuel for our everyday lives. By feeding your brain specific superfoods and herbs, you can elevate your brainpower to superhero status to acquire improved recall, laser focus, and more restful sleep. Here are some of our top brain boosting and beauty bolstering secrets.

E3Live “Brain On”(AFA) Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae

This beautiful bright blue pigment can deliver better cognitive function, enhance your mood, and also increase energy and endurance, making it a superfood with an attitude of gratitude. E3Live Brain On® is a phycocyanin and phenylethylamine (PEA) concentrate from an organic blue-green algae called Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae (AFA).

PEA, also known as the “Love Molecule,” is the same compound that is found in chocolate, which sharpens our brain and opens our heart. PEA has been shown to boost and protect a number of important neurotransmitters including dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine and serotonin, which means it can also boost libido AND help you find your keys!

Ashwagandha Root

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is one of the great rasayanas (rejuvenative substances) in Ayurveda. It has been used traditionally as a rejuvenative for the reproductive system, and especially for the nervous system and the brain. It is one of the best vata (air/ether) balancing herbs, and is used to calm the nerves. Ashwagandha has also been used as a sleep regulator, taken over a period of weeks and months, to rebalance a person’s nightly circadian rhythm. This is probably in part because this herb has been shown to influence GABA signaling. GABA is the major neurotransmitter responsible for calmness and relaxation.

Brain Octane Oil™

Bulletproof® Upgraded Brain Octane Oil™ is a caprylic acid concentrate from coconut and/or palm oil of 8-carbon medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). These MCTs are fats that are quickly converted by the liver into ketone bodies, which are a remarkable slow burning energy compound that has been shown to reduce incidents of epilepsy, increase memory, and help to metabolize fat. They are an excellent way to feed your brain and to cut through brain fog.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Lion’s Mane, also known as the Pom Pom Mushroom, is a tree mushroom that contains two unique compounds, hericenones and erinacines, which stimulate nerve growth factor in the body.

The 1986 Nobel Prize was awarded for the research on nerve growth factor, a protein the body produces for growth, maintenance and regeneration of certain neurons. Lion’s Mane has also been shown to reduce beta amyloid plaque in the brain, and to reverse the symptoms of the damage caused by amyloid plaque.

In addition to its neurological properties, Lion’s Mane has been shown to have immune system, cardiovascular, and a wide range of protective and beneficial effects throughout the body.

Mucuna Pruriens

Mucuna, known as kapikacchu in Ayurveda, and commonly called the velvet bean in North America, is a top reproductive and nervous system rejuvenative and jing tonic or ojas (vitality) builder. It contains a number of amino acids and neurotransmitters for the brain, such as L-Dopa, serotonin, N,N-DMT, and bufotenine.

Owing to its L-Dopa concentration (L-Dopa is a precursor for the neurotransmitter dopamine) mucuna has been traditionally used for many nervous system conditions. It is used as both a male and female reproductive tonic, and has been shown to boost dopamine, testosterone, luteinizing hormone, as well as sperm count and sperm motility in infertile men.

Sip on Superfood Mocktails

How can we enjoy these brain-boosting superfoods on a regular basis without having to swallow a pile of pills? Sip on a super-charged superfood mocktail. The BLUcidity recipe (from our Food with Benefits cookbook) utilizes three of these powerful primordial foods and supports a brilliant brain and beaming beauty—while even banishing body aches! BLUcidity contains another of our favorite superfoods, E3Live Blue Majik,™ which is a blue pigment phycocyanin concentrate from spirulina. It is used as an outstanding natural anti-inflammatory as it has been shown to reduce activity of the COX-2 enzyme, which is involved in the pathways of inflammation.

BLUcidity Superfood Mocktail. Photo by Joy Coelho.

Superfood Mocktail

Enjoy BLUcidity as a daily tonic shot, or anytime you need extra brain power or creative thinking.

Gather up
1 cup (240ml) coconut milk
1 tsp – 1 tbsp MCT oil
½ tsp E3Live Blue Majik Powder
½ tsp E3Live Brain On Powder
1 tsp Host Defense Lion’s Mane (open 4 capsules)
? – ¼ tsp vanilla stevia (to taste)
? – ¼ tsp chocolate stevia (to taste)

Jing It Up (options)

1 tbsp colostrum powder
½ tsp pearl powder
½ tsp vanilla bean powder

Sling It Up
Pour the coconut milk and MCT oil into a small bowl. Mix in the dry powders with a whisk or spoon until fully integrated into the coconut milk and MCT oil. It will be a beautiful shade of blue! Add your vanilla and chocolate stevia to taste.

Into the Blue Superfood Smoothie 

Jumpstart your morning by slinging this raw dark chocolate smoothie for a magnesium bump as well as to rev up your brain and burn some fat. Acai’s resveratrol, anthocyanidins, and polyphenols kick up the antioxidants while the brilliant blue phycocyanins from the E3Live Blue Majik help to extinguish inflammation. You can Jing It Up with some of our favorite ancient wisdom longevity secrets like maca, mucuna, and ashwagandha.

Gather Up

½ cup (120ml) water
2 cups (500ml) coconut milk
1 cup (187g) wild blueberries, frozen
¼ cup (30g) cacao powder
1 tbsp acai powder
½ tsp E3Live Blue Majik
¼ tsp vanilla stevia (to taste)
¼ tsp chocolate stevia (to taste)
1 tbsp birch xylitol powder (to taste)

Jing It Up (options)

1-2 tsp gelatinized maca
1 tsp ashwagandha powder
1 tsp mucuna powder
2 tbsp colostrum powder
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp pearl powder

Sling It Up

Add all of your ingredients into your blender except for the Blue Majik and blast it on high! Blend well until smooth. Add Blue Majik on top when serving and swirl with a spoon. Garnish with a few extra blueberries.

Joy Coelho and Jay Denman

Joy Coelho and Jay Denman (the JingSlingers) are tonic herbalists and superfood specialists who have a combined 30+ years of conjuring up culinary magic. Together they customize optimum health protocols and menus for their star-studded clientele who grace the Red Carpet from the Oscars to the Grammys. Their cookbook Food with Benefits debuted in early 2016 and is a #1 Amazon Best Seller. jinslingers.com

The post Supercharged Mocktails appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.