When I arrived at the small table set for 7 people I was delighted to see pitchers of warm tea and water with lemon. It had been a cold commute in from Brooklyn and I dove right in to that tea to warm my bones. Also, set for us were little bowls of olives, raw carrot slices and some delicious looking hummus. On the main menu, was a pinto bean chili with brown rice, braised cabbage and carrots with caraway and butter, steamed kale with a tangy tahini dressing... and chunky oatmeal walnut chocolate chip cookies for dessert. My mouth had been watering all day anticipating the flavors of all this healthy, whole food.
I also learned that postpartum is actually the same thing as adrenal fatigue. Healthy fats help to support the adrenals and many pregnant women end up fat deficient therefore craving all types of fat in different forms and also sugar as a result of needing comfort.
Other points that were targeted throughout the evening were:
- Always chew your food thoroughly in order to take in proper nutrients.
- Too much potassium can make adrenal fatigue worse.
- Everyone carries stress on some level and we all need to reboot on a regular basis.
- The world we live in knows how to provide us with what we need no matter where we live, and eating locally shows us just that.
- "Filling up" with things that bring us joy, love and true happiness can provide us with the natural energy we all crave.
I truly adore this woman and felt honored to be in her presence and eat her food. She's incredibly smart, passionate and warm. I admire her ability to be herself and express her opinions on what works for her, but at the same time be very open in recognizing that we are all individuals and not one exact formula works for every person.
For more information on Andrea Beaman, feel free to check out her website and dive into one of her books. www.andreabeaman.com