SACRED SELF-CARE SERIES: MAYA
Maya Gangadharan is a nutritionist, corporate trainer, and co-author of the Healthy Gut cookbook. A lifelong cook, foodie and science nerd, Maya formalized her passion for nutrition in 2015 by becoming a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP).
Maya Gangadharan, NTP / Jennifer Jones Jolliffe Photography
She recently launched Intrinsic Origin that offers wellness classes and tools to help companies transform their wellness culture to create happier, more productive humans.
She has a passion for practical nutrition education and believes that food is a powerful tool for transformation.
She’s also my sister and one of the very first women I ever looked up to. I’m so excited to share her with you.
(Tara, Founder, THARA SACRA)
DAILY SELF-CARE ROUTINE
Lately I have been waking up with movement followed by targeted journaling. I have a friend who created a 3-song playlist for me that is centered around a specific desire. When I wake up I start the playlist and then I move in whatever way feels right. I have blackout shades in my bedroom so I turn on my rock salt lamps or sometimes light candles and it becomes completely about me tuning into my body and my intuition. After that I choose from a series of exercises that I learned from Kasia Urbaniak during a workshop I took last year in New York. I may decide to choose an exercise that opens my creative mind or explores a persona or processes something that I have left unsaid in my life. The combination of movement plus journaling puts me in a receptive frame of mind and gets me warmed up for the day.
LATEST FOODSPIRATION
I am obsessed with tea. I have an ongoing challenge with calming my adrenals and I recently discovered that rooibos tea helps the body reduce cortisol levels. It is also rich in antioxidants, and it’s naturally sweet so I don’t need sweetener. Rooibos is not truly tea, it is an herb native to South Africa that can been steeped in hot water which technically makes it a tisane. I love vanilla rooibos and also honeyroo which is a combination of rooibos tea and honeyroo tea. Neither blend has caffeine which means I can drink tea in the evening without worrying that I will disturb my sleep.
GO TO COOKBOOK/S
Because I am trying to reduce the amount of stuff in my life I have been using websites more than cookbooks. One of my favorites is www.nomnompaleo.com . The recipe index on this site is extensive and if you prefer cookbooks there are 2 they have published you can find at your local bookstore. Another favorite is www.food52.com. Part blog, part store, I have found some great recipes here, particularly for flourless desserts. And of course the cookbook I co-authored, the Healthy Gut Cookbook, can be found on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.
KITCHEN STAPLES
1) Healthy cooking oil - I always have butter (grass-fed is best), lard, coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil. I avoid plant oils like canola and soy.
2) Chicken drumsticks/thighs and Beef short ribs, bone-in or boneless - I love to pop them in my Instant Pot with different flavor combinations for a quick, hot, nourishing meal.
3) Avocados - And I'm not even a Millennial. Go figure.
4) Chicken broth - My secret ingredient is chicken feet---they give you tons of the collagen that bone broth is famous for!
5) Topo Chico mineral water -I really hate drinking water but I love the intense carbonation of this brand. It helps me with my hydration, something I tend to struggle with.
FAVORITE DETROIT FOODIE SPOT
Marrow! Their philosophy is “root to fruit and tip to tail”. It goes beyond “farm to table” to use our animal and vegetable resources more responsibly. They also have a butcher shop and I am about to pull the trigger on their monthly meat club and sign up for one of their classes. Such a great model for sustainable restaurants!
CURRENT MANTRA
Move towards what makes you happy. Give the impossible things as little attention as possible.
FAVORITE SACRED SELF-CARE RECIPE: GHEE
Maya Gangadharan, NTP
Maya Gangadharan, NTP / Jennifer Jones Jolliffe Photography
I recently did an elimination protocol called Whole30. I had been experiencing some inflammation and since food allergies and intolerances are a common cause of inflammation an elimination protocol can help identify what foods may be causing the problem. I love butter, but dairy is one of the foods that is eliminated so I decided to make ghee. I posted it on Instagram and so many people were surprised and how easy it was to make. Considering how expensive ghee can be to buy at how easy it is to make it I think it’s a no-brainer. Ghee is considered a sacred food in many cultures and it is delicious and packed with healthy fats your body needs.
Ingredients: 16 oz high quality butter (grass-fed is the gold standard, I usually use Kerrygold which is easy to find)
Instructions: Put the butter in a small saucepan and set the heat to low. Set a timer for 10 minutes and walk away. Do no stir. The less you touch it, the better. After 10 minutes, check on your butter. If it has not all melted set the timer for a few more minutes and check again. When it is done the butter will have melted and the milk solids will have fallen to the bottom of the pan. Using a funnel, pour the golden liquid into a glass jar or other storage container being careful to avoid pouring in the milk solids. I put a coffee filter in the funnel to catch any that I might accidentally pour in. Store the ghee at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Ghee should be good for 3 months stored at room temperature or up to a year if refrigerated
Want to work with Maya? Contact her by visiting www.intrinsicorigin.com or by emailing info@intrinsicorigin.com. Alternatively you can often find her out and about metro Detroit with her pit bull puppy Henna. :)
Maya Gangadharan, NTP + Henna / Jennifer Jones Jolliffe Photography