Top foods to reduce anxiety when flying
Do you often find yourself feeling a bit more anxious when you fly? Having racing thoughts? Stressed over every little thing in your life?
It’s not just you boo!! And you don’t have to fly anxiously forever!
Flying at 30,000+ feet above the ground activates what Ayurveda (the ancient Indian system of health) calls our “Vata” (air/ether) essence. Our Vata is related to our creativity, our fluidity, but also anxiety, dryness, and constipation (ringing any bells?).
To counteract this, we can eat foods and do practices that connect us to the earth, even while in the sky!!
One of the most grounding foods on the planet are root vegetables, since they literally grow underneath the soil. If you’re looking to thrive in the skies, carrots, beets, potatoes, parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes, fennel are your new besties!
Any time I’m preparing to fly, I make sure to cook up lots of root veggies for the journey. My favorite method is roasting–since it brings out the earthy flavor. It’s also the easiest preparation, especially for a distracted cook like me with a tendency to burn things on the stove.
Feel free to use any root veggies that tickle your fancy or happen to be in your fridge or market. In the picture you’ll see fennel, golden and red beets, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower (not a root veggie but super yummy in the mix), but use what’s easiest/most exciting for you!
Wishing you a fabulous day full of grounded soaring.
Recipe: Roasted veggie delights
Ingredients:
Root veggies of your choice (i.e beets, sweet potatoes, potatoes, yucca, fennel, carrots)
Avocado, coconut, or walnut oil
Salt and pepper
Any herbs/spices you want to add (some of my favorites are cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, rosemary, and thyme!
Steps:
Take 5 deep breaths before heading into the kitchen bringing the spirit of peace and gratitude to your future creation
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F/ 200 C
Peel and slice the root veggies of your choice
Lightly coat a baking pan with the high heat oil of your choice (avocado, walnut, coconut)
Arrange the veggies on your baking pan
Drizzle the veggies with more oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and any spices that inspire you
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until soft and delicious. A great way to tell they're done is that your home will start to smell like roasted yumminess.
Serve over quinoa, greens, and top with olive oil and a yummy dressing of your choice
Before you dig in, take 5 deep breaths. Give thanks for this delicious dish in front of you. Thank the farmers who grew the veggies, and yourself for taking the time to invest in your health and self care. Enjoy slowly and mindfully, savoring the color, smells, flavors, and textures.
