The brew that kept me eating well, being well + feeling amazing in Italy and beyond.
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If you follow me on Instagram, you likely have seen some big things have unfolded in my world recently. Most notably, my long-time partner Pete + I got married, then promptly flew off to Southen Italy where we’ve been riding, eating, and basking in the glow of honeymoon for the past couple of weeks. There is nothing not to love about Italy, in my opinion, particularly as a honeymooner with the exclusive mission of soaking it up; easy mornings, coffee in small piazzas, pastries on bike rides, lazy lunches with spritz in the sun, lingering meals, olive groves to spin through, pomegranates, figs and oranges dripping from the trees, and the sound of the ocean lapping over the bubbling conversation heard through the streets as the sun sets.
It’s been almost 4 years since I was here last – a practical lifetime – and unsurprisingly, Italy hasn’t changed a bit. Gelato and pastries are still more common here than at home. Lunches are longer. Dinners are later. The wine flows more freely. The pasta, pizza and gluten are more plentiful, the cheese, milk and yogurt ampler (and, by the way, more delicious.) But, as it turns out, I have changed during my time away.
During my time away, I’ve more completely embraced the Eastern medicinal philosophies of Ayurveda, which vary significantly to customs practiced here in Italy. I’m much more attentive to my digestive health, more dedicated to my daily routines, more mindful about the foods that I eat, and when I eat them. Instead of simply eating for “fuel,” as I did in a previous, more ambitious (read: pro athlete period) of my life, I’m eating for vibrancy. And these changes have benefitted me greatly: I’ve overcome mild IBS, healed extensive skin issues, stopped insomnia, and enjoyed greater flexibility, focus, and a deep sense of calm and control in my world. And in these ways I’m a completely new person with a whole new sense of balanced well-being.
How would my body, brain + being respond to the shifted schedule, meals and means of Italian life for nearly three weeks?
Would I sleep?
Would I poop?
Would my skin break out?
Would all of my previous symptoms of dis-ease come rolling back? I wasn’t worried one bit.
Because I know, now, that feeling good when I travel isn’t an accident. For anyone.
Because I have the simple tools to keep my body and mind feeling exceptional wherever I am.
And because I’ve learned to navigate my daily routines to prioritize my well-being. And a simple cup of tea is at the center of them.
Let me just go ahead and dispel this myth right here. The notion that you can feel glowy and grounded from the inside out while traveling without some effort is an absolute farce. For everyone.
In Ayurveda, we know that travel of any kind – whether to the grocery store or across the ocean in an airplane – is an act of Vata (the wind and ether elements.) We get up and MOVE, create wind and motion, and therefore rough up the static nature of being still at home. When we couple this with all the other things we do during a day (including running many errands, having many conversations, using our big and powerful brains, making things, doing things, exercising) then we have created a LOT of motion, a LOT of wind, and this has created a general sense of overactivity in the body. Whether we feel it or not is entirely dependent on how sensitive we are to our well-being, but if you’ve ever come home from a busy day of intense meetings or a long weekend of traveling with exuberant friends, you’ve touched the tip of the iceberg. This sense of needing some personal space, needing to be still, and to take time to reorganize yourself – in body and mind – is what an overabundance of vata feels like.
Of course, driving to the grocery store for a pint of ice cream is much less effort than flying in an airplane at 500mph across the ocean, and so we can expect that when we add an international flight to all of that activity (watching movies on the plane, doing work in flight, navigating the airport, the schedules, the children, the packing, the unpacking, etc) we have a LOT LOT LOT of Vata in our beings.
And then, we add to that the reality that any routines we have at home have been left behind. Even if its something so easy as letting the dog out to pee before brushing our teeth – this is a ritual. Our bodies and minds NEED it to feel safe in the world. And now the dog is a million miles away, and we’re brushing our teeth with a new toothbrush because we accidentally left ours in the cup at home. There are weird lights in our bedroom, and new pillows on the bed, and all of this is enough to feel really unsettled and crappy in the morning.
It doesn’t matter who we are, we will all experience this discomfort on some level. The methods we use to “come down” after travel are all different, and will be unique to our lives, and to our constitutions. If we naturally have more Vata in our dosha – if we’re naturally energetic, excitable, eager, prone to moving and exercise, and in love with travel) then we’re likely to get REALLY out of balance if we don’t nip this abundance of Vata in the butt. It will appear in our bodies as constipation, sleeplessness, headaches or migraines, bloating, gas, muscle tightness, and aches, chapped lips, and broken out or blemished skin.
Sound familiar? I thought so.
We can put all of that discomfort to rest when we travel – close to home or abroad – by embracing the way that this natural phenomenon of movement impacts our well-being, and balancing it with ease. But it will take a modicum of effort.
Ayurvedic principles of balance seem tricky frankly because modern society is so far removed from nature. We presume that everything happens in a vacuum. But we don’t act independently of the forces of nature. No matter how hard we’re striving, we aren’t “overcoming” anything in the natural world – but we may be beating our heads against it.
Balance, in Ayurveda, is simple. Opposites balance each other – that’s it. Cold balances hot. Slow balances fast, winter balances summer, smooth balances rough, and so on.
The best way to balance against the cold, windy, rough, mobile, dry qualities of Vata – of travel, motion, excess thinking, doing, exercising, and activating – is with warm, soft, steady, static, smooth, moisture-rich things, actions, and foods. That’s it.
So what are those things?
Doing grounding exercises like stretching, and steady resistance training. Breathing exercises, walking with your bare feet on the ground. Take a warm bath, moisturize your skin with soothing, soothing oils and lotions, and generally be still. Eating warm, soft, sweet, cooked foods, and drinking warm soothing beverages are all helpful to rebalance against the forces of Vata.
As an example, on the first morning of my trip, waking up to a jarring alarm, having a cold glass of water, hurrying out the door to have a cold breakfast of green juice, yogurt, raw fruits, and chia seeds, then hopping on my bike and going for a bike ride in the wind followed by salad for lunch, ice cold spritz in the afternoon and a heavy, late meal are all surefire ways to find myself sleepless, constipated, and uncomfortable early in my trip.
Instead, upon arrival late in the evening, we enjoyed a light dinner (with just a tiny bit of wine,) then I took a hot bath, used my favorite hinoki oil to moisturize my skin, brewed myself some of the Traveler’s Tea (recipe below.) In the morning, I broke out my travel yoga mat, did a short little stretching session, drank some warm lemon water, then had a coffee and used warm water (instead of cold) to make myself room temperature muesli for breakfast. We went for a short bike ride, followed by a hot shower, more hinoki oil, and easy, warm dinner. (I think this was a bowl of steamed mussels, probably some burrata + fresh bread, and some steamed vegetables.)
I felt right as rain the next day. No constipation, no irritation, and I slept like a baby. And the pattern has been going since.
I try to keep as many of these small rituals going through my trips as possible; enjoying a few minutes to myself each morning and brewing this Traveler’s Tea at night. It hasn’t let me down yet.
Just about any tea, consumed warm, will help to ground your body and balance your digestion after travel. In fact, even hot water will help! But this tea is specially formulated to balance all of the elements in the body (ether, air, fire, water, and earth.) In Ayurveda, we lovingly refer to this basic blend of whole culinary spices as “CCF Tea,” and it’s literally our miracle cure – the secret is in the superpowers of the seeds.
As such, I use it for SO MANY REASONS:
The tea is EASY to make. And it’s just as beneficial at home as it is during travel to support strong, even digestion, and to help your body to adapt to physical, emotional, and mental stress — ultimately it helps your body to DIGEST all experiences.
The base for My Traveler’s Tea/CCF is cumin seed, coriander seed, and fennel seed.
They each support the body in specific ways while traveling and beyond:
Cumin: salty, pungent > hot > pacifies Vata and Kapha. AND –
Coriander: bitter > dry, cooling > decreases Pitta (balances the heat from cumin)
Fennel: sweet > moistening, cooling > decreases Pitta (balances the heat from cumin) And you can add a few extra little boosts if you wish depending on your constitution or state of being.
…and then, to make things a little bit more interesting, I occasionally add rose petals, hibiscus flowers or chamomile flowers to change up the flavor/healing properties. Here’s how to decide which (if any) of these items to add:
If you’re experiencing heat in the body or traveling to a warm place you can substitute the cumin for cardamom, or add dried rose petals or hibiscus flowers to add additional cooling properties.
If you’re experiencing excess stagnation in the body (or excessive coolness,) you could add ginger and turmeric powder.
And, if you’re looking for this tea to help you sleep at night, adding chamomile flowers (or the contents of a few chamomile tea bags, OR brewing the tea with a chamomile tea bag) will be beneficial for you.
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