Falling Into Place..

If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.
~Lao Tzu

I’ve made reference to the learning curve that this journey has entailed and the voluminous amount of information I’ve been given to pore over.  One of the things I learned over at the clinic which took me by surprise is that we really have two brains. (Oh great, as if one which never shuts off isn’t enough for me.) The first is in our head and the second is in our gut. I’ve always heard of the mind-body connection, but I just thought it was an expression. Turns out, it’s a real thing. “The second brain” was coined by Columbia University professor Michael Gershon to describe the actions of the gut and enteric nervous system (ENS). Enteric means “of or having to do with the intestines”. Just as the brain in our head has neurotransmitters and nerve cells, so too does the gut. The more I started to read about this mind-gut connection, the more clear it became why I felt so much better when I eliminated gluten. With celiac disease, gluten is poison to my body. Now understanding the symbiosis between my gut and my head, I can connect the dots for why my fatigue levels and brain fog were so great. Life without gluten really has corrected my mind, and my life really has beautifully fallen into place.
In the course of my reading and eternal quest for new recipes, I came across a cookbook by Rebecca Katz called The Healthy Mind. Given where I’ve been in the last 6 months, and all that I have learned, I was immediately drawn to it. From the front cover it says: “Rebecca Katz has harnessed the latest research on the brain to identify the foods that can improve the brains ability to control cognition, emotion, and physical function—all of which dictate memory and mood.” The first 40 pages delve into her research on “Your Brain on Food” and “The Culinary Pharmacy” and lists the benefits of key ingredients as well as complete nutritional details for each dish. The next 200 pages are filled with recipes and countless beautiful photos.
Given the cooler temperatures here, the Fall Pear Crisp spoke to me immediately. It did not disappoint.  After letting the pears ripen for a few days, I got to work.

The cares of the day were left at the threshold of my kitchen.

I could eat the topping all by itself.

Fresh from the oven.

As soon as it had cooled down, I served it up.

I don’t eat a lot of dairy, but if I were serving it to guests I would offer either fresh whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.  I opted for unsweetened vanilla hemp milk which I always have on hand.

Perfection.

In celebration of this being my 20th post, and because I love this book so much, I am giving away one copy.  Simply leave me a comment below and you will be entered for a chance to have The Healthy Mind Cookbook sent to you.  Only U.S. residents are eligible.  Amazingly, I have had visitors from Canada, Austria, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, India, Sweden, Israel, South Korea, France, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Vietnam, Ireland and United Arab Emirates.  My heart is so full over this that I wish I could send you all a copy.  But I only have one, and Amazon will only ship to the U.S.  Leave your comment by midnight, Monday September 28th.  Based on how many comments I receive, I will then enter that number into an online random generator to choose the lucky recipient.

Stop back here again in the next couple days and I will post the recipe for this pear crisp. It’s worth the wait!