What a beautiful season fall is this year. When the sun does us the honor of shining, sometimes bright, sometimes shy, colours seem even richer, and we count our blessings even more consciously. Dutch seasons are to be enjoyed very thoroughly when the weather is gentle on us.

Apart from the romantic outsides of this seasonal transition, there are always some changes to be noticed within ourselves. Ayurveda parallels body, mind and basically everything else to the three elements, or ‘doshas’, Vata (space + air), Pitta (fire + water) and Kapha (earth + water). These elements live inside of us and around us. Translating this time of the year to ancient to this methodology, the element of Vata is on the rise and most noticeable in autumn.

Vata stands for the elements of space and air. It’s characteristics are coldness, lightness, dryness, can be rough or subtle, like the wind, and always in motion. Physically you will notice your cold hands and feet, dryer skin, because of the increased air in our bodies, audible and cracking joints, and maybe more gas or constipation. You may be prone to catch a cold, with drippy nose, rough throat, chilly shivers. Mentally, you may notice yourself being restless, indecisive, spacy or anxious even. To fall asleep is harder. We tend to be a little all over the place.

So according to basic Ayurvedic law, like attracts like, and we need the counters to regain our balance. Here below are a few neutralizing tips to find your stability again. 

1. Favour moist and oily over dry - Too much Vata needs some smoothing out. Drink lots of warming liquids and use oils such as sesame or almond for in and on your body (massage, any one?).

2. Favour grounding over stimulating - this counts for foods as well as the way you live, think, feel, act. Vata, like the wind, needs substantiality and structure to calm down. Sleeping, eating, moving at regular times helps with finding calmness, and limiting stimulants like caffein to avoid more restlessness. 

3. Favour nourishing and cooked over light and raw - the Vata in your belly will prefer soups, teas, superfoodlattes, OATS (read below) over too much salads or rough fruits and veggies. These are easier on your metabolism and will require less energy to digest. 

This is the perfect time for our HOT NEW STEEL CUT OATS. We have finally launched all the three flavours. The nicest thing is that they all embody the full package of healthy fats, complex carbs, and lean protein, especially thanks to the raw, plant based protein-powder we added. The crunchy granola and toppings always tie the whole thing together perfectly. 

1. APPLE PROTEIN PIE, tastes like a fragrant, oldskool Dutch Appeltaart, but is way more nutrient dense and nourishing. Best of all worlds, really.

2. BLUEBERRY ASHWAGANDHA, taste the spices, almost floral because of the freshness of the blueberries next to the cardamon, and has an extra calming effect because of the adaptogenic Ashwaghanda.

3. ALMOND BUTTER CUP & CHAGA, yours if you like reeses, if you like chocolate, if you like almond butter, and if you would like for those to be healthy. This is the one, and this too has a calming adaptogen added to it: chaga mushroom, which goes perfect with cacao.