The Shakti School

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Food

Ep. 244 Stevia: Sweet, But Is It Safe?

This is a picture of Katie Silcox. The text reads, "Spirit Sessions: Find your true spiritual home with Katie Silcox."

Today, Katie explores emerging research on stevia, a common artificial sweetener found in many wellness staples. Learn how erythritol, a common additive in stevia, affects your blood vessels and the subtle body. Blending modern science with Ayurvedic wisdom, Katie offers practical, nourishing alternatives for satisfying sweet cravings while supporting long-term health.

Thank you to our friends at Banyan Botanicals for sponsoring this episode! Click here to learn more about Katie’s favorite Triphala and try it yourself. Use the discount code KATIES15 for 15% off your first purchase!

In this episode about stevia, you’ll hear:

~ The latest science about stevia and what it means for your health

~ Recent erythritol study from the University of Colorado at Boulder

~ Negative side effects of erythritol

~ What does Ayurveda say about the sweet taste?

~ Where is stevia hiding in your kitchen?

~ Your body’s response to natural vs. artificial sweeteners

~ The subtle effects of artificial sweeteners on our emotions and spirit

~ Ayurveda-aligned stevia alternatives

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Check out these related episodes:

~ Ep. 201 Wait for the Yum: A Convo with Food Maven, Meredith Klein

~ Ep. 172 Embodied Nutrition with Claire Ragozzino

Connect with Katie and The Shakti School:

~ Sign up for our free mini-course about Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda!

~ Follow The Shakti School on Instagram and Facebook

~ Read Katie’s latest book, Glow-Worthy!

Help Us Spread Our Pod Wings!

We hope you loved today's topic, stevia and artificial sweeteners. If you'd like to support the pod, the most effective way you can help is to:

  1. Subscribe to the show by clicking “subscribe” in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts
  2. Write us a review
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From my heart to yours,

Katie

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Kapha-Balancing Ayurvedic Food List

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Kapha season is that late winter to early spring transition when things start to melt… and sometimes we do too.💦 If you’re feeling a little heavier or slower, or feeling an urge to get things moving and flowing, you’re right on time! We can balance kapha heaviness with foods that lighten, warm and gently stimulate the system. 🌿⁠

Here are some of our favorite Kapha-balancing foods for spring:⁠
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🧅 Onions + garlic → pungent, heating and help break up stagnation⁠
🫘 Split peas, mung beans, red lentils → light, drying and easy to digest⁠
🫒 Olive oil → a lighter fat that supports without weighing you down⁠
🌿 Fresh herbs → help brighten digestion and adds fresh, spring zest!⁠
🐟 Freshwater fish + wild salmon → clean protein that’s easier to metabolize than heavy meats⁠
🍯 Raw honey → naturally scraping (lekhana), helps reduce excess Kapha⁠
🌾 Amaranth + quinoa + barley + basmati → light, protein-rich grains that don’t create heaviness⁠
🥬 Cabbage + asparagus → bitter, astringent spring veggies that detox + de-bloat (all the greens this season!)⁠
🍇 Dried fruit → provides light sweetness when used in moderation⁠
🍗 Chicken → a lean, grounding protein without excess heaviness⁠
🍎 Apples or seasonal fruit → light, cleansing and supportive for digestion⁠
🥛 Goat milk (or lighter dairy) → easier to digest for kapha than heavier dairy options⁠
🌶️ Heating spices → ginger, turmeric, cumin & black pepper to stoke agni 🔥⁠
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This is the season to eat a little lighter and support your digestion so your energy can come back online.⁠
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🌎 Note: This guidance is for those in the Northern Hemisphere moving into spring. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you’ll want to follow a more Vata-balancing, warming and grounding approach as you move into fall.⁠

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Ep. 235 Why Ghee Is the Quiet Psychedelic: Expanding the Mind Without Breaking It

This is a picture of Katie Silcox. The text reads, "Spirit Sessions: Find your true spiritual home with Katie Silcox."

Ghee is the ultimate nervous-system–safe psychedelic. It's soma, the sacred nectar of immortality, in a spoon. It's butter, not breakdown.

Drawing from her personal Panchakarma experiences and modern neuroscience, Katie shares how this ancient Ayurvedic superfood gently expands consciousness, processes stored trauma and restores emotional and spiritual resilience. If you’re looking for a path to embodied awakening, tune in to hear Katie’s thoughts on this safe psychedelic and the potentially dangerous plant medicine fads that are sweeping the globe. 

The 2026 class of our Divine Feminine Ayurveda School starts in just four weeks! Click here to learn more and enroll today!

In this episode all about ghee, you’ll hear:

~ An invitation to book a FREE call with one of our coaches

~ Lessons from Katie’s recent panchakarma experience

~ Ghee as a lunar, mother remedy

~ The Ayurvedic concepts of Soma and Ojas

~ How ghee supports the nervous system and emotional safety

~ The science of ghee: fat, myelin, gut health and the brain

~ The health benefits of ghee

~ How ghee compares to other plant medicines

~ Katie’s view on Ayahuasca

~ Trauma, memory and consciousness stored in fat

~ Ghee’s effects on intuition and dreams

~ Using ghee for grounding, embodiment and long-term self-care

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Check out some of our favorite ghee products!

~ Trataka Ghee Candle from our friends at Paavani Ayurveda. Use the discount code SHAKTIPOWER for 10% off all Paavani products!

~ Classic Grass Fed Ghee from Banyan Botanicals. Use the discount code KATIES15 for 15% off all Banyan products!

~ Liver Detox Ghee and Brain Boost Ghee from Banyan Botanicals

Connect with Katie and The Shakti School:

~ Sign up for our free mini-course about Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda!

~ Follow The Shakti School on Instagram and Facebook

~ 2026 Chakra Yoga Nidra Retreat: Deep dive into the chakras with Katie as your guide in the Bahamas in spring 2026!

~ Read Katie’s latest book, Glow-Worthy!

Related episodes:

~ Ep. 172 Embodied Nutrition with Claire Ragozzino

~ Ep. 05 What Is Ghee? How We Use It?

 

Help Us Spread Our Pod Wings!

Did you love today's deep dive into the magic of ghee? This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you love the show and want a free and easy way to help it grow, the most effective way you can help is to:

  1. Subscribe to the show by clicking “subscribe” in iTunes
  2. Write us a review in iTunes or your podcast player of choice
  3. Share this show with a friend right now!

It seems simple, but you’d be AMAZED to know how much it helps my little love project reach more people. iTunes’ algorithm uses ratings and reviews to know who to show our show to in their app.

Here’s the link to leave us reviews in iTunes.

From my heart to yours,

Katie

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Sacred Cycle Sweets

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Cooling, grounding and hormone-nourishing, these Sacred Cycle Sweets weave together shatavari, fennel and cardamom to support women’s cycles while offering a naturally sweet treat for body and spirit.

Here's How to Make My Sacred Cycle Sweets:

Ingredients (makes ~10):

  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • ½ cup cashews, soaked 2 hrs
  • 6 Medjool dates
  • 1 tsp shatavari powder
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • ½ tsp fennel powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch pink salt
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

  • Blend cashews + coconut into a paste.
  • Add dates, shatavari, spices + vanilla. Process until dough forms.
  • Roll into balls, coat with extra coconut. Refrigerate.
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Raspberry Oat Hormone Bars

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Sweet, tart and chocolatey comfort! These bars blend magnesium-rich nuts, fiber-filled oats, and antioxidant raspberries to steady mood, ease PMS cravings, and nourish your hormones the Ayurvedic way.

Here's How to Make Them:

Ingredients (makes ~12 bars):

Base:

  • 1 cup rolled oats (ground to flour)
  • ½ cup walnuts or almonds (magnesium powerhouse)
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • Pinch sea salt

Raspberry Layer:

  • 1½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla

Chocolate Topping:

  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips (at least 70%)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Process oats, nuts, dates, almond butter + salt until dough forms. Press into pan.
  2. In a saucepan, simmer raspberries, chia, maple + vanilla for 10 minutes until jammy. Spread over base.
  3. Melt chocolate + coconut oil, stir in cinnamon, and pour over raspberry layer.
  4. Chill until firm, slice into bars.
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How to Make the Perfect Summer Salad

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Summertime is the time for salad—the possibilities are endless. 🌺🌱🍅 In the Virginia summers, greens grow in abundance, fruit starts popping off and there are edible flowers galore! It’s one of my favorite times of the year. ⁠

Of course Ayurveda suggests not over consuming raw food, but there are plenty of ways around this. Salads are appropriate in the hot summer months and if your digestive system is a little sluggish, you can always pair your greens with a cooked element or additional spices to support your specific needs. ⁠
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I love going to the farmer’s market in the summer and seeing what creations I can make with the various colors and shapes of the vegetables. Making food should feel like an art (of course it’s not always going to feel easy), but it is an act of creativity that can really serve you well. ⁠
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When it comes to making salads you can get really creative. Just simply think of what flavors and textures you love most and create a salad from that. For me, I love crunch, I love FAT and I love citrus. I usually end up making a big bowl of greens, some sort of seed sautéed in ghee, avocado, radishes and all of it topped with a lemon vinaigrette. I often will always add some sort of protein source. Grilled chicken, fried tempeh and hard boiled (farm fresh eggs) are all my favorite go-to forms of protein.

Here's How to Make my Perfect Summer Salad:

Salad Ingredients:

  • ½ cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 ½ cups summer greens (mix of your choice-diced)
  • 1 tbsp lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup summer cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 1 handful of summer sprouts
  • Optional protein add ons: ¼ cup cooked chickpeas or grilled chicken

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp vegan mayo
  • ¼ cup fresh mint & parsley mix (diced)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Assemble all of your salad ingredients into a bowl (except the sprouts) organizing however you would like. Whisk dressing ingredients in a bowl using a fork (adding more or less apple cider vinegar depending on preference). Generously pour dressing over the salad. Garnish with fresh edible flowers and sprouts!

Enjoy! 🥬🌱🍅🌼

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Simple Spring Pea Soup

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One of the keys to good digestion in Ayurveda is keeping things SIMPLE. Less complicated meals give our digestive fire a chance to rest and truly metabolize the fuel we’re feeding the fire. ⁠
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Peas are light, astringent and slightly drying—aka they help balance kapha’s natural heaviness and tendency to hold onto all the things (mucus, water, emotional clutter... you name it). Plus, they're packed with protein and fiber without being overly dense.⁠
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On top of that, soup is basically kapha’s best friend. It’s warm, light AND easy to digest. Broth and veggie-based soups are the perfect go-to option for spring dinners that aren’t too heavy! Enjoy! 🌿

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons sunflower or olive oil
  • 4 spring onions, finely minced
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1½ cups fresh peas, shelled
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small saucepan, sauté the spring onions and leek over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until translucent. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook until bright green and slightly tender. (This depends on their size, but should only take a few moments.)

Using a blender, purée the soup until very smooth. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on top or add a dab of yogurt for garnish. Serve warm or chilled.

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Beet & Chickpea Hummus

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To further support you during this kapha season, I want to offer up one of my go-to recipes for one of my favorite grounding veggies: the beet! ⁠
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Beets are loaded with health benefits and when I eat them regularly I feel like I have some sort of super strength. ⁠
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Their rich color is a key indicator of their richness in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects on the body. ⁠
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In Ayurveda, beets can be eaten in abundance by all doshas as long as they are prepared appropriately. Vata & pitta individuals can tolerate cooked beets more so than kapha. If you are prone to have more kapha, try adding a little extra mustard seed and black pepper to your beets. ⁠
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Other benefits of beets include: ⁠
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🫜 Improves circulation ⁠
⁠🫜 Supports healthy skin⁠
⁠🫜 High in iron ⁠
⁠🫜 Good for liver detoxification ⁠
⁠🫜 Cleanses the blood ⁠
⁠🫜 Good for the brain ⁠
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I love making all sorts of dishes with beets. I’ve added beets to chocolate cakes, roasted them for salads, hummus and dressings, and have even added them to smoothies. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the beet! ⁠

Now let's get into the recipe:

Ingredients: 

  • 1-2 beets (already roasted or boiled)
  • 1 can of chickpeas drained (or you can use 1 cup freshly cooked/drained chickpeas)
  • 1 juiced lemon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 3 Tbsp tahini (if you’re looking for an even more kapha-friendly version, you can use sunflower seed butter)
  • ¼ water
  • Olive oil for topping

Directions:

  • Add all the ingredients to a food processor (except for the olive oil). Blend until smooth (you may need to add more water to reach the desired consistency).
  • Top with a drizzle of olive oil, a little parsley or some sesame seeds!⁠

Save this recipe for the next time you need to spice up your dinner rotation or add some color to your plate. 😉🫜🌺🌿

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