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Ayurvedic recommendations on food combinations.
This is a recommendation based on foods that don't mix well and are difficult to digest when mixed. Some constitution will be able to digest better than other. Occasionally it might be okay to do a "wrong" mix but on a regular basis it will create "ama" or metabolic toxins as a result of undigested foods. Observe your tongue in the morning and if you have a thick coating it is a sign of ama. Don't eat:
Pause for a moment and take a few natural breaths. Observe your belly as you breathe. Does it expand with each inhalation or does it contract? If your belly draws toward your spine as you inhale, if it doesn’t move at all, or if you’re dealing with stress and anxiety, it’s time to get back to breathing basics. This three minute yogic breathing exercise does just that and can even change your life. The power of the breath should never be underestimated. Many of us have adopted unhealthy breathing habits that need to be undone. Rather than using our full lung capacity to breath deeply into the belly, we breathe shallowly into the chest. As a result, we deprive our internal organs of much needed oxygen. This negatively impacts digestion; bad breathing habits are often seen in people with digestive disorders. Plus, because the breath and mind are intimately connected, shallow breathing actually creates unnecessary feelings of anxiety and stress. If anyone knows all about the breath, it’s yogis. They’ve long used the breath to influence the mind and health through the practice of breath regulation called pranayama. In fact, yogis even believe that we’re each allotted a certain number of breaths. Once we sip in our very last, we leave this human body. In order to lengthen the lifespan, yogis employ slow, deep, abdominal breathing. You too can benefit from breathing like a yogi. If you noticed your belly contracting as you inhale, this pranayama technique will undo bad breathing habits. It’s a form of abdominal breathing that redevelops a normal pattern of breath, all the while nourishing your entire being. It also fires up the power of digestion, increases circulation, helps to drain lymph, and expels respiratory toxins. The prolonged inhalations and exhalations massage the liver, stomach and internal organs. You’ll quickly feel the breath’s impact on your nerves, as this breath calms the mind and relieves stress. Putting Abdominal Breathing into Practice 1. Sit comfortably. Lengthen your spine. 2. Interlace your fingers and rest your hands on your belly. Close your eyes and mouth. 3. Take a slow, deep breath through your nose, sending the breath into your belly. Feel your hands move away, belly expanding. Breathe out slowly and deeply through the nose. Feel your hands draw toward you, belly contracting. Repeat two more times. 4. With your next breath, lengthen your inhalation to a count of five. You can silently count om 1, om 2, om 3, om 4, om 5 to keep a rhythm. Feel the belly expand. 5. Exhale slowly for ten counts. Feel the belly contract. 6. Repeat this breath nine more times; inhaling for five, exhaling for ten. 7. When you’re finished release your hands and return to natural belly breathing. Feel the peaceful energy flowing throughout your body. Practice this exercise once or twice daily and anytime you feel stressed. You’ll soon reestablish a normal, healthy breathing pattern that soothes and nourishes your body and mind. Reference: Saraswati, Swami Satyananda. Asana pranayama mudra. Join Mahi Mata 4-5 cups of water boiled.
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In Ayurveda there is ten pairs of basic qualities called the gunas that are used to describe nature. These qualities affect our "doshas" or biological energies. One of the most simple and fundamental principal in ayurveda is that like increases like and opposites balance. Since everything in nature is described through the gunas we can apply this principle to our lifestyle as well as our diet or emotional state.
The 10 pairs are:
Heavy / light
Slow or dull / sharp or penetrating
Cold / hot
Oily /dry
Smooth / rough
Dense / liquid
Soft / hard
Stable / mobile
Gross, big / subtle
Slimy, sticky / clear
Enjoy looking at everyday life, food etc with a different lens and play with the ever web of the balancing act of life!
POTATOES WITH TURMERIC?
Potatoes for breakfast, lunch or dinner?
Potatoes are a root vegetable so in Ayurveda their qualities are heavy, stable, moist, smooth.
Potatoes have earth and water element just like the kapha dosha. They are nurturing...often time a comfort food.
Because of their qualities they are good for the vata dosha and also a good winter food during winter time which is the time when the vata dosha gets aggravated.
All dosha can have them in the winter. The secret is in the spices!
Normally potatoes are aggravating to the kapha dosha because they share the same qualities. So to make potatoes lighter we have to add pungent spices like pepper and astringent like ginger and maybe a little of bitter like hing or mustard seeds.... And if course the medicine... turmeric!
Turmeric which is pungent, bitter and astringent, perfect for kapha.
For a vata or pitta dominant constitution put less of those spices and maybe more salt...
Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions.
Potatoes are a root vegetable so in Ayurveda their qualities are heavy, stable, moist, smooth.
Potatoes have earth and water element just like the kapha dosha. They are nurturing...often time a comfort food.
Because of their qualities they are good for the vata dosha and also a good winter food during winter time which is the time when the vata dosha gets aggravated.
All dosha can have them in the winter. The secret is in the spices!
Normally potatoes are aggravating to the kapha dosha because they share the same qualities. So to make potatoes lighter we have to add pungent spices like pepper and astringent like ginger and maybe a little of bitter like hing or mustard seeds.... And if course the medicine... turmeric!
Turmeric which is pungent, bitter and astringent, perfect for kapha.
For a vata or pitta dominant constitution put less of those spices and maybe more salt...
Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions.
One cup of milk of you choice.
I prefer raw milk!
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of turmeric
3/4-1 tsp of honey, maple syrup, or jaghery.
1/4 tsp of cardamom
Pinch of ginger, cloves, cinnamon
Dash of black pepper
Heat the milk, when warm, add turmeric,
Mix well....
Add the spices while simmering the milk for few minutes.
Pour through a fine sieve if you'd like.
Add honey.... And enjoy!!!!!
For the vata and pitta balance cows milk is fine.
For the kapha imbalance goat milk or almond milk is preferable.
The benefits of turmeric are many and certain!
Much research has been done lately and talking in health circles....
The question is how much is recommended and how to take it.
My herb and nutrition teacher at Kripalu recommends 2tsp a day to keep the doctors away...
She also recommended to take it in its natural form and cooked in our food.
No need for expansive supplements and extracts. Always remember that plants have their own intelligence and they might have other elements in them that actually help us digest the medicinal part of the plant.
So try it in these different ways:
Much research has been done lately and talking in health circles....
The question is how much is recommended and how to take it.
My herb and nutrition teacher at Kripalu recommends 2tsp a day to keep the doctors away...
She also recommended to take it in its natural form and cooked in our food.
No need for expansive supplements and extracts. Always remember that plants have their own intelligence and they might have other elements in them that actually help us digest the medicinal part of the plant.
So try it in these different ways:
- 1-2 tsp in a stew or soup.
- 1 tsp mixed with 1 tsp of honey.
- In a glass of warm milk ( recipe in next blog)
- 1tsp mixed with a 2 cups of water to cook 1 cup of rice.
P.S turmeric has a sister plant which enhance it!
black pepper.
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