Posts Tagged ‘Ayurveda’

Ayurveda- 2 Week Review

Posted 10 Apr, 2010 in Uncategorized [ 3 Comments ]

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post titled, Ayurveda- Is it for real?, about my consultation with an Ayurvedic Doctor who gave me some dietary and lifestyle recommendations based on the principles of Ayurveda. I have been following his recommendations for the last 2 weeks and it’s been an interesting experience.

Likes

  • The morning ritual of waking up, brushing my teeth and using the tongue cleaner is awesome. I think that using a tongue cleaner is better than using mouthwash.
  • Freshly grated ginger and lemon tea is another nice morning ritual. Calming and cleansing.
  • Taking 10-15 conscious deep breaths daily. This is my new favorite way to keep calm when stressed out at work.
  • Daily self-massage using coconut oil is a nice night ritual and helps me sleep. My skin is also super soft.
  • Having a warm meal for lunch. I’m finding that I am actually taking the time to sit down for a proper lunch break as it takes longer to eat warm foods.
  • Handful of almonds for morning and afternoon tea. It’s surprisingly filling.
  • Advice on food combining. I have been having full fat yogurt and full fat non-homogenized milk on their own. This has been great advice as I’ve had no issues digesting them.

Dislikes

  • Breakfast recommendations of oatmeal or pancake made with buckwheat flour or stewed fruit. These choices are limited and they do not fill me up. I do better on a higher protein breakfast.
  • Restrictions on the water. This is not possible for me. I feel better when I drink a lot of water.
  • Restrictions on the foods that I can eat. The list is rather lengthy and it just complicates things. It also makes me feel like I am on a diet.

The biggest benefit that I see from Ayurveda is the lifestyle changes. I have found that the recommendations are not major and found it quite easy to incorporate them into my daily life. The morning ritual of cleaning my teeth and tongue and having a warm ginger lemon drink takes all of 15 minutes. The daily self-massage in the evenings take 10 minutes. Taking a moment to take a conscious deep breath takes less than a minute. All of the above are small changes that have made a big difference. I feel more relaxed. My head is clear. I sleep better and as a result I have a lot more energy.

I have to say that I’m not too convinced on the dietary recommendations. It just doesn’t work for me and I’m going to leave it at that. Ayurveda is based on the belief that your body’s inner intelligence is the ultimate physician. In that sense, it’s my body and I believe that only I know what works for me and what doesn’t.

What are your thoughts on Ayurveda? Do you think that your body’s inner intelligence is the ultimate physician?

Sweet and Salty Brussels Sprouts

Posted 5 Apr, 2010 in Vegetables [ 2 Comments ]

Brussels Sprouts are another one of those vegetables that I hated when I was growing up. I’m not sure why they’re called brussels sprouts as they are not a sprout but a member of the cabbage family. What I do know about brussels sprouts are that they are a super-food, full of cancer fighting nutrients which is all the more reason to eat them. I think brussels sprouts are like beer in that it is an acquired taste that you have to learn to appreciate. The key is finding the right way to cook it to help you appreciate its unique flavors.

I’m still experimenting with my 1 month trial of my prescribed Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle plan and have been reading more about it. One of the beliefs in Ayurveda is that there are six basic tastes that applies to every food: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. The ideal meal will contain all six tastes as each taste has a balancing ability to minimize cravings and provide a feeling of satiety. Interestingly, the Standard American Diet(SAD) is heavy in the sweet, sour, and salty tastes and lacks the bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes.

These Sweet and Salty Brussels Sprouts have all six tastes as brussel sprouts contains both pungent and astringent tastes. The balsamic honey glaze provides the sweet and sour tastes while bacon gives it a salty or more like the umami flavor. In this recipe, I am using garlic for its bitterness to complete a perfectly balanced dish with all six tastes. Garlic is an interesting food according to Ayurveda as although it is mainly pungent, it represents all of tastes with the exception of sour.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Sweet and Salty Brussels Sprouts

2 cups brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half
80 grams bacon sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs raw honey

  1. Mix the balsamic vinegar and honey in small bowl and set aside.
  2. In a skillet with a lid, sautee the garlic and bacon over medium heat.
  3. Add the brussels sprouts and cover with the lid.
  4. Lower the heat and leave for 5 minutes.
  5. Add in the balsamic vinegar and honey mixture and stir through.

Makes 2 servings.

Sweet Yogurt Lassi

Posted 29 Mar, 2010 in Beverages, Uncategorized [ 2 Comments ]

Sweet Yogurt Lassi is my new favorite drink. It is another Ayurvedic recipe that I found in Heaven’s Banquet. It reminds me of Yakult, a drink that I used to get as a treat when I was growing up.

For those of you who don’t know, Yakult is a Japanese drinking yogurt. It comes in tiny little bottles and they are generally found in Asian grocery stores. Sweet Yogurt Lassi is refreshing, slightly tart and can be as sweet as you want it to be.

On another note, here are some observations of my first day on my prescribed Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle plan.

  • I love the ritual of waking up, brushing my teeth and cleaning my tongue. The tongue cleaner is amazing and I can’t believe how clean my mouth feels. This is a link to an article that explains the idea behind cleaning your tongue in more detail.
  • I love the fresh ginger and lemon tea with just a hint of raw honey. I think I prefer this to my morning cup of green tea.
  • Oatmeal with non-homogenized organic milk for breakfast. This was surprisingly filling and didn’t upset my stomach. I always thought I was lactose intolerant but maybe it is just poor combinations of food?
  • Taking conscious deep breaths calms me down at work.
  • I could’t limit my water intake to 1.5 liters. I went to BODYPUMP this morning and must have drunk a liter of water just during the workout.
  • I moved the daily self-massage to the evening and took a warm shower just before bed.  I found this to be quite calming and for the first time in weeks, I actually slept through the whole night.

The majority of the above observations are positive and I can see myself incorporating them into my life on a regular basis. The restrictions on food are a different story and I think I need to give it a bit more time before I can give a proper assessment. More on that to come later.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Sweet Yogurt Lassi

1 part whole milk yogurt
2 parts water
1 tsp sweetener of your choice per cup.
A pinch of cardamom powder.

  1. Blend yogurt and water in a blender.
  2. Add just enough sweetener to suit your taste.
  3. Sprinkle a pinch of cardamom before drinking.
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