Tagged with 'ayurvedic'

Ayurvedic cooking is about guiding principles rather than rules. For example, food should be light, easy to digest, and cooked foods are considered easier to digest than raw. Heavier food is ok in winter, but during the summer it’s recommended to be lighter. Ayurveda cooking uses spices intelligently to balance the doshas. It’s believed certain foods to not go well with others, and different sorts of foods are required at different times (ie: pregnancy and post illness). Ideal foods are ‘tridoshic,’ balancing all three doshas.

Today’s recipe is ideal for Kapha dosha types—in moderation. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 ripe but firm pears

4 pitted dates

juice of one orange

2 tsp maple syrup or date syrup

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp fresh grated ginger

½ tsp grated orange zest

2 tbsp shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

Peel each pear, leaving stalk and cut thin slice off base so it stands up. Place in sauce pan with inch of water and bring to simmer. Add dates, orange juice, zest, and syrup, and cinnamon, ginger and simmer until pears are tender (about 12 minutes). Remove ears and place on serving plates. Continue to simmer liquid in pan, stirring all the time until it thickens enough to spoon glaze over pears. Garnish with coconut to serve.  

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Recipe courtesy of Ayurvedic Yogi. Recipes. http://www.ayurvedicyogi.com/recipes/

Ayurveda has so much to offer in terms of healing and preventive health, and one of the best ways to begin to explore this ancient practice is by incorporating some of its simpler elements into your day. The hardest part of establishing any new routine or habit is getting started! With these five easy morning rituals, called Dinacharya, you'll be able to start your Ayurvedic journey tomorrow!

1. Wake up before dawn.

The thought of waking by 4am may make you want to cringe, but at least try to be up by 6am. Once this becomes habitual, the early morning hours will feel more natural, and you'll find it's easier to empty the bowels. In Ayurveda, it's all about regular elimination!

If you wake up after 6am, you may become prone to a slow, dull energy, with greater possibility of feeling groggy and sluggish. Even if you get a good eight hours of sleep, chances are you still won't feel fresh and well rested. So be in bed by 10pm, up by 6am. Try it! Eventually you'll love it, and you may notice that you'll get so much more accomplished in your day!

2. Scrape your tongue.

This Ayurvedic practice promotes general tooth and gum health, while removing bacteria and toxins responsible for periodontal problems such as plaque buildup, tooth decay, loss of teeth, and gum disease. Tongue scrapping is a useful tool in removing toxins from the mouth, as the mouth is the starting point of our digestion. Scraping also activates saliva production and promotes agni (the digestive fire) to assist in digestion throughout the entire day.

3. Drink warm water and lemon.

This is the perfect morning drink, as it aids in digestion, allowing the body to eliminate waste much easier (I know, elimination again). It's helpful in preventing constipation, as well as diarrhea.

In addition to easing your bathroom duties, warm water and lemon has many other great qualities! It's rich in nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin C and fiber.

4. Use a neti pot.

A neti pot is designed to alleviate nasal stuffiness or can be used as a preventive measure to keep the nasal passageways clear. It's an effective practice in reducing cold and flus, alleviates sinus headaches, improves sense of smell and taste, and is useful in reducing or eliminating snoring…so you can get proper rest to be up by dawn. For more information on how to use a neti pot, check out the blog, How To Use A Neti Pot.

5. Develop a breathing practice.

While all parts of this morning routine are important, perhaps my favorite ritual in eliminating stress and ensuring optimal health is the meditation, pranayama, and asana practice. This can be as simple as a few rounds of sun salutations, deep breathing (or other pranayama techniques you are comfortable with) followed by few moments of quieting the mind.

I hope you enjoyed these simple Ayurveda principles. See you at dawn!

Article courtesy of Mind Body Green.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17679/5-ayurvedic-rituals-to-start-your-days-right.html

In Ayurveda Medicine, doshas are biological energies found throughout the human body and mind, and its believed they govern all physical and mental processes.

This blog is a follow up from the blog, “What’s Your Dosha?” in which we explored the three Ayurvedic mind and body types, or doshas—Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The blog reviewed the unique set of characteristics for each dosha, and encouraged you to find out your dosha via the Dosha quiz. Once you identify your dosha, you can understand what keeps your dosha in and out of balance. If you know how to balance your doshas, you can eliminate ill-health, create perfect balance and therefore enjoy ideal health.

How Do Doshas Get ‘Out of Balance’?

Because the doshas govern everything you do and affect the balance of doshas within your mind and body, you may create too much or too little of one or more doshas in your mind-body.

Anyone can develop an imbalance in any of the three doshas, but typically your predominate dosha is more prone to getting out of balance. For example, individuals with naturally strong vata tendencies are more prone to vata imbalances.

VATA

How Vata Gets Out of Balance (Excessive)

Vata is increased/aggravated by “too much” of the following:

• Cold – food, drinks, weather, etc.
• Dryness – windy weather, dry (non-oily) food, etc.
• Change – irregular mealtimes, variable routine, changing seasons, etc.
• Stimulation – computers, action movies, intense exercise….coffee!

Signs Your Vata Is Out of Balance (Excessive)

• You feel anxious or worried.
• You find it hard to make up your mind…and change it often.
• You forget things regularly (“where did I leave my car keys?”).
• Your skin/hair gets dry, as do your bowels, possibly making you constipated.
• You find it hard to “settle down” to sleep well.
• Your digestion/appetite, mood and energy levels fluctuate throughout the day.
• You feel the cold, get tired easily and just wish life could slow down.

If Your Vata is Out of Balance, How do you regain your Vata balance?

Increase:

• Rest – go to bed early and get plenty of rest generally
• Good Routine – regular daily routine such as sleep, mealtimes, etc.
• Warmth – keeping your body warm with warm food and drinks
• Oil – unctuous diet (non-dry), warm oil body massages
• Sweetness – more sweet foods, relationships, etc. Vata types love touch and hugs.
• Slowness – go for more relaxed, calming activities, exercise. ie: meditation, gentle yoga, quiet time, cat naps
• Listen to relaxing, soothing music.

PITTA

How Pitta Gets Out of Balance (Excessive)

Pitta is increased/aggravated by the following:

• Too much hot or spicy food.
• A lot of sour or salty food
• Hot weather
• Too much “intensity/seriousness”
• Not enough fun, play, relaxation

Signs Your Pitta Is Out of Balance (Excessive)

As the fire of the mind and body becomes unruly, the laughing Pitta quickly becomes the yelling Pitta. Anger, rage, and ego replace Pitta’s positive attitude.

• You feel angry, irritable and impatient.
• You are over-competitive or over-critical (usually of others!).
• You are too serious. People say “you need to chill out.”
• You are really uncomfortable in hot weather.

If Your Pitta is Out of Balance, How do you regain your Pitta balance?  

Increase:

• Coolness –cold foods, drinks, climate (avoid hot sun), water activities such as swimming
• Fun/Leisure – take regular breaks from work and have more fun time
• Natural Beauty – spend time looking at trees, moonlight, tranquil water, etc.
• Sweet and Bitter foods – and reduce hot and spicy, salty and sour foods

KAPHA

How Kapha Gets Out of Balance (Excessive)

Kapha is increased/aggravated by the following:

• “too much” cold – food, drinks, weather, etc.
• Heaviness – excessive heavy or oily foods (or too much food in general)
• Insufficient activity/exercise
• Damp weather
• Not enough variety, change, stimulation

Signs Your Kapha is Out of Balance (Excessive)

• You feel lethargic, depressed and lazy.
• You have gained weight and generally feel ‘heavy’.
• Your digestion is sluggish…you feel ‘stuck’.
• You may feel congested and resistant to change.
• Can lead to insecurity and envy.

If Your Kapha is Out of Balance, How do you regain your Kapha balance?

Increase:

• Variety –keep diet, exercise, work, etc. varied
• Lighter foods – reduce heavy, sweet foods and drinks
• Stimulation – go for spicier foods or more vigorous exercise
• Warmth – keep your body warm, have warm food/drinks
• Dryness – less oil in the diet
• Regular exercise

Stay tuned for future blogs about Ayurveda medicine and the doshas related to diet.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Reference:

Bunn, Mark. Knowing ‘Your Mind-Body Make-Up’: The Doshas – Vata, Pitta and Kapha Explained.

Ayurveda is one of the worlds most sophisticated and powerful mind-body health systems. Developed in India, it’s more than a system of treating illness. Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge), and the two main guiding principles are 1) the mind and body are intimately connected, and 2) nothing has more power to heal and transform the body than the mind.

Three Ayurvedic Doshas

There are three ayurvedic mind and body types, or doshas—Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each dosha has a unique set of characteristics, and according to Ayurveda, each of us has a unique mix of three mind/body principles which creates our specific mental and physical characteristics. If you know how to balance your doshas, you can eliminate ill-health, create perfect balance and therefore enjoy ideal health.

Attributes of the Three Doshas

If you’re dominated by Kapha, you will naturally:

• be sweet, dependable, earthy, stable and supportive
• have a larger build with wide hips/shoulders
• have thick wavy hair and soft but possibly oily skin
• have good physical stamina
• be slow to learn, but have a great memory
• be very loyal, stable, and reliable
• be down to earth and happy (slow to stress)
• be well liked for your easy-going, sweet and supportive disposition

Kapha individuals are often referred to as the “rocks” in a relationship.

If you’re dominated by Pitta, you will naturally:

• be more intense, fiery and competitive
• enjoy high energy levels
• have a medium (possibly muscular) build
• have blond/white, reddish, golden, grey or receding hair
• have skin that’s generally more sensitive, maybe freckly and burns easily
• have really strong digestion—they can eat almost anything
• like order, systems and having “lists!” Pittas are very focused.
• be motivated, ambitious, passionate and have strong drive about something
• tend to be perfectionistic
• become easily irritated

If you’re predominantly Vata, you will naturally:

• have a lighter/slimmer build—the most slender of the three body types
• be more light, quick, enthusiastic, fun
• be more changeable, versatile and creative by nature
• have a tendency towards dry hair and skin
• tend to be cold all the time
• have little muscle tone
• learn fast and forget fast; be quick thinking
• like to talk, communicate, express…chat, gossip, etc.!!
• enjoy change
• be very creative and an “ideas” person
• become easily anxious

Determine Your Dosha

There are a couple ways to determine your dosha. The most accurate is through the detailed history and physical by an Ayurveda physician. However, even taking a quick ayurvedic quiz will provide you with tremendous insight into your principal dosha. Most people are a combination of two doshas, but one typically predominates. To find out your dominant dosha, take the Dosha quiz. 

Are You ‘Out of Balance’?

The doshas govern everything in the universe, everything you do, and affects the balance of doshas within your mind and body. For example, due to particular weather/seasonal influences, lifestyle, foods, relationships, etc., you may create too much or too little of one or more doshas in your mind-body.

Anyone can develop doshic imbalance from any of the three doshas, but typically your predominate dosha is more prone to getting out of balance. For example, individuals with naturally strong vata tendencies are more prone to vata imbalances.

How do you know if you're out of balance? How do you regain balance? Check out this blog, "Is Your Dosha Out of Balance?"

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods