If There Was Only One Dish You Could Eat – Kitcahri A Simple Ayurvedic Recipe
Kitchari is meant to be a cleansing, calming and balanced meal – sattvic in nature.
It is a staple or common food in Ayurveda and is an excellent combination of fats carbohydrates and protein.
Kitcahri is a complete food that nourishes all the tissues of the body and gives one strength and vitality.
Kitchari is often used while fasting, on a mono-fast or for cleansing purposes.
My favourite thing about this Ayurvedic food is that it tastes great!
In the cooking demos that I do, people always comment on how good kitchari tastes and how great it makes them feel – light and energized.
For this Ayurvedic kitchari recipe, you can add your choice of vegetables according to the season and what is available locally.
Refrain from using any nightshades like tomatoes and potatoes – as well as onions, garlic, daikon and radishes.
Kitchari should also include some bitter and/or astringent greens such as kale, beet leaf greens or collards. It can also include sweet potato or yam which has a sweet quality.
This Ayurvedic kitchari recipe is healthy for all three doshas and contains all the six essential tastes for a balancing meal.
This Ayurvedic recipe calls for a soupy consistency for optimal digestion and it is crucial to add the recommended spices to your kitchari.
Feel free to add more spices as needed and some of the optional ones listed below.
Garnish with lime and chopped cilantro or parsley as desired. Enjoy. Continue reading
The Six Tastes Of The Ayurvedic Diet
Ayurveda describes food based on the six tastes which are called rasas in Sanskrit.
These tastes are reflected in a combination of the five great elements. They are:
Sweet – Earth & Water
Sour – Fire & Earth
Salty – Water & Fire
Pungent – Fire & Air
Astringent – Air & Earth
Bitter – Air & Ether
All foods are based on these six tastes which represent the actual taste of a food, herb or mineral that is taken into the mouth.
They are important because each taste maintains balance in the body and mind and all six tastes need to be consumed in the right proportion for your body-mind or dosha type.
The six tastes of the Ayurvedic diet can be applied by selecting the right foods or herbs to balance your doshas, treat diseases and prevent disease.
Here are the descriptions and some food examples of the six tastes in Ayurveda. Continue reading
Garbanzo Bean Soup With Squash & Greens – Ayurvedic Recipe
This great tasting soup is relatively easy to make and is very filling and satisfying.
There are many types of squashes out there that you can use – stick with the more delicate types of squashes.
I like to use a buttercup squash – a healthy squash variety (available in the fall and winter) that has a lot of fibre, minerals and vitamins. It is also very easy to cook.
You could serve this soup with a grain but is quite satisfying on its own.
This Ayurvedic recipe is healthy for all three doshas and contains all the six essential tastes for a balancing meal.
For a more appealing look, serve this dish in a roasted squash half.
To make a squash bowl, preheat your oven to 425°F and slice about an inch off the top of each buttercup squash. Scoop out seeds and loose flesh.
Next, pour about 1/2 inch of water into a glass baking dish large enough to hold the squash.
Finally, place the squash cut-side down in the water and bake until the flesh is tender (approximately30 minutes).
Prep time: 10 min Active cooking time: 25 min Total time to make: 35 min.
Serves: 6- 8 Continue reading
An Ayurvedic Recipe For Gas Free Beans
It’s true; you can really eat delicious beans and not worry about the regular occurrence of flatulence or smelly gas.
Beans are extremely healthy and can be assumed regularly in Ayurveda with its high amounts of fibre, protein and minerals.
The trick to eating beans without the onset of gas is to soak them properly and use the right spices to counteract any gas producing properties.
How to soak your beans
First (slow method) of soaking beans
Rinse your beans two or three times to keep them clean. Next, place your beans in a large bowl (preferably metal) and cover them completely with cold water. Allow them to soak overnight for about 12 hours.
A teaspoon of baking soda is said to help aid with the soaking process, but I generally soak them in plain water and that works fine for me.
Second (quick or faster method) method of soaking beans
Rinse your beans two or three times to keep them clean. Next, place you beans in a large cooking pot, add 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of beans and bring to a boil over the stove. Remove the pot from the heat after five minutes and set the beans aside to soak for 2 hours. Continue reading
Yoga Therapy For The Elderly
Yoga postures help prevent but also help treat muscle imbalances, bone conditions, structural distortions and degeneration of bone tissue as you get older.
People who are in their later stages of life (the Vata stage) can practice yoga postures to give them physical strength and help build tissues such as muscle.
Yoga postures also helps relieves forms of Vata conditions such as coldness, dryness, stress, nervousness, fear and anxiety which are held in the bones, nerves and joints.
After the age of 65 but sometimes even after the age of 40, the Vata stage of life inevitably kicks in and many people at this time suffer from disease and conditions related to the muscle, bones, ligaments and joints.
Arthritis is a growing concern and condition which is starting to happen at earlier ages.
Practicing yoga postures are extremely effective and important in treating arthritis and other conditions.
Yoga postures or asanas are extremely important to keep you in balance and to prevent these conditions from getting worse (especially after 50 and 60).
It is the best form of exercise for them and it should be applied in a gentle and slow manner, avoiding strain and sudden movements that can cause injury.
Structural considerations of Yoga therapy Continue reading
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