Ayurvedic Healthy Diet Principles

                                                        Ayurvedic Principles of Cooking

INTRODUCTION:

Ayurvedic cooking is a way of caring that gives complete satisfaction.

Ayurvedic foods are appetizing, flavourful and aromatic and a way of offering love, becoming healing when served in an inspiring atmosphere.

OBJECTIVE:

Releasing toxins that have entered the body and the electrochemical vitalising of the body are main objectives. Ayurvedic cooking is an art and a science at the same time, when cooking becomes alchemy and food becomes Tantra.

The basic principles of Ayurvedic Cooking are:

1. The five Elements

2. The three Doshas: According to Ayurveda we are either one or a combination of two or all three doshas (body constitutions): vata (air/ether), pitta (fire) and kapha (earth/water). When you eat according to your constitution equilibrium is maintained in your body.

3. The three Gunas

4. The seven Dathus

5. The six Tastes: Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. Meals having all these tastes are satiating and flavourful.

  Practice these simple methods when cooking your meals.

1.            Food should be light, easy to digest and to assimilate.

2.            The largest meal should be at lunchtime, when you have the support of the sun.

3.            Use spices intelligently to balance the doshas.

4.            Calming spices are ginger, cumin and cardamom.

5.            Warming spices are turmeric, cinnamon, and mustard.

6.            Soothing spices are coriander, fennel, and salt.

7.            Cooked food is easier to digest than raw food.

8.            Certain foods do not go well with others. Specifically, cow’s milk does not go well with citrus fruits or banana. Yogurt and banana are also incompatible.

Recommended Timing

•             Intake of six rasas or tastes. At each meal, you will incorporate foods that are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent. You begin your meal with foods that have a sweet taste (like sweet fruit), then consume food that is salty (such as seafood) and sour (citrus fruit, for example), then finish with foods that are pungent (like onions or peppers), astringent (such as green apples or tea), and bitter (celery, kale, or green leafy vegetables).

•             Eat mindfully and with concentration. Avoid other distractions to fully appreciate your meal and the wholesome benefits it provides.

•             Eat slowly so that you can savor the taste of the food.

•             Eat warm food.

 •            Eat the proper quantity of food. Be aware of hunger signals and signs of fullness to avoid overeating.

•             You should not eat within three hours of your previous meal or snack and you should not go without food for more than six hours.

COOKING METHODS AND BALANCED FOOD

Sattvic food – Food that is primarily whole foods, plant based, lightly spiced and with no oil.

Well-balanced – Indigestion and lack of energy after a meal is more often an imbalance in the combinations and proportions of proteins, carbs and fat. A balanced meal will boost energy and vitality.

Healthy variety – Meals prepared using a variety of vegetables, roots, greens, fresh herbs, whole grains, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruits and spices all provide the body complete range of nutrients.

Fresh, local and organic – Eating freshly picked organic produce from the local farmer’s market helps your local economy, helps create a community and ensures that you get the best and freshest food that tastes the best that it can and is full of all the nutrients.

Seasonal – Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables helps you keep in sync with the cycles of nature. For example, your desire to eat more fresh green, hydrating vegetables in the summer complements the optimum season for these vegetables just as your desire for dense warming vegetables like winter squash and beets coincides with its abundance in the colder climates.

Cooking tools – It’s important to take into consideration the utensils and equipment you cook with. They have to be as natural as possible. Plastic, aluminum, non-stick, anodized cooking utensils may leech toxins into the food so using stainless steel, wood, cast iron, ceramic or glass is the safest.

Avoiding tamasic food – Avoid food prepared using plastic, aluminum, non-stick and anodized steel utensils; food that is microwaved, canned or pre-made; food containing processed and refined ingredients like oils, white flour, white sugar, salt and sugar substitutes, corn syrup, preservatives, artificial flavouring, artificial colouring, packaged or stored in plastic containers or aluminum.

Cooking method – Cook food only to the extent to make it digestible, while retaining most of its nutritive value.

Following certain cooking processes to retain the nutrients, such as steaming vegetables, soaking and sprouting beans and lentils and rinsing grains well before cooking.

Preparing a meal with a positive intention, love and healing vibrations, mantras and prayers makes it even more potent and rich with healing properties.