Ayurvedic Insight
Issue #6, March 2002
In this Issue
How to Maintain Strong Immunity
By Dr. Claudia Welch
In Ayurveda, immunity is understood as the strength of one’s
constitution.
At any given time we are either strong and need to maintain our strength,
or we feel weak and need to build our strength. In either case it
takes more effort during the challenging times in our lives.
We can define challenging times as:
- Periods of high emotional, physical or mental stress
- Periods of overwork
- A feeling of being weak or run-down
- A change of seasons
There is a rule I have made up based on Ayurvedic principals, I call
it the “Inverse Proportion Rule” and it goes like this:
“The more complicated your emotional or physical life, the more
simple your diet should be.”
The idea here is that we only have so much energy available to spend.
This energy is used for physical exertion, for processing emotions,
and for digesting food. The more energy spent on physical and emotional
experiences, the less there is left for digesting food and keeping
our immunity strong.
For example, if you are physically exhausted or mentally “spent,”
the little remaining energy may be enough to fully digest a simple
bowl of soup, but not sufficient for the digestion of complex or heavier
foods, like lasagna or mashed potatoes. So if you continue to take
in large meals during stressful times, the poorly digested food may
adversely affect the digestive system and lead to discomfort in your
body or mind, perhaps in the form of heartburn or a feeling of sluggishness.
Ayurveda holds that all disease begins in the digestive tract. So
what begins as indigestion may result in gastric ulcers, depression,
arthritis or other uncomfortable conditions if continuously left untreated.
Therefore when we are building immunity, it is necessary to support
the digestive system, especially during challenging times.
Simple Dietary and Lifestyle Guidelines That Support Immunity
Enjoy:
- freshly cooked and whole foods rather than highly processed,
canned or frozen foods
- eating kitcheri at least three times per week (see recipe below)
- non-dairy and non-tomato based, vegetable soups that are generously
seasoned with fresh ginger and black pepper
- rice and stir-fried vegetables with fresh ginger
- warm or room-temperature herbal teas
- plenty of sleep, rest and relaxation
- a healthy daily routine appropriate to your body type
- a daily 10-20 minute self-massage with a warm oil appropriate
to your constitution (skip this if you are suffering from acute
illness)
- a daily dose of Triphala to help maintain a healthy digestive
tract, provided you have no acute illness, are not pregnant, and
have no other contraindicated conditions.
- taking Immune Support if you sense you may be susceptible to
a cold or flu, or if you already have one. Mahasudarshan may help
if there is a fever.
One thing about human nature is that we tend to want to lean on our
vices or “cheat” the most during the tough times in our
lives. Unfortunately, these are the times when we can least afford
to do this. The times when can best afford to cheat are during the
times when our bodies are strongest. In light of this, for optimum
health, it is best to limit the use of:
- coffee, teas and sodas containing caffeine (green tea is generally
ok)
- stimulants
- smoking
- alcohol and other recreational drugs
- cold, sugary or carbonated drinks
- fatty or deep-fried food
- cold, raw food
- excessive sexual activity
Immunity in the Spring
Any change of season is considered, in Ayurveda, to be a challenging
time; a time when we are more vulnerable to colds, flu and generally
lowered immunity.
The junction between winter and spring is an opportune time to preserve
our natural health by bolstering immunity through careful attention
to our diets and lifestyles and eliminating residual winter toxins
via cleansing techniques. If we do this, we are likely to save ourselves
from the annoyance of common colds and painful flu and allergy symptoms
prevalent in the spring season.
In many parts of the world, we are experiencing a change of seasons
while we continue to face a tumultuous political climate. In these
challenging times, following these simple and supportive measures
may greatly benefit your health and happiness.
Wishing you a healthy and peaceful spring,
Dr. Claudia Welch
Important note: These are guidelines I often recommend for my patients.
As always you should discuss your condition with your health care
provider and should immediately discontinue any behavior or remedies
that result in discomfort.
Introducing Balanced By Banyan Botanicals,
our new column created in response to the innumerous calls and emails
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them at staff meetings and posted them on our company bulletin board.
Today, we proudly pass them along to you - hoping to inspire you on
your journey toward improved health and ever-increasing happiness.
Balanced By Banyan Botanicals
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Kitcheri Recipe
By Dr. Claudia Welch
Kitcheri provides nourishment for the body and also benefits digestion.
This makes kitcheri a food of choice for times of stress on the body,
such as during a change of seasons, periods of overwork and during
illness. It is a particularly good choice of food for a mono-diet
during an internal cleansing regime. The recipe below is a basic and
easy one to start with, and it is balancing to all three doshas (Vata,
Pitta and Kapha). Serves six.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 TBS ghee (see our attached ghee recipe or buy it at most
health food stores or East Indian groceries)
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 small pinch of asafoetida (“hing”)powder
- ½ cup split yellow mung dal, rinsed well, soaked overnight
and drained. (It is best to use mung dal with the hulls still on
if you tend toward constipation).
- 1 tsp rock salt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup white basmati rice, rinsed well and drained.
- 4½ cups water with a pressure cooker or six cups with
a regular pot
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 4-5 thin slices of fresh ginger root
Using either a pressure cooker (much faster) or a heavy-bottomed
pot, heat the ghee on medium heat. Ghee burns easily so be careful.
Sauté the mustard seeds and cumin seeds in the ghee until the
seeds pop. Then add the drained mung dal, asafoetida powder, turmeric
and salt. Stir until the mix starts to stick to the bottom of the
pan. Then add the rice, water, cumin powder, coriander powder and
ginger. Stir well, making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of
the pressure cooker or pot.
If you are using a pressure cooker, fasten the lid on and turn the
heat to high, let full pressure build up. Once the pressure has built
up, turn the heat low and let cook five minutes. Then take the cooker
off of the heat and let sit until there is no more pressure and you
can safely open the lid.
If you’re using a regular pot, cover and bring it to a boil
on high heat. Then turn the heat down and let it simmer until both
the rice and dal are mushy.
You may have to experiment with how much water you use to find a
consistency that you like. The more water - the thinner the consistency.
A thinner consistency is preferable if digestion is weak. You will
notice that kitcheri will thicken when it cools and you may need more
water than you originally thought.
In order to provide the best quality of energy to your body, kitcheri
should be made the day that you wish to eat it and served hot.
*All three body types are safe to garnish with fresh cilantro and/or
lime, but if you have a kapha imbalance (you are prone to mucous,
congestion and/or overweight) you may do best if you avoid coconut.
“Ghee Recipe”
Heat one pound of unsalted organic butter over low heat in a heavy-bottomed
pot. Do not stir butter at all during this whole process. The butter
will begin to simmer and will make a little crackling noise. After
about 15-20 minutes, there will be a thin covering on the top and
thicker sediment stuck to the bottom of the pot. At this point you
need to watch the ghee very carefully so it doesn’t burn. When
the crackling sound has almost entirely stopped, the butter is a completely
clear, beautiful golden color through to the bottom, and there are
only a few air bubbles on the surface, it is done. Let it cool for
an hour and strain it carefully while it is still liquid, into a clean,
glass container. Be sure that the sediment at the bottom of the pan
remains there; it contains the impurities from the butter and can
be discarded. The foamy layer on top of the ghee is fine. Ghee can
be kept at room temperature or refrigerated.
If you don’t feel like making ghee, you can buy it at most
health food stores or East Indian grocery stores.
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