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Ayurvedic Insight
Issue #39, January 2005
In This Issue
A Resolution for Weight Loss
by Shannon Mooney
The new year is a time of reflection on our achievements of
the past and to begin anew with hope for a better future.
Many of us will resolve to make changes within our diet and
lifestyles that will enable us to live happier and healthier
lives. Resolutions are helpful because they motivate us to
develop discipline and organize our lives for the year
ahead. If your new year's resolution includes losing a few
pounds, Ayurveda offers some helpful recommendations to
support your efforts.
Being overweight is generally a kapha-type disturbance. When
there is excessive kapha dosha in the body there can be ama
formation or accumulation of toxins causing the body to
become lethargic. A person with this condition can seem
averse to change and need motivation to get moving towards
health and shed the extra weight.
Remember that lasting change requires patience, practice and
discipline. Do not be too rigid or impractical in your
expectations. Set realistic, achievable goals for yourself.
It is important to recognize that many people in an
unhealthy state can have a distorted perception of their
bodies. If this may be true for you, request the help of an
Ayurvedic practitioner or other health care provider to
determine an ideal weight that is healthy and comfortable
for you. Transformation takes time. Allow yourself a
reasonable amount of freedom and flexibility to adapt to
your new routine.
Some main causes of being overweight are overeating
(particularly foods that are heavy and sweet), oversleeping
(particularly sleeping during the day) and living a
sedentary lifestyle. An individual can keep kapha dosha in
balance by getting enough exercise and not overeating.
Exercise is the most important remedy for eliminating excess
weight. Kapha dosha can be slow, solid and stubborn.
Inviting movement into the body increases the body's
digestive fire, helping to melt away excess fat, liquefying
kapha and burning ama.
Ayurveda promotes gentle physical activities that involve
conscious movement of the body like tai chi, yoga, walking
and swimming. These forms of exercise should be practiced
consistently at a more vigorous pace. Finding an activity
you love and a partner to do it with is both fun and
rewarding. Having a partner also helps to keep you motivated
and stimulated, enlivening your exercise routine so that it
is something that you look forward to each day.
Sushruta, a great surgeon and founding physician of Ayurveda
defines the benefits of exercise in the ancient text below.
“Wholesome physical exercise helps the symmetrical growth of
limbs and muscles while improving digestion and complexion.
It reconstitutes energy making the body light, firm and
compact, while safeguarding against inertia and inducing
cheerfulness.”
Developing healthful dietary habits is imperative to
achieving weight loss. Food is nourishment for the body. It
is important to honor our food and respect our bodies by
choosing meals that will balance our constitutions. To
counter the kapha qualities of heavy, dense and moist favor
the opposite qualities of light and dry in your food
choices. Avoid heavy foods such as meat, potatoes and dairy.
Favor lighter foods such as red lentils, split peas,
garbanzo and pinto beans. Eat lots of vegetables, preferably
steamed, roasted or stir-fried. Have meals that are fresh,
warm and easy to digest.
Limit foods with a predominant taste of sweet, sour or salty
and favor foods with tastes of bitter, pungent and
astringent. If you do need to satisfy a sweet tooth, dates
can be a wonderfully fulfilling sweet treat without the
heavy and cold qualities of a treat such as ice cream. Raw
unheated honey is the best sweetener to balance kapha. In
Ayurveda it is used to gently scape fat.
Use warming spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, ginger
and cardamom in your cooking to enkindle agni or digestive
fire and aid digestion. Be careful not to overeat. Ayurveda
suggests one anjali, which is the quantity your two hands
cupped together can hold, as an ideal amount of food to
consume for a meal.
Sip warm water with fresh lemon juice as a cleansing
beverage throughout the day to help dissolve excess kapha in
the gastrointestinal tract. Ginger tea is another optimal
beverage choice for balancing kapha. The warming qualities
help to enkindle the body's digestive fire and burn ama.
Herbal remedies are powerful medicine and an integral part
of an Ayurvedic health regime. Banyan Botanicals Trim
Support combines traditional Ayurvedic herbs such as
Punarnava, Chitrak, Kutki, Vidanga, Guggulu and others
specially formulated to support proper metabolism, eliminate
excess kapha, promote elimination of toxins and support
healthy digestion.
Particularly during the winter season, when kapha dosha is
most susceptible to accumulation, it is very important to
stay balanced. Here are just a few more practical
kapha-balancing tips. Stay warm and dry. Try dry body
brushing before bathing to stimulate the lymphatic system
and increase circulation. Take regular steams to help
liquefy and move kapha from the respiratory system.
Aromatherapy oils of eucalyptus, sage, camphor and allspice
can all be stimulating and beneficial for kapha.
Resolutions are ways to integrate a wholesome observance
into our daily lives. Draw on kapha's strength and stability
in your commitment to yourself knowing that you are taking
steps towards a richer, more enjoyable life. These simple
Ayurvedic weight loss tips can help you stay on course this
year and support you toward your ultimate healthcare goal.
Recipe: Butter Pecan Pasta
- 3 T. ghee or butter
- 1 T. onion, finely chopped
- 1/3 c. raw pecans, finely chopped
- 1 t. crumbled dried sage
- 1/2 t. fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 T. whole wheat flour
- 1 c. fresh boiled raw milk or soy milk
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 small zucchini, in Julienne strips (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 c. grated carrot
- 1/2 c. watercress, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan, melt ghee. Stir in onion and pecans.
Saute for five minutes. Add sage, rosemary and flour. Mix
well over low heat. Gradually stir in milk and let thicken,
stirring occasionally. Add garlic and remaining vegetables.
Cook over medium-low heat for five minutes. Serve over
freshly cooked pasta.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Ayurvedic Cooking for
Westerners by Amadea Morningstar, Lotus Press, P.O. Box 325,
Twin Lakes, WI 53181.©1995 All Rights Reserved.
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