Diet

This delicious tulsi smoothie will help soothe your nerves and clear the clutter from your mind. It’s easy to see why including a daily dose of tulsi can help you feel and look amazing! 

Vibrant immunity requires a robust digestive fire, or “agni.” When you give your agni wholesome food, the nourishment passes from the digestive tract to your entire body by way of the seven tissues.

It’s hard to know if there were dietary trends at the time of Ayurveda’s origin over 5,000 years ago, but it’s safe to say that the traditional Ayurvedic kitchari cleanse has stood the test of time. 

Together, garlic and ginger cover many of the bases necessary to thrive all winter long. Learn how they act as potent and worthwhile allies we’d be wise to keep close at hand at this time of year.

Ayurveda does not use a one-diet-fits-all approach, but there are ways to plan meals for your unique constitution. Find out more about choosing foods based on the doshas and your environment. 

A bedtime routine is almost essential in Ayurveda. Getting a good night’s sleep is so important, yet it is one of the first things we sacrifice in order to get more work done, or to watch that one last episode on Netflix. Sometimes, it’s just too hard to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Paying attention to your digestion can be a major clue to your health. That's because in Ayurveda strong digestion, or agni, is considered the root of all imbalances or the seed of health.

Approach the holidays with more joy and less indigestion with our festive menu! These delicious holiday recipes can please a crowd while upholding the Ayurvedic principles of healthy eating.

Ayurvedic cleansing has been around for thousands of years. Check out this real-life, inspirational story of how cleansing helped one woman develop a more positive relationship with food. 

Setting goals can help your cleanse, but they can also get in the way of your cleanse's success if you strive too hard for perfection. Read this article to learn why the "no pain, no gain" mentality is just one more thing to eliminate as you start preparing for your upcoming cleanse. 

Here’s the skinny on fats. Although fats have had a bad rap for a few decades, modern medicine has begun to see the importance of good quality fats in the diet. Ayurveda, however, has been using fats not only as a healthy part of a balanced diet but also as a powerful herb and spice vehicle for thousands of years! The utilization of fats in this way is called an anupan. Fats such as ghee, sesame oil, coconut milk, and cow’s milk are recognized as anupans and are valued for their ability to carry herbs and formulas deeper into specific tissues.

Comparing organic raw cacao and most commercial chocolate is like comparing a perfectly ripe, fresh, organic, wild blueberry with the synthetic chemical blueberry flavoring in a jelly bean. The processing and the toxic additives are not digestible and are lacking in prana, aggravate all three doshas, builds ama, and contributes to disease. But don’t despair. With a little education, you can learn how to use this wonderful food to your benefit.

Before you start your cleanse, making sure your calendar is as clear as possible will help ensure your success. The body needs time and space in order to allow the nervous system to relax, helping to facilitate the deep process of detoxification

There could be many reasons for someone to choose to eat a vegan diet or live a vegan lifestyle: health, ethics, and environmental concerns lie at the top of the list. Many yogis adopt this practice in conjunction with the ethical observance of ahimsa or non-harming, and in general, both yoga and its sister science, Ayurveda, seek out a sattvic diet—a diet containing pure foods that are high in prana or energy.

Ayurveda teaches us that our gut health is a determining factor of our overall health, and it’s important to learn how to keep our agni, or digestive fire, strong and efficient. Our agni is a big soup of acid, bile, and enzymes that help transform food into usable energy. Maintaining a balanced agni translates into better digestion, elimination, and immune function.

As such a crucial function of the body, digestion is worth nurturing, and sometimes the best way to do that is with a simple reset and reboot.

Going to your local market instead of a grocery store this time of year isn’t only fun, but it’s healthy as well. The ancient science of Ayurveda teaches us that eating fresh, seasonal, and locally grown foods are a big step toward a healthy and happy mind and body!

The saying “You are what you eat” takes on increased importance in Ayurveda, which teaches that food affects you both physiologically and psychologically. To be more Ayurvedic, we can modify this saying to “You are as healthy as the tastes you consume.” Everything you eat has a certain taste and that taste has specific actions on the body and mind.

The sweet taste is essential to our well-being. Sweet foods are good for building and strengthening the body and improving circulation. To satisfy a sweet craving naturally, try one (or both!) of the following recipes.

Eating fresh food is important, but do you get tired of the same salads, soups, and steamed vegetables day in and day out? Spices are colorful, aromatic, and exciting. There are no rules when it comes to spices, so don’t be bashful—get creative! 

Removing wheat from the diet may offer only a temporary fix for a more complex problem—a compromised digestive system. I’ve seen decades of patients telling me they felt better initially without wheat, but within a few weeks or months, the digestive distress, bloat, weight, fatigue, and brain fog would all come back. It is time we stop treating the symptoms and address the cause. It is time we stop treating the symptoms and address the cause.

Has gluten been found guilty without a fair trial? Is it possible that we have wrongfully given gluten the boot as well, along with dairy and other commonly allergenic foods such as eggs, soy, corn, fish, and nuts?

Eating is a wonderful and enjoyable act. Unfortunately, with busy lives, we can forget how important it actually is and how directly it affects our minds and bodies. Ayurveda teaches that the act of eating is just as significant as the nutritional content of the food. 

The qualities of vata dosha—cold, dry, rough, clear, and mobile—are characteristic in the disorders associated with this time of year. Many people experience restless nights with racing thoughts, increased anxiety, dry skin and lips, constipation, indigestion, bloating, and gas. In Ayurveda, we can create balance during this season by cultivating the opposite qualities of vata dosha.