Fruit of all types, particularly of a sweet nature, taken fresh and whole

• All vegetables, except to much onions and garlic
• Whole grains of all types, particularly that are not too heavy in properties, like mung, aduki or tofu.
• Nuts and seeds like almond, coconut, walnuts, pecans and sesame, yet not overly roasted or salted.
• Good natural plant-based oils of all types like sesame, olive and sunflower, also ghee (clarified butter).
• Dairy from cows who have been treated well, milk, ghee, yogurt and cottage cheese.
• Natural sugars like raw sugar, honey maple syrup and molasses, stevia
• Sweet spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, cumin, coriander, turmeric, mint, basil, fenugreek.
• Herbal teas, natural water and fruit juices (particularly water with lemon or lime).
• Food prepared with love and consciousness.

 
Foods to Reduce or Avoid

     Meat and fish of all types including eggs (egg whites o.k.)

• Artificial, processed and junk food of all types
• Canned food, except naturally canned fruit and tomatoes.
• Poor quality oils, animal fats and margarine
• Dairy products from factory farms
• Garlic, onions and overly spicy food
• Fried food of all types
• White sugar and white flower
• Artificial sweeteners and condiments
• Any overly cooked foods, old, stale, or re cooked food.
• Alcohol, tobacco or other stimulants
• Tap water or any artificial beverages
• Microwave cooking
• Genetically engineered food items
• Foods taken in a disturbed environment or eaten too quickly

 
Building a new body

Ojas is the subtle material substance and essence of the tissues.  It is the strength of the human body by healthy immune system.  A good diet is required.

Balance in the six tastes (rasa) is required.

Sweet- natural sugars, starches and carbohydrates and oils, fruits, grains and vegetables, nuts, seeds.  Too much adds bulk

Pungent- Spices or acid foods can irritate the nervous system with their fiery nature and through off alkaline.

Sour - Promotes fermentation in the body, like alcohol (hard on PH) or the good bacteria of yogurt.

Salty- In excess can clog arteries and the channels because of the mineral content.  Like salt wearing down pipes.

Bitter- The taste of bitter is reducing, such as toxins or weight.  They are detoxifying and scraping like in leafy greens and herbs like barley, oat straw, nettle, or wheat grass.

Astringent- absorbing and reducing like bitter.  They can weaken the digestive system and cause nervousness in excess.

Great for a mono diet to last 3 days ½ cup four times a day with lots of water and herbal tea

 
Basic Warming Kichadi

1/2 cup basmati rice (has to be basmati! very yummy and good for all doshas. May be white or brown.)

1/4 cup mung beans (can be whole or split. If whole, soak in water overnight, or cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit for a couple hours. Drain right before adding them to the soup pot.)

6 cups water (play this by ear)

1 tablespoon butter or ghee (clarified butter), can use olive oil or coconut instead

If you don't use 2 tablespoons Garam Masala, use:

1 tsp coriander seeds
3/4 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground coves
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin

(the above is basically Garam Masala, the basic spice at the heart of Indian curries. So if you can find Garam Masala in the spice rack of your grocery store/health food store or Indian store, use 2 tablespoons of that instead.)

You also need to add these spices to the above:

1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2 more tbl ghee or O/O
3/4 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tsp or tbl fresh ginger root, grated
1/2 small onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
2-4 cups fresh veggies (carrots, greens, zucchini, chopped)
more water as needed.

Warm tablespoon of ghee in small skillet. Add the coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, (or garam masala) and bay leaf saute for 2 to 3 minutes to release flavor.  Stir in the rest of the spices and onion and garlic. Put the spices in a blender or coffee/spice grinder and blend well. (don't bother if you use the garam masala). Pour mixture into rice/mung bean. rinse out blender and pour this water in with it too. Cook for 20 minutes or more. Add veggies and enjoy!

Can garnish with lime, cilantro, yogurt, but it's just fine on its own.

Good for stimulating digestion and circulation. Very alkaline protein, starch, carb and fat source. Rests and rejuvenates the major organs, cleanses the bowel. Appropriate for any diet, any stage - cleansing, rebuilding, etc.

This is a very aromatic dish and spicy good.

 
Reduce Inflammation

Keep in mind what we are doing for the body.  By removing the acid you are giving your liver and gallbladder a break.  The gallbladder stores acid (bile) that the liver produces and patiently waits there until the digestive system has room for it to filter through for elimination.  If there is an over production of bile and the acid just sits you end up with inflammation.  Inflammation manifest differently for everyone as it goes to the area of predisposition i.e. the back, the colon, the pancreas, the nervous system or you can end up with gallstones or kidney stones.   To much acid in the body turns to ash, deposits are left and the whole system looses homeostasis.

I will give you a visual; you can think of the alkaline (the proper PH) being the fire in a fireplace which includes the wood and the air and the clean smoke that naturally arises out of the fire (Alkaline is your healthy PH).  You can think of the acid as being the ash that is left over in the fireplace.  To much ash in the fireplace and the next time you have a fire it is harder to light with all the leftover soot.  Over time there is no room for the healthy fire because the fireplace is all filled with ash/soot (acid).

A cleanse is like sweeping out the fireplace so to make more room for a healthy vibrant fire.  That is why it is rejuvenation therapy.  The best time to do it is at the change of the season spring and fall is ideal summer is always a good time.

 

Here is a list of foods to include in your diet to balance alkaline;

GREENS and ROOTS

Chard
Chale
Mustard greens
Spinach
Celery
Cucumber
Seaweed
Dicon
Beets
Carrots
Celery root
Dandelion root
Burdock root
Ginger root
Turmeric root

BEANS 
Lentils
Mung beans
Soy beans
Tempah
Garbanzo beans (hummus)
Kidney beans

NUTS
Macadamia nuts
Pumpkin seeds
Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Flax seeds

FRUITS
Berries
Papaya
Mango
Apples
Pears
Lemon
Avocado

SPICES
Fennel
Cumin
Coriander
Cardamom
Basil
Rosemary
Black pepper
Cayenne
Mint
Liquid aminos
Clove
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Curry or turmeric
Fresh garlic

OILS
Olive oil
Ghee
Sesame oil
Coconut oil
Almond oil

NO NIGHT SHADE -What are nightshades and in which foods are they found?

Potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, tamarios, pepinos, pimentos, paprika, cayenne, and Tabasco sauce are classified as nightshade foods. A particular group of substances in these foods, called alkaloids, can impact nerve-muscle function and digestive function in animals and humans, and may also be able to compromise joint function. Because the amount of alkaloids is very low in nightshade foods when compared with other nightshade plants, health problems from nightshade foods may only occur in individuals who are especially sensitive to these alkaloid substances. Since cooking only lowers alkaloid content of nightshade foods by about 40-50%, highly sensitive individuals may want to avoid this category of food altogether, while non-sensitive individuals may be able to eat these foods, especially in cooked form, without problem. Green and sprouted spots on potatoes usually reflect high alkaloid content, even though the green itself involves the presence of chlorophyll, not alkaloids. For this reason, sprouted areas should always be thoroughly removed before potato cooking, or the potatoes should be discarded altogether.

Vegtebles and Fruits to avoid

The most famous food members of the nightshade family include potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), many species of sweet and hot peppers (all species of Capsicum, including Capsicum annum), and eggplant (Solanum melongena). Less well know, but equally genuine nightshade foods include ground cherries (all species of Physalis), tomatillos (Physallis ixocapra), garden huckleberry (Solanum melanocerasum), tamarillos (Cyphomandra betacea), pepinos (Solanum muricatum), and naranjillas (Solanum quitoense). Pimentos (also called pimientos) belong to the nightshade family, and usually come from the pepper plant Capsicum annum. Pimento cheese and pimento-stuffed olives are therefore examples of foods that should be classified as containing nightshade components. Although the sweet potato, whose scientific name is Ipomoea batatas, belongs to the same plant order as the nightshades (Polemoniales), it does not belong to the Solanaceae family found in this order, but to a different plant family called Convolvulaceae.

Night Shade Spices to avoid

The seasoning paprika is also derived from Capsicum annum, the common red pepper, and the seasoning cayenne comes from another nightshade, Capsicum frutenscens. Tabasco sauce, which contains large amounts of Capsicum annum, should also be considered as a nightshade food. It may be helpful to note here that black pepper, which belongs to the Piperaceae family, is not a member of the nightshade foods.

AVOID CONGESTION:
NO WHEAT
NO DAIRY
NO CONDIMENTS
NON-DAIRY
Almond Milk
Hemp Milk
Soy Milk
MORE MORE MORE TULSI TEA
NO PEANUT BUTTER

USE:
Ghee
Tahini
Almond butter
nuttella (hazelnut chocolate)
Basmati rice
Long grain wild rice
Couscous

These are all the things I can think of right now.  If more comes to mind I will let you know.
 

Namaste'

Karen

 “Heal Thyself”

Awareness + Action = Change

Yoga, diet and other energy based therapies are tools to aid health and vitality.  Yoga and diet effect change at a sub conscious level clearing the nervous system so the physical, mental and emotional bodies are less reactive to life and more available for health.

Our bodies want homeostasis and will send out signals of comfort or discomfort which are mechanisms to stimulate our awareness of the body temple.  When we listen to these signals and embrace a desire for health, balance, and well-being, our lives take on a proactive role toward self nurture and self care setting self discovery into motion.

Food is another consideration for health.  Not only are we to absorb the right foods with the right nutritional qualities but to view taste and the things we develop tastes for as part of a whole psychology. 

Taste and emotions can be linked in that they affect the body according to their qualities.  This is called “The Science of Rasa” and has its roots in the yogic tradition.  For example, there are bitter emotions like grief; astringent emotions like fear, there are sour emotions like envy and pungent emotions like anger.  Sweet emotions correspond to desire and salty are likened to greed.

The human body is all-knowing and all-powerful.  It is fully equip to heal, rejuvenate and recover.  Develop an ability to listen with enough presence to be patient and the rewards are an increase of balance in body and mind.  To know what causes harmony or dis harmony in your body puts choice and responsibility in the right hands.

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