Vegetarian Balance

This week one of our teachers shared simple hints on how to give your digestive system a break after the holidays. They are for all of us especially if we’re feeling run down after a hectic time over the holiday season.
We’re well into Winter, the season when the Kapha principle manifests, which involves qualities of heaviness, slowing down. Most of us have spent the last few weeks busy socialising with family and friends eating heavy rich foods. Heavy + hectic = stress & strain on all levels of our bodies.

To find balance the tips I shared with you last month are still valid. However, here are 3 specific post-holiday health hints.
Health Hint 1: Brew up a large flask of lemon and ginger water, enjoy it at the start of the day and sip throughout the day.
Health Hint 2: Chew a small piece of fresh ginger with a little salt and lime juice before your lunchtime meal
Health Hint 3: Go on a simple diet of lentils, rice & vegetables (kitcherie) for three days (see recipe below!)

Post-Holiday Kitcherie
Ingredients (for 2 portions):
basmati rice (100g)
red lentils (100g)
salt (to taste)
fresh ginger chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon cumin powder
pinch of turmeric
pinch of black pepper
handful of raisins (optional)
½ lemon, juice of
160 g seasonal vegetables
4 tablespoons sesame oil /ghee
water (2 ½ x rice and lentils)
1. Squeeze the lemon.
2. Wash the rice and lentils thoroughly. Leave to drain.
3. Peel the vegetables and cut them into cubes or round slices.
4. Pour enough sesame oil/ghee into a big pot to cover the bottom.
5. Add the vegetables, cumin powder, turmeric, raisins, lemon juice, salt, the rest of the oil and the ginger. Then add the rice and lentils, stir.
6. Add 2 times the amount of boiling water and bring everything to the boil before reducing the temperature and cooking over a low flame for 30 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and leave the dish to stand for 10 minutes. Serve & enjoy!

A subscriber contacted me recently who had learned that she has a “moderate to severe Vata imbalance.” She wanted “a few suggestions about foods to include in (her) diet to help with that?”
According to Ayurveda Autumn is the season when the Vata principle manifests. When we think of Autumn we think of a windy time of year, a time that is dry(ing) and colder than the warmer summer months. The wind also brings with it a lightness that can be refreshing and clearing. All of these are qualities we may also experience within the body. When the Vata principle is not in balance, there is more “wind”, more movement of air in the various body cavities which may cause discomfort. The lightness within the body might translate into a feeling of not being connected or grounded. Typically the feet and the hands are cold and dry, and the body feels the cold more easily.
At this time we all need to make sure that our diet has more liquid to counteract the drying effect of the season and also that it contains warming foods and herbs and spices. Soups are a super simple dish to add to our diet, especially those with warming spices and herbs such as fresh ginger, turmeric, and sage, parsley, and thyme and using local seasonal vegetables such as carrots, onions, pumpkins and other squash, and beetroot.
To manage the lightness and dryness of the Vata principle I like to make hearty protein-rich soups from mung beans, lentils, or other beans and add warming oils such as sesame oil or ghee. The soup could be our main meal (at lunchtime), and for those of us who lead busy lives, it’s an easy option to make plenty and have the leftover soup in the evening. But what about breakfast? We can carry on the soupy idea and have a warming porridge of oat groats or brown rice spiced with cinnamon and sweetened with raisins and soaked & peeled almonds. Mmm…
Meals at this time should help us feel comforted and cosy to manage any fear or anxiety we might have from not being grounded or feeling uncertain. Throughout the day we can drink warm to hot water or herbal teas to keep hydrated.
In Ayurveda we talk about six tastes and the ones that help to balance this principle are the sweet taste, the salty taste and the sour taste, in moderation. Sweet, as in whole grains, have a sustaining effect to your blood sugar, and sweet is the taste of love and compassion, emotions that are often out of balance or lacking in our Western society. The sour and salty tastes bring heat into the body and aid digestion as well as retain water.
And here’s one of my favourite soup recipes for the season. Enjoy with sprouted bread for a hearty meal!

For many of us bread is a staple at mealtimes.
Since the start of the year I’ve been making sprouted bread and  I even found a way to continue making it so while I was away travelling.

Sprouted bread is an ancient form of bread which has many health benefits for our modern-day life. For example, it has a low glycemic index so is digested more slowly. This means that  an individual’s  blood sugar level is more stable for a longer period, thereby diminishing the desire to snack.

Sprouting is  a way to produce nutritious, fresh and delicious food. It is economical in time, space and  money (most seeds etc. double in size when you sprout them). When the sprouts germinate the grain reaches its highest level of nutrition. The seed is broken down and the wheatgerm and endosperm prepared to nourish the growing plant. Germination improves the availability of Vitamins A, B and C and protein levels significantly. It also releases the iron, potassium and calcium and provides carbohydrates, which are easier to digest  since enzymes have already broken down their starches.

Sprouts are rich in :
- antioxidants, which help to eliminate free radicals (a product of oxidation in the body) which are considered to be responsible for ageing and tissue damage
- natural plant enzymes, which are important for proper digestion and connect us directly to a very natural way of eating and to nature, even if we don’t have a garden or a balcony to grow food.

Sprouted bread is simple to make and travels really well. It’s a good idea to store it in the fridge if you don’t plan to eat it within a couple of days).
Here’s a short fun video on the way I make it.
http://youtu.be/ta9QwNRKWRw
I’d love your feedback, especially if you consider yourself intolerant to wheat, and be happy to answer questions on this topic.

Recently I was invited to give a talk on healthy nutrition with customised catering for a multinational company here in Geneva. All those who attended were keen to know how to improve their energy levels with a healthy nutrition especially while at work.

To give you a true taste of the material they received I’ve decided to share a summary of the presentation in the form of a short video.

View it here

Energise Your Life through Healthy Nutrition

and share your comments just below.

Vos plats ayurvédiques sont extraordinaires et j’aimerais beaucoup commencer aussi la journée par un petit-déjeuner ayurvédique.

Pouvez-vous me conseiller comment le faire ou même s’il y a des livres que je puisse lire ?

Il y a des plats dans mon livre que vous pouvez utiliser pour le petit-déjeuner, par exemple, l’en-cas power ou le lait d’amandes avec une bouillie d’avoine ou autre.

Voici une recette pour le petit-déjeuner qui est dans mon nouveau livre électronique, un granola. C’est un plat bon marché et sans lactose. À manger avec le lait d’amandes! Les quantités sont pour environ 15 portions.

Granola maison

1 kg flocons d’avoine
50 g graines de sésame
50 g graines de tournesol
pincée de sel
2 poignées raisins secs
1/2 sucre non-raffiné
1 c.s cannelle en poudre
1/2 c.s cardamome en poudre
1/2 c.s muscade rapée
300 ml eau chaude
2 c.s huile d’olive/sésame

1. Préchauffer le four à 150°C
2. Mettre les flocons d’avoine, graines de sésame, les graines de tournesol, le sel et les raisins secs dans un bol et mélanger bien.
3. Verser l’eau dans un bol et ajouer le sucre et les épices et mélanger bien pour faire un sirop.
4. Verser le sirop dans le bol qui contient les ingrédients secs et mélanger pour bien couvrir le tout.
5. Verser de l’huile dans un plat à gratin et l’étaler pour bien couvrir le fond.
6. Etaler le mélange dans le plat et le mettre au four pendant une heure.
7. À toutes les 15 minutes, sortir le plat du four et bien mélanger pour créer des petits morceaux.
8. Après environ une heure, quand le granola sera légèrement bruni, le sortir du four et laisser refroidir.
9. Verser dans des bols et déguster avec du lait d’amandes!

Si vous avez aimé cette recette, vous pouvez trouver d’autres recettes de ce genre dans mon livre électronique “Nouvelles recettes faciles”

Est-ce que je dois manger des produits laitiers et si je n’en mange pas comment je vais faire pour avoir assez de calcium?

J’ai beaucoup de clients qui me posent cette question, surtout si elles sont en phase ménopause. Souvent elles ont augmenté leur consommation des produits laitiers parce qu’on nous dit que c’est une bonne source de calcium et elles ont peur d’en manquer et de développer de l’ostéoporose.

En même temps elles ont lu que les produits laitiers provoquent des problèmes digestives, surtout si vous êtes intolérant au lactose, entre autres, les crampes abdominales, la diarrhée, le ballonnement et la fatigue anormale.

D’ailleurs, puisque la pasteurisation et l’homogénéisation créent des changements aux protéines du lait, il peut être alors plus long à digérer. En plus nous reconnaissons que beaucoup de produits laitiers actuellement commercialisés contiennent des hormones et des antibiotiques donnés aux animaux dans leur nourriture, qui par la suite nous ingérons.

Selon la nutrition ayurvédique, on reconnaît le lait pour être un aliment complet. Cependant à cause de la façon dans laquelle beaucoup de produits laitiers sont actuellement commercialisés il est important d’être prudent lorsque nous l’utilisons et aussi d’agir en fonction de notre dosha Ayurvédique – qui doit en equilibre. Utilisez toujours de préférence du lait cru.

Le lait peut vous soutenir un bon sommeil mais il faut le chauffer et aussi rajouter quelques épices, par exemple une pincée de muscade et du cardamome. Les épices réduisent les qualités refroidissant et lourde du lait, qui provoquent souvent les problèmes associés.

Pour ceux qui ne peuvent pas ou ne veulent pas manger de produits laitiers il y a des alternatives pour avoir du calcium.

• les légumes feuilles vertes foncées, le brocoli,
• Les graines de tournesol et de courges (par ex. en format pâte de la recette du livre « Recettes ayurvédiques faciles »
• les graines de sésame – excellent source de calcium et facilement digéré

C’est vous, finalement, qui décidez en fin de compte ce que vous mangez et comment vous vous nourrissez. Pour vous soutenir, donc à réussir votre objectif d’un équilibre même avec une vie trépidante à travers la nutrition ayurvédique, je vous offre ces mots : réfléchissez avant de consommer.

After my ashram retreat I spent some time with my sister and her family. It was strange to cook for 5 after cooking for over 100 people but I adapted quickly. Towards the end of my stay my sister, who was vegetarian for just over a year a while ago but has been eating meat for the taste for sometime now, said she could happily be vegetarian if she could enjoy such soups on a regular basis. So I gave her a private session on how to make a simple soup with all the trimmings! It’s an easy dish that doesn’t cost much to prepare and is suitable for all three ayurvedic body types, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. It’s especially good for this time of the year as it’s light, yet the soupy aspect with slightly heating spices makes it perfect to balance excess Vata as we move into the back to school period.

Cumin, ginger, turmeric and black pepper are the basic spices you must include for flavour and digestion. Fennel and coriander – more summery spices – are optional.

Also go for any seasonal vegetables you have available and to add a handful of your favourite pasta for a one-pot meal.

Here is the basic soup recipe I shared with her. – Enjoy!

Split pea/lentil soup -for 2 people
100 grs mung dahl/red lentils
300 g seasonal vegetables
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ginger cut into small pieces.
3 tsp (in total) olive oil and sesame oil, coconut oil
salt – to taste

1. Wash and drain the mung dahl/ red lentils until the water is clear.
2. Put in a large pot with at least three times the amount of water to dahl/lentils.
3. Bring to the boil and leave on a rolling boil for 10-15 minutes (until a lentil crushes easily between your fingers)
4. Put the oil in a pan.
5. Sauté the spices (seeds) in the wok.
6. Add the ginger and after a minute the turmeric and black pepper.
7. Add the spice mix, the vegetables and optionally a handful of pasta to the softening lentils.
8. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes

Fancy some more delicious simple recipes for autumn? Grab a copy of my “Recipes for Autumn” booklet for easy preparation and digestion during this season.

I recently attended a weekend course with the French ethnobotanist, Jean-François Henri, to refresh my knowledge of edible wild plants. We also picked enough plants to prepare delicious and energising dishes each evening. Inspired, one of the first dishes I prepared when I arrived here was “Potato and nettle curry”, a recipe from my latest recipe booklet “New simple vegetarian recipes”. It’s a simple dish that doesn’t cost much to prepare and is suitable for all three ayurvedic body types, Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

One person who tasted the potato and nettle curry told me that she appreciated the high level of energy she felt was in the dish due to the freshness of the nettles.

The nettle is the plant that contains the highest amount of protein of all green plants. It also has a high level of minerals, especially iron, and vitamins, especially Vitamin C. It’s true that you cannot easily buy nettles but it is an easy plant to recognise with opposing leaves that have a jagged edge and a sting you cannot miss! Fortunately, once you cook them the sting goes. So, how about  organising a plant picking session with friends to find some and to make the most of the wealth and richness that Nature offers us. (If you have a garden you may find you don’t need to go far!)

Here’s the recipe. – Enjoy!

Potato and nettle curry (for 2 people)
a potato (cut into small cubes)
200 g nettles (well washed)
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ginger cut into small pieces
2 tsp olive oil and sesame oil
salt – to taste

1. Put the oil in a wok.
2. Sauté the spices (seeds) in the wok.
3. Add the ginger and after a minute the turmeric and black pepper.
4. Add the potato and mix well.
5. Let everything cook until it all starts break up.
6. Put the nettles in the wok and mix.
7. Leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
8. Serve and savour with, for example, basmatic rice.

Recently a participant of one of my yoga classes shared with us her experience of “desk lunches”, a way of having lunch while still working on the computer. As I heard her speak I recognised a theme that has been recurring with a number of my private clients who lead busy lives and often don’t feel they can take the time to eat or when they do eat they feel tense and stressed.

Did you know that if you eat on the go or when anxious or stressed this practice can lead to poor digestion and eating more? When you eat on the go your energy is not focussed to support digestion and, even worse, when you are stressed all your body systems are activated for “fight or flight” except the digestive system. It is the only one not activated, infact it slows down. This means that the nutrients in the food you eat, regardless of whether it is organic, local and seasonal, are not well assimilated into the cells in your body. Since your body still needs to be nourished you want to eat more.

So what can you do if you are feeling stressed and don’t feel you can take time for lunch?

Here are 3 strategies to use when you feel stressed.

1. Spend a few minutes doing some deep breathing exercises – if you know alternate nostril breathing, a hatha yoga technique, this can help you quickly destress.

2. Call a friend – sometimes just a few minutes connecting with someone can help you put things into perspective and let go of the tension/guilt you’re feeling about taking time just to eat your lunch and do nothing else.

3.Have a large warm drink – often our cells are dehydrated and hold on to tension/toxins. A warm drink, it can just be water, helps to improve elimination.

And once you’re feeling calmer and ready to eat remember this key point to support your digestion further.

Savour (and sip) - enjoy every mouthful of the food you eat, chew slowly to start the digestion process.If you’re eating with friends or family, enjoy their company. Also sip, don’t drink too much, so as not to dilute your digestive juices and reduce your digestive capacity.

Do you have questions about eating when stressed? Or experiences to share? Feel free to share your experiences/ questions below.

What do you think drains your body of energy most?

Often our choices are the main problem. We may know what will support our health from that which we have heard, read, seen. Sometimes we feel instinctively what is good and not so good for our bodies. Then we make appropriate or not so appropriate choices.

In Ayurveda we have tools that support the health of our body and mind. The concepts of the three body types/doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha, and the 6 tastes, sweet, sour, salty, hot, bitter and astringent, form the basis of Ayurvedic nutrition. Depending on the season and our particular body type we can eat to enhance the health of body and mind.

During the last cooking class, for example, participants learned how the dense Kapha quality of winter becomes lighter and liquid as Spring starts. The transition period between Winter and Spring can be a delicate time for our bodies. How many of us have been experiencing pre-Spring sniffles and sinus problems? The advent of Spring is the perfect time to do a cleanse because Nature supports our efforts.

Let me share 5 seasonal tips of how to use Nature to help achieve balance and harmony within our bodies at this time.

1. Since the Spring season is usually wet, using warming drying foods and spices such as millet, barley, lentils, turmeric, cinnamom and ginger to counteract the humidity.
2. Incorporating into our daily life cleansing techniques such as dry skin brushing, which works on the lymphatic system to support the natural clean-out that the body is having over the Equinox period, and the technique of neti to keep nasal passages clear and our energy flowing.
3. Enjoying warm baths and taking regular dynamic exercise. If you practise yoga, for example, sun salutations should be done more quickly while breathing deeply.
4. Since most of us eat breakfast between 6-9am when the heaviness of Kapha is present, have a light warming meal at that time, for example of cornmeal porridge, or millet cream, to assist digestion
5. Eating plenty of green leafy vegetables for the cleansing and energising qualitities they provide.

Bonus tip: Giving your digestive system a rest and/or doing a cleanse. This can simply involve not eating between meals, eating a mono-diet for a day or two or doing a simple juice cleanse.

Take advantage of the rising energy of spring and the seasonal flavours to boost your energy and enhance your health.