Recently I gave two talks on food intolerance entitled (rough translation) “How bread eating won’t leave your intestines hurting” at the Salon Holistica, a local alternative trade fair, and taught an ayurvedic cooking class at the Sivananda yoga centre here in Geneva. The participants had a number of questions, a few of which I share with you below.

Question: Is there a secret recipe to how to eat bread?

My answer: According to Ayurveda the “secret recipe” is to enhance your digestive capacity. One of the easiest ways is to include  spices appropriate for your constitution in your diet. Ginger in root form is a great one for almost everyone.

Question: If someone has a very quick digestion where the food just seems to race through, what can s/he do?

My answer: One simple thing they can do is to take more time, to slow down, to breathe between mouthfuls and to savour each mouthful. In general a good spice for such a person would be fennel because of its cooling as well as digestive action.

Question: Are onions and garlic not used in Ayurvedic cooking?
My answer: 
In Ayurveda nothing is actually excluded. Individuals eat ideally what is appropriate for him/her at that time of life, during that season, depending on what else is happening around them, to maintain harmony with Nature within and externally. Those following a yogic path may choose to omit onions & garlic from their food to avoid the stimulating energy they both contain.

And here is the recipe for the warm decoction I made for participants of the talk.

Cinnamon and ginger decoction (for improved digestive capacity)

(adapted from the book “Recettes Ayurvédiques faciles” Editions Jouvence 2009)
Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp fresh ginger

1.   Put all the ingredients in a  pot with about 1 litre water.

2.   Boil for approximately 15  minutes. Remove the cinnamon and the ginger.

3.   Drink half a cup of the warm/hot decoction 15-30 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!

With the advent of Spring the main complaint many of us have is associated with our breathing.
Spring is the season when the heavy and solid qualities of the Kapha principle start to become lighter and more liquid. There is movement – especially around the time of the Spring Equinox. In Nature, for example, we see movement with a change in the weather, internally we feel a shift as our bodies adjust to the longer days. Since Kapha is associated, in particular, with the chest area around this time it is no wonder that so many of us complain about respiratory issues that involve sneezing, congestion, sinuses etc.

So here are 3 key solutions to help you saunter into and through Spring:
Solution 1:Keep breathing – maybe the most obvious advice but so many of us are shallow breathers – practise deep breathing into your belly (you can place your hand there to observe the rise & fall).; for those who practise hatha yoga, the pranayama technique of kapalabhati is particularly beneficial; the practice of jala neti and/or nasya can also provide relief.
Solution 2:Get things moving – go out for walks (wrap up warm if it’s still chilly & windy like it is here in New Mexico!); get a massage (especially lymphatic drainage at this time of the year)
Solution 3:Spice it up! Include more warming spices in your diet – e.g. fresh ginger made into a tea or as part of your meal is a simple solution for all.

And to get you going here is a Red Lentil Soup for the season
Ingredients (for 4 portions):
red lentils (150g)
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt (to taste)
fresh ginger chopped into small pieces
pinch of black pepper
200g organic seasonal vegetables
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
water
1. Wash the lentils until the water is clear
2. Put in a pot with fresh water and the turmeric.
3. Bring to the boil and keep at a rolling boil for 10-15 minutes
4. In the meantime wash and chop the vegetables.
5. Place the vegetables in the pot of lentils.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste, the ginger and  sunflower oil.
7. Cover and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with freshly cooked basmati rice.

During the holiday season a few things generally happen.

1. we rush around trying to get everything done by the end of the year or before we go away for the holiday period.

2. we tend to eat a lot of sweet refined foods and generally overindulge

While, in ayurveda, it’s recommended to eat a good amount of the sweet taste during this season, ideally it should come in a non-refined form such as whole grains, beans and pulses, sweet vegetables such as squash, sweet potato, beetroot and other root vegetables, and nuts and seeds.  We need to feel satisfied during this season and this type of food helps to fill us up and also supports the immune system.

Are you thinking that this recipe for Christmas doesn’t sound like fun? Well then I’m going to give you my menu – literally – for an alternative Christmas lunch that won’t break the bank or the belly!

Roasted pumpkin & sunflower seeds

Starter:

Lentil & vegetable soup – your favourite winter vegetable with a lentil dahl. This soup is nice and filling and warming. Add a trickle of your favourite cold-pressed oil and a sprig of parsley before serving

Main course:

Buckwheat – this is a seed rather than a grain but has plenty of magnesium  and helps to regulate blood sugar levels – i.e. helps to fill you up!
Curried Vegetables – any seasonal vegetables added to my curry sauce – quick & simple
Steamed beetroot – simple but who can resist? Add a few drops of lemon juice to intensify the sweet flavour.
Green chutney – Whizz up your favourite herbs with lemon juice and ginger and season to taste

Dessert :

A slice of homemade spicy fruit cake
(from Winter Recipe booklet of Holiday Seasonal Saver package )

2 handfuls dried fruit e.g. raisins, apricots, dates, figs (soaked – overnight if possible – and cut into pieces)

125 ml/ ¼ pint  non-refined olive oil

125 grams /5 oz organic unrefined cane sugar

200 ml/ 1/3 pint Rooibos tea

300 grams/ 12 oz spelt/kamut flour

¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1.      Soak the dried fruit overnight in the Rooboisch tea.

2.      Pre-heat the oven at Gas Mark 4 (350-375°F, 180 – 190°C).

3.      Put baking parchment in a baking tin.

4.      Put all the dry ingredients – flour, cinnamon, cardamom, bicarbonate of soda – (except the sugar) into one bowl and mix.

5.      Put the wet/moist ingredients – soaked dried fruit, oil, water – and the sugar into another bowl and mix.

6.      Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl containing the wet ingredients.

7.       Mix well. The mixture will fall easily from the spoon.

8.      Pour the mixture into the baking tin.

9.      Bake the cake for about 20 – 30 minutes. You will be able to smell the cake when it is ready.

And to drink – sip a glass of strong ginger and cinnamon tea.

Have a happy, healthy and satisfying holiday season!