Diet + Lifestyle

By Vedika Global Ayurveda Clinical Specialist Shubha Lisa Lesser Spring is officially descending upon us. In the Bay Area, there are daffodils, cherry blossoms, colorful birds and sneezes everywhere you go. Many of us may be experiencing some extra mucus or sluggishness, which is putting a small damper on enjoying …

Boston Ayurvedic Practitioner Pratibha Shah, BAMS, MPH has keen insight into food as medicine. She can tell you what foods are best for you and which to avoid, down to the jam you put on your toast. She’s a true leader amongst the Ayurvedic community both here in the US …

(As published in the “Popular Lately” section of Elephant Journal) I recently met an accomplished, Indian-born, western-trained Gastroenterologist at a graduation party I attended for my sister. After sharing a little about how amazing it has been for me, as an American-born Indian, to not only discover, but have the …

Ayurveda is India’s traditional system of health care. Conceived and developed by the seers (Rishis) and natural scientists through centuries of observations, experiments, discussions, and meditations, Ayurveda is a natural system of medicine that has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. The word Ayurveda is Sanskrit for “Science of …

Food is an important constituent for all living beings. Proper food with good qualities gives strength, complexion, immunity and good life. Food is the main ingredient in the trayopstambha, the tripod of life; the other ingredients are proper sleep and sex. Specific knowledge about food is a special subject called aharshastra or dietetics. …

In Ayurveda, every food is put into one of the 6 taste categories: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, and bitter. Each taste feeds our mind, body and spirit in its own unique way. It is said that if a person has all six tastes in a meal, that person will …

The Vedic philosophy teaches us the idea of “Anna Brahma”, which means “Food as God”. This description is a symbolic statement made by the poetic ancestors of India. It symbolizes the importance of food to life – suggesting it is as essential as God is to life. For this reason, …

If you’re an Ayurvedic adherent you have heard of the perils of smoothies. There are a number of reasons that a person who wants a long, happy and healthy life will stick up their noses at smoothies. Yet smoothies are so easy to make, tasty, satisfying, convenient to carry with …

No one is immune to worry about weight. Most of us think we should be leaner. A few of you have the opposite issue and are working to gain weight and build strength. Regardless of what your goal is, Ayurveda offers tips for weight gain and tips for weight loss …

It is always interesting to consider ‘nutrition’ from an Ayurvedic perspective. Of course Ayurvedic nutrition does not have a concept of vitamins, minerals, calories, and nutrients as modern science does. So we had to consider other ways to navigate what is good to eat everyday and what foods should be …

Healthy Ayurvedic meals are easy to make. Here’s a guide on making fast and healthy meals like Khichdi or Kitchari These meals don’t offend Ayurveda’s guidelines on food choices and food prep. Good health comes from balanced and moderate living and eating. Make your choices wisely as to how you spend your …

Seedless fruit is a bit of an oxymoron: seeded fruit is by definition a fertilized ovum and its nutrition source. It is the source of the next generation of plants. While convenient, consuming seedless fruits might have disadvantages. The botanical developmental leap to seeded plants (from ferns) allowed the genetic …

Kitchari or Khichdi is a delicious, soup-like meal that’s both nourishing to the body and easy on the digestive system. A vegetarian ‘chicken soup’, if you will. This particular recipe is a perfect spring kitchari. This recipe is well-spiced and light. Once mastered, Khichri takes about twelve minutes of prep …

We’ve chosen ten ingredients we like that cool Pitta Dosha. If we’ve missed one of your favorites, please let us know in the comment section below. These ingredients constitute a Pitta dosha diet that pacifies an aggravated pitta. 1. Coconut There are so many ways to use coconut and so …