Food is Medicine
Eating is Ritual
As we have learned, some of the main culprits that wreak havoc on our health are: all processed and refined foods, artificial and unnatural additives, toxins in our environment and products, white sugar, bad food combining, bad digestive habits, excessive use of stimulants, unnecessary or overprescribed pharmaceutical drugs, and lack or loss of intake of vital nutrients. In the ayurvedic system of health which is the sister science of yoga, toxins or "ama" are the main cause of disease. If not properly eliminated, they get recirculated in the body and/or lodged as fat deposits. The toxicity of these culprits manifests as arthritis, chronic inflammation, allergies, gastrointestinal issues, depression, insomnia, hormonal dysfunction/imbalances etc..., the list goes on. So, detoxing and purifying our diet, making sure we eat whole, nourishing and healing foods, and taking steps to insure optimal digestion (intake of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, good fats, fiber, hydration) as well as timely elimination is key. This is the core understanding of this workshop.
Last, we are learning how to relate to food by tuning into what we eat and why. Understanding what our body needs at any point in time and choosing foods, spices, herbs, and medicine to achieve a more full and whole profile of nutrients. Only with this empowered, mindful, and attentive approach can we truly attain our potential not just in body but, also in mind and spirit for what we put into our mouths and how we live serves as the foundation for higher levels of consciousness. Eat more crudifying and acid forming foods and living a life of constant stress and pressure to go, go, go, you must ask yourself what quality of life would be attained?; what would be the quality of your thinking process and behavior? Eat more whole, organic, pure foods that hold essential nutrients and healing properties that alkaline, balance, and harmonize the body/mind, living a life of ease and cultivating contentedness and ask how that would feel and look like. How can you see yourself and your life changed?
My goal with these workshops is to help you be empowered and feel healthy in body and mind! This means vitality in your internal organs, radiance in you smile, longevity in your lifespan, and well-being in your heart such that life becomes so full of spirited life force that abundance and service just flows. Empowered in right intention, thoughts, words, and actions, what better place to start, then the very food we choose to eat and how we eat! We are going right to the source...learning to take better care of THIS BODY, THIS MIND, THIS LIFE right now!
Some recipes of the dishes we had that demonstrate some key concepts we discussed:
KITCHEREE (left)
*A nice way to start detoxing by going on a mono-diet. This is 3-5 day fast eating just kitcheree which in ayurveda helps detox the body and heal digestion.
1-Soak 2 cups split red lentils for at least .5 hours
2-Wash 1 cup basmati brown rice at least 3x
3-Add lentils and rice in a pot filling w/ purified water 2" above (add more as needed) bringing this to a boil for 7 minutes then cover and simmer for 20min
4-In sauce pan sautee in coconut oil: mustard seeds, cumin, corieander, fennel bulb, tumeric, ginger, garlic, onion, clove, cardamom, and cinnamon until mustard seeds start to pop...then add chopped cauliflower and carrot until tender
4-Add the sautee to the lentils and rice and stir well on low heat
5-Turn off when everything is a soft, thick consistency
6-Add celtic sea salt to your liking and serve w/ cilantro and fresh squeeze of lemon on top
-stay tuned to my blog for recipe for:
Shitake vegetable lettuce cups
with asian slaw (right)
*Reminder to my Saturday Group:
You are doing castor packs, abdominal massage, and trying the mono-diet of kitcheree for 1-5 days...3-5 is recommended :)) Keep up with the changes you are making moving more and more into healthier options, substitutes, and ways of living! Fourth step will resume to Mondays starting in June...I will e-mail to bring us together!
Namaste,
Prem Devii
(E-RYT 500, Thai Posturer, M.A. Education)
808-269-2638
(see details for full workshop at my website above)
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