Samyoga: The Art of Food Combination

The order in which we eat different classes of foods, how we combine them, and the amounts we consume will determine how well we digest and assimilate our vital nutrients. The better we digest and assimilate our foods, the less likely we are to form toxic substances, accumulate excess fat, and crave unhealthy food articles.

According to Ayurveda, every food has its own taste (rasa), a heating or cooling energy (virya) and post-digestive effect (vipaka). When two or three different food substances of different taste, energy and post-digestive effect are combined together agni can become overloaded inhibiting the enzyme system and resulting in production of toxins in the system. While it is true that an individual's agni largely determines how well or poorly food is digested, food combinations are also of great importance.

Tips to Aid Digestion

     We can be eating simple, fast, tasty and nutritios food, however at times, when our digestive fire is slow we need to pull out our tool box to complete the digestive process and to enhance the qualities of our cooking. Cooking with spices like cardamon, coriander, hing, fennel and ginger can really make a difference in reducing gas forming as well as aid the digestion process.

 

·      Eat ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger with a pinch of  rock salt before each meal to stimulate agni. ( digestive fire)

·      Salt also aids digestion, and helps to retain water.

·      Alkalis help digestion and regulate gastric fire.

Self-test to see your level of toxins

By taking this questionnaire, you can get an idea where your toxins are located, and whether you can purify them easily with the Self-Detox Program offered later in this newsletter, or whether you should consult an expert trained in ayurveda.

One simple rule is that a person who has a Kapha imbalance or body type with simple ama, with no symptoms of stiffness, no irritation, no symptoms of amavisha and garvisha, is the ideal candidate to do self-detoxification. People who have ama and only small amounts of amavisha can also do self-detox safely.

Tips to avoid toxin forming

All through the year, and especially while detoxifying, it's important to follow the ayurvedic eating guidelines for reducing ama.

These include:

1. Do not fast or skip meals during any part of the self-detoxification program.

2. Eat at the same time every day so your agni can "fire up" for the meal.

Coconut chutney 2

In Kerala looks like each home has a coconut chutney recipe. Some they can use chick peas, tamarind and other home preferences. However all of them have one thing in common: Coconut. This pitta reducing food is good for almost any thing; from blood purification to a simple summer refreshment. Use as a chutney coconut makes a elegant companion to any dish. This 5 minutes preparation chutney will transport any meal  to a tropical delight.

Ilaada or kerala coconut dosa

Thank you Lasitha for this easy breakfast coconut dosa. I don't want to discourage my north American friends, when they see that this recipe requires banana leafs. You can actually get them in Latin American groceries stores in a frozen from. Your efforts will be pay when you taste the soft fragrance and freshness they gave to the food. You will impress any guess with this easy and exotic dish. Of course it is a wonderland dish for children. Good for all doshas.

Pineapple Curry

Fully ripe  pineapples are great for pitta doshas or for pitta agravations. This 2 minutes curry is an ideal side dish. You can serve it for in many occasions including breakfast. I particularly like it over fresh basmati rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe pineapple (peeled, cored, and chopped into 1-inch pieces)
• 1 tbsp. coconut  oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2-3 dried red chilies, torn

Mint Chutney

This chutney is lovely for pitta constitutions or for those hot summer days. It takes 5 minutes to put all the ingredients together and to make any dish colorful and refreshing. Lovely for Pitta constitutions.

Ingredients
1/2 cup mint leaves.
5 fresh curry leaves.
3 tsp of any ground nuts
1 cup of grated unsweetened coconut.
salt
1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients in the blender for a few minutes until forming a paste. Serve immediately.

Coconut Coriander Chutney

When you visit India, you enter into the world of chutneys. This refreshing and exotic coconut chutney is one of Kerala’s delights. Enjoy with rice, vegetables, or even oats. Thank you Anna for watching our Indian chef make it and passing on the recipe.

Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:

½         fresh coconut

½          green chili

¼          small onion or pinch of hing

5         fresh curry leaves

½ cup fresh coriander

1 tsp tamarind paste

½ tsp fresh ginger

1 tbsp water

Salt to taste

Directions:

Tamarind paste, fresh coconut and fresh curry leaves can usually be found at Indian grocery stores.  If fresh coconut is not available you can use frozen coconut or grated unsweetened coconut. In that case,  just do not put it in the blender. Instead, add it at the end. For meditators, the onion can be replaced by a pinch of hing.

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed. 

Lemon Rice

At times I end up with leftover plain rice. Lemon rice is a good solution for using the leftovers and an elegant addition to other dishes. Persons with a Kapha constitution can replace peanuts with sesame seeds. Pitta constitution: reduce ginger powder or replace it with fennel. 5 minutes preparation.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice already cooked

4 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ginger powder

1/4 cup     peanuts

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp coconut oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

Directions:

Stir fry the coconut oil, mustard seeds and peanuts. When golden, add the turmeric, cumin seeds, salt and lemon juice. Stir for 1 minute, add the rice and combine all ingredients well.