Toxin Fighting Foods For Clear Skin

The food we put inside, shows up outside if it’s not doing any good.

And now with the change of season, our bodies need to adjust.

Here’s a list of toxin fighting foods that will help with clear skin -

1 – tomatoes – rich in Vitamins A & C, nutrients and antioxidants

2 – beets – detoxifies and supports the liver

3 – lemons – helps balance body’s acidity and clears skin

4 – avocado – rich in Vitamin E and great for skin health

5 – fennel – supports digestion and intestinal health

6 – berries – full of antioxidants promoting healthy skin and reducing body stress

7 – sweet potato – contains beta-carotene for intestinal, skin and menstrual cycle

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Say No To Cold

Adding ice to drinks, especially in the summer time is okay, right?  Well, no it is not!

Ice old beverages basically extinguish the digestive fire – the fire that is needed to digest that ice cold beverage you just had, along with the meal.

Something like ice cold milk, juice, or even water puts out the fire.

Cold drinks and foods mixed with warm cooked foods can cause stomach cramps, bloating and discomfort in the stomach area.

So say no to cold!

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Tip Of The Day

According to Ayurveda, drinking water at the end of a meal is wrong.

It destroys the jathar agni (the fire that is present in the stomach and that which facilitates digestion).

When drinking water after a meal, it rots the food inside the system and doesn’t digest.

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Did You Know

Drinking water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the human body:

1 glass of water after waking up – helps activate internal organs

1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal – helps digestion

1 glass of water before taking bath – helps lower blood pressure

1 glass of water before going to bed – avoids stroke or heart attack

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The Power Of Triphala

Ama, or toxins accumulate in the body especially when your digestion or elimination is out of balance.  And these days, with all the crap that I’m sure we all eat from time to time, puts our bodies out of balance.  And when out of balance, the body craves to be cleansed.  Signals are given to us when digestion or elimination is not up to par, for example, you may feel fatigue, lack of sleep, foul smell form body, breakouts, etc.  This is where the power of Triphala does the job!

Triphala is made up of 3 powerful fruits – Amalaki, Bibhitaki and Haritaki.  Each of these fruits contain balancing and rejuvenative  qualities known as Rasayana.  Basically, tripahala is a mild laxative and when used over a long period of time, the deepest level of tissues and organs become free of toxins.

Here are some more powerful benefits of triphala -

• purifies the urine
• cleanses and tones the digestive tract
• detoxifies the liver
• clears all channels of circulation
• nourishes eyes and skin
• maintains good cholesterol
• contains anti-inflammatory & anti-viral properties
• maintains regularity
• natural antioxidant

Get your hands on some!

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Strong Digestion & Constipation

Creating a strong digestion is very important for the system especially when you're constipated.
Foods that are not properly digested create toxins and impurities that get absorbed and localize in tissues and disrupt their true nature of functioning.

Here's what you can do to strengthen your digestive system so constipation won't occur -

• herbal preparations 
• favor foods that enhance digestion
• use of proper spices
• knowing what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• exercise, yoga and breathing techniques 
• proper food combinations
• lifestyle and daily routine
• stress management
• balancing the nervous system
• herbalized oil massage 

Constipated?

Constipation is something that we all have experienced at some point in our lives.  Causes can be anything like poor diet, digestion and elimination.  Toxins tend to build up in tissues and block the channels of elimination.  Your lifestyle, what you do on a daily basis that is not in accordance to the laws of nature as well as the food you put in your body plays a major role as well.

The root causes of constipation are -

• poor nutrition
• poor digestion
• toxins accumulating in tissues
• blocked channels 
• accumulated mental stress
• accumulated physical stress
• disruption of the natural body rhythms 

There's a lot you can do naturally to be relieved from constipation and here's one of them -

Mix 2 teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a glass of warm milk and drink thirty minutes before bedtime.  It will definitely help with constipation and acidity!

Your Dosha And Sleep

"The goal of the Ayurvedic approach is to create more Ojas, the finest product of digestion that provides energy, enthusiasm, happiness, clarity of thinking, better coordination between the heart and mind and immunity.  Only the deepest, most restful sleep, called Stage Four Sleep by researchers, creates ojas," says an Ayurvedic expert from The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians.

Ayurveda identifies 3 types of sleep disorders -

1 - Vata sleep disorder - this is when you find it difficult to fall asleep (this is caused by a vata imbalance or mental stress).  You tend to toss and turn a lot, mind is over active, tends to correlate with worry and anxiety of day to day stresses.

2 - Pitta sleep disorder - this is when there is intermittent awakening - you fall asleep fine, but wake up every 90 minutes due to muscle tension, racing heart, emotions, fear, anger, sadness.  Or there is another pattern where one wakes up between 2-4am and has a ton of energy.

3 - Kapha sleep disorder - this is when you sleep long hours and wake up unrefreshed.  You feel sluggish, tired and completely exhausted even though you had a full nights sleep.

Which one most relates to you?
Look out for tomorrow's post, I'll give you some recommendations for each of the doshas.

Benefits of Avocados

Avocados are really good for you and have such great health benefits.

They're great on your cholesterol level
Blood sugar regulation
Blood pressure
Great on digestion
The heart
The brain
The eyes
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-cancer
High level of natural fiber
Anti-oxidant booster
Boosts immune system
Promotes healthy bones because of its Vitamin K contents

Salad - For Lunch

Mom mad a delicious salad for lunch today with kale, lettuce, beets, cranberries, celery and so much more!

Remember - it's best to have a salad for lunch rather than dinner since salad is raw and takes time to digest.  Definitely avoid it for dinner.

Tip Of The Day - Natural Breath Freshener

Need a quick breath freshener?
Just chew on a couple of mint leaves or some cilantro.
It leaves your mouth minty fresh and lasts much longer than a tic tac or breath sprays.
AND, IT'S NATURAL!
Another bonus fact - not only does it keep your breath fresh, but it also helps with oral infections, digestion, nausea, relieves intestinal gas and good for cholesterol.

Tip of the Day

1 cup of Yogurt has about 13 grams of protein, B complex, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, folic acid.
Fresh yogurt takes about 1 hour to digest compared to the 3 hours it takes milk to digest.
That's why yogurt should be only taken during the day and not at night.
The digestion process slows down if taken during the night due to the cold quality of the yogurt.
Also, best to have yogurt with other foods and never alone.

Juicing Greens

My father is obsessed with juicing - fruits and vegetables.
He juices every morning for his family and gets our metabolism on check for the day.

Here are some benefits when juicing greens -

• bone and joints are improved
• improves focus and mental clarity 
• aids in weight loss
• boosts energy
• gives healthier hair, skin and nails
• digestion is improved
• builds a strong immune system
• loaded with nutrition 
• anti-aging 

A Healthy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is tomorrow.
Here are some tips to follow that will make you feel good -

• have some breakfast before the thanksgiving feast begins - by having breakfast, you'll having some control during the thanksgiving feast
• have fruits instead of pies and ice cream
• drink water instead of sodas and alcohol
• use spices and herbs instead of salt and sugar
• favor milk over heavy cream
• whole wheat flour is better than white flour 
• make sure half of your plate has some vegetables 
• go for a nice walk 2 hours before eating if possible - this will help boost your metabolism and digestion before the big feast
• organic turkey is best
• watch your portions
• drink a few glasses of room temperature water 2 hours before the feast 

Tip Of The Day

Cucumbers should not be taken much with food because it takes the meal a longer time to digest.

Healing Qualities of Water

When water is properly absorbed by the body, the healing qualities are very positive- 

• enhances glow of skin
• increases stamina
• helps with digestion
• prevents constipation
• releases fatigue
• cooling
• antioxidant
• easy to assimilate
• life giving
• provides satisfaction to all organs
• always helping to fulfill the body

Healing Water for Doshas

Water represents soma, the nourishing, cooling quality that is associated with the lunar energy.  Water helps with digestion, cools and balances the pitta dosha, supports kapha and counteracts the dryness of vata.

The council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians explains how the healing effects of water can be enhanced using Ayurvedic methods.

Vata Balancing Water -

• boil 2 quarts of water for 5 minutes
• take it off the heat and add 3 mint leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon of marshmallow root
• place the water in a thermos
• sip it throughout the day at a warm but not hot temperature

Pitta Balancing Water - 

• boil 2 quarts of water for 2 minutes
• take it off the heat and add 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seed
• 2 rose buds
• 1 clove
• store it hot inside a thermos
• before drinking pour it into a cup and let it cool to room temperature in summer
• in winter, it can be slightly warmer

Kapha Balancing Water - 

• boil 2 quarts of water for 5 minutes
• take it off the heat and add 3 holy basil leaves
• 2 thin slices of fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of fennel
• place the water and spices in a thermos
• sip the water at a hot or warm temperature throughout the day 

Lemon Water

Drinking one tall glass of lemon water is very beneficial to the body.  And since Ayurveda likes to keep things rolling, purifying the channels of all toxins is very important.

Here are some reasons why drinking lemon water is important:

• purifies the liver
• stimulates the liver
• aids in digestion
• aids in bowels
• helps lower blood pressure
• maintains a higher pH balance in the body
• dilutes uric acid
• reduces phlegm 
• clears the skin
• helps with weight loss
• boosts the immune system
• freshens breath
• promotes energy
• helps with urinary tract infections

For better results - have a glass in the morning. 

Feedback!

Greetings.

Someone had reached out to me recently asking for a recommendation as to how she can help with the reddish, small acne type bumps on her face.

The best cure - turmeric.

I told her to make a paste out of turmeric -
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- Mixed with water
- Mix till there is a good consistency
- Apply on affected area
- Best to do morning and night

After a few weeks, we got in touch and she said there's a big difference and the affected area is so much better!

Here is some general information about turmeric -

• can be used internally and externally
• dry and light in quality
• taste is pungent, bitter and astringent
• golden in color which gives a golden like complexion
• the oil from the turmeric contains a lot of vitamin A, proteins, carbohydrates
• decreases cholesterol level
• often used as cream component for skin
• reduces pain and swelling
• good for dry eczema and wounds
• fumes of turmeric is used for breathing problems - hiccups
• stimulates process of digestion
• facilitates downward movement of vata
• purifies the blood
• helps to stop bleeding
• reduces urinary frequency
• helps reduce fever
• good to have if diabetic
• has a purifying effect on lactating mothers
• good for anemia 
• recent studies shows it to have anti cancer properties 

Vedic Wisdom Behind Eating With Your Hands

An interesting read.

Eating food with the hands in today’s Western society can sometimes be perceived as being unhygienic, bad mannered and primitive. However within Indian culture there is an old saying that,  "eating food with your hands feeds not only the body but also the mind and spirit". 

In the Big Brother series some years back, an English participant complained about a indian participants use of her hands during food preparations and her eating habits, “They eat with their hands in India, don’t they? Or is that China? You don’t know where those hands have been.”  Within many Indian households nowadays, the practice of eating food with the hands has been replaced with the use of cutlery.

Have you ever thought of why previous generations in India ate with the hands? There is a reason for their this.  The practice of eating with the hands originated within Ayurvedic teachings. The Vedic people knew the power held in the hand.

The ancient native tradition of eating food with the hands is derived from the mudra practice, which is prevalent in many aspects within Hinduism. Mudras are used during mediation and are very prominent within the many classical forms of dance, such as Bharatnatyam.

The hands are considered the most precious organ of action. This is linked to the Vedic prayer of

“Karagre vasate Laksmih karamule Sarasvati Karamadhye tu Govindah prabhate karadarsanam”

(On the tip of your fingers is Goddess Lakshmi, on the base of your fingers is Goddess Saraswati; in the middle of your fingers is Lord Govinda), which we recite whilst looking at our palms. Thus, this shloka suggests that all the divinity lies in human effort.

Our hands and feet are said to be the conduits of the five elements. The Ayurvedic texts teach that each finger is an extension of one of the five elements. Through the thumb comes space; through the forefinger, air; through the mid-finger, fire; through the ring finger, water and through the little finger it is earth.

Each finger aids in the transformation of food, before it passes on to internal digestion. Gathering the fingertips as they touch the food stimulates the five elements and invites Agni to bring forth the digestive juices. As well as improving digestion the person becomes more conscious of the tastes, textures and smells of the foods they are eating, which all adds to the pleasure of eating.

You may have noticed that elders in the family hardly ever use utensils to measure all the different type of masala, and would instead prefer to use their hands to measure the quantity instead. As each handful is tailored to provide a suitable amount for the own body. Overall there are 6 main documented forms that the hands take when obtaining a measurement a certain type of food ranging from solid food to seeds, and flour.
This is a prime example of how many things within Hindu culture may seem weird and unusual at first glance, but once a closer look is taken it is surprising, but a vast amount of knowledge is revealed.