Summertime Smoothie

Here’s a great Maharishi Ayurvedic summer time smoothie recipe -

Melon, mint and cucumber smoothie -

• 2 cups chopped honeydew


• 12 fresh mint leaves


• 1 teaspoon honey


• 1 cup chopped cucumber


• 2-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste

Puree ingredients in a blender until smooth and enjoy!


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Honey For The Throat

Honey helps coat and soothe sore throats and alleviate minor coughs.
It is a natural antibacterial and anti fungal agent.
Next time you’re sore, try a teaspoon of honey.

Cold/flu Remedy

Spring is almost here and the change of weather gets most of us sick.

Here's a great way to get rid of any cold or flu like symptoms -

- juice 6 fresh lemons
- 1 bulb garlic
- 2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 3 cups pineapple juice

Blend all the ingredients and store in a glass jar.
Drink 1 cup two times a day till symptoms subside.

Sweet & Spicy Balancing Smoothie

Here's a great Maharishi Ayurvedic recipe for balancing your doshas.

• 1/2 cup of spicy sprouts
• 1 tbsp ginger root
• 1 cup turnip greens 
• 2 lacinato kale leaves
• 1 pear
• 1 apple
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 2 pinches of cayenne (optional)
• 1 tsp, raw unheated honey (optional for extra sweetness)
• 1 1/2 - 4 cups filtered water

Place all ingredients into a blender, blend until smooth and enjoy! 

Miracle Drink To Fight Bad Breath

I just read about this, it's pretty cool and I'm looking forward to trying it.

We all suffer from bad breath every now and then.
Bad breath is caused by undigested food, the kinds of foods you eat, tooth decay, oral hygiene, lack of brushing and flossing the teeth, lack of scraping the tongue and poor diet.

Luckily, nature is great and by making this miracle shake, it will definitely fight bad breath.

• 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of spinach
• 10 parsley branches
• 1.7 ounces/50 ml warm water 

Wash both spinach and parsley, put them in a blender and add some lemon juice and warm water. 

Mix all the ingredients well and add cinnamon and honey at the end.  

You can keep this powerful shake in the fridge and consume before your first meal. 

Foods & Spices That Help Fight The Flu & Cold

Greetings fellow readers.

I'm back in Fairfield, Iowa and it's freezing here!
The air is crisp and clear.
The snow is bright and white.
And my feet are frozen!

I just got back from a great walk on the Cedar View Bridge.
On the right is a picture I took.

Thought this would be a perfect opportunity to blog about some foods and spices that can help fight the flu and cold season.

• ginseng
• cinnamon 
• turmeric
• cloves
• garlic
• spinach
• ginger
• onions
• honey
• strawberries 
• oranges
• anise seeds 
• leafy green vegetables 
• sweet potatoes 
• blueberries 

These help boost your immunity, helps with cough, clears the channels, contains lots of vitamins and  has lots of antioxidants. 

Sinus Relief Remedy

The weather is changing.
Our bodies are changing.
We are the universe and the universe is us.
Here's a great sinus relief remedy that can help during the weather change in and around us.

• 1 cup of boiled hot water
• 1 tablespoon of raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper 
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar 

Drink this mixture a couple of times a day.

It will help improve your sinus symptoms, break up congestion and kill pathogens. 

Kapha Pacifying Diet

Is your kapha out of balance?
Here's what you can do to pacify your kapha.

Favor the Following Foods -

General - lighter diet.  Dry, warm foods and warm drinks.  Pungent, bitter, astringent tastes.

Grains - old grains, barley, millet, corn, buckwheat, rye, oats, wheat, quinoa, cous cous.

Beans/Daal - all except tofu

Vegetables - green leafy vegetables, asparagus, artichoke, potato, carrot cabbage, beet root (small amounts), cauliflower, broccoli, celery, peas, pepper, sprouts, white pumpkin, zucchini, okra (only dry fried, non-slimy preparation), green papaya, tomato, tender eggplant, tender radish.

Dairy - lassi and buttermilk, low fat milk, small mounts of ghee and while milk

Sweeteners - honey

Oils - mustard, corn, sesame, all in small amounts

Nuts & seeds - sunflower and pumpkin

Spices & condiments - all except salt; especially pungent and sharp spices (pepper, ginger, cumin, etc.), lemon juice in small amounts

Fruits - pomegranate, apple, pear, papaya, jambu, grapes, persimmon, cranberry, raisins, figs, dates (best with honey), peaches, guava.

Avoid or reduce the following foods -

General - large quantities of food, especially at night.  Unctuous, cold, heavy food; sweet, sour and salty tastes

Grains - new grains, especially wheat and rice

Beans - tofu (soy beans)

Vegetables - sweet potatoes, tapioca, other tubers

Dairy - yogurt, cream, butter, whole milk, and ghee in large quantities

Sweeteners - sugar cane products

Nuts - all nuts

Spices & condiments - Salt

Fruits - avocado, banana, pineapple, orange, melon, plum, prunes, mango, coconut, apricot

General Principles Regarding Diet

• Eat in a settled and quiet atmosphere 

• Do not work, read or watch television during meals

• Always sit to eat

• Eat at roughly the same time each day 

• Do not eat too quickly or too slowly

• Eat to about 3/4 of your capacity

• Do not leave the table very hungry or very full

• Avoid taking a meal until the previous meal has been digested

• Allow approximately 3 to 6 hours between meals

• Water or juice are fine to sip during meals

• Milk should not be taken with meals having mixed tastes (for example - with vegetables, meats etc.).  Milk can be taken with toast, cereals, or sweet tasting foods, or separated from a meal by at least 20 minutes. 

• Diet should be balanced and including all 6 tastes - sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent - specific recommendations are given according to your constitution and needs

• Yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese and cultured buttermilk should be avoided at night

• Best not to heat or cook with honey

• Avoid ice cold beverages or food as they interfere with digestion 

• Take a few minutes to sit quietly after eating before returning to your activity 

Remedy 1 - cold, cough, allergy

The change in weather can cause a slight allergy or cough for some of us. 

Here's a simple drink you can make and have to relieve any discomfort. 

Cold, cough, allergy remedy -

1. basil leaves - 7 
2. whole black pepper - 3
3. ginger juice - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
4. honey - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon

Mix all the ingredients above in warm water or even as a tea and enjoy.

For full effect, best to have 2-3 times a day.