Healthy Snack Ideas

Snacking helps keep your metabolism up throughout the day, helping you burn calories and keep your energy levels up.

Here are some great snack options -

Greek yogurt
Avocado
Dates
Figs
Sweet potato fries
Dark chocolate
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Walnuts
Pumpkin Seeds
Bananas
Apples
Dried fruits
Glass of milk
Carrots
Basically all fruits

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.

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

Pitta Pacifying Diet

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

Favor the following foods -

General - Food not too hot.  Cool or luke warm drinks according to preference.  Sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.

Grains - wheat, rice, barley, oats.

Beans - yellow mung daal, small kidney beans, soy bean products

Vegetables - asparagus, artichokes, white pumpkin, okra (lady fingers), zucchini, spinach, chard, kale, chicory (bitter vegetable), cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, celery, potatoes, peas, green sweet pepper, green papaya, sprouts, lettuce, daikon (white carrot), tender eggplant.

Dairy - ghee, milk, butter, sweet buttermilk, sweet lassi, cream, cream cheese

Sweeteners - white or semi-refined sugar, honey in small amounts when person is not afflicted with heat.

Oils - coconut, olive, sunflower

Spices & condiments - coriander, cumin, ginger (in small amounts), turmeric, saffron, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon juice

Fruits - grapes, pomegranate, cashew, banana, avocado, mango, coconut, melons, apples, pears, raisins, dates figs, apricot, sweet orange, sweet pineapple, persimmon, papaya (small amounts), kiwi fruit.

Avoid or reduce the following -

General - pungent, sour and salty tastes

Grains - millet, corn, buckwheat, rye.

Beans - adzuki beans

Vegetables - tomatoes, beet root, carrots, radish, hot peppers, raw onions.

Dairy - sour milk products, yogurt, cheese (especially old and salty), salty butter, quark, sour cream.

Sweeteners - molasses, brown sugar.

Oils - almond, corn, safflower, sesame.

Nuts - all (except coconut)

Seeds - all except sunflower and pumpkin

Spices & condiments - chili pepper, cayenne, black pepper, mustard seeds, cloves, celery seeds fenugreek

Fruits - papaya, grapefruit, olive, sour orange, peach, sour grape, sour pineapple, berries, cranberries, prunes

Tips For Healthy Hair

Tips for healthy hair -

• include lots of leafy green vegetables and sweet juicy fruits
• coconut is best
• favor fresh yogurt, milk, buttermilk, ghee 
• favor seeds, nuts and grains 
• eat less of processed, canned food - no nutrition is given to body and mind
• cumin, turmeric, black pepper are good for the hair - include these spices in your cooking
• stress is a huge factor for hair loss and graying of hair - practice TM or any other meditation technique
• harsh chemicals in hair products is a big NO - it damages the hair - read the labels
• oil massages to the scalp once or twice a week stimulates the hair follicles, provides nourishment to the scalp, stimulates the mind and clears any impurities on the head
• do not comb or brush your hair when wet - more hair will break and fall
• blow drying hair is a big NO - excessive heat damages the hair, is not good for the mind and gives you split ends
• it's good to brush the hair regularly to stimulate the scalp and keeping the hair looking healthy and lustrous! 

Don't Eat THIS with THAT

Apples and pears before or after a meal.  A tall glass of milk along with your scrambled eggs.  What are we doing wrong here?  What most of us don't know and do is that we eat anything and everything which isn't coherent and then creates imbalance within the body which later causes discomfort and difficulty in digestion.  Below is a list of Don't Eat This With That! 

Don’t Eat:	With:
Milk	Bananas, fish, meat, melons, curd, sour fruits, yeast bread, cherries, yogurt
Melons	Grains, starch, fried foods, dairy products
Starches	Eggs, tea, dairy products, bananas, dates, persimmons, most fruits
Radishes	Milk, bananas, raisins
Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant)	Yogurt, milk, melon, cucumber
Yogurt	Milk, fruits, melons
Hot drinks	Meat, fish, mangoes, starch, cheese
Eggs	Meat, milk, yogurt, melons, cheese, fish, bananas
Fruit	With any other foods
Corn	Dates, raisins, bananas
Lemon	Yogurt, milk, cucumbers, tomatoes

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