Some things are easy to digest and some things are difficult. And then there are some which are very difficult (abhishyandi). Knowledge of these makes a huge difference to how well you digest, absorb and assimilate nutrients and thus how healthy you are. Foods that are heavy to digest are Read more…
I love the summer. Being a vata-predominant, not-well-covered body type, I find myself cold for 90% of the year in the UK. So come summer, my whole body relaxes and I feel like a basking lizard absorbing all the warmth and sunlight to keep me going for the rest of Read more…
With Christmas around the corner, you’ll be pleased to know that a traditional roast with accompanying root vegetables, a few brussels sprouts and some herbs thrown in, fits in very well with the ideal foods to eat in winter. Enjoy it with impunity. By eating what nature offers up with Read more…
Whether you are looking to eat healthily or are diving head-first into a prescribed Ayurvedic diet to fix a problem, here are some top pantry essentials. I’m going to assume you have your own policy on organic v. non-organic and I’ll leave that to you. If you don’t do anything Read more…
Eating vegetarian and reducing tomatoes is sometimes tricky so I love this recipe for a tamarind egg curry. Ayurveda recommends small doses of tomatoes only as they slow digestion and cause aama. Lots of curries contain tomatoes so it is always great to find recipes which aren’t tomato based. If Read more…
I think they can. It’s a fine balance but it is possible. I often get asked about healthy packed lunches. I try to tiptoe a wiggly line between health, ease, environmental-impact and child-acceptability! I don’t get it perfectly right and I’m no Delia Smith, but for what it’s worth, here Read more…
Given my usual fascination with digestion, you’d be forgiven for thinking I mean that kind of wind. But, for once, I don’t. In this instance, I refer to vata, the ‘wind’ (or air and space) principle in your body and mind. It is one of the three doshas (vata, pitta Read more…
“Let’s meet for coffee”. Who doesn’t say it? I don’t even drink coffee and it is still a phrase that trips off the tongue. Coffee has reached cult status and it is no surprise. That hit of caffeine feels good. When you start adding in creamy milk, syrups and chocolate Read more…
Balanced meals, balanced person, that’s the concept. Ayurveda has a delightfully simple way of devising a balanced meal; it’s all done through taste. There are 6 tastes, and if you have a balance of all 6 in your meal, your meal will be nutritious and, importantly, satisfying (assuming that your Read more…
“It comes back to the beginning” – the theme tune punch line from the fantastic TV series, The Bridge. If you haven’t seen it, you should! I’m singing the song for you now, you are just very lucky not to be able to hear me. It does indeed all come Read more…