Tamarind egg curry

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

Lunch box

Packed lunches: Can they be healthy, easy, cheap, environmentally and child-friendly?

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

Wind tree

Watch the wind – it’s a tricky little fellow

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

Caffeine – gets us moving, at what cost?

“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

The 6 tastes of Ayurveda

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

Look after your digestive fire

It all comes back to Digestion

“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

Sun through clouds

From SAD to happy with Ayurveda

Wow, it’s lovely to see the sun out.  Out comes the sun and out come the smiles.  Have you found that this winter’s dreadful weather has been making you a bit sad?  Or indeed, quite a bit S.A.D.?  With the lack of sunlight in the winter months, many people start Read more

Spelt Grain

What’s the story with wheat?

Why my obsession with spelt? What is wrong with wheat?  Nothing. The ancient texts of Ayurveda extol the virtues of wheat, as a nourishing, strengthening food.  Its properties are heavy, oily, sweet and cooling.  As it is fairly heavy to digest, it is best not to over consume.  Looking at wheat from a Read more

Sourdough – the bread that’s easy to digest

Fermentation has been used worldwide for thousands of years to produce foods and drinks of different flavours, textures and longevity.  An example of this is alcohol, and less obviously bread and soy sauce.  In Ayurveda, there are various slow-fermenting vinegars and medicinal ‘wines’ which have documented therapeutic uses.  This natural, Read more

Spelt Sourdough loaf in a bread-maker

Before you can make spelt sourdough bread, you need to first, make or obtain a sourdough starter.  If you are starting one yourself, you can use wholemeal spelt or rye from the beginning.  If you are getting some from a friend or another source and it is wheat, you can feed Read more