Strengthening foods
This article was originally written in German for Wholymed. Finde die Artikel auf Deutsch hier.
The one size fits all approach is not very effective when it comes to food. One person’s medicine is another’s poison. It’s therefore important to understand what body type someone has, what foods they digest well and which foods they feel best leaving out or reducing. Sometimes we can notice this clearly ourselves, at other times it is trickier to tell what and when each food is right for the body. This also varies with the seasons, what time of day the food is consumed and how it is eaten.
There are however a few foods that most people digest well and safely can include in our diet. The word superfood has been thrown around a lot in the last few years, and it is often something fancy, exotic, and expensive shipped from the other side of the world. It’s been hijacked to market something to us and rarely fits everybody or the constitution. This is not the kind of food I will be talking about here, but rather whole foods that nourish and grow locally in the climate you live in. They have traveled the shortest distance, have the nourishment needed for the season, and your body will most likely recognize and digest them well. Still, they sometimes have got a bad reputation and are often not considered healthy and part of a healthy lifestyle.
How to get enough nourishing foods
The foods I am talking about grow locally where you live. They are usually part of the diet that traditionally was consumed in the area. They aren’t highly processed, they are what we sometimes speak of as whole foods. Whole in their natural form when cooked and eaten. For example, whole organic wheat can be extremely nourishing and building. When it is processed in the form of pasta, white bread or ground down to flower and then left on a shelf for years, it is far from its original form. It has lost its prana, life force, and freshness.
Another building food is cow’s milk, which had in small quantities, cooked with spices can be extremely nourishing. Honey is another one which had from local reliable sources which aren’t watered down with sugar, strengthens our immune system and the body’s natural strength. Dates are another food extremely nutrient-dense and rich in vitamin B1, B2, B3, and B5, as well as A1 and C. They also contain potassium and iron that support a healthy immune system. Ghee, clarified butter, is another building food that supports the digestive system and nourishes and lubricates the body from the inside out.
A simple way to begin to include local whole foods is to sign up for a vegetable box or begin shopping at the local markets where you live. That way you can make sure that the fruits and vegetables you purchase are fresh, full of life energy (prana), and that your body will recognize them since they are in season. Nature is wonderful that way. What grows in season, is likely to contain the support you need for that time of the year.
When you haven’t had enough nourishing foods in your diet over time
If you are not used to eating fresh local foods, creating a weekly meal plan can be of great help. By planning who in your household cooks when, and what is created, the menu stays varied and nourishing. A simple way to make time for cooking is to prep the vegetables on the weekend by chopping them up in the sizes you want them. This is often what takes the most time when we cook. Thereafter you can store them in glass containers in the fridge and unpack when you are ready to cook. Try new foods that grow locally that you aren’t familiar with and make it a fun experiment. By including dates, ghee, and whole grains in your diet you have already laid the foundation for a nourishing diet. Add lightly cooked or stewed vegetables as well as legumes to your meal, and you will feel wonderful.
Another important factor is to make sure you are chewing your food well, and enjoy what you are eating. No meal will digest properly unless you wholeheartedly choose to accept it in, sit down to eat without distractions, and enjoy it with all your senses.
How to keep a nourishing diet
By having a few nourishing foods around, and making them part of your daily meals, you can keep a nourishing diet. The foods I suggest you always have around are cows or any other milk to make evening milk (see recipe below), dates, basmati rice, and ghee.
Nourishing milk - Ojas milk
Serves 2 people
You need:
1 cup of milk of your choice
½ tsp of cardamom
½ tsp of cinnamon
½ tsp turmeric
2 cloves
2 star anise
2 dates or 1 tsp honey
This is how:
Add all the ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil.
Let simmer for 10 min.
Strain the spices out but toss one date back in each cup. The date can be replaced by a bit of honey.
NOTE: honey should never be cooked. It becomes heavy and toxic in the body, instead add it directly to the cup and pour the milk over it.