Benefits of Ayurvedic Cooking

Aromatic, appetizing and healing – when it comes to Ayurvedic cooking I am on a personal journey of self-discovery! You may want to understand that Ayurvedic Cooking is not just Indian cooking, although spices, herbs that are used are mostly from that part of the world however it is the knowledge applied that makes it unique and wonderful.  Ayurveda teaches you how to speak with the ingredients and therefore no matter which part of the world  you are in, by tasting, looking at the colours, shapes, sizes and the texture of the food, you can easily learn how to make a meal that is Ayurvedic.

Ayurvedic cooking is also called “annayoga” because Ayurveda believes that the act of cooking and eating is a way to protect our lives and support the ‘prana’ or lifeforce.  It teaches us methods to improve our lives by practicing lifestyle and food habits that improves our physical and mental wellbeing. Ayurvedic cooking does not present us with a rule book but provides us with a guideline to understand nature and self. Recipes for Ayurvedic cooking depend on the person, climatic conditions of the region, body type and health condition of the person. It sounds complicated at the beginning, however once you learn the basic principles you will understand they are all “common sense” cooking. I become fascinated with Ayurveda with every passing day as it reveals to me secrets or ideas that are not seen with vision only but experienced with all the five senses and sometimes the sixth one.

12 benefits of Ayurvedic Cooking:

Why cook using Ayurvedic guideline?

1. Digestion: Ayurveda teaches us to prepare food keeping in mind that “we are what we eat and digest.’ Ayurvedic principles make food easy to digest and assimilate in the body for maximum nutrient absorption. 
2. Food combining: Ayurveda teaches us proper food combining and which foods are incompatible when eaten together and why. For example mixing milk and sour fruits is not ideal for digestion. Therefore this combination is better avoided for our health.
3. Seasonal eating: Ayurveda encourages seasonal eating. When the food is fresh and locally harvested their flavours are intact and nutrients are optimum.
4. Spice love: Spices and herbs have as much medicinal value as they have culinary. Ayurveda teaches us how to use these spices intelligently to balance the dosha’s, improve digestion, nutrient absorption, hormonal balance, improve circulation and many more benefits derived from the spices and herbs.
5. Eating as per body requirement: We have variable needs for nutrients in the body at different stages in life, such as during illness, pregnancy, playing sports, aging and mental stress. Ayurveda recommends foods according to the current condition you may be experiencing.
6. Dosha: Every individual is unique and they need different foods to maintain mind-body-spirit balance. Ayurveda will teach you how to balance the different dosha’s in your body through food and lifestyle changes. This is unique way of looking at food helps to bring balance in both physical and mental health.
7. Nutrition and flavour: No other cooking system provides us with recipes, techniques and knowledge that would combine nutrition and flavour in such away as Ayurveda. It is amazing and you must try it. One of clients commented after having a spoonful of rice, “this is the most flavourful meal I have ever had in my life!”
8. Enzymes and metabolic process: Eating to balance your dosha will support the “agni’ or the enzymes and metabolic processes in the body. Ayurvedic cooking also teaches you which time of the day your ‘agni’ is strongest and what to eat at every meal.
9. Lose the label: Ayurvedic cooking promotes home cooked meals using freshest, unmodified, whole and real foods. It does not impose on being vegan, vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It looks at the body and the situation and guides you back to eating what is good for you. It embraces all types of foods vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, fats, meat and spices to teach you how to use them to your benefit.
10. Six tastes: Ayurveda teaches you all about the six tastes and how to employ these tastes to balance your dosha’s.
11. Cures: In addition to making flavourful meals for the entire family, Ayurveda reveals the secret in every food and tells us how we can use food to make remedies for various ailments. For example: how to rekindle digestive fire, how to get rid of menstrual cramps, how to boost the immune system, what spice to use for burns and cuts and what teas to make for cold and flu.
12.  Carrier foods: In addition Ayurvedic cooking identifies the foods that can be used as a carrier to supply medicine (herbal of course) in your body. Such foods are ghee (butter oil), honey and milk.

I also think Ayurvedic cooking encourages “workout sessions” because it promotes using your hands as a tool or utensil for grinding spices, processing grains to make flour, blend buttermilk to make lassi and kneading dough for your bread. In today’s day so many of these can be achieved using grinder, blender and baking mixers. The reason why Ayurvedic cooking encourages your own hands in cooking is because you put your own energy and love in the cooking. There are some people who can always tell apart their mother’s cooking from anyone else’s because mother’s cook with so much love for their children that they can taste the difference and recognize it immediately.

Lastly it is extremely important to appreciate the food and the cook before eating. In almost all religion there is a small prayer before eating. When you consume food with family, friend or by yourself make sure there are no distractions and that you are in a relaxed state of mind.

According to Ayurvedic cooking it is not just about delicious food rather this way of cooking is the secret for continuous good health and longevity. Ayurvedic cooking means sourcing and preparing food in a way that ensures optimal health of the mind, body and spirit. Of course the food also needs to be delicious that will please the mind and spirit. Ayurveda often speaks about Sattvic food. I will elaborate more about Sattvic foods in the future.

For those who are interested I have created a 12 week online Ayurvedic Cooking program called, 

Ayurvedic Cooking and Nutrition Program for Optimal Health

The “Ayurvedic Cooking and Nutrition Program for Optimal Health” is created for you so that you can learn how to effectively cook using:

• Ayurvedic philosophies
• Traditional and holistic cooking techniques
• Nutritional information

We have put together a Complete course of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Cooking. 

Learn more about the program when you watch this video

Ayurvedic Cooking and Nutrition Program for Optimal Health is a 12 week online course that you will have a lifetime access to. Please note that I will be raising the price for this program soon. So take advantage while its still at a good price. 

Check out the Course or Program Outline by clicking here. I have broken down all the modules here for you.

Ayurvedic Cooking and Nutrition Program for Optimal Health IS IDEAL FOR YOU, IF…..