What's the deal with BEANS?

The name of the game in Ayurveda is small beans in winter. Little guys such as mung and lentil, are easier to digest during the Vata season. They soften and moisten quickly and more completely through the cooking process.

Large beans, such as garbanzo and kidney, eaten in excess, can fill the digestive tract with air, which is very aggravating and irritating to the body, and also the mind (being gassy is a little...distracting, no?).

Some bodies can eat beans no problem (like your Pitta and Kapha types!), others will have to moderate even small beans. Always soak them over night, and cook them well with some spices and fat to balance their light, dry qualities.

This is why you find so many dal recipes in my cookbooks. Head over to my IGTV to find a video of me making a super quick dal soup.

Winter Foods

Winter is described as that time when the earth is tilting away from the sun, making the environment more cold and dark.

Without the drying heat of bright sun winter starts out with more moisture. Something else to consider these days, however, is the climate indoors. If a place is cold enough to require heaters inside, this heat is going to dry the air. If a lot of time is spent indoors in winter, dryness will result, especially in the respiratory channels.

If you don’t get enough good fats in winter time, you
may begin to notice dry stool or dry skin.

Recipe Alert!

Turmeric Macchiato, a favorite cozy drink that balances the dry quality and somehow keeps me from eating too many sweets. I find this easier to digest, because it's denser with less liquid. Very satisfying.

More like this in my books!

• 1/2 cup whole cow, coconut, or almond milk

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp ginger powder

• 1 tsp coconut oil

• pinch of black pepper

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and warm uncovered over medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes or until you see steam rising out of the pan. Once the coconut oil is melted, whisk by hand or with an electric milk frother until combined. Pour into a mug, sweeten with honey, if using, and drink immediately.

 I hope it treats you well, and maybe changes your life?

Licorice!

I use this one when I teach long hours and it keeps me from losing my voice.

Demulcents are important in the dry climates. They bring moisture to the mucous membranes and ward off dry colon and lungs- breathe easy, poop easy. It’s amazing stuff and can easily be made into a tea daily to get its benefits.

Botanical name: Glycyrrhiza glabra

Parts used: root

Rasa: sweet

Virya: cooling

Vipaka: sweet

Qualities: unctuous, heavy

Actions: demulcent, soothes dry throat and loosens mucous, has affinity for the respiratory system, esp lungs

Contraindications: can aggravate Kapha, can aggravate high blood pressure in high amounts

I get this one from my buds @banyanbotanicals

HING!

Reduce the bloat.

Hing is the resinous bark of a small tree. It can be found in powdered form, cut with wheat or fenugreek, or in crystals which dissolve when heated. This warming culinary is a must for bringing its oniony flavor and aroma to sattvic dishes and to reduce gases in legume dishes. It appears in many herbal medicines, most often hingvastak churna, a compound where it is roasted in ghee and mixed with cumin and pepper.

Botanical name: Ferula foetida

AKA: Asafoetida

Parts used: bark

Rasa: pungent, bitter

Virya: heating

Vipaka: pungent

Qualities: sharp, penetrating

Actions: enkindles agni, burns ama, reduces gas

Contraindications: aggravates pitta

Shown here, the BEST HING EVER  from @pureindianfoods , they don’t lie! And it's got no wheat.

CLOVES!

It’s that time of year where cloves start finding their way into things...like these baked apples.

Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree native to Indonesia. While the majority of the global crop is used for clove cigarettes, the wide range of medicinal uses of clove has made it a regular in home remedies in many cultures. It is the first ingredient in “Thieves oil” which is used to kill germs and increase immunity. It originates from a story of four thieves who robbed bodies during the bubonic plague without contracting the disease.

Botanical name: Eugenia caryophyllata

Parts used: buds

Rasa: pungent, slightly bitter

Virya: cooling

Vipaka: sweet

Qualities: penetrating

Actions: increase agni, improve digestion, analgesic, clove oil especially useful for gums and toothache.

CARDAMOM!

A necessity for chai, cardamom pairs well with sweets and spiced milk. I keep both the green pods and the powder around, depending on whether I’m cooking with it or making teas. This spice has a broad range of healing actions and it is used in many preparations.

Botanical name: Ellettaria cardamomum

Parts used: seeds

Rasa: sweet, slightly pungent

Virya: cooling

Vipaka: pungent

Qualities:

Actions: increases agni, improves digestion, anti-inflammatory, aphrodisiac, expectorant, relieves nausea

Tip: for nausea or bad breath chew on a pod after meals.

INSTANTPOT RECIPE ALERT!

This Red Pumpkin Dal recipe flow is adapted from #everydayayurvedacookbook for the instantpot. It’s a favorite of mine and so easy when you put it in the pot in the AM, then eat when you have the lunch break. Enjoy!

Red Pumpkin Dal

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentil or split mung beans

3 cups water

1 can coconut milk

2-3 cups cubed winter squash (any and all!)

1-2 tbsp seasonal spice mix (see my cookbooks for more!)

Direction:

1. Pressure cook for 5 minutes.

2. Hand-blend if you want it real smooth.

3. Serve with a sprinkle of toasted coconut.

Have you adapted any of my recipes for your IP? Please share below so everyone can benefit!

Ashwagandha!

One of more famous Ayurveda herbal friends.

The name of this herb from the Himalayan foothills means “smell of a horse.” While the root does smell like horse, its use is also said to bring the strength of a horse. This is a common tonic herb for male reproductive vitality, and an adaptogen, which helps the body cope with stress.

Best used in milk.

Botanical name: Withania somnifera

AKA: Winter cherry

Parts used: root, bark

Rasa: bitter, astringent

Virya: heating

Vipaka: sweet

Qualities: heavy, unctuous

Actions: nourishes all seven tissues, improves strength and reduces fatigue, improves memory

Rtucharya: winter

Contraindications: can be heating in excess

Ayurveda texts describe the importance of shifting our diet and routines with the seasons...

Ayurveda texts describe the importance of shifting our diet and routines with the seasons, but something I keep meeting in my Ayurveda practice is the pervasive effects of changes that AREN’T due to nature.

Culture can also be a factor in lifestyle rhythms, and have huge impacts on health. In some places, fall is a time of massive change in daily schedules as children and university students go “back to school” and they as well as their families are swept into a sudden shift in the demands and timetable of daily life. It is wise to take into account the effects such changes have on the system!

If you think about it, it makes sense the digestion, or sleep, or nerves might go through the ringer a bit as things are suddenly quite busy, and quite different, from how they were a week or two ago. Simplifying the diet can make things a lot smoother, as well as taking care to implement a few touchstone routines, such as a consistent lunchtime or bedtime, to ground down the days while change is afoot.

Consider a Fall Community Cleanse as an opportunity to establish these rhythms, with a little help from your friends.