Nutrition and Diet

“Health and fitness are better than any Gold, and a robust body than countless riches. There is no wealth better than health of body, and no gladness above joy of heart” (Sirach 30:14-16).

“Food is your medicine, Kitchen is your Pharmacy and You are the Healer”.

In Ayurveda, food plays a prominent role in promoting health and is therefore considered as medicine. What you eat directly affect your whole body, mind and soul. Ayurveda has its own unique approach to diet. Food nourishes not only the body but the mind and awareness as well. In Ayurveda food, drinks, and spices are categorized according to their taste (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent), the energetic effect they have on the doshas, as well as their post-digestive effect on the tissues.

Many of the spices used in Ayurvedic diet such as turmeric, ginger, cumin, fenugreek, coriander and cardamom etc are also medicinal herbs used in Ayurvedic Herbology.  Daily using of those spices in your Ayurvedic diet can greatly enhance digestion, absorption and assimilation of food, improve one’s appetite and elimination, nourish the internal organs and prevent doshic imbalance.

Vata Balancing Foods

• Always eat warm and cooked food, more of sweet, sour and salty foods.
• Sweet fruits like cooked apples, grapes, banana, figs, melon, apricots, cherries, avocado, papaya, strawberry and orange. Avoid dry fruits.
• Vegetables like Carrots, beets, asparagus, cucumber, cooked cabbage, coriander, garlic, cooked onions, sweet potato, zucchini, spinach, sprouts, leek, lettuce, lemon, lime, okra are good and avoid vegetables like cold, raw or frozen, broccoli, eggplant, horseradish, kale, mushroom and white potato.
• Grains like cooked rice, wheat, oats, quinoa are good and avoid barley, millet, granola, bread and uncooked oats.
• Red lentils, mung beans, black Chana daal, toor dal, uradal(black gram) are good and avoid black and white beans, brown lentil, kidney beans and soya beans.
• Seeds like sesame, Chia seeds, Flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are good.
• Warm cow’s, milk, warm goat milk, yogurt curry, cow’s and goats cheese, butter milk, ghee are good and avoid frozen yogurt with fruits.
• Nuts like cashew, almond, hazelnut, walnut, peanut, pistachio, brazil nut, coconut, pine nuts are good.
• Sesame oils, almond oil, castor oil, olive oil and Ghee are good.
• Avoid cold drinks, frozen foods, alcohol and junk foods.
• Spices like black pepper, cumin, cardamom, coriander, dry ginger, garlic, pippali, holy basil, bay leaf, garam masala, asafetida. Fennel, fenugreek, turmeric, rosemary, thyme and vanilla are good and avoid extra hot chilli powder.
• Herbal teas like chamomile, fruit teas, lemon and ginger tea, peppermint tea, licorice tea, fennel tea, warm golden milk and elder flower tea are good.
• Non Veg: prawns, sardine, salmon, egg, duck, chicken, beef are good and avoid rabbit, pig, venison.

Kapha Balancing Foods

• Warm, astringent and pungent food are good.
• Fruits like apple, apricot, cherries, strawberry, dry fig, lemon, pomegranate and pears are good avoid banana, dates, papaya, pine apple, plums, mangoes, oranges and figs.
• Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, green chili, garlic, leek, horse radish, tomato and mustard green are good and avoid pumpkin, potato, cucumber and squash.
• Grains like barley, buckwheat. couscous, rice, oats, quinoa, granola, millet, corn are good and avoid pasta and bread.
• Red lentils, mung beans, black Chana daal, black eyed beans, kidney beans, and peas are good and avoid Toor dal and ura daal (black gram).
• Goat milk and goat cheese, skimmed or semi skimmed milk, unsalted law fat butter, butter milk are good and avoid heavy and sour cream, salted butter, full fat milk and yogurt.
• Non Veg: prawns, egg, duck, chicken, rabbit, are good and avoid lamb, pig and beef.
• Nuts should be avoided or taken very little quantity.
• Chia Seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are good and reduce sesame seeds.
• Mustard and sunflower oil are good reduce sesame use.
• Almost all Spices are good like black pepper, clove, garlic, mint, cumin, cardamom, coriander, ginger, holy basil, bay leaf, garam masala, asafetida. Fennel, fenugreek, turmeric, dill, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme and vanilla are good and avoid extra hot chili powder, mustard and garlic.
• Herbal teas like pepper mint, jasmine, hibiscus, fennel, chamomile, fruit teas, lemon and ginger tea, fenugreek tea, green tea, ginger tea with cinnamon and clove, turmeric tea are good.

Tips

• Try to include different grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins and flavors.
• Always include six flavors in your daily diet:

1. sweet
2. sour
3. salty
4. bitter
5. astringent (harsh)
6. pungent

• Flavor your food with Chutneys or fruit based sauces.  Use turmeric, black pepper, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dill seeds, fennel seeds in food preparations when possible.
• Drinking lot of coffee, tea and caffeinated soft drinks creates Dosha imbalances. It affects the liver and increases toxin levels in the body. Drink more fresh milk, herbal tea, and energy drinks with herbs and spice to increase your energy levels.  When thirsty drink hot water rather than cold water, as it cleanses your digestive tracts.

The following contradictory food combinations is said to weaken one’s immune system, and should therefore be avoided:

Milk and fish
Milk and sour fruits
Milk and eggs
Ghee and honey
Milk and pickles
Milk and yogurt
Hot water and honey
Banana and yogurt
Hot milk and honey

Cooking Class Includes:

• Learn how to choose foods for your constitution, emotional patterns, and environmental fluctuations.
• You will learn a practical, simple way of cooking balancing foods.
• Learn about the energetic effects of different foods
• The role of taste in Ayurveda, their effects on the doshas, and their actions on the body and mind.
• Learn to choose a suitable diet to bring balance, harmony and health into your life, based on Ayurvedic principles and your body type.
• Learn some of the basic concepts behind Ayurvedic cooking
• The importance of agni (digestive fire) and taste for digestion
• The qualities or attributes of food.
• Six taste theory (shad rasa)
• The importance of cooking with respect and love.
• Learn the basic Ayurvedic concepts of Rasa (taste), Virya (action), Vipak (post digestive effect) and Prabhav (specific action) as applied to foods and spices.
• Learn about the fundamental spices of an Ayurvedic kitchen.
• Understand why certain eating habits can disturb your health by deranging the doshas, and much more!

Menu includes:
Ayurvedic Rice, 2 Vegetarian curries, 2 Side dishes and Poppadum.

Our Ayurvedic foods are freshly home made with balanced Ayurvedic herbs and spices. Which are Holistic and Sattvik, that are pure and wholesome, low in fats and calories, easy to digest and give you maximum Prana – the life energy. After eating our ayurvedic food, you will be satisfied and content, feel much lighter and energetic, your mind will be at ease, stomach will be quiet and your body will respond readily. Enjoy our delicious & tasty Green Ayurveda foods!!!

FOOD ALLERGENS AND INTOLERANCES
Green Ayurveda Spa treats food and food hygiene with the utmost of respect.

Please Let Us Know… …If You Have Any Food Allergies Or Intolerances? Our Helpful Team Will Offer You A Suitable Alternative.

Some of our dishes contain allergens like milk, mustard, sesame, and celery. We will be able to alter the cooking without allergens if required. Please speak to our staff about the ingredients in your meal when you are ordering or while Ayurveda consultation.

Most of our dishes can be made as vegan and gluten free as well, please speak to our staff about the ingredients in your meal, when you are ordering it.

Therefore, in order to assist us in protecting all those who possess a food intolerance and/or a food allergy, please take a few moments to identify with each of the 14 major allergens outlined below, (along with some examples of where they can be found): –

1. Celery
   This includes celery stalks, leaves, seeds and the root called celeriac. Celery can be found in celery salt, some salads, some meat products, soups and in stock cubes.

2. Cereals Containing Gluten
   Wheat, such as spelt and Khorasan wheat/Kamut, rye, barley and oats are often found in foods containing flour, such as some types of baking powder, batter, breadcrumbs, bread, cakes, couscous, meat products, pasta, pastry, sauces, soups and fried food having been dusted with flour.

3. Crustaceans
   Crabs, lobster, prawns and scampi are crustaceans. Shrimp paste, often used in Thai and south-east Asian curries or salads, is an ingredient to look out for.

4. Eggs
   Eggs are often found in cakes, some meat products, mayonnaise, mousses, pasta, quiche, sauces and pastries or foods brushed or glazed with egg.

5. Fish
   You will find this in fish sauces, some pizzas, relishes, salad dressings, stock cubes and in Worcestershire sauce.

6. Lupin
   Although Lupin is a flower it is also found in flour. Lupin flour and seeds can be used in some types of bread, pastries and even in pizzas.

7. Milk
   Milk is a common ingredient in butter, cheese, cream, milk powders and yoghurt. It can also be found in foods brushed or glazed with milk and in powdered soups and sauces.

8. Molluscs
   These include mussels, land snails, squid and whelks, but can also be commonly found in oyster sauce or as an ingredient in fish soups and stews.

9. Mustard
   Liquid mustard, mustard powder and mustard seeds fall into this category. This ingredient can also be found in breads, curries, marinades, meat products, salad dressings, sauces and soups.

10. Nuts
    Not to be mistaken with peanuts, (which are actually a legume and grow underground) instead this ingredient refers to nuts which grow on trees, like cashews nuts, almonds and hazelnuts. You can find nuts in breads, biscuits, crackers, desserts, nut powders, often used in Asian curries, stir-fry dishes, ice cream, marzipan (almond paste), nut oils and sauces.

11. Peanuts
    Peanuts are actually a legume and grow underground, which is why they are sometimes referred to as a groundnut. Peanuts are often used as an ingredient in biscuits, cakes, curries, desserts, sauces, (such as satay sauce) as well as in groundnut oil and peanut oil.

12. Sesame Seeds
    These seeds can often be found in bread, sprinkled on bread rolls, burger/hamburger buns, humous, sesame oil and tahini. They can also be found toasted and used in salads.

13. Soya
    Often found in bean curd, edamame beans, miso paste, textured soya protein, soya flour or tofu. Soya is a staple ingredient in oriental food. It can also be found in desserts, ice cream, meat products, sauces and vegetarian products.

14. Sulphur Dioxide
    Also known as sulphites. This is an ingredient often used in dried fruit such as raisins, dried apricots and prunes. You might also find it in meat products, soft drinks, vegetables as well as in wine and beer. If you have asthma, you have a higher risk of developing a reaction to sulphur dioxide.

Please note, when pre-ordering/booking any of our supplements, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you notify us if you have any of the above-known allergens.