Health food - the balance on my plate

„When i walk, I walk. When I sit, I sit. When I eat, I eat.“

(Zhen Buddhism)

Dear readers,

Not only in Ayurveda, but also in Chinese Medicine and originally also in our very own European / Northern kitchen eating balanced food is essential for health and wellbeing. Like in all matters of life, it is important to be balanced, to be Yin and Yang, man and woman, sun and moon, day and night, movement and stillness. Each element is also within the other, there is no Yin without Yang for example. This balance puts us into harmony, the state of balance is called „sattva“ (middle, equilibirum), which is an old Sanskrit word. For example in Ayurveda even today we strive to eat „sattvic“ food, which will not over acidify our bodies or deprive them of important nutrients. Extreme Yin or extreme Yang food puts our body out of balance and causes the organism to oscillate between two poles.

Obviously, each individual needs a slightly different balance to meet his needs. But if you prepare a nice variety, everybody will find something at your table. That is why my husband will eat more of the fresh salad while I will have a bigger portion of the grounding sweet potatoes. 

Example for a "bad" balance: if you eat a lot of food high in Yin like meat, eggs and other animal products, these need to be balanced with a high quantity of extreme Yang food like tropical fruits, sugar, alcohol, spices. Notice something? You sure do.

This equation can be applied to all our daily life’s fields. Multitasking, stress in the office and in your free time create a state of extreme Yang, which will increase your cravings for extreme Yin: alcohol, coffee, sugar, junk food etc. This balance is deceiving, though, as it creates only a very short term equilibrium. After that, your body moves even more out of balance, which in the end will create damage, even for the mind.

An understanding of these principles is very helpful on your way to live healthy and happy.

Let me explain a bit further....

Yin = cold                                                         Yang = warm

Winter = cold                                                   Summer = warm

Winter plants = grow beneath earth             summer plants = grow above earth

In winter the body needs more Yang food  („heavier“ plants, which preserve for a longer time beneath the earth) – did your granny have salad in winter, she sure did not - whereas in summer the body needs to be cooled with Yin food (light, easily spoiled plants, which sprout above earth). Easy, no? Mother natures does take care of us. Please consider these principles also when you travel. You will not want to eat a hot potatoe-chillie soup in a tropical climate.

Try to apply these principles to your life, start with some of the following measures:

1. Always prepare fresh food. Avoid microwaving.

2. Take your time for each meal: sit, chew, digest and above all enjoy.

3. Move a lot and get your quantum of oxygen every day, which would be at least 30 minutes.

4. Take your time off distractions (computer, phone, tv etc) and try to exist more conciously, take time for family and friends, do some yoga and meditation

As far as your daily meals are concerned, a balanced plate needs

-> many colours

-> various textures

-> various tastes and spice intensity

-> something boiled and something raw

-> some nuts and seeds

-> 25-30% of whole grains

-> 15-20% (vegetable) protein

You will notice how much you will suddenly indulge, how your palate will jubilate and thus your body!

The following combination is just one example to give you an idea about what a balanced meal combination could look like:

• Wholegrain Soba Noodles with almond-tamari sauce

• Fresh salad from pressed raw china cabbage  and radishes (pressed raw veggies act as a kind of pickles and are easier digested than just raw veggies. For recipes pls check this link: http://www.macroamerica.com/recipes/a-simple-delicious-pressed-salad/. I personally leave the pressed veggies to stand overnight)

•  Quickly fried Tofu (with soya oil and spring onions)

• Grilled pumpkin or sweet potato

• Steamed fennel with miso dressing

Get balanced – enjoy life!

A small introduction to the teachings of Ayurveda

 "If you can not be king be a healer. " 

(Ceylonese proverb)

Dear readers,

These days I had the fantastic, overly exciting opportunity to pick up 500 newly printed books from my printing agent. What a feeling! The book – just as the first one – talks about Ayurveda. So I am buried head to toe in Ayurvedic issues and questions people come up with.

Often though I also hear the following question:

What is Ayurveda anyway?

Ayurveda is a general philosophy of life and a teaching about the healing of disease , but above all, their prevention and thus avoidance ( Health = absence of disease ). Directly translated the Sanskrit word means "The science of long life". Ayurveda originated over 5000 years ago by contemplation in India and is thus considered to be the oldest healing science in the world . Already in the 6th century this natural philosophy found its way to Sri Lanka. At the time, the Ceylonese kings were still doctors. On the island, there are 1460 medicinal plants, 70 of which are endemic.

How does Ayurveda work ?

In contrast to our Western medicine in Ayurveda body, mind and soul form a unit, man is viewed holistically. Balance is created by living in harmony with the laws of nature . We are an inherent universe and our physical and mental balance is determined by:

• Nutrition

• Lifestyle

• Relaxation and meditation

• Yoga and breathing exercises

• Holistic diagnosis

• Medicinal Herbs and Ayurvedic medicine as well as

• Cleaning and rejuvenation measures

We consist - as well as nature - from the elements earth, water, fire , air and ether ( space ) . In Ayurveda, these elements are summarized as the so-called

Doshas

Each two of them combine to form a bio energy. Every person contains all the doshas , most of us are, however, determined by two doshas. More rarely occurs that someone is determined by only one or by Tridosha (all three doshas) . Each dosha also is associated with certain positive and negative characteristics .

KAPHA : Earth and water are responsible for the structure and stability of our body, as well for his defense force . Kapha is the principle of inertia.

PITTA: Fire and water unite in the metabolic principle. Pitta regulates all biochemical changes, such as digestion or body temperature. In a figurative sense, it is also responsible for managing emotional influences and impressions.

VATA : Air and ether form the principle of movement . Vata controls all the mental and physiological activities in the body, especially the respiratory system and our neurological functions.

Every human being is made up of an individual combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics that create his special constitution. The preservation of our personal constitution and a good digestive fire rule on health or disease.

Why should I undergo a Ayurvedakur regularly?

An Ayurvedic cleansing (Panchakarma = 5 ways of cleansing) releases the body from waste products and toxins, levels out the doshas , strengthens the immune system and gives us balance. Ayurvedic treatments serve healthy persons as a cleansing and relaxation cure to maintain health . The energies obtained from the cure remain usually - depending on lifestyle - for approximately 6-9 months. For ailing persons Ayurveda brings cure or stabilization.

In order to obtain the success of the treatment and possibly to prolong it, there are easy-to -follow, useful tips for your home. These can be found for example in my book "Ayurveda at home " (published in Sri Lanka , available at Lanka Princess Hotel or directly from the author, German ). These suggestions are clearly described and easy to understand.

I recommend a minimum of 12 - day treatment in order to obtain the full effect and give the body the necessary time to adjust and heal, which can treat among other "common" diseases or conditions such as the following with great success:

• Nervousness and insomnia

• Indigestion

• Headaches and migraines

• Eczema and other skin diseases

• Heart and circulatory problems

• Sinus infections (sinusitis)

• Arthritis

• Stress and burn- out syndrome

• Allergies

• Stomach and intestinal diseases

• Depression

• Over - or underweight

• Tinnitus (sudden hearing loss)

• menstrual and menopausal complaints

• Back pain

But also far more serious diseases can be relieved, improved or even be healed with Ayurvedic treatments. As a consequence, drugs can be reduced or eliminated. Ayurveda has gained an excellent reputation of good results in the treatment of cancer patients.

Professor Ranaweera, Director of the Ayurvedic Research Institute in Maharagama, Sri Lanka, states: "We are particularly pleased with our treatment of type 2 diabetes, people who took Western medicines without success, here in Sri Lanka with only four different herbs got their diabetes under control."

Ayurveda, the science of life is beneficial for every type of person in any state. And the recovery and relaxation effect when you find yourself after your treatments in a bathrobe on the balcony of your hotel room in the shade, maybe even watching big drops of tropical rain fall on fresh green grounds is simply unbeatable.

Curious to know your Dosha? Just do the following, very simple test and find out. This of course is not a detailed consultation, but it may give you an initial idea. I will post on Doshas in more detail in the future.

http://www.yogajournal.com/health/2630

Make your own soy milk - a healthy option

Dear readers,

I hope you were wondering where I have been all this time?! Did you??? 

Throughout the last months I have been traveling a lot, even with my computer, which then though sadly decided to move over to the next level in his computer life, that is to join his ancestors, so for many weeks I was without a keyboard other than my phone under my eager fingers. 

Back home I hurried to finish my second book on Ayurveda (which is now available through me, but it is in German just as the 1st one - sorry about that...) and then - I ventured off to China for 4 weeks. 

From there I came back with my head full of new food and drink ideas, which I will do my best to share with all of you in the near future.

As usual, I am very grateful for any comments from my readers side, be it on the articles or on the presentation itself. 


As a first subject I want to introduce you to making your own soy milk. I have done this quite often since I came back from the Land of the Middle.

Soy milk is a healthy drink that you can make very easily and conveniently at home. Please look for organic dried soybeans as soybeans are unfortunately one of the main foods being genetically manipulated big time- and off you go!



Soy milk has been consumed in Asia since thousands of years for breakfast. Now that I have recently had the great pleasure to drink a warm, freshly made soy milk on a cold morning in a village near Hangzhou, China, I would like to introduce this soothing, invigorating, healthy drink to you. 

Personally I have never liked soy milk from the grocery store. Or it is flavored or contains a lot of sugar or both and the plain one was never to my taste.
At home, the easily digestible milk drink (on contrary to cow's milk, which for many of us is totally undigestible) is prepared quickly. When I made it for the first time it seemed like a lot of work. But in the meantime it takes me maybe 30 minutes and while the milk is simmering you can do other things in the kitchen, but keep an eye on the milk. 

Is important though to consider eight hours beforehand that you would like to drink soy milk! Not so difficult to decide once you will have tasted your first pot of warm, homemade soy milk....I guarantee you!

For 1l soy milk you have to soak, best overnight, 125g dried soy beans grown organically in plenty of water. They triple their size approximately. Please use filtered water.

When you uncover them about 8 hours later, the next step is to take off the skin by rubbing the beans between your hands in the water. It is not essential to do this, but I found the taste better. 
Then get rid of the soaking water and put the beans with about three times the amount of fresh water in the blender until you get a creamy, milky consistency, about 3 minutes. The liquid then should be sieved through a cloth or a very fine strainer. 

Now boil the liquid and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes. A skin might form on the surface - just take it off.

The remaining pulp, which is called OKARA and can even be bought in grocery stores, at least in Japan (and imagine: you get the super healthy stuff for free!), can be used for example for baking. Last time I mixed the pulp with spices and herbs and made excellent "fake meat patties". Further, Okara makes a great fertilizer for your plants. Check out this great page regarding Okara: 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/okara-recipes-healthy-vegetarian-cooking-zmaz83sozshe.aspx#axzz2lHISH6KN

And you're done already!! Drink hot or allow to cool and place in the refrigerator, where it will stay fresh until about 3 days after preparation. You can also "flavor" your milk if you like: when blending add berries, vanilla extract, raw cocoa powder - the imagination knows no limits.

Nutritional value of soy milk: it is vegan and contains no lactose! It also contains much higher quality and less fat than cow's milk and no cholesterol. The soy protein is digested by the body almost 1:1, while providing many valuable vitamins, e.g. four times more folic acid than cow's milk, as well as healthy saponins and flavonoids. 

However, please remember that it contains much less calcium than cow's milk and no vitamin B12! But no worries, you can get calcium from many other healthy foodstuff as in dark leafy greens, Chinese cabbages, cheese, ocra, broccoli almonds and canned fish. B12 is to be found in sardines and salmon and - in lower quantities - in yoghurt.  

There is by the way no evidence that soy milk has adverse effects on fertility in males.

Histamine intolerance - do I suffer from it?

Dear audience,

lately I have received quite a few negative news from various friends stating that they had caught a Histamine Intolerance. This led them to hardly being able to eat anything anymore, losing strands of hair, losing weight big time (no, I do NOT recommend this as a diet!) – in the sum of it losing all life energy. So I got curious and started to research, thinking if already more than one of my friends have it, how many people will be out there suffering and probably not even knowing what they are suffering from? Those my friends are people, who are very self-aware, very conscious about what they are eating and drinking. So what happens to people, who are less aware of these things? How do they cope?

In order to raise some awareness regarding this issue, which unfortunately is another “sign o' time” I gathered a few facts for you.

How does a histamine intolerance develop?

Bacteria in the bowel can change through intake of antibiotics for example, so excess histamine cannot be digested properly and you start to show allergic symptoms. There are other medications, who can disturb the functioning of DAO, the enzyme system, which breaks down the histamine. Disease, various abnormal physiological conditions, hormone changes, especially in women at various stages in the menstrual cycle (close to the onset of menstruation) and at menopause, can also reduce the tolerance threshold of any individual. 

What is Histamine?

As an important bio-active chemical it is indispensable in the efficient functioning of many body systems. It is a neurotransmitter and is involved in the regulation of stomach acid, the permeability of blood vessels, muscle contraction, and brain function. Histamine defends the body against invasion by potentially disease-causing agents such as bacteria, viruses and other foreign bodies. 

It is made and stored within white blood cells.  When the immune system is activated in response to foreign material entering the body, histamine is the first "defense chemical". Histamine is always present when inflammation occurs, and excess histamine will result in symptoms that resemble inflammation. In addition to its role in controlling vital body processes and defending against foreign invaders, histamine is a key mediator in the symptoms of an allergic reaction. Since allergy is essentially an inflammatory reaction, histamine, together with other protective inflammatory mediators is released in response to the allergen.  Allergens are components of living cells that in themselves are harmless, such as plant pollen,  animal dander, mould spores, dust particles, dust mites, and foods.  An allergic reaction to these "foreign but harmless" substances occurs when the immune system mistakes these innocuous materials for a potential threat.  

Symptoms

An excess of histamine in the body, which cannot be broken down by the gastric enzymes, can include all kind of allergic reactions like:

-runny, congested nose

-itching skin

-drop in blood pressure

-headache

and many more.

If your reaction to certain food occurs immediately, you do not suffer from histamine, but from a certain food intolerance. Be careful to distinguish the two.

Histamine Diet

Histamine is raised by protein, which enter your bowels. For example allergies to seafood are caused like this. Cheese of all types, alcoholic beverages, vinegar, fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut, fermented soy products such as soy sauce, and above all many processed foods all contain substantial levels of histamine.

I myself often develop an intolerance to alcohol, wine in particular. Imagine an evening with fish AND wine. From my and my friends' experience you are especially prone to reactions when you are already weekend by other conditions. Unfortunately, if you have to go on an anti-histamine diet in order to control and eliminate your intolerance, there are also certain fruits and vegetables to avoid, in particular citrus fruits, berries such as strawberry and raspberry, tomatoes, several types of tree fruits such as apricot, cherry and plums, and some vegetables, particularly aubergine, and pumpkin. As the research regarding Histamine Intolerance is still in its initial phase, it is not sure how and why many food additives such as preservatives trigger the release of histamine in the body.

The important thing is to recognize your intolerance and to treat it with an anti-histamine diet. Mostly, you can heal yourself and slowly go back to normal eating as a dear friend of mine did, but be patient – it can take several month or even a year to get your body back to normal reactions. If you are experiencing other allergic conditions at the same time, it will be nearly impossible for your body to overcome the intolerance purely by a thorough diet. In that case anti-histamine medications will have to be used.

Your body through diet has to be brought to a level of histamine, which is lower than your usual tolerance.

For a quite detailed food list please view this link: http://www.histamineintolerance.org.uk/about/the-food-diary/the-food-list

“Low histamine level” here does not mean, that you can eat these foods in excess. Be conscious about a versatile diet. To remain with the example of fish: if you get it freshly caught from your dealer or fish, which has been frozen right on the spot so to say, you will have no problems. The histamine levels rise though the longer the fish is “resting” somewhere before consumption or freezing. During the diet you will experience, what works for you and what does not. 

Dear audience,

in our bodies we have some really industrious chemists, who greatly take care of our digestion, respiration, detoxification, growth, energy, conduction, our immune system and much more. These chemists help to relieve inflammations and renew our cells. The result is that we are young and healthy. Don’t we all want that?

Who are these super chemists? They call themselves enzymes. In the very beginning our lives formed from enzyme-like structures.

What do enzymes have to do with nutrition? Many of these substances, we can produce in our own cells. The co-enzymes though, the chemical wizards so to speak, we have to supply in great amounts in the form of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. 

Particularly in demand are vitamin B2, B2, B6, B12 and C, as well as biotin, niacin and iron, copper, nickel, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, zinc and selenium. A balanced, natural food supplement containing the mentioned substances in the right amount is quite a good thing to use.

For anyone, who thinks that he can consume all these substances in sufficient quantity through his nourishment, would be really busy all day with food.

In addition, enzymes love a well balanced acid-alkaline ratio in the body; in such an environment, they work perfectly. Therefore, alcaline foods are once again very important. These include, for example, among many, many others vegetables, salads, fruits, amaranth, millet, quinoa, nuts, and still water. Acidifying and therefore hostile to the enzymes are alcohol, milk and its sub-products, coffee, carbonated drinks, white flour, sugar and meat as well as of course all industrially produced, denaturized foods.

Serious diseases, poor diet, extreme sport or permanent travel can mess up our enzymes tremendously. The important thing is to eat colorful! Lots of vegetables and fruits, good crop in moderate quantity, fish and meat in moderation. Organic products, which contain less harmful substances, but more nutrients bring even more enzymes with them. Particularly rich are pineapple, papaya, kiwi and figs, miso, soy and sauerkraut. But it is of course no solution to eat 1kg pineapple a day.

Enzymes in pill form reach their destination directly, as they are thanks to their coating being less attacked by gastric acids on their journey to the small intestine.

As a cure doctors recommend the targeted use of enzyme combination preparations two times per year. Similar products are also used in various serious diseases.

The preventive medicine in the topic of enzymes will certainly become a major matter due to their ability of cell regeneration. In the meantime, we will remain within our limits, and recall the well-balanced, alkaline nutrition. With enzymes from food you can affect your health positively. These do not only act revitalizing and anti-inflammatory, but simultaneously contribute to the activation of the cellular metabolism.

Other foods packed with enzymes are:

-zucchini

-melon

-fresh kefir

-pears

-bananas

-tomatoes

-broccoli

By heating up your food most enzymes are being destroyed. Therefore remember to always consume a part of your food raw and to never overcook vegetables; lightly steamed they taste much better and are by far healthier. 

A very happy Easter to all my dear readers!

I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you for the interest you show in my posts, thereby constantly increasing my popularity and spreading the word about healthy nutrition!

My interest in my audience is very high, so please don't hesitate to send me your comments, suggestions, let me know what you would like to read about and and and. Nutrition is a wide field and I am trying to inform you a bit about everything, touching various topics and contemporary issues. 

Surely there are things you keep wondering about, which I have not yet written about. Please let me know via Email or post your precious comment directly on my blog to make this platform a bit more interactive.

So, it is Easter time once again - time is flying, guys, we have to make the most of every day - I hope you will all be with families and/or friends and have a wonderful, relaxing weekend. And even if you come from different religious backgrounds and this coming weekend will just be the last weekend in March 2013 for you, you might enjoy the following delicious soup recipe, which could make a beautiful starter for your Easter menu, resp. your last-weekend-in-March-2013-menu.

Remember: just because it is a festive season does not mean you have to necessarily stuff yourself with heavy food! You can create beautiful menus with the fresh green vegetables, which are coming into season now, use white meat or fish (even though rabbit is quite a healthy meat), use delicious wild rice instead of potatoes in gravy and prepare your sorbet with fresh fruits, honey and spices like fresh ginger. Use light soy cream instead of creme fraiche and surprise your guests with chocolate eggs with a high cacao percentage. 

You will see that you'll feel so much better and have much more energy for your traditional Easter egg hunt!  
 
Enjoy!!!



Asparagus Coconut soup
 
Ingredients:
 
750 g green asparagus
125 ml coconut milk
500 ml water
1 tsp vegetable stock
1 tsp lime juice
½ tsp lemongrass
1 slice fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 pinch of nutmeg
 
Preparation:
 
1. Take skin of the lower third of the asparagus and cut into 1/2 cm thick slices.
2. Heat the water in a saucepan. Boil asparagus, ginger, fennel seeds, lime juice, lemongrass and salt on medium heat for about 10 minutes until soft.
3. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil again.
4. Add 1 tbsp of rice flour to half of the soup, mix well with a blender and mix with the other half of the soup. Add soy sauce, white pepper and nutmeg to taste.