Category Archives: Ayurveda

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Don’t panic. Be smart. Stay vigilant. 

Dear Ones,

If you’re walking around with a pervasive feeling of concern or fear about COVID-19, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to review the tips I’m sharing today for protecting your health and the health of your loved ones. I haven’t seen many of these recommendations promoted by the media, government officials, and the dozens of blogs now streaming into my inbox.

Please understand, I am not hitting the panic button. Although there is legitimate cause for concern about the coronavirus, there are many ways to boost your immune system—including the way you manage your food and your use of effective botanical medicines.

Do follow all the CDC guidelines and stay current with their updates. Following these disciplines is the smart thing to do, and the simple act of doing so will help you stay centered. You can’t be too vigilant about washing hands thoroughly and often. Be intelligent about social distancing. Beyond this, we all need to eat, and since that’s my passion, let me add my two cents about how to stay safe when it comes to food.

Food Tips for the Pandemic …

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Resolution 2019: Seek Balance

Ayurveda teaches that all of nature, including our bodies, is always in search of balance. When our physical doshas are out of balance, they invite various forms of illness and disease into our bodies. Whenever our lifestyle is out of balance for too long—all work and no play, or vice-versa—we can easily spiral downward into fatigue, burnout, anxiety, and depression. For all these reasons I’m proclaiming my resolution right here and now with each of you as my witnesses:

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SAFE & EASY WEIGHT LOSS WITH AYURVEDA

“I lost 31 pounds over the past year, and I’m feeling terrific!” says Debby W., a Raleigh resident who first started seeing Dr. Tom Mitchell for a pinched nerve and later for chronic pain. After these issues were successfully resolved, Debby was open to meeting with Vaidya Smita Naram for a broader health assessment  during her first visit to Raleigh in March 2016. Vaidya Naram is a world-renowned pulse master and Ayurvedic physician.

“I was absolutely amazed at what Vaidya Naram told me in that first meeting,” Debby says. “She was right on the money identifying the existing conditions that I know I have just from taking my pulse, but she astounded me with other unexpected recommendations. She suggested that I was prediabetic and needed to eliminate gluten, dairy and sugar from my diet. Dr. Mitchell followed up with comprehensive blood testing to get a complete picture. It turns out that I am indeed prediabetic. However, with nutritional counseling and supplementation from Vaidya Naram and Dr. Mitchell, I have already seen a normalization of my plasma glucose levels and my cholesterol. WooHoo!

“I lost 14 pounds during the first six weeks when I began following the dietary recommendations and taking some Ayurvedic supplements,” Debby continues, “but I do not feel deprived at all!”

Debby is not a vegetarian, but she started eating more fresh fruit and vegetables along with lean meat and fish for protein. She happily reports that giving up the foods that contributed to chronic pain and becoming prediabetic has been well worth the effort.

“People are always saying, ‘Don’t you miss eating gluten, dairy and sugar?’ and my answer is ‘no!’ I’m completely satisfied with my meals. I snack on fruit, nuts and almond butter—which is absolutely delicious. I have so much more energy and a positive outlook for my health in the future.  Growing older does not equate to lethargy and weight gain. We have a choice!”

If you’d like to experience a consultation with Dr. Mitchell and Vaidya Smita Naram, call 919-785-2200 and begin your safe weight-loss program. Vaidya Naram is in Raleigh for a pulse assessment clinic Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5.  Prior to Raleigh, she will be in clinics in Manhattan, Edison, N.J., and Syracuse, NY. If you wish to schedule an appointment in New York, go to http://ayushakti.eu/ayushaktiusa.com/index.html.

Looking for ways to add more vegetables to your diet? You’ll find many easy and delicious vegetarian dishes right here at the Sacred & Delicious blog—all gluten and dairy-free, and rarely any sugar!

Always keeping your best health in mind!

 

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Savory Chickpea Pancakes with Curry Leaf Chutney

Photo by Roger Winstead

When my husband and I recently hosted Vaidya Smita Naram in our home, she taught me to make a classic yet simple and intensely delicious Ayurvedic dish: chickpea pancakes with curry leaf chutney.

Dr. Naram is a world-renowned pulse master and Ayurvedic physician, a pharmaceutical herbalist and nutritionist — and she also happens to be a marvelous cook. She has a successful restaurant in her panchakarma clinic in Malad, India (outside Mumbai), so I couldn’t have been more excited about spending some time in the kitchen with her. And we did have fun! Not a meal went by that one or the other of us wasn’t saying “wow!” I was thrilled that she loved my American approach to Ayurvedic cooking, and I loved learning to make this traditional dish that I’m sharing with you today.

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Chocolate and the Sweetness of Life

When my husband and I married, almost twenty-one years ago, we exchanged pieces of chocolate as part of our wedding ceremony. The event was conducted by my mentor and friend, Diana Vela. At the point when Tom and I fed each other chocolate, Diana spoke these words on our behalf:

“I, Tom, share with you the sweetness of my soul, and may we share in the light and food of life together. I, Lisa, share with you the sweetness of my soul, and may we share in the light and food of life together.”

Although I had always loved chocolate, its sweetness took on a new layer of meaning for me in that sacred moment!

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V P K: AYURVEDA FOR BEGINNERS IN THREE WORDS

You can transform your health by learning just three fundamental principles of Ayurveda, the medical and wellness system of India that’s been around for more than 5,000 years. This is what I did for myself (with some professional support). Ayurveda is a vast and complex science, and I do write about these principles in some depth in my upcoming book, Sacred & Delicious, but I’d like to share the three most basic concepts right here so you’ll have a better understanding of the recipes on my Sacred & Delicious blog. I’ll start at the beginning.

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Make Your Own Stock, Please, for Exponentially More Delicious Soups!

Photo by Candice Stark

Nothing compares to the taste or healing power of a fresh soup stock created from pristine vegetables teeming with nutrients. If you thrill to the taste of fine food, then the boxed or canned stuff doesn’t quite cut it! I cannot tell you how many friends who have dined with us report that their rendition of my latest soup recipe didn’t measure up to what they tasted at our table. I always follow such a comment with the question, “did you make the soup stock or use a box?” Inevitably, to a person, they had skipped this vital step. This is my most unscientific research to emphasize that making fresh stock is always worth planning ahead and investing a few more minutes of your time!

This easy vegetable stock has a gentle flavor but it adds depth to any recipe. Please note that I specify Light Grey Celtic Sea Salt,

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