My Journey Into Raw Foods

I still believe and follow an Ayurvedic diet. And because of this, I have become more and more aware now of how intelligent my body really is. All I need to do is just learn to listen to it instead of telling it what to do. My body tells me that moderation is key to everything, most especially in what we eat. I am more conscious now of what goes in and out of my body. And I believe if I balance both Ayurvedic and Raw foods, (that being focused more on a plant-based diet), not only will I be saving myself, I will just as well contribute to saving the world..

Here are my baby steps into taking that raw food action into my system:

A beginners journey: Making my own raw green smoothies everyday and upping the doses gradually.

Pechay and Saba Smoothie

..Since dairy is slowly becoming the enemy now, I just realized that I get even better nutrients without the animal fat from nuts and seeds. So I learned that making my own homemade almond milk tastes so much better and healthier! It's a little tedious, but its worth it!

Almond Nut Milk

..And there are so many recipes out there that teach you how to make use of the left over almond pulp! Be sure not to throw it away! Here are some of my experiments:

Raw Vegan Chocolate Cake

Almond-Coconut Macaroons

Chia Seeds! (I love snacking on this with almond milk and saba like a cereal or making it into a smoothie with fruit). It's really worth it to stock up on these wonderful seeds. You'll be amazed of the healthy benefits this wonderful seed has to offer! :)

Here's to the start of making half of my diet raw vegan! :)

An Attempt To A Balanced Life

Kudos to Jessica Blanchard for her amazing adjustments/tips in Mysore class, and her deep knowledge on Ayurveda! This is the beginning of my journey on the path of holistic science. :)

The weekend workshop, though short, consisted of an overall view of how Ayurveda recognizes the intelligence of nature and how it supports our unique and intelligent bodies through the use of food, herbs and a natural lifestyle. Learning the basics of this proven holistic science is enough to keep all of us more mindful now of what we put inside our bodies.


Since food and digestion were the main subject, we all enjoyed the cooking part in the afternoons with her easy-to-digest and wonderful tridoshic recipes!


Thank you Jessica for gracing us with your presence and the wisdom shared! I feel blessed to have crossed paths with you and learn so much from you. I do hope you come back to see us again!

If you need to do some holistic health searching, and awareness for yourself sometime, go to Jessica Blanchard. She could change your life! :)

www.balanceyogawellness.com
jessica@balanceyogawellness.com

I salute my gurus, I salute the divine light within. OM SHANTI!

Simply Ayurvedic

While searching for a place to eat dinner, we stumbled on this lovely Italian restaurant close to our home called Buona Vita. How awesome is this, I found a pasta dish in the menu that was not only sattvic but more or less fitted with my kapha consitution!-- Pasta Genovese. Pasta noodles cooked in basil leaves, pine nuts and olive oil. It was simply delicious!

Buona Vita- is a small but charming restaurant, where the atmosphere is homey and the service is good. They have an ample selection of food and is surprisingly inexpensive. My husband and I have found another restaurant where we are sure of going back! :)

Buona Vita Ristorante Italiano
Greenboro Bldg. Verdana Village Center
Daanghari Road, Bacoor, Cavite
+63 46 5174105

Also, another place we often eat at to satisfy our sattvic urges is a vegetarian restaurant called:
The Corner Tree Cafe
Located in Jupiter st., Bel-Air Village, Makati


I do love their vegan meatloaf with Idaho mashed potatoes, string beans and carrots! But don't just take my word for it. Give it a go! There a lot more yummy dishes to try from their vegan menu..:)

They really are worth going to! :)

Ayurvedic Food Choices

I try my best to make it a conscious effort in my life to eat sattvic or fresh, pure foods (such as: fresh vegetables, most fruits, freshly prepared grains, a good number of beans, milk, sweet cream, freshly made yogurt, mother's milk, ghee and butter in moderation). But I know that in this day and age, this doesn't come easy especially when rajasic foods (fermented foods, garlic, peppers of all kinds, eggs, cheeses, white sugar, most sweeteners, salt, radishes, peanut, citrus) and tamasic foods (most fast foods, fried foods, frozen foods, microwaved foods, processed foods, left over night foods, alcohol, drugs, chemicals, onions, lard, meat, fish and poultry) are much easier to obtain and suit our gastronomical palate more often.

Finding ingredients and cooking them or even just eating out gets trickier when you are trying your best to choose the kinds of food that fit whatever constitution you are, or what is called your "dosha." There are three: Vata, Pita and Kapha. With that said, I am a pure Kapha. :)

Since I can only do so much, and I have my dear husband to think about, we don't have the pleasure of eating with ayurveda all the time. And honestly, life is too short to be a little fussy. But because of my understanding and belief that this kind of holistic science which is 5,000 years old and is a time-tested system, assists the body, mind, and spirit by bringing harmony and balance starting with the food we eat... I have become aware at least of the kinds of food to choose and avoid (from time to time) for my particular dosha. If I allow myself some minor indulgences against them (which is very often), I still try to eat ayurvedically by choosing more pure, fresh and light foods.

With my changed eating habits aside, I also have to give my husband praises. I somehow have rubbed off a little of this consciousness on to him. He now knows his type of dosha (he is dual: kapha-pitta) but instead of being "dosha-conscious" about it, he chooses to eat instead in moderation of everything. And that too is ok! By being more aware of his food intake, he has now been adding a lot more pure foods in his diet. And once in a blue moon, he catches himself avoiding some foods that contradict his dosha. I am so proud that he is making the effort of being on the right track to healthier living.


Just to be clear that practicing ayurveda is not a cure, but is instead a preventive medicine. And just a little background on the 3 gunas, One of the benefits of eating more sattvic is that they keep you light, flexible, calm and helps clear the mind. It also is truth inspiring. When eating rajasic, it stimulates more fire, outward motion, creativity, aggression, passion. And lastly with tamasic foods, they increase inner darkness and confusion. They are good for numbing us out. It slows us down even depressing us at times. And it also enhances inertia.


So, ideally, when at home, (thanks to my Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners book) I try my best to create sattvic. On good days, I am able to find some ingredients suitable for my type. Luckily, there is an Indian grocery store 3 minutes away from our home that more or less makes this possible.
When dining out, I try to make it a point that the bulk of my choices are mostly sattvic. If none are really available, then it's not the end of the world for me. I just pick the meal which is closest to being light and healthy. :)




Photo credit: healthjockey.com