So what do you do with leftover basil and chili?
Ayurevda View on Headaches
Headaches can be Managed with Ayurveda
Headaches according to Ayurveda can indicate certain imbalances of the nervous system. Ever suffered from tension headaches, migraines, and sinus headaches? All of these correlate to a specific dosha accumulation in the body. Usually, pain is associated with vata dosha, but further investigation is needed to understand what other doshas are are play, either pitta or kapha in the mix of the headache. Sometimes certain doshas can mask symptoms of another, so it can get tricky to determine what to do.
Migraines are specific to pitta-vata, Hot pitta becomes burning, searing pain, there can even be light sensitivity. Often these types het worse by heat and working on computers or smartphones. These headaches are indicative of digestive disorders, exposure to environmental toxins and stress, anger, frustration and moodiness.
Sinus headaches are all kapha. Kapha accumulates in the head , congestion is a definite sign of the cause. Many people fell dull and heaviness sin the head surrounding the sinus area. This headache comes with symptoms of sluggish slow digestion, accumulated digestive toxins , overeating, addiction to sweet foods, cold foods etc. Also is one doesn’t exercise adequately,, this stagnation can cause headaches.
Tension headaches are vata dominant, and are aggravated by cold, fast moving vata. The pain feels like you have a headband wrapped around your head cutting off circulation, the pain is sharp and fluctuates. Causes of these headaches are definitely stress, multitasking and non routine based activities. If one eats and sleeps sporadically this will also set off the headaches. Also, eyestrain from computers or electronics can trigger these types of headaches.
The root cause of all types of headaches comes from imbalanced digestion, thus embarking on a cleanse or simple kitchari fast can help eradicate the accumulated toxins of the doshas in the body that are contributing to the headache. Once the cleanse has been completed, a purgation can remove these excess doshas. I like to use Avipathi Choornam to help with evacuation of toxins through the anus. Chronic stress or fight or flight can also be a contributor to headaches. There are some Ayurvedic diet and lifestyles principles which can erridacte the root causes of headaches, like following an appropriate ‘dinacharya’ daily and nightly routine. Examples include rising early, doing abhyanga ‘daily self massage’ and following various principles that can help remove toxins. To be honest, daily routine is a very powerful medicine.
To embark on resting your gut, or starting with cleanse, contact us here. I wish you all the health and wellbeing in your life,.
Kaayasekam or Pizhichil
Kaayasekam
Today I had a wonderful treatment called Kaayasekam on my full body. The therapists warm some therapeutic oil and do a rhythmic pouring of this oil all over my body. The oil was mainly ‘murivena’, a very good herb for pain management and inflammation. Also used for certain cases of arthritis etc. During the treatment I felt love, warmth and grace. It was really such a luxurious and calming feeling. Apparently this treatment enhances nerve conductivity and circulation and the strengthening of joints. Slipping and sliding on the table is part of it; the feeling during the treatment was of love being poured all over my body. What an amazing feeling of warmth and security.
This treatment, feels like it would pacify my already over active vata. After the treatment, I felt tired and somewhat drained. Being pretty active usually, I have learnt to slow down and allow the therapy to work its magic on me. Even though I really wanted to do some form of light exercise today, I opted for the passive approach of resting. Lets see if this approach pays off. Hopefully it will help to alleviate some of the stomach issues that I am having.
Part of rejuvenation therapy for Ayurveda, one must really figure out which dosha is accumulating, which dhatus or tissues are affected, and whether Agni is high or stagnant. This indicates health. If Agni is strong, usually disease can burn itself out or purify itself, even if dhatu Agnis are high, the metabolic waste can be purged out, BUT if it’s not, AMA, or undigested food particles accumulate in the gut, spread through the blood, and accumulate deep within the tissues. This sticky mass, can be thick and hard to eliminate. Thus Ayurveda uses thick substances, similar to that of Ama, to remove it.
The next treatment that I am doing is Choorna Pinda Sweda, which is one of powdered bolice applied to skin via transmission of heat and just a tad of oil for enabling herbs to transmit to the skin. The idea of the powder is known as ‘Lekana’ which pacifies and is administered before any oil therapy. ‘Lekhana means reducing, reducing tissue mass, or reduction of toxic accumulation. I guess the best way to explain this is catabolic vs anabolic. The reason behind this is because oil or anything nourishing or building can aggravate accumulation of Ama, and m are matters worse.
Ayurvedic Cleansing
Prevention means creating balance in Ayurveda. Ayurveda gives us the tools for how to live our life in a state of peace. This means creating joy, happiness and fulfilment. Ayurveda teaches us how to live within society and in our own minds too.
Health is firmly grounded when we are able to achieve the four goals in life: Kama (activities), Artha (prosperity), Dharma (codes of conduct) and Moksha (liberation). Health is the prerequisite for all aspects of life. In other words health is wealth.
The definition of a healthy person is a person who has maintained his or her Body Constitution, examples includes experiencing balanced functions of the three doshas, state of digestion in the form of agni, balanced tissues or dhātus and eats products (malas).
A person who has clear thoughts, sharp sense organs and a calm and peaceful mind is considered to be balanced. This is all good and well talking about it, but what can we do to achieve this balance??? Well the first line of dance is prevention. This could means different things to different people. In my own life prevention is staying away from anything that causes you dis-ease, whether toxic relationships, toxic foods or environments etc. Once we know what causes us dis-harmony, we can stay away from these things. This is also a part of Yoga philosophy called yama and niyama, observances and abstinences.
So in a nutshell, balance and prevention of illness can be achieved in three ways according to Ayurveda;
1) hara (diet),
2) Nidra (sleep) and
3) Brahmacharya (walking the middle path)
We can do this by following;
1. Dinacharya: Daily Routines
2. Rātricharya: Nightly Routines
3. Ritucharya: Seasonal Routines
The way we behave can effect vāta, pitta and kapha. So it is important we don't do things that aggravate the already surfacing doshas.
For more information or to schedule your consultation please email LTF@lovetruefood.com
Health Benefits of Jaggery
Jaggery is also known as 'gur' in Hindi, and is a sweet delicious brown sugary substance coming from raw sugar cane, date palm or coconut sap. The deeper coloured jaggery is from date palm whereas the sugarcane form is the most common of all. I like to use jaggery as an alternative to sugar as it is non refined and tastes delicious. a little goes a long way indefinitely. It is loaded with antioxidants and contains minerals such as zinc and selenium. It is known to lower vata and pitta dosha, but people with kapha dosha should be careful from consuming too much.
Jaggery is one of the best cleansing agents for the body, as it works on the deeper tissues to remove unwanted toxins. It is also good for the lungs, liver and stomach to prevent acidity and heartburn. Take this from someone who suffered from acidity all her life!!! Another relevant point is that is actually is good is weight loss due to its high potassium content. As its a digestive aid, a little goes a long way, and this is true with the usage. many Indians eat jaggery after a meal to aid in digestive processes.
Lastly, for that time of the month, PMS! Jaggery is known to help combat moodiness, menstrual cramps and abdominal pain.
So next time your thinking of a sweetener, look no further than jaggery.
LAKSA INFUSED SOUP
Here I show you how easy it is to make a laksa infused whole hearted vegetable soup. Enjoy.
Love True Food - Food for the Soul
This is a time to write about feeding the soul. when I started Love True Food, it was in the hopes of sharing sustainable, healing food to everyone. As we have evoked over the years, it is with great passion that I'd like to present Love True Food's cleanse plan. What we put in to our bodies is important, but, what we feed our mind's is equally as important. So with this cleanse, LTF makes a promise that we can bring you down the path to purifying your body and mind, which eventually allow you to re-set and literally detox old emotional patterns since childhood.
How can we make such a promise? Well in Ayurvedic medicine, most of the old patterns are stored in 'fat cells', and to gather more information about this, please visit Dr. John Douillard's Blog, he elaborates with scientific proof, showing that cell memory can be shifted and altered whilst we detox physically, emotionally and mentally, we are able to really get down to re-wiring our behaviour patterns and thoughts. Imagine a world where the idea of cleanse is taken further than physically? How much more can you accomplish. In a world where ‘temptation is everywhere’. Imagine gaining will power and knowing thta your cravings can shift from poisonous foods to nourishing foods.
Imagine choosing the right thoughts for your mind? How much better and happier we will feel.
Join our 4, 9 or 21 cleanse program and really see and feel the difference. We recommend doing this before January 1st, hahahahahaha, as that time will be a mercury retrograde, and you don’t really want to start something new during this time, as the energies may not be in your favour.
Instead, try this cleanse before and really feel the difference of how such a simple cleanse can truly benefit your body, mind and soul.
Check out our store for kitchari cleansing. To make the cleanse more effective, we recommended the following products;
- Organic Ghee
- Triphala Powder (at nigh before bed)
- Sugar Cease (John Douillard’s Brand)
- Sesame Massage Oil
- Neti Pot
- Neti Salt
Till next time, LTF crew.
HUB HK LTF has been featured as a Private Kitchen
We are proud to announce that our exclusive private kitchen has been featured on The Hub as an excellent private kitchen, see below;
Hong Kong Healthy Cooking Classes
I converted my apartment in West Kowloon into a small cooking studio for those wanting to hone in to their creative abilities as a master chef. The catch is that all classes are vegan or vegetarian, and you know what, the food tastes so much better than a diet full of meat and dairy. Whilst I am not a hardcore vegan, I do proclaim to be the best vegetarian cooking instructor in town. You can book as an individual or within a group of 8, for a partial participation experience. After the class, get to taste your creations with a glass or two of wine or one of our healthy detox drinks. You really won;t find such an exclusive experience elsewhere in Hong Kong. Health is cool, and focusing on healthy plant based food is not only good for you, but also good for the environment. Don;t get me started on why, that's saved for another blog post.
Our most popular class is the vegetarian Thai Cookery Class, see offerings below;
THAI- RIFFIC
Learn true authentic Thai food from a vegetarian and vegan perspective. Learn the basic skills necessary to build on a foundation of true culinary delight without the harmful effects of animal protein. Menu includes: Home made vegetarian Tom Yum Paste, Tom Yum Soup, Pomelo Salad, Tofu or Seitan Basil, Garlic Fried Rice.
Duration: 2 ½ to 3 hours Price: HK$880
* Menus may vary according to seasonality of ingredients.
Open Sesame
A great cooking class with Chef Shima of Sesame Kitchen.