AYURVEDIC PERSPECTIVE ON CLEAR

Clear food has the ability to either clear the (1) digestive tract, (2) blood and lymphatic system, (3) mind, or (4) mucus or fluid stagnation in any organ. Clear foods reduce fluids and metabolize or purge toxic buildup (ama) from tissues. Clear foods reduce muscle and fat tissue (called karshana and lekhana in Ayurveda).

Cleansing, fasting, and an excessively light diet can indicate or create clear quality in the body. Inspiration, awe, open mindedness, forgetting one's cultural heritage or homeland, divorce, travel, and grief can indicate or create clear quality in the mind.

Clear foods and herbs help heal wounds. Clear foods generally lack sweet, sticky, gooey, or oily qualities. Instead, they are bitter, sharp, warm, drying, and light. Turmeric clears the blood because it dilates blood vessels, improving circulation. Dandelion clears the blood because bitters help metabolise cholesterol, fats, and sugars. Dandelion leaves are also a diuretic, flushing water stagnation. Aloe vera clears the digestive tract because it is a slight laxative. Mint, like many aromatic herbs, refreshes and clears the mind and respiratory tract. Lemon clears the liver and gall bladder by draining excess bile. Black pepper clears tissues by irritating them. Heat clears by purging the sweat glands.

Kapha needs clear quality the most. Vata craves clear quality too much, to the point of creating deficiency. The body naturally cleanses during the spring. Spring is also the season where the body needs the most help with cleansing and detoxification.

Examples: Salt, Neem, Haritaki, Weight Away

INGREDIENTS THAT ARE CLEAR

About the Author

John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda exudes a certain ease, which many find enjoyable and insightful. His online course Balance Your Ayurvedic Diet in a Week provides tools for gracefully healing with Ayurveda to thousands. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda , which specializes in digestive tract pathology & Ayurvedic nutrition. John and his wife Natalie recently published Explore Your Hunger: A Guide to Hunger, Appetite & Food.

John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, including his public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.

John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well.

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