How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

This bright food is one of the lightest of root vegetables. It's the only root vegetable with as much flavor and freshness as leafy greens - something you can't get from a turnip or carrot. Imagine a root vegetable that's perfect for spring, and that won't put you to sleep like a potato. It promises satisfaction without weighing you down. This well kept culinary secret is known as celery root. It is a cousin of celery also known as celeriac. And, it's waiting to surprise you with its light and brightening effects.

At first glance, this gnarly root might appear curious. But don't let celery root's rough exterior fool you. Celeriac has been a culinary favorite in the Mediterranean as far back as Homer's Odyssey. We surveyed 30 students in our Master's of Ayurveda Digestion & Nutrition program, and here are the reactions they reported:

Its taste is similar to celery with a hint of parsley. Its bitter pungency gives it light, sharp and dry qualities. These qualities support healthy digestion and fire up your metabolism. Meanwhile, celeriac's subtle sweetness and starches bring satisfaction and comfort to your belly.

This unassuming veggie wears many hats. It's a mild diuretic and slightly warming - two of the many reasons it's so good for balancing Kapha this time of year.

Celery root is an example of a food that tastes "clear". Clear is a guna in Ayurveda, but can also refer to a class of foods like celery root. Clear taste is considered the opposite of sweet and often denotes a negative calorie food that is diuretic. Bok Choy, and cucumbers are other examples of foods with clear taste. In Ayurveda, this effect is associated with the shedding of excess making this the perfect flavor for your palate to support body's natural weight loss in spring.

It has many of the same benefits of its friendly cousin celery - it too encourages fat burning to promote weight loss. In addition, the powder of the dried root is considered a tonic in general debility or malnutrition. One teaspoon of the powder is taken with a tablespoon of honey to nourish and revitalize.

Click here for more on the medicinal effects of celery.