Table of ContentsCompare mung bean with these other beans-legumes How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEWCleansingAre you feeling lethargic and tired? Do you feel bloated or have irregular bowel movements? Do you often see a thick white coating on your tongue? These are signs you may need a detoxifying cleanse with mung beans. The pastiness of mung bean is your cue to its cleansing action - a hint of the soluble and insoluble fibers in mung bean that literally scrape your colon clean. But it's not the only sign of mung's cleansing properties. Place a teaspoon of uncooked mung dal on your tongue. Within a minute, you will notice a dry, rough sensation in your mouth. This sensation is called astringent taste in Ayurveda. The astringent taste of mung bean helps tone your digestive organs. Along with fiber, astringency helps to purge mucus from the bowels, rooting out toxins and parasites that may be lodged in your gut.Want to experience the cleansing and revitalizing properties of mung bean directly? Try kitchari. Simple and easy to make at home, kitchari features rice, a legume, ghee or oil, salt and spices. You may also add greens such as kale, vegetables like potatoes and squashes, or garnish with cilantro and coconut flakes. Popular kitchari spices include ginger, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, fennel and asafoetida. To cook kitchari, boil the mung beans until soft. Fry the spices gently in ghee or oil. Then add all the ingredients to the mung bean broth, simmering until the rice is tender. Add mung beans into your regular meal plan by replacing lunch and dinner with a hearty serving of mung bean kitchari once a week. Monday's are often the most convenient day for a kitchari fast, as you may be more motivated after a weekend of rich and heavy foods. You will benefit from increased energy, improved metabolism, regular and healthy bowel movements and reduced signs of constipation, as well as an overall boost in your immunity and general feeling of wellbeing and vitality. For enhanced cleansing, you can extend your kitchari fast (also called kitchari mono-diet) for 1-10 days. Time any type of cleanse for when you're not too busy or distracted and keep a thermos handy so you can enjoy your kitchari at work. During your cleanse, minimize or eliminate rigorous exercise, refined sugars, alcohol, and cold beverages. Replace rigorous exercise with walking or yoga, and replace beverages with warm water and / or herbal teas. Fresh is BestSprouted Mung Beans Strengthening and Healing the GutEmotional stress, environmental toxins, harsh seasonal changes, illnesses, extended travel, overworking, and irregular activities can also leave your digestion in a weakened state. A simple mung bean kitchari can help reset your digestion, as well as stimulate your digestive powers so you can feel lively and light. A kitchari fast also gives your digestion a much needed rest from the assault of rich foods characteristic of modern lifestyles. Use dehulled beans whenever digestion is weak, as bean skins are difficult to digest.Mung beans can help restore your bowels after a bout of food poisoning. Their cooling nature reduces inflammation in the digestive tract. To enhance their cooling effect, garnish with cilantro. Mung bean's fiber and astringency can help bind up loose stools in diarrhea. Mung bean kitchari is a restorative for those recovering from any illness. Literally it is the vegetarian equivalent of Grandma's proverbial 'Chicken-Soup'. Plus, it reintroduces the simplicity and austerity of wholesome, great tasting food. Mung Beans & Weight LossMung beans are a low-calorie, natural choice to help you overcome the hardest challenge of weight loss: curbing your hunger pangs and keeping your cravings quiet. How many other ingredients can boast comfort and satisfaction while restoring lightness to your step and clarity to your mind? The high fiber content in mung beans aids in cholesterol reduction and lowers blood sugar levels. Plus, mung beans are a mild diuretic which helps to reduce excess water weight. They are especially useful for edema in the lower limbs. To enhance their durietic effect, prepare them with diuretic spices like cumin, coriander and fennel, or celery and parsley.Nutritional InformationLike most legumes, mung beans contain difficult to digest saponins. They are also high in potassium, a diuretic and astringent. They contain vitamins A, C and E, folacin, phosphorous, magnesium, iron and calcium. They are also a source of phytoestrogens. |