ALCOHOL

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 3 reviews, 133 likes

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Alcohol is a hot depressant. Initially, the heat combined with the relaxing qualties of alcohol dilate blood vessels, an aid to circulation. The heart, which is a naturally affectionate and social organ, predisposes one to fun and perhaps risky social...

AMARANTH

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Amaranth represented up to 80% of the caloric intake of the Aztecs before the Spanish conquest. Amaranth tastes somewhat like corn, but is somewhat less sweet. Others have described the taste as nutty, like bacon or wood, or slightly bitter. It is...

BALSAMIC VINEGAR

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Vinegar heats up digestion, but aids fat metabolism. Balsamic vinegar is made with red wine, which is hotter than other vinegars.

BARLEY

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 246 likes

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Barley has an ancient history, and was first cultivated in the Near East.

BASMATI RICE

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 2 reviews, 347 likes

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Rice builds ojas. Ojas is said to have the smell of burnt rice. Of rices, Basmati is the most sattvic and aromatic. Rice is nourishing and easy to digest giving more 'bang for the buck'. Rice offers more calories with less effort from digestive...

BEEF

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Red meat strongly rebuilds deficient blood. It is especially useful in late summer and early fall. Red meat increases Pitta and Kapha. Too much red meat clogs the lymphatic system (Kapha blocking Vata in rasa dhatu), and causes blood stangation...

BEER

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 76 likes

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Beer is Cheer Few people don't enjoy a cold beer on a hot summer's day. The paradox is that beer, although bitter and refreshing to taste, heats the body up. On a hot day, that increased heat leaves you thirsty and dehydrated,...

BLACK TEA

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 212 likes

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Caffeine shifts awareness from the heart chakra to the third eye. New trades routes brought caffeinated beverages to Europe creating an 'Age of Enlightenment' and ending the middle ages. Ayurveda comes from an older time where the mind was not separate...

BLACK-EYED PEAS

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Popular in southern soul food. Apparently, eating black eyed peas on New Years Day brings prosperity.

BLUE CHEESE

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Tangy and moldy, like gym socks but glorious all the same.

BLUEBERRY

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 283 likes

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Pop a few blueberries in your mouth and you'll notice reduced agitation, a relaxing sensation in the eyes, and cool feeling in your skin. These visceral signs are your personal cue indicating blueberries' beneficial effect on your liver, and their...

BRAZIL NUT

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Brazil nuts have received recent popularity for their ability to stimulate the thyroid. This warm, rich nut won't fail to please you either. It's buttery, oily tastes is universally appreciated.

BROWN RICE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 226 likes

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Brown rice has a superior nutritional profile than white rice but it more difficult to digest. Brown rice is made by removing the husk from harvested rice grain but the bran layer and the germ are kept intact. In white rice, the bran and germ are...

BROWN SUGAR

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When Brown Sugar is called for in a recipe, you know that the result will be not only sweet, but rich in flavors and rustic. Brown sugar's homey-ness conjures images of Grandma's kitchen, breakfast pastries on winter mornings, rich and sweet. This is...

BUCKWHEAT

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 136 likes

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Buckwheat's hearty warmth hits the spot on any damp cloudy day in November. Enjoy as you snuggle up with your loved ones, or while listening to crackling logs in a wood burning stove. Smoky, nutty and earthy, buckwheat is slightly demulcent like...

CHEDDAR CHEESE

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The richness of cheese promises nourishment, comfort and contentment. However, as it mixens and thickens mucus in the digestive tract with a thick, creamy layer of dairy, it bogs down digestion, and encourages candida growth. Once the richness enters...

CHICK PEA (GARBANZO)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 232 likes

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The fiber in chickpeas is nearly 75% insoluble which remains undigested as it reaches the colon. This significantly bulks up stools for a satisfying morning elimination. As with many high fiber foods, beans have been shown to reduce cholesterol,...

CHICKEN

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The dark meat of chicken is oily and has a rich fat content, making it a grounding, nourishing meat for Vata and Pitta. Chicken is an excellent choice to balance conditions of dryness and debility by giving the body strong protein with a heavy dose...

CHICKEN LIVERS

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Pitta has liquid element. But when Pitta symptoms appear with dryness, Vata is to blame. Deficient liver or depletion of ojas leads to dryness and inflammation. Use chicken liver to pacify Vata in the liver, moistening it, building rasa and rakta...

CHOCOLATE (CACAO)

(3.80 out of 5 stars) 5 reviews, 179 likes

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Romance may be sealed with a box of chocolates, but passion for chocolate is as eternal as true love. Long before John Cadbury invented the chocolate bar, native meso-american peoples brewed chocolate with medicinal herbs. Chocolate has been used as...

COCONUT BUTTER

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Fronds of a coconut palm sway in a tropical breeze,...

COCONUT CREAM

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Fronds of a coconut palm sway in a tropical breeze,...

COCONUT FLAKES

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Fronds of a coconut palm sway in a tropical breeze,...

COFFEE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 170 likes

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Coffee as a SacramentWhat are your rituals around coffee? Coffee has become a sacrament in our culture. A client reports, "The only time my husband and I relax together is over coffee." My response, "If your marriage is dependent...

CORN

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 reviews, 90 likes

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Meso-Americans domesticated corn (also known as maize) in pre-historic times, spreading through much of the Americas between 1700 and 1250 BCE. While most corn stands at 8.2ft, at least one variety of corn grows to 39 feet in length.

COTTAGE CHEESE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 reviews, 75 likes

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Cottage cheese is easier to digest and lighter than most other dairy products. Ysha Oakes recommends mixing Cottage Cheese with flax seed oil and spices like black pepper and turmeric.

CRANBERRY

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Cranberries grow in acidic bogs. Early settlers in North American thought cranberry flowers looked like a crane, and named them 'craneberry'. They are a major commercial crop in North America.

DATES (DRIED)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 reviews, 129 likes

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Dates have been a staple food and cultivated in the Middle East for thousands of years. Their cultivation has been documented in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and as far back as 6000BC in Arabia.

EGG WHITES

(2.00 out of 5 stars) 1 review, 117 likes

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Without the cholesterol egg whites are better than yolks for Kapha. Egg whites are pure protein - ojas. The unique qualities of the proteins help egg whites give a unique texture to many batters and gels used in baking.

EGGS

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 reviews, 143 likes

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Egg whites are a great source of protein. The egg yolks are a hearty and nourishing tonic pacifying Vata but aggravating Kapha. Egg yolks are high in cholesterol. Egg yolks are heating, and mildly aggravating to Pitta. Some people are allergic to the...