Kefir is a thin yogurt drink that cools and soothes as it refreshes. Its sour taste, like yogurt, improves its digestibility when compared with other dairy products. As it is less thick than yogurt, it also digests more easily than yogurt. Kefir can...
Lamb fat is heavy. Muscle fats are widely used in ayurveda for convalescing (recovering from illness). However, muscle (mamsa) and muscle fats (vasa) are heavy for digestion. Downstream, they cause 'sroto-rodha' or blockage of blood. After several days...
The origin of lemons are a mystery. Do they come from southern india? burma? or china? Speculation abounds. Genetic study reveals lemons are a hybrid of a sour orange and a citron.
The mere taste of Maple Syrup's rich aroma transports you back to nature, to the calm and cool serenity of the forest. The full bodied taste let's you know this is a whole food. It's earthy impurities add a rustic component that is likely to be rich in...
Rich and creamy, milk is a soothing balm to both body and mind. As a schoolboy, I LOVED coming home to a cool, refreshing glass of milk. Milk's mild sweetness goes down easy. On hot days it refreshed me. On cold days, a warm glass of milk with hot...
Like a salty bean cheese, tangy and sour with a funk. Used mainly in soups as a flavorful stock.
Introduction You'll feel warmed to the bone and relaxed after eating molasses. The gooey and thick nature of this sweetener gave rise to the famous phrase "as slow as molasses." Molasses is not your average sweetener. Its...
Small but potent, mustard seed's penetrating warmth enlivens agni, supports circulation, and clears heaviness from the system. Its hot, sharp, aromatic qualities dispel stagnation and are Ideal for cold, damp, or congested states.
Found in Tutankhamun's tomb, black cumin is a famous as an Old World spice and medicine. The 'Tibb-e-Nabavi" or "Medicine of the Prophet (Muhammed)", reports the only disease it cannot cure is death. It's many uses have earned it the nickname "seed of...
Aromatic, pungent, astringent & sedating. A soporific digestive spice famous for its use in insomnia and cold type diarrhea. It is popular in spiced desserts such as egg nog. Excessive doses can cause hallucinations.
Oatmeal is warm, soft, and gently nourishing. The expression "Feeling your oats" testifies to the use of oats as a tonic for increased vigor. Oatmeal provides steady, long-lasting energy without overstimulating the system, making oatmeal a perfect...
Raw olive oil is pungent & bitter. It's oily and bitter qualities act as a cholagogue, flushing the liver and gall bladder. In the United States, most olive oil is pasteurized. When cooked, olive oil loses its cleansing properties and sadly, its taste.
The zest is the orange skin of the orange. The rind is the white part of the orange beneath.
Paneer is the heart and soul of countless Indian dishes — from the rich indulgence of paneer butter masala to the sizzling spice of chili paneer. Unlike most cheeses, paneer doesn't melt when heated — it holds its shape, soaking up flavors like a...
All hard, dense foods are difficult to digest and hard cheeses are no exception. In addition, parmesan cheese is salty, aged, and fermented provoking both Pitta and Kapha.
Parsnip is native to the Mediterranean, where it is cultivated like carrots.
Peanuts are often enjoyed as peanut butter. We see it in the classic pairing of peanut butter and jelly, and used as a...
If you've ever tasted peanut butter and chocolate together, you know why peanuts are addictive. John, our founder, had a client who loved peanuts so much she consumed a jar of peanut butter every evening.
Pecan is from the Algonquin word meaning 'a nut needing a stone to crack.' Pecan is a species of hickory native to south central north america.
Glossy orange-red American Persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) grow wild from the east coast through to the Midwest. Akin to dates, Persimmons are very sweet & gooey. They are too sweet to ferment or rot, and thus perfect for drying. American persimmons...
When I think of pine nuts, I remember New Mexico, which celebrates their arrival every year!
Native to the dry hills of the Middle East and Central Asia, these little gems are among the world's oldest harvested nut trees, cultivated for over 9,000 years. Ancient Persians called them the "green gold," prized by kings and travelers alike for...
Poppy seeds are taken from the same plant as opium. While the culinary seeds themselves contain little to no of the opium alkaloid used in narcotics; small residues of the pod's latex are typically found on the seed's surface, giving them the...
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Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’
