
Acai means fruit that cries. Acai is a sweet & juicy fruit with a satisfying purple pulp. It provides rich nutrition, high antioxidant value, and fiber.
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...
In Norse mythology, apples are said to provide eternal youthfulness. Apples appear in many religious traditions, including the bible, often as a forbidden fruit. Apples originated in Western Asia, where its wild ancestor still grows today. There are...
Apples are crunchy and leave a rough feeling on the roof of the mouth, both signs of astringency. Astringency is drying. Thus raw apples provoke Vata and constipation. Cooked apples and apple sauce are more Vata friendly. They are not astringent....
Often used for weight loss, vinegar strongly increases the flow of bile. Bile is a fatty, oily substance made by the liver, and stored in the gall bladder. It helps you digest fats. Since bile is also a fatty oily substance, draining bile from the...
Vinegar heats up digestion, but aids fat metabolism. Balsamic vinegar is made with red wine, which is hotter than other vinegars.
Tangy and moldy, like gym socks but glorious all the same.
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...
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...
Berries arrive just in time for late spring, early summer. Berries are lymphatic movers that complete the spring process of cleansing your liver. They are also liver tonics to protect your liver during summer. Berries are rich in anti-oxidants that...
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.
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.
Nutritive tonic and nerve tonic. Strengthens. Promotes urination.
Fresh goat cheese, only a few days old, is much less Pitta provoking than other cheeses. Fresh cheese builds ojas. Use black pepper, other pungents, or cardamom to antidote the mucous forming properties of cheese.
Grapes are considered a superior fruit to all others in Ayurvedic. They are an important tonic (rasayana) for late summer. Grapes have been a sign of abundance since Greek times. The Greek God or agriculture, Dionysus, is often portrayed with a crown...
Grapefruit is a relatively new addition to the citrus family. It is a hybrid first discovered in the 18th century. Described as tart, tangy, or sweet, the grapefruit is said to be one of the "Seven Wonders of Barbados, because legend says the fruit was...
A green mango is an unripe mango. Green mangoes are more sour than ripe ones. In Bangladesh, green mangoes are served sliced with mustard and lime. Green mangoes are also used in mango pickle.
Hibiscus is from the same family as okra, cotton, and chocolate. More obscure members include durian, marshmallow root, & kola nut.
Honeydew, when fresh and ripe, is a succulent treasure. Floral accents perfume its lush green flesh. It's juicy sweetness seems to capture all the wholesome abundance of a teeming garden into a delightful green bowling ball. As a melon, honey dew is...
Jaggery is raw, concentrated unrefined juice of sugar cane without separating the molasses from the crystal. It contains sucrose, invert sugars, moisture and other trace minerals and fibers of the sugar cane plant. In some cases jaggery is made from...
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...
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.
Limes are strongly sour, thus encouraging secretions in the digestive tract and salivary glands. These secretions improve taste, digestion, and regular elimination (functioning as a mild laxative) Limes and Cleansing Lime's sour...
Mango's happy flamboyance will brighten your day with its healthy, festive atmosphere. Its sweetness invites happiness and a smile while nourishing qualities authentically replenish your body after summer heat leaves you feeling depleted. When its time...
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." One client observed these qualities, "The molasses...
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Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’