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...
Bone broth is made from bones, water and vinegar. The vinegar helps leach important minerals from the bones.
Bone Marrow and bone marrow fat are the heaviest and densest of all fats. It is a strong tonic and blood builder used for debilitated clients and those who over-exert their bodies, such as athletes. It is rich in minerals.
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...
Muscle fats ad juices are used for debilitated and convalescing patients in ayurveda. They are harder to digest than vegetable oils, heavier, and produce faster oleation in the body. Useful for dry Vata types.
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...
Egg whites are pure protein - ojas. Without the cholesterol egg whites are better than yolks for Kapha. The gel like nature of egg white may be whipped to trap air bubbles as in a meringue. These air bubbles act as a leavening agent in many batters...
Egg yolks are satisfying, creamy and soft. They have a high fat and nutrient content, containing everything necessary to nourish a baby chicken. This makes egg a strengthening tonic. Egg yolks are creamy when raw, and have a dry, pasty...
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...
Fish is lighter than poultry or meat. Although all meat is considered heavy and tamasic, we are labeling fish as sattvic relative to poultry and red meat.
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...
Pork refers to the meat of the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), prized for its tenderness and rich umami flavor. Depending on the cut and preparation, pork can range from delicate and mild (as in tenderloin or loin chops) to deeply savory and...
Meat juices are used for building strength and weight in convalescing and debilitated persons. They are lighter for digestion than meat and animal fats.
Shrimp are small, decapod crustaceans found in both salt and fresh water, loved for their sweet, delicate meat and quick cooking time. Sold in many forms, with the shell-on or peeled, raw or pre-cooked, head-on, frozen or fresh, shrimp also vary widely...
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Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’
