College of Natural Health Sciences

College of Natural Health Sciences

 

AYURVEDIC RECIPES

Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack


Reported by Andrew Thomas Oakland, CA

How to Make Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c
1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp
1/4 tsp
2 pinch
2 pinch

PREPARATION OF THIS HEALTHY RECIPE

Place sunflower seeds in a pan and cover. Dry roast them until they start to brown. Remove from the pan and mix with the other ingredients. Optionally garnish with a wedge of lime. You might experiment with the proportions of spices and oil depending on how much seeds you use. Be careful, this is addictive!

How Does This Ayurvedic Recipe Improve Wellness?

CONSTITUTIONAL NUTRITION INSIGHTS

Sunflower seeds are nourishing, oily, and rich with protein. We carry this sunflower seed snack, raisins and ginger whenever traveling to make sure we don't skip a meal in the hustle and bustle.

Salt aids the secretion of saliva but we recommend that dry Vata types sip warm water or otherwise chew the sunflower seeds carefully.

WHAT IS SPICEY SUNFLOWER SEED SNACK?

Rather than snacking on nuts or seeds by themselves, Ayurveda always recommends adding a little salt and spice to everything that is eaten for digestibility. Oil adds a feeling of satisfaction.

Constitutional nutrition is tailored to the individual. In the kitchen, especially during your family’s formative years, you shape your family's lifelong health.

Understanding your child's constitution is key to raising resilience, instead of wiring in disease. Study constitutional medicine to discover the keys to personalized nourishment.

Rooted in the insights curated from Ayurveda and Greek medicine, constitutional medicine teaches you which foods match your body, so you and your family have true vitality, strength, and balance. See How it Works.

Is Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack a Good Match for My Body?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack' is a good fit. Complete the basic quiz in 1 minute, or go deeper with additional quizzes at your own leisure to learn more about your body.

Medicinal Effects of Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack

Constitutional nutrition systems use biocharacteristics to classify the metabolic nature of food, hebs, lifestyle choices, your body, and disease.

METABOLIC NATURE / BIOCHARACTERISTICS

Metabolic Nature / Biocharacteristics

Ayurveda assesses metabolic imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (vital qualtiies). Aggravating them weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which biocharacteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct metabolic imbalances before you get sick. Every biocharacteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite biocharacteristic.

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EASY

ABOUT EASY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY

CLEAR

ABOUT CLEAR BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR

HOT

ABOUT HOT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOT

TASTES

The 6 Tastes

Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?

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BITTER

ABOUT BITTER BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Bitter taste has cholagogue action - it is cold, clear, light, and stimulating. It increases digestive enzymes and is laxative, and drying.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BITTER

PUNGENT

ABOUT PUNGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT

AYURVEDA BODY TYPES (DOSHAS)

The Three Doshas / Body Types

Ayurveda is a metabolic theory of medicine that explains individual health, tendencies, and disease patterns through the concept of doshas, which can be understood as your metabolic patterns and tendencies.

Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.

Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.

Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.

The 3 metabolic body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).

Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.

Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.

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PACIFIES
Pitta pacifying Vata pacifying
AGGRAVATES
Kapha aggravating

GREEK MEDICINE / TEMPERAMENTS

The Four Temperaments / Humors

Ayurveda & Greek Medicine were the dominant form of medicine along the Silk Road from England to China and South Asia. They work by assessing your metabolic type, patterns, and nature. Greek medicine recognizes 4 metabolic temperaments, Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic.

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PACIFIES
MELANCHOLIC

ABOUT MELANCHOLIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Cold and dry with a slow, variable or erratic metabolism. Colicky, tense. Withdrawn, pensive, anxious, and hesitant. Analytical, intelligent, detail oriented and creative. Prone to ojas depletion, dehydration, an overactive nervous system, and depression.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MELANCHOLIC

SANGUINE

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

A hot and oily nature with a moderate metabolism and a well nourished body makes Sanguine individuals vigorous, vivacious, outgoing and generous, and prone to impulsivity and self indulgence. Bullish and intense when out of balance.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SANGUINE

AGGRAVATES
CHOLERIC

ABOUT CHOLERIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Has a hot and dry metabolic nature. Enthusiastic, vibrant and bright. In excess burns up fluids and ojas, irritable. Corresponds to high bilirubin in the blood that irritates and heats up the body and liver.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHOLERIC

PHLEGMATIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

A Phlegmatic has a cold and wet metabolic nature. The coldness implies a slow metabolism, the moisture that you are well-nourished. Phlegmatics tend towards sluggishness and thickened fluids, including mucus.

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Other Health Virtues

Crunchy

CRUNCHY

Makes an audible noise when you eat them. Can provide fun texture variation.

SEE ALL 'CRUNCHY' FOODS / HERBS

,
Aromatic

AROMATIC

Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.

SEE ALL 'AROMATIC' FOODS / HERBS

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

(see all)
Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

SEE ALL 'DIGESTIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Nerve Relaxant Grounding

NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING

Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.

SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS

Satisfies Stomach

SATISFIES-STOMACH

Provides a sense of gratification and fullness in the stomach.

SEE ALL 'SATISFIES-STOMACH' FOODS / HERBS

,
Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Diaphoretic

DIAPHORETIC

An herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin.

SEE ALL 'DIAPHORETIC' FOODS / HERBS

Flushes Sinuses

FLUSHES-SINUSES

An herb that relieves sinus congestion by flushing out mucus.

SEE ALL 'FLUSHES-SINUSES' FOODS / HERBS

Anthelminthic

ANTHELMINTHIC

Kills parasitic worms (hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, etc).

SEE ALL 'ANTHELMINTHIC' FOODS / HERBS

Cardiac Stimulant

CARDIAC-STIMULANT

Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.

SEE ALL 'CARDIAC-STIMULANT' FOODS / HERBS

Diuretic

DIURETIC

Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure.

SEE ALL 'DIURETIC' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:
Fats, Protein,
Magnesium

MAGNESIUM

Helps muscles relax. Laxative.

SEE ALL 'MAGNESIUM' FOODS / HERBS

,
Phytates

PHYTATES

Phytates prevent absorption of nutrients. They are commonly found in all seeds, including nuts, grains, and beans. Sprouting greatly reduces phytate content, as well as long, slow cooking with vinegar.

SEE ALL 'PHYTATES' FOODS / HERBS

, Phosphorous, Vitamin E

Foods with a Similar Nature to Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack

  • Sorghum Flour

    Sorghum Flour has these Actions in Common

    Diuretic, Satisfies-stomach, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Anthelminthic, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Daikon Radish

    Daikon Radish has these Actions in Common

    Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic, Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses, Digestive

    LEARN MORE

  • Wasabi

    Wasabi has these Actions in Common

    Digestive, Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic, Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses

    LEARN MORE

  • Horseradish

    Horseradish has these Actions in Common

    Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses, Digestive, Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Cloves

    Cloves has these Actions in Common

    Anthelminthic, Digestive, Cardiac-stimulant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Diaphoretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Garlic (raw)

    Garlic (raw) has these Actions in Common

    Flushes-sinuses, Diaphoretic, Anthelminthic, Diuretic, Cardiac-stimulant

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard Powder

    Mustard Powder has these Actions in Common

    Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses, Digestive, Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard

    Mustard has these Actions in Common

    Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses, Digestive, Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard Seed

    Mustard Seed has these Actions in Common

    Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic, Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses, Digestive

    LEARN MORE

  • Tempeh

    Tempeh has these Actions in Common

    Diuretic, Satisfies-stomach, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Butternut Squash

    Butternut Squash has these Actions in Common

    Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive, Diuretic, Satisfies-stomach

    LEARN MORE

Herbs & Supplements with a Similar Nature to Spicey Sunflower Seed Snack

  • Elecampane

    Elecampane has these Actions in Common

    Diaphoretic, Digestive, Diuretic, Anthelminthic, Cardiac-stimulant

    LEARN MORE

  • Pennyroyal

    Pennyroyal has these Actions in Common

    Cardiac-stimulant, Diaphoretic, Digestive, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Mugwort

    Mugwort has these Actions in Common

    Anthelminthic, Diaphoretic, Digestive, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Punarnava

    Punarnava has these Actions in Common

    Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi)

    Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) has these Actions in Common

    Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Cardiac-stimulant, Diaphoretic, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard Poultice

    Mustard Poultice has these Actions in Common

    Cardiac-stimulant, Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses

    LEARN MORE

  • Hot Foot Soak

    Hot Foot Soak has these Actions in Common

    Cardiac-stimulant, Diaphoretic, Flushes-sinuses

    LEARN MORE

  • Cumin, Coriander, Fennel Tea

    Cumin, Coriander, Fennel Tea has these Actions in Common

    Diaphoretic, Digestive, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE

  • Jamaica Sarsaparilla Root

    Jamaica Sarsaparilla Root has these Actions in Common

    Diuretic, Diaphoretic, Digestive

    LEARN MORE

  • Prickly Ash

    Prickly Ash has these Actions in Common

    Anthelminthic, Diaphoretic, Digestive

    LEARN MORE

  • Triphala Guggulu

    Triphala Guggulu has these Actions in Common

    Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive, Diuretic

    LEARN MORE


Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

View Other Healthy Recipes for Autumn-Winter

This recipe is recommended for Autumn-Winter. Check out these other Autumn-Winter recipes here.
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About the Author

John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle through constitutional nutrition (Ayurveda & Greek Medicine). His approach is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful. John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda, offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.

John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy, & botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University. John, his wife Natalie and their 8 kids live in Asheville, NC

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