How to Make Sweet Potato Pie

SERVINGS: 8

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 120 MINUTES

MEAL: SNACK-DESSERT

STYLE: WESTERN

PREPARATION: BAKED, BOILED

EAT IN: AUTUMN-WINTER

FOR OCCASION: DINNER-PARTY, THANKSGIVING, ROMANTIC, BRUNCH

How Can Sweet Potato Pie Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

Hunting for something sweet? Trick-or-treating in the grocery aisles and in your pantry? This time of year can be difficult for those who find treats irresistible, as sweet consumption ramps up from Halloween into the winter holidays. This recipe is the perfect alternative to candy and desserts commonplace around this time of year. Nutritious and spiced for digestion, sweet potato pie is a feel-good dessert for those who want to avoid that too-full feeling of indulgence. A slice of this pie won't weigh you down. Instead, healthier digestion and the taste of this creamy and well-spiced recipe make sweet potato pie a rewarding treat without too much trick.

A Remedy for Food Cravings

Got a strong appetite? Looking for something sweet that will stick to your ribs but not your waistline? Sweet potatoes are delicious, comforting, and guilt-free. Rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates for the transition into autumn, sweet potatoes satisfy your urge for a full belly when the weather drives your hunger for warmth and comfort. In the fall, dropping temperatures are the body's cue to build a layer of insulating fat in the skin. The increased demand for fats ultimately ignites strong food cravings. Instead of using their existing fat reserves, Kapha people often fall prey to these cravings, succumbing to that tempting urge to bake sweet, rich, heavy desserts. Sweet Potato provides an easy out, and a delicious, guiltless Thanksgiving treat! Sweet potatoes are the very color of fall and are versatile on the autumn and winter table, appearing in both savory meals and desserts.

Not Your Average Comfort Food

If you feel burdened and sleepy after gorging on on your comfort-food favorites, there's no need to shun the sweet potato. These tubers are often prepared in the manner of comfort food, but are easier to digest than many comfort-food dishes. Although they are satisfying and sweet, you won't feel sluggish and tired after eating them. That vitality is the sign that sweet potatoes are a step up from your usual heavy carbs. Sweet potatoes are a special remedy for those who are overweight but have strong cravings for homey, rich treats through the holidays and changes in seasons.

Ayurvedic Baking for the Holidays

When you eat sweet foods, your circulation and metabolism become sluggish. Dessert spices like cinnamon and nutmeg rev up your circulation and heart rate, helping you burn off those unwanted calories, and flush your system of any fat residues. Oatmeal, ghee, and raw sugar may still be rich and sweet, but they are lighter alternatives to wheat based crusts, butter, and refined sugar, and may be consumed in moderation. Kapha people often suffer from constipation after eating heavy foods. As an added bonus, sweet potatoes provide plenty of fiber, encouraging regular elimination and cleansing the intestines.

WHY SHOULD YOU EAT AYURVEDICALLY?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Foods that supplement your specific body type’s needs and digest easily create your menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

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Is Sweet Potato Pie Good for Me?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Sweet Potato Pie is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES

INCREASES Increases These Qualities (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main states (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which states are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every state has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite state. Learn More	HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY GUNA Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY GOOEY ABOUT GOOEY GUNA Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion. LEARN MORE ABOUT GOOEY LIQUID ABOUT LIQUID GUNA Liquid is identified by thin fluids (low viscosity). LEARN MORE ABOUT LIQUID EASY ABOUT EASY GUNA Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly. LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY COLD ABOUT COLD GUNA Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD
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? Learn More	SWEET ABOUT SWEET GUNA Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET ASTRINGENT ABOUT ASTRINGENT GUNA Astringency is characterized by constriction, drawing together, or drying. LEARN MORE ABOUT ASTRINGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT Ojas OJAS Ojas is the essence of healthy tissue, immunity, stable energy and happiness. Substances that improve ojas are recommended after long-term illness, debility, emotional and physical trauma, and even sadness. LEARN MORE ABOUT OJAS , Sattvic SATTVIC Sattvic foods promote awareness and a refreshed mind by nourishing the body without taxing digestion. Sattvic foods do not stimulate desire or nervous energy. They create clarity instead of drowsiness or heaviness. LEARN MORE ABOUT SATTVIC , Alkalizing ALKALIZING An herb or food that makes the urine more alkaline (higher pH). This herbal action can be helpful for a number of inflammatory conditions. LEARN MORE ABOUT ALKALIZING , Prana PRANA Prana is the Sanskrit word for vital life energy, similar to Qi in Chinese Medicine. Many herbs stimulate your energy, or improve the flow of prana through your body. Generally, prana needs to be increased in spring after a sleepy winter. LEARN MORE ABOUT PRANA TYPE Roots CONTAINS Non Vegan NON-VEGAN A recipe or diet that includes meat and/or dairy products. LEARN MORE ABOUT NON-VEGAN , Allergens

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Digestion	Antacid ANTACID Herbs that neutralize acidity in the gastrointestinal tract, the stomach in particular. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTACID
Energy Vitality Strength	Builds stamina BUILDS-STAMINA Promotes strength, endurance and resistance in the body. Rebuilds weak tissues after a time of depletion. LEARN MORE ABOUT BUILDS-STAMINA , Nutritive NUTRITIVE An herb that is strengthening and nourishing. LEARN MORE ABOUT NUTRITIVE