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I Want Green! 
Desire for green! We want to see it, we want to walk in it, we want to honor the earth by being "green", and if we want radiant health, we should eat green!
The green that greets us in the spring grasses, flower stems, and early garden treats is a vibrant, luxurious, radiant green. Do your eyes just dance like mine when you see your grass bounce to new life with the unbelievably attracting shade of spring green? With the sometimes brutal winter this year, we are probably extremely hungry for green...and green is just right for us at this Kapha time of the year [March-June]. Kapha nature is cool and wet...just right for producing spring greens.
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 The 6 tastes of Ayurveda are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, and bitter. We need to eat foods that have all of the 6 tastes for balanced daily nutrition, however we should favor the tastes that will balance our imbalanced dosha and support the influences of the dosha season we are in. We have left the Vata season of the three S's--sweet sour and salty, and now it is time to restore balance by focusing more on PAB--the pungent, astringent, and bitter tastes.
The bitter taste is especially healing and is often missing from our typical diet. The bitter taste is available to us in all sorts of greens--turnip, collard, swiss chard, and spinach for example. So cultivate the greens into your diet this spring and in an earth-friendly lifestyle to find balance with nature leading to personal health and health of our dear planet.
Live with radiant intention and be well. Rhonda |
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Leafy Greens for the Spring:
Leafy greens are rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin B1, B2, and anti-oxidants. They contain nutritious juices that keep our systems hydrated and therefore also purify the subtle shrota channels. Leafy greens are rich in prana. These dynamo greens help balance Pitta and Kapha. Vata, however, can be aggravated by the bitter and astringent qualities of greens. If you need to balance Vata, eat your greens sauteed in a little oil or ghee and add digestive spices like cardamom, fennel, cumin, ginger powder, turmeric, and hing (aka asafoetida). For Vata you can also make brothy vegetable soups or watery dishes to which you add some greens. This way you get the nutritional advantages of greens while not aggravating Vata.  Leafy greens contain antioxidants that help to prevent aging and disease.It is best to keep the leaf part whole when cooking. Tough stems should be sliced into bite- sized slices and cooked longer. Some Ayurveds recommend eating cooked leafy greens every day for great skin and good health--just do so moderately if you have a Vata imbalance.
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Think Green Smoothies Are the Way to Go? Not So Fast.
In her article, "3 Reasons to Avoid Green Smoothies", Nadia Marshall lays out the Ayurveda reasoning to be cautious of this touted health drink. Ayurveda is not just about the nutrients, it is about the qualities.
- They aggravate Vata- greens are primarily bitter and astringent. We all need some of that taste, but too much aggravates Vata. Also the drinks are cold and often use fruits which are dry and rough in quality--all of this not good for Vata.
- They deplete ojas - long term vata imbalances break down tissues. Initially this catabolism gives a power surge by releasing energy but over time depletes ojas.
- They are difficult to digest - the quantity of ingredients in most smoothies make them heavy and difficult to digest. Our agni -digestive fire- prefers simplicity and foods partially broken down by light cooking. As Marshall states, "Foods cooked together in a single pot have time to get to know each other, to combine their qualities and be transformed from several individual ingredients to a single meal with a particular character." Raw ingredients combined in a blender, despite its name, do not blend.
Also, food stays in the stomach until the most difficult item is digested. Fruit can digest quickly and is better eaten alone. If it stays in the stomach too long it can ferment and result in ama accumulation.
 If you love your smoothie, adapt it to be more Ayurveda friendly to your digestion and overall health. Add ginger and turmeric to heat it up. Drink it room temp. Use fewer ingredients and have either a green smoothie with water or a fruit smoothie.
Even better than a green smoothie, eat your greens cooked rather than raw. It is better to lightly saute your greens in oil or ghee and add digestive spices. That way you get the benefits without the negatives.
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Classes
Next Ayurveda classes offered in the fall.
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Rhond a Egidio Ph.D., R.A.P, [Registered Ayurveda Professional] provides Ayurvedic assessments of primary health concerns, diet, sleep and lifestyle and offers Ayurvedic recommendations. It's a good idea to get a baseline assessment to help you to apply Ayurveda knowledge in a customized way to your particular needs. Check out assessment and session options.
Rhonda Egidio, 269-345-2991
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Save 20%
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Every month Banyan Botanicals, a premiere provider of Ayurveda products, offers discounts that I can pass along to Radiant Ayurveda ENews readers. Here are the discounts for April. Simply insert the code AFF415 at checkout to receive your 20% discount.
Please let me know if you have any concerns with placing your order for the discount.
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Offer Expires: April 30, 2015
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 Recipe
Collard Greens with Potato
2 lbs collard greens
1/4 lemon
1 potato
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 C water
pinches black pepper, turmeric, and salt.
Chop collard greens finely. Place all ingredients in water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft and collard greens tender and easy to chew. Recipe courtesy or Joyful Belly: www.joyfulbelly.com more |
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Micro, Baby or Mature Leafy Greens?
"A new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that microgreens had 4 to 6 times the vitamins and nutrients of mature greens of the same plant."  Microgreens are supercharged and are on step up from sprouts. again good for Vatas only in moderation and especially cooked. Go here for the full article on microgreen nutrition by John Douillard.And go here for instructions on how to grow your own microgreens.
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Ayurveda information shared here is for general educational purposes and is not intended to substitute for medical or psychological advice. Please consult with a qualified medical professional in these matters.
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Full Disclosure
In the spirit of full disclosure, I would like you to know that I do receive some financial compensation when you click through a newsletter link to Banyan Botanicals and order a product  I have visited their office/factory and met a number of their wonderful staff. I am very impressed with the integrity, quality, and service of their business model and the cleanliness, safety, and energy of their products.
They have a number of free resources and each month they offer discounts that I can pass on to you. Cheers, Rhonda
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Save 20%
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Make an appointment for your Ayurveda Assessment (90 minute) and 1 follow up session (60 minute) for $160 for both sessions and receive a Radiant Life  Ayurveda thermos for your daily spice water. (regular price $200)
The custom knowledge for your health plan will well serve you as you continue to make informed decisions to favor good personal health.
Includes a detailed report of assessment and custom recommendations. Now taking appointments for Kalamazoo, MI and Oak Park, IL locations.
| Offer Expires: June 30, 2015
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