Pari's Blog

Here’s a list of foods that are highly regarded (in particular in Ayurveda).

Note: Ayurveda regards *every* plant as having some sort of medical or nutritional value. There is story were Dhanvantari (the father of Ayurveda) asks a potential student to search the world and bring back a plant that has no use. The disciple comes back after many years, saying he has found none. The master was pleased that the disciple was now ready to be imparted the science of Ayurveda.

The motivation for writing is this is because of the number of people I find getting brainwashed by marketing. Like the craze after olive oil. Or that milk is an important source of calcium. Or that soy is the only source of protein among vegetables.

Fruits

• Amla (நெல்லிக்காய், Goosberry) – a single Amla has the vitamin C equivalent of 4 oranges. Highly prized for boosting immune system.
• Coconut – coconut flesh, coconut milk, coconut juice, and coconut oil form a complete food – all your nutrients – protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals.
• Mango – Ripe mango combined with yogurt is an excellent way to deliver the protein contained in yogurt. In addition to the bacterial enzymes in the yogurt, the enzymes in mango help breakdown the milk protein and make it even more digestible. Note: it is important to add cardamom seeds to it (ஏலகாய், elaichi), not just for scent/flavor.
• Pomegranate – Rich in anti-oxidants and other healing properties. It has helped me out with almost instant stomach ulcer relief when I’ve had severe ulcer (to the point the inner linings of mouth were beginning to react to the slightest acidity in foods). I found it more effective than buttermilk. It was told by the locals in Madurai, later I found the same anti-ulcer property mentioned in the Ayurveda book.
• Apricot/Nectarine – forget whether it was apricot or nectarine — one of these had special mention in my Ayurveda book left in Madurai (compared with apples, peaches, pears, oranges, grapes).
• Bananas – don’t underestimate this popular fruit. It seems over 80% of all health problems can be traced to bad doshas arising from problems in our digestive tract. 2-3 bananas a day keeps it clean.

Vegetables

• Leafy green vegetables – Like spinach, collard greens, kale, turnip greens. While in the USA there is only one type of spinach, in India there are over a dozen varieties of spinach found in just about any vegetable market, and even more varieties of green leafy vegetables. All of these are rich sources of anti-oxidants. Most are good sources of iron. Some are rich sources of calcium as well (like collard greens, kale, turnip greens, cabbage). Note: remember to add a little bit of lime/lemon juice to spinach to neutralise oxalate’s that prevent calcium absorption.
• Variety – In addition to leafy vegetables, eat a *variety* of vegetables: eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage, red cabbage, squash, summer squash, snake gourd, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, okra, drumsticks, turnips, radish, carrots, beetroot, different types of tubers, banana stems, banana flowers, etc. There is absolutely no excuse for being malnourished just because you can’t get protein/calcium from milk or soy!

Grains

Ayurveda mentions numerous types of rice and dhal recipes.

• Rice – there are over a thousand varieties of rice. Keep a few varieties of rice in your home. Even parboiled rice has different varieties in taste and texture. You can use red rice or black rice varieties for coconut sweet meals and for porridge/drink preparations. Rice is rich in carbohydrates and B-complex. Some varieties of rice are rich in protein also (like black wild rice). Rice is a very clean healthy food, that has been the main food for over 2 billion people (almost of all of Asia: China, India, Japan, Thailand, etc.). We are lucky that even after thousands of years, Indians continue to enjoy rice as their main meal, especially in the South. Rice+dhal+vegetables forms a complete protein meal (protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, anti-oxidants).  So why not stick to the tradition? why all the crazy running after milk, soy, wheat, oats, etc. like goats?
• Millet (Ragi/finger-millet, Bajra/pearl-millet) - A very good source of protein and calcium. This was the main food preparation for babies for muscle and bone growth (before “milk as an important source of protein and calcium” propaganda). Like rice, there are a number of varieties of millet. Go to your local village market or a speciality store, you’ll find varieties of millet from different parts of the country.
• Quinoa – A very good source of protein, including amino acids not found in other plants. Quinoa is steamed just like rice (1:2 ratio of quinoa:water is boiled till fluffy texture). Highly prized by Native Americans. It was regarded as queen food, more than their staple food of corn/maize.
• Amaranth – Also regarded as a queen of foods by Native Americans (in particular those of South America).
• Wheat – Make sure it you use whole wheat. Ayurveda recommends stone ground whole wheat.
• Barley – it is a good source of protein along with other cold/temperate climate grains like wheat, but is not as widely used as a primary food.

Pulses

Ayurveda mentions numerous types of rice and dhal recipes. It is also important to germinate or sprout your dhals before cooking. Germinating increases the nutritional value by 40-80%. Sprouting also neutralises certain properties (like trypsin inhibitors) which will prevent digestion of the nutrients in the food.

When we have numerous varieties of dhal in India, all of which are excellent sources of protein, providing all the different types of proteins/amino acids the body needs, why go after marketing propaganda of soy as the main source of vegetable protein? I can understand people in the West being brainwashed by this (because of their lack of awareness of other sources), but not Indians. It’s just a really pathetic state to see Indians (primarily ignorant city folks), so easily gullible and fall into all sort of propaganda (soy, milk, olive oil), when they have so many alternatives sources before them.

Another danger of focussing on one source of protein (like only soy or milk) is that they cannot provide all the amino acids that the body needs (20 type of amino acids make up proteins. No food is perfect. It is important to have variety. Here are some of the most popular dhals, all of which are an excellent sources of protein.

• Mung (பாசி) – is considered the queen of pulses. Very rich in nutrients when germinated.
• Toor (துவரம்) – contains important amino acids methionine, lysine, and tryptophan. Sprouting helps reduce indigestible sugars.
• Chana (கடலை) – best when sightly germinated. A surprisingly good source of iron, calcium, zinc, folic acid (B9), phosphorous, magnesium. Recent studies show that it helps in lowering of cholesterol levels.
• Kala Chana ( கொண்டைக் கடலை) – had special mention in Ayurveda book, will update details.
• Urad Dhal (உளுத்தம், Black Gram, Dhal Makhani in North India).
• Rajma (kidney beans). A good source of iron, folic acid (B9), pantothenic acid (B5), calcium, magnesium, molybdenum.
• Horse Gram (கொள்ளு) – A good source of iron and molybdenum. It also has higher amount of trypsin inhibitor compared with other dhals, so it is good to germinate it first.

Notice that I haven’t added soy beans to the above list. For thousands of years India knew about soy, but used it only for cattle manure or crop rotation. When they included so many other beans for food preparations, why not soy? There are plenty of time-tested sources of vegetable protein sources (numerous varieties of dhals and millets) in India. I don’t see the need for to look elsewhere or to fall for some sort of mass-market brainwashing, especially on something that is controversial in its health benefits. See link below.

Herbs and Spices

Just about every spice and herb is highly regarded in Ayurveda. They essentially turn the kitchen into a chemistry lab. Spices, besides being prized for their aromatic and taste attributes, are important in helping the body extract and absorb nutrients from food. Spices contain a very rich and complex number of chemicals which will take years before science can fully understand their roles, their properties and interactions with food and body. Modern science has hardly made dent in this field of research, though science of Ayurveda seems to be well aware of the many properties of spices, their proper combinations and how they effect various doshas in the body.

• Turmeric – already over 500 patents on turmeric based drugs. Powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial.
• Ginger – considered very much a medicinal herb. A spoonful of ginger (ginger tea, ginger and honey, sugared ginger, ginger rasam, etc) can keep you healthy. Anti-bacterial properties. Very effective in preventing travel related nausea (like sea sickness). Effective remedy for treating cold related congestion and coughs.
• Garlic – anti-flatulent properties, anti-fungal properties. If you’re suffering from any fungal infection increase your garlic. When cooking starchy foods like potatoes add garlic to prevent flatulence. Said to prevent heart disease (arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol). Reduces platelet aggregation, i.e. ability to form blood clots (doctors, especially in Europe ask you about your garlic intake before surgery).
• Cardamom – has a cooling effect on nerves and blood, helps break up kidney stones and gall stones, used for treating: chest congestion, teeth and gum infection, stomach aches.
• Cinnamon – anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, helps sugar absorption in the body (in fact, I’d even substitute it for sugar, or reduce the amount of sugar you put in your tea/coffee). It has a warming effect on the body.
• Cloves – has antiseptic properties with mild anaesthetic properties for gums and teeth. It has a warming effect on the body.
• Black Pepper – helps cure indigestion related symptoms like bloating and flatulence. Has a number of medicinal properties: black pepper when prepared in rasam (with ginger, garlic, coriander, turmeric) helps aid digestion, milk boiled with pinch of black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, turmeric (makes milk more digestible), black pepper in buttermilk (prevents indigestion), black pepper and honey to help food metabolization.
• Fenugreek – helps in sugar absorption (for those who are diabetic). Helps promote lactation for nursing mothers. Best taken soaked overnight, slightly  germinated.
• Coriander (seeds) – anti-oxidant, has insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity, reduces food-decay (for which it is used in pickling vegetables).
• Cilantro (leaves of coriander) – anti-oxidant. Chemicals derived from coriander leaves have been found to have an antibacterial activity against Salmonella choleraesuis.
• Cumin – helps in digestion, anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic properties on stomach and liver. For its size it is rich (>70% of RDA per 100g) in iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus.
• Fennel – has carminative and purgative properties. Water soaked with few fennel seeds used to to relieve colic for babies.
• Asafoetida (பெருங்காயம், Hing) -
• Chilli – purgative properties. For its size it is rich (>70% of RDA per 100g) in Vitamin C. Increases the assimilation of non-heme iron from other ingredients in food. Used also as a topical on wounds for anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. Also used as topical analgesic.
• Omam/Ajwain – digestive aid, relieves abdominal discomfort due to indigestion. Water soaked with few omam seeds used to to relieve colic for babies.
• Mint – decongestant, used for treating chest pains and stomach pains. Traditionally used for whitening teeth.
• Trikatu (it’s actually a combination of Black Pepper + Ginger + Chili) – this triple combination is a very powerful colon cleanser. The combined power is more than several times the power of taking each individually. It is not enough if you mix these powders together (like in a capsule). You have to prepare them, like in rasam, where they chemically interact, to form something more powerful than individual components. This is why south Indians feel they must take a little bit of rasam with a full meal.

Special Mention

• Neem – all parts of this tree has medicinal uses – the leaves, flower, fruit, oil. This plant is highly regarded in Ayurveda. Anti-bacterial properties.
• Drumstick – all parts of this plant/tree is useful – the drumstick fruit, the leaves, flowers. Drumstick leaves and fruit help deliver calcium to bones.

Foods to avoid:

• Milk and dairy products – with the exception of yogurt (even better would be specially prepared buttermilk) and to a limited extent ghee. Don’t fall for milk as an important source of protein and calcium. Absolutely not true.
• Anything processed/refined – should be avoided: white rice, wheat flour, refined oils, sugar.

See Also

• The Good Oils
• Soy Controversy
• Dangers of Milk
• Monsanto