On top of tea’s antimicrobial properties, research has shown that drinking tea helps with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It also encourages weight loss, lowers cholesterol, and brings about mental alertness. Tea is also an excellent antioxidant because it contains flavonoids. Tea can also be used to substitute the consumption of coffee.

Black Tea –
- Made with fermented tea leaves
- Has the highest caffeine content out of all the teas
- Is typically the base for many flavored teas, such as chai
- High in antioxidants
- Research shows that black tea protects lungs from damage due to smoking
- Reduces risk of stroke and heart disease. Helps in recovery from a heart attack
- Aids in blocking allergic reactions, improves skin, delays onset of diabetes, and slows the growth of tumors

Green Tea –
- Preserves many of the original qualities of the fresh leaf while enhancing and bringing out its effects through its making
- Made by cooking the leaves and then pressing them to release their moisture and then drying them out
- Research shows that green tea is an excellent antioxidant
- Prevents cancers of the bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal
- Helps with recovery from a hangover and burns fat
- Reduces risk of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, reduces risk of stroke, improves cholesterol, and prevents clogging of the arteries
- Counteracts oxidative stress on the brain

Herbal Tea –
- Made with various herbs, fruits, seeds, or roots that have been steeped in hot water
- Are lower in antioxidants than green and black teas
- Some types of herbal teas include, ginger, hibiscus, jasmine, rosehip, mint, chamomile, and Echinacea
- Research shows that herbal teas prevent and heal colds, bring restful sleep, lowers blood pressure, and helps with weight loss
- Chamomile tea prevents complications from diabetes, such as loss of vision, nerve, and kidney damage, and prevents the growth of cancer cells
- Echinacea tea fights off the common cold
- Hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure

Tea is best when consumed as a hot beverage and should be brewed for at least 3 to 5 minutes. Milk, lemon, and organic sugar may be added to the tea for taste. Various teas, especially herbal teas, give off therapeutic aromas. Here is a quote for you to sum up the benefits of tea: “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you” ~ Gladstone, 1865.

Enjoy tea time!

Varsha

Before I tell you the answer, let me ask you a question. If you put lemon into your milk, what will happen to your milk? It will curdle, right? The sourness of the lemon will cause the milk to go sour and hence go bad. It is the sour quality that affects the quality of milk. Even if you add salt to milk, the milk will curdle.

So really, milk can only be combined with only purely sweet and ripe fruits. For example, a ripe, sweet mango can be combined with milk. Raisins and dates can also be combined. All berries are a no. That strawberry may be sweet, but it is also sour in taste. When you add the berries to your milk, it may not curdle right away, but it will curdle in your stomach. This will lead to indigestion and other digestive problems.

What about bananas and milk? Ripe bananas are sweet in taste, but its property changes by the time it goes from your mouth down to the stomach. By the time the banana reaches your stomach, it becomes sour. Therefore, if you mix the banana with milk, the banana will cause the milk to curdle in your stomach and therefore, you will most likely feel really heavy afterwards. Remember, after eating any meal or snack, you should not feel heavy afterwards. If you are feeling heavy, then you are having indigestion.

With that said and bananas being the one exception to the rule, only purely sweet tastes can be mixed with milk. Not sure what the exact taste or quality is of a fruit? Send me an email and I will let you know. Also, I am working on a chart that outlines the most common fruits, vegetables, and other foods, in which I will let you know what its tastes are and how it affects the doshas. So keep a look out for that…it should be up in a few weeks.

Eat your fruits and drink your milk!!! Separately, they are very good for you. And by separately, I mean to say that you should allow at least one hour (ideally three hours) in between the consumption of the fruit and milk. This way, you won’t be mixing the two together during the digestive process

Health and happiness,

Varsha

I often get asked, why drink milk? These days, even drinking milk has become a controversy. There was the time when “got milk?” was huge and today, there is supposed preliminary research that shows that milk has no nutritional value for anyone past childhood. I dispute the research because milk is one of the best forms of nutrition out there and it is for all ages. There is also strong evidence in favor of all age groups drinking milk from both Ayurveda and modern scientific studies.

There is no strong evidence in disputing the benefits of milk, because the research has been mainly done on lab animals, such as rats and rabbits. Biotechnology companies, such as Fonterra, have funded many of the research studies. Their research, done on rabbits found that drinking milk can lead to heart disease. But according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, studies have shown that drinking milk can improve kidney functioning and reduce the risk of heart disease. In another study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ”Boosting calcium intake by drinking milk could reduce healthy adults’ chances of a debilitating bone break. Healthy men and women supplemented with 1,200 mg of calcium per day – the amount in four glasses of milk – reduced their risk of bone fractures by 72 percent.” These are just a couple of studies out of thousands that have been conducted over the years. And with that said, why wouldn’t you want to drink your milk?

Ayurveda has also laid out the countless benefits of drinking milk. Ojas, as you may already know is the finest product of digestion and it represents your immune system, strength, and vitality. Drinking milk promotes and enhances the Ojas. Milk directly nourishes the life forces and also nourishes all the tissues of the body. It increases strength, promotes life span, excellent for the eyes and intellect, reverses the aging process, heals wounds, and increases virility. Furthermore, milk is used for irritable bowel syndrome, excessive thirst, is good for hyperacidity, great for heart disorders, urinary tract problems, hemorrhoids, and bleeding tendencies. Milk is excellent for emaciation, anemia, and fatigue due to excess physical exertion. Milk can be hard to digest. Therefore, if you have trouble digesting milk, boil the milk with some fresh ginger and then drink it. Boiling the milk makes the milk lighter and easier to digest. The ginger will aid in the digestion of the milk.

There are many more benefits than what I have mentioned. Milk is one of the greatest nutritional drinks out there and it is recommended for everyone. Ayurveda continues to say that milk is the first drink of life and therefore, it should be continued throughout life. In a follow-up article, I will discuss the various types of milk and why cow’s milk is most highly recommended after infancy.

Health and Happiness,

Varsha

I am positive that either you or someone you know is lactose intolerant. Lactose is a type of sugar found in all dairy products. Being lactose intolerant is the inability to digest and metabolize lactose. Some people truly are lactose intolerant, but most people are just allergic to the GMO milk. Many of my clients come to me saying that they are lactose intolerant, but in a matter of a few weeks, they realize that they are not lactose intolerant. They are allergic to the non-organic milk and other dairy products. Many of my “lactose intolerant” clients drink organic milk. It’s all a matter of making a few slight adjustments.

But what if you really are lactose intolerant and cannot have dairy products? Many people struggle with getting enough calcium and therefore resort to calcium supplements, which is not ideal for your physiology. Many other foods contain calcium. Some vegetables which contain calcium are spinach, turnips, broccoli, peas, brussel sprouts, and bokchoy. Other foods are salmon, tofu, sardines, beans, sesame seeds, and almonds.

If you are eating proper, balanced meals, then you do not have to worry about where you will get your calcium from. Calcium is most needed in maintaining strong, healthy bones. Getting plenty of calcium in your diet and with proper exercise can prevent osteoporosis. In fact, studies show that women you consume the same amount of calcium in their diet have a higher bone density than those who consume that same amount of calcium as a supplement.

It is possible to overcome being lactose intolerant. In most cases, it is about strengthening your digestion. With a strong enough digestion, you can digest anything you consume. Most people have become lactose intolerant due to all the unnecessary chemicals and hormones that are in the non-organic milk. Organic milk is much richer in nutrients, higher in antioxidants, and it tastes much better.

Ayurveda has always promoted milk for great health. Some of the most prominent benefits of drinking milk, especially cow’s milk is that it instantly nourishes all the tissues of the physiology and acts as a rejuvenate. Cow’s milk is also rich in protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A, B12, and C. With all the nutrients milk has to offer, it will also give you more strength, energy, and increase Ojas (immunity) in your physiology. If you feel that you are not able to digest milk well, boil it first and then drink it. Boiling milk allows the milk to become lighter and therefore it is more easily digestible.

Enjoy your milk!

Varsha

The relation between eating and imbalances is quite simple. According to Ayurveda, diet is just as important as your digestion. The second you overeat or consume any food or drink in excess, you have just set yourself up for an imbalance in your physiology.

Ati is Sanskrit for excess and this in itself, excess of anything, will ultimately be the cause for any imbalance. Eating an excessive amount of any food will disturb your Agni, or digestive fire. When your digestion is disturbed, this leads to ama, or the build up of toxins. Ama is undigested food. This will cause Ajirn, or indigestion. And it is indigestion that will lead to the imbalance.

When you have overeaten, your stomach will have a tough time digesting and metabolizing the food. You should only eat about 2/3 of your capacity and leave some room in your stomach for your stomach muscles to work and digest the food. For example, when you completely stuff your mouth with food and you barely have any room to chew or swallow, a similar thing happens in your stomach as well when you stuff yourself. With no room for effective digestion, you will create ama in your physiology.

To sum up this process, Ati disturbs your digestion, which leads to ama, which causes Ajirn, and this ultimately leads to an imbalance in your physiology, which will cause the illness or disease. This is a chain reaction, one leads to the next, with excess being the root cause.

Ati (Excess) à Affects digestion à Creates Ama à Ajirn (Indigestion) à Disease/imbalance

To avoid any imbalance or disease, have everything and do everything in moderation. For example, do not overeat, do not overindulge, and do not stay up too late.  Anything in excess means that you are burdening your own physiology. Prevention is key, so avoid anything in excess and have everything within your limits.

Enjoy everything in moderation!

Varsha

Tackling weight and excess body fat is a constant battle for many people. When it comes to weight control, there is no such thing as a miracle pill that will help you to lose that excess body fat. Before I discuss ways to “lose weight,” I would like to briefly discuss the role of body types and weight.

According to Ayurveda, there are three bodily humors or energies known as doshas. These three doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each of the them play a role in the functioning of our physiology, but they also make up our constitution or body type. An individual can have one of or a combination of two, or all three as their body type. An individual whose body type is primarily Vata, for example, will generally be on the slimmer side. Those who are primarily Pitta tend to be of a medium size, yet they look physically fit. And those with a Kapha constitution may be on the bolder side. However, a person with a Kapha structure and built does not mean that they are obese or that they need to lose weight and a skinny individual does not mean that they are healthy and in perfect shape.

A good tool for measuring how much excess body fat you may have is to calculate your body mass index. The body mass index will calculate your levels of fat based upon your height and weight. If in doubt, go see your doctor and they will let you know whether or not you need to lose weight.

Diet and exercise are the two most important factors for maintaining a healthy weight. Exercise means at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular workout, such as running, dancing, and biking every day. Furthermore, you should do another 30 minutes of strength training and flexibility. That is a total of one hour everyday, in which you dedicate to your health and your physiology. Cardiovascular exercise will help burn the calories and the fat. Strength training will help with turning that excess fat into muscle.

Like the classic saying, “you are what you eat,” is very important when considering your diet. Losing weight isn’t about which 10-day diet scheme you utilize. It is about permanently establishing a healthy diet. I guarantee you that if you go on a 10-day diet that you might lose some weight, but after the diet is over, you will gain that weight right back. If you seriously want to lose the weight and keep it off, then watch what you eat. Eat lots of cooked vegetables in olive oil with spices such as cumin, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cardamom. Green leafys are excellent. Pulses, lentils, and legumes, are a great source of protein, eat those with very little rice. Minimize your intake of carbohydrates. Have meats such as chicken and turkey, rather than beef and pork. But all in all, whatever you eat, make sure you can digest it. Avoid snacking in between meals and only after your previous meal has digested should you eat something. Favor healthy snacks such as fruits and nuts over the cookies and ice cream. Also avoid caffeine, processed sugars, and high fructose corn syrup. All of these will slow down digestion and will create excess fat.

In order to lose weight, you must have a proper diet along with a regular exercise routine. You cannot effectively lose weight by following only one or the other. Our physiologies do not work like that. They need a balance of both. Also do not skip meals if you are trying to lose weight. You want to eat and eat regularly. Keep in mind though, that everyone has some fat because you need some fat for your physiology to function. According to Ayurveda, one of the main functions of fat is to lubricate. It lubricates your joints, and keeps the unctuousness and luster of the skin. When you adapt a healthier routine to lose weight, be sure to continue with the healthy diet and routine. After losing that 10 pounds, don’t go back to your old habits, or you will gain all of that weight back.

Happy healthy eating!

Varsha

In terms of Ayurveda and health, fasting is not recommended for everyone. If you are thinking about fasting for your health, here are some general recommendations for you. There are three doshas according to Ayurveda, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Rather than discussing only the different body types and whether or not you should fast, I am going to approach this from the angle of how strong is your digestive power according to Ayurveda. The main factor you should consider when you are thinking about fasting for your health is your digestion, not necessarily your body type.

There are four general types of digestion. They are balanced digestion, irregular digestion, too strong of a digestion, and a weak digestion. The first type is a balanced digestion and that is known as sama-agni. Sama meaning balanced and agni meaning fire. Thus, it means a balanced digestive power. Those who have a balanced digestion do not need to fast because all aspects of their diet and routine are balanced. A balanced digestion also means that your Ojas levels are higher. Ojas is the finest product of digestion and represents your immune system.

The next type of digestion is an irregular digestion known as Visham-Agni according to Ayurveda. This type of digestion tends to be irregular and thus it is correlated with Vata. Sometimes it works great and other times, not so well. Some days you will have a nice bowel movement and some days you will be constipated. With an irregular digestion, the best way to balance it is to be regular with your diet and routine. Fasting is only recommended if you are to fast on a regular basis, for example every Wednesday. A one time fast is not recommended for Vata types or those with a Visham-agni.

If your digestion is too strong, your digestive power is known as Tikshna-Agni and thus it is correlated with Pitta. If you are one of those people who must eat on time and can eat all the food you want and wont gain an ounce, then most likely you have a Tikshna-agni. Pitta people and those with a Tikshna-agni must be fed on time; otherwise they are not happy campers. Thus, fasting is definitely not recommended for them. They cannot tolerate not having food.

The last general type of digestion is a weak digestion, known as mand-agni. A mand-agni is correlated to the Kapha dosha. If you have a weak digestion, chances are that you have ama in your physiology. Ama is undigested food or toxins. You will know if you have a mand-agni, because you will tend to feel heavy all the time and not too hungry. If you have a mand-agni and/or if you are the Kapha type, it is ok for you to fast. In fact it is recommended because fasting will allow for your digestion to catch up. Again though, if you are to fast, do it on a regular basis and do not get carried away with it.

Fasting is not recommended for everyone and one should not fast over a long period of time. Even if you choose to fast, be sure to still somehow obtain all the necessary nutrients through fruits and milk. Ayurveda looks at fasting in terms of resetting the digestion and cleaning out the toxins. By not consuming as much food, your digestion will basically get some down time to clean up. But remember, everything in moderation is good for you.

The trick is that not only do you want to look younger, but also feel healthy. Their secret is simple. They take good care of themselves. They have effective means of managing their stress, they exercise, they sleep, but most importantly, they watch their diet. In future postings, I will touch on the correlation of stress and the graying and thinning of hair, but for now, I want to discuss diet as a form of a rejuvenative.

Would you believe that looking younger is as simple as keeping an eye on your diet? Well, it is. The classic saying, “you are what you eat” is true. Ayurveda has always said that diet and digestion is most important because an improper diet leads to an imbalanced digestion, which is ultimately the root cause of all illnesses.

A proper diet consists of a balance in all six tastes, which are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. The sweet taste consists of grains and cooked vegetables. Sour tastes are fruits and fermented substances, such as yogurt and soy sauce. Salty taste is of course anything with salt. Bitter taste consists of green leafy vegetables. Astringent tastes are nuts and berries. And the pungent taste is anything spicy. Using spices, such as turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, etc. will also count towards the balance in take of many of these tastes. But chances are if it doesn’t look healthy, then it probably isn’t healthy for you to eat.

If you truly want to look younger, then take my advice. Rather than spending hundreds and thousands on chemicals, save that money and shop more wisely the next time you go to the grocery store. And if you are young in age right now, you should also watch what you eat, because someday, your poor diet will catch up to. Remember, inner reflects the outer. Take care of yourself now for a healthier future.

Here are the top five tips according to Ayurveda to maintain and improve your digestion so that you can prevent the occurrence of any disease.

1) Never overeat. Only eat to about ¾ of your capacity. Eating to the point of ¾ will give you the sense of satisfaction, but not stuffed. If you are feeling stuffed, then you have overate.

2) Have a fresh slice of ginger before your meal. Having a slice of ginger will stimulate your digestion.

3) If you must drink liquids during your meal, have some hot water with lemon. The hot water with lemon will also stimulate digestion.

4) Sip hot water throughout the day. This will improve digestion and cleanse the channels of circulation.

5) Exercise! Exercising will stimulate digestion and enhance metabolism.

These are just a few simple tips that will improve your digestive power. It is important to be able to digest what you eat. I tell all of clients, “you can eat whatever you want, as long as you can effectively digest it.”

You can have the most delicious main course meal, but if you don’t have dessert, more than often, soon enough after the meal, you will feel like you want some munchies or you’ll start opening the kitchen cabinets in hope of finding a snack. Whether you are already on a great diet and routine, or you trying to lose weight, always end your meal with a sweet taste.

According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes, sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. In a nutshell, the sweet taste generally gives a feeling of satisfaction and pleasantness to the sense organs and tends to be heavy for the physiology. The sour taste makes the mouth water and its properties are light, oily, and hot. The salty taste increases salivation and has the qualities of heaviness and warmth. The pungent taste is really felt on the tongue and is most often associated with the spicy taste. The bitter taste cleanses the mouth and is light, dry, and cold. The astringent taste affects the taste buds of the tongue and it is primarily heavy, dry, and cold.

Sour, salty, and pungent tastes increase the Pitta dosha, which means that digestion will increase. Therefore, if the last piece of food you ate was spicy, then when you are digesting that last piece of food, the spices will kindle your digestive power, giving rise to false hunger. False hunger means that you think you are hungry, but you are still digesting your previous meal. Remember, you should never eat until your previous meal has digested.

The sweet taste is the only taste that provides satisfaction to the taste buds and to your digestion. No other taste will do such a thing. Some examples of sweet tastes are grains, such as wheat, rice and barley, pulses, lentils, milk, cream, butter, sweet fruits such as dates, figs, coconut, and mango, cooked vegetables such as potato, carrot, cauliflower, and of course, sugar.

At the end of your meal, you could have a fresh baked pie, fruits, strawberries and cream, or even some rice cakes. You can have anything you want for dessert as long as it’s warm, fresh, and sweet. Ending any meal with a sweet taste will provide the ultimate satisfaction with your food. Enjoy!!!