How can you talk about food in a few short paragraphs expressing the wonder and it’s glory and benefits to us?  And not to forget the gratitude in which we receive it from the earth.When i look at food at a farmers’ market I marvel at how many plants fruits and vegetables nature has given us to be healthy. Yet we tend to eat the same foods on a regular basis over and over again which really puts us in a rut. At least I find that true for myself. To become more nutritionally sound we need to think in “variety”. Isn’t that the spice of life? I made a New Year’s resolution to add at least one new vegetable and fruit to my diet each week. This week  I sauteed shitake mushrooms into my egg omellete instead of the regular button mushrooms I always use. They are great to boost energy and also protect against cancer. I ate a persimmon fruit as well  and noticed my mouth puckering at it’s taste. What will you try?

Hippocrates the father of health said ” let  food be thy medicine”.  Such a simple statement and so rich with wisdom. Have we followed his words? To some extent yes, but in looking at the health of the entire country.. no.  We can always expand on the foods we eat to create more variety. Drawing from many cultures we can add new foods such as grains, vegetables, nuts , seafood, seaweed and more.

Let’s talk about how foods are categorized in Ayurvedic medicine.

Foods such as mango are called “sattvic” in Ayurvedic tradition .They are those that purify the body and mind. They are fresh foods. Pure milk, ghee, and asparagus are some examples. Rajasic foods stimulate the body and mind to action such as coffee, garlic, onion, peppers, and hot spices. Tamasic foods are are those which dull the mind and incline the body toward inertia; spoiled foods, chemicals, fried food, meat, cheeses and heavy sweets are among these. Then there is the Yin and Yang understanding of food from Chinese medicine- some foods being more nurturing and others more expansive.Those are just a couple of perspectives to incorporate

Having local fresh grown fruits and vegetables is best. Joining a local community garden to grow some of your own food is a great option. We participated this past year in our local Johns Creek garden and grew all types of herbs, tomatoes, peppers, lavendar, lettuce and more. There is nothing like the taste of fresh picked eggplant and tomatoes.

So depending on your constitution, the season, climate and your condition you can choose from an abundant variety of foods to improve your health, sustain your energy and prolong your life. They are out there to be found and to be received from  nature for our best health.

Here are some of my favorite book references:

Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar with Urmila Desai

Gedaliah Genin Naturopath   www.gedaliahhealingarts.com