NuttyYogi — ancient foods

Healthy Festive Season 0

Celebrate this year's holidays with healthy eating

This Navaratri takes the initiative to detox your body and embraces more healthy and nutritious options.
We inhale and consume toxins in our daily lives through food or living in a polluted environment. Fasting is an excellent opportunity to detoxify the body and remove toxins that may have accumulated in the tissues over the years.

During this festive season, people opt for different types of fruits and foods that are nutritious. Antioxidants in these foods help remove harmful free radicals from the body.

Fluid intake increases during fasting. It helps keep the body hydrated. During Navaratri, try coconut water, fresh fruit juices, milkshakes, buttermilk, etc., to nourish the body and hydrate the skin.

Avoid wheat, rice, and lentils; instead, embrace ingredients like Singhare Ka Atta, Kuttu ka atta, Sama, Sabudana, etc, to give your digestive system a much-needed rest. Foods that are easy to digest are consumed during Navaratri.

Try replacing table salt or processed/refined salt with Sendha Namak (pure salt without chemicals), as it aids digestion, boosts immunity, regulates blood pressure, and keeps the body active throughout the day.

Try to avoid using heat-generating spices like Haldi (turmeric), Dhania (coriander), Hing (asafetida), Garam Masala (mixed exotic spice powder), Rai/Sarson (mustard), Lavang (cloves), etc., do not use sesame/mustard oil for cooking. Groundnut oil or ghee is used for cooking vrata recipes. So keep your body cool and refreshed by avoiding them and using Jeera (cumin) and Kali Mirch (black pepper).

Meditation and prayers are a significant part of Navaratri vrat. These will help soothe your senses, body, mind, and soul. In short, fasting during Navaratri can exercise self-control, self-discipline, and self-control.

Food - Then and Now! 0

Once upon a time, our breakfast was not only nutritious but filling and home cooked. There was no addition of any artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. We used to eat clean food and its consequence was seen in terms of good health, glowing skin and healthy hair growth.

“Mummy bhook lagi! Bas do minute”!!!

Now, the traditional Indian home cooked breakfast is replaced with ready to eat processed foods like cornflakes, muesli with added sugar, instant oats and even ready made mix for making upma/dosa/poha. 

In the last half century food processing has evolved greatly as a consequence of the industrialization and globalisation of food systems.

Excessive consumption of processed foods has given rise to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases etc.

Do minute ke chakkar mein two saal kam ho jate hai!!

Ever wondered why our grandmothers used to prepare such tasty food and we find it difficult to replicate them even when we follow the recipe to the core. 

The thought, the patience and the love with which each ingredient was selected and prepared has brought about a radical change in the present. Not only are we racing against time but we tend to depend on ready made spices, products and use of teflon coated utensils for convenience and ease of preparation. 

Long lost are the days when we used to prepare fresh spices or walk long distances to choose only the freshest of vegetables for cooking. So how can such short cut methods yield tasty and healthy dishes?

Such food shows up on hips and abdomen, this in turn causes insulin resistance, variation in blood pressure, hormonal imbalance etc.

In the nutshell,

Home cooked food with fresh ingredients VS ready to eat processed food 

Taking time to prepare VS two minute food preparation

Years of healthy disease free life VS low quality of life at early age

Choice is yours to make…

Food in Mythology - stories by our ancestors 0

Remember those grandma stories of mythology which our dadi/nani used to tell us? We used to love listening to those stories and our imagination grew with no bounds.

All these stories are also linked to our festivals. Over 50 varieties of festivals are celebrated in India among different cultures. Food plays an integral part in Indian mythology, where a part of the ritual involves offering food to the specific deity. Our ancestors used to have a health related approach in the use of many herbs/foods, explained using various stories

Lord Ganesha with acidity problems

Analasura, a demon, was tormenting the Devas (gods). The gods went to Lord Ganapathi for help. Lord Ganesha became angry and just swallowed Analasura. Analasura produced fire while in the stomach of the lord who felt his stomach and body burning terribly.

The lord became so restless that he had to run and jump and could not be quiet. He was offered 21 blades of Durva grass. Immediately the lord got relief from the burning sensation and the Analasura was digested by the lord. From that time the devotees started offering Durva (doob) grass in their worship of the Lord Ganapathi. 

Modern interpretation: Ganesh Chaturthi is synonymous with modaks, ladoos and many other delicacies. Eating a huge feast puts a lot of stress on digestion. Hence consuming durva grass tea/kada can help to digest, prevent acidity and gastric issues.

Sanjeevani Booti - a feat by lord Hanuman

This story is well known about Lord Hanuman carrying an entire mountain since he could not identify the herb required to revive Lord Lakshman. This famous herb, called Sanjeevani Booti, available on the hills of himalayas has gained lots of popularity.

According to Ayurveda, Sanjeevani is a mix of three herbs. It has been found to cure many diseases from Asthma to diabetes to gastric problems.

Attachment of Lord Shiva to Bael tree

According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the Bel tree emerged from the sweat drops of Goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife. The Skanda Purana mentions that sweat droplets from the Goddess’ forehead fell on the Mandrachal mountain and a tree emerged. She named the tree Bilva and it is believed that she resides in all forms, in the tree. Hence Bael leaves are used for worshipping Lord Shiva.

Benefits - Ayurveda uses the leaves for a number of health benefits. They are known to relieve diarrhoea ,dysentery, constipation, peptic ulcer and respiratory infections.They are anti diabetic, anti microbial, anti inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic etc.

The great mythological stories and their significance is relevant even today. Why we consume neem flowers during new year to the reason for consuming thandai during holi. 

Even science supports some of our religious customs and traditions. 

If we have food for our body then these stories are the food for our soul!