Sorry for the long silence, I was in Cuba for a week, dammit! And then the many crazy deadlines when I got back...
Alas, the weather's warming up which means it's a delicious time for fruits and smoothies! Some fruits are better than others for individual doshas, and soy milk is better for some and rice or almond milk for others. Here are some ideas for all of us! Pictured above is the Vata smoothie.
VATA TROPICAL SHAKE
half a banana
half a mango
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup orange juice or almond milk
dash each cardamom and cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
PITTA FRUIT SMOOTHIE
half an apple
1 pear
1/2 cup cherries
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
a few mint leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
KAPHA SUMMER COOLER
half an apple
1 peach
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup soy milk
dash each turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon
1 tsp ground flax seeds
Wash and chop fruit and place in a blender with remaining ingredients. Blend on high for 30 seconds. Blend with a few ice cubes for a thicker, cooler drink. The flax is an added bonus for Omega 3s and fibre.
DOSHAS & FRUIT
VATAS need sweet and juicy fruit (bananas, berries, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, melons, oranges, pineapples) and are best avoiding dry or crunchy fruits (raw apples, cranberries, pears, dried fruit and raisins). Almond, rice and cow's milk are good beverages to blend with (avoid soy).
PITTAS need sweet, dry fruits (apples, apricots, cherries, dates, figs, melons, prunes, raisins) and should avoid sour, juicy or astringent fruit (bananas, sour berries, grapefruit, lemons, peaches, rhubarb, tamarind, strawberries). Any milk is good for Pittas.
KAPHAS do best with dry, sour fruits (apples, apricots, cranberries, grapes, lemons, peaches, pears, prunes, raisins) and should avoid sweet, heavy fruits (bananas, coconut, dates, kiwis, mangoes, melons, oranges, pineapple). Choose soy milk for drinking and blending (avoid almond, rice and cow's milk).
7 comments:
Just wondering about adding flax to fruit as fruit digests so quick and flax so slow. Wouldn't this mess with digestion?
Hi! It might depend on individual reaction to the combination -- ie, it might give some people gas, for example, but it might give others a more slowly sustained level of energy which fruit alone (without flax) might peter out too quickly. A matter of weighing the pluses and minuses, perhaps? Give it a try :-)
Thanks Claudia, I really enjoy your blog! I suppose that would be a smart way, to just try it yourself. Me thinks sometimes it pays to look at the western and eastern "data", which you seem to do.
Thank you,
Ryan
According to Ayurveda(based on what I have read), fruit should be eaten alone since the sugars in the fruit ferment and block nadis or channels in the body. Its like putting a race car behind a slow truck. It would be nice if you could enlighten me on this one. Thanks!:)
I was searching for this type of article. Thank you for sharing
Vidya Gopal,
Yes, you are correct. The smoothie debate was a huge one in our class at Kripalu and I can tell you that smoothies are generally NOT a good idea - combinations of dairy with fruit are ama (metabolic toxin) producing, the cold ice used in making them is NEVER encouraged by Ayurveda (room temp at best for hot days), and you have to consider your current state of balance/imbalance or vikrti, as well as your birth dosha, or prakrti, when determining what is appropriate to consume AT THAT TIME - it's easy to think you have to eat Vata balancing foods when you have a Vata prakrti, but this can create problems if you have an imbalance in the other doshas. Best to consult a practitioner in your area if you have any q's about what is good for you, or to take a good basic fundamentals course to learn how to identify and monitor your state daily. Hope this clears up a few things! Hare Krishna
Karen Johnston, certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant, KSA 2012
Detail question: Is the 1 tsp flax for Kapha accurate or is it supposed to be 1 TB
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