LAC Growthwork Work Module 7 Weekly Focus Living Ayurveda Course with Cate Stillman 6 tastes Taste & Tissue Note: Guest Speaker Dr. MaryJo Cravatta (Nov. 27th). Visit www.shaktiveda.com Reading: Week 3: Lad, Chapter 9: Digestion and Nutrition p. 239-250 ;6 Tastes, Seasonal Practices, Tongue Review: Kacera, Chapter 11: The Six Healing Tastes p. 300-321, Eat, Taste, Heal p. 130 - Seasonal Routines, Cousens, Chapter 4: How to Develop the Best Diet for Yourself p. 44-47 - vata specific recommendations, Sachs, Ayurvedic Diet: pg. 53-54 http://www.eattasteheal.com/eth_6tastes.htm Internet articles: Sodium in Fast Food Exercises: Do the 6 Guidelines for Healthy Eating Worksheet Do the Taste & Tissue Worksheets Make your shopping list Notice what changes as you add more of the tastes your tissues need. CRAVINGS Cravings for certain tastes is related to increased or decreased doshas. Healthy cravings are related to the response of cellular intelligence to an increased dosha without formation of ama. Other cravings can be due to increased doshas slowing agni, resulting in the production of ama. These toxins clog the cell membranes and disturb cellular intelligence, generating perverted cravings. Generally, an increased dosha without ama products healthy cravings and disturbed doshas with ama create perverted, unhealthy cravings. --Dr. Lad, textbook, Chapter 9
Living Ayurveda Course 6 tastes guidelines for healthy eating 7 Which tastes are you missing in your diet? Which tastes does your body need more of now? Which tastes do you need more of? What tastes do you crave that are out of balance? What new plant foods are you going to bring into your diet? How are you going to add them and to which meals? Be specific. What are more intelligent plant foods to satisfy taste cravings this week?
Living Ayurveda Course Taste + Tissue 7 List any symptoms/imbalances you are currently experiencing: Look on the taste/tissue chart. Which imbalance can be cured be alleviated by which taste? Draw a line and connect the dots. Based on your findings above, what tastes will have a healing effect on your tissue? Put a number 1 to 6 in the box. Get clear on what taste does for tissue.
Taste + Tissue Taste/Rasa Doshas & elements foods Effect on Tissue What effect do you need on your tissue? Sweet K PV earth & water Grains, root vegetables, nuts, meats, eners, fruit Builds tissues, calms nerves Sour PK V water & fire Yogurt, fruits, fermented foods, citrus, pickled foods Cleanses tissues, increases absorption of minerals Salty KP V water & fire Salt, Seaweed, pickles, celery Improves taste to food, lubricates tissues, stimulates digestion PV K fire & air Onion, garlic,, radish- cabbage family, peppers, spices Stimulates digestion and metabolism V PK air & ether Leafy greens, vegetables, coffee, turmeric Detoxifies and lightens tissues V PK air & earth Beans, raw vegetables, dried corn, millet, rye, nuts Absorbs water, tightens tissues, dries fats
Shopping List What you need to start preparing: Once you know your constitution (and that of those you feed), write a list of foods that will be optimal. Think in terms of categories. Make your list below. Leafy Greens root vegetables seeds for sprouting seeds and nuts grains & beans seaweed Condiments Oils (olive, sunflower, flax) Lemons & limes stevia leaf raw honey Superfoods to play with (maca, goji berries, cacoa nibs, etc.)
Best Plant Foods * if you re constitution is Pitta, eat more foods from the Pitta list. Best Greens: butter lettuce beet greens, romaine, swiss chard, baby kale leaves, lettuces Best other green veggies: fennel bulb, peas, asparagus, celery, zucchini, red, orange, and yellow peppers Best roots beets, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, parsnips, radishes, winter squashes, maca, turmeric root, ginger root Best Sprouts: sunflower sprouts alfalfa sprouts, clover sprouts, radish sprouts Best Fermented Foods: All fermented foods are great for Vata. Live culture miso, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchee Best seeds/nuts/fats sesame, sunflower, avocado, olives (ghee), chia, flax, almond, pinenuts, macadamias Best fruits: & fruits: grapes, cherries, peaches, mangos, citrus, pineapples, bananas with seeds, tomatoes Best Greens: Kale, dandelion greens, collards, all lettuces, cilantro Best other green veggies: fennel, peas, asparagus, celery, zucchini, peas Best roots: burdock root, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, jicama, turmeric root Best Sprouts: sunflower sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, clover sprouts, mung sprouts, lentil sprouts, broccoli sprouts Best Fermented Foods: Small amounts of homemade sauerkraut Best seeds/nuts/fats sunflower, coconut, avocado, (ghee), chia, flax, almond, hazelnuts Best fruits:, watery fruits: melons, grapes, peaches, apples, pears, berries Best Greens: All greens in enormous amounts! parsley, beet greens, radish greens, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, collards, mustard greens Best other green veggies: fennel, broccoli, red, yellow and orange peppers, asparagus Best roots radishes, beets, turnips, ginger root, turmeric root, burdock root, daikon Best Sprouts: All sprouts! radish sprouts, onion sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, fenugreek Best Fermented Foods: Small amounts of spicy ferments are best: kimchi, pickled limes, Best seeds/nuts/fats pumpkin seeds, chia, flax, corn oil, mustard oil Best fruits: fruits: grapefruits, pomegranate, apples, pears, tomatoes, berries
Food Guidelines for Energetic Bodytypes. Eating seasonally has the highest priority for optimal health - attunement to nature s rhythms. Secondarily, you want to attune to your personal energetic design. This where eating for your bodytype comes in handy. Refer to the Ayurvedic Basics Guide to know more about who you are. Then, start to see if you re on tract by following the guidelines for your type below, and notice how you feel. If you feel more grounded and clear, you are on the right track. Vatas Vatas are already light, dry, cold, sensitive, and have a dispersing energy. Foods and eating habits that are intrinsically opposite these qualities will optimize health for Vata people and vata season. Pitta Pittas are already hot, oily, sharp, intense, and radiating. Foods and eating habits that are intrinsically opposite these qualities will optimize health for Pitta people and Pitta season. Kapha Kaphas are already moist, cool, grounded, heavy, and have a condensing energy. Foods and eating habits that are intrinsically opposite these qualities will optimize health for Kapha people and Kapha season. The Doshas, Living Foods Cleansing and planning your cleanse. We will experiment with integrating more living foods. Here are some of the guidelines for bodytypes. Vata types (light bodyweight, easily excitable mind) You may be drawn to begin your cleanse with juice cleansing and move from there into soups. As you move into and out of deeper cleansing, eat heavier, oily foods such as avocados, soaked nuts and seeds, and add spice like ginger and cayenne. Use mostly soups during your cleanse, warmed and moderately spiced, or warm your juices up. Combine dark leafy greens with avocados or soaked nuts. Pitta types: (medium bodyweight, intense mind) You may be drawn towards a deeply purifying juice cleanse or all living foods. In general, steer towards a mild, more bland diet with plenty of roots and greens, fruits, mild spices, sprouted grains, coconuts and avocados, and plenty of fresh sprouts. After a deep cleanse, protein may be desired through almonds and sunflower seeds. Kapha types: (heavy bodyweight, fluid mind) You may be drawn strongly towards 1-3 of hot water fasting, and from there moving into some spicy juices and spicy light soups. As you move into and out of deeper cleansing, eat something first in the meal. Keep nuts and seeds minimal. Spice foods well, minimize salt, soak and sprout nuts and seeds. Enjoy apples and pears, lemon, ginger and parsley.