i found the following saying in an ayurveda book (by Gerard Edde) :
''......grains soaked all night and sprouted, as well as leafy greens are not good and should be taken (eaten) in moderation.''

Anyone would have some explanation to that ? Is it from the point of view of energy in the body ? or something else ?

I thought these foods were very good ...
I would be glad to hear your comments.
Ayur veda is a very ancient system of promoting health and I believe it is based on the wisdon of ancient seers. So....

love to you all,

Cynthia

'Good' is a relative term in ayurveda - good for what, or rather, good for WHOM and WHEN?

All is related to your doshas (tendencies and imbalances). If you are primarily vata dosha (quick, nervous, thin, flighty) sprouts and leafy vegetables will not be balancing, as they will strengthen the tendencies that are already predominant with you. If you are kapha (slow, tending to gain weight) leafies are great for you, as they contain opposite tendencies and will balance your existing doshas.

Likewise, different seasons promote different doshas or tendencies. Summer increases Pitta (heat) so it's not the season to eat spicy, heat producing foods.

If a book purporting to be ayurveda states something to be absolutely good or bad, I would question the person's knowledge of ayurveda.

Ayurveda does not advise eating raw food and especially cold food, which they believe diminishes agni or the digestive fire. Their notion of agni's influence is wider than just digestion, it's closer to metabolism and includes much of the immune system. So agni is very key to good health and eating raw and cold food diminishes it, so it is not good.

However, Cynthia, at this point there are probably as many books and systems of diet as there are people on the planet, and they all contradict each other. You need to choose what you are going to try, what makes most sense to you. If you are going to follow ayurveda, you will probably not want to be raw.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2007 05:10PM by greenie.

Well said, Greenie.

Agni, the digestive fire, is lacking in EVERY individual who is sick. In no instance at any time of mankind, has there ever been a situation where a very ill person had a burning digestive fire. The sicker you are, the less agni you have. The healthier you are, the more agni you have.

Best,
Mark

so-when i said i had what seems to be a slow system-slow digestion going on and going thru the pipes...do i lack a digestive fire?the only thing is"i have always been this way."boy-there is alot to learn.thanks taylor

Yeah, pretty much. If you have sluggish digestion, you need to build your digestive fire. You can do so by exercise. Aerobic exercise, such as running really gets the blood flowing through your mid section and digestive system. A fruit based diet with greens is ideal. Cutting down on the fat is a must. Drinking all of your water hot will help as well. In fact, in Ayurveda, drinking hot water is one of the fastest ways to build the digestive fire. As hot as you can stand it, within reason. Burning your tongue won't have any benefits.

Best,
Mark

taylor

Mark gave you good advice. That hot water prescription is terrific. Sipping it throughout the day makes a big difference. It not only kindles the agni but also relaxes the system. Ayurveda recommends boiling the water for at least 10 minutes to make it lighter. You boil it and put it in a thermos and then you have the hot water to drink throughout the day.

Herbs and spices help too, specifically ginger, ajwan, and cumin. In fact one of the best agni enhancers is taking some grated fresh ginger in lemon juice with a little salt before meals. Ajwan is a wonderful spice, the seeds are similar to cumin seeds, but smaller. You can just chew 1/4 teaspoon after eating. My local health food store has this in their bulk herb department.

boy! thanks so much-how did u all learn so much?thanks so very much.taylor

greenie, thank you for your kind answer, I appreciate it very much. I know about the digestive fire, agni, the doshas, etc - and of course, good or bad, it all depends of so many things... But in that particular case, it was not a statement linked to a particular problem, but rather one of a very few guidelines (eleven of them) pertaining to the way of eating meals, in general.
I was wandering, in fact, if it could be related to the subtle effect of those substances and if someone here would have experiences to share as I didn't find any more info about it. As the food has always a gross and a subtle inprint on our body, would be nice to know more.

blessings,

Cynthia

marksquire, would peppermint tea be good, too? Ginger tea is my fave, too!

Cynthia,

Sprouts are considered heavy and hard to digest for all doshas, but leafy greens (cooked) are considered by ayurveda to be excellent for pitta and kapha, and good in moderation for vata constitutions and imbalances.

Hmm..
I've found Indian book, based on Ayurveda i suppose, that RECOMMENDS sprouting grains/seeds, and BEING 100% on RAW "even" during pregnancy.

I think it was..: "Satvic food and Health"

..That alone can "undermine" notion of ayurveda that most people have..

WHERE did it came from, WHAT Does it mean..?

I Agree 100% with Hot water drinking.

Cannot go too deep into what does drinking water ALONE do..(before the meal). But notion: "increase digestive fire(Agni)" by drinking water is just pointing TOWARD the right direction, even though FACTS , influence on our body "fire" is not through magic, but by increasing temperature of stomach - thus allowing for more enzyme activity,
Secondly : "clearing" stomach PRIOR to eating a new kind of food DOES Wonders ALSO.
Thirdly : exercise increases not only "temperature"(-enzyme activity) of a WHOLE organism, but it does LOT more.. citing Dr.Graham: Within 2 hours after physical activity our body produces additional chemistry allowing us to digest 3, 4 times MORE food than when doing no exercise..." i read that a couple of years back, so quote may be not precise.

There is so much more than We know, what scientists have "discovered"....

"Ayurveda" - "life science"..
it's like a Bible, translated throughout centuries, compiled and changed by whomever had original scripts(..)
I suppose the "NO RAW" is a "noise" introduced into it(Ayurv.)..
I found a book telling OPPOSITE to it. and life science is MORE than FOOD Alone.. a "holistic healing system"..

In bible there are several versions of whether Sentence said: "green food" is only for weak", or Green originally was: leafy food, or were those herbs, or vegetables, OR...
And i personally found Several bibles that varied throughout centuries from: "Weak", to "sick".

So Meat Eaters favor version that makes out: Meat is for "strong and Healthy" Ignoring fact, that when sick, one "MUST" eat green "whatever" to recover

I Think that permanent HEALTH on "green" IS much better than momentary "meat health" leading to disease..
especially that whether on Meat, or on Cooked. "Health" is VERY Relative term.
.. having momentary pains and discomforts while on "Healthy" SAD Diet is not attractive or viable alternative to me.


Free, Open source.Healthy
F.E.A.R. is
an acronym that stands for, False Evidence Appearing Real
F.A.I.T.H. - the First Attribute IN Thoughtful
Health

Rawrrr,

Peppermint Tea probably wouldn't be a good choice, since it's cooling to the system. Even in hot water, Peppermint Tea acts to cool the body, which is why it's a good reemedy for heartburn. Ginger however, warms the system and builds digestive fire.

Best,
Mark

Thanks Mark!

I hear a lot about Ayurveda. Lots of people are writing books about it. Lots of people are discussing it. But what is the source for it? Are there any Ayurveda scriptures? What are they? I'd like to see them for myself. I'd like to see the primary sources.

If such do not exist, then how does anyone know what Ayurveda really teaches? Anyone can write a book or a website about anything...

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/2007 09:31PM by James Smith.

well-i don't even know how u pronouce Ayurveda-but i know the mayo clinic backs it.there is some new magazine out and it is all kinds of natural cures of the mayo clinic and it has a section on this Ayurveda and explains it some.taylor

The original scriptures are charaka and sushruta samhitas.

[www.ayurveda.com]

The sushruta samhita deals mostly with surgery.