Food Dehydrator

My new food dehydrator arrived in the mail yesterday! I have good and bad news. Good news is, the apple-cinnamon-almond-agave cookies are pretty good. Bad news is, after twelve hours of working its magic, the dehydrator started smelling funny. Nothing was burning, but a weird plastic and unnatural smell wafting from the machine. It took a few hours to get rid of the smell (with the aid of incense) and now I feel like the cookies are tainted with fumes. There is a lot of talk lately about toxic chemicals released from plastics, so I am a little wary. I should have sprung for the Cadillac of dehydrators, but I had a gift certificate to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and they only offer this model. I'll give it another spin this week and see how things pan out.

The more I experiment with my diet and peel away layers of unhealthy eating habits, the more I have to face what is truly good for my body and let go of life long (comforting) dietary habits. It has become a personal science experiment. Even natural sugars are giving me the jitters now. I'm going to start increasing my greens and decreasing my fruits. Also, my cravings for regular cookies, baked goods, and chocolate are back to zero after only a week of abstaining from these sugary treats. They say it takes 21 days to break a habit, so we'll see how I feel come March.

I keep adding books to my reading list. At the moment, I am reading The China Study, In Defense of Food, My Antonia, and the most recent addition: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison. All excellent.

I've done a lot of cooking this weekend. Yesterday, I made "Wheat" Balls, whole wheat angel hair pasta, and a carrot-red pepper marinara sauce. Tonight, I made Falafel and salad. Usually, I try to go raw all day except for dinner. I also watched Becoming Jane and The Motorcycle Diaries this evening with my husband. Both also excellent. Last night, we watched Michael Clayton. I guess we're getting ready for the Oscars.

xoxo,
Sundari

Kitcheri, Ghee, and an Ayurvedic Consultation

On Thursday afternoon, I visitied Melissa DiRito at Seed's Wellness Center for an Ayurvedic Consultation. I had been on the raw diet for a few days and it was working well, but I needed more dietary guidance. I was also curious about which vitamins and herbs were best for my needs. Melissa spoke with me about my physical and mental condition and examined my tongue, eyes, and pulse. She determined that my Vata was elevated and causing my Pitta to also rise, which was causing some of the symptoms that were concerning me at the time.

One of many helpful suggestions made by Melissa was to follow an Ayurvedic diet. Since my Vata is agitating and increasing my Pitta, she counseled me to follow a Pitta-Vata diet. She also gave me a kitcheri recipe from the Ayurvedic Institute website and suggested that I eat kitcheri for lunch and dinner, and drink a breakfast shake (almonds, flax, banana, mango, sunflower seeds) in the morning for three days, while I transition back to some cooked foods. Here is a picture of my first Kitcheri creation:

I spent Sunday afternoon preparing the Kitcheri and the Ghee. Making Ghee was another first time experience. Ghee is created by heating unsalted butter in a special way. Here are a few of the benefits of ghee, according to the Ayurvedic Institute:

"Ghee is a digestive. It helps to improve absorption and assimilation. It nourishes ojas, tejas and prana. It is good for improving memory and lubricates the connective tissue. Ghee makes the body flexible and, in small doses, is tridoshic."

You can check out both recipes through the Ayurvedic Institute's website here.