Ayurveda – Claudia Welch

Simple Ayurveda for Immune Support

Ayurveda is an ancient healing system that originated in India and is still widely practiced there today. It considers that each person has a unique constitution, and treats accordingly. There are, however, some generalizations that we can apply to most everyone in certain situations. Here we’ll look at some general guidelines that are widely useful to support immunity during challenging times.

In Ayurveda, immunity is understood as the inherent strength of one’s constitution coupled with the current condition of the individual.

At any given time we are either strong and need to maintain our strength, or we feel weak and need to regain or build our strength. In either case, it takes more effort to have, or build good immunity during challenging times in our lives.

We can define “challenging times” as times when we are experiencing:

• Periods of high emotional, mental or physical stress
• Periods of overwork
• A feeling of being weak or run down
• A change of seasons

A diagnosis of cancer, whether our own or of someone we love, can add stress—not only on the body, but on the emotions as well.

You may be bombarded with medications, recommendations, healing modalities and choices. Here, I would like to offer some simple dietary guidelines, and a few lifestyle guidelines, based on Ayurvedic principles that may be generally considered for anyone who is experiencing stressful times.

The first guideline is a rule I made up. It’s based on Ayurvedic principles. We can call it the Inverse Proportion Rule and it goes like this:

The more complicated your emotional life or physical life, the more simple your diet should be.

The idea here is that we only have so much energy available to spend. This energy is used for physical exertion, for processing emotions and for digesting food. The more energy used for physical or emotional tolerance, the less there is available for digesting food.

For example, if you are physically or mentally exhausted or spent, the little energy you have left may be enough to fully digest a simple bowl of soup, but not complex or heavier foods, like lasagna, beef or mashed potatoes. The resulting poorly digested foodstuff leads to the formation of what Ayurveda calls ama, or toxins. The presence of these toxins may adversely affect the digestive system and lead to discomfort in your body or mind.

Ayurveda teaches that most diseases originate in the digestive tract. So, what begins as indigestion may result in gastric ulcers, fatigue, heartburn, headaches, depression, arthritis or other uncomfortable or serious conditions, if left untreated.

In Ayurveda, things that we ingest are divided into three categories:

• Poison
• Medicine
• Neutral

Poison is anything that hinders digestion. Medicine is anything that we ingest that aids the digestive process. Anything we ingest that gives support and nourishment without either aiding or hindering the digestive process falls in the neutral category.

So, when we are building immunity, it is primarily important to support the digestive system, especially during challenging times.

Simple Dietary and Lifestyle Guidelines for Supporting Immunity During Challenging Times (for any constitution)

Important Note: These are guidelines I often recommend to my patients. As always, you should discuss your condition and any dietary or lifestyle changes with your healthcare provider and should immediately discontinue any behavior or remedies that result in discomfort.

Enjoy:

• Mostly whole, freshly cooked organic food (as opposed to highly processed, canned or frozen food)
• Kitcheri at least three times per week (recipe follows)
• Non-dairy and non-tomato-based vegetable soups that are generously seasoned with fresh ginger and black pepper
• Cooked organic white basmati rice and stir-fried vegetables cooked with grated fresh ginger
• Warm or room-temperature water or herbal teas
• Chewing your food thoroughly, in a calm environment
• Taking a deep breath after swallowing your last bite, before going on to your next activity
• Eat meals at regular times every day
• Plenty of sleep, rest and relaxation
• A healthy daily routine appropriate to your constitution

What we don’t eat, or otherwise ingest, can be as important as what we do eat. One thing about human nature is that we tend to want to lean on our vices or cheat most during the tough times in our life. Unfortunately, these are the times when we can least afford to do this. The times when we can best afford to cheat are during the times when our bodies are strong. In light of this, it is best to avoid the following during stressful times:

• Coffee or too much caffeinated tea or caffeinated soft drinks. (Green tea is usually okay though.)
• Stimulants
• Smoking
• Alcohol and other recreational drugs
• Cold, sugary or carbonated drinks
• Any deep-fried food
• Cold, raw food
• Fruit or fruit juice within a half hour of any other food
• Highly processed foods (like frozen, canned, packaged or fast food)
• Cold food
• Refined sugar
• Red meat
• Eating while anxious or upset
• Excessive sexual activity

Recipe for Kitcheri
Ingredients (Usually available at health food stores or East Indian groceries)
2-3 Tbs ghee (See ghee recipe, or buy this pre-made)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 small pinch of asafoetida ("hing") powder (This can be a little hard to find, outside of Indian grocery stores. It is okay to leave it out.)
1 cup split yellow mung dal, rinsed well, soaked overnight and drained. (It is best to use mung dal with the hulls still on if you tend toward constipation).
1 tsp rock salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup white Basmati rice, rinsed well and drained
4 ∏ cups water if using a pressure cooker; about 6 cups if using a regular pot
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
4-5 thin slices of fresh ginger root

Using either a pressure cooker (much faster) or a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the ghee on medium heat. Ghee burns easily, so be careful. Sauté the mustard seeds and cumin seeds in the ghee until the seeds pop. Then add the drained mung dal, asafoetida powder, turmeric and salt. Stir until the mix starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. Then add the rice, water, cumin powder, coriander powder and ginger. Stir well, making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pressure cooker or pot.

If you are using a pressure cooker, fasten the lid on and turn the heat to high, letting full pressure build up. Once the pressure has built up, turn the heat low and let cook five minutes. Then take the cooker off the heat and let sit until there is no more pressure and you can safely open the lid.

If you are using a regular pot, cover and bring it to a boil on high heat. Then turn the heat down and let it simmer until both the rice and dal are mushy.

You may have to experiment with how much water you use to find a consistency that you like. (The more water, the thinner the consistency.) A thinner consistency is preferable if digestion is weak. You will notice that kitcheri will thicken when it cools, and you may need more water than you originally thought.

In order to provide the best quality of energy to your body, kitcheri should be made the day that you wish to eat it and served hot. This recipe serves six.

Garnish, if desired, with fresh cilantro, coconut or lime.

Recipe for Ghee (Clarified Butter)
Heat one pound of unsalted organic butter over low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. During this entire process do not stir butter at all. The butter will begin to simmer and will make a little crackling noise.

After about 15 – 20 minutes, there will be a thin covering on the top and a thicker, curdy sediment stuck to the bottom of the pot. At this point you need to watch the ghee very carefully so it doesn’t burn.

When the crackling sound has almost entirely stopped, the butter is a completely clear, beautiful golden color through to the bottom, and there are only a few air bubbles on the surface, the ghee is done. Let it cool for an hour and then strain it carefully into a clean, glass container. Be sure that the sediment at the bottom of the pan remains there; it contains the impurities from the butter and can be discarded. The foamy layer on top of the ghee is fine. Ghee can be kept at room temperature or refrigerated.

© 2006 Claudia Welch. All rights reserved