08/01/2019
Eating Wisely Boosts Your Immunity and Energy
Select easy-to-digest foods:
Organic, non-GMO fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes; dairy products from grass fed cows, goats and sheep. Choose foods that are not heavily processed. These kinds of foods help to wake up your body's inner intelligence that assists in converting what you eat into ojas (immunity vitality factor).
Cook with spices:
Add mild spices when cooking vegetables, grains and legumes and the food converts more quickly to ojas. Spices improve flavor and support digestion, making the nutrients more easily available to the body.
Eat ojas (immunity) promoting foods:
Apples and other sweet, juicy fruits (such as pears, peaches, plums, sweet pineapple and mangos) support immunity because they transform quickly into ojas. Tree-ripened fruit should always be preferred. Pomegranate juice and pomegranate seed chutney are also excellent promoters of immunity, because they enhance digestion and elimination without increasing Pitta dosha.
Leafy organic greens such as Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens and spinach provide iron, calcium and other nutrients while simultaneously cleansing the bowel. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower contain antioxidants, flavonoids and other immune-supporting nutrients. Whole grains such as quinoa, amaranth and barley also have immunity-nourishing effects, because they provide cleansing fiber and contain many essential nutrients.
Cook your food, but not too much:
According to Maharishi AyurVeda, food becomes more easily digestible when you cook it. But don't cook it too much, the food should be easy to chew, but not mushy.
Eat your heaviest meal when the digestive system is strongest:
Ayurveda identifies this time as midday, or Pitta dosha time (from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). Eating when sun is highest in the sky is ideal. Eat lighter at breakfast and at night, when digestion is weaker.
Eat to hunger, not to taste:
Eating the right amount — not too much or too little — enhances ojas and supports the immune system. Maharishi AyurVeda recommends that you sip a cup of room-temperature water with your meals, so the meal is part liquid. Eat to only 3/4 of your capacity, in order to leave some space for the digestive process to take place.
