Raw Foods Ayurveda vs. Traditional Ayurveda
Raw or Cooked Ayurveda
First off, press play and watch my silly cartoon.
Vatas can’t go raw. Or can they?
In yoga and Ayurveda circles there can be an unfriendly, and sometimes uninformed bias against raw or living foods. One of the main arguments is that raw food creates a vata imbalance. And I agree, this does happen. Yet, in an attempt to bridge two forward thinking, even potentially evolutionary communities, we want to understand, as yogis and as ayurvedic practitioners how to intelligently and seasonally prepare living foods.
Ayurveda doesn’t prejudice climates, ecosystems, body types or living or cooked molecules of food. Ayurveda is a philosophical system, arising from our interior consciousness (or when we point awareness inwards instead of towards the willy nilly mind). Ayurveda explains how energy works, and gives insight into how we’re energetically organized.
When we apply this wisdom to how energy works in nature, and in the plants we eat, living foods start to make sense. Learn with Ayush, how we can apply Ayurvedic principles to any way of eating… including living foods… and what living foods offers our Ayurvedic wisdom.
Raw foods weaken agni. Or do they?
This is tricky territory to make a flat out argument that raw foods weaken agni. Dr. Shantree Kacera, my favorite living foods Ayurvedic guru doctor talks about rebuilding digestive fire with living foods and their natural enzymes. I’ve experimentally found deep truth in this over the years. Again, when we take into account balancing vata, and allowing the body to detox slowly, and agni to adjust to living foods slowly, our agni can be stronger, AND MORE INTELLIGENT than ever.
Many yogis rush into a living foods diet without understanding the transition that agni and the doshas go through . Agni and the doshas... that’s a great name for a rock n’ roll band!
What you say is true – many people do have a vata imbalance due to the very stimulating and busy nature of modern life. And if you have a vata imbalance and weak agni, due to hectic unregulated lifestyle, and you jump into raw foods – you will most likely bloat and suffer.
Moving towards living foods Ayurveda
I’m not advocating yogis go towards a 100% living foods diet as a movement. I’m suggesting that most of us can learn bucket loads from the raw movement. Of course, the raw movement can learn truck loads from Ayurveda. Let’s get to know what each other has to offer. Experiment with your body by following the principles of Ayurveda in your preparation of living foods. It’s that simple.
And, if you don’t know how… join Living Ayurveda or the Yogidetox
Questions? Comments? Add you two cents.
Schwangerschaftsyoga
Posted at 06:57h, 11 SeptemberYou are saying that raw food is not good for health???? It is not completely true… Proper diet is necessary but this not means that raw food is not good….
Cate Stillman
Posted at 15:40h, 11 SeptemberOh, that is a funny read. I’m totally into raw food and living foods. I was trying to explain why. Others- please let me know if that got across!
Sandra Nicht
Posted at 20:34h, 11 Septemberwhat she's saying is that raw foods can be an appropriate addition to any diet and any Prakriti when done with awareness. for Vata Prakriti, some raw/uncooked foods can be eaten in the warmer months and at the noon meal when agni is strongest. Vatas should eat less raw/uncooked in cold winter and at early/late meal times or when agni is low (as can often happen with Vatas). Pittas can easily eat raw, and Kaphas SHOULD incorporate more raw in their diets (again, during warmer months) as long as agni is strong as this would help keep their weight from increasing (this is why a vegan diet can help the obese improve their health quickly). For those who have variable or weak agni it is very important to stoke the digestive fire so that the nutrients in any food, raw or cooked, can be assimilated.
Mahite
Posted at 15:19h, 12 SeptemberHi Cate! what about raw food for children? From the video I kind of understood that raw food might not be advisable for a farmer or someone doing a physical job, and great for those who sit in front of a computer working with their brain. What about kids who run around all day and are growing up?
Thanks!
Cate Stillman
Posted at 15:33h, 12 SeptemberHey Mahite,
I think just about anyone can do ayurveda raw foods independent of their workload. Just add more fat & protein through nuts and seeds. The big thing is going towards mostly greens, fruits, roots, nuts and seeds, with some beans and grains here and there.
The biggest issues with kids are social and developmental. I would at all costs try to avoid food neurosis with my kid. We just provide good food – raw and cooked, most of the time. In general, we don’t make a big deal about what she eats. She never overeats… and she can tell now that bad that isn’t good for her makes her feel bad. We keep it simple.
In the video I’m trying to make a point that humans diets change over time. Because of machination we started to eat way too many grains. It kind of worked for awhile, given the active lifestyle of most people before automobiles. Now, with all this cheap grain, sugar and fat…. and a sedentary lifestyle, we’re screwed, unless we avoid it most of the time.
Cate Stillman
Posted at 15:34h, 12 Septemberthanks, Sandra 🙂
Mia Alanna Pursehouse
Posted at 09:54h, 23 November"in the info age Ayurveda is helping humans adapt to a hyper stimulated acidic producing lifestyle by integrating more live foods".
we are all at dif stages of our vibrant health evolution" & its best moving slowly & consistant to next stage..
can we do more Ayurvedic raw for next detox pulease Fiona Wissink.
Cate Stillman
Posted at 01:51h, 16 JanuaryHi Fiona,
yes! The next yogidetox will include live food ayurveda classes.