We all know from Jamie Olivier and his friends on TV that eating proper food is very important. It provides the body with essential vitamins and minerals, as well as carbohydrates, protein, etc. But for those reaching deeper into the vast ocean of knowledge about food, it is not a secret that some foods cool while others raise the heat of the body. Ancient Chinese and Indian medicine both speak about it as a very important issue if we want to stay healthy.

Vegetables are good for you

Regardless of whether you agree with this mum’s or grand mum’s standard statement or just opposite, you get sick only imagining having veggies on your dinner plate, vegetables are undeniably good for you. Sometimes, browsing TV channels, we come across documentaries showing the rehabilitation process of people who have an aversion to vegetables, especially those of green color. I personally know people, who are not used to eating vegetables at all and are having a really difficult time forcing themselves to eat a baked potato!  But this mysterious reluctance to healthy food has serious implications on their inner organs and they do suffer from different unpleasant health conditions because of their poor diet, and get a cold or flu very often, a few times per season!

Get more energy

Vegetables are really fantastic, whether you eat them raw, in salads, or cooked. We all know they provide lots of vitamins and minerals to the body, but they also enhance our immune system and make us feel better, more energetic and eager to lead active life. Once I watched “Supernanny” and there was this poor boy, the age of approx. 10 years, who did not want to eat veggies and was brought up on fish & chips and highly processed food. He was actually very aggressive, stubborn, but inactive and apathetic, at the same time. The family was advised to cook meals at home with more vegetables included and it worked in a way that the boy started getting more energy and was happy to play outside.

Vegetables gather nutrients and the sun’s energy while they grow, and offer all of this to us. Even when we look at them at the market, they seem fresh and full of vital energy. Therefore, we should not omit them in our diet, both cooked and raw, if we want to stay healthy.

Cooked or raw – which is better?

When I answer this question, I always back myself up with Ayurveda knowledge, as its answers really appeal to me and work in my personal life. First of all, you should observe your body and be aware of what you, as an individual, like to eat. Do you prefer salads or steamed veggies, baked potatoes or sprouts, etc.? The reaction of your body will tell you the truth. In general, thin Vata people prefer cooked vegetables, different kinds of soups and liquid vegetable dishes, which are much easier to digest for them and give them a lot of energy. I am a Vata person so here I can speak from my own experience. On the other hand, Pitta people prefer fresh vegetables or slightly cooked and quite dry. Finally Kapha individuals definitely should focus on raw stuff and in this way not only they will start feeling better but they can also lose weight.

Are citrus fruit healthy?

Here I probably expose myself to some people’s beliefs, especially before Christmas, but unfortunately tangerines, satsumas, oranges and even bananas may weaken our resistance to cold and flu viruses, unless they are eaten in the places, where they grow. Citrus fruit are meant for a hot climate and they have a property to cool down body temperature, which is not necessarily desirable during winter. When the body is cooled inside, then the resistance against bugs does not work properly and we may catch a cold or flu much easier. Gillian McKeith, in one of her books, mentions that citrus fruit increase the multiplication of Candida in the body.

The truth is that citrus fruit have a lot of vitamin C which helps to battle a cold and flu, but we can easily obtain the same vitamin from our local rose hip, red pepper, parsley leaves, broccoli or brussel sprouts. Freshly squeezed lemon juice can be drunk with hot or warm herbal tea or mixed with water and honey. You can try nettle tea with some honey (or dark muscovado sugar) and squeeze some lemon juice into it. To make the lemon flavor stronger, you can dip a slice of lemon into the tea.

Cheese and coffee – our little sins

My husband’s Ayurvedic doctor once said to him, “If you want to achieve any progress in your allergy (my husband used to suffer from quite severe hay fever), you should not eat cheese and even do not look at coffee.”  This sounds a bit radical to many, but it is true, the things that weaken our digestion are not recommended, especially for sick people. Other foods we should avoid when we get ill are: beans, dairy products, white bread, as well as fizzy drinks and drinks from the fridge. It is much better to drink warm herbal tea, both for prevention and when we are already sick.

Summary

To stay healthy and get better quickly, when sick:

Anya