Easy ways to lose weight

In this article we will go the following questions:

What foods can help you lose weight?

Are cold drinks bad for digestion and metabolism?

How can Kitchadi help you lose weight?

What is a Kapha reducing diet?

1.  Drink only warm water, no ice period.  Ayurveda believes cold drinks and foods overtax the digestion resulting in slowing down of metabolism.

2.  Drink 1 glass of warm water in every morning with 1 teaspoon of honey + 10 drops of apple cider vinegar.  Honey has dry, astringent, scraping and heating qualities and helps cut fat and mucous.  Apple cider vinegar helps improve metabolism.

3.  Ayurveda doesn’t advise salads or raw foods.  Ideally a vegetarian diet with cooked vegetables.  Raw foods and salads result in overload on the digestive fire, resulting in digestive problems and slowing down of the metabolism.

4.  Ayurveda recommends a Kapha soothing diet as an easy way to lose weight.

First and foremost follow a Kapha reducing diet

Use this diet to clear fat, mucus, heaviness, sinus congestion, tiredness, sluggishness and high cholesterol.

*Please eat what is appropriate for you.  Avoid foods you don’t tolerate or don’t like.

Avoid yeast, salt, cheese, yogurt, and refined grains and sugars as these increase mucus and create blockages in the body

Avoid overeating, especially at night.  Your largest meal should be lunch, second largest breakfast and for supper soup or very light meal.

Avoid all frozen, canned, processed and fried foods.  Absolutely no leftovers.  Have freshly cooked meals everyday.

Avoid eggs, they are heavier and harder to digest.

Avoid inappropriate food combining, it results in digestive problems and buildup of toxins in the body.   Combining milk or yogurt with fruits, vegetables, meat or fish (considered toxic by Ayurveda).  Specially dairy and fruits.  So no lactose with fructose.  East fruits by themselves atleast 2 hours after meals or dairy.

Eat only when you are hungry.  Do not eat between meals.

A primarily vegetarian diet is highly recommended.  Can supplement your diet with some organic meat or fish.

Include ginger in your daily diet: take a pinch of fresh ginger root with a few drops of lemon juice before each meal.

Favor foods that are light, dry, and warm as these reduce mucus.

Reduce foods that are heavy, oily, and cold as these cause blockages and slow down metabolism.  Resulting in increase weight and sluggishness.

Favor foods that are spicy, bitter, and astringent (eg ginger, bitter melon, green tea) as these help to dry excess fluids in the body.

Reduce foods that are sweet, salty, and sour (eg, candy, cookie, chocolate, vinegar, pickles and fermented foods) as these increase fluids in the body.

Dairy: Low-fat milk is better. Always boil milk before you drink it (making it easier to digest) and take it warm. Do not take milk with a full meal, or with sour or salty food. Add some cardamom or ginger to whole milk before boiling it to help reduce any mucus generating properties.  Use goat’s milk or water milk down 50/50. A little ghee (clarified butter) is fine. Avoid cheese and yogurt.

Fruits: Lighter fruits, such as apples and pears, are better. Reduce sweet, heavy or sour fruits such as oranges, bananas, pineapples, figs, dates, avocados, coconuts, and melons, as these fruits increase mucus.

Sweeteners: Use a little honey (2 tsp/day) as it helps to reduce mucus. Reduce all other sugar products.

Beans: All beans are fine, except tofu since it has cold qualities and harder to digest.

Nuts: Reduce all nuts as they are too oily.

Oils: Reduce all oils but flax, corn and sunflower is ok.

Grains: Increase barley, corn, buckwheat, quinoa and millet as these are slightly drying or warming. Avoid or do not take too much wheat, rice, or oats, as they increase heaviness and mucus.

Spices: Include all spices except for salt. Salt increases water retention and mucus whereas most spices increase warmth in the body.

Vegetables: Increase kale, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, garlic, ginger, green leaves,  onion, radish, sprouts.  Reduce okra, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and summer squash as these increase fluids.

Meat and Fish: White meat from chicken or turkey is fine. Avoid or reduce red meat and pork.  Advisable to have while fish like Talapia.

 

Kitchadi Recipe – a tasty complete meal to improve metabolism and a simple recipe for easy ways to lose weight

Kitchadi is the most perfect therapeutic recipe used throughout India and specially in Ayurveda because it detoxifies the entire system, while kindling the body’s digestive fire.  It is a mixture of rice and Mung dal (bean) with added spices for taste and to facilitate digest.  Ayurveda considers both Basmati rice and Mung dal Sattvic foods (foods that are light and easy to digest).

Kitchadi is balancing for all three Doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha).  Unlike most diets or fasts it fulfills the body’s nutritional needs without causing nutritional deficiencies.  It is a complete food where Mung bean provides the protein source; rice the primary grain, vegetables for vitamins/minerals and spices for helping proper digestion of the food.

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice

½ cup split Mung dal

1-2 seasonal vegetables

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds/powder

1 pinches hing (asafotida)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups water (add up to 6 cups for soupy consistency)

Wash the rice and mung dal well. In a saucepan, heat the ghee and sauté the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric and hing (asfoetida) for a few minutes. Add the rice, 1-2 seasonal vegetables (spinach, peas, green beans, seaweeds, shitake mushrooms, etc.) Mung dal and salt. Sauté over low heat for a few minutes. Add boiling water and bring to boil. Stir and cover to simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. Cook until tender and serve warm.

Turmeric helps detoxify the Liver and blood. Since Liver is the main organ responsible for removing toxins, this recipe cleanses the body while improving health and vitality.  Cumin seeds help improve digestion and elimination of wastes.  Mustard seeds help enkindle digestive fire.  Ghee also helps improve digestive fire while providing lubrication to the subtle channels of the body.

Tagged as: easy ways to lose weight, effective weight loss, lose weight naturally, manu kalia, natural weight loss solutions