Food for Thought

I picked 'food' as the topic of my first entry of the New Year, since a lot of us would have had experienced an avalanche (or two) of decadence over the holidays.


Apart from overeating, mixing too many foods at one time, can take a toll on our digestion.  And the same can be said, if one is travelling to (or staying in) a different country, where the culture, food and methods of cooking contrast vividly against what we're used to back home.  I speak from experience, as everytime I return from India, my doshas go out of whack, and I suffer from acute indigestion (and only a trip to the Ayurvedic doctor can remedy). According to Doc, once back home, my body had to readjust slowly to the local climate, asana routine, level of spices used in cooking... and the digestive tract was just going through an "India Withdrawal Syndrome".  Hmmm.... not fun, though.


The reason for eating, is mainly to provide our body with fuel... to do yoga, to walk, play with the kids, work... but the very act of digestion also takes energy.  Notice how one often feels sleepy after a heavy lunch?  Eating the right foods not only help improves digestion, it can also help increase stamina levels, regulate elimination and relieve anxiety, depression and mood swings. I mean, you've heard of people succumbing to cravings and bingeing right?  Do you also hear them feeling really great in the long term, after much bingeing?


The basic rule of thumb to eating is : the simpler the meal, the easier the digestion will be.  Simple meals, prepared from the heart, served in moderate portions will help to maintain the free-flowing prana that your body needs. 


Here's one of my favourite yogic recipes, which I also made for our Christmas party recently.  I call this the 'Five C Salad' (pun intended for Malaysians and Singaporeans).

The 5C Salad

Main Ingredients : Couscous, chick peas, cranberries (dried), cucumber (organic) and capsicum.
Optional Ingredients : pine nuts for some added crunch, and golden raisins.
Method : prepare the couscous (add a bit of butter) and all the ingredients into a salad bowl.  Drizzle raw honey to taste and toss.  Serve with love.


Feeding your body is also feeding your spirit.  Preparing your meals purposefully is another way of doing yoga off the mat.  The choice of what to eat is the opportunity to practice self-awareness, compassion, self-love and presence of mind and body.


How does your happy meal look like today?