Re: Ayurveda .. was: new to list

[Guest guest]

> The overall aim of Ayurveda is ayus / long-life, & arogya /

> diseaselessness (facilitating towards spiritual goals). Om Peace!..

> Valarie

Hi again Valarie!

From HL (the other group), I am Dee. I am a former vegetarian and

vegan and a past, present and future yogini. I think Ayurveda has

some very good foundations to health, but I do believe it is also very

culturally based. Um, honestly, I am not THAT well-versed in

Ayurveda, but the issue of dairy and white basmati rice being sattvic,

while some fermented foods (even vegetables) and eggs are considered

tamasic is coming more from a Hindu/Indian perspective than a

scientific/health perspective.

I am a firm believer in the Weston A. Price approach to eating. I

highly recommend his book _Nutrition and Physical Degeneration_. It

is the most important book I have read in years. Ethnicity does come

into play with health. For instance, wheat is not well tolerated by

peoples of northern (or southern) latitudes, yet those of Asia minor

do okay with wheat. Some 70% of the planet's people can not handle

dairy foods, so I think that diet and health are very personal and

unique ideas.

Ayurveda was developed by Patanjali, wasn't it? His Yoga Sutras are

so vital and real for everyone; another great read for sure! Maybe it

is better than the Bible??? Unfortunately, I think that issues of

diet are very specific individually, and cannot be codified by the

same rules as yogic philosophy/psychology can be.

Just my opinion, of course.

Om Shanti,

Deanna

[Guest guest]

> > The overall aim of Ayurveda is ayus / long-life, & arogya /

> > diseaselessness (facilitating towards spiritual goals). Om

Peace!..

> > Valarie

>

> Hi again Valarie!

>

> From HL (the other group), I am Dee. I am a former vegetarian

> and vegan and a past, present and future yogini. I think

> Ayurveda has some very good foundations to health, but I do

> believe it is also very culturally based.

And, from a culture that currently is not known for long healthy

lifespans.

> Um, honestly, I am not THAT well-versed in Ayurveda, but the

> issue of dairy and white basmati rice being sattvic,

> while some fermented foods (even vegetables) and eggs are

> considered tamasic is coming more from a Hindu/Indian

> perspective than a scientific/health perspective.

I live outside Fairfield Iowa, home of Maharishi University of

Management and the center of Transcendental Meditation activity in

the US. When I first moved here, I was lacto-vegetarian for a few

years until I started getting severe cravings for poultry. So, I

started eating it once or twice a week. But, my diet was

predominantly grain and bean based with some salad and lots of cooked

veggies. I'd always been very slender, but I started putting on

weight in my mid-30s. Last summer, around my 42nd birthday, I peaked

at 190 pounds on my 6'1 " frame. I'm very hypoglycemic, and my

Ayurvedic, carb-packed diet finally caught up with me.

I now eat 6-10 ounces of eggs, dairy, animal flesh food each day

(fish, poultry, beef/bison, lamb, but no pork except the very

occasional serving of bacon or sausage), plus lots of salad and raw

veggies, and small amounts of cooked veggies, whole grains, and

beans. Current weight: 162 pounds. I have more energy and vitality

than I ever had at any other time in my life, and I'm starting to get

a nice physique for the first time after having started weight

training with a trainer three days a week back in January. Basically,

the more I deviate from an Ayurvedic diet, the healthier I am and the

better I feel.

[Guest guest]

> > Ayurveda has some very good foundations to health, but I do

> > believe it is also very culturally based. - Deanna

>

> And, from a culture that currently is not known for long healthy

> lifespans. -

Thanks for bringing this up, . It is true that Indians suffer

from many of the same diseases that rich Western peoples do. I wonder

if it has anything to do with the great amount of foods fried in

polyunsaturated oils that Indians consume.

I also wonder whether any study of the supposed health benefits of the

Ayurvedic approach has been conducted. With yoga, the benefits have

been medically established.

I am glad you found a diet that serves your health, . I am on

that very road myself.

Deanna