Page 25 - June 2022
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the covid pandemic has caused even                     cheese, eggs, yogurt, beans, lentils, nuts,
        more people to steer away from animal                  seeds) and healthy starches (quinoa,

        product consumption toward eating                      whole grains, basmati rice, red rice,
        plant-based foods.                                     potatoes, non-GMO corn). Eat seasonal

                                                               fruits and vegetables in a variety of
        Changing from a mostly animal-based                    colors for the richest source of vitamins,
        standard American diet (nicknamed                      minerals, and nourishment and to create

        ‘SAD’) to a plant-based vegetarian diet                a healthy gut microbiome.
        can be challenging to our system and

        requires a slow and steady approach                    Find recipes that are balanced and
        to be successful. Ayurveda provides                    that you enjoy eating. There are many
        many recommendations on how to                         good cookbooks to consider, as well as

        make a healthy transition to becoming                  online options, such as: ‘The Ayurvedic
        vegetarian. A good approach is to use a                Vegan Kitchen: Finding Harmony

        step-wise approach of first cutting out                Through Food’ by Talya Lutzker and
        red meat, then removing poultry, and                   ‘The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook:
        lastly seafood over a two-to-three-month  A Seasonal Guide to Eating’ by Kate

        time period. As you remove meats, be                   O’Donnell.  As you eat less meat, your
        sure to replace them with plant-based                  body will undergo a detoxification, so

        options that have adequate amounts of                  drinking adequate amounts of fluid is
        protein. For example, steak tacos could                critical to flush out your system.
        be replaced with bean tacos. Start adding

        filling plant foods such as yams, legumes  Ayurveda is an ancient, holistic healing
        (adzuki, pinto, black and garbanzo beans  system which strives to balance the

        and chickpeas), nuts, seeds, and grains to  5 elements (space, air, fire, earth
        your diet.                                             and water) in our bodies with our
                                                               surroundings and universe. A basic

        There is a tendency to overeat certain                 tenet of Ayurveda is improving digestion
        food items such as carbohydrates or                    eliminating toxins in the body by, which

        dairy as you transition over to a plant-               is considered the root cause of disease in
        based diet. So, it’s important to be aware             our body-minds. Below are other ways to
        of the number of proteins, carbohydrates  improve your digestion and nourishment

        and fats you are consuming and make                    of your body as you transition over to
        sure you’re eating a balanced diet. A                  being a vegetarian:

        good rule of thumb is: each meal should
        consist of about two-thirds of veggies                 . Begin each day by drinking 1 or 2 cups
        plus one-third of proteins (cottage                    of warm water. You can add a splash of



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