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 One of the most beautiful things about Ayurveda is the way spices are used not only to make food more delicious, but also to heal and balance your body. Autumn is the season dominated by Vata, otherwise known as Wind. You can easily keep your body, mind, and spirit in balance with the Vata season by including Ayurvedic spices in your cooking. Here's a recipe for a Vata spice mixture that you can carry with you when you eat out, or add to your meals at home. You can also take 1/2 tsp. of this mixture with warm water in between meals any time you're experiencing gas and bloating.
Vata Digestive Spice Powder
Grind the following spices and combine in decreasing quantities:
Cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, dry ginger powder, turmeric, sucanat, mineral salt, hing (aka asafoetida).
Benefits of Vata Spices
Vata is cold and dry. In autumn when it's also cold and dry, it's important to keep your body warm with good circulation. Warming, pungent spices accomplish this by keeping your digestive fire stoked. Ayurveda also teaches that for optimal digestion, all 6 tastes (sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent) should be present in a meal. This spice mixture has all tastes except sour, so just squirt a little lemon or lime on your meal to round it out.
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 I was recently asked about the epidemic numbers of people suffering from food allergies, specifically dairy and soy products. This population in the U.S. is so large that in fact the foods themselves have come to be considered generally "bad." While certain natural substances are indeed toxic, these foods are not, in and of themselves, actually the problem. The problem lies, as you will see, in the conditions in which these foods are produced, as well as the condition of most people's digestion in modern society. Below are the many reasons why dairy and soy have become such serious food issues, some of which come from the traditional wisdom of Ayurvedic medicine, and some of which are explained by modern environmental and nutritional science.
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 If you suffer from seasonal allergies, a simple shift in your diet can make a huge difference in your symptoms. According to Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, excess mucus production is treated by eating foods that are of the opposite qualities of phlegm, i.e. foods that are light, drying, and warming.
After a winter of eating heavy, rich foods, it's best in springtime to switch to lighter, fresh foods that help relieve sinus congestion and inflammation. These include leafy green vegetables, most fruits, amaranth, quinoa, rye, barley, buckwheat, and spices. Foods that increase mucus and allergy symptoms are cold, frozen, and greasy foods, dairy products, wheat, avocado, banana, dark meat, seafood, sugar, and salt. Give this ancient prescription a try this allergy season and you'll be amazed how much lighter and clearer you feel.
For great natural allergy remedies, click here.
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 Do you ever feel like you're walking and thinking in a mud bog? Can you relate to feeling sluggish or stagnant, less vibrant than you know you can be? Maybe you suffer from extra weight or allergies? All of these are symptoms of your system being clogged. Before doing my first Ayurvedic detox, my "normal" was congested, lazy, and bloated. But after the cleanse, I experienced such a heightened level of mental clarity and physical vitality that I've made it something I do several times each year. It's actually pretty easy, and totally worth it, to take 8 days of your life and do everything in a different, clean way.
The Root Cause of Disease
According to Ayurveda, the root cause of all disease is the accumulation of toxins produced by improper digestion. The traditional method for removing deep-seated toxins is a seasonal cleanse called panchakarma. Nowadays you can go to Ayurvedic spas and clinics worldwide and spend significant time and money receiving this 2500-year-old detox treatment. You also can adapt these ancient principles and receive huge benefits by doing a home version on your own schedule.
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