Ah, fruit. You are so beautiful and so tasty...
and so incredibly picky about what you like to be mixed with in my belly.
The other day I was seeing a client and she mentioned that she had really bad gas the other day (this was unusual for her). I had her tell me what she ate prior to the gas and there were a couple of the usual suspects: carbonated beverages and popcorn. But then she said "and for lunch I had (some large cooked meal) and ate some fruit salad afterwards"...
STOP! HALT! SAY NO MORE... Fruit at the end of a meal is (for many) a digestive disaster!
Another example, a different client was telling me that her daughter, who is skinny as a rail, has "gas like a truck driver". (LOL, Love that). And of course, the mom was serving fruit for dessert to her kids -- like we're so often told to do! We moved the dessert to before dinner and wa-lah, no more gas for the daughter.
Today I received the below email, and upon writing my response, I realized this information about fruit needs to spread like wildfire through the American food psyche, so here it is...
----The Email I Received Today...
Hi Kate,
I just started working with an Ayurveda practitioner a few months ago and found your Blog. Your recipes and pictures sound and look so delicious--very inspiring! I notice that I sometimes see Ayurvedic recipes (the more modern variety, I assume) that mix fruit with other ingredients. My Ayurveda mentor has suggested that I should always eat fruit alone, which is not the easiest guideline to follow! For example, I used to love having fruit in my oatmeal...or with yogurt...or in a muffin! Wondering what your take is on this principal and how you've been working with it? Really I'm just curious!Thanks so much and I look forward to following your Blog :-)
Warmest,
Friendly Ayurvedic Enthusiast
---- My response follows:
I'm so happy you found my little blog! :) I really enjoy food and the wonderful process of cooking; it's nice to see other people liking it too.
Now, fruit. It's a tricky subject because many people feel differently. The traditional Ayurvedic way is to only eat fruit alone (maybe with some honey or maple syrup but nothing else) and often times it's cooked. In Ayurveda, proper food combining is an art in itself, and you can read more about it here: www.ayurveda.com/online_resource/food_combining.pdf. As you'll read, the best way to avoid worrying about food combining is by having a strong digestive fire (agni). There are many ways to create strong agni, and there are many ways to create weak agni. People who often say they have "iron stomachs" may never, or hardly ever, need to worry about their food combinations. Those of us regular folk though generally benefit from some mindfulness in food combining.
My fruit policy is to only mix it with grains and good spices like cinnamon, cardamom and ginger, rarely with dairy (definitely not yogurt or anything cold like icecream), or to eat it at the start of a meal. The worst thing you can do, in my opinion, is to eat fruit at the end of the meal. It's like ordering bloating and gas for dessert. The fruit will break down before the other food is digested so it just sits on top and ferments in your belly-- not a good thing. You get the idea.
Now, for those with sensitive stomachs, it may be best for them to just have it alone and most often cooked. If that's you, that might be why your ayurvedic advisor recommended fruit only solo. This may change once your digestion is stronger, but for a little while it can be a welcome relief to your digestive system.
Thanks so much for writing me; I think I'll post part of this email on my blog so others can get the same info-- I know how confusing it can get!
be well!
~Kate Lumsden
I just started working with an Ayurveda practitioner a few months ago and found your Blog. Your recipes and pictures sound and look so delicious--very inspiring! I notice that I sometimes see Ayurvedic recipes (the more modern variety, I assume) that mix fruit with other ingredients. My Ayurveda mentor has suggested that I should always eat fruit alone, which is not the easiest guideline to follow! For example, I used to love having fruit in my oatmeal...or with yogurt...or in a muffin! Wondering what your take is on this principal and how you've been working with it? Really I'm just curious!Thanks so much and I look forward to following your Blog :-)
Warmest,
Friendly Ayurvedic Enthusiast
---- My response follows:
I'm so happy you found my little blog! :) I really enjoy food and the wonderful process of cooking; it's nice to see other people liking it too.
Now, fruit. It's a tricky subject because many people feel differently. The traditional Ayurvedic way is to only eat fruit alone (maybe with some honey or maple syrup but nothing else) and often times it's cooked. In Ayurveda, proper food combining is an art in itself, and you can read more about it here: www.ayurveda.com/online_resource/food_combining.pdf. As you'll read, the best way to avoid worrying about food combining is by having a strong digestive fire (agni). There are many ways to create strong agni, and there are many ways to create weak agni. People who often say they have "iron stomachs" may never, or hardly ever, need to worry about their food combinations. Those of us regular folk though generally benefit from some mindfulness in food combining.
My fruit policy is to only mix it with grains and good spices like cinnamon, cardamom and ginger, rarely with dairy (definitely not yogurt or anything cold like icecream), or to eat it at the start of a meal. The worst thing you can do, in my opinion, is to eat fruit at the end of the meal. It's like ordering bloating and gas for dessert. The fruit will break down before the other food is digested so it just sits on top and ferments in your belly-- not a good thing. You get the idea.
Now, for those with sensitive stomachs, it may be best for them to just have it alone and most often cooked. If that's you, that might be why your ayurvedic advisor recommended fruit only solo. This may change once your digestion is stronger, but for a little while it can be a welcome relief to your digestive system.
Thanks so much for writing me; I think I'll post part of this email on my blog so others can get the same info-- I know how confusing it can get!
be well!
~Kate Lumsden
hi kate ! - When you say it's ok to mix fruit with grains - is oatmeal a grain ? thnaks ! jeff
ReplyDeleteYes, Oats are a grain. I generally find that cooked fruit or dried fruit (not raw) work well in spiced oatmeal (with cinnamon, cardamom etc). Keep it simple though. I wouldn't add yogurt to the mix... This of course depends on the person. Try it and see how you feel afterwards. If you feel bloated, gassy or indigestion 1-3 hours after, then I would omit the fruit and see if that feels better.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate!
ReplyDeleteJust did a search on oats and fruit and ayurveda and came to your very helpful site - it answered exactly the question I had - about combining fruit and oats. I have been giving my 7 month old oats with apple or banana and then wondered if I shouldn't be. Would love any other tips on ayurveda for babies!
xoxo Asha