Parvati Magazine May 2014 - Feeling Alive | Page 17

NUTRITION
Creating meals that are
colorful is also beneficial,
esthetically and nutritionally. A multicolored diet
comprising red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, and
indigo/purple offers vital
nutritional support. Strawberries, carrots, peaches,
asparagus,
blueberries,
and plums are all examples of foods that offer
important vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to
complete a healthy diet.
It is always best to eat in a
quiet environment, sitting
down, and never when
upset. In this way, we can
give our full attention to
what we are eating. Also,
sitting quietly for a few
minutes after eating allows us to focus on the
sensations in our bodies.
Taking a short walk following a meal also helps
the body digest. Additionally, to aid digestion and
promote detoxification,
ginger tea is a delicious
choice after a meal.
Understanding hunger cues
enables us to choose the
best time to eat, rather than
relying on the clock to plan

our meals. On an appetite/fullness scale from 1 to
10, with 1 being the most
hungry and 10 being the
most full, we should eat
when we feel we are at
about 2 or 3 and stop eating at about 7. The latter
allows for about 1/4 to 1/3
of the stomach to remain
empty, aiding digestion.

To begin enjoying the
benefits of an Ayurvedic
diet, try this delicious and
simple recipe from The
Chopra Center Cookbook, co-authored by Dr.
Deepak Chopra and Dr.
David Simon:
Almond Bliss Shake
Serves 1

Ayurveda recommends
lightly cooking foods and
seasoning them with spices, making foods easier
to digest and assimilate
into the system. When we
choose to eat raw foods,
doing so in the middle of
the day is ideal, as that is
when agni is at its strongest.
Ayurveda recognizes that
we are not what we eat,
but “we are what we digest.” Making conscious
choices of foods that
strengthen our digestive
ability, we build the foundation for better physical and emotional health
and a new sense of wellbeing in our lives.

1 T. almond butter
2 t. organic raw honey
or maple syrup
1 oz. protein powder,
plain or vanilla
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cardamom
1 C. low-fat vanilla
soymilk or rice milk
1 medium banana,
peeled and sliced
Place all the ingredients
in a blender and blend
until smooth.
Nutritional facts per
12-ounce serving:
Calories 487, Total fat
12.4 g, Saturated fat 3.3
g, Carbohydrates 61.1 g,
Protein 32.9 g.

Nirmala Raniga is an addiction specialist and the founder of the Chopra
Jacquie Robertson, RNCP, ROHP, is a Certified Nutritionist practicing clinical
Addiction and Wellness Center, a unique residential addiction recovery
nutrition, specializing in hormone imbalance, PMS, digestive health and
treatment center in Squamish Valley, B.C., Canada. The Center offers
depression. Her mission is to educate, empower and inspire women to
holistic recovery programs combining modern Western medicine with
heal themselves naturally through the use of food as medicine, hormone
Eastern healing traditions including instruction in meditation, yoga, and
balancing, emotional wellness and self-love. Jacquie offers both in person
other mind-body wellness practices. 2008 nominee for YWCA Women of
and online 1-on-1 nutritional coaching and women’s health workshops
Distinction Award and Celebration of Business Excellence Award, Nirmala is
through her private practice.  Jacquie holds a BA (Honours) from McMaster
a Chopra Certified master educator of Primordial Sound Meditation, Seven
University, diploma from Centennial College’s Workplace Wellness & Health
Spiritual Laws Yoga and Perfect Health Ayurvedic Lifestyle. She is passionate
Promotion program and is a graduate from the Institute of Holistic Nutrition.
about sharing timeless wisdom tools for mind-body health, deeper life
fulfillment and emotional healing. chopratreatmentcenter.com
For more information on Jacquie, please visit www.jacquierobertson.com.