Ayurvedic Nutrition Class

Monday March 20th 5-7pm (RESCHEDULED to the 20th from the 13th)

845 Alder Creek Dr.

Cost $30

Taught by Briana Gullo and Dr. Noah Volz

Using the ancient natural healing system of India, Ayurvedic medicine treats the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. Come learn about techniques to minimize and reduce physical, emotional, and environmental toxicity. Explore practical ways to maximize your digestion, optimize the immune response, and prevent disease on all levels. In this course you will learn how to remove waste buildup in the body and mind, making way for optimum health to occur.

Agni

Means that which digest things.  There are four types of Agni.  High, Low, Variable, and strong.  Through diet, lifestyle, and some simple procedures we can optimize our digestion.

Background of digestion

When our bodies are unstressed and metabolizing food properly, 42% of our total calories come from fat, more than from any other source.  Carbohydrates provide faster burning energy, that is why athletes carbo-load before there events.  All carbohydrates are composed of chains of simple sugars: “complex carbohydrates” or polysaccharides such as pasta are made of longer chains of sugars and burn more slowly and steadily than the simple short chained carbs found in potato chips .Simple sugar burns the fastest and gives us the fast energy we need in fight or flight situations.  Fat is metabolized in the small intestine and sugar is digested in the mouth and stomach first and then in the small intestine which unleashes its energy fastest.  Its initial rush of energy is followed by a valley that makes it an extremely unreliable source of energy over long periods of time.  Just as the energy rush created by sugars and simple carbs wears off and leads to an energy crash later in the day.  Eating foods our bodies cannot digest properly sets us up for a reckoning in the future.

Diets by location:

Pitta. In the tropics our ancestors survived comfortably on a diet rich in carbohydrates from fruits and vegetation, along with occasional fats from foods such as fruits, fish, coconuts, avocados, and nuts readily available according to the season.  The summertime diet was used to cool and energize the body for the long hot days.  It did not spike blood sugar levels because a sufficient supply of fats such as coconuts burned slowly and provided a baseline of steady energy. 70% Carbs 15% Protein 15% Fat

Kapha. In the spring fats are restricted as nature provides low fat, low mucus foods like sprouts, leafy greens, berries, and roots.  Fat free forces the body to burn its own fat and that is where the body naturally stores toxins so spring  cleaning happens. 60% carbs 10% fats 30% protein

Vata. In the North. Where food was not dependable the body learned to burn fat as a baseline energy supply and carbs for high energy and to store sugar for emergencies.  They relied on food sources rich in Lipids (animal and vegetable fats) which made the energy last for days until they needed another meal.  The protein gave them strength and the fat gave them energy.  A certain amount of mucus production is necessary to keep our system from drying out in the colder months.  To the extent that you got dried out by not eating high fat, high protein, and warm moist oily foods is the extent to which you will suffer from excess mucus in the spring in the form of asthma, allergies, coughs, and yeast.  40% protein 30% carbs 30% fat

PH

If fats are not burned with carbohydrates to make energy the body becomes more acidic than normal, because fat burning creates acid waste that changes the predominately alkaline PH of the body.  Acid accelerates the degenerative processes of the body.  Our bodies function best when about 70% of our diet is alkaline.

What happens when our bodies don’t digest

When food is not completely digested by the small intestines, it breaks down partially and remains there, coating the intestinal tract with mucus.  This is exacerbated by the kinds of foods that we eat.  The American Journal of Public Health reports that only 9 % of Americans eat the recommended number of servings of fruit and vegetables each day.  The foods we eat-bread, pasta, dairy, and meat are all highly mucus producing.  This gums up the workings of the intestines like tar and the nutrients that do get through are somewhat tainted.

Waste removal

It is the job of the lymphatic system to remove free radicals from the body, those caused by stress and improperly digested food.  Before they are removed they may attach themselves to fat molecules that are on their way to the liver, and create lipid peroxidase, which creates the high cholesterol levels that leads to arteriole plaque and heart disease.  Lipid peroxidase is created by the oxygenatation of fat, usually unsaturated unsaturated fatty acids.  Composed of unstable molecules they scavange other lipids and damage them through oxidation.  Cholesterol levels have far less to do with our consumption of fat and more to do with the relative indigestibility of the food taken in and the resultant stress that creates free radicals.

Barriers to effective digestion

Stress– When the body perceives an emergency because it is being starved of either fats, protein, or carbohydrates, or stress of any kind it responds in the opposite way than what we want.  Under stress the body produces a degenerative stress fighting hormone called cortisol which triggers the body to dump stored sugar from the liver and muscles into the bloodstream.  Insulin levels rise, which inhibits the burning of fat so it is stored for later use.  The body craves more emergency fuel that are high is sugar and carbohydrates.  The survival mentality generates overeating, overweight, and other ills.

To achieve a balanced diet without overeating we have to learn how to develop a hunger level that is governed by appropriate desires and cravings.  The problem is not the craving but the imbalance that has led to the craving.  Once you have returned to a natural balance of eating, your hunger level will determine how much you should or shouldn’t eat, and simple shopping lists will guide you to the best foods .

Nutrients

Protein– source of enzymes and hormones.  The building block for the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones, hair, nails, and teeth), certain aspects of the blood and most tissues.  Essential amino acids that are not made by the body can only be gotten by food.

Carbohydrates– simple sugars are monosaccharide and disaccharides.  Glucose is responsible for the function integrity of the  nervous system and the sole source of energy of the brain.  All sugars are primarily stored in the liver and the muscles to be used as energy.  Starch is the polysaccharide found in grains, roots, vegetables and legumes.  Cooking softens the cellulose and the starch is released to be processed by the body as energy.  Cellulose cannot be digested and acts as fiber to promote peristalsis and bowel movements.  Cellulose is found in fruit, stalks, leaves, the outer coverings of grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes.  Fructose in fruit.  Glucose in vegetables and grains.  Sucrose in the common form of refined sugar.

Fat-makes hormones contributes to vital cell processes.  Act as transportation for fat soluble vitamins Vitamin A,D,E, and K and certain minerals.  It lubricates the skin and hair.  The triglycerides in fat hold our organs in place, they suppress gastric secretions, and insulate our bodies against cold.  Lipids trap pleasurable flavors which create satisfaction after a meal.  Fats are the last to be digested which retards hunger.  Fat free does not mean calorie free.

Briana Gullo