Holiday Detox!

The major philosophy behind Ayurveda is balance. Balance in life, health, relationships, career, etc. Somehow during the holidays between parties, marathon gift shopping, and four course meals, many of us get a case of Holiday Fatigue, and by January 1st, we are more than eager to regain the balance and ritual of life that we enjoy the other 11 months of the year. Here are a few ways in which I’m planning to detoxify and cleanse this month.

www.elephantjournal.com has listed DoshaCare among its recommendations for detoxing after the holiday season both internally and externally.http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/01/holiday-detox-adriane-little-organic-india-tulsi-tea-blackwells-organic-desserts-simply-boulder-doshacare/

 I consider myself a pretty healthy person, working out, hydrating and eating a variety of organic foods on a daily basis, but I too am feeling the need for a jumpstart cleansing after a champagne soaked holiday. Here, I’ve gathered a few recipes for some purifying concoctions from Healthy Healing by Linda Rector Page. You’ll notice the back to basics list of ingredients and simple methods for making them.

Rice Purifying Soup

Toast in a large pan until aromatic (about 5 minutes) the following:

2/3 cup lentils                                                                                                                                                                                                             2/3 cup split peas                                                                                                                                                                                                      2/3 cup brown rice

Add and cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally:

2 cloves minced garlic

1 onion, chopped

3 cups water

3 cups vegetable broth

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1.2 tsp. ginger powder

The perfect dish to ignite your inner furnace and what is know in Ayurveda as agni, which is responsible for digestion, metabolism,  and all over health.                                                                                                                                                                                                   

After all the excitement and overindulgence associated with the holidays, it’s easy to be sucseptible to the cold or flu bug. This recipe for a detoxifying broth is said to work miracles on these encroaching feelings of sickness and general “rundownness”.

Cold Defense Cleanser

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons brandy

I haven’t gotten sick yet (knock on wood) in order to try this, so if anyone uses this concoction, please let me know the results. Check back tomorrow when I’ll talk about some other ways to regain balance after the holidays.