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Friday, 9/12/08 - Ayurveda and the traveling snack plan: why, how and where -- on a plane, in a train or in the automobile all day during errands, desk work, or in-betweens.

Highlights courtesy of Meris at Bodyoga: First, Gianna handed out a quiz to determine your dosha.  A dosha makes up our constitution, with which we come into the world and which also changes throughout our lives and with the seasons.  There are 3 primary doshas and at any given time we may be in or out of balance with any or all of them.  Ayurveda attempts to design simple, conscious ways to improve our balance through food, thought, meditation, exercise and overall awareness. Gianna then went on to describe what the 3 doshas are: Vata, Pitta and Kapha.  Each has its properties and respective suggestions to return to balance when out.  How do we know we are out of balance? Well, perhaps we become irritable, over heated, drained of energy, sluggish, flakey and spacey in our mind and thoughts....the list goes on.

Then Lila Ojeda handed out an Organic Snack-Size Food Bar for everyone to taste.  Lila asked us what a food bar really is (compared to a regular energy bar) and guided us through an examination of all the ingredients in the bar.  First off, we discovered that we could read and understand every ingredient, and that none was processed.  Gianna highlighted here the importance of choosing real, whole foods.  When in doubt, find food in its most natural state. Lila then spoke about her beautiful book on Mindful Eating bringing a tangible complement to Gianna's notions on balancing one's doshas through food.  We discussed our topic------Snacks to eat when on the go.  Lila suggested dried fruit mixed with nuts and even cereal (to add bulk and fiber) to mixed nuts and dried fruit. She noted that a piece of fresh, real fruit may leave you a bit hungry in a short period of time, so add a bit of protein with the fruit to sustain your hunger and mood.  Lila gave us a couple of other quick snack ideas that travel well -- both near and far, and highlighted that any healthy meal that you like to eat can be a "snack" in smaller portions--Did you know that leftovers make perfect mini-meals/snacks?

We also discussed the importance of not letting too much time go by between meals/snacks.  No more than about 4 hours with 2 snacks in between meals; first being between 9-11a and the second between 2-5p.  We learned that we don't want to let our blood sugar drop, because this results in mood swings and energy drops, which of course subsequently results in poor food choices (and often larger portions) when our faculties are compromised.  Lila emphasized the importance to not go too long between meals, also to prevent overeating when you do finally eat.  And Gianna stressed how our doshas get out of balance both when we skip meals and when we overeat.

It will build on this one by talking about the importance of timing of food intake.

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