Flavors
of Health Online recently spoke with Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf,
Medical Director of the Raj in Fairfield, Iowa, and co-author
of A Woman's Best Medicine, about the general dietary habits
of Americans today and ways to incorporate ayurvedic principles
of healthy eating into one's daily dietary schedule.
FOH
Online: According to ayurveda, diet, along with sleep
and lifestyle, is a fundamental pillar of good health and
longevity. You see many people everyday in your practice.
Do you think Americans in general are eating well these
days?
Dr.
Lonsdorf: Nobody's eating well in America. I see people
everyday in my practice and I ask every one of them to write
out their diet. I have found that very few people who have
not yet seen an ayurvedic doctor are really eating properly.
FOH
Online: What do you think is the reason for poor eating
habits?
Dr.
Lonsdorf: I think it's mainly because our culture is
not focused on the development and maintenance of good dietary
habits. We learn some basic things in school about eating
more vegetables and fruits. And most of us do know about
the need for balanced nutrition and what the right way to
eat is. However, our culture isn't set up to promote proper
eating. We're very oriented towards our careers and material
achievement, and we put cooking and eating very low on the
list of priorities of the day.
FOH
Online: We are a "fast food" culture.
Dr.
Lonsdorf: Exactly. Most people are grabbing food on
the run, they're eating in their cars, they're having business
lunches where they're having sandwiches and chips brought
in, and they're drinking coke with it. Whatever's convenient,
whatever's simple, whatever's readily available, that is
what people are eating. And at night if they actually have
a good home-cooked meal often it's at 8:00 at night. If
you eat a heavy meal so late in the evening, even if the
food quality is good, you are probably not going to digest
it well because your digestive fire is muted.
FOH
Online: All of these poor habits probably lead to digestion
problems, like acid indigestion, stomach disorders and general
poor health. Correct?
Dr.
Lonsdorf: Yes. According to ayurveda, if the food you
eat isn't digested properly, for whatever reason, it can
cause indigestion. Worse yet, it results in a waste called
ama, which builds up in the body. Ama blocks the channels
in the body and is at the root of disorders such as higher
cholesterol and weight gain, joint problems, sinus problems,
chronic fatigue and waking up with a puffy face and achy
back.
FOH
Online: According to the ayurvedic perspective, when
you eat and how you eat is as important as what you eat.
What according to you is a good dietary schedule?
Dr.
Lonsdorf: Ayurveda considers lunch to be the most important
meal of the day. Lunch is better called dinner. In our American
culture, when we were more of an agrarian or rural culture,
we had the main meal at noon. And that was called dinner.
And there was a lighter meal in the evening called supper.
This schedule is actually more in tune with nature and the
natural rhythms of digestion in the body. The main meal
should be at noon, which means we should eat a full meal-cooked
food, a warm meal-sitting down in a relaxed environment
around noon.
FOH
Online: What would the ideal ayurvedic lunch include?
Dr.
Lonsdorf: It should have some vegetables, some grains,
and some higher-protein foods like legumes, lentils, chickpeas,
tofu or paneer, which is a type of fresh cheese. Persons
who are non-vegetarian should eat their chicken or fish
or other meats at lunch only. Pure water is the best beverage
with the meal, and it should preferably be at room temperature
or warm, not ice-cold. Ice water cools down digestion and
turns off enzymatic activity, which is temperature dependent
and works best at body temperature, around 99 degrees. Ayurveda
also suggests that we should have lassi, which is a yogurt
drink, at lunchtime-it supplies good bacteria and extra
help for digestion.
FOH
Online: What about spices?
Dr.
Lonsdorf: Spices are crucial to the ayurvedic diet,
and unfortunately the typical American diet does not contain
enough spices as a rule. Turmeric, for example, is a potent
antioxidant, known to contain anti-cancer properties, and
is good for detoxification of the body. It's an incredibly
powerful spice. It works best if you sauté it in
a little oil or ghee or you add a little bit to soups or
stews. It has water-soluble and fat-soluble components like
most spices. So you should have a little bit of this spice
sautéed in some olive oil or ghee in your dishes
at lunch and you should have a little bit in a soup or water-based
sauce poured over cooked vegetables or other foods.
FOH
Online:
We see some individual herbs and spices being offered in
capsule form-what is your opinion on that?
Dr.
Lonsdorf:
Spices are really best eaten as food rather than in a capsule.
Today, many people are taking capsules of turmeric or ginger
or garlic in hopes of gaining their beneficial effects.
However, that can sometimes be quite harmful actually because
they're too concentrated. Powdered turmeric, by itself,
for example, can be very hard on the liver, creating a "heating"
or irritating effect that can worsen Pitta related problems.
You should sprinkle spices on your food, cook them in ghee
or oils, or add them to your soups or your lentils, etc.,
while they are cooking.
FOH
Online: Tell us a little bit about how eating properly
can help health and well-being.
Dr.
Lonsdorf: Just having the main meal at noon-a very balanced
meal that includes spices and lassi-would go a long way
towards counteracting the damage caused by the stress and
wear and tear on the body from day-to-day life. Digestion
would improve dramatically. This would help people get rid
of a lot of problems associated with ama-constipation, gas,
bloating, and heartburn. Good eating habits that aid digestion
will also help people sleep better at night because then
they are not eating heavy at night, which disturbs sleep
and often will wake people up at 2-3 in the morning.
FOH
Online: What about energy levels?
Dr.
Lonsdorf: If you eat a balanced diet, at the proper
times each day, and are able to get a good night's sleep
each night, you have the basis for a stable, balanced physiology
and your mind and body will function at optimum levels.
If you digest your food properly, your body can use the
nutrients to build the different types of body tissue and
replace worn cells and tissues quickly. When ama is not
building up in the body, energy levels are high-you don't
experience post-lunch fatigue or early-morning lethargy.
FOH
Online: Food, indeed, is powerful medicine. Thank you,
Dr. Lonsdorf, for speaking with us today on this important
issue.
Dr.
Lonsdorf: It was a pleasure.
