I recently posted an article to the urbandiner.ca website on the subject of the legumes ("Beans, beans, the magical fruit?"), in part taken from a chapter of my upcoming book "Food As Medicine" The Theory and Practice of Food". In the last part of my blog I discuss the issue of the vegan protein powders that seem all the rage these days. I have spent some time on medline researching these ingredients, chief among them being pea protein isolate. If you do a google search on it, most of the "information" is marketing, about how it's well-tolerated, well-digested and hypoallergenic. But is it really? Looking on medline however there is very little research to back up any of these claims. There is one chemical study which suggests that it might be suitable for infant formula, and another short trial in non-anemic healthy women, but nothing much else. With regard to the last trial, it's important to point out that many vegans are in fact iron-deficient, despite the fact that their diet … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2011
The Wonders of Chyavanprash
Among the thousands of different herbs and formulas used in Ayurveda, there is perhaps none better known and celebrated than the medicated herbal jam called Chyavanprash. It is named after Chyavana muni, a forest-dwelling sage that had long turned his back on the world, who was enticed into marriage by the great beauty of the princess Sukanya. Being withered and aged, Chyavana enlisted the help of the Ashwin Kumaras, the celestial physicians, to create a formula that would restore his youth, and the result of these efforts was Chyavanprash. Chyavanprash is classified as a rasayana, a medication that helps to promote youthfulness and prevent disease, helping one to 'follow' ('ayana') into the 'juiciness' of life ('rasa'). It was already acclaimed as famous in the Charaka samhita, an ancient text of Ayurveda that is well over 2000 years old. Apart from helping to restore youthfulness and prevent aging, the Charaka samhita mentions the utility of this formula in the treatment of chronic … [Read more...]
