Cooking is a very common yet an essential activity. We become what we eat. The freshness and quality of food has a very strong impact on our lives. “Mother Annapurna” is the goddess for food and nourishment. In Ayurveda, the food is not just a meal for the stomach but is considered very sacred.

For Ayurvedic style cooking, there are certain parameters one should be aware of:

1. Fresh Grown vegetables: The vegetables used in cooking should be fresh. No refrigerated vegetable to be used.
2. Locally grown vegetables: Every local region has its own kind of soil, water, weather and some vegetables are easy and most grown. So we should cook using local vegetables rather than transporting from a place far away.
3. Organic herbs and spices: For the best experience one should really grow herbs and spices in their own garden, but in today’s world that’s not possible for most of the people. So they should try to get herbs and spices grown organically. We should not use chemically forced grown spices and herbs.
5. Every vegetable used in the cooking should be washed with warm water.
6. The quantity of herbs and spices: Appropriate quantity of herbs and spices will help maintain body vitals and it will also add a flavour to the taste.
7. Appropriate heat for effective cooking: The heat plays an important role because it’s an energy, an energy which helps transform. Perfect accuracy of heat is needed to keep the food from being raw or being overcooked.

and the food that is cooked contains prana (energy) and the prana stays in it till it remains hot and fresh.
Avoid keeping food in the refrigerator and eating it again. In Ayurvedic cooking, always remember to cook only that much you can consume. No food should be left to be kept in the fridge.
Eat Fresh and Stay Healthy!
Add Ayurveda to your cooking.