This is a guest post from our friend Radha who teaches Mysore style yoga at the Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research Center along with her husband Prem. In addition, she incorporates her studies of the science of Ayurveda over a 25-year period. Most notably with Dr Svoboda, as well as with her husband Prem, who is a direct student of the foremost Dr Vasant Lad.
She considers food her main passion in life. Since helping out at her grandparents’ Italian deli since the age of five Radha has had a passion for cooking. At the age of 27, she became interested in diet and cooking for health and attended two ten-day courses with Paul Pitchford (Healing ️with Whole Foods).
After which the course of Radha’s love for food changed from just enjoyment to also considering diet as medicine. Radha attributes her current style of cooking to constant self-study and experimentation in her own kitchen, with Prem as her lucky guinea pig!
Radha’s Top 10 Guidelines for Healthy Eating
1. Try to cook for yourself; fresh and home-cooked food is best.
2. Eat close to source; the less steps between the ground and your mouth the better.
3. Follow the seasons as best you can.
5. Try to eat a variety of foods, especially regarding vegetables
6. Consider eating predominantly plant-based
7. Try to incorporate a mix of cooked and raw food into your diet.
8. Make sure to eat some nutrient dense foods; such as tofu and tempeh.
9. Apply the 85/15 rule; 85% eat what you need, 15% what you fancy.
10. Try to maintain positive mind-states both when cooking and eating.
And a bonus tip
Add some bitter foods to your diet it, they are incredibly good for the digestion.
Sweet Potato Brownies
- 1 cup puréed sweet potato
- 3/4 cup nut butter (any kind will do, we love almond butter)
- 1/2 cup flour any kind
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sweetener (honey, agave, maple)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Preheat your oven to 325° F / 165 C, and line a dish (approx. 20x20cm) with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, ¼ cup cacao, baking soda, and salt, together in a large mixing bowl.
- Blend or thoroughly mix the sweet potato, nut-butter, sweetener and vanilla.
- Add the sweet potato mixture to the bowl containing the flour and mix well.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and dust with the remaining cocao.
- Let cool and cut into pieces.
