Healthy combo- milk and ghee !

What is Rasayana?

These medicines improves the bodily elements and give strength and vitality. They are known for maintaining healthy state.

 Other benefits are:

• Long life
• Improve immunity
• Improve memory
• Maintain youthful appearance and delay ageing
• Improve luster and complexion
• Maintain optimum strength of body and senses

According to Ayurveda, ghee added to milk is a great combination and is called as Best Rasayana by Acharya Charaka. Each of them being Rasayana itself, together the benefits are even more as they compliment each other.

Among the vast options of Rasayana foods, milk and ghee are two easy to consume options. 
Cow's milk and ghee are best to be consumed.


Benefits of cow's milk:

• Easy to digest 
• Wholesome
• Rejuvenating
• Strength promoting
• Cardiac tonic
• Promotes intellect, longevity and virility

Benefits of ghee:

• Ghee is ideal for improving intelligence, memory and  ingenuity.
• Improve digestion strength, long life, semen (sexual vigour), and eye sight.  
• It is good for children, the aged and those who desire kids, tenderness of the body, and pleasant voice, for those suffering from emaciation as a result of injury to chest (lungs), Parisarpa (herpes), injury from weapons, and fire, disorders of Vata and Pitta origin, poison, insanity, inauspicious activity (witchcraft, etc.) and fevers;
• Of all the fatty materials, ghee is the best. 
• It is a coolant
• Best for retaining youth.

How is it to be taken?

1 teaspoon ghee in 1 glass of warm cow's milk once or twice a day , daily.

Who should avoid taking?

If someone has high cholesterol, should avoid.

How does this combo help?

• Improve digestion:
  
  It pacifies the vata and pitta doshas, lubricates colon. Helps in bloating and constipation.
• Keeps check on hyper acidity:
  

 Help in healing the gastric ulcers. If you suffer acidity, then you must be friend with this combo!

• Improves health and strength: 
  
  Milk is called as a complete food. It has protein, fat and sugar as well.

• Lubricate joints : 
  
  The loss of unctuousness is the reason for osteoarthritis, this combo maintains the lubrication.

• Induces sleep:
  
   Insomnia is one of the major health issues now a days. Milk with ghee at bedtime will make you sleep better.

• It's like an elixir for kids and elderly people. 

                                               
         Gives energy and helps building the healthy tissues. 

• It delays the signs of ageing
  
  like lines and wrinkles on skin, drying of skin etc.
• Must for pregnant women : 
  
  Provides nutrition to mother and growing baby. Also helpful to avoid constipation and related complications during this phase.
• It improves  memory and intelligence.
  
  Good for kids and elderly too.
• Good for gaining weight, as it facilitates healthy growth .
  

Porridge recipes for kids

Kids require nutritious and easy to digest foods. Some precautions should be taken to prevent contamination.

1)The vessels used for cooking and serving bowls should be clean and sterilized in boiling water.
2)Food should be freshly cooked. More than 2 hrs over food should be discarded.
3) Food should be well cooked.
4) Care should be taken in handling of food .
5) Wash hands before feeding the child.

Here are few easy to make and nutritious porridge recipes:

Rice porridge :

This is easy to digest and provides energy to child.

Age: 6 months +

Ingredients: Any rice or Parboiled rice

Preparation: Making the rice cereal

Steps:

1)Take 1 cup of rice and wash it.

2) Drain water and let it dry under sun or fan for 4 hrs

3) Dry roast the rice for few minutes, don't burn the rice.

4) Let it cool and then grind in a mixer grinder to fine powder.

5) Store it in air tight container.

How to cook?

1. Take 1 cup of water in a vessel and add 2 tsp of homemade rice cereal to it.
   
2. Mix well , add salt to taste and on medium flame let it cook.
3. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if required.

How much to feed?

1. In beginning start with few spoons of rice porridge and thin consistency.
2. As the child accepts it you can increase the quantity and thicken the consistency.
3. Add 1 tsp ghee.

Rice and Daal porridge:

Once the baby is comfortable with rice porridge you can introduce rice and moong daal porridge. Moong daal is easy to digest and doesn't make babies to bloat. It is a source of carbohydrates and proteins. It is made with rice and moong daal powder.

Age: 6 months +

Ingredients: Rice, Moong daal

Preparation: Make rice and daal powder

Steps: 

1) Take 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of moong daal and wash it.

2) Soak in water for 1/2 hr .

3) Drain the water and let it dry under sun or under fan .

4) Dry roast on low flame till it is light brown, don't burn.

5)Let it cool itself.

6) Grind in mixer grinder to make fine powder.

7)As the child grows you can grind coarsely.

8) Store in air tight container.

How to cook?

1. Take 1 cup of water in a vessel  and add 2 tsp of rice and daal powder to it.
2. Mix well and cook on low to medium flame.
3. Add salt to taste. 
4. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if required.

Tips:

• As the child develops taste add cumin seed powder, coriander powder and asafoetida .It helps to improve digestion.
• Add 1 tsp ghee . 
• As the child accepts it increase the quantity and thicken the consistency.

Ragi porridge:

Ragi is a very good source of  calcium and Iron. Child gets bored of same rice and daal porridge so this is a good healthy and tasty alternative.

Age: 8 months +

Ingredients: Ragi ( Finger millet)

Steps: 

1) Take 1 cup Ragi , wash well and then soak overnight for 12 hrs.

2) Drain water and in mixer , grind with 1/4 th cup water till it becomes smooth.
3) Strain through a muslin cloth and squeez out the milk completely.
4) Discard the ragi and take the milk into a saucepan.
5) On low flame cook the ragi milk till it reaches to porridge consistency.
6) Add salt and ghee to taste.

Another method:

1) Soak ragi overnight, drain and let it dry.

2) Dry roast and make fine powder in grinder.

Tips:

• You can add sugar/jaggery if your child has a sweet tooth.
• It becomes thick when gets cold, so keep it little thin or you can adjust consistency with boiled water.

Urad daal porridge:

It is reach in calcium and helps gaining weight.

Ingredients:

Rice: 2 tsp

Urad daal: 1 tsp

Jaggery: 1 tsp

Steps:

1) Soak the rice and Urad daal for 1/2 hr.
2) Drain the water, add jaggery and grind in mixer grinder to make a fine paste, add 1/4 th cup water if required.

1. 

3) Transfer this paste in saucepan and cook well. 
4) Adjust the consistency by adding more water.
5) Add salt and ghee to taste. 

Tips:

• It becomes thick when gets cold, so keep it little thin or you can adjust consistency with boiled water.
• You can add soaked almonds as well.

Wheat and daal porridge:

When the child is comfortable with rice and daal porridge then only introduce wheat As it is heavier to digest than rice.It is a good source of energy and fibre.

Age: 8 months +

Ingredients: Wheat and  Moong daal powder

Preparation: Make Wheat and Moong daal powder

Steps: 

1. Take 1 cup of wheat and Moong daal , wash properly and soak for 1/2 hr.
2. Drain water and allow to dry in sunlight or under fan.
3. Dry roast in pan till light brown.
4. Let it cool it's own
5. Grind to fine powder or  just coarsely as per your child likes.
6. Store in air tight jar.
   

How to cook?

1. Take 2 tsp of wheat and daal powder and mix to 1 cup of water in a vessel.
2. Cook on low to medium flame.
3. Add salt, cumin seed powder, coriander powder and asafoetida to it.
4. Add 1 tsp ghee.

Sooji porridge:

Ingredients: Sooji, sugar/jaggery,ghee, cardamom powder

Steps: 

1. Roast 2 tsp Sooji in 1/2  tsp ghee till turns golden, then remove in another plate.
2. In pan take some ghee, add 1 1/2 cup water , add 2 tsp sugar or jaggery and let it dissolve in water. Add salt to taste and make boil.
3. Add roasted sooji and mix well to avoid lumps.
4. Add some more water if required as it thickens on cooking.
5. Add cardamom powder.

Tips:

• You can serve it by adding milk.
• You can add mix dry fruit powder to increase the nutrition value.

Oats porridge:

Ingredients: Oatmeal cereal

Steps:

1. Take 2 tsp of oatmeal cereal in 1 cup water and cook on medium flame.
2. Mix well to avoid lumps. Keep stirring.
3. Add jaggery or sugar to sweeten.
4. Add water to achieve the required consistency.
5. Add warm milk before serving.

Abhyanga : Ayurvedic massage

Ayurvedic massage is so famous now-a-days. People pay so much in spas for this. It is not just to be done in spa or Ayurvedic center, but it is a part of daily routine that should be done at home as well. For many reasons we should know more about it and incorporate it in our daily lifestyle regimen.

The word Abhyanga means applying oil with movement and speed i.e. with massage.

Common properties of oil:

• Hot potency
• penetrating
• Strengthening
• pacifies vata and kapha
• Good for skin

Skin is a site of sparshanendriya, so contains more of Air element . Oil alleviates the vata dosha so oil massage is very beneficial and important for skin.

Oil massage should be specifically done on these 3 areas viz.

1. Head
2. Ears
3. Feet

Shiro-abhyanga (Head massage) :

• It removes dryness and makes scalp and hair soft.
• Helps in itchy scalp and good for hair and scalp health.
• Hair roots become strong so helps in hair fall.
• Facial skin becomes soft.
• It is very calming and sleep inducing.
• It improves strength of sense organs namely eyes, ears, skin, nose and nurtures skull bones and joints.
• Relieves the stiffness from neck joints and muscles.

Padabhyanga ( Foot massage):

Regular oil massage over feet is specifically advised as they carry our whole body weight and need extra attention.

• It cures the dryness, stiffness , numbness and fatigue in feet and sole.
• Makes feet look soft.
• Improves strength and stability.
• Oil massage  over sole is good for healthy  eyes.

Ear massage:

• It is considered as a site of Vata dosha , so putting oil and massage alleviates vata.
• It also improves the strength of sense organ.
• It nurtures the tempero-mandibular joint.

Benefits of doing abhyanga every day:

• Skin becomes more resilient so healing is faster.
• Body becomes strong.
• Person looks fresh and pleasant.
• Sign of ageing are delayed.

What is the effect of Abhyanga ?

• Massage with oil lubricates skin and forms a barrier between skin and environment, so helps keeping the skin hydrated. It prevents drying of skin and makes it look healthy.

• It improves the blood circulation so helps in quicker removal of metabolic toxins out of the body. 
• The medicated oils penetrate into the skin and calms the nerves. 
• The massage has deeply nourishing and relaxing effect on brain, nervous system, skin, muscles and joints.
• 
  
• It relaxes body and mind , so gives better sleep.
  
• It relieves muscle and joint pain.

Different medicated oils for massage:

According to the prominent dosha, oil can be chosen, to alleviate the doshas.

For Vata: 

• Sesame oil
• Bala oil
• Nirgundi oil
• Madhuyashti oil

For pitta:

• Chandana oil
• Cow's ghee
• Madhuyashti oil

Who should not do Abhyanga...?

1. One who has got any Kaphaja vikara e.g. cold.
2. Abhyanga should not be done on the same day when Vamana or Virechana has been done.
3. One who has got indigestion.

Different forms of Abhyanga: There are 15 forms of abhyanga. They are used according to the subjective need as all of then have specific effect and indications.

1. Applying oil over body
2. Mask (Lepa)
3. Udvartana-massage with herbal powders in oil
4. Oil massage 
5. Foot massage
6. Oil pouring
7. Light massage
8. Swishing oil in mouth
9. Oil pulling-Holding oil in mouth
10. Oil pulling over head (Shirobasti)
11. Netratarpana-oil pulling over eyes
12. Nasatarpana-oil pulling into nostrils
13. Karnapurana-oil pulling into ear
14. Head massage
15. oil bath

For healthy body and mind daily Abhyanga is highly recommended and everyone should incorporate it in daily regimen.