sandeyeDietary Alterations & Adaptions: hot drinks for winter
April 17th 2008 00:22
Where I currently reside, it is fall. The chilly pre-dawn mornings are arriving, where I spend the bulk of my workday seated and typing. As winter approaches, I wrap up more and more until I resemble a woolen snowman by mid-winter, wearing gloves, ugg boots, hat and coat…
At such an hour, a warm drink is a muchly appreciated companion. When I first became a freelance writer, poet & book author, I did not practice Yoga, or have any interest in a Yogic diet. I therefore drank coffee by the mugfull, not minding how many I drank. Providing it was made from freshly ground and brewed beans, I was satisfied that it was healthy enough to warm me up whilst working. Then, I started getting involved with Yoga.
After only one week of asana/pranayama practice, I realized this was not going to be something to try and forget, but to stick with. After a few months, I was looking into the other areas of Yoga practice, also. When first reading of the Yogic diet, I decided to pay it only a little attention, but not much. I liked my spicy foods, coffee, seafood and meats, onions, and the glasses of wine that I was used to. I felt my diet more healthy than average, at least. However, as time passed, and as I read more, practiced more, and learned more, I made several changes. One of these, was to limit the amount of coffee I drank and meat I ate.
During the past year, I have developed a maximum of three mugs of coffee per day ruling, preferring only two, and aiming at just one. I like the taste of a silky coffee slipping down my throat, especially on a freezing cold day - I should add that we do not have any heating in our home, for environmental reasons. I still wanted something hot to drink, however.
Starting last year, I investigated alternative not beverages. Health, Yogic diet compatibility, and the taste were all taken into account. I gave up on mug-soups, as these were too expensive and borderline healthy. I sampled bulk-buy miso paste, but would need to also purchase seaweed and green onion and mushrooms to make it legit, which would add to the cost and take too much time for a 'coffee break' consumption.
This year, I am investigating teas. I have not drunk regular tea-bag style tea since my teens. I did make jelly-tea whilst pregnant, and enjoyed a fancy variety called Lap Sang Sou Chong for a half a year or so. I also recall peppermint tea being somewhat appealing, though also somewhat garky-tasting if drunk too often. None of these appealed to me for a work-break hot beverage, so did not even face the Yogic diet or health tests.
I recently purchased a 20-pack of Indonesian Ginger tea. Whereas ginger and sugar and spices may only pass the Yogic diet test when only one mug is consumed, it certainly has an admirable warming taste and passes my own health test. It may not be the ultimate answer, but it will do in the meantime. It is definitely healthier than having a second or third mug of coffee.
The other investigation I am testing out is that of drinking regular tea, Tibetan style. Once again, it will not offer a perfect solution, as it includes both salt and butter in the recipe. It also is much more time consuming to create. However, it too will be healthier than consuming a mass input of coffee.
The combination of Tibetan style tea and Ginger tea may suffice for this year, but I hope to further research and investigate other forms of hot beverages that are not only healthy by my own reckoning, but also to a Yogic diet. I have currently read only briefly of the various combinations of petal, seed and bark, which can be combined into a Yoga-passing drink. I intend to examine these possibilities of self-created, Yogic-permissible, tea-type beverages further as time and expenditure permit and finally locate something drinkable, tasty, healthy, Yogic, and HOT!
At such an hour, a warm drink is a muchly appreciated companion. When I first became a freelance writer, poet & book author, I did not practice Yoga, or have any interest in a Yogic diet. I therefore drank coffee by the mugfull, not minding how many I drank. Providing it was made from freshly ground and brewed beans, I was satisfied that it was healthy enough to warm me up whilst working. Then, I started getting involved with Yoga.
After only one week of asana/pranayama practice, I realized this was not going to be something to try and forget, but to stick with. After a few months, I was looking into the other areas of Yoga practice, also. When first reading of the Yogic diet, I decided to pay it only a little attention, but not much. I liked my spicy foods, coffee, seafood and meats, onions, and the glasses of wine that I was used to. I felt my diet more healthy than average, at least. However, as time passed, and as I read more, practiced more, and learned more, I made several changes. One of these, was to limit the amount of coffee I drank and meat I ate.
During the past year, I have developed a maximum of three mugs of coffee per day ruling, preferring only two, and aiming at just one. I like the taste of a silky coffee slipping down my throat, especially on a freezing cold day - I should add that we do not have any heating in our home, for environmental reasons. I still wanted something hot to drink, however.
Starting last year, I investigated alternative not beverages. Health, Yogic diet compatibility, and the taste were all taken into account. I gave up on mug-soups, as these were too expensive and borderline healthy. I sampled bulk-buy miso paste, but would need to also purchase seaweed and green onion and mushrooms to make it legit, which would add to the cost and take too much time for a 'coffee break' consumption.
This year, I am investigating teas. I have not drunk regular tea-bag style tea since my teens. I did make jelly-tea whilst pregnant, and enjoyed a fancy variety called Lap Sang Sou Chong for a half a year or so. I also recall peppermint tea being somewhat appealing, though also somewhat garky-tasting if drunk too often. None of these appealed to me for a work-break hot beverage, so did not even face the Yogic diet or health tests.
I recently purchased a 20-pack of Indonesian Ginger tea. Whereas ginger and sugar and spices may only pass the Yogic diet test when only one mug is consumed, it certainly has an admirable warming taste and passes my own health test. It may not be the ultimate answer, but it will do in the meantime. It is definitely healthier than having a second or third mug of coffee.
The other investigation I am testing out is that of drinking regular tea, Tibetan style. Once again, it will not offer a perfect solution, as it includes both salt and butter in the recipe. It also is much more time consuming to create. However, it too will be healthier than consuming a mass input of coffee.
The combination of Tibetan style tea and Ginger tea may suffice for this year, but I hope to further research and investigate other forms of hot beverages that are not only healthy by my own reckoning, but also to a Yogic diet. I have currently read only briefly of the various combinations of petal, seed and bark, which can be combined into a Yoga-passing drink. I intend to examine these possibilities of self-created, Yogic-permissible, tea-type beverages further as time and expenditure permit and finally locate something drinkable, tasty, healthy, Yogic, and HOT!
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