ANCIENT WISDOM - SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE


Nothing makes me happier than an opportunity to share the brilliant wisdom of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic cooking, so I was delighted to share a snippet of East by West with Sainsbury's Magazine for the February issue of Fresh. Get a copy now if you want a sneak peek at the book's recipes! Here's what I told the magazine, as well as three of my tried and true recipes.


 
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We are not necessarily what we eat. We are what we digest, absorb and assimilate — physically, emotionally and mentally. I have long had a fascination with digestion and the critical role it plays in gut health, not only for our immunity but for the entire health of our mind and body.

I have come a long way from the processed white bread, cheese and ketchup toasties that I lived on at uni. When I discovered Ayurveda, the oldest healing system in the world, I was a little late, or a little early, to the party — it was 2001 and health was all about fitness; punitive gym sessions and restrictive eating programmes, low-fat and low-cal. It wasn't about rest and nurturing your body.

The 5,000-year-old Ayurveda holistic system has its origins in the Indian subcontinent. It supports the idea that our vitality, wellbeing and happiness come from a life in balance, and that the secret to maintaining this balance lies in the strength of our "Agni," or digestive fire.

I've immersed myself in the subject; I hope that my interpretation will fuel your passion for Ayurveda and enrich and empower you on your journey to mind-body balance.


Jasmine Hemsley