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Traditional Nutritional and Healthy Ayurvedic Drinks Recipes
Food should be our medicine. A healthy diet with nutritious foods means our health will be taken care by best natural ingredients. The negative impact of malnutrition can overcome by focusing on proper food. To reduce the impact of malnutrition across the generation, it is important to focus on providing nutritious food to children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
India’s National Nutrition Mission is a flagship program launched couple of years ago. This program aims to improve nutritional outcomes of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. In association with Poshan Abhiyan the ministry has come up with a booklet that has many healthy traditional recipes. This includes ingredients, preparation method, health benefits and contradictions if any.
Here we are presenting selected 7liquid recipes that are nutritious and provide many health benefits for all.
These healthy drinks will boost immune system, provide basic nutrients and are seasonal.
Health benefits: Amla panaka (traditional juice) can be used as a healthy soft drink as it acts as immediate energy supplement. It is rich source of calcium, potassium, vitamin C, B complex and antioxidants. It is good for osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, anemia, peptic ulcer, urinary tract infection, dysentery, and high blood pressure.
Panaka is our traditional health drink with natural ingredients. Panaka can be prepared with nutritional fruits or roots and diluted with boiled, cooled water with sugar, jaggery, salt, and honey as required
Steam cook the gooseberries, grind them into a paste after de seeding extract juice. After adding a bit more water (300 ml), the pulp can again be squeezed to get more juice. Palm sugar is made into syrup by boiling in 200 ml water. Sugar or jaggery can be added if palm sugar is not available. Mix it with the prepared gooseberry juice. Stir the solution well and panaka is ready.
Health benefits: Amla is an excellent source of Vitamin C, hence it helps to boost immunity, metabolism and prevents infections, including cold and cough. This cooling drink is useful in acid peptic disorders, constipation, anemia, and eye strain.
3 times water to be added for serving, may adjust the quantity of water as per the required taste. Method of preparation
Boil amla and de-seed. Keep it aside until cools and make pulp by grinding. In a large vessel, take sugar, and add equal quantity of water, heat it so that sugar dissolves completely. Sugar syrup should be made double- or 2.5-times quantity of Alma Pulp. Take the pulp in a big vessel, slowly add sugar syrup, and mix it well. When the pulp and syrup are properly mixed, take a little bit mixture in a small bowl to mix spices. Add roasted jeera powder, rock salt, black pepper, and black Salt. Mix contents of both bowls well and keep it in glass jar. If you put in fridge than no need of preservatives otherwise add 0.75 gm Potassium metabisulfite (K.M.S.)/per kg.
Health benefits: Mantha drink can work as energy booster for compromised digestive health, dehydration, or fatigue. It is rich in iron so good for post-surgery, anemic patients, and pregnant women. Rich in electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and in an instant energy source and a body coolant. Rich in vitamin B6. It is gluten free so great alternative for celiac disease during flares and due to its fiber contents, good alternative for colitis, hemorrhoids.
Mantha means mashed or well blended. The drink which is prepared by churning or blending the ingredients well and diluting with cold water is known as Mantha.
Blend the ingredients in a mixer grinder, add cold water and stir well. For better effects ingredients can be soaked for an hour in required quantity of water before blending.
Contradictions
Not advisable for diabetics because of high glycemic index. Puffed rice is rich in carbohydrates, therefore, too much use may lead to obesity
Health benefits: Yusha is used as a nutritious drink and as adjuvant or vehicle (anupana) with medicines. It is easy to digest and less likely to cause bloating, indigestion and flatulence because of green gram andfenugreek so can be used post-surgery, post-delivery to meet protein demands when digestion is weak. It contains less phytic acid so increases body’s ability to absorb iron and other minerals. The high fiber and protein levels produce longer satiety times by increasing the satiety hormone cholecystokinin. The presence of large amount of magnesium makes it a potent BP regulator.
Yusha is the watery portion drained after cooking pulses. Green gram is standard pulse, but other types of pulses also can be used. Salt, ghee or other oils, pepper, cumin seeds, coriander seeds etc. may be added to obtain desired taste and benefit.
Ingredients
Green gram – 50 gm
Water – 200 ml
Salt – 5 gm
Pepper – as per taste
Oil/ghee – 10 ml
Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds – 6 to 8 seeds
Curry leaves – 5 – 10
Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
Total quantity: 2 bowls (400ml)
Preparation:
Cook green gram and take the substrate, add salt. Roast some pepper on flame, crush them and add to the substrate, boil for 3 minutes. Season with mustard, fenugreek and curry leaves. Add lime juice or dry raw mango powder. Yusha or delicious soup is ready. Coriander leaves, ajwain (carom seeds), garlic can be added as per the taste and availability.
Health benefits: This smoothie is an ideal breakfast for all age groups. Jaggery is rich in iron and minerals. Ragi is a great source of iron and calcium. Healthy alternative for celiac patients if coconut milk is used instead of normal milk as it is naturally gluten-free and alkaline. Because of its high nutritional content, longer satiety and it is recommended as a weaning food for babies. It is good for blood pressure because of its high potassium and magnesium and low sodium levels. Aids milk production in lactating mothers. It is rich in antioxidants and amino acids (especially tryptophan) which help to provide relief from conditions like anxiety, hypertension, depression, and migraine.
A Smoothie is a thick, creamy, and cold beverage made from pureed raw fruits, vegetables, and sometimes dairy products, typically using a blender. The healthfulness of a smoothie depends on its ingredients and their proportions. Many smoothies include large or multiple servings of fruits and vegetables, which are recommended in a healthy diet and intended to be a meal replacement.
Roast washed and dried ragi, make fine powder. If ragi flakes are available, soak for 5 minutes. In a blender add banana, jaggery / palm sugar, ragi flakes or powder and blend for few seconds. Then add the liquid of choice and then blend for some or time till it is smooth and homogeneous.
Precaution
Diabetics and obese persons can have without jaggery
Health Benefits: Green leaves are rich in iron and fiber contents. Including green leaves in diet helps to improve digestive system health and keeps body fit. They supply almost no calories and hence are good choice for reducing weight.
Green leaveshave long been used as a milk-boosting food. This light, flavorful soup made with fresh fenugreek or other edible leaves and dal water (supernatant of boiled pulses) not only improves breast milk but aids digestion and provides appropriate nutrition as well.
Ingredients
Fenugreek/ spinach or any other green leaves – 1 cup
Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onion, garlic and sauté until onions turn translucent, add the tomatoes, and cook for a few more minutes. Now add cleaned and chopped green leaves and sauté until they soften, then add 2 cups of diluted dal water, salt, and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend half of the quantity and then add this to the rest of the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add pepper powder to taste.
Health benefits: This recipe is rejuvenating, appetizing, carminative a probiotic & strength promoting and useful ininflammatory bowel diseasessuch as Crohn’s disease and colitis. It is recommended to take in summer and autumn. It is good for general debility and emaciation.
Curd, when churned with sugar and spicessuch as pepper is known as Rasala.
Ingredients
Fresh curd – 1 cup (150 ml)
Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon (3 gm)
Jaggery /sugar – 10 gm (2 teaspoons)
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon (2 gm)
Butter/ghee – 1 teaspoon
Mustard – 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek – 1/2 teaspoon (3 gm)
Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon (3 gm)
Crushed red chilli – 1 or 2, as per taste
Curry leaves – 5 to 6
Total quantity: 1 glass (200-250 ml)
Preparation:
Pepper powder, jaggery and salt are added to fresh curd and blended well using a blender or traditional churning. Heat butter or ghee in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies and curry leaves and use it for seasoning. Salt can be used in place of jaggery /sugar as per the taste and requirement. Ressala is ready to serve with roti, rice etc. or as a health drink by adding more water and lemon juice.
