During consultations, I am almost always asked what to eat. There are specific dietary recommendations for specific health issues, but the most general advice for an autumn diet is to eat organically grown, seasonal, unprocessed, nutritious and freshly prepared warm food.
Children need nutritious meals to grow, and we all want to derive satisfaction from tasty food. It is important for parents to provide their family with wholesome food without too much hassle. I know from personal experience just how much children’s health, calmness and alertness depend on their diet – and that mums always have so many responsibilities and so little time.
To inspire my dear customers, I have written down my family’s two-week menu for this autumn. In real life, my menu is less varied, but in putting together these sample menus, I have catered to the desire for a bit of variety. Both vegetarians and omnivores can use these menus for inspiration: omnivores will find opportunities here to reduce their consumption of meat and fish, whilst vegetarians can omit meat and fish entirely.
Breakfast
A working day could start with porridge – savoury, with berries or homemade jam, or with cinnamon. I add one teaspoon of ghee per person. If there are children in the family, the family’s health is generally good and they enjoy porridge with milk, the porridge could be cooked with mild raw milk; the milk can also be mixed half and half with water. You can also cook the porridge with crushed nuts, dried fruit or raisins that have been soaked overnight.
Fats and spices
Ghee is excellent to use as a fat in cooking: it withstands high temperatures, aids digestion and imparts a wonderful flavour. Pancakes can be fried in ghee or sesame oil.
As for spices, I mainly use cumin, turmeric, coriander and dark mustard seeds, which stimulate a healthy appetite, aid digestion and make the food tasty. I use chilli very rarely. To prepare the base for a dish, I heat cumin seeds and fresh ginger in ghee. I mix turmeric and ground coriander with salt in a little hot water and add this to the stewing or soup liquid later on. I also add asafoetida to foods that cause flatulence. Bay leaves also help to combat flatulence.
What to eat in moderation
Bread, chicken, fish and sweet foods should be eaten in moderation. In the sample menu, dessert is served twice a week, and fish and chicken once a week each. Cheese and dairy products should also be consumed in moderation, preferably at breakfast and lunch rather than in the evening. I discuss dairy products in more detail in the post ‘Dairy products from an Ayurvedic perspective’.
Where possible, ingredients should be organic, seasonal, additive-free and fresh – including bread. The general recommendation is to eat fresh food, meaning food prepared on the same day, although lunch can be supplemented with simple side dishes in the evening, for example at the weekend. If we try to follow the principles of healthy eating 80 per cent of the time, there’s no need to worry about the remaining 20 per cent when we stray from the right path – the body can cope with it.
If you run out of inspiration, you can always make a ‘kitcher’ – a simple, balanced and nutritious meal that’s ready in no time. Quinoa is a great alternative to other grains; it’s easy to prepare and very tasty.
The sample menu features a nutritious meal that’s quick and easy to prepare – even a schoolchild can make it themselves. Adults generally do not need a set menu. The menu is indicative and intended as inspiration – all components can be combined and substituted as you wish.
Week 1
Monday
- Breakfast: porridge (oat, four-grain or spelt porridge)
- Lunch: at school or at work
- Snack: couscous with ghee or olive oil and steamed cauliflower or broccoli
- Dinner: pumpkin risotto
Tuesday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or work
- Afternoon snack: single-egg omelette with peppers, cottage cheese
- Dinner: oven-roasted vegetables (courgette, carrot, pumpkin, potato, turnip) with ghee, chicken breast if desired
Wednesday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or work
- Snack: warm sandwich with farmhouse cheese and tomato
- Dinner: kitcheri with vegetables (carrots, green peas, cauliflower, peppers), oven-roasted beetroot
Thursday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or work
- Afternoon snack: buckwheat porridge (soaked overnight, it’s ready in no time)
- Dinner: lentil soup
Friday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or at work
- Snack: fried egg with cottage cheese
- Evening: oven-baked fish with boiled Turkish beans, Parisian apple cake
Saturday
- Breakfast: pancakes made from mild wholemeal flour (for example, half spelt and half barley flour) with honey or homemade jam
- Lunch: chicken breast with salad, avocado
- Dinner: organic vegetable lasagne, ghee-pan-fried bananas with dark chocolate
Sunday
- Breakfast: pancakes made from organic wholemeal flour with honey, homemade jam or maple syrup
- Lunch: country-style omelette (with potatoes and courgette, with cheese if desired)
- Dinner: borscht, with a little sour cream if desired
Week 2
Monday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or at work
- Afternoon snack: warmed borscht
- Dinner: lentil curry with basmati rice
Tuesday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or work
- Afternoon snack: single-egg omelette with peppers
- Dinner: kitcher with vegetables
Wednesday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or work
- Afternoon snack: couscous with ghee or olive oil and steamed cauliflower or broccoli
- Dinner: beetroot risotto
Thursday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or at work
- Afternoon snack: warm cheese and tomato sandwich
- Dinner: ratatouille with rice and chickpeas
Friday
- Breakfast: porridge
- Lunch: at school or at work
- Afternoon snack: buckwheat porridge with ghee and cottage cheese
- Dinner: chicken breast, basmati rice, cabbage stew with turmeric, cumin and mustard seeds; baked apple with vanilla sauce
Saturday
- Breakfast: pancakes made from organic wholemeal flour with honey or homemade jam
- Lunch: organic wholemeal pasta with pesto, salad
- Dinner: baked fish with vegetables, pumpkin cake
Sunday
- Breakfast: pancakes made from organic wholemeal flour with honey, homemade jam or maple syrup
- Lunch: buckwheat with onion, carrot and pepper, oven-roasted beetroot
- Dinner: pumpkin soup
You can find more soup recipes in the post ‘It’s soup season’. If you’d like dietary recommendations tailored specifically to your body type, come along to an Ayurvedic health consultation.