Ayurvedic Buttermilk Recipe for Spring

Photo by Oscar Nord on Unsplash with gratitude

After the heavy foods of winter,  spring Kapha season, which runs from mid-February to May or when the weather starts to get nice and warm,  is a time when we start craving lighter foods.

Ayurvedic Buttermilk is a light yogurt-based drink, much different from the commercial buttermilk that you find in a store.  And it's not even related to butter!  Yogurt can be a bit heavy for some people to digest and it can also be conducive to weight gain, especially when it comes to thick Greek yogurt.  But this buttermilk drink is light and easy to digest because of the spices in the recipe. 

The cold Kapha season of spring has a dense nature which can leave us feeling heavy and cold, so we want to balance that with lots of warm foods, cooked vegetables, especially cooked green vegetables, non-gluten grains (because gluten is heavy) and lots of warming spices. 

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This delicious buttermilk drink helps lift the heavy mood after the long winter because it's light and refreshing.  It also enhances the digestive strength and feeds the healthy gut bacteria.  

Ingredients (Serves 1):

• 1/4 cup plain organic yogurt* (or homemade)
• 3/4 cup COLD water
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• pinch of good quality salt
• *Try to find a yogurt that doesn't have milk solids or milk protein in it because these can be hard to digest. 

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend the plain yogurt on low by itself for three minutes.  
2. Add cold water and blend again on low three to five minutes, stopping several times to collect and remove any fatty foam that rises to the top.  Repeat blending and removing foam until yogurt appears watery but cloudy. 
3. Pour into glass, add the spices and salt.  Whisk gently to mix evenly.
4. Serve at room temperature.  (Cold drink weaken the digestive strength.)

Drink and enjoy!  This buttermilk can be served with a meal to help digestion, or drink as a refreshing snack between meals.
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Tips like this will be part of my Ayurvedic Green Cleanse, coming April 2018.  It's an amazing spring cleanse focusing on green foods (and there's LOTS of them!) and other health promoting foods and drinks.  It's NOT a raw food cleanse.  Instead there's lots of cooked foods designed to lighten your weight and emotions and to remove toxins, yet feel satisfied and full at the same time.  The Green Cleanse can also be modified so only half your plate is green along with your regular food.  And even if all you can do is have one green thing on your plate at each meal that's perfectly acceptable too!  Participate according to your own level.  Stay tuned for further announcements about my  Ayurvedic Green Cleanse!