Ayurveda, the ancient art of healing, is more modern than ever. Ayurvedic wisdom impressively demonstrates how strongly our emotional world and health are influenced by our diet. For many, the principles of Ayurvedic health teachings are the key to a healthy diet and can contribute to a significant improvement in digestive and various other health problems. In her cookery book "Ayurvedic feel-good cuisine - 100 seasonal recipes for modern nutrition", published by UNIMEDICA in the Narayana publishing house, author Divya Alter conveys the practical aspects of modern Ayurvedic cooking in an extremely informative and clear way, while also presenting a very inspiring guide to a healthy, vegetarian diet and optimum health. Bulgarian-born yogini, Ayurveda pioneer and nutrition expert Divya Alter runs an authentic Ayurvedic café in Manhattan and also runs the Bhagvat Life cooking school, a non-profit educational organisation in New York. Based on her extensive knowledge and diverse wealth of experience in tasty cooking and holistic healing, the author has compiled a wide variety of delicious, everyday recipes in her cookbook that show that healthy eating doesn't have to be boring or complicated. As well as using traditional Indian ingredients, she also encourages the integration of regional products into the menu. In addition to classic recipes, her Ayurvedic dishes also include a large selection of Italian and French-style dishes such as spinach risotto, lasagne with broccolini, carrots and spinach or a delicious vegetable quiche in a pan. At first glance, the very informative table of contents appears somewhat confusing with its different fonts and subdivisions, but on closer study it provides an excellent overview of the topics covered in detail and the very structured layout of the recipe section. The introduction, in which Divya Alter introduces herself to us readers and describes her professional career, is also very comprehensive and extremely readable. In it, the likeable author also vividly conveys her personal attitude to Ayurvedic cuisine and her approach to this book. "Ayurvedic well-being cuisine is an attempt to teach you the principles according to which you can combine your physical and mental needs with the foods and spices that bring you into balance." (Quote from Divya Alter p.6) Before starting with the recipes, PART ONE "Our relationship with food" provides a detailed introduction to the basics of Ayurvedic nutrition. The three doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) are also presented in a very understandable and interesting way. In this way, you can roughly try to assign yourself to a constitutional type based on the airy, fiery or earthy qualities - although there are always fluctuations in the manifestations. In a further chapter, the author also takes a detailed look at our relationship with food and discusses the five important characteristics of food. But don't worry, extensive experience with Ayurveda and Ayurvedic cooking is not required. Thanks to the comprehensible explanations, the book is also suitable for those who are interested in an introduction to the topic of "Ayurvedic nutrition". After this comprehensive, informative introductory section, PART TWO now follows with the actual recipe section, which again begins with a short foreword and contains some important comments and notes from the author. The recipe section is very clearly laid out and has a seasonal division into spring & early summer, summer & early autumn and late autumn & winter. These are then further subdivided into recipes for mornings, lunches/dinners, savoury treats and drinks. Thanks to the seasonal organisation of the recipes, every constitution type will find the ideal dishes for the respective season. For each recipe, the author also gives tips for a specific dosha and offers recipe variations according to your own digestive strength. In addition to many varied, modern recipes, the classic Ayurvedic dishes and staple foods such as khicharis, chutneys, masalas and ghee are not neglected. There are also other special chapters such as side dishes and salad dressings, as well as the staple foods of the new Ayurvedic cuisine. From salads to soups, a wide variety of cereal and vegetable dishes to culinary delights, everything your heart desires is included. The dessert recipes, such as the delicious sesame and honey balls or the tasty lime mousse, show that you don't have to compromise on enjoyment if you follow Ayurvedic principles. It's really hard to decide which recipe to try first when leafing through the pages. All the recipes are lacto-vegetarian and almost all have gluten-free options and vegan alternatives listed, which are labelled with corresponding codes. In addition to a clear list of ingredients and clearly written preparation instructions, each recipe is accompanied by a detailed introductory text and additional information such as interesting variations, special notes on the foods used, the effects of the spices used or possible combinations. In PART THREE, the most important spices and herbs are presented in The equipment for your new Ayurvedic cuisine. There is also an overview of the most important ingredients used in the recipe section, interesting information on product knowledge and explanations of foods that are considered problematic. At the end of the book, there are a few words summarising the author, an APPENDIX, an acknowledgement and finally a detailed alphabetical index, which makes it easier to find the recipes, as well as the ingredients and many of the terms mentioned in the text. I also liked the appealingly clear, modern layout and the rather simple, sometimes different-coloured design of the pages, which fit in well with the topic of "Ayurvedic nutrition" and do justice to the overall very informative concept of the book. The beautiful illustration of the content with natural-looking, appetising photos by William and Susan Brinson is also very successful. It is a pity, however, that not all the recipes are accompanied by a colour photo, as appetising pictures arouse curiosity about the printed dishes, especially when browsing through cookbooks, and immediately make you want to cook them again. CONCLUSION A beautifully presented, inspiring and extremely informative Ayurveda cookery book with delicious, varied recipe ideas! Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the ancient healing art of Ayurveda and healthy eating and would like to try something new!

The book contains 100 recipes with beautiful pictures and very good, clear and simple descriptions. The book contains vegetarian and, for the most part, vegan dishes. There is also general information about Ayurveda and nutritional science, which can improve everyone's life and contribute to well-being through nutrition. The information is easy to read and easy to understand for everyone. The headings also make it easy to find your way around the book. For me, it is always important in a cookery book that the food tastes good and the lime mousse in particular really impressed me and is a dream. The short pieces of information about individual foods are also informative and get to the heart of the matter. The book is also very clearly organised and sorted by topic, so that you can look things up by season, for example. Overall, I like the book because, in addition to being a cookery book, it also contains a lot of information about Ayurveda.

nice to look at, but for me it's too difficult to realise in everyday life!

📝Rating: The cover is typically simple on the subject of "Ayurveda" and that's how it should be, it simply fits into this concept - after all, it's also about balance and cleansing. The dishes on the cover don't suit me, but I'm not the Ayurveda type. The blurb covers the entire spine of the book and is, atypically, very informative. I really like that! The book even has a ribbon marker! That was really surprising, considering that fewer and fewer hardcover books are being produced. And to have this in a cookery book is special. The table of contents has a different design; it has several headings and sub-headings. At first this seems overwhelming to me, but after looking at it for a while I really like it. I like the detailed categorisation (morning, midday, evening, drinks) as I like things to be clearly structured. The seasonal addition makes no sense to me as I don't eat according to the season. Of course, I pay attention to seasonal foods, but I don't categorise recipes as strictly as people here do and according to what they live by. I eat what I feel like eating and not what time of year it is. If I want to eat potato salad in winter, I eat potato salad. But this categorisation is typically German, so it fits. There is an introduction to Ayurvedic nutrition at the beginning of the book, recipes in the middle and a small food guide, basic cooking equipment, references etc. at the end. I have already leafed through a few Ayurvedic books, but this one stands out positively for my taste. The recipes and the recipe subdivisions are different to what I have read before. I have the feeling that the topic has been dealt with much more intensively here. I already had that impression from the reading sample. It's not just recipes that are presented here - we are introduced to Ayurvedic cuisine beforehand, and even the three doshas (vata, pitta and kapha) are explained ... I was pleasantly surprised. I took the test when I was a young teenager and I seem to be Kapha. The recipes are also categorised according to the doshas - just like the seasons. In the introduction to the topic, the author raises an essential question: are all foods healthy? And as I always say, everything is relative and we are the ones who judge things, the author also makes it clear in this question that all foods are neither good nor bad. Every body reacts differently to them. I know this very well, I often don't fit into the average statistics. One example is that you shouldn't do sport on a full stomach, eat a banana as much as possible, etc. I have done this several times and have felt so hungry on the cross trainer that I almost vomited. After three attempts, I only went to the gym on a full stomach, and lo and behold, I tolerate it perfectly. Only bananas are out of the question for me. Then I feel bad (just one of the many examples that everyone has). And that's what this is all about; analysing what type of eater you are, what foods you can tolerate and then shaping your diet accordingly. For each recipe, a main foodstuff is discussed in more detail and information is provided. It also states which recipe is suitable for which dosha type - as I wrote above. Unfortunately, I am missing an explanation of the "GF" and "MF" symbols in the portion information. They are not deciphered anywhere in the book and I don't know what they mean. On the one hand, plenty of information is provided, but on the other hand it is missing, for example for some foods that are not familiar in everyday life. I often read about foods whose origin and use was missing. "What kind of food is this?" These are also not explained anywhere in the book. What a pity. I have to research them on the internet, which is not and should not be the purpose of a cookery book like this. Another negative point of criticism is the lack of recipe photos; I really like it when all recipes have a photo of the result, however small it may be. Here, only some of the recipes have photos. That's a real shame. Especially with this type of diet, pictures are helpful to visualise the recipes. The biggest negative criticism I have is the paper! The first thing I noticed was that it stinks! And why does it stink? Because it's not environmentally friendly! It is neither recycled paper, nor FSC labelled or otherwise produced and declared environmentally friendly. From a publisher that advertises naturopathy, organic products, people and animals, etc., this is a NO GO! Especially for me! I find that really disappointing. The topic of "Ayurveda" makes the cookbook a special cookbook - not only because it contains a great deal of knowledge, but also because this form of nutrition does not fit into the German nutritional concept. It starts with the food itself. The equipment is not a problem. But many Far Eastern foods are not available here at all or hardly at all. And when they are available, they are usually expensive. It is difficult to integrate such a diet into everyday life under these conditions. When it comes to food, it starts with the smallest things - spices. Every culture has its own food culture for a reason. In India, having spices and food is part of everyday life and can be obtained quickly and cheaply in many cases. If the Indians wanted to integrate German food culture into their lives, they would face the same problems as we do with their food culture. I realise this myself when I want to cook Indian food (I love Indian food), I get pimples when I have to buy the spices! Too many, too expensive ... Even if I want to put together the spice mixtures, as is common among Indians, I first need the individual spices. And then I need the rest of the food. That's why I rarely cook Indian food, unfortunately! And Ayurvedic cuisine is even more specialised in its ingredients. It's a shame that food cultures are still so separate in society, even though knowledge of other cultures is increasing. But it's like looking out of the window; it's an adventure to look, but not to join in. 📌Short summary: ✔️Plus: Knowledge book and cookery book in one Informative blurb Organised and clear table of contents Colour coding of the respective recipes Food information for each recipe ❌Minus: Cooking symbols not declared No recipe photos for all dishes Many foods are not explained (what they are and what they do) The printing paper stinks and is not environmentally friendly (does not fit in with the publishing concept) 🗣️Fazit: It is not a typical cookery book, but includes part of a book of knowledge on the subject. Likewise, the author does not dwell on the ancient concept, but combines old and new recipes in line with Ayurvedic nutrition. I learnt about this diet as a teenager, but never learned to love it, as our culture in Germany is very opposed to it and it is very difficult. What's more, I simply don't like many foods from this culture. But I've learnt a few new things here and have written down a few recipes for myself. If you want to find out more about Ayurveda, you'll get a good insight here without getting bored or put off. 🤗Many thanks to the pre-reading team and the publisher for the copy provided!

+ Beautiful cookery book with added value. Unfortunately too few regional ingredients for me + I have often studied Ayurveda and find the Indian teachings of life very interesting and enriching. However, I find it difficult to implement the principles in our western lifestyle and diet. The blurb promises to help me here. Divya Alter runs an Ayurvedic restaurant in New York and presents 100 recipes in this book, which she has organised seasonally. I like the recipes, but they mainly use Indian spices and ingredients, which doesn't necessarily correspond to my "regional" understanding. That is the only point of criticism for me. The classic doshas ( vata - kapha - pitta ) are not mentioned, but instead there is talk of airy, fiery or earthy digestion. Thanks to prior knowledge, I know my constitution and can use the recipes accordingly. The book is of very high quality and contains many explanations in and between the recipes.

Fast delivery, beautiful product!