Ayurvedic Diet: Fresh & Easy Energy Drink

Ayurvedic medicine considers dates to be an excellent source of energy, particularly if the body is run down or recovering from illness, they are also excellent for children. Some Ayurvedic practitioners recommend eating a few dates every day to keep the body charged with vital energy. But since dates are usually bought dried they can be a bit tough to digest, especially for vata types, so Ayurveda recommends soaking them first to aid digestion and assimilation.

One traditional way to do this is to keep a sealed jar of dates soaked in liquid ghee and take one or two each morning. Another easy and delicious way is to try the energy drink recipe below.

Almonds are good for the nervous system. Soaking them makes the skins easier to remove and aids digestion. A handful of blanched almonds with a cup of hot milk makes an excellent nerve nourishing bed time drink.

Energy Drink Ingredients

5 dates

10 almonds

2 cups milk / almond milk / goat’s milk / water

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ghee

Preparation

Soak 5 whole dates and 10 almonds overnight in water (one convenient way to do this is to use a clean jam jar - it’s the ideal size and the lid will keep the contents clean from any dust etc. that can settle when things are left uncovered.)

Once soaked, peel the almonds and place in a blender with the dates, ghee, powdered spices and half of the milk/water (if you heat the milk/water first it will be easier to digest - Ayurveda does not consider cold drinks good for the digestion.)

Blend until smooth and then add the other half of the liquid and blend again.