Ayurvedic Cookware
The leading benefits of drinking water in copper utensils include relief from arthritic pain and hypertension. It also aids in improving cardiovascular health.
If there are means to acquire nutrients naturally, why are we not taking them up?
Every individual needs a daily dose of nutrients, irons and minerals in their diet. Our present lifestyle does provide us with our needs but, majority of them are consumed artificially or medically. There are small ways in which one can provide their body with what it needs in a natural manner.
If there are means to acquire nutrients naturally, why are we not taking them up? Is it because we are unaware of our roots? Are those measures outdated/ backward for today’s fast – paced modern world? Or are we ignoring our legacy?
Following are some changes that we can bring about in our kitchen that would significantly make a difference in our daily lifestyle.
If observed carefully, you will find a lot of plastic in and around your kitchen. Small plastic containers to store masalas, dry food, cooked food, plastic bottles, etc. In our subconscious mind, we do know that it is not advisable to use plastic when it comes to food. During summers, when the heat is extreme, plastic does have some molecular change. The masalas and the pickles that contain moisture or oil, they absorb the molecules of the plastic. The food starts to smell bad after some time. Plastics come in different grades. Grade 1 and 2 are better than the other grades but it is best to avoid the use as much as possible.
Want to know a better and safer option to plastic? Use Brass!
Using Brass containers is any day better than using plastic ones. Also, the shelf life of the food kept in Brass jars is much more when compared to plastic. The freshness and aroma of the masalas kept in brass jars cannot be sustained in plastic containers. Brass retains the quality of our masalas, food stuff, pickles etc. Investing on Brass or copper jars can cost you more bucks but they are sure to last for a lifetime that plastics don’t.
There are changes we can make to our cooking habits as well.
Let's get the basics right
To start from the very basic, the use of an ‘Iron Degchi’. Any food you cook in an iron vessel, the food absorbs the properties of the metal. We all know our body needs iron. Iron getting into our body in the mildest way, through the food we eat is the best!
Try replacing your aluminum vessels with iron ones for a meal rich with irons. The only drawback is that the food cooked/ kept in these vessels turn a little blackish in colour. But note! It is not at all harmful for consumption.
Tip to maintain your iron cookware: When you buy an iron vessel, make sure you first dip it in tamarind (imli) water / apply tamarind paste for an entire day and scrub it with sand the following day. Heat water in it, let the water dry or else it will rust.
Use of Brass (Pital) vessels.
Most of us already know the health benefits of this metal. When we have access to this metal even today, why aren’t we taking the benefit of it?
Brass, a metal that has a shine like Gold, stores ancient health secrets. The composition of brass makes it the perfect metal to cook your food in, as you add flavors to your dishes, brass adds nutrition to it. Brass helps in providing healthier hair and produces required amounts of melanin. Melanin is extremely important to ensure the health of your skin and protect it from harmful UV rays.
When it comes to cooking, make sure that your brass vessel is tin coated (kalai karna) from the inside before use. Tin coating is a process of applying a protective tin coat to brass to prevent corrosion
Importance of tin coating over brass utensils –
Brass being the alloy of copper is also dangerous if direct contact with food.
So brass utensils are coated with tin so as to prevent direct contact with food.
Tip: don’t forget to tin coat your brassware after regular intervals . Brass gives the perfect blend of ethnicity and lust that beautifies your kitchen and home more than ever!
Tin Coating
Use of Copper (Tamba) vessels
Drinking copper – enriched water is top notch!
What is the property of water? The property of water is that it absorbs the properties of the material of the container in which it is stored. If water is stored in a plastic bottle, it absorbs some amount of plastic molecules. And when we drink that water, we are also consuming the plastic dissolved in it which is obviously not good for our health. Why do we use plastic bottles?
Just because they are cheaper as compared to a glass or copper jug? It is better and advisable to own one glass/ copper container for water rather than having 3 – 4 plastic bottles. Invest in glass or copper jugs. They will be more expensive than plastic bottles but they are sure to grant you health for a lifetime that plastics won’t.
According to Ayurveda, drinking copper – enriched water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach helps balance all three doshas (Kapha, Vata and Pitta) which is good for one’s immunity.
Now you will wonder how much copper – enriched water should one consume?
If one is drinking only copper – enriched water throughout the day and daily, it is advisable for that person to take a break from copper-enriched water after every 3 months. (Excess of everything is bad)
Replace the copper water with regular water (i.e., water stored in a glass bottle or clay pot) for a month. Excess intake of copper is also not good for the human body.
Drinking 2 to 3 glasses of water that has been stored in a copper vessel everyday is another way to go about it.
People with Pitta dosha – who are energetic, ambitious but also slightly aggressive, copper enriched water is good for them. It cools them down.
Copper not only kills harmful bacteria in water but adds nutrients necessary for your body and helps in proper absorption of it. It improves your skin and premature aging of the human body, maintains the glow of your skin, helps reduce cholesterol, controls thyroid and boosts one’s immunity. Now you know where to go to boost your health & glow!
Kansa
Last but not to forget Kansa also known as the bell metal!
Kansa utensils are very good for eating, though they cannot be cooked with. As soon as any kansa vessel meets fire, it will break. Kansa cures the internal imbalances of the body and strengthens bones. It promotes healthy red blood cell formation and regulates various ailments like Thyroid as it ensures regulation of the thyroid gland.
Just to add on, you also get to spot silverware utensils in the market. One will have to shed quite a lot of pennies out of their pockets to buy any silverware. But there are small tricks wherein if applied, a larger number of audience can have access to “chandi ka pani’.
If someone is suffering from Autism (Autism disorder impacts the nervous system and affects the overall cognitive, emotional, social and physical health of the affected individual), feeding such a person from silverware is said to be beneficial. As they used to say in the olden days, “Chandi ka Chamcha” (silver spoon) helps cure Autism.
Some people like to drink warm. One way to enrich your water is by putting a silver ring/ coin/ earring in the warm water and let it stay overnight. What will happen is, the warm water will absorb the properties. And Voila! Next morning one will have silver enriched water to drink. For the people who have knee problems, this trick will act as a natural medicine to their problem. They’d be brimmed up with relaxation and sense the strength surging back into their body.
These are some natural demands of the human body. It is best to fulfill these demands naturally. But in today’s times, we do not follow the old traditional ways. We have exposed our body to the artificial world of medicines/ proteins.
There is no copy to natural methods. There is nothing more important than a healthy mind and a healthy body.
It is never late than now, to change our unhealthy practices and start taking up a healthier lifestyle. Small steps taken at home will definitely bring changes in our well-being. The best investment one can do is to invest in one’s health and in the health of their family. At the end of the day, a healthy and happy family is what we all work for.
Looking at the present scenario, India needs to support India. We as responsible citizens of India must do our best to support our own people in every way possible. Handmade in India is our future. What better way than starting from our own homes, starting from taking care of the health of our own family? It’s sure, if you ask your grandparents/ parents, they will have strong reminiscence of these traditional metals being used in their kitchens. No matter how far life takes us, how much technology takes over, we will still be the fruits of the same tree; those trees whose roots have been forgotten now.
Now that we know the benefits that we are missing out on, it’s time to get back to our roots.
“Kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab.”
Start replacing your steel/ porcelain/ melamine/ plastic/ glassware with handcrafted Indian metal kitchenware. This will be beneficial to the health of your loved ones and our Indian artisans will be more than happy to show you their skills of rich Indian craft.
The Indian handicrafts contain within themselves, a deep meaning and a deeper beauty.