Are you a Vata, Pitta or Kapha?

I have recently been reading about Ayurveda or "knowledge or science of life" from the spiritual texts of ancient India.  The basic principle of Ayurveda is that vibrant health is attained when all aspects of life: physical, mental, emotional, behavioural, spiritual, familial, social and universal, are balanced, as described in the wonderful Ayurveda guidebook and cookbook called "Eat, Taste, Heal."  The three doshas or biological energies,Vata, Pitta and Kapha determine our individual nature. The doshas ensure optimum health when we are in a balanced state while promote disease during an imbalanced state.  Living and eating in a way that balance your doshas (primary and secondary) will lead to a healthier life. This self-test will help you to determine your constitution and will provide some suggestions how to bring balance back to your doshas.

Related articles

• The Ancient World | India (guardian.co.uk)

Eat the City

In today's newsletter from the Care2 Healthy Living and Green, the concept of Food as Art was discussed.  One of the featured artist is Chinese artist Song Dong, who built up this work called "Eating the City" entirely based on cookies and biscuits.  The idea behind this work is to reflect on the rapid development of cities in China, where new infrastructures are eating away the older China housing and buildings, showing transience and short-lived nature of existence.  According to the artist, "the purpose of my work is for the city I build to be destroyed."  Literally the city is to be eaten.  The work was displayed in the famous department store, Selfridges in London in 2007, though the store had to deal with the Public Health Department ruling that the biscuits were not fit to be eaten.  Nevertheless, this is a very sweet display of the artist's concept.