Think Healthy, Choose Healthy: Make Healthier Dietary and Lifestyle Choices Through the Holistic Approach of Nutrition and Ayurveda

By Varsha Khatri

Think Healthy Choose Healthy is the book that integrates holistic health. It is a practical approach to healthy living that does not require you to follow any extreme measures. Rather, this book guides you through how to create your ideal wellness plan and how to make healthier choices in this unhealthy world. Varsha’s unique approach is laid out in a simple manner that aims to simplify healthy living, making it clear that healthy living is about finding the right balance. It is not an “all-or-nothing” approach. This book covers the main areas of holistic healthy living such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, and self-care, but also addresses the importance of digestion and the immune system. By the end of the book, you will have created a plan that works for your own body-type using the concept of the three doshas in Ayurveda as a foundation to which you can build upon so that you continue to make practical healthier choices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Apr 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781982265472

Varsha Khatri

Varsha Khatri has a practical and unique approach to healthy living. She brings forth the value of holistic health by combining the science of health and nutrition with Ayurveda. Varsha believes that we have today to make a healthier tomorrow. Varsha is a qualified Nutritionist, a Senior Yoga Teacher, an Ayurvedic Health Specialist, and a Holistic Health Educator. She has spent over a decade helping others achieve their health goals through her holistic and empowering approach that is unique to her skillset.

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Copyright © 2021 Varsha Khatri.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-9822-6546-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-6545-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-6547-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021907277

Balboa Press rev. date: 04/15/2021

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1You Struggle Because You Are Out of Balance

Chapter 2Get to Know Yourself and Learn More about You

Chapter 3Diets Don’t Work

Chapter 4Holistic Approach That Addresses Mind, Body, and Spirit

Chapter 5You Can Feel Healthy Again by Following the Principles of Ayurveda

Chapter 6Eat According to Your Body Type and Dosha

Chapter 7Your Digestive and Immune Systems Are the Most Important

Chapter 8You Must Manage Stress Levels

Chapter 9Being Healthy Is about Finding the Balance of Rest and Activity

Chapter 10You Can Have a Lifestyle That Makes You Feel Your Best

Chapter 11Being Healthy Is Simpler Than You Think

Creating Your Ideal Wellness Plan

Acknowledgements

Author Bio

Endnotes

INTRODUCTION

I have always had a passion for healthy living. Even as a child, I remember thinking to myself that there must be a way to stay healthy and not get sick, even from colds. From early in my childhood, I said that I wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to help people feel better. I used to spend my summers in high school shadowing doctors at clinics, and I volunteered as a candy striper at a hospital for a few years. However, when I was sixteen, my family was in a terrible car accident, and that changed my entire perception of medicine and what helping people feel better really meant to me.

Everyone was fine, but my mom ended up with a severe nerve pinch in her shoulder. It was so bad that no one could even touch her without her being in excruciating pain. I saw my parents deal with the insurance bureaucracy to get her the right tests and treatment. Once she was diagnosed, doctors presented her with an option for surgery that had a very small chance of working. In fact, the odds of paralysis or her living with the pain were higher than the odds of the surgery actually making her better. While all this was going on, my mom was on painkillers, which had side effects, for which she then had more medication.

Then a family friend recommended yoga. Although the doctors advised against any physical activity, my parents thought, What’s the worst that could happen? and decided to try it out. Within six weeks, she felt completely better. Medical doctors could not help her over a span of six months, but my yoga teacher helped her in six weeks. This was when I began wondering about the benefits of alternative health and whether there was another way to help people. My mom made a choice, and she chose to try something new to help herself feel better.

Thus began my journey into the world of alternative and complementary medicine. I found Maharishi University of Management, now known as Maharishi International University, which was the only accredited institution at the time that offered a bachelor’s degree to study Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a form of complementary or natural approach to medicine that originated in India. In Sanskrit, Ayu means life and Veda means knowledge. Thus Ayurveda is the knowledge of life in particular to health and wellbeing. During my undergraduate years of study, I trained to become a classical hatha yoga teacher with the same teacher who helped my mom. After graduation, I continued to work in the fields of Ayurveda, health education, health promotion, and nutrition. I even went on to earn my master’s degree in holistic health education with an emphasis in holistic nutrition.

I started integrating Ayurveda with modern science very early in my career. While I was studying for my bachelor’s degree, I gave lectures at a local spa and wellness centre about Ayurveda’s six tastes and how they influence digestion. Each of the doshas in Ayurveda and the six tastes have their specific functions that play a role when it comes to digestion. Being the lecturer allowed me to integrate and present the knowledge in a way to which the attendees could relate. After earning my bachelor’s degree, the first Ayurvedic clinic I worked full-time at was in Encinitas, California. There, I began working mostly with clients who had neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, and thus began my specialisation in autoimmune conditions using Ayurveda and modern science.

When I went on to study for my master’s degree at John F. Kennedy University, all my professors were supportive and knew how important it was to me to integrate the knowledge of modern nutrition with Ayurveda. They helped me every step of the way. I have always loved learning about both Eastern and Western approaches to health. Blending the two has been a real passion, and I have seen first-hand the positive difference it makes for my clients.

Throughout my years as a clinical nutritionist, Ayurvedic health specialist, yoga teacher, and health educator, I have seen the consistent pattern that healthy results are due to the choices that are made. My clients achieve results, whether it is improved skin, healthier digestion, balanced blood sugar levels, or weight loss, because they choose to make the changes and commit to living healthier lifestyles. Life is full of choices. Waking up in the morning in itself is a choice. From there, your morning routine, what you choose to wear, whether you exercise, what food you eat—everything is a choice. Your health is about how you choose to live your life. When life throws you curveballs, again, you have a choice as to how you handle it. Everything that I am about to share with you in this book is about how the choices you make influence your health and well-being. As you realise the importance of the decisions you make that influence your health, this book will also help you make healthier choices in a way that is simple and practical.

This book is not about achieving perfectionism. We live in a world where everyone and everything needs to be presented perfectly. However, perfect has different meanings to different people. Think Healthy, Choose Healthy is about making healthy changes in a way that is doable. Being healthy is not about being able to do it all, but rather about how even the smallest of choices can make a big difference to how you feel. Even at times when you feel that you have no choice, you still do in some ways, which I will demonstrate. Healthy eating and living was never meant to be overwhelming or even stressful. I will show you how to be healthy in a more simplified way.

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1

YOU STRUGGLE BECAUSE YOU

ARE OUT OF BALANCE

The truth is you are here because you feel that something needs to change. Whatever it is that you are doing is not working for you anymore, and it’s time to find a new approach. Perhaps you are under high amounts of stress or are completely lacking in energy. Perhaps your digestive system is not working, and food does not sit well with you. Perhaps you are constantly getting ill or are struggling to lose weight. Whatever it is, something simply is not right, and you want to feel healthier again. Being healthy is not about weight loss or even looking a certain way. Being healthy is about feeling good within yourself. This may range from sleeping better to having more fun, having a stronger metabolism, or simply having more energy. You want a new approach that is simple to adapt into your already busy lifestyle. I am here to offer you exactly that. Follow my approach, and you will soon realise that healthy living is actually quite simple.

More often than not, the struggle with health starts with something very subtle. For some, it starts with an occasional headache or achy back. For others, this could mean the odd heartburn, indigestion, or occasional constipation. These rare occurrences slowly begin to overtake your life. All of a sudden you cannot sleep no matter what you do. Perhaps you cannot eat a meal without going to the toilet straight afterwards. For some reason, you always feel thirsty. Or how about this one: you cannot wake up in the morning no matter how many hours of sleep you get. All these are real health challenges.

Notice how I did not mention weight. Yes, you should be at a healthy weight, but it is up to you and your doctor or health professional to decide what a healthy weight means to you. The body mass index, more commonly known as BMI, is a standard height-weight chart that is the same for men and women whether you are eighteen old or eighty years old. This chart does not account for age, ethnicity, health history, lifestyle, fitness, or diet. BMI also does not account for actual fat mass or muscle mass, and therefore it can be potentially misleading in terms of defining how healthy you actually are.¹ Weight is not the only factor that defines health. However, how you feel can define your health. For example, if you feel that you are overweight and would like to lose weight, then this is a real health concern that you need to address. I always tell my clients that unless there is a clinical reason to lose weight, weight loss in itself is a personal choice. In fact, there is an entire nutrition sector dedicated to the model of health at every size. Also known as HAES, this model is one that accepts body diversity and teaches that people of all sizes and shapes are also healthy. They promote staying active and eating well within your means, but they also teach body acceptance and embracing who you are.² Your health is not solely defined by your BMI or appearance. There are a variety of considerations to make in addition to muscle and fat percentage. That includes but is not limited to inflammation levels, cholesterol, blood sugar,