How to Make Raw Zucchini Noodles with Basil & Avocado Sauce

SERVINGS: 4

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES

PREPARATION: RAW

EAT IN: SUMMER

FOR OCCASION: CLEANSE, BACKYARD-PICNIC-BBQ

How Does This Ayurvedic Recipe Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

A rich avocado sauce accompanies crispy zucchini and zesty basil in this fun summertime favorite. Conventional Alfredo pasta simply can't stand up to the fresh vital taste of raw zucchini noodles.You'll receive all the blessings of vegetables from the garden with this light and creamy option. Enjoy on a breezy patio for dinner or as a quick cool-down during lunch. Easy to prepare in under 5 minutes, you'll realize that healthy, gourmet options are truly possible.

Is Raw Food Good for Your Constitution?

Summer is the best time of year to enjoy raw foods. Your body naturally craves the freshness of raw foods this time of year - just in time for ripe garden vegetables! Raw food offers nutritional benefits but is more difficult to digest, often causing gas and bloating. If raw food gives you gas, the burden of toxicity caused by flatulence outweighs the nutritional benefits. Indigestible food is considered poison in Ayurveda, no matter how many vitamins and nutrients it contains. The measure of good food is not just its contents, but its interaction with your body. The real answer to the cooked vs raw debate depends on the digestive strength of the individual. Pitta people have the strongest digestive strength and can tolerate more raw foods than other doshas. Raw food is also relatively cooling, which makes it a good choice to pitta or in the summer time.

Among raw foods, zucchini and avocado are not terribly hard to digest when raw. Zucchini is easy to chew, mild and slightly sweet. Adding zesty lime and fragrant parsley to these raw foods further boosts your body's ability to digest and assimilate this uncooked dish.

Noodles in Disguise

Thinly-sliced raw zucchini feels like conventional wheat noodles if cut lengthwise. Make sure to skin and seed your zucchini for this recipe, and any time you plan on eating it raw because seeds are hard to digest. You can use a julienne cutter to do this, or use a spiralizer to give your noodles a sprightly quality.

Avocado

Few foods from the plant kingdom echo the heavy richness of fine cheeses, creams and butter as does the avocado. Avocado melts in your mouth like brie or ice cream, and provides the creaminess that most associate exclusively with dairy, but is actually an oily berry. Although Avocado is unusually high in fats, it has no cholesterol and is an excellent choice for those wanting to lose weight. Officially it's on the list of foods for kapha types to avoid. However, avocado can be a very satisfying replacement for butter, cheese, and even creamy desserts, moderating your appetite for these less-healthy foods. Plus, it provides the healthy fats your body needs, essential Omega 3's and 6's which are necessary for a healthy metabolism. This buttery green fruit is also packed with vitamins, minerals and even complete proteins.

Fresh Basil and Parsley

Pluck a few leaves of fresh basil or parsley from your yard and crumble their delicate leaves against your palm. Smelling the bright aroma, toss the leaves into the blender with your avocado and add flair to your sauce. These digestives, along with the avocado and lime, create a synergistic combination that cools your blood. This light recipe is especially good on a hot summer day when the environmental heat brings forth a sluggish appetite or irritated GI tract.

AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

INCREASES Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic. Learn More	EASY ABOUT EASY BIOCHARACTERISTIC Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly. LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY LIQUEFIED ABOUT LIQUEFIED BIOCHARACTERISTIC Substances that thin fluids (lower viscosity of blood plasma). These may include blood thinners or mucolytic herbs. LEARN MORE ABOUT LIQUEFIED COLD ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	SOUR ABOUT SOUR BIOCHARACTERISTIC Sour refers to anything fermented or acidic. LEARN MORE ABOUT SOUR
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. They are easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. They tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. If they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Anabolic people tend to be stable and grounded. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	Subtaste: Bland BLAND Bland means doesn't have much taste. In Chinese medicine, bland taste refers to afood without little macronutrients, such as cabbage, radish or bok choy. SEE ALL 'BLAND' FOODS / HERBS
HERBAL ACTIONS (see all)	Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Raw Zucchini Noodles with Basil & Avocado Sauce Experiences are Personal Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition. Digestion: Quenches Thirst QUENCHES-THIRST An herb or substance that relieves thirst. SEE ALL 'QUENCHES-THIRST' FOODS / HERBS Cleanse & Detox: Internal Detoxicant INTERNAL-DETOXICANT Liquefies, dissolves, decongests or dislodges internal stagnant toxins. Decongests the lymphatic system. SEE ALL 'INTERNAL-DETOXICANT' FOODS / HERBS Mind, Stress & Sleep: Nerve Relaxant Grounding NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts. SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS Energy Vitality: Satisfies Stomach SATISFIES-STOMACH Provides a sense of gratification and fullness in the stomach. SEE ALL 'SATISFIES-STOMACH' FOODS / HERBS Skin Care & Beauty: Refreshes Skin REFRESHES-SKIN Flushes the lymphatic system to cool, awaken, and revive the skin. SEE ALL 'REFRESHES-SKIN' FOODS / HERBS , Diaphoretic DIAPHORETIC An herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin. SEE ALL 'DIAPHORETIC' FOODS / HERBS Kidney & Urinary: Diuretic DIURETIC Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure. SEE ALL 'DIURETIC' FOODS / HERBS Constituents: Magnesium MAGNESIUM Helps muscles relax. Laxative. SEE ALL 'MAGNESIUM' FOODS / HERBS , Vitamin C, Insoluble Fiber, Alpha Linolenic Acid, Fats, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Potassium, Rutin RUTIN Rutin is a flavonoid with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Commonly used to treat conditions such as varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and high blood pressure. SEE ALL 'RUTIN' FOODS / HERBS , Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids, Folate, Nitric Oxide NITRIC-OXIDE Improves circulation by dilating blood vessels. Protects blood vessels from damage. Improves athletic performance, libido, immunity, and brain health. SEE ALL 'NITRIC-OXIDE' FOODS / HERBS , Polyphenols POLYPHENOLS Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants seen in many fruits and vegetables. There are more than 8,000 types. SEE ALL 'POLYPHENOLS' FOODS / HERBS , Flavonoids FLAVONOIDS Flavonoids are a colorful type of polyphenol. As all polyphenols, they have a strong antioxidant effect. Many flavonoids have an anti-inflammatory, and/or antiallergen effect. SEE ALL 'FLAVONOIDS' FOODS / HERBS , Aromatase Inhibitor AROMATASE-INHIBITOR Blocks estrogen synthesis by inhibiting conversion of progesterone and testosterone into estrogen. SEE ALL 'AROMATASE-INHIBITOR' FOODS / HERBS

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Joyful Belly is a recognized school of biocharacteristics medicine.