According to Ayurveda, when fruits are ripe and eaten in the proper season and climate, they are pure nectar. They immediately turn into rasa (nutritional fluid) — the first of the seven body tissues. Fresh ripe fruit requires practically no digestion and helps to increase ojas, the finest by-product of digestion that enhances immunity, happiness, and strength.
Fruits can also be enjoyed in ayurvedic cuisine as chutneys and preserves. Cooked fruits combine well with a wide range of spices such as cinnamon, fennel, dry-roasted ground cumin, ginger and coriander. Sauté your choice of spices in a little ghee, add chopped sweet ripe fruit and some salt and cook until the fruit is tender but not mushy for a quick chutney. Fruits can also be eaten stewed or broiled.
Sweet, ripe fruits provide valuable nutrients to the body. You will notice more energy and happiness from eating fresh organic fruits on a daily basis. In ayurveda, fruits are also valued for their ability to cleanse the body of toxins.
Fruit is best eaten in the morning or for a snack separate from other foods. As far as possible, shop for fruit at farmers markets or local orchards — supermarket fruit may have been artificially ripened, and therefore have lost some of its nutritive value.
