Kerstin Rosenberg has been training students at the European Academy of Ayurveda in Ayurvedic nutrition for over 20 years and has made a name for herself internationally as an author. Stephanie Albert, lecturer at the Academy in Switzerland, has also found her calling as an Ayurvedic nutritionist and cook. Find out in this interview why they are both passionate about Ayurvedic nutrition and cooking.
1. what fascinates you about Ayurvedic nutritional concepts?
Kerstin: For me, Ayurveda is a holistic medicine and philosophy of life. This is also reflected in the Ayurvedic diet: it has many facets and is an extremely versatile system in which each person adapts their daily diet to their physical and mental needs and personal lifestyle according to their individual constitution. What particularly fascinates me is the therapeutic use of Ayurvedic nutrition in the sense of "food as medicine".
Stephanie: Ayurveda is not dogmatic. It's about working out the best diet for each person individually, which is also adapted to their daily routine. This is the only way to achieve sustainable integration into everyday life. And very important for me: Ayurveda food should taste good. So it's not about doing without, but about doing something enjoyable for your health.
2 Ayurveda comes from India. Is it even possible to eat an Ayurvedic diet here?
Kerstin: Yes, many people think that an Ayurvedic diet is an Indian vegetarian diet. But that's not true. In Ayurveda, regional and seasonal foods and traditional forms of preparation are important for digestibility and health. Eating an Ayurvedic diet means better understanding your own body and metabolism in relation to the elements, seasons and plants in nature. And even our great-grandmothers knew that heavy cabbage dishes with digestive caraway, bay leaf and pepper are easier to digest and that warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger and star anise should not be missing from the menu in the cold winter.
Stephanie: Absolutely. Because an Ayurvedic diet also means eating regionally and seasonally. Something that is no longer easy due to globalization. What's more, even our grandparents unconsciously combined many foods in the way recommended by Ayurveda. For example, lentils with a dash of vinegar, salad only after a hot meal... Over time, however, this knowledge was increasingly lost and Ayurveda is now bringing it back to us.
3. how has Ayurveda influenced your own eating habits?
Kerstin: I have always been interested in nutrition and used to experiment a lot: Various diets, fasting cures and all kinds of experiments. Today I know exactly what is good for me and what is not. And also what a good diet can achieve: We can use it to increase our vital energy and health, so I feel really fit and am extremely resilient and efficient. However, we can't change our basic constitution through nutrition, but we retain the special characteristics and tendencies that are appropriate to our type, such as an anabolic metabolism or a sensitive gut.
Stephanie: Healthy eating has always been important to me and has always fascinated me. But back then I didn't know what was really healthy for me. So I ate raw fruit for breakfast, healthy sandwiches for lunch and salad or a cold dish for dinner. Due to the many raw, dry and cold components, I developed irritable bowel syndrome. The doctor recommended nutritional counseling. I opted for the Ayurvedic way and have known since then that a warm and cooked diet is very important for me and I enjoy my fruit cooked in the morning and also eat a warm meal in the evening. Since then I have had no more problems with my bowels.
4. is Ayurvedic cuisine strictly vegetarian or vegan?
Kerstin: Ayurvedic nutrition describes 12 food groups, including milk, dairy products and meat. In this sense, the traditional Ayurvedic diet is versatile and undogmatic. In a dietary sense, it can be useful to include meat in the diet, especially when we are emaciated and exhausted. A vegetarian diet, on the other hand, promotes mental balance and should be preferred by people who practise yoga and meditate.
Stephanie: No, not at all. But those who study Ayurveda usually automatically find a more conscious approach to the consumption of animal products. The way animals live is taken into account and meat and fish become valuable side dishes that are only eaten occasionally.
5. why do people come to you for nutritional advice?
Kerstin: Many suffer from diet-related complaints and find great relief with simple changes. Others simply want to eat in a healthy and constitutionally appropriate way in order to feel fitter. And many are just interested in cooking, because Ayurvedic nutrition simply tastes great.
Stephanie: Most people come to an Ayurvedic nutrition consultation because of digestive complaints such as cramps, flatulence or pressure in the stomach, but also if they have skin problems or chronic illnesses such as osteoarthritis or rheumatism. Clients have often already been to an Ayurvedic doctor or taken a cure and would now like to integrate Ayurvedic nutrition into their everyday lives.
6. how can you help them?
Kerstin: When people come for an Ayurveda nutrition consultation, they always receive a personalized catalog of recommendations and a meal plan after a comprehensive assessment, which lists exactly what they can eat when and how they should prepare their food. The personal consultation, in which we also use psychological and spiritual (discussion) therapies in line with the holistic Ayurveda nutritional teachings, is particularly helpful for many people.
Stephanie: I always look at the person's current diet and daily routine with them and then make targeted optimizations in the areas where I expect the greatest benefit. The client often recognizes where to start during the conversation. After approx. 6-8 weeks, we meet again to see how the adjustments are working and whether we would like to make any further optimizations. We also take into account the different seasons or special times such as vacations or public holidays.
7. what would you like to pass on to your students in your lessons at the Rosenberg Academy?
Kerstin: I would like to share my enthusiasm for the "knowledge of life" with people and show them that Ayurveda can be very simple. Although Ayurvedic nutrition is extremely complex, it can be easily implemented in everyday life: Enjoyable, undogmatic and with a lot of joy in healthy food for body and soul.
Stephanie: The joy of Ayurveda. And the motivation to put the knowledge they receive in class into practice. Because only experience turns knowledge into competence. I want to support my students on this path in the best possible way.
