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YouTubeInfo: Subah Jain is from India. She spreads awareness of Nature Cure (Naturopathy) food guidelines through videos, books and 1-day workshops. Subah has attended Living Light Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg, California. They offer a series of courses for plant-based cooking, mostly raw.
Website and 1-Day Workshops: Satvic Movement is holding workshops in Delhi and Mumbai in 2019. A video showing reactions by people who attended the workshop.
YouTube Videos: What I like about Subah's YouTube channel is its simplicity. Instead of 40 recipes and dozens of videos, she focuses on the essential principles which are showcased in 7-8 short videos centered around Chapatis (rotis), Vegetables, Salads, Soups, Smoothies and Juices; scroll down to see all these videos.
Book for Adults: Satvic Food Book (2019). An elegant presentation of 40+ recipes. This book has many more details not found in YouTube videos. A good investment for following Nature Cure (Naturopathy) food guidelines.
Book for Kids: Available for free at Satvic Kids.
Coconut Milk: Subah Jain's recipes often use coconut milk, which is avoided in Whole Food Plant-Based guidelines.
Salt: Almost all Whole Food Plant-Based doctors discourage all forms of salt: regular iodized salt, sea salt, Himalayan salt, pink salt, and so on. Subah Jain's recipes use salt. In fact, salt is introduced even in dessert recipes.
Two interesting ideas: (1) Mix whole wheat flour with shredded / pureed fresh veggies! This way, you can make beet rotis, cucumber rotis and so on. No oil, of course. (2) Use a clay tava; there are many available in the market.
Two delectable oil-free recipes made from the two most popular grains in India. The first recipe is 'khichadi', made from brown rice. The second recipe is 'dalia', made from whole wheat (but each grain has been broken into smaller pieces). Salient points: (a) use vegetables and grains in 4:1 ratio, (b) don't cook tomatoes and coconuts; mix them towards the end. Subah uses clay pots.
These recipes are described in the video description; I've cut-n-paste them for quick reference:
#1 Blush Breakfast Bowl (Serves 2)
1/4 cup water
1 banana, frozen for about 6-7 hours
3/4 of a small beetroot
3 medium pears
For the toppings: Shredded coconut, pineapple, kiwi, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds
Take 2 big bananas, peel off the skin, cut into pieces and let them freeze for about 6-7 hours. Dice the pear and beetroot. Blend together the beetroot, pear, banana and water. Pour it into a bowl and top with your favourite toppings!
#2 Tropical Breakfast Bowl (Serves 2)
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup of shredded coconut
2 cups of spinach
4 frozen bananas
3-4 dates
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
For the toppings: Mango, watermelon, muskmelon, sunflower seeds, pomegranate, and apricots.
Take 2 big bananas, peel off the skin, cut into pieces and let them freeze for about 7 hours. Blend together all the ingredients for the base. Pour it into a bowl and top with your favourite toppings!
#3 Choco Crunch Breakfast Bowl (Serves 2)
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1.5 cups of coconut cream (coconut malai)
3 frozen bananas
1 tablespoon cacao
1 coin ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
a pinch of salt
For the toppings: Banana, sapota (chikoo), mulberries, cacao nibs, chopped almonds and chia seeds.
These recipes are described in the video description; I've cut-n-paste them for quick reference:
#1 CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP (hot soup)
3 cups of coconut milk
1/2 kg of red pumpkin
2 tablespoons thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 small green chilli
Chop the red pumpkin into large chunks. Do not peel the pumpkin. Steam the pumpkin. Once it has cooled, add it to a blender. To the blender, also add coconut milk, green chilli, rosemary, thyme and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour soup into bowls & top with whatever you like (for example, chopped veggies or grated nuts & seeds)!
#2 GREEN PAPAYA SOUP (hot soup)
1 unripe green papaya
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups water
3 stalks fresh lemongrass
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 small green chilli, chopped into small pieces
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
Peel, cut and steam the papaya until it is soft. Meanwhile, take a shallow pan, and dry roast the green chilli, coriander seeds, ginger and lemongrass together. Add some water, and let it cook till the flavours are soaked in. Add this mixture to a blender along with your steamed papaya, water, coconut milk, lemon juice and salt. Blend and serve. Top with whatever you like (for example, chopped veggies or grated nuts & seeds)!
#3 AVOCADO SOUP (cold soup)
3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1 cup carrot juice
3 cups coconut milk
1/2 avocado
2 tablespoons coriander
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 small green chilli
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
Blend all ingredients together. Pour into bowls and top with your favourite vegetables.
Guidelines: (a) Have smoothies as meal replacers, not in between meals! (b) Smoothies have four components: a liquid, a base, a sweetener (optional) and something for flavor (optional).
The recipes below are described in the video description; I've cut-n-paste them for quick reference:
#1 TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE (serves 1-2) 1 cup coconut water 1 cup spinach 1/2 apple, diced 1 mango, diced 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Blend everything together, let it cool in the fridge for a while & serve!
#2 BANANA DATE SHAKE (serves 1-2) 1 cup coconut milk 2 bananas, frozen for about 6 hours 5 dates, pitted 2-3 ice cubes 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Blend everything together, and serve!
#3 WATERMELON CHIA SMOOTHIE (serves 1-2) 2 cups watermelon 1 cup pomegranate 1/4 beetroot, peeled 1 tablespoon mint leaves 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Blend everything together, let it cool for a while, and serve!
Guideline: Use seasonal and regional veggies, not necessarily those described in the recipes below
Salad #1 ('AyuNature Salad'): 1 large cucumber, 2 carrots, 4 tomatoes, 1 small green capsicum, 1 cup of coriander, 2 big pieces of coconut and 1 tbsp black sesame seeds. Dice all veggies into small pieces. Add them all to a mixing bowl. Add finely chopped coriander and grated coconut to diced veggies. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Mix it all up! No dressing, salt, lemon or nuts.
Salad #2 ('Beet Rocket Salad'): Spinach leaves, rocket leaves, 1 small beetroot, 1 piece of fresh coconut, 3-4 soaked walnuts. Chop spinach leaves and rocket leaves. Dice beetroot into small pieces and boil them for 10-15 minutes or until they are soft (use a toothpick to test softness). Mix the chopped leaves and cooked beetroot into a mixing bowl.
Dressing ('Middle Eastern Dressing'): Half a cucumber, 1/4 cup coriander, soaked dates, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 tablespoon lemon juice. Blend these in an blender until smooth.
Pour the dressing onto the salad. Add grated coconut and crushed walnuts as garnishing. Mix it all together!
Salad #3 ('Rainbow Salad'): 1/2 red cabbage, 1 carrot, 1 yellow bellpepper, 1 beetroot, 1 cup boiled peas. Simply chop all of these and add them to a mixing bowl.
Dressing ('Almond Chilli Dressing'): 1/4 cup soaked almonds, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1/8 small green chilli, 1 small piece of ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup water. Blend all of these together in a blender.
Mix the salad and the dressing!
Salad Recipes & Dressings by Dr Fuhrman: here. Dr Fuhrman outlines a general recipe for preparing dressings which is helpful.
The first three salad recipes are in Part 1.
Salad #4 ('Yummy Thai Papaya Salad'): 1 green papaya, 1 carrot, 1 mango, 2 tomatoes, 1/2 cup fresh coriander. Peel off the skin of the green papaya and cut it into thin layers (see the video to see how they look). Chop other veggies likewise into thin, long pieces. Mix them all together
Dressing ('Peanut Dressing'): 2 tablespoons of raw peanuts, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 small green chilli, 1/2 teaspoon rock salt, 1 tablespoon of jaggery, 1/8 cup of water. Blend until well combined.
Mix the salad and the dressing. Add fresh coriander.
Salad #5 ('Broccoli Bean Salad'): 1 cup peas, 1 broccoli, 2 cups beans, a handful of spinach. Separate the broccoli into florets. Chop beans and spinach. Steam the broccoli, beans and peas together. Once they are soft, combine them with spinach.
Dressing ('Cheesy Cashew Dressing'): 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least six hours), 1 cup of chopped bell pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 small chilli. Blend these in a blender.
Mix the veggies and the dressing.
Salad Recipes & Dressings by Dr Fuhrman: here. Dr Fuhrman outlines a general recipe for preparing dressings which is helpful.
The first part of the video explains these guidelines: (a) Don't use aluminium cookware; use clay pots and clay tava. (b) No oil. Use fresh coconut instead. (c) Do not overcook. (d) Don't add too many spices and powders; use herbs instead (for example, use fresh coriander instead of coriander powder; use a green chilli instead of chilly powder).
The actual recipe is explained from 4:41 onwards. (a) soak veggies for 1-2 hours. (b) Pour some water into clay pot, add chopped veggies and let them boil for a few minutes. (c) Add these to a blender to make the gravy: 2 tomatoes, raw coconut pieces (replacement for oil), one green chilly, some curry leaves and rock salt to taste. (d) Add the blended gravy to the clay pot, switch off the stove, cover the lid and let the gravy cook using the steam inside the clay pot. (e) Garnish with lots of coriander.
These recipes are described in the video description; I've cut-n-paste them for quick reference:
#1 Ash Gourd Juice
Simply take ash gourd (safed petha), peel off the skin, take out the seeds, juice and drink.
#2 Glorious Greens Juice
1 large cucumber
3-4 celery stalks
1 cup spinach
4 lettuce leaves
2 apples
Cut and prep all your ingredients and then simply juice everything up.
#3 Pink Power Juice
2 apples
1 medium carrot
1 small beetroot
3-4 celery stalks
1/2 a lemon
Cut and prep all your ingredients and then simply juice everything up. Squeeze the lemon from the top.
#4 Clean Carrot Juice
4 carrots
1/2 cup pineapple
2 oranges
Cut and prep all your ingredients and then simply juice everything up.
Prepared with homemade peanut butter and homemade papdi.
An excerpt from her personal story:
“I was drawn to plant-based cuisine because I cured my health problems with it. I grew up on the standard Indian diet, consisting of milk, ghee, wheat, sugar, and very few fruits and greens. I didn't realize the damage I was doing to my body until I fell sick. By the time I was 17 years old, I was already suffering from PCOS, hypothyroidism, excessive hair loss, and weighed about 15 pounds more than I should have. I was taking 6 different tablets a day. The fact that I had all these diseases at such a young age was extremely scary. I tried everything under the sun but nothing worked because I was still eating exactly the same food that was feeding my disease.My life took a turn when I met a Guru in India, who taught me how to reverse these diseases without medicines, by drastically changing my diet & lifestyle. He recommended that I eliminate all dairy, oils, sugars and processed foods from my diet and eat food straight from Nature, the way it is found naturally, which is mainly raw, alkaline, vegan, water-rich food.”
— Subah Jain
Subah Jain's guidelines are inspired by Nature Cure (Naturopathy). Overall, they overlap quite a bit with Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) Diet guidelines. Only two aspects caught my attention: (a) Subah does not prepare beans or legumes; this guideline is in harmony with Naturopathy which recommends 'no beans for sick people'; and (b) Many of Subah Jain's preparations include coconut milk or coconut powder. So I have two concerns. First, the overall food system may gravitate towards 'high fat' by over-consumption of coconut — WFPB-NO guidelines call for 'low fat' diet. Second, coconut milk is discouraged by Dr Greger, a prominent WFPB-NO advocate! Whole coconut (eaten in small quantities) is okay but coconut milk is not okay.
Food sources: Both WFPB and Nature Cure (Naturopathy) advocate exactly the same ingredients: Whole Grains, Beans & Legumes, Vegetables, Fruis, Nuts & Seeds, Herbs & Spices. However, the emphasis (the ratios in which we consume them) is different.
1) Whole Grains, Beans & Legumes, Veggies, Fruits: WFPB doctors emphasize a starch-based diet with plenty of grains and tubers; beans may be consumed freely, even when sick; vegetables should be eaten aplenty. In contrast, Nature Cure (Naturopathy) tradition emphasizes vegetables and fruits (far more vegetables than fruits); beans & legumes are eliminated for sick people; grains should be limited; not to be consumed in arbitrarily large quantities; grains should be consumed in proportion to vegetables.
2) Fasting and Cleansing: WFPB guidelines are generally limited to inclusion and exclusion of broad food sources as described above. They don't emphasize fasting or cleansing protocols like enemas. In contrast, both fasting and enemas are commonly advocated in Nature Cure (Naturopathy).
3) SOS Extracts: SOS stands for Salt, Oil and Sugar. WFPB guidelines eliminate Oil and Sugar completely. Small quantities of table salt are allowed. Salt elimination is recommended only to a small fraction of people, for example, those with autoimmune conditions. In Nature Cure (Naturopathy), all three SOS Extracts (Salt, Oil and Sugar) are eliminated. Sometimes, the phrase '5 poisons' to refer to salt, sugar, refined flours, polished rice and milk, all of which are eliminated in Nature Cure (Naturopathy).
4) Herbs n Spices: WFPB doctors generally allow (and encourage) various herbs and spices because of their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. However, Nature Cure (Naturopathy) tradition will encourage a limited set of herbs and spices to be consumed regularly; the vast majority of them are deemed 'medicines', so should be consumed only when sick.
Notes gleaned from Subah Jain's videos:
- Five meals: pre-breakfast (juice) at 8am, breakfast at 10am, lunch at 1pm, mid-meal at 4pm and dinner at 6pm. This way, our stomach is empty for at least 14 hours (6pm to 8am the next day). Such a system is also known as Time Restricted Feeding (TRF) in the west. TRF is a special kind of Intermittent Fasting (IF).
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Clay utensils: No aluminium utensils; use clay pots for veggies and clay tava for rotis. Clay utensils should not be glazed or coated. They have to be prepared before use, otherwise food sticks to them. See this video and this video for the steps (watch both videos; second video is more detailed).
For a general discussion of healthy cookware, browse through What's the Safest Cookware? and Cookware (Dr Neal Barnard) (YT Video). Neither of these mentions clay utensils though because they are not popular in the west. Also see Safest Cookware OptionsCeramic Coated Cookware Safety and Best Eco-Friendly Ceramic Waffle Maker without Non-Stick Teflon Coating.
- No stale food: Cooked food should be consumed within 3 hours of preparation.
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No dals / lentils: Subah says that if you're sick or sedentary, you should not be eating dals / lentils because they are difficult to digest.
This was the only point that caught me by surprise. I feel that dals / lentils like chickpeas and mung beans (with skin removed) are okay for me. Lentils can also be sprouted (Subah advocates sprouted greens in her videos).
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Fresh coconut: A fair number of recipes use shredded coconut or coconut milk (made at home). A video (not by Subah) showing how to make coconut milk at home using raw coconut, baby coconut or shredded coconut.
My only concern is that if we consume coconut in every meal, then our total fat intake may gravitate away from 'low fat'. Whole Food, Plant Based (WFPB) guidelines advocate 'low fat'.
- Soaking: Nuts and seeds should always be soaked for 2 to 6 hours.
- Big Picture: To understand the big picture behind her recipes and food guidelines, watch this video (19 mins).
- Detoxing: In addition to feeding our bodies healthy, nutritious food, we also have to remove existing toxic materials residing in our bodies. Subah has a few videos along these lines (see the last section in this article).
- Supplements: Subah does not mention supplements that vegans normally take: B12, Vitamin D and DHA/EPA.
Subah has a few videos centered around detox and cleansing. Over the years, our bodies collect toxins inside our cells in various body organs. In addition to feeding ourselves healthy food, we should also eliminate these toxins.
Subah mentions these techniques: (a) fasting, (b) enema, (c) wet pack, (d) sunbathing and (e) pranayama (breathing exercises).
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