When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use;
When diet is right, medicine is of no need.– Ayurvedic proverb
Talking to Yuli Tan was a breath of fresh air.
I first came to know about Vedic.ID through my mentor, Rachel Lai, co-founder of Wavemakers.co, a boutique agency specialising in public relations, corporate communications, and branding; among others. During one of our mentorship sessions, we talked about wellness and holistic eating, the Eastern way.
That’s when Rachel mentioned Vedic.ID, which happens to be one of her clients under the agency. Intrigued by Ayurvedic Diet, I asked Rachel if she could introduce me to Yuli Tan, the founder of Vedic.ID, for me to interview her.
Vedic.ID is a Bali based Ayurvedic food and wellness space that inspires healthy, balanced, and conscious living through Vedic knowledge. Their food is prepared through Ayurvedic principles to create a balanced diet, alleviate health problems and live healthier. Here’s how you can follow the Vedic path:
What inspired you to start Vedic.ID? What led you to ayurveda?
Growing up as an only child, I had the usual high expectations of me: study hard, get a good job, make lots of money, etc. And for a while, I did believe that this was the only path to success. As a grad in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, I worked on a myriad of projects in oil and gas and mining and greentech.
Something kept gnawing at me, a growing sense of discontent with the formulaic patterns of the modern world. Culminating in a realisation that my current lifestyle focused on material success was exacting a heavy price on my humanity, my instinctive feminine nature and on my health.
The constant chasing for money, greedy stakeholders drying oil from villagers which costs money at the expense of everyone, feeling guilty whenever I was at oil rigs or witnessing forests gone, throwing trash into rivers—the entire process is crass, ungrateful, and disrespectful to Mother Nature. It was all just too much taking, with very little of giving back after the destruction was made.
So….. I quit.
And I didn’t regret it at all. I’m really happy where I am right now. Zero regret in my life, so far. It’s ironic that my traditional education is giving me the foundations for what I’m doing at the moment.
What I mean is, I’m not only studying the herbs but I also have an understanding of the chemical content within the herbs itself. That said, my previous background has greatly contributed to my knowledge.
Also, my hectic past life had rekindled my interest in yoga and led to the discovery of Ayurveda, the science by which life is understood in its totality.
What is an ayurvedic diet, and what are the foundations of it that beginners must know?
Humans are part of nature, thus we have to try to follow the rhythm of nature. Eat as naturally as possible; try to limit consuming processed food.
Typically when we talk about Ayurvedic diet, the most common definition is “eat according to your dosha“. Dosha is an energy constituent of the body.
In ayurveda we classify the body into three parts. There’s three Dosha types. The first one is the Vata type, which is the air, airy type. And then the second one is the Pitta type, the fire type. The third is Kapha, the earthy type.
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Dosha is basically based on the five great elements of life. Everything in the world, there’s only five elements. So based on that, ayurveda categorises the human body into three parts. The five elements are the ether, air, water, fire, and earth.
Vata is the combination between ether, space, and air. Someone who is categorised as the Vata type can be considered as being a little bit airy. They are skinny and dry, similar to air, the quality of air, and space.
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Meanwhile, Pitta is very fiery, as it’s a combo of fire and water; it’s like steam. Pitta people are usually very determined—like a fighter. They don’t cool off easily. And the last one, the Kapha people, are like water, where they flow like water but are grounded.
All of these may sound too complicated and overwhelming for a beginner. So just see it this way: ayurvedic diet is a warm, freshly cooked food using fresh ingredients. The fresher the better. The cooked food must consist of six tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent, and pungent.
In ayurvedic diet, the focus is how our body processes what we consume, not what we consume. As for solving one’s health issue, it definitely does help if you are consistent. Then pair it with the practice of yoga; hopefully your health issue will be more manageable. Discipline is key.
How does balancing one’s diet look like?
You know, just eating one meal is actually enough (though the portion/intake should match your weight and gender). In my experienced, you can make one meal very balanced. And that’s all you need to eat the entire day.
In ayurveda, a balanced meal has six stages. If you fulfil all the six stages, then it’s considered well-balanced. Such meals won’t leave us feeling stuffed, especially when there’s lots of vegetables and soupy stuff. Some of the recommended soups include regular vegetable soup, minestrone soup, and lentil soup. Also, anything that’s slow-cooked is great too.
Is there an age recommendation to get started on the vedic path?
Yes, I do believe that it’s never too late or too soon to get on the ayurvedic diet. There’s no such thing as waiting for the right timing. The sooner you do it actually the better.
Consuming meals made of only natural ingredients with minimal to no artificial flavour is highly encouraged. What we eat also affects our state of mind; not just our body.
Majority of my customers are adults, but I do have a few young ones; the youngest being only 15 while the oldest is 70 years old.
Again, the emphasis is always on what you cook and how you cook it, not your age. When your pan is hot and you need water, just put water instead of cold water as the heat will be reduced; which makes your cooking process a bit longer.
When we eat, our stomach is like “cooking” the food we eat. The lesser the heat the more your digestive system is ruined. So when you cook, cook with really high heat, they put hot water on top, not cold water because it will reduce the heat.
The digestion track has to be warm. The moment it gets cold, it diminishes the ability to digest and process the food we eat. And constipation usually happens because of this.
When it comes to addressing food-related health issues, which is better: modern western medicine or traditional eastern medicine?
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Food is the main source of fuel for us. When the food is balanced, eventually our body rebalances itself. However, the ayurvedic diet is not a miracle pill. You don’t eat once or two times and expect results instantly. It is a lifestyle.
I don’t think either one is superior over the other. We are truly blessed to live in a time where we have lots of options.
For examples, when it comes to emergencies like serious car accident injuries, western medicine might be the better option. As for the chronic diseases, for example, headaches or sinuses, eastern medicine could be a better choice.
We live a fast-paced life that sometimes we don’t realised just how much pills we are taking, especially painkillers like paracetamols.
Yes, it works for the pain, but it only dulls your senses and your nerves so that you don’t feel the headache or the pain.
But you do not address the underlying problem, so your conditions don’t really go away for good. Too much pill consumptions can be bad for the brain.
What’s the Vedic Kitchen like, behind the scene?
The principle that our kitchen pantry should be our first medicine cabinet. Over the next few years, I immersed myself in learning Ayurvedic cooking, spending months every year in India and elsewhere to deepen and broaden my knowledge.
But home is Indonesia, home is Bali where I have established an Ayurvedic based cafe: Vedic Kitchen with a yoga shala on the grounds. Basically, I’d like to be somewhere where there’s clean and fresh air all around.
As an entrepreneur from the ground up, I work to empower and inspire people to live with Vedic principles, enhancing their health, work & their relationships.
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This means living according to my natural state where it fulfils the circadian rhythm. Enjoying sunrises and sunsets—which to me is such a mellow time to respect nature and respect my body by relaxing and being restful.
And when I’m cooking, I don’t use Teflon pans and pots. In situations where I have to use Teflon because we get free stuff from people, I’d remove the coating first. So, I just use the stainless part.
Knowing that the coating of Teflon is that some part of it is made from plastic which is very harmful to the digestive system; with chemical reactions on our health. The coating (the non-stick part) is very carcinogenic if used for a long period of time.
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As an alternative, I’d cook using pots and pans that are stainless, or better yet, claypot. A claypot is placed on the fire and that’s one of the best cooking methods. A lot of the minerals from the clay is actually helping to add minerals into your food. So we don’t have to consume extra vitamins or supplements. Just consume them naturally from the clay.
I cook over fire and gas these days. I used to cook over burning wood but it’s difficult to control since there’s no setting *laughs*. I’m not a big fan of electric stoves; they may produce heat but there’s not enough heat. It does not produce the greatest flavours.
When someone comes to you for help, what’s the process like?
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First, I will try to assess the person’s lifestyle, their eating habits, and their frequency of waste elimination. I’ll try to understand the person as a whole and address the main complaint.
Typically what I have found so far is that the main complaints are the result of underlying issues. So get to the bottom of it if you have health issues that are painful or uncomfortable.
Can you give an example of a one-day meal plan?
Here’s my own typical meal plan: I’ll eat twice a day at 11 a.m. and at 6 p.m. or 6.30 p.m. For lunch, I normally eat basmati rice, green peas curry, stir-fry snake gourd, and carrot salad. For dinner, I’ll have a big bowl of lentil and dill soup.
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Yuli Tan is the founder and practitioner behind The Vedic Path, an alternative & holistic health service. For consultations or to find out more about The Path programme, reach out to her via DM on Instagram or call/text her on WhatsApp or Telegram at +6281510808845.