“I love strawberries with quark!” My friend Sarah beamed at me and raved regarding the red, delicious summer fruits with quark. Hm, what did Melodie, my yoga teacher, say the other day? “Never combine quark with fruit!” And what should Sarah do now? Do you also love quark with fruit? Then it’s time for an Ayurvedic update.
Quark, yoghurt, milk – Ayurveda has a different opinion than the food industry
Dairy products are foods in Ayurveda that are considered and evaluated very specifically. In contrast to the food industry, which wants to sell as much of it as possible, Ayurveda has a different view of it. Ayurveda always asks what food gives you strength and energy.
Do you love being full of energy and joie de vivre? Then you are on the right track with Ayurveda! Ayurveda is above all a health science that deals with nutrition. The top rule is not: You are what you eat, but:
You are what you digest!
That digestion decides whether you stay or become healthy is a typical view of Ayurvedic health science. However, this view of healthy and unhealthy is not anchored at all in our western imagination. On the contrary, slogans were and are still being called out that are not correct from an Ayurvedic point of view. “It’s all in the milk” was invented by the dairy industry to sell more milk. But unfortunately it’s not true. “Eat more fruit and stay healthy” is still often written on the triangular paper bags in the fruit and vegetable trade. Unfortunately, this is only true under certain conditions. If the combination of foods is not right, or the time of day when you eat them, you will never find joy in life. But don’t worry, in this article you will read which foods you can combine with quark – and which not.
Quark production is a highly industrial process
Quark is a highly processed food
Ayurveda considers all foods that have been industrially modified as less valuable. This includes preservation, freezing, fermentation and everything that has been industrially processed. These are primarily sausage products and the many dairy products that we eat in far too large quantities. The picture above shows the production of quark – that makes me completely different. And so is the process. Skimmed milk is almost always used to make quark. Even if quark is available in different fat levels, skimmed milk is used in order to later achieve the right fat level with cream. It might also be more natural, but that is more complex and the standardized fat levels cannot be reliably achieved. So, first of all, skimmed milk is made from natural milk.
Lactic acid cultures are added to the skimmed milk and following a while quark and whey are formed. Now I have to take a step back, because milk and Ayurveda is also a very special topic.
When milk is used in Ayurvedic recipes, we are talking regarding milk that we no longer know. Unless you have a cow in your garden that you lovingly care for every day.
Our milk is…
- pasteurized
- homogenized
- heated
- chilled
- secluded
and goes through another 15 processes before it can be sold in the milk carton. I don’t want to say anything regarding keeping the dairy cows now, otherwise I’ll lose myself and won’t be able to do anything here anymore. There is an interesting film from 2018 regarding The Milk System.
A bit scary: quark makers and quark separators
Unfortunately, it’s not like someone is standing at the large cauldron and lovingly skimming off the quark with a ladle. With the amounts of quark that we consume, this is not possible. It’s clear that the food industry has long since invented such weird things as quark makers and quark separators in order to be able to produce everything a bit faster and cheaper. They work with pressure, centrifuges, heat and cold that makes you dizzy.
Oh, such a quark with the quark!
How beautiful would life be if everything suggested by the packaging pictures were correct? I also like to be seduced by it. But I haven’t bought or eaten quark for a long time. Just as little as milk.
But what should I recommend to Sarah now? When she loves strawberries with quark so much. If quark, then at least get the best organic quark you can get. Even with organic products there are still differences. They have the highest quality Demeter products. Demeter farmers respect the lives of the suckler cows, let them have their calves for a long time and do not burn out their horns. Which is quite allowed with other organic labels.
Vata, Pitta and Kapha have very different characteristics – Quark is digested accordingly differently
Quark and fruit – unfortunately not a good idea
“You are what you digest” – I have to come back to that shortly. Your life energy depends to a large extent on how you can digest your food. This is of course different once more, whether you are a Vata, Pitta or Kapha type. This is also an important topic. You can read it later in peace.
But for all dosha types, Ayurveda says: Dairy products and fresh fruit ferment in the intestines and cause you serious problems in the long run. Phew, now what?
Ayurvedic nutrition also means a desire for change
Ayurveda is a gentle way to get or stay healthy. Ayurveda is not a dogma and above all Ayurveda distinguishes between Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Other diets like low carb, keto, paleo, raw food, etc. lump everyone together. It’s no wonder that new nutritional teachings keep coming out, because they don’t work for everyone. Because all people have to be considered according to their dosha constitution. Low carb is great for Kapham people, but it can make a Vata type downright sick. He needs nourishment from carbohydrates. Raw food can only be digested by a Pitta person with a strong Agni, but Vata types and Kapha types perish from it. They don’t have as strong a digestive system as the Pittaman.
Ayurvedic nutrition always means personal responsibility. You don’t have to change anything if it doesn’t fit right now. But you can try something and change it. For example, stop eating strawberries with quark.
Quark and fruit is like when the garbage truck stops coming
Ripe, soft fruits, like strawberries in summer, are relatively easy to digest—as long as they’re enjoyed without ingredients. However, if they are combined with quark, the animal protein takes much longer to digest. A turbulent fermentation process occurs in the intestines, which is unpleasantly noticeable. It’s not just flatulence, but more importantly, Ama is emerging now.
Ama is the Ayurvedic term for metabolic waste. And what’s behind it? Metabolic residue is what you mightn’t digest and is left in the body as garbage. It’s like the garbage pickup just doesn’t come anymore. really uncomfortable. Does your body also find and gradually react with various diseases, where at some point you ask yourself why do I have arthrosis now? Why is my liver not working properly anymore? Why do I keep getting colds?
If you are interested in how illnesses arise from Ama, you might also be interested in the fact that illnesses do not appear out of the blue.
Fruit and cream are easy to digest
Enjoy strawberries pure – or with cream
From an Ayurvedic point of view, summer fruit is best enjoyed as a snack on an empty stomach. A fruit smoothie is also a good option for the delicious summer fruit treat.
But the best are strawberries with cream! With liquid or whipped cream, strawberries and other fruit are also well tolerated and easily digested in the Ayurvedic sense. Of course, cream has more calories than quark, but it also has a much higher yummy-yummy factor, right? The trick is very simple: if something is as delicious as strawberries with cream, then I need less of it because I’m happy and satisfied much faster. How are you with that? You can write something regarding it in the comment box below.
Harsh herbs favorably balance the kapha heaviness of quark
And what regarding herb quark?
In the overview of cheap foods for Vata types you will actually find quark under the heading dairy products! Quark is therefore a good food for Vata types, as long as it is not enjoyed with fruit. And not in huge amounts either. The heavy kapha quality of quark can calm the shimmering airiness of vata once more.
Is that a ray of light for you? Then I have a few recommendations for you on how you can enjoy Quark as a Vata type:
- Avocadoquark
- curd spreads
- Frankfurter Sauce
The detailed recipes for download will follow in the coming month.
Spices make quark more digestible
Spices play an important role in Ayurveda. You can change a lot with spices. I also found a spice specifically for herb quark. Of course, fresh herbs are much nicer, more nutritious and more aromatic. Preferably from your own garden or from the balcony. Herbs are generally tart and the tartness balances out the kapha quality of quark favorably. In case you haven’t got it in your head right now, pungent, tart, and bitter are the three flavors that balance the heaviness of kapha.
Unsolicited : I used to be very enthusiastic regarding Ankerkraut. But ever since they let Nestlé buy them, I’ve opted for Just Spices. Here is the herbal mixture for quark:
Just Spices Herbs Quark Spice , 32 g
- Dill tips, chives and parsley – the perfect mix for spicy quark
- Our spices and spice mixtures are free of any additives such as flavor enhancers, release agents, colorings or yeast extracts.
- We went on a trip around the world for you! Our goal: to personally meet the people who grow and harvest our spices. And of course to bring the spiciest in the world into your kitchen!
I wish you and Sarah that you can enjoy the summer happily even without strawberry quark,
Sincerely, your Lisa
I wrote this blog post with a lot of love and attention. If you find this useful, the Ayurveda Treasure Chest would be happy to receive a small donation. Server costs, technical support and image rights are financed from this.