Vidya Reddy is the host of The Tea on Wellness Podcast and co-founder of Tea & Turmeric in Laguna Beach
Why do you feel tired after eating healthy?
In this episode of The Tea on Wellness, Vidya Reddy, certified Ayurvedic consultant and co-founder of Tea & Turmeric in Laguna Beach, explores why food is energy not calories, and what Ayurvedic wisdom around sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic foods can teach us about how we actually feel after we eat.
Why Food Is Energy, Not Math
We have been taught to count calories, track macros, and follow every new eating trend. And most of us still feel drained, disconnected, and unsatisfied. Your body is not a calculator. It is an instrument. Every bite you take either raises your frequency or lowers it. That is not a wellness trend. It is something ancient traditions have understood for thousands of years, from Ayurveda's concept of prana, the living breath that moves through your cells, to Chinese Medicine's chi, the river of energy that flows through your whole system.
Vidya's Own Shift Away From Counting
I had the apps, the charts, and the discipline. I was eating the perfect macros and still feeling cold, hungry, and disconnected. That is when it became clear: I was feeding the tracker, not myself. Your body already knows the difference between an avocado and a bag of chips, even if the calorie count looks the same on paper.
Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic: The Three Food States
Ayurveda organizes all food into three energy states. Sattvic, the clear and balanced energy of warm kitchari and tulsi tea. Rajasic, the fiery stimulating energy of coffee and spice. And tamasic, the heavy dull energy of processed food and late nights. Most of us are living in rajasic overdrive, always on, never grounded, and wondering why we cannot sleep or feel at peace. The answer is not more discipline. It is resonance.
Anna's Story: When the Body Recognizes Nourishment
Anna from Fullerton came into our Laguna Beach shop after a twelve-hour workday, pale, shivering, and wired but exhausted. She had been on a green juice cleanse and felt worse than when she started. We talked about warmth and grounding and I suggested our Ayurvedic Everyday Broth made with fenugreek, ajwain, celery, and coriander. A few days later she messaged me and said that first bowl felt like medicine. Her body recognized nourishment before her mind could even analyze it.
How Intention Changes Everything
You can eat the most nourishing meal in a state of stress and still digest it poorly. Or you can sit with a simple bowl of rice, breathe, and feel deeply fed. That is prana and physiology working together. And it starts in your kitchen.
In This Episode:
- Why calorie counting disconnects you from your body
- What prana and chi mean for how you eat
- Sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic foods explained simply
- Why your healthy meal might still be draining you
- Anna's story: what her body needed vs what she was giving it
- How intention and stress change what you absorb
- Why your kitchen is already a pharmacy
If you are in Orange County or Southern California, visit us at Tea & Turmeric in Laguna Beach. Our Everyday Broth, Everyday Curry Blend, and Stress Less Tea were all created with one intention: to feed your frequency, not just your stomach. Shop at teaandturmeric.com or visit us in Laguna Beach.
If this episode spoke to you, 5 stars on Apple or Spotify helps more people find this conversation. Thank you for being here. Eat with awareness. Tune in.
Stay Connected
Come visit us in Laguna Beach or explore our teas and spices at teaandturmeric.com
Instagram: @teanturmeric Email: hello@teaandturmeric.com
Chapters
1:00 - Welcome to The Tea on Wellness
1:40 - Food is not numbers
2:30 - My shift away from counting
3:30 - Energy traditions: Prana and Chi
4:20 - Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic
5:45 - Anna's story from Fullerton
6:45 - How you eat changes what you absorb
7:30 - Your kitchen is your pharmacy
8:15 - Listening to your body's signals
9:15 - The real relationship with food
9:50 - Closing: Feed your frequency
10:52 - Outro music
Transcript
Why You're Tired After Eating Healthy (And What Your Food's Energy Is Telling You)
Host: Vidya | Tea & Turmeric, Laguna Beach, CA teaandturmeric.com
[1:00] Welcome To The Tea On Wellness
[VIDYA]: What if I told you food is not just about what is on your plate or how many calories it has. That it is about energy.
Hi, I'm Vidya, and this is The Tea on Wellness, where we talk about real healing, not just the trends.
We have been taught to see food through math. We count calories, macros, grams. But your body is not a calculator. It is an instrument. Every bite you take changes your frequency. Some foods raise it. And some foods lower it.
[1:40] Food Is Energy, Not Calories
[VIDYA]: When you walk into Tea and Turmeric in Laguna Beach, the first thing you notice is not just the vibrant colors or the shelves. It is the energy. The air feels grounded and alive, filled with the scent of herbs, teas, and spices. There is a quiet rhythm here, a slowing down that reminds you food has energy, and that every ingredient carries its own story.
If you have ever eaten a healthy meal and still felt drained, or counted calories but never noticed how that food makes you feel, you have missed the most important ingredient. Not calories. Not macros. But the vibration.
Food is not just fuel. It is conversation, a dialogue between your body and the world around you.
[2:30] Why I Stopped Counting Calories And Macros
[VIDYA]: We live in a culture obsessed with counting. Calories, macros, steps. But your body does not speak in numbers. It speaks in sensations.
I used to count everything too. I had the apps, the charts, the discipline. It made me feel in control, but it also disconnected me from my body. I remember eating the perfect salad because it fit my macros but feeling hungry, cold, and unsatisfied. That is when it hit me. I was not feeding myself. I was feeding the tracker.
Your body knows the difference between an avocado and a bag of chips, even if they share the same calories. One leaves you glowing, the other sluggish. One feeds your cells, the other feeds inflammation.
So why are we still measuring food like accountants, when we could be listening like healers?
[3:30] Prana And Chi: Food As Energy Traditions
[VIDYA]: Every tradition has a word for the invisible force that keeps us alive. In Ayurveda, it is prana, the living breath that moves through every cell and keeps you vibrant. In Chinese Medicine, it is chi, the river of energy that flows through your meridians.
Different languages, same truth: you are not a machine. You are an energy field. And food is energy in physical form.
[4:20] Sattvic, Rajasic And Tamasic Foods In Ayurveda
[VIDYA]: Every bite you take carries a frequency, a vibration that your body reads instantly. A cold smoothie can be labeled healthy, but if it cools your inner fire too much, it can leave you foggy instead of nourished.
Ayurveda does not measure food by calories. It asks what that food does to your system. Foods can be sattvic, clear and balanced, like steamed greens, ghee, or tulsi tea. They can be rajasic, stimulating and fiery, like coffee or chili. Or tamasic, heavy and dull, like processed foods and alcohol.
When I am calm and balanced, that is sattvic. A bowl of warm kitchari or tulsi tea at night.
When I am fiery, that is rajasic. Coffee before emails, hot and spicy, a little too much drive.
And when I am in a slump, that is tamasic. Heavy takeout, a few glasses of wine, scrolling until midnight.
We move through all of these states. The goal is not to judge them. It is to notice them. To know what kind of energy you are taking in and what kind you are giving off.
Most of us live in that rajasic state. Too much coffee, too many screens, too little stillness. We are always on, never grounded, and we wonder why we cannot sleep, focus, or feel peaceful.
The fix is not more discipline. It is resonance. It is learning to eat in tune with what your body actually needs.
[5:45] Why Clean Eating Can Leave You Drained
[VIDYA]: Last week, Anna from Fullerton came in after a twelve-hour workday. She was pale, shivering, and wired but tired. She told me she had been on a green-juice cleanse but felt worse.
We stood by the spice shelves and talked about warmth and grounding. I suggested she try something gentle, like our Ayurvedic Everyday Broth, made with fenugreek, ajwain, celery, and coriander.
A few days later she messaged me on Instagram and said, that first bowl felt like medicine. Her body recognized nourishment before her mind could analyze it. She had been giving herself cold, raw energy when what she truly needed was warmth and stability.
That moment sums up the illusion of clean eating. If it does not feel good in your body, it is not truly clean, no matter what the label or influencer says.
[6:45] How Stress Affects Digestion And Absorption
[VIDYA]: You can prepare the most nourishing meal in a state of stress and still digest it poorly. Or you can eat a simple bowl of rice with calm awareness and feel deeply fed.
Intention changes frequency. When you sit down, breathe, and give thanks, your nervous system shifts. Your body moves into rest-and-digest mode. Digestion improves and absorption increases.
That is not mysticism. That is prana and physiology working together.
[7:30] Your Kitchen Is Your Pharmacy: Food As Medicine
[VIDYA]: Food carries memory. The soil it grew in, the hands that harvested it, the love or rush with which it was cooked. All of that imprints the meal.
That is why I always say your kitchen is your pharmacy. And the tools you use matter. That is why we created our Everyday Curry Blend, not just for flavor but for function. The warming blend of cumin, coriander, and fennel does not just make food taste good. It stokes Agni, your digestive fire, so your food becomes energy instead of heaviness.
[8:15] Listening To Your Body Instead Of Diet Rules
[VIDYA]: Your body gives you signals if you are willing to listen. When you feel scattered, anxious, or overheated, you are in rajasic overdrive. That is when you need to cool down and calm your system.
When you feel scattered or tense, try a cup of our Stress Less Tea. It is a beautiful green tea with lavender and bee pollen. It is gentle, grounding, and helps your body exhale.
When you feel cold, sluggish, or disconnected, that is low prana. Warm up with our Ayurvedic Everyday Broth, or add a spoon of the Everyday Curry to a quick spiced soup. It is grounding, nourishing, and steadying, like earth after rain.
[9:15] Food As Energy, Not Dieting
[VIDYA]: This is not dieting. It is dialogue. A relationship between your energy and your food.
Your body already knows what to do. It knows when it needs warmth, when it needs rest, when it needs spice, and when it needs stillness. The goal is not perfection. It is presence.
So start with one meal a day. Before you eat, pause. Take a breath. Ask yourself: what does my body need right now? Not what the trend says. Not what the calorie counter says. What your energy says.
That simple awareness is the beginning of transformation.
[9:50] Feed Your Frequency
[VIDYA]: Food is not data. It is medicine. Healing does not begin in a lab. It begins in your kitchen, in your breath, and in your bowl.
If you are in Orange County or anywhere in Southern California, come visit us at Tea and Turmeric in Laguna Beach. Smell the cardamom. Taste the broth. Feel what intention does to your body.
And if you are listening from afar, you can find our teas and Ayurvedic kits at teaandturmeric.com, your Laguna Beach destination for herbal wellness.
Every blend we create, from the Stress Less Tea to the Everyday Broth and Everyday Curry Blend, was designed with one clear intention: to feed your frequency, not just your stomach.
Thank you for listening to The Tea on Wellness. Until next time, eat with awareness and tune in.
Stay Connected
Come visit us in Laguna Beach or explore our teas and spices anytime at teaandturmeric.com
We share recipes, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes moments on Instagram at @teanturmeric
Got a question or a story about how food is shifting things for you? Email me and the team at hello@teaandturmeric.com
If this episode brought you clarity or a new way of thinking about what is on your plate, tapping follow and leaving a quick review helps more people in Orange County and beyond find this conversation. Thank you for supporting our little wellness community.
About the Host
Vidya is the host of The Tea on Wellness Podcast, ranked in the top 25% of new podcasts globally. She is co-founder and owner of Tea & Turmeric, a tea and spice shop in Laguna Beach, Orange County, California. Raised in Eastern Canada in an Indian family rooted in Ayurveda, she grew up drinking masala chai daily in her Amma Amma's kitchen long before sourcing loose-leaf herbs for her own shop. Today, Vidya formulates functional herbal teas and spice blends and speaks with customers every day about stress, sleep, digestion, and nervous system support. She shares Ayurvedic tea traditions, adaptogens, and practical wellness rituals every week on The Tea on Wellness Podcast. Tea & Turmeric is located at 1175 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.
Episode Length: 10:52
Published: June 3, 2026
Category: Wellness, Ayurveda, Nutrition
Location: Laguna Beach, Orange County, California
