soup II

In my last blog I discussed the readymade soups and I also promised my readers that I shall share some jazzy, yummy and yet healthy soups recipes.
Before we get into the ‘how’ of soup making let me share an interesting bit of history…
Ayurved has discussed in detail the preparation of various foods, both vegetable & fruits as well as meats of various animals and birds. It goes on to also discuss in great details the types of vessels to use, and the methods to follow for preparation of these foods. The texts also describe in detail what type of foods should be eaten and how, depending on each person’s ‘Agni’ – the ability to digest . In the course of its discussions further, a great many Ayurvedic practitioners have detailed out myriad recipes .
Here is that interesting piece of historical titbit… The 16th century Ayurvedic practitioner Ksemsarma while detailing such healthy recipes, has mentioned soups, the original Sanskrit word used in his texts is by pronunciation: ‘SOUPAH’. Amazing, isn’t it..?
Among the main ingredients for such soups the ancient texts have mainly relied on
 Legumes of green gram
 Black grams
 Red lentils
 Seasonal vegetables
 Various meats and
 Flavourful spices, asafoetida, rock salt, cumin seeds and so on!
The best method to prepare a healthy soup is primarily by boiling the desired ingredients like vegetables, lentils or meats and then adding flavouring agents which also have many therapeutic values.
Take this for example: The soup of green gram is recommended for those who undergo ‘Panchkarma” detoxification treatments and for those suffering from ulcers.
Soups of meats are described as nourishing, aphrodisiac and help in healing wounds.
Ayurvedic texts also discuss what we call clear soups as a good remedy for bowl movements and is said to help effectively address thirst and exhaustion.
Now let me give you one basic recipe for making a healthy clear soup:
Ingredients:
 Thinly sliced cabbage
 thin slices of carrots (make sure that the centre stem which is lighter in colour is removed)
 A few thinly sliced beans
 Juliennes of ginger
 A slight add of Garlic (if taste permits)
Method:
Boil these veggies or any other preferred veggies to make a stock. Once you are sure that the flavours of these vegetables are thoroughly blended with the boiled water, season it with juliennes of ginger, a bit of garlic (if you prefer), a bit of asafoetida and rock salt to taste.
Tip :
When you want a little thickness to the soups, you may add any one of the lentils/grams mentioned above. However, please make sure that you roast these thoroughly well and then grind these in a grinder before adding a small quantity to the boiling water and make sure that the flour is cooked well.
When you are making non vegetarian soups please make sure that the meat is cleaned well and cut into small pieces. There are two most popular methods of using the chunks of meat:
1. to directly boil the meat pieces/chunks along with/without vegetables, or
2. frying these chunks in a bit oil and then adding these chunks to the broth
While concluding, let me also tell you another interesting fact…Contrary to the commonly held belief, Ayurved has in detail discussed the effects both good & bad, of various meats that go beyond just chicken or lamb or fish but extends to wild buffalo, horses, camels and birds like blue rock pigeons, black partridges.
But remember, One should eat what one can digest!
Bon appétit!!

ready to eat soups

In this fast paced world, we are constantly bombarded with jazzy ads, glamorous models and celebrities and of course glittering products that claim to be the only choice for a better living. While I agree that many may be such right choices and some are definitely NOT.
Most of the times we also feel that we are in complete control of our emotional dynamics and that these ads do not affect us. But let me tell you that these ads DO affect us in some way or the other and that’s the reality.
But while the ads and the scores of ad men and women are doing their job relentlessly, isn’t it our prerogative to choose wisely for the sake of our health..?
Most of the times we are so enamoured in our own myths especially about their health and more so about their diets. But then, while the ads are doing what these are supposed to do, let us do our own thing…
Take one of the commonly used products…dried soup mixes! All the soup mix advertisements claim how very healthy, tasty, yummy and easy to prepare these concoctions are. But do we really take a hard look at the ingredients of these ready-to- serve soup mixes..? Let me focus on that….. If we look at the ingredients, all dried soup mixes contain lots of salt, hidden sugar, fillers, preservatives, corn flour, few pieces of dried veggies, colouring and flavouring agents. When I tried to analyze these ingredients, to my surprise, I didn’t find any nutritional value in this so called healthy soup… How these soups could be a healthy, and nutritious supplement for the growing children, elders or even fit for healthy consumptions..? What I found in all these products 1 Corn flour or some other flour as thickening base 2 A few dried pieces of veggies 3 Preservatives, salt, flavouring n colouring agents, hidden sugar etc . I happened to even speak to a technologist who specialises in this area of food drying and what came out was while the drying process does retain some nutritional values of the original ingredient the process also likely to change the basic ‘Gunas’ values of the original. Now let us look at each of the ingredient independtly… First of all, corn flour is a big load of starch and high calorie food, which is not at all good for health. Dried veggie pieces are dried and dehydrated vegetables. This process of dehydration does reduce the certain amount of nutrients from the vegetables. And then how can these veggie pieces are healthy? Lastly the third group that is preservatives, colouring, flavouring agents, & salt are added to increase the shell life of the product and don’t have any nutritional benefits…… So if you people are hoping for good health or hoping to lose a few kilos of belly fat, with just a mug-full of soup…I congratulate all those jazzy ads for a job well done! But you are a serious reader of my blogs and conscious of your health, let me come back to you with some equally jazzy, yummy and healthy recipes of soups!

Dr. Manjiri Joshi

www.ayurconcept.com

91 9403360452

leaves for serving and cooking

I always have praised Ayurved not merely because I am an Ayurvedic practitioner but the more I
study (yes, I still call myself a student of Ayurved, which in itself is a revelation every time I look up
for references. Ayurved is probably the only discourse that takes an absolutely holistic approach
to human lifestyle. In Ayurved, different plant leaves has been mentioned, for eating food from. It
also occurs to me that every time Ayurved recommends something for human health, it also takes
care of the environment. I look at it as eco friendly and conducive to the human society at large!
In this blog, I am sharing this gem from this ancient wisdom treasure with you all…
Ayurved Recommends using various tree- leaves for a few cooking methods like steaming and also to
eat food from. Some of you are familiar with the banana leaf which is often used to serve food on
during festivals and rituals. The most common practice of using the banana leaf for serving food can
be seen in parts of southern India and even some south Indian restaurants. Banana leaf contains
useful anti oxidants , which are automatically transferred when we consume food on banana leaf.
And when we steam and serve food on a banana leaf, along with aroma, we get useful anti oxidants
as well.
Similarly Ayurved also discusses the virtues of other tree leaves like the plantain , palasha leaf, hastikarni ,
arka (rui), erand , ketaki, and also petals of lotus all of which were being traditionally used for
consuming food during ancient times.
The use of a particular leaf, has been indicated to cure certain ailment and has different properties
from the other.
Let me share a few examples:
 Consuming food served in a plantain leaf is cordial, aphrodisiac and strengthening. It is
useful in treatment of toxicity and vatarakta.
 Food served in ‘Eranda’ leaf is greatly beneficial for eyes but at the same time aggravates
pitta too.
 Food served in the leaf of ‘Arka’ kills worms , treats many diseases and aggravates pitta.
 Food served in the leaf of ‘Hastikarni’ kills worms, hot in potency.
 Food served in the leaf of ‘ketaki’ is beneficial to the eyes.
 Food served in the petals of lotus is aphrodisiac, and is recommended for travellers.
 Banana leaf gives a fantastic aroma to the food n contains many useful anti oxidants.
Even if you keep aside the technicalities of the tree leaves in terms of human health, can you
imagine the aroma that your food will have besides reducing the usage of vessels and the burden of
cleaning and that too with chemicals..?
Eco friendly and yet yummy food ideas…isn’t it?

Dr. Manjiri Joshi

www.ayurconcept.com

9403360452

Alumina toxicity

One of the reasons why I am consistently writing my blogs on subjects related to health, especially preventive health is what I saw during my visit to the U.S. The lifestyle there disturbed me a lot. I also find that many of us blindly follow that same lifestyle, the food habits, not to mentions the craze over everything western.

The other reason why I set off blogging about routine health issues is that most of us as I see from the patients who come to me, the people I interact with, could avoid a number of ailments and visits to the doctor only if they follow what Ayurved has given us, at least to an extent.

Today I am putting forth yet another unhealthy practice. The use of aluminium foil wrapping!

We routinely wrap food in the foil, cook food in the foil or even heat food in the aluminium foil.

I came across a situation in the U.S. where I was told that many people are suffering because they are found with excessive aluminium deposits in their bodies…Nothing surprising really. Considering the amount of aluminium that is practically inseparable from their food and cooking methods.

Most of the households use oven for cooking. The food cooked into oven is first wrapped in the aluminium foil and then it is heated inside the oven. Due to the heat, aluminium is leached out and is absorbed in the food. The degree of leaching is more in acidic and spicy foods. People cook meat in oven which is first wrapped in the aluminium foil and that meat then is obviously aluminium contaminated.

It does not matter whether the food wrapped is in contact with shiny side or dull side. On both sides the effect on food is same and the same amount of aluminium is absorbed in the food. The amount of absorption depends on the time spent in the oven and on the temperature of the oven during cooking.

Aluminium that enters our body cannot be digested. It accumulates in our body, in our liver, kidneys, bones and in our brain tissues. This leads to abdominal pain or tiredness. As the amount of aluminium in the body continues to saturate it becomes fatal. It affects our nervous system and can cause diseases like Alzheimer and depression, memory loss and anxiety. A significant amount of aluminium is found in the brain tissues of the patient suffering from Alzheimer diseases.

Drinking or consuming water and food containing toxic levels of aluminium. Breathing aluminium dust in work environment, living near hazardous waste sites or areas where aluminium is mined or processed, usage of aluminium cookware and aluminium cans, mindless consumption of antacids, Usage of antiperspirants are some of the common causes of aluminium poisoning.

Excretion of aluminium occurs mainly through urine therefore kidney failure is known to increase aluminium toxicity. Aluminium mediates toxicity by preventing production of essential enzymes and proteins, bringing about changes in DNA and affecting the cell membrane leading to premature cell death. It also affects brain anatomy and brings about neuro-chemical and behavioural changes in individuals.

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, anaemia, haemolysis, disturbed bowel activity, dental caries, dementia, osteomalacia and kidney and liver dysfunction are few of the disorders associated with aluminium toxicity. Aluminium toxicity is known to cause oxidative stress- a state of imbalance between pro-oxidant agents and body’s antioxidant defences.

Seems frightening, isn’t it? Now then, isn’t it time we give up aluminium totally even cooking in aluminium vessels.

But then you will ask me, “What is the alternative?” Really speaking aluminium foils are avoidable!

But don’t fret. In my next blog I shall give you not only some of the most safest but also equally tasty, yummy alternatives especially when it comes to steaming foods and you can show off your cooking skills in your friends’ groups too!

Dr. Manjiri joshi

91 9403360452

 

 

water II

In my last blog I wrote about the various myths in context with water consumption and the resultant ailments. This time I am taking the discussion a bit further to discuss the ideal methods of water storage…

Water takes on varying characteristics when stored in vessels of different metals. Since times immemorial different metal vessels are used to store water… metals like, iron, brass copper, silver and even gold! Naturally then, these metals have differing impacts on the characteristics of water. It is therefore imperative that one should choose a vessel for water storage that not only will have nil or at least minimum side effects on the water’s characteristics but the choice should also be done that would be compatible to one’s physical constitution and of course, geographic.

Some metals are known to remove the impurities of water, but for purification gold which is described in Ayurved as ‘Vish-har’ (one that removes the toxins) is considered to be the most ideal metal of all. That is why it is recommended that water should be ideally stored in a gold vessel and a gold vessel should also be used also for drinking water. (Wow! only if we all could afford it. Isn’t it..?) This ‘Golden water’ is considered to be of ‘Ushna Guna’ while water stored in a silver vessel is considered to be of ‘Sheet Guna’

Water stored in Copper vessel is considered to be good only if the vessel is filled AFTER sunrise and such water is consumed BEFORE sunset. Water stored in a copper vessel overnight tends to becomes toxic, changes in taste and sometimes takes on a greenish shade.

A clay pot on the other hand that is properly baked is devoid of any impurities. If water methodically boiled and filtered and then stored in this clay pot, will always be ideal for consumption. Such clay pots are abundantly seen in India and elsewhere routinely during summers.

Water stored in vessels made of ghosa (bell metal) is very hot in potency, heavy to digest and rendered pungent after metabolism. It aggravates pitta and kapha and on allowing it to stay for a long time, its properties differ with time.

Water stored in copper vessels is very hot in potency, tasty, instantly pungent, vitiates pitta, stimulates the digestive fire and on allowing to stay for long, it quickly alleviates vata.

Water stored in brass utensils is pungent and instantly hot in potency, alleviates kapha, aggravates pitta and causes progression of prameha.

Water stored in iron vessels is very dry and treats bleeding disorders, itching and vitiations of all three doshas.

I am sure now you would have a few queries and you would like to know more. So write to me and I shall endeavour to answer those.

Talking about queries, one of my patients in Israel, Anna (identity covered for confidentiality) wrote to me asked me and I quote, ” If water is not to be had, then how to take medicines before and after meals?” A very commonly faced dilemma…The answer to this is, ” first of all such post and pre meal medicines should be taken after 20 minutes post or before meals and further what one needs is hardly 30 to 60 ml of water…Think about it!

And remember, Drinking water in large quantity early morning on empty stomach, will definitely increase the ‘kapha dhatu’ and is not good in ‘kapha’ conditions like cough, rhinitis.

See you next time till then, keep writing to me and stay healthy!

Dr. Manjiri Joshi

www.ayurconcept.com

9403360452

water

Ayurveda discusses water in great detail that spans across its properties, sources, impact of soil on the water properties. Ayurveda also discusses geographic like the hilly areas or barren lands where the water flows from and how storing methods also impact the properties of water. This discussion of impacts covers, well water, water from streams, lakes and even rivers!
Our ancestors have exhibited their depth of knowledge in Ayurveda in their detailed discourses on how and why water purification is needed. From the readers’ view point however, let me present some these gems of wisdom…
On the backdrop of the heightened awareness for health among the layman and the various posts that keep flying across social media I see a huge number of people stuck in myriad myths…like, drinking a lot of water helps flush toxins easily or drinking 1 or 2 litres of water on empty stomach in the early morning or that drinking a lot water helps in weight reduction…never ending myths that people follow with great convictions!
So let me throw some light on what Ayurveda says in this regard…
Ayurveda mentions some of the natural urges and highlights that these should be attended to only when they arrive! Meaning..? we should eat only when we feel hungry. Like the urge to pass urine or excreta …done only when there is an URGE! The very purpose behind this advice is to maintain body’s natural circadian rhythm! Similarly thirst is a natural urge and one should drink water only when there is urge! A normal body doesn’t need excess of water to drink.. however, in certain diseases, there are exceptions.

Drink water only when there is an urge, without restriction of quantity & time…and that is the thumb rule for drinking water. Normally the quantity and time depends on the constitution of the body and body condition of a person….
Today I am also answering the supposedly million dollar question… “WHEN TO DRINK WATER..?”
People mostly ask me when to drink to water in relation to the food consumption. Of course there are hundreds of diverse opinions and discussions are abundant on social media too!
Astanghrudayam, the famous text of Ayurveda clearly advices that drinking water just before and immediately after food consumption is harmful for health. However, sipping water along food consumption is considered healthy, according to Ayurveda. Let us see why…
Ayurveda describes the digestive strength as ‘Agni’ and the water consumption before food dilutes and weakens the ‘Agni’. Water consumptions before food therefore, will not be conducive to digestion and thus not a good idea! The ideal time gap between water consumption and food thereafter is recommended to be 40 minutes!
Drinking water immediately after food also affects the digestive strength. It makes the food rot inside the system instead of getting digested. This in turn leads to excess acid generation
and gas in the system. It gives a touch of coolant effect to whatever the food is eaten. People who are used to drinking water like this generally tend to become obese over a period of time. So again it’s not an ideal way. One should take a sip or two after food.
The most healthy way is to drink water in small sips along the food. This helps break down the food into smaller particles. The sips of water also quenches thirst and helps proper digestion. An ideal way!
The minimum gap between food and water post meals should be between 1.5 to 2hrs. But please note that this also varies based on individual constitution, geographical conditions & so on.
I am sure that this helps you all drive a better bargain with your body & water consumption habits!

honey

In my last blog I described the ‘side-effect’ phobia. Today I am taking just one substance that has great medicinal properties and tell you how these side effects occur through common mistakes people make in using even such great substance…HONEY!
Honey has a very important place in the Hindu culture especially religious culture…making of the tasty and ‘body-beneficial’ ‘Panchamruta’ and even the myriad religious ceremonies and is available in every household by default.
Honey per say, is the extract of flowers collected and accumulated by bees and therefore a plethora of varieties of honey are available in the market categorised on the basis of flowers & bees. Ayurved describes 8 different types of honey…
These are:
‘Bhraamar’, ‘Shudra’, ‘Poutik’, ‘Chhatr’, ‘Arghya’, ‘Daal’, ‘Audaalak’, and ‘Maakshik’. Out of these ‘Maakshik’ is considered to be the best. Ayurved details the characteristics of honey quite deeply…
Recently collected honey is considered as immature and leads to ‘Kapha Dosha’ and leads to weight gain as against this the year-old or even older honey greatly reduces the ‘Kapha Dosha’ and helps in weight reduction!
My patients and students always ask me as to how to recognise the old honey and I tell them to follow a simple trick by a bottle of honey label it with the date of purchase and keep it aside for a year!
But then if someone who uses a fairly fresh honey for weight loss treatment by mistake or unknowingly, the result will be disastrously opposite! And that’s why older is better!!
Honey is described as sweet and a little sharp in taste and is ‘Ushna-Ruksh’ in characteristic and is highly useful in treating ‘Tridoshas’. Being an excellent catalyst many medicines are prescribed to be taken with honey. Honey is excellent in skin complexion treatments as well as for eyes.
It is also recommended in treating wounds.
Ayurved also describes how to identify the best honey…
If dropped in water Honey settles at the bottom, dripped over fabric, it slides down without sticking to it, burns like oil. It is also noticed that a dog never sniffs honey, funny but true! In the present era, honey can be tested in a lab for its characteristics.
Ayurved describes many uses of this multi dimensional honey , both externally as well as internally in treating various medical conditions .
Here are some of its external application:
1. old honey is applied on wounds for quick healing
2. In beauty treatments honey is used along with other herbal ingredients
3. applied on mouth ulcers honey quickly heals them
4. if honey is mixed with Turmeric powder, & water for gargling it gives quick relief in treating cold and cough
5. Honey is also extremely good for eyesight
Here are some greats benefits of honey if taken internally:
 In cough related treatments honey is used as medium
 A mixture of ‘Pimpli’ and honey works as a great relief for cough
 Triphala churna and honey mixed together is good for the health of eyes
 in Asthmatic conditions honey mixed with ginger juice is very effective
 for weight loss one should drink 1 cup water mixed with honey
However, honey needs to be used extremely carefully (ideally as may be prescribed by a medical
practitioner)for treating any medical conditions. Here are some broad guidelines for using honey:
1. Honey should never be heated
2. while making a mixture of ghee (clarified butter) & honey both these ingredients should
never be in equal proportions. Same goes when you are preparing ‘Panchamruta’.
3. Honey should be sparsely used during summer
4. People with acidity problems should take special care while taking honey and that in in
limited quantities
5. Using honey as sweetener is fine but I have seen many people adding honey to hot milk.
Similarly, using heated honey over salads as dressing is absolutely wrong!
Now, if used correctly, isn’t honey the sweetest thing to happen in our lives..?

when to eat

‘WHEN’ TO EAT

A have interacted with you extensively with you, through many of my blogs earlier about diet, lifestyle and Ayurved. As you must have realised that to stay healthy a correct lifestyle is what is needed that includes the right food at the right time and in the right season too!

Taking it a little further to prove my point, let me share some of my experiences, where without any medicine, only dietary changes have successfully cured the ailment.

A female patient (age 40) who is a working woman complained of constant bloating and burning in the epigastric region, a condition that had persisted over almost 6 months. She is very conscious about her diet, exercise, yoga, pranayam…….all in all, a very good follower of the teachings of Ayurved!
But despite this she started having these complaints. Typically like any other normal person, her first reaction was to neglect the symptoms blaming it on probable hormonal changes, stress in working life, social and family concerns and so forth…
But the symptoms persisted over almost 6 months when she decided to visit my clinic to discuss the issue.
While taking a detailed history I noticed that she has shifted her lunch timing from 1 pm to almost 3 to 3.30 giving priority to other important assignment at the office. At 5 pm, she was taking a tea break and again at night 8.30 pm dinner. She has a habit of having breakfast at 8 am, before she leaves for work.
Looking at her schedule, I observed that the only change that was really necessary was to advice her to shift her lunch time back to 1 p.m. and a bit of stress nothing else.
So instead of prescribing any medicine, I only advised her to change the lunch time back again from  3/3.30 to  strictly between 1 to 1.30 .
With that simple change, the miracle happened. She started feeling light. Bloating disappeared slowly and the heartburn stopped completely!

Now let me explain, how and what was exactly happening to her body.
According to Ayurveda, 10 am to 2 pm is the ‘pitta’ period. So Ayurved recommends to take lunch between this period of day for proper digestion. Now my patient had shifted her lunch timing from 1 to 3/3.30,which what everyone thinks is not a big deal, and so did she too.
But then she was not taking the food during the ‘pitta’ time of day, instead she was taking her lunch during the ‘vata’ time, which according to Ayurveda, is between 2 to 6 pm. that is why the bloated feeling, and the heartburn.
When the body is demanding food in the pitta period, no food was there for digestion. And when the body is in vata phase of day, she was feeding her body, which created bloating.
Another thing in this case was there was a gap of more than 6 to 7 hours between breakfast and lunch that also was causing vata and pitta aggravation.

Ayurved says that when diet is correct, medicine is not required and when diet is wrong, medicine is of no use… quite enlightening, isn’t it..?

Readers, please take a note of not only what you have in your diet but also ‘when’ ! When Ayurved talks about the right diet, it is related to the quantity, quality, & time, all that I have earlier discussed as the 8 golden rules of dietetic.

Ayurved dietetics

In my last blog I wrote about the unique dietetics approach of Ayurved. Now as promised let me unfold

some more insights into diet planning that  help  maintain good health and assist in the healing process in the body.

This is called ‘Asthauaahar Vidhi Visheyatana’ that in Ayurved means ‘Eight rules of dietetics’, that should be followed by everyone, while consuming food. These are basically parameters in ensuring that one eats not only the right food but also correct methods and pointers to select or prepare that food.

These are…

1 Prakriti (nature of food)

2 Karana (food processing)

3 Samyoga (combination of food)

4 Rashi (quantity of food)

5 Desh (habitat)

6 kala (time)

7 Upyogsanstha (dietary rules)

8 Upabhokta (person consuming the food)

These 8 parameters are very vital while understanding Ayurvedic dietetics.

  1. Prakriti: (nature of food)

It is the nature or quality of food. Different foods have their own individual qualities and these qualities (or nature of food) are very important while selecting the right food.

While planning diet for a person, food that has properties opposite to the person, is selected.

  1. Karma: (processing of food)

It is the preparation or ‘Sanskara” of food. During cooking the food undergoes various processes like  frying, roasting, steaming, & churning that more often change the properties of food. That is why the process becomes an important consideration…Only the process that is beneficial to the person should be implemented while cooking. The way of cooking changes according to the person’s need.

  1. Samyoga: (Combination of food)

While preparing any food, right ingredients mixed rightly will always be beneficial.

 

  1. Rashi: (Quantity)

Ayurved highlights the advantages of Quantity. In dietetics one has to consider not only the total quantity of the food that is consumed but also the quantity of individual ingredients that go into the food. And this depends upon the ‘Prakriti’ (the physical constitution of the person), age, state of body, habitat, digestive fire of a person quality of food and so on

  1. Desh: (geographical Place)

It is the place where the food substance is grown and the also the place where the person is living. Ayruved has divided place into 3 types marshy, arid and normal.

  1. Kala: (Time phase/period)

As the weather changes, the body demands different kind of food to adjust to the changing season. One has to change the diet according to seasonal changes and also to suit state of physical constitution or state. ‘Kala’ also indicates that the next food consumption can be done only after the earlier food is completely digested.

  1. Upayogsanstha: (Rules of eating)

Ayurved has mentioned in detail a number of guidelines that help digestion effectively

  1. Upabhokta: (person consuming food)

Every person must take into consideration, his own constitution, capacity of his digestive fire , season, time of day and whether the previously taken food has been digested or not.

 

Now I am confident that you will realise that each one of you is unique and naturally your diet plan HAS to be equally unique! So by the time I come back next to you take a look at you with these 8 golden parameters in mind and see what your present diet plan looks like!

Bon appetite!

Dr. Manjiri Joshi

9403360452

www.ayurconcept.com