The fundamentals of Ayurvedic diet and how to eat according to your Dosha

You are what you eat, the saying goes. According to Ayurveda, this could not be more true. Ayurveda is the oldest known system of natural medicine, and it’s based on the principle that your health and longevity are determined by the quality of the food you eat and how you take care of your body and mind. Therefore, nutrition and how to eat for your dosha are central to the concept of long-lasting well-being.

WHAT IS THE AYURVEDIC DIET?

The Ayurvedic diet is not a restrictive concept, as many may believe, but rather a way of being mindful of what and how we eat in order to balance the doshas, and in doing so achieve better health and long-lasting wellness. It embraces the concept of individualised conscious eating, meaning it is a guide to help support the gut environment, our own bio-individuality, as well as our body’s capacity of extracting the needed nutrients from food.

Nutrition according to Ayurveda approaches the process of eating from a holistic point of view, looking not only at the food we consume but also at how we consume it. It starts with the digestive fire, or Agni, a key concept in Ayurveda that governs a series of processes within the body, including digestion, assimilation of food, and absorption of nutrients. A low digestive fire means that food remains unprocessed in the body, fermenting, and hindering the absorption of nutrients into the tissues, ultimately leading to the creation of toxic material in the body, known ama.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE AYURVEDIC DIET 

In Ayurveda, we are all unique, meaning we each have a different energetic makeup that dictates our inherent ability to process certain types of food. This energetic makeup, the doshas, is found in different ratios in our bodies, and the key to optimal health is keeping these doshas in balance. While it is important to know what your predominant dosha (or doshas) is, looking for imbalances within the body can help give a better overview of our individual needs.

However, there are a series of general guidelines beneficial for all dosha types according to Ayurveda.

Consistent mealtimes

Eating meals at consistent times, with lunch being the biggest meal, helps support the digestive system in its process. However, it is important to listen to your body, so eat only when you are hungry.

Eating warm foods

Transformation requires heat, and eating warm foods keeps the digestive fire working properly and supports it in the breakdown of foods.

Eating fresh food 

Ayurveda recommends eating food at least within an hour of cooking, which ensures the food prepared is still fresh and full of prana (life force). The longer you keep food, including refrigerating it overnight, the less nutritious the food will be and harder to digest. One example is food prepping, extremely popular nowadays, however, not done according to Ayurveda.

Cooking your food

According to Ayurveda, you should minimise the amount of raw foods you consume, as these are harder to digest, ultimately creating dysfunction in the gut. 

Balancing the six tastes

Ayurveda teaches us that a meal should include all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. This optimises the digestive process, along with the absorption of nutrients and elimination, and, at the same time, lessens cravings and snacking.

Using spices in your meals

Spices are a great way to support the digestive process while adding flavour to your meals. They are also a great way of keeping the tastes balanced.

Eat and cook mindfully

Your body communicates constantly with the nervous system and eating is no exception. Engage your mind and focus on your meal, this way your body knows to release the necessary enzymes to break down the food. At the same time, be mindful when preparing your food and enter the kitchen with good energy, this will automatically increase the nourishing properties of your meal.

HOW TO EAT FOR YOUR DOSHA

Well-being starts in the gut and is strongly connected with your predominant dosha(s). This dictates the way you process food, and how different foods and tastes affect your gut environment.

VATA DOSHA

Made up of Air and Ether, Vata Dosha is linked to movement and mobility. Balancing Vata means eating freshly cooked, whole foods that have a soft, mushy texture, are well seasoned with a variety of spices and that are rich in fat and protein. Being dominated by two of the coldest elements, always favour hot over cold as Vata gets aggravated by even more cold.

This goes for both foods and the environment. In order to balance Vata, choose warming foods that are characterised by the sweet, sour and salty taste, go for grounding and nourishing foods instead of light meals and avoid dry foods.

Tips for a Vata pacifying diet

•  Favour naturally sweet foods like fruits, root vegetables, milk, ghee, nuts, seeds and lean meats
•  Drink a lot of warm water, water is sweet in taste and is pacifying for all three doshas (Tridoshic)
•  Complement your meals with a splash of sour like kimchi or few drops of lime
•  Add spices to your meals, like cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, black pepper, coriander
•  Minimise bitter foods like kale and dandelion greens
•  Avoid astringent foods like broccoli, bitter greens and brussel sprouts.
•  Have your meals at consistent times each day and stick to a routine, but eat only when you are hungry.

PITTA DOSHA

With its governing elements of Fire and Water, this polar-opposite dosha thrives on foods that are cooling, hearty, dry and grounding. The principle of like increases like is central to Ayurvedic philosophy, which means that opposite qualities balance each other, leading to increased overall well-being. Pitta is fiery, oily, sharp and liquid by nature, which means that in order to balance it, you should favour foods that counteract these qualities, like sweet fruits, bitter greens and leafy greens.

Tips for balancing Pitta Dosha

•  Favour sweet foods as, generally, these are cooling and heavy but avoid foods like egg yolks, rye, and most nuts and seeds as they are warming, therefore aggravates Pitta.
•  Avoid sour foods like kefir, aged cheese, lemons and sour fruit as they are heating in nature. If you are the kind of Pitta that likes her water with a slice of lemon, try replacing this with lime. When not used in excess, limes can actually balance Pitta.
•  Avoid using too much salt in your diet; salt’s qualities are hot, light and oily, meaning it aggravates Pitta. Always cook salt into the food and never put it on top of the food.
•  Avoid heating spices like cayenne, nutmeg, dry ginger and fenugreek. Favour instead spices that are Tridoshic like cilantro, fresh basil, turmeric and saffron.
•  Include bitter foods in your diet like kale and dandelion greens.
•  Favour astringent foods like broccoli, cauliflower and leafy greens as they are generally drying.

KAPHA DOSHA

Kapha Dosha is characterised by heavy, dense, binding and cold qualities. This means that Kapha pacifying diet should be the opposite: light, airy, dry and warm. To keep Kapha balanced, include heating foods in your diet like chillies, radishes and most spices, along with drying foods like beans, dried fruit and rice cakes, and light foods like fresh vegetables (preferably cooked, however, a modest amount of raw vegetable, fruits and salads in the warmer seasons are also good) and teas.

Tips for Kapha balancing diet:

•  Favour warm meals over cold
•  Reduce sweet and grounding foods like ice cream, dark meat, nuts and root vegetables.
•  Minimise sour foods like cow’s cheese, oranges, and vinegar
•  Include spices in your diet that are heating, like cloves, cinnamon, garlic, mustard seeds and hing. Also, cilantro, saffron, turmeric and basil are Tridoshic so safe to use for all three doshas, not to mention delicious.
•  Include bitter foods in your diet like eggplant, kale and dandelion greens.
•  Favour astringent foods such as beet greens, broccoli, brussel sprouts, leafy greens and cauliflower
•  Go for smaller portions and don’t overeat
•  Drink enough water for your type of activity and climate. Kaphas are prone to water retention, so drinking too much water can increase this.

Knowing how to eat for your doshas and help pacify any imbalances in your body is essential to your well-being. However, making these changes to your diet is a considerable task, so try to take it one step at a time so that you don’t become overwhelmed.

In need of more support in finding out what causes various imbalances in your body? Then book a free 30 minute discovery call HERE and we can discuss how I can help you to get to the root cause of your health issues and give you the tools to help you achieve your health goals.