Ayurvedic nutrition is very delicious, and there's no need to do mathematics (calorie counting) when you choose a balanced diet for your individual Prakriti. The Ayurvedic approach views eating as an art form, and takes into consideration the energies and qualities contained within the food when preparing a meal.
Food may have the qualities of: Hot or cold, heavy or light, moist or dry, etc. Depending on how and when they are used and by whom, these qualities may help prevent disease, cause disease or cure disease. For example, if the food is light, it is good for losing weight, but may make the mind restless. If it's hot, it will surely increase your appetite, but may give you heartburn at the same time. Dry food will reduce congestion, but may make your skin dry. So, we have to use the right qualities in the food to match our individual needs. For instance, a glass of ice-cold water may worsen allergies, weaken digestion, hamper circulation and may cause you to lose your voice. On the other hand, a glass of warm water, which has same calories, has exactly the opposite effect - it will reduce congestion, strengthen metabolism, improve circulation and clear the voice. Makes sense, right? Ayurveda is a "Makes Sense" science.
Besides qualities, an Ayurvedic diet revolves around combining the six tastes in each meal to make it tasty, delicious, balanced and medicinal. Sweet taste helps to build tissues in the body while sour taste restores acid base balance. Salty is responsible for maintaining mineral balance and pungent improves digestion and strengthens digestive enzymes. Astringent stops bleeding and gives tone to the body. Bitter works as a natural antibiotic, antiseptic and purifies the body. Adding six tastes into your food is the right way to make food delicious and low in calories.
The right touches of sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter help to make food Prakriti specific. e. g. Vatas should avoid eating bitter greens, because it aggravates Vata, but Pittas thrive on those greens, because it cools down the heat. Ginger, garlic, jalapenos and chilies make Kaphas happy by reducing congestion and helping lose weight, but give Pittas ulcers or irritability. Sweet potatoes will make Vatas feel grounded, but may make Kaphas lethargic. Do you see the difference? The same food makes one person happy and another sad. This is why it's important to eat according to your Prakriti.
Ayurveda favors seasonally grown foods. Leafy greens grow in summer and cool the body so they are summer foods. Root veggies, squash, pumpkin, nuts and beans are readily available, and are ideal in fall because they are heavy, sweet and moist - balancing Vata. Nature is so wise that it produces the fruits and veggies which create balance in each season, so all you have to do is shop at your local farmer's market. If you eat seasonally and change your habits, many diseases can be prevented.
Ayurveda also keeps a close eye on digestion. "You are what you eat and what you digest". For example, you may go to a gourmet restaurant, but if your digestion is weak, the gourmet food will be nothing but a poison. So your job is to keep that pilot light around your naval hot and strong.
Besides what to eat, Ayurveda answers many questions like - Where to eat? How to eat? and When to eat? For example:
- Eat only three meals a day.
- Eat at the dining table (i.e. No eating while running errands or sitting in front of the computer or T.V.)
- Eat mindfully.
- Feed your pets before you eat.
Food is Soul. The fetus develops from the nutrition provided by the mother's diet. The body grows and is sustained by the food you eat and nourishes the body, mind and soul. The entire physical body is composed entiredly from the food you eat, proving the saying "you are what you eat".
Thus in sickness and in health, food is the key. The right foods help you to stay healthy and the wrong foods make you sick. There is a wise Ayurvedic saying - "If you follow a right diet, why do you need medicine? If you don't follow the right diet, what is medicine going to do?" Do you see the importance of food and health? Join our Wellness Program and get more diet tips for your wellness.
