If you are frustrated by trying many diet plans and not feeling better, it is time to follow Ayurvedic Diet plan and stick to it - It is designed to fit your Mind-Body type (Body-Constitution) so your food choices will be your Soul-Foods!
More than calories, Ayurveda pays attention to the qualities in the food - Hot or cold, heavy or light, moist or dry, etc., because qualities make all the difference. For example, a glass of water has "0" calories, but the qualities in the water make all the difference. 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. If it is too hot, a glass of cool water will be very refreshing, but in cold winters, go for a warm glass of water.
Ayurveda uses same philosophy when it comes to create balancing diet plan for you. If you are Vata predominant, because you may be thin/slender with dry skin and always feeling cold - warm, moist and heavy foods like soups, stews, oatmeal and warm herbal teas will be ideal for you. If you are well built, with moist skin complaining about weight gain, congestion and swelling then light, warm and dry foods such as toasts, grilled veggies, baked foods and broiled fish will be your soul food. If you are medium built, organized, with warm, ruddy complexion then salads, cooling fruits and a mildly spicy foods are the right choices for you. It is not what but who is eating makes all the difference. Ayurvedic nutrition revolves around the individual.
Ayurveda is the only science focusing on 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 it purifies the body. Adding six tastes into your food is the right way to make food medicinal, 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. Mother 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 start making changes in your foods according to seasons, you will be able to prevent many diseases.
Ayurveda 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 (your digestive enzymes) hot and strong.
