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Ayurvedic Diet
The science of Ayurveda teaches that to maintain our health it is important that the food we eat nourishes our body and also restores the balance our doshas. Depending on our constitution, some foods can be beneficial and others should be avoided.
Imbalances can be caused by a variety of situations, eating the wrong foods, stress, poor sleeping habits, poor elimination, physical exhaustion and if not corrected, eventually lead to some form of disease. To help prevent this it is important to try to maintain our doshas in a proper balance.
If we do find ourselves out of balance we can use our diet to increase or decrease the three doshas until a balance is restored. Only a very small percentage of us are purely, vata, pitta, or kapha, most of us have a proportion of all three; in most cases two doshas combine to determine our dominant traits both physical and psychological.
The ability of our food to balance our doshas is determined by its taste; either salty, sour, sweet, bitter, astringent, or pungent and its other qualities, either heavy, oily, cold, hot, light or dry.
The Six Tastes
Bitter: The bitter taste is found in foods such as rhubarb, bitter melon, romaine lettuce, endive, chicory, spinach, chard, kale, turmeric root and tonic water.
Pungent: The pungent taste is found in foods such as radish, chilli peppers, black pepper, cayenne, ginger, and other hot-tasting spices.
Astringent: The astringent taste is found in foods such as parsley, cranberries, beans, lentils, pomegranate, cabbage, apples and pears.
Salty: The salty taste is found in any food to which salt has been added also kelp and seaweed.
Sour: The sour taste is found in foods such as green grapes, lemons, limes, pickles, vinegar, yogurt, miso, cheese, and plums.
Sweet: The sweet taste is found in foods such as sweet potatoes, table sugar, peaches, honey, rice, melons, pasta, milk, carrots, beets, cream, butter, wheat and bread.
The Tastes And The Doshas
Bitter - The bitter taste decreases both kapha and pitta, but increases vata.
Pungent - The pungent taste decreases kapha, but increases pitta and vata
Astringent - The astringent taste decreases kapha and pitta, but increases vata.
Salty - The salty taste increases kapha and pitta, but decreases vata.
Sour - The sour taste increases kapha and pitta, but decreases vata.
Sweet - The sweet taste increases kapha, but decreases pitta and vata.
The Six Major Food Qualities
Heavy: Heavy foods include bread, pasta, cheese, and yogurt.
Light: Light foods include rye, barley, corn, spinach, lettuce, pears and apples.
Oily: Oily foods include dairy products, meat, fatty foods, and cooking oils.
Dry: Dry foods include beans, potatoes, barley, and corn.
Hot: The hot quality describes hot beverages and warm, cooked foods.
Cold: The cold quality describes cold beverages and raw foods.
Food Qualities And The Doshas
Heavy - The heavy quality decreases vata and pitta, but increases kapha.
Light - The light quality decreases kapha, but increases vata and pitta.
Dry - The dry quality decreases kapha, but increases vata and pitta.
Hot - The hot quality decreases vata and kapha, but increases pitta.
Cold - The cold quality decreases pitta, but increases kapha and vata.
When you select foods appropriate for your constitution, you can maintain or restore your proper dosha balance. Keep these dietary and lifestyle suggestions in mind when trying to balance your particular dosha.
To balance Vata:
Vata is governed by air and movement and people with vata constitution are characterized by swift change and are easily thrown out of balance, if you have a vata dominant constitution you will benefit from having a daily routine with consistent meal times and a regular sleeping pattern.
Vata types should eat plenty of heavy foods, such as hot cereal, whole cooked grains, hearty soups and vegetables, stews, spicy foods in moderation are generally ok for vata types, breads and warm desserts, and should drink lots of warm fluids (e.g. herbal tea). On the other hand, raw fruits and vegetables and cold beverages should comprise only a small part of a Vata-balancing diet. Stimulants like smoking, alcohol, junk food, sugar, tea especially long leaf teas and green tea will aggravate vata types.
To balance Pitta:
Pitta governs heat, metabolism and transformation when out of balance, people with a Pitta constitution tend to work excessively. You can balance excess pitta with foods that are cool, dry and heavy. As a result, it is important if you are pitta dominant to avoid over scheduling and to balance work and other commitments with sufficient recreation and leisure. Don’t skip meals, and avoid overeating at meals.
Pitta types are well-suited to a vegetarian diet, and benefit a lot from eating fruits, raw vegetables and cold drinks. You can also eat starchy vegetables, grains and beans, but should eliminate spicy and overcooked foods. Stimulants like smoking, alcohol, coffee, pickles, vinegar, fried foods, spicy foods, fermented foods and curds could aggravate pitta types.
To balance Kapha:
Kapha governs structure and fluid balance and when out of balance Kapha types can gain weight easily and have difficulty getting rid of unwanted pounds, therefore regular exercise is important for maintaining your ideal weight. If you have a kapha dominant constitution you should eat only when you are hungry and should consider doing a 24-hour liquid fast as often as one time per week.
Kapha types should avoid ice cream, butter, milk, rich and sugary desserts, meat, and fried foods. You should consume large amounts of raw vegetables, fruits and beans, and you may improve your digestion by drinking hot ginger tea.
NB: Whatever your dominant dosha, the principles of ayurvedic nutrition state that you should eat fresh unprocessed foods where ever possible.
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