Right Ayurvedic Diet for you

Ayurveda is one of the oldest medicinal systems known in history.  The ancient literature of Ayurveda encloses a huge treasure of knowledge about the process of self-healing naturally by working harmoniously with the innate intelligence of the body.

According to Ayurveda, the diet of an individual depends on the constitution or the specific body type of the person.  This is also known as the dosha. Therefore, the diet is customized according to the body type.  Additionally, the diet of an individual should also be modified according to the natural rhythmic changes such as sunrise, sunset, weather changes, and natural phases of life (infancy, childhood, adulthood). This is because according to Ayurveda, well-being and a state of equilibrium are to an extent connected to and dependent on one’s external environment.  Thus, the diet of an individual can change throughout the year and throughout the lifetime.

As per the ancient Ayurvedic literature, the overall health of the person depends not only on the diet but several other factors such as sleep, stress levels, physical activity, and a healthy state of mind.

Benefits of an Ayurvedic diet

As an Ayurvedic diet is formulated keeping in mind several internal and external factors that are associated with human health, it produces a myriad of benefits.  Some of them are as follows:

• Maintenance of a healthy body weight
• Enhanced metabolism and digestive processes
• Healthy reproductive system and improved sexual health and fertility
• Ease of bowel movements and other excretory processes
• Healthy gut bacteria
• Improved detoxification processes
• A healthy, balanced, and calm state of mind
• Healthy joints and improved range of motion due to the reduction in inflammation
• Improves the immune response of the body

Diet according to seasons

Some of the guidelines given by Ayurveda about the diet of an individual depending on the season are as follows:

Summer: During the summer season, an individual should keep the following points in mind while choosing the right diet:

• Consume lighter and easily digestible food and avoid foodstuffs with a high amount of fats
• Minimize the consumption of hot, pungent, salty, and sour spices.
• Avert dry foods and foods with astringent properties.  Prefer foods that are moist and cool in nature
• Inculcate more fresh fruits (naturally sweetened) and vegetables in the diet
• Reduce the consumption of hot soups, stews, etc.
• Some of the healthy picks in summer are cucumbers, melons, berries, yogurt, coconut products, and freshly prepared fruit juices.  However, the immediate consumption of foods taken out from the refrigerator should be avoided.

Winter: During the winter season, the diet plan should be carefully formulated keeping in mind the following points: 

• Inculcate foods with complex carbohydrates such as cooked whole grains, stews, soups, and other foods with a good amount of healthy fats.  This provides the body the energy to generate inner warmth and combat the increased hunger and appetite
• The intake of pungent, sour, and bitter foods should be reduced.  However, sweet and salty foods should be increased
• Warm spices, ghee (clarified butter), and raw honey should be consumed in order to augment the functioning of the immune system
• Cold food such as salads, smoothies, and raw vegetables should be avoided

Spring: During the spring season, the diet of an individual should be planned to keep in mind the following points:

• Pungent astringent and bitter foods should be preferred over salty, sour, and sweet foods
• Drier, warmer, and lighter foods should be taken.  Heavy and fatty foods should be avoided
• A sufficient amount of green vegetables and warm spices should be inculcated into the diet
• Animal foods such as meat should be avoided
• The meals should be divided into smaller portions instead of consuming a smaller  number of larger meals
• The diet should be complemented by regular physical activity of at least 30 minutes a day

Fall: The selection of foodstuffs is slightly different for the fall season.  Some of the points to be kept in mind are as follows: 

• Slightly bitter, sweet, and astringent foods should be preferred over salty, sour, and pungent foods
• The diet should be a delicate blend of hot and cooling foods and heavy and light foodstuffs
• Well-ripened seasonal fruits, green leafy vegetables, warming spices, pomegranates, and soups should be inculcated into the diet

Diet according to doshas (bodily constitution)

After a thorough history taking and checkup, the body type of the person (vata, pitta, kapha) can be determined.  This helps the Ayurvedic practitioner to formulate a diet plan tailored according to the body type.  Some of the foodstuffs picked for specific body types are as follows:

Vata type

• Healthy fats such as olive or coconut oil, avocado, ghee, full-fat dairy products, etc.
• Whole grains, stewed fruits, cooked vegetables, seeds, and nuts
• Spiced pints of milk, tea, warm water, and other warm beverages
• Avoid frozen and cold foods
• Avoid eating and sleeping late at the night
• Avoid- fasting or skipping meals

Pitta type

• Cooling seasonal fruits and vegetables, quinoa, rice, oats, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, barley, organic cane sugar, almonds, beans, coriander, cilantro, mint, and chicken
• Ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil, and olive oil
• Sweet astringent and bitter foods should be preferred over sour and spicy food
• Avoid- fried foods, yogurt, tomatoes, vinegar, alcoholic drinks, hot spicy foods, and artificial sweeteners
• Avoid- raw, oily, and deep-fried foods
• Meals should be equally spaced and smaller in size

Kapha type 

• Lower-fat dairy products
• Whole grains (such as millet and barley)
• Fresh fruits and seasonal vegetables and spices
• Honey
• Pungent and bitter foods should be preferred over sweet and salty foods
• Avoid-excessive fatty and sweet meals that might cause weight gain
• Avoid- over-eating and drinking beverages with excessive salt content

In a nutshell, there are a number of healthy foods suggested by Ayurveda, but the appropriate diet should be formulated only after consulting an Ayurvedic practitioner.  This will help in customizing the diet according to the body type and condition of an individual.