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According to this ancient Eastern science, each product gives us not only a certain amount of calories, but also a more subtle vital energy – prana. Ayurveda presents caring for the physical body as the initial stage of a person’s spiritual perfection.
In terms of age, Ayurveda is older than not only Christ, but also Buddha: the Sanskrit words “ayus”, which means “life”, and “veda”, that is, “knowledge”, united into one several thousand years ago. This science is not just about health, but about life itself. It considers a person as a multidimensional system consisting of the body, soul and vital energy – prana. And Ayurveda presents care for the physical body as the initial stage of a person’s spiritual perfection.
Nutrition, according to Ayurveda, determines not only physical health, but also affects our mental well-being. Among the many popular modern nutrition systems that offer to benefit from it exclusively for your body, Ayurveda offers a special path – to wholeness and harmony with your being.
Find your element
The Ayurvedic diet is based on the concept that all people are different, but belong to several constitutional types – doshas. There are three of them: Kapha, Pitta and Vata. You can describe them as three types of different energies. At different points in time, they are present in every person, but, as a rule, one prevails: it is determined at conception, and it is impossible to change it. Maintaining health according to Ayurveda is the preservation of the ratio of doshas inherent in a person from birth. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Kapha is mucus. People of this type are well built. They have a wide chest, thick skin, thick, soft hair. They are distinguished by leisurely movements, good self-control and peacefulness. But with an imbalance, kapha leads to some passivity, and on the physical level – to gaining excess weight.
Pitta is fire. People of this constitution are slender, proportionally built, distinguished by medium height and not too abundant muscles. They have an active metabolism and a good appetite, a reddish, copper or yellow complexion, thin silky hair of red hues, soft nails. They finish what they started, they are enterprising, but with an excess of fire they are too quick-tempered and suffer from diseases of the stomach and liver.
Watt is the dosha of wind. People of this constitution have a thin-boned body. They have clearly visible veins, tendons and joints. Growth is either very tall or very short, thin build, sparse hair and a cold look. They are active, walk and talk quickly, but get tired easily. They easily perceive everything new, but with an imbalance, they can hardly concentrate on one thing.
To each his own taste
“If a person eats properly, then he does not need any medication,” says Dr. Unnikrishnan, a specialist at the Kerala Ayurvedic Center in Moscow. “And if he eats to his own detriment, then no medicine will save him.” What does it mean to eat right in terms of Ayurveda? In short, choose a diet, that is, the list of products that matches your constitutional type.
Each product nourishes us not only thanks to the calories it contains. According to Ayurveda, the most valuable thing is the natural energy component that fills it, prana. Here you can literally rely on your own feelings, namely taste. There are only six tastes in Ayurveda classification: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. Each constitutional type is recommended to eat foods of a certain taste or avoid them.
So, bitter, astringent and spicy tastes harmonize kapha, but sweet taste is contraindicated for it. Kapha people should pay attention to brown rice, beans, tofu (soy cheese), do not neglect spices, especially ginger. The list of undesirable components is disappointingly long: almost everything sweet, except for a small amount of natural honey, beef, chicken, duck, millet, wheat and white rice, as well as most dairy products, excluding goat’s milk. Kapha people are the only ones who are advised to drink small amounts of coffee. Vegetables and herbs should make up a large part of the diet of people of this type; the exceptions are cucumbers, tomatoes, as well as sweet and juicy vegetables and fruits.
Some foods may be neutral for us, others can be consumed in moderation.
The increased fire of pitta will lower the sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes. Ayurveda recommends them grains and legumes (especially wheat and mung beans), as well as dairy products (except kefir, sour cream, salted cheeses). Pitta people will benefit from cauliflower, celery, asparagus, alfalfa and sunflower sprouts. From fruits – apples, pomegranates, sweet grapes. Dill, cinnamon, mint, coriander are recommended as seasonings, but ginger, pepper, horseradish, rosemary and sage should be avoided. Peanuts (including peanut butter), almonds, chocolate, honey, and raw onions are considered unhealthy foods. It is also better to give up red meat, and it is advisable to reduce salt intake.
Tastes such as sweet, sour, and salty will help balance an overexcited vata. Their diet should be rice, buckwheat, wheat, meat (except rabbit and beef); useful nuts, dates, as well as dairy products and clarified (ghee) butter. Of the spices, spices are especially favorable, such as asafoetida, cardamom, nutmeg. But do not abuse black pepper, tarragon. From foods, it is recommended to avoid soy, raw apples, cranberries, melons and raw vegetables and refrain from legumes.
Energy balance
In most cases, the constitution of a person is determined by a more or less equal ratio of two, and even all three doshas. For example, watta-pitta or pitta-watta, pitta-kapha or even watta-kapha. This means that some foods may be neutral for us, while others can be consumed in moderation. Sometimes it is quite difficult to determine your constitutional type. In such cases, an Ayurvedic specialist will ask you a lot of leading questions to find out your addictions, characteristic reactions to different situations, and only then will give recommendations on nutrition.
“Ayurveda does not prohibit anything one hundred percent – only in case of an acute illness caused by an increase in one of the doshas,” says Oksana Legkostupova, a leading specialist at the Center for Yoga and Ayurveda in the Kullu Valley (India). Dr. Unnikrishnan adds: “It is not enough to determine the main dosha for choosing a diet, it is also important to take into account the physiological state of the patient, that is, the problems that already exist in his body. For example, a person may be a strong vata but suffer from a pitta disorder. In this case, he is advised to exclude products that increase the fire.
The ratio of doshas may vary slightly. For example, frequent travel can easily unbalance vata, and the hot sun can easily unbalance pitta. Doshas are always affected by the season. For example, summer is the time of active pitta, and in early spring kapha predominates more, in winter – vata. “The season must be taken into account, as well as the age of a person,” continues Oksana Legkostupova. – In childhood, we are all under the increased influence of kapha, in middle years – pitta, and in old age vata dominates. All this must be taken into account when choosing food. It is curious that the predominance of doshas can also be traced by gender. Thus, men are more prone to Vata and Pitta types, while women are more prone to Pitta and Kapha.
Without stereotypes
There are many misconceptions around Ayurveda. We associate the Ayurvedic diet with Indian cuisine and vegetarianism, while all these are completely different concepts. As Dr. Unnikrishnan says, “Indian cuisine is culture; Ayurveda stands above culture.” On the one hand, this science is closely related to yoga, which recommends vegetarianism. On the other hand, a competent Ayurvedic doctor will choose different diets, say, for a Himalayan yogi and for a socially active resident of a metropolis.
“For a spiritually minded person, Ayurveda recommends a clean diet that excludes not only meat, but even onions and garlic. But such nutrition can reduce physical activity, which will become a real difficulty for a person living in a big city, ”explains Oksana Legkostupova.
Experts from the Moscow Kerala Center echo her: “Vegetarianism is part of Indian culture, while Ayurveda is the science of life. It is important to understand that she does not at all talk about some exotic products that are inaccessible to you. Ayurveda necessarily takes into account what a person eats from childhood, and does not change his diet, but gradually corrects it, excluding harmful foods.
Applies to everyone
With all the variety of possible individual recommendations in Ayurveda, there are also general, basic rules regarding nutrition.
- Food should not be reheated repeatedly.
- When preparing it, it is better to refuse semi-finished products.
- Spices are used more as medicine. They help to achieve a balance of six tastes, thanks to which a person feels satisfaction from food.
- It is desirable to use fermented milk products not too often, with sugar, but in no case cold and not at night.
- In the evening, it is better to refrain from eating altogether: it is better to eat something dubious at lunch than to eat healthy at night.
- Ideally, food should be taken in a calm atmosphere, be sure to sit, chew thoroughly and eat only about three-quarters of the capacity you feel.
natural harmony
Ayurveda can hardly be called a science based on dogmas. Even after consulting with specialists, we will not be able to completely shift the responsibility for nutrition and well-being to them: one of the key principles of Ayurveda is to always listen to your body.
Does this diet help you lose weight? Yes and no. For example, if a person by nature belongs to the kapha constitution, then, striving for a fashion for a thin body, he risks losing health. Following Ayurvedic recommendations, he will allow his body to take its natural form. “All of the above can be summed up with the words: “Ayurveda teaches us to be in harmony with ourselves, our body, mind and the world around us,” concludes Alla Demisheva, a qualified doctor and Ayurvedic doctor at the East-West Moscow Center. “Isn’t that the goal of a healthy lifestyle?”