Ayurvedic Medicine:
Dietary Tweaks to Heal Your Health

 

Ayurvedic medicine is a natural healing concept where one method of providing health is to use nutrition for your body. This method has been around for thousands of years and is gaining in popularity.

 

Rather than concentrate on just losing weight or getting fit, this way of eating covers the whole person.  What it does is promote a way of eating that can restore the balance that you need to prevent disease.

 

In order to be completely whole and healthy, your spirit, your mind and your body need to be in tune with each other. You need this harmony in order to establish good, health overall.

 

Understanding the Three Doshas

 

The dieting part of Ayurvedic medicine’s success is found in understanding the three doshas and how they link with nutrition. Each person has one of these types of life forces as the main dosha.

 

These forces are pivotal in determining how your body operates and responds to nutrition. Each of the doshas also has a meaning. The Vata dosha is air and space.

 

The pitta dosha is water and fire. Kapha dosha is earth and water. You can have more than a single dosha, however, one is always going to be stronger than the other.

 

For people who have the Vata dosha as their main dosha, their body type usually tends to be thinner than the bodies of people with other doshas. In fact, if you have this kind of dosha, you might find that it’s hard for you to put on weight.

 

Even if you want to – and even if you eat a diet high in calories – your body dosha helps to keep the weight off. This could very well be the dosha of people that talk about eating constantly and yet never gaining a pound.

 

If you have this kind of dosha and your body gets out of balance, you’ll notice it. This loss of balance will show up in certain health issues. For example, you may notice a lot of bloating after you eat.

 

You might also experience some noticeable fatigue. If your balance doesn’t get restored, you’ll discover that your immune system isn’t working the way that it should be.

 

There are specific food guidelines that you should follow if this is your dosha. While many dietary plans promote the consumption of raw vegetables, these foods can be detrimental to those with vata doshas.

 

Besides avoiding raw vegetables, be careful of foods that crunch – because eating any foods that have a crunch clash with the warm, cooked food that help someone with a Vata dosha most.

 

Also, stay away from any drinks that have carbonation. These items will throw your body out of balance.  Instead of eating cold cereals that crunch, those with Vata dosha need to consume cereals that require cooking, like oatmeal.

 

Vegetables should also be cooked. When you do eat vegetables, you should focus on carrots, squash, okra, sweet potatoes and spinach. Not having salads is also a good idea if this is your dosha type.

 

Foods such as stews and soups are good for people with Vata dosha. Use natural sweeteners to flavour your food instead of processed sugars. With the Vata dosha, it’s okay for you to have salty as well as sour foods, but you don’t want to have any spicy ones.

 

If you drink milk, don’t drink it cold and you’ll need to stay away from cheeses that are aged. Limit or omit ice cream from your diet. It’s not good for your balance. You can have a lot of different fruits as long as these fruits are soft and juicy.

 

In order to keep your balance, you’ll need to stay away from certain foods. Some of these foods are cabbage, onions, peas and raw vegetables. You’ll also need to stay away from artificial sweeteners.

 

If you have a pitta dosha, you usually have an average body type. These people can build muscle easily. They’re usually people who have fast-paced lifestyles and they like to be on the go and active.

 

When their dosha gets out of balance, it shows up in their body through the manifestation of inflammations. For people with a pitta dosha, foods that have a high acidic level can cause problems.

 

Pizza, lasagna and other tomato type foods are not helpful to them. Instead, they should have plenty of fruits and vegetables with their eating plan. Eat foods packed with water, like watermelon and broth-based soups. The high water content is great for your balance.

 

When it comes to grains, you want to stick with barley and wheat along with oats and white rice. Under vegetables, you can have plenty of Brussel sprouts, cucumbers, cauliflower, squash and leafy green vegetables.

 

For fruits, what’s best for you are bananas, avocados, mangos, melons, grapes and oranges but only if the oranges are sweet. You need to avoid sour fruits like grapefruits and lemons.

 

You’ll want to avoid tomatoes and tomato-based foods. Also, stay away from spices and acidic things like vinegar. Fried foods are also not good for the pitta dosha.

 

If you enjoy drinking milk, it’s best for you to have it warm rather than cold.  Under grains, it’s okay for you to eat oatmeal or wheat or rice-based foods.

 

Large boned people are usually those who have a Kapha dosha. These people also have bigger shoulders and are viewed as having a stronger build than average people.

 

When their balance is thrown off, they can develop problems – usually seen in a slower metabolism, weight gain and circulation issues. If you have a Kapha dosha, you want to be careful with your nutrition because it can be easy to become obese.

 

People that have a Kapha dosha should stay away from bad fats, high sugar foods and salt. They should concentrate on eating healthy foods that are high in fibre.

 

There are some foods that are helpful for all doshas. Candied ginger is good and so is masali tea. This tea helps you relax from stress. Holy basil is helpful because it can cause a boost in serotonin production.

 

To help aid in digestion, taking a teaspoon of turmeric every day can help the pancreas produce insulin. This is perfect for those who are worried about the prevalence of diabetes in their family.

 

But overall, you want to stick with a diet that’s tailored for your specific dosha. For the Kapha dosha, you should eat a diet that consists of warm foods. It’s okay if those foods are spicy because these are great for kaphas.

 

Make sure that you lay off salt during cooking as well as putting it on your food after it’s prepared. You can have plenty of grains such as rye, barley and wheat. Plus legumes are good for you, too. Vegetables, if they’re green and leafy, suit the Kapha dosha.

 

If you use dairy in your diet, stick to low-fat milk. Watch out for any milk-based desserts that are cold. Foods such as ice cream aren’t helpful to your balance if you’re a Kapha.

 

The best fruits for your type are grapes, raisins, peaches and papaya as well as apples. These naturally sweet foods are good for you, but you’ll want to keep any artificially sweet foods to a bare minimum.

 

Not all fruits are best for your dosha type. So limit bananas, oranges and plums. Also, stay away from foods that are oily and not warmed before you eat them.