24/12/2020
The Ayurvedic diet is known to be an eating pattern that’s been around for thousands of years. It’s based on the principles of Ayurvedic medicine and focuses on balancing different types of energy within your body, which is said to improve health. When you follow an Ayurvedic diet, you incorporate many different practices into your eating routine. These practices help you to benefit from the different qualities of food. One of the primary characteristics of an Ayurvedic diet is that you eat according to your dominant constitutional type or dosha. You can consider your dosha as your most prominent energy.
VATA, PITTA and KAPHA are collectively known as doshas, each of these have a specific set of functional roles to play in the body. They are supposed to be present at optimum levels for determining perfect health and when doshas are out of balance they can hamper our health. Here are the nutritious foods that can be added to your diest as per your Dosha in order to balance the different types of energies within your body.
VATA PRAKRUTI
The Vata dosha is believed to be made up of the air and ether elements. This means that it has qualities which are similar to these elements. Vata very much like the wind, is light, cool, dry and mobile.
Choose warm nourishing cooked food that is moist, mildly spiced, cooked with oil so that it is lubricating and comforting. The diet must include fresh or cooked fruit, grains, dairy that are sweet in taste, sour foods like lemons and limes and salty foods that are warming and moistening. One with Vata Dosha should drink warm teas regularly, preferably non-caffeinated. Herbal teas are great for the Vata Dosha.
PITTA PRAKRUTI
The Pitta dosha is made up of the fire and water elements. Fire is more predominant, and those people with a predominant Pitta nature have many of the qualities of fire within them. Pitta tends to be hot, sharp, and penetrating, volatile and oily.
Often suffering from common ailments like Ulcers, Gastrointestinal Problems, Liver disorders, Skin Allergies, Pitta Dosha must opt for foods that are cooling and spiced mildly. Choosing whole grains, and fruits that are sweet and ripe and vegetables that are cooling and sweet are considered to be beneficial for the Pitta Dosha.
Dairy products such as fresh milk, and cottage cheese, cream cheese or fresh goat cheese are soothing to Pitta
but they must avoid mixing dairy and fruit. Consume foods that have tastes that are sweet (diary, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains), bitter (all greens except spinach) and astringent (legumes, apples, potatoes). Pitta Doshas can enjoy Dandelion tea regularly to cool and soothe themselves.
KAPHA PRAKRUTI
The Kapha dosha is made up of the earth and water elements. Kapha governs the structure of the body and is the principle that holds the cells together and forms the muscle, fat, bone and sinew. The primary function of Kapha Dosha is protection.
Tastes that are balancing to Kapha are fresh and dried ginger, onions and peppers - that are pungent in nature, all greens and all vegetables - bitter in nature and astringent (legumes, all except soy) and dried foods. Kapha dosha must choose foods that are dry, light and warm. They can enjoy abundant vegetables, herbs and spices.
While Goat dairy may be taken in small amounts, cow dairy must be avoided. Grains should be taken minimally. Best choices are lighter, high fibre grains such as toasted oats, millet, quinoa, barley, rye.
