What Is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is the ancient system of healing from India. The word ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit roots ayu and veda, or “life” and “knowledge.” The use of spices as "wonder foods" has been in the ayurvedic teaching for thousands of years. Spices are a convenient, therapeutic and flavorful way to keep your diet healthy and healing.
Ayurveda is in many ways a health-care system but also a complete approach to living life. When it comes to weight loss, an ayurvedic doctor or nutritionist can recommend specific spices to include in your diet as part of a program or treatment. Simple recipes that have been passed on by generations are the secrets to weight loss. Also, look for foods that have anti-viral, anti-bacterial and, most importantly, anti-inflammatory properties. Decreasing inflammation helps you lose weight and keep it off.
Ayurveda is the ancient medical system of India. It offers one of the fastest paths to health. Instead of having to guess which foods, supplements, and behaviors are appropriate for you, there is a simple, direct prescriptive path that is developed for your unique body type, or dosha. This takes all the guesswork out of getting healthy. The benefits that occur are not only felt in your body – they are also seen in your mental and emotional wellbeing. This holistic approach to health allows you to become a balanced, vital, happy person with the least amount of effort. Ayurveda is an ancient solution to our modern-day problems that need quick, effective solutions.
The three ayurvedic body types, or doshas, are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each dosha has a unique set of characteristics. There are several ways to determine your body type. The most accurate is through the detailed history and physical by an ayurvedic physician. However, even taking a quick ayurvedic quiz will provide you with tremendous insight into your principal dosha. Most people are a combination of two doshas, but one typically predominates.
What is a Dosha?
According to ayurveda, each of us has a unique mix of three mind and body principles, which creates our specific mental and physical characteristics. These three principles are called doshas. Most of us have one or two doshas, which are most dominant in our nature, with the remaining one(s) less expressed.
Principles of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha?
According to ayurveda, one of the oldest branches of the vedas, vata, pitta and kapha are formed from combinations of the five elements that make up our universe. For thousands of years, it has been understood by many that our bodies are composed of these same five elements that make up our external environment. When these elements combine in the human physiology, they create three governing principles, or doshas, which must be kept in proper balance in order to maintain good health.
Of these three primary doshas, vata governs them all. Air and space are combined to form vata. Fire and water govern pitta; and water and earth, kapha. The attributes of each dosha, along with the specific combination within each individual help determine the individual's physical, mental and emotional characteristics and tendencies.
Everything that moves, fluctuates or changes is governed by vata. Ayurveda explains that without air and space, life would be unable to progress, shift or take motion. As in the exterior world, vata dosha is responsible for all movement within the body. This involves all forms of motion in the mind and body such as circulation, elimination, peristalsis, respiration, nerve impulses and the thought process. Vata qualities include changeability, airy, cold, moving, quick, light, dry and rough.
A. Vata type people are small boned, quick moving and speaking, with dry skin and small or irregular appetites. Out of balance vata can cause poor memory, worry or anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and weakness, arthritis, hypertension, constipation or rough, dry skin. In order to balance it in the physiology, the opposite qualities need to be introduced: getting plenty of rest, warmth in food and environment, heavier, oily foods with sweet, sour or salty tastes.
B. Pitta controls all forms of transformation and metabolism in the mind and body such as assimilation, digestion, metabolism, the immune system and processing sensory information. Pitta type people have medium builds, strong appetites, strong intellects and dislike hot weather. They are also articulate, intense and orderly with fiery personalities
An overabundance of pitta can cause excessive body heat, anger, impatience, skin and eye problems, heartburn and ulcers. Pitta dosha is balanced by its opposite qualities: cool environment with cool, heavy, oily diet that is sweet, bitter or astringent.
C. . Kapha qualities include cold, heavy, slow, soft, steady, oily, sticky and sweet. Kapha controls all forms of fluid balance and structure in the physiology such as water retention, mucus, physical strength, natural tissue resistance and proper body structure. People with predominantly kapha body types are large boned, strong with an even temper, affectionate and forgiving, methodical, earthy, and slow to forget.
Kapha types will show a dislike for cool, damp weather. Too much kapha may cause laziness, dullness, overweight, asthma, and depression. Kapha dosha is balanced by its opposite qualities: more exercise, less oversleeping, light, dry, hot foods with pungent, bitter or astringent tastes
The north winds of winter are associated with the environmental vata. Vata season is between November and February when the cold, dry weather of winter aggravates our internal vata dosha. Pitta season is between July and October when heat is experienced as hot and combustive. Kapha is between March and June during the wet, heavy season.
Each seasonal change soothes and balances the effects of the previous season. Vata cools the accumulated heat from pitta season, kapha replenishes the moisture of drying vata season and pitta warms the cold wetness of kapha. At the end of each season, there will be an accumulated influence found in the body. Our bodies need an opportunity to balance any influences a particular dosha may have established.
The three primary doshas are also evident within the circadian cycle, all in local standard time.
01. Vata is dominant between
2:00am and 6:00am
2:00pm and 6:00pm
02. Pitta is dominant between
10:00pm and 2:00am
10:00am and 2:00pm.
03. Kapha is dominant between
6:00pm and 10:00pm
6:00am and 10:00am.
During the early morning hours between 2:00am and 6:00am, vata is moving the toxins and impurities out of the nervous system. Ayurveda also recommends the importance of rising prior to 6:00am so that we may maintain clarity and flexibility. If we sleep past vata time and into the following kapha time, we will be dull, lethargic and stiff. During the afternoon vata time between 2:00pm and 6:00pm, our clarity and intensity is at its highest. This is the best time for mental work or activity. If for any reason we are feeling sluggish or sleepy during this time, it is due to improperly digesting our noon meal. This makes it especially important to not submit to sleep.
During midday pitta time, 10:00am to 2:00pm, while the sun is at its highest, our digestion is at its hottest and most efficient. Our largest meal of the day should be eaten as close to noon as possible to insure proper digestion. During the nighttime pitta, between 10:00pm and 2:00am, it is important to be resting as our digestion takes this time for its cleansing cycle. The heating qualities of pitta take this opportunity to cleanse our systems of any undigested food.
This is why our first impulse in the morning is to evacuate our bowel and bladder of waste. We blow our nose, cleanse our ears, eyes, mouth, and tongue of accumulated congestion, which is considered the residue from undigested food. It is especially important to not eat during nighttime pitta because without this cleansing opportunity, undigested food (ama) and toxins accumulate.
During kapha time, between 6:00pm and 10:00pm, we will begin to settle down and feel ready for sleep. It is important to go to bed before 10:00pm so kapha is still influencing our nervous system. If we wait until pitta influence begins to take hold, we will begin waking up and feeling hungry. Kapha time is the easiest time to fall asleep and the first couple hours of sleep will be more valuable if complimented by kapha.
According to the ayurvedic tradition, our routines should be in line with vata, pitta and kapha circadian and environmental cycles to insure our bodies of proper functioning. Improper sequencing is the ultimate key to imbalance, which brings on disease. Along with establishing our routines, appropriate food will help keep each dosha in proper balance.
Because vata leads the other doshas, it should be our primary concern when addressing imbalances in the system. Often times by balancing our vata dosha, this will bring pitta and kapha back into balance. Ayurveda explains that these lifestyle adjustments will create harmony on all levels of the mind, body and spirit. By addressing the vata, pitta and kapha tridoshas, our lives will be enriched on every level.
The Vata Dosha
Vata, tends to be the most slender of the three body types. Vata people can actually find it difficult to gain weight. Physically, Vata individuals are thin with prominent bony structures; tend to be cold all the time; have dry skin and hair; and have little muscle tone. Mentally, they learn fast and forget fast, enjoy change, and are very creative. Emotionally, Vata types are excitable, enthusiastic, but can become easily anxious.
Out of balance, Vata individuals can have poor digestion with lots of bloating and constipation. They can have dry nasal passages and easily catch colds during the fall and winter. They can also easily develop insomnia and fatigue. To help with the digestion, there is an herbal supplement, Triphala, which is a lifesaver for people with a Vata imbalance. To prevent dry nasal passages and fight off colds, Vata individuals can use a sesame oil nasal spray – you just spray 1-2 sprays in each nostril in the mornings. To fight off insomnia, a regular routine is critical, which, of course, Vata individuals tend to resist. Nonetheless, they should be waking up at the same time, eating lunch at the same time, and going to bed at the same time. Additionally, Vata types will benefit from a warm, spiced milk drink at bedtime.
The dietary recommendations for Vata individuals are to avoid dry/crunchy foods, carbonated beverages, and cold/raw vegetables. Their ideal diet consists of warm, cooked, soupy foods; cooked cereals; nuts; cooked vegetables; and hot milk. Also, ghee, which is clarified butter, is particularly good for Vata individuals.
VEDIC FOOD :-
According to Ayurveda, the Vedic science of holistic living, the way you cook your food will decide what it does for you. Depending on how it is cooked, the same food can boost your energy levels, make you drop off to sleep or help you meditate better! In other words, cooking determines whether the food will be transformed into sattva, rajas or tamas. There are three qualities or energies, known in Sanskrit as gunas, which stem from the essential aspects of nature - matter, energy and consciousness respectively. All of us are essentially a mix of these energies, with one energy dominating at any given time.
Food is also classified in these three ways, depending on the effect it creates in us.
Sattvic cooking
Sattvic food is obviously the healthiest choice for your body and mind. Here are a few tips for sattvic cooking. When the food is cooked on a low flame, covered and a minimum of cooking is given to the food, just enough for you to be able to digest it. So the vegetables are not cooked until completely soft but they are left a bit crunchy. You can feel the juice in the vegetable. When you bite into the food the juice of the food is there in your mouth. So the nutrition and freshness of the food is still maintained.
Energize your food
There is one more way to increase the energy and wholesomeness of the food. In the Vedic tradition, we first offer the food to the Divine before eating it. Consecrating the food not only energizes it, but also helps us become aware that eating is a sacred act. This simple awareness will help us to avoid overeating, avoid wasting food – and above all, eat with a sense of gratitude and fulfillment.
Enjoy your food!
During your meal, drop everything else and just enjoy eating your food with awareness. Take a serving at a time, enjoying the colors and shape food through the eyes, enjoying the color of the food. Take small helpings; enjoy the visual treat. Take in the fragrance of the food. Relish its taste and texture in your mouth. Involve all your senses in your experience. When you eat with total mindfulness, you not only eat less, but you eat wisely, allowing your body to tell you what type of food it needs most that day. Most importantly, you get up from your meal with a deep sense of fulfillment.
Choose More Satvic Foods;-
The qualities of satvic foods produce calmness, clarity and creativity in the mind, and health and vitality in the body. Examples of satvic foods are: organic fresh fruits and vegetables, raw honey, grains, beans, lentils, almonds, unprocessed milk, ghee, nuts and seeds. These foods are moist, sweet, fresh and soft, have delicate flavors, and should be served at room temperature. The opposite of satvic foods are tamasic foods, or processed foods. When we eat tamasic foods, it brings: dullness, confusion, inertia, ignorance, and attachment. Examples of tamasic foods are: foods that are aged like cheese, leftovers, fried foods, frozen foods, homogenized foods, fermented foods, red meat, alcohol, and mushrooms. These foods are: dry, old, stale, rotten, heavy, dead, processed, preserved, tasteless, and hard for the body to process.
The Six Tastes and Your Ayurvedic Body Type:-
Ayurvedic cooking involves six tastes, which are used to prepare a balanced dish. Include all the tastes in your day to make your diet divine and healing: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.
Here are some examples of each of the 6 tastes:-
Sweet: Almonds, sugar, milk, rice, wheat, large beans
Salty: Salt, seaweed, salted snacks
Sour: Lemon, yogurt, cheese, tomatoes, sour fruits, pickled fruits, tamarind
Pungent: Ginger, mustard, clove, hot spices, radish, chilies, garlic
Astringent: Beans, lentils, pomegranate, unripe bananas, apples, cabbage, potatoes, cranberries
Bitter: Green tea, green leafy veggies, endive, tonic water, fenugreek, rhubarb, turmeric, chocolate
Each taste has a balancing ability, and including some of each provides complete nutrition, minimizes cravings and balances the appetite and digestion.
The three doshas are known as: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha :-
A. The Kapha Dosha:-
Kapha is typically the largest of the body types. Physically, they have wide hips/shoulders; thick wavy hair; good physical stamina. Mentally, Kapha types tend to me slow to learn, but they have great memories. Emotionally, they tend to be very loyal, stable, and reliable.
The Pitta Dosha :-
Pitta individuals are typically of medium build. Physically, they have good muscle tone; have a tendency to always feel warm; have premature graying hair or balding; have reddish complexions; enjoy high energy levels; and have really strong digestion – they can eat almost anything. Mentally, they are extremely intelligent, focused, ambitious people. Emotionally, they are passionate about life, have a tendency to be perfectionists, and can become easily irritated.
The Vata Dosha:-
The third dosha, Vata, tends to be the most slender of the three body types. Vata people can actually find it difficult to gain weight. Physically, Vata individuals are thin with prominent bony structures; tend to be cold all the time; have dry skin and hair; and have little muscle tone. Mentally, they learn fast and forget fast, enjoy change, and are very creative. Emotionally, Vata types are excitable, enthusiastic, but can become easily anxious.
Kapha Body Type Meal Plan :-
01. GINGER
02. CITRUS FOOD.
B. Pitta Body Type Meal Plan:-
01. APPLE,
02 COCONUT
03.PAPAYA
C. Vata Body Type Meal Plan :-
01. GRAVE
02. ROSBARRY
03. BLACK GRAVE.
04. STROBERY.
Ayurvedic Diet: Kitcheri for Vatas
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