Following the diet fads of the western culture one tends to forget the huge resource of knowledge regarding a healthy lifestyle that is present back home. Yes, I am talking about Ayurveda. Ayurveda literally translates to "science of life" - healthy practices for living. Ayurveda is about every part of your life. Over thousands of years, people in India have been discovering the wonders of medicinal herbs and the unique characteristics of every type of food. Ayurvedic medicine, which was developed by Indian scientists and yogis, is now a highly refined science.
What is Ayurvedic Diet?
The Ayurvedic diet takes into account a person's age, gender, constitution (called "dosha"), and the season. It centers on a person's constitution, their "dosha", which is split into three types: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each of the dosha has its own qualities. The foods has the power to increase/decrease these elements. For example, ginger is considered a herb which can increase the pitta power so a person with weak pitta (a weak digestion) is advised to take ginger. Similarly, dairy increases kapha (the elements which enhance the viscosity and phlegm in the body), so a person having problems like cholesterol, asthma (disorders of viscosity) is asked to avoid dairy products or at least minimize it.
How does it work?
The first step towards eating for your Ayurvedic constitution is to find out what your constitutional type or dosha is. Once you know what your Ayurvedic dosha is, you can balance it by learning what foods support you. Here are some food stuff that can pacify your dosha:
- Vata dosha
The qualities of vata are cold, dry, light, hard, and rough.
Recommended foods: A person with vata constitution should enhance warm foods, warm herbs (like ginger, garlic and cinnamon), cooked food (instead of raw food) and little sweet. You should avoid big bulky meals.
- Pitta dosha
The qualities of Pitta are hot, sharp, oily and light.
Recommended foods: A person with pitta constitution should enhance cooling foods specially in summers like cucumber, chaach (but not other dairy products). This helps in good digestion and digests most foods which is very helpful as pitta people tend to overeat when angry or stressed. You should avoid acidic and citric foods (like vinegar, citrus fruits, too much of lemon), wines and alcohol.
- Kapha dosha
The qualities of kapha dosha are cold, heavy, liquid and unctuous.
Recommended foods: A person with kapha constitution should enhance warm and light foods with well spiced vegetables. You can also have ginger, tulsi and cinnamon tea. You should avoid dairy, bananas and all foods with a cooling effect, including sweets and fatty food.
Advantages of Ayurvedic diet
- It provides personalized attention to each individual.
- It is an age old and a proven science.
- It is very beneficial in the long run.
- There aren't many dieting restrictions.
- It has no side effects.
Disadvantages of Ayurvedic diet
- It cannot provide results in the short run.
- Identifying your dosha correctly is a hassle.
Ayurveda isn't just a recipe for weight loss. It's an entire worldview that is strikingly different from that of the Western one, although it makes a lot of sense to someone who contemplates it in depth. It is a complete philosophy and an age-old science which will certainly benefit you in the long run.
Ayurveda is like an ocean ,if you will tell your area of interest ,we will probably help in extracting the drop from it.
julie
Vata (Space and Air) and Pitta (Fire and Water)
Balancing Diet:
1.Grains: whole; amaranth, oat bran, oats, pasta, sprouted wheat bread (Essene), wheat, white rice-- basmati is best, (If digestion is weak carbohydrates and proteins may be separated by a meal in the same day e.g., rice and dal.)
2.Legumes: lentils,red, mung beans, mung dal
3. Meats: buffalo, chicken--white, egg white, fish & fresh, rabbit, shrimp, turkey
4. Nuts: almonds without skins, charole (common to India), coconut
5. Oils: canola (uncooked only), ghee, olive oil, primrose, sunflower, walnut; external use only avocado, coconut
6. Seeds: Flax, halva, pumpkin, sunflower
7.Spices: basil ,fresh, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, ginger, fresh, mint, orange peel, parsley, peppermint, saffron, spearmint, tarragon, turmeric, saindhava (rock salt), vanilla, wintergreen
8.Sweeteners: barley malt, fructose, fruit juice, rice syrup, raw sugar or sucanat, rock crystal sugar, honey (light colored)
9. Vegetables: asparagus, beets, cabbage, carrots-cooked, cauliflower, cilantro, cucumber, fennel (anise), green beans, Jerusalem artichoke, leafy greens(lettuces), leek,cooked, okra, olives ,black, onion, cooked, parsley, parsnip, peas, potato (sweet), pumpkin, radishes, cooked, rutabaga, spaghetti squash, sprouts, squash ,winter and summer, taro root, watercress, zucchini
THINGS TO AVOID
1. Frozen, canned, fried foods, leftovers
2. All ice cold food and drink
3. Milk (also yogurt) with fruits, vegetables, fish (is toxic)
4. Honey cooked in anything (is toxic)
5. Fruits and vegetables in the same meal
6. Mushrooms, peanuts, tomatoes, garlic, eggplant (affect meditation and transcending)
7. Sweet, flour desserts after a meal (before is best)
8. alcohol, caffeine--in coffee, tea, chocolate, other beverages (affect meditation and transcending)
9. All refined grains and sugar and foods containing them
10. All food cooked in used fats/oils
11. Because of significant contraindicating research ALL soy products no longer carry a recommendation.
Which is given by Medicine Buddha Healing Center
Avoine jusqu'à tendreté pour la préparation du gruau, du son NON NON NON pour Vata quelque soit le grain ;
Pain uniquement au levain et grillé, levure NON NON NON pour Vata quelle que soit la forme ;
Grains aucun mélange ;
Viande rouge à éviter durant la saison Vata (automne-hiver) ;
Lapin : la pratique Ayurvédique ne consomme pas de chair sauvage. En fait par respect pour la Vie, la pratique Ayurvédique ne consomme pas de tubercule non plus. Cependant ceci reste à notre discrétion ;
Noix préalablement trempée et consommer toutes les noix en dehors de la saison Vata - les noix augmente le mucus Vata ;
Huile de coco en dehors de la saison Vata ;
Huile d'olive (non cuite) ;
Ghee excellent pour la cuisson - je fais moi même le mien ;
Miel pas dans un liquide chaud ;
Miel pas avec du ghee - à moins que la quantité soit 50/50 ;
Famille du chou (chou-fleur, choux de Bruxelles, etc.) NON NON NON pour Vata quelle que soit la saison ;
Salades NON NON NON pour Vata et avec modération en dehors de la saison Vata ;
Pomme de terre douce (ou patate douce) uniquement et cuite (une petite emphase) Tous les légumes doivent être cuits jusqu'à tendreté pour faciliter la digestion de Vata. En fait Vata ne peut rien manger de cru spécifiquement durant sa saison ;
Pas de petits pois pour Vata ;
Fruits recommandés à consommer en dehors des repas tel que décrit par Sujeetha G et à température de la pièce : banane mûres, banane plantain jaune très cuite, oranges, pamplemousse, citron, raisin doux.
Vous assurer qu'aucun aliment ne vous donne des ballonnements. Personnellement, je ne consomme plus le mélange des 6 churnas qui me donnait des ballonnements et gas atroces. Il est bon aussi que Julie se documente et fasse ses expériences car les réactions varient d'une personne à l'autre.
Thanks Andi...