"Eat for the body you want not for the body you have"
Ayurveda gives some great guidance for eating, especially when it comes to digestion. Proper digestion is the key to good health. Follow these easy Ayurvedic Diet guidelines and enjoy the positive changes in your life. Ayurvedic recommendation in relation to diet is based on two main aspects . An Ayurvedic diet is the ultimate healthy diet and an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. In itself it is a form of alternative medicine because it has the ability to balance all the elements (doshas) within the body simply through food and the time of day at which it is eaten. Within all of us we have the 3 elements present in varying degrees, this forms our Ayurvedic constitution, however when the balance of these elements changes we get sick. Nature has provided us with all the foods and spices that we need to help bring us back to health again. Food in itself is a form of natural therapy. By choosing foods that have the opposite qualities of the element that it is out of balance we are able to pacify many common conditions and restore balance and wellness within the body and mind through this highly effective form of holistic health care.
According to Body Type: Body type is classified into three categories
- Vataz Body
- Pittaz Body
- Kafaz Body
Vataz Body: If your body type is Vata, your body’s energy is predominantly “cold & dry” and you can balance your dosha with Vata Diet: favor warm drinks and moist, oily, warm foods and avoid cold drinks or ice cream, as they increase, or “aggravate” your Vata constitution;
Pittaz Body: if your body type is Pitta, your body’s energy is predominantly “hot” and you can balance your dosha with Pitta Diet: favor sweet fruits and leafy vegetables and avoid fatty, spicy foods, as they increase, or “aggravate” your Pitta constitution;
Kafaz Body: if your body type is Kapha, your body’s energy is predominantly “moist & cool” and you can balance your dosha with Kapha Diet: favor raw vegetables, warm drinks, and spicy foods and avoid salty, deep fried foods, sweets, ice cream, and any cold drinks, as they increase, or “aggravate” your Kapha constitution.
- Hemant Ritu
- Basant Ritu
- Grisham Ritu
- Varsha Ritu
- Sharad Ritu
Hemant Ritu and shishir Ritu: Referred to as the season that is the beginning of winters. Indian calendar months are magha-phagun-chaitra-vaishakha. According to modern calendar it falls in month of November and December as of hemant Ritu and January and February as of shishir Ritu. Regular body massage with oil according to individuals prakruti should be done.
Diet
- People who are non vegetarian should eat meat preferably sea food , goat, animals flesh which helps in providing good energy.
- Sweet products made from sugarcane extracts like Gud/Jaggery
- Milk and dairy -cheese, butter, ghee etc
- Pithi (made from pulses) products should be taken regularly
- New rice is beneficial for body.
- Hot drinks should be preferred.
Basant Ritu: This season is commonly known as spring season in common language. According to modern day calendar it falls in the season of March and April.
Diet
- Honey should be consumed daily as it helps in avoiding diseases caused by kapha.
- Non vegetarian people should have flesh.
- All cold stuff and oily foods should be avoided.
- Stuff that contains madhur and amal rasa should be avoided.
- Broken wheat and barley should be taken during basant ritu.
- Asavs, , and arishtas should be consumed on the regular basis.
- Shunti ( dry ginger), nagarmotha (should be boiled in water and then should be consumed with honey.
Grisham Ritu: This season in commonly known as summer season. In Indian calendar it is jyeshtha – ashadha.
Diet
- Avoid usage of pungent, sour and salty and products.
- Alcohol should be avoided as it has properties which dries up the bodies fluid and makes it week.
- Consume plenty of fluids which help in combating lost fluid of the body by sweat.
- Chilled sweet liquids like aam panna (extracts of juicy fruits especially of ripe mango) and manth (commonly known as sattu).
- Consume nariyal (coconut water)and lemon water .
- Avoid heavy food stuff and oily food Start taking dairy products.
Varsha Ritu: In this season varun (synonym of rain) and Vayu (considered to be as monsoon) starts flowing, this is very essential for agriculture purpose.. Indian calendar marks this season as shravan-bhadrapada
Diet
- Avoid heavy and oily foods as digestive fire is just better than that of summer season but not at its best .
- Boiled water shall be consumed.
- It has been said to consume all types of anna (wheat etc.) mixed with honey as honey protects vata to get aggravated which is predominant in this season.
- Old rice, kanak (triticum vulgare) and barley should be consumed with krityush (processed in oils or ghee).
- Consumption of alcohol should be avoided
- Oily food and vata suppressant food should be consumed.
- In varsha ritu (rainy season) one should take food full of amal and lavan rasa(sour and salty).
Sharad Ritu : In Indian calendar months for sharad ritu is ashwin- kartik.
Diet
- Person should use sweet, astringent and bitter rasa in this season.
- One should eat shali rice, sathi rice, gehun (triticum vulgare), mung (phaseolus mungo)
- Person should consume sugar products, honey, parval (trichosanthes cucmerina). Amlaki (Emblica officinale) and grapes (vitis vimifera)
- One should avoid heavy foods, curd, oils and alcohol
For each season therefore, there is a unique diet (ahar), a distinct mode of living (vihara) and routine living (karya). These keep your doshas in a state of equilibrium and help you cope with the stresses and strains of changing seasons.