Ayurvedic Nutrition:
‘One of the most striking contrasts between modern medical science and Ayurveda has to do with the different value they place on food and diet in the health and life of an individual’1
The Middle Way
There are a lot of factors that affect our health. The quality of our sleep, water intake, movement, lifestyle, mental health and proper breath all have potent repercussions upon our health. The food we eat is an important aspect, but only ONE aspect of our health regime. Be vigilant not to let it become an all-consuming venture.
Your Six Step Plan
Step One:
Noticing what, why and how you eat:
Start filling in your diet diary. You don’t have to do it every day or every meal but be honest. Especially fill it in if you start thinking ‘well, I don’t usually eat like this so it’s irrelevant’. Start to become aware of what you eat and how you eat and how you feel on your current diet. If I tell you to ‘become aware of your shoulders’ or ‘listen to your breath’ some automatic changes in posture and rhythm of breath will be assumed without any force of will. Allow these natural changes to happen via the body’s own regulatory systems before taking over willfully. To do this, start filling out a diet diary each week. Try this for one month before moving to Step Two.
Step Two:
Your guts love routine:
Use the template below to write in the times for breakfast, lunch and dinner for your schedule this month and try to stick to it. Adjust it whenever necessary as the weeks go by. By the end of the month you should have a rhythm which suits both your body and your lifestyle. Start to eat at regular times throughout the day. The most simple changes are often the most startling. There is no reason to be inflexible about your meal times but there is certainly much benefit to be had by making an effort to have a routine regarding mealtimes. Never eat before digestion of the previous meal. Do this for about four weeks – don’t let the simplicity of this step fool you into thinking that the affects aren’t profound and far reaching!
Step Three:
Making the common-sense changes first:
Avoid:
Ø Artificial sweeteners
Ø Deep-fried foods, junk foods, fast foods
Ø Foods cooked in re-used oils or oils that oxidize easily when heated (use untoasted virgin sesame oil to cook with or make ghee and use for both for spreading and cooking).
Ø Hydrogenated oil
Ø Margarine (use butter in small quantities and virgin pressed oils - do not cook with them)
Ø Iodized salt (Switch to rocksalt and reduce quantity)
Ø White sugar (Switch to non-refined sugar, fruits, maple syrup and honey and reduce overconsumption of the madhura rasa (sweet taste).
Reduce (note that this is not an avoid list but most people do overconsume these)
* Coffee
* Black tea
* Caffeinated drinks
* Alcohol
* Meat
Summary:
Start to make obvious but vital changes in your diet. Cut out high fat, high salt, processed, junk foods and too many take-aways. Include more freshly made foods, make your meals simple (less ingredients/less courses) and eat a sensible quantity (eating an amount that doesn’t change the ease of your breathing is one good way to judge serving sizes). Include plenty of fresh water and cut down on caffeine and alcohol. Try to incorporate this step over the next four weeks refining slowly before moving to Step Four.
Step Four:
If the time has been taken over the first three steps you would have noticed the most profound benefits to your new eating routine already. If you have taken the previous three steps and are still finding that you have bloating, indigestion, unreasonable weight gain or weight loss, diarrheoa, constipation or other signs of a disturbed digestion/metabolism the health of the colon may be compromised or there may be a build up of waste in the colon preventing absorption of your food. Colonics is a primary internal cleansing technique in both Ayurveda and Yoga to encourage optimum health and prevent disease. If you feel heavy, congested, bloated, uncomfortable and/or lethargic after eating and you feel that you have made positive dietary changes and they haven’t given the expected beneficial results see a reputable colonic therapist and start a series of colonic cleansing. I would actually recommend this as step one if it were not for the fear that some would stop there. If you get over the mind-set of colonics being painful, unnatural or unnecessary you will be able to move your overall health up by about ten notches in as many weeks.
Step Five:
We're there! We've finally got to the more recognisable aspects of Ayurvedic eating. Eating right for your type. First you will want to assess your body type with an Ayurvedic 'prakrti' questionnaire. Be warned that if you have not understood and implemented the first four steps there is not much benefit to be given in Step Five.
Each season is predominant in certain bhuta/elements; earth, water, fire, air, space. To balance the body, seasonal changes in diet and lifestyle should be noted. You will notice that in your body typing questionnaire two doshas predominate.
If Vata/Pitta dominate then from October to March you will choose a Hydrating/Building/Warming diet and from April to September you will choose an Cooling diet.
If Pitta and Kapha dominate then from June to November you will choose an Cooling diet and from December to May you will choose a Drying/Heating/Reducing diet.
If Vata and Kapha dominate then from March to August you will choose a Drying/Heating/Reducing diet and from September to February you will choose a Hydrating/Building/Warming diet.
If all three doshas are equal you will follow a Hydrating/Building/Warming diet from October to January; a Drying/Heating/Reducing diet from February to May and an Cooling diet from June to September.
Enjoy starting your new way of eating!
Comments and Questions welcomed below:
Thank you! Your information has been submitted successfully.
There was an error submitting the form.
1. Absolute Beauty, Pratima Raichur with Marian Cohn, Chapter 7, Nutritional Therapy, p185
