An Ayurvedic diet is a diet plan that guides you when to eat, what to eat, and how to eat. This diet plan boosts health, prevent or manage the disease, and maintain wellness. It also promotes the balance between the body and mind.
The Ayurvedic diet consists of ayurvedic medicines in order to focus on balancing different types of energy within your body, which is said to improve health.
Table of Contents
What Is Ayurvedic Diet?
Ayurveda is an old Hindu’s nutritionist and medicine system that was developed alongside yoga. It is considered the best way to prevent illness and imbalance.
The word Ayurveda consists of two Sanskrit words that means life (Ayur) and science (Veda). The exact meaning of Ayurveda is “the science of life.”
It is a famous proverb; “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”
Elements Of Ayurvedic Diet:
According to Ayurveda, five elements are responsible to make up the universe:
- Vayu (air),
- Jala (water),
- Akash (space),
- Teja (fire),
- Prithvi (earth).
Doshas
These Ayurvedic elements form three different doshas. These doshas are basically types of energy that circulate within your body. Doshas are responsible for specific physiological functions. These describes the dominant mind/body state. Ayurveda proposes that we all have a dominant dosha that’s firm from birth, and ideally an equal balance between the other two. When the doshas are balanced, we are healthy; when they are unbalanced, we develop the disease. For example, skin issues, poor digestion, insomnia, irritability, and anxiety.
How Do These Elements Work?
Each element provides different qualities or attributes.
- Vata (space and air): Vatas are often expressed as creative, intense, intelligent, or expressive. Attributes include dry, light, cold, and rough.
- Pitta (fire and water): Pittas are often expressed as intelligent, joyful, and driven. Attributes include sharp, hot, liquid, and mobile.
- Kapha (earth and water): Kaphas are often expressed as calm, loving, or lethargic. Attributes include moist, heavy, soft, and static. Naturally calm, grounded, and loyal. Those with a Kapha dosha often have issues with weight gain, asthma, depression, or diabetes.
Ayurvedic Diet Plan
According to the Ayurvedic diet, your dosha decides which food is best for you to promote inner balance.
Vata
Foods to eat
- Sweet fruit
- Cooked vegetables like spinach or beets
- Grains including quinoa or rice
- Red lentils
- Dairy products
- Beef
- Eggs
- Fish
- Black pepper
- Coriander leaves
- Vinegar
- Peanuts and pecans
- Chia or flax seeds
- Beer or white wine
- Sesame oil and ghee
- Hot water or herbal tea
Foods to avoid
- Dried fruit
- Raw apples and watermelon
- Frozen, raw, or dried vegetables
- Potatoes
- Barley
- Corn
- Chickpeas
- Split peas
- Yogurt
- Lamb
- Turkey
- Red wine
- Chocolate
Pitta
Foods to Eat
- Raisins
- Watermelon
- Sweet or bitter vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower
- Dry cereal
- Pasta
- Black beans
- Unsalted butter
- Chicken (white meat)
- Egg whites
- Almonds
- Beer
- Dry white wine
- Coconut
Foods to Avoid
- Apricots
- Avocado
- Pungent vegetables like onion or raw leeks
- Sour fruits
- Spinach
- Bread made with yeast
- Quinoa and brown rice
- Rye
- soy sauce
- Salted butter
- Sour cream
- Beef
- Chicken (dark meat)
- Chili pepper
- Red or sweet wine
- Seafood other than shrimp
- Chocolate
Kapha
Foods to Eat
- Astringent fruit like applesauce or prunes
- Pungent or bitter vegetables like celery or carrots
- Granola
- Polenta
- Lima beans
- Buttermilk
- Cottage cheese
- Shrimp
- Turkey
- Dry red or white wine
Foods to Avoid
- Sweet or sour fruits like grapefruit or figs
- Sweet or juicy vegetables like cucumber or zucchini
- Cooked oats
- Rice
- Pasta
- Pancakes
- Wheat
- Kidney beans
- Soft or hard cheese
- Duck
- Tofu
- Freshwater fish
- Ketchup
- Hard alcohol
- Chocolate
Benefits Of Ayurvedic Diet
Ayurvedic Diet is having too many benefits that affect human lives in a very amazing and positive way.
In-take of whole foods
Ayurvedic diet as a whole promotes eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains. They are too healthy, as these foods are rich in many essential nutrients.
Helps in weight loss
Nutrient-rich whole foods help in weight loss by balancing all the food in our body. There is also some limited researches available that Ayurvedic diet and medicine play a vital role in boosting weight loss.
Promotes mindfulness
In addition to what foods you eat, mindfulness is another major portion of the Ayurvedic count calories. Mindfulness may be a hone that involves paying close consideration to how you’re feeling in the present. In particular, mindful eating emphasizes minimizing diversions during dinners to center on the taste, surface, and smell of your food.
Handicap Of Ayurvedic Diet
Here are some handicaps of the Ayurvedic diet.
Confusing
One of the major issues with the Ayurvedic diet is that it can be confusing and difficult to follow. As it is not just about specific food but also many additional rules that we have to follow.
Overly restrictive
On the Ayurvedic diet, there are broad records of foods that you simply are prompted to eat or dodge depending on your dosha. This can cruel cutting out solid, entire foods, or whole food groups that are thought to irritate particular dosha.
Often subjective
Another issue with the Ayurvedic diet is that it’s subjective.
The diet is centered around deciding your overwhelming dosha, which is based on a set of physical and mental traits.
Rules Of Ayurvedic Diet
The following 10 rules will serve as a guide for tapping into the antiquated intelligence of Ayurveda and utilizing it to form health, imperativeness, and energy through food.
1. Select foods from your dosha type
2. Eliminate snacks
3. Eat until satisfied, not full
4. Consume whole, fresh foods
5. Include All Six Tastes at Every Meal
6. Reduce ice cold foods and beverages
7. Eliminate distractions while eating
8. Stop eating three hours before bedtime
9. Favor herbal teas between meals
10. Eat your largest meal of the day at lunchtime
HP Thoughts: Learn about another popular diet method here — Okinawa Diet.
Conclusion
The Ayurvedic diet is a diet plan based on Ayurvedic medicine, a form of traditional medicine. It involves the eating and restrictions of food according to the doshas, body type, etc. It claims to boost weight loss and balance in mind and body.
However, it can be confounding and prohibitive, and it’s based on subjective presumptions about your personality and body type. Also, its hypothesesare not backed by scientific proof.
