Ayurveda is not new, it is a centuries-old practice. But with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Rodgers, and Kourtney Kardashian touting the lifestyle benefits, wellness has become a trend that piques people’s interest.
Ayurveda, translated as “Science of Life”, is a holistic medical healing system designed to harmonize the mind, body and nature. This includes dietary practices to create harmony between individual energy patterns and universal elements. It is believed that when processes such as digestion, metabolism, and immunomodulation are aligned, they function at peak performance, thereby reducing the risk of chronic health problems.
the basics ofYurveda: Understanding the Elements and Doshas
Ayurvedic practitioners believe that the universe is made up of five elements:
- vayu, or air
- Jarrah, or water
- Aakash, or space
- Prithvi, or Earth
- teja, or fire
In addition to the five elements, humans are believed to have three energy patterns known as doshas.
- Vata represents air and ether. This dosha helps maintain electrolyte balance and eliminate waste products.
- Pitta represents fire and water. Pitta regulates body temperature and hunger and thirst mechanisms.
- Kapha represents earth and water. This dosha is involved in joint health.
Ayurveda emphasizes the coordination of elements and doshas. This balance is considered a healthy state, but imbalance is believed to promote illness and disease.
how to eat dosha
According to Ayurvedic practice, each of us has a dominant dosha, and your diet helps balance it. . For example, vata is responsible for catabolism, or the breakdown of substances, and people with a preponderance of vata are seen as lean or thin. Pitta governs metabolism, so a person with a predominance of pitta may have a voracious appetite and a muscular physique. On the other hand, anabolism – the body’s way of building and repairing internal structures – is overseen by kapha, and this dominance is thought to correspond to a slowed metabolism. increase.
According to Ayurveda, the doshas determine what to eat to create the harmony needed for optimal health. Below is some general guidance on the best and worst foods to eat by dosha.
- Best Foods for Vata Dominance: Since vata attributes are cold and dry, warm, moist foods such as soups, casseroles, stews, cooked apples, and soaked dates balance vata dominance. Vata dominance also benefits from warming spices.
- Bad foods for vata dominance: Solanaceous vegetables such as potatoes, peppers and eggplants should be avoided to balance the vata dominance. You should also avoid cold, raw, and frozen foods, as well as sweets.
- Best Foods for Pitta Dominance: Pitta types have a fiery nature, so they benefit from cold, non-spicy foods. Grains such as oats are another staple food for pitta dominant individuals.
- Worst Foods for Pitta Dominance: Pitta prefers cold food, so hot spices like cinnamon and turmeric are usually limited. Reducing salt intake and limiting oils, coffee and alcohol also balances the quality of pitta.
- Best Foods for Kapha Dominance: Kapha types are balanced by leafy greens and other vegetables grown above ground. Millet is one of the preferred grains, although they eat less grain than other types.When it comes to protein, legumes are preferred over animal protein. Honey is the only sweetener considered suitable for this dosha. Spices are fine for Kapha.
- Worst Foods for Kapha Dominance: Kapha dominance is associated with a slow metabolism, so we eat less sweets, fried foods, and greasy foods. Dairy products are also limited when balancing Kapha dominance. In addition, this type should not drink cold drinks.
These are just a handful of dietary recommendations for each dosha. So, if you want to know the dominant doshas and what to eat to balance them, it’s best to work with a practitioner experienced in Ayurvedic practice.
Benefits of the Ayurvedic Diet
Basically, the Ayurvedic diet is a plant-based whole food diet. All existing evidence points to the fact that a plant-based diet protects the mind and body from a variety of health problems.
But remember, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to balancing the doshas, ​​so it goes beyond diet. These practices have many benefits. For example, yoga has been extensively researched and shown to help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and muscle soreness.
Yoga also offers additional health benefits. A review comparing the effects of yoga in people with type 2 diabetes found that yoga improved blood sugar control and improved cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Additionally, one small study found that combining an Ayurvedic diet to address kapha dominance with yoga practice three times a week led to weight loss. Participants lost an average of about 8 pounds in 12 weeks and continued to lose weight after the study period, losing a total of nearly 13 pounds in 6 months. However, this study did not have a control group for comparison.
Similarly, meditation can help improve health problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It also makes a perfect complement to any Ayurvedic diet strategy as it helps you have more control over your food and increase enjoyment while eating.
Disadvantages of the Ayurvedic Diet
For some people, dietary guidelines are confusing or restrictive, making it difficult to maintain a diet. Foods high in GI are avoided or eaten infrequently. For example, vata avoids tomatoes, while kapha avoids oats.
Another challenge is getting used to unfamiliar foods. And if you’re not a home chef, shopping and preparing meals can be overwhelming. I have.
Additionally, although Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced for hundreds of years, there is no standardized or scientifically validated method for figuring out your doshas. Moreover, many of the existing studies are from small or limited studies (e.g. no control group).
Finally, Ayurvedic medicine is not well regulated in the United States and may have different practice requirements from state to state. In Ayurvedic medicine, having some degree of education does not mean that the practitioner is a medical doctor (MD). If you’re interested in the Ayurvedic diet, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association has an accreditation process and search tools to help you find certified professionals.
