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Ayurveda

Treatments: Nutrition

An Ayurvedic diet is the foundation of healing and vitality. Ayurveda recommends a nutrient-dense diet consisting of a balanced amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Fresh food which is organically grown with love and care is considered to possess a much higher amount of vital energy (prana) than food which is processed with chemicals and additives, and which are grown in mass-produced facilities. Many health food stores and farmers markets grow their own vegetables free of all chemicals including pesticides herbicides.

An Ayurvedic diet is lighter than traditional western diets, placing less stress on the system. VegetarianismA diet that excludes all meat and fish (including poultry, game, fish, shellfish/crustaceans, and slaughter by-products) is followed as closely as possible, with a diet consisting mainly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and beans as the main staple.

Ayurvdic cooking is an art in and of itself. The sense of taste is considered therapeutic, and if the taste of food is not pleasing then the digestion of the food is in turn affected.

Ayurvedic nutrition is mindful that whatever energy is absorbed by the food during its creation will be passed on to the person who consumes it. For this reason, commercial products such as milk, eggs and meat are avoided unless there is an assurance that the animals were treated with kindness and respect during the collection of the product, rather than cruelty and inhumanness. Free range eggs (eggs laid by chickens which are not caged), for example, are considered acceptable. This concept also passes over to food preparation. Food which is prepared and cooked with positive emotions such as love and gratitude will imbue the food with a significantly higher amount of prana.

Naturally sweet foods are recommended such as fruits, some vegetables, and honey, with refined sugar and synthetic sweeteners to be avoided.

Fresh, clean water should be drunk in plentiful amounts, as well as fresh fruit and vegetable juices. Coffee and alcohol should be avoided or drank infrequently.

Recommendations of types and amounts of food are individualized according to a person's doshas and the season. Each food contains specific energies which in greater quantities can either balance or cause imbalance to each dosha. This does not necessarily mean any foods are off-limits, simply that they may need to be reduced or eaten in moderation.

Nutrition in Ayurveda is an appropriate balance of 6 different tastes: Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Herbs and spices are also used in small to moderate amounts. Each dosha has an affinity for the different tastes, herbs, and spices. Many foods contain a combination of the six tastes, with the appropriate amounts of each taste producing a balancing effect on a person's dosha(s).

Sweet (composed of the elements earth and water):
Associated with contentment and pleasure it is found in most foods ranging from ripe fruits and vegetables to nuts and dairy products, and predominantly in natural sugars and honey. It is used to build and repair tissue. Balances vata and pitta.

Sour (composed of the elements earth and fire):
Examples include citrus fruits, ketchup, fermented foods (yogurt, sour cream), vinegar, picked vegetables and tamarind. Sour foods are considered to cleansing and heat producing. Balances kapha and pitta.

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