Nutrition according to Ayurveda. Simple rules about food

It is based on the time of meal, season, type of digestion of each person.

Peculiarities

According to Ayurveda, nutrition according to the doshas is one of the most important factors, on which moral and physical health person. It is because of the consumption of foods containing toxins and waste that the vast majority of health problems arise.

The predominance of Pitta, Kapha or Vata in the human body determines the lifestyle and recommendations for Ayurvedic nutrition, designed to keep in balance or balance the predominant dosha.

Nutrition according to doshas:

nutrition pittas should contain cool, heavy and dry food, taken three times a day, avoiding late dinner. You should not eat salty, oily, sour foods. Also exclude fried, flour and fatty foods.

kapha Avoid eating sweet, salty, cold and spicy food, since people of this type are prone to excess weight. Optimal option– hot, light and dry, with lots of spices. The heaviest meal is lunch, breakfast and dinner are light.

cold cotton wool well balanced by hot, oily foods, warm drink. The diet is always at the same time four times a day. Heavy meals - breakfast and lunch, light dinner. Rough and cold foods and carbonated drinks are contraindicated.

According to Ayurveda, the digestive fire of Agni is responsible for digestion. It needs to be constantly supported and strengthened. Only strong Agni promotes proper absorption and digestion. Established meal schedule the right combination products and the time between doses (4-6 hours) contribute to the strengthening of Agni.

Rules

Meals according to Ayurvedic system- this is not a diet in the usual sense of the word, but a certain combination of products and a set established rules, with the help of which you can maintain a healthy balance in a person’s physical and moral appearance.

Food can benefit the body only if it is consumed correctly, and Ayurveda takes into account all the factors that accompany food intake, from the quality of the food to the state of mind at that time.

One of the most important rules is that you should always adhere to strict regime nutrition typical for certain type doshas Despite this, all constitutions are subject to general rules Ayurveda.

Sweets and sweet fruits should only be eaten for breakfast and lunch. The heaviest meal is lunch, the lightest is dinner. This rule applies to all types of doshas. Dairy products are recommended to be consumed warm every day, as according to Ayurveda they help cleanse the mind.

There should be in calm state without being distracted by work or watching TV, while drinking food warm water. You should never snack while running.

The products used for cooking must be natural. Various artificial colors and preservatives provoke the formation of waste and toxins that are harmful to the body.

You need to get up from the table with a slight feeling of hunger, without overeating.

You should not eat after sunset, as food will not be beneficial at this time.

Milk does not need to be mixed with any other food, it can only be seasoned with honey or spices. Be sure to consume warm. Eating too hot or cold is contraindicated.

The consumption of potatoes and dishes made from them should be very limited, since the starch contained in them is difficult to digest and forms toxins in the body.

You should never heat honey to melt it. It should become liquid naturally.

Fruits and vegetables should be eaten only in proportion to their ripening time, since the body is configured to digest food according to the time of year. It is not recommended to mix them with other products.

Melon is never mixed with other products. It is always used separately.

You need to eat at a time when food can best be digested:

Breakfast – from 6 to 8 o’clock;

Lunch – from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.;

Dinner - from 16 to 18 hours.

Two hours before bedtime, you can drink tea or a glass of warm milk with honey.

Special attention should be given to Ayurvedic nutrition for women, which should be based on increasing lunar energy, because the Moon is responsible for female attractiveness, harmonization in personal life and correct level hormones in female body.

To increase lunar energy need to:

use warm milk early in the morning or after 18 o'clock. Milk can be flavored with honey, sugar or fennel.

include in your diet fruits such as banana (to increase endorphins), plum (help normalize heart function, regulate blood pressure) or pear (awakens leadership skills);

use honey. A must for every woman, as the most women's product, personifying love and tenderness.

consume sweets before 12 o'clock. Necessary for normalization and maintenance hormonal levels.

Product combination

The main role in Ayurvedic cooking is given to the combination of products and their division into: tamas, rajas and sattva:

To tamas include products that are chemically treated or grown with fertilizer various additives and fertilizers: canned products, eggs, meat, fish, alcohol, frozen foods, semi-finished products. It is tamas food that should be excluded from the diet.

products rajas– this is fried, stewed, spicy food, sweets, tea, coffee, alcohol;

sattva products are the most natural and fresh. These are vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy products. Easily absorbed, digested, the most suitable food for those who are overweight.

When tamas and rajas products are consumed in large quantities, anxiety, nervousness, increased excitability, and decreased performance will be observed. Therefore, the diet should consist of 75-80% sattva type foods.

By adhering to the rules of Ayurvedic cuisine, you can regulate an unbalanced dosha, correct many health problems and regain peace of mind and balance.

Ayurvedic diet for women - a set of nutrition rules to increase your energy level.

Ayurvedic knowledge allows us to develop a deep understanding of the relationship between diseases and nutrition, evaluate food from the point of view of the doshas and overcome ignorance when choosing it.

Ayurvedic nutrition for women

Definitions of your personality constitution according to Ayurveda. What should representatives of different doshas eat?

There are 5 elements (elements) in the world that form our reality.

Each of them is important in to a large extent influences the processes occurring in and around a person.

These are: Earth, Water, Air, Ether and Fire. At the moment of conception, when the soul enters the fetus, the process of generation of personal characteristics (doshas) of the future person occurs.

They depend on the nature of the parents, their habits, nutritional rules, heredity and other things.

There are five elements in total, each of which includes a person: Earth, Water, Air, Ether, Fire

Few people can boast of an ideal balance of these qualities; usually there is a bias in one direction or another, on which health depends.

You have many elements of Earth - you are prone to obesity, Air - to anxiety and doubts, Water - to swelling, Fire - almost always guarantees heartburn or ulcers.

This, of course, is not a diagnosis, but an initial predisposition that can be overcome with a balanced diet.

Doshas (there are three in total) combine several elements at the same time: Vata = Air + Ether, Kapha = Water + Earth, Pitta = Fire and Water at the same time.

Knowing which class you belong to, you need to eat food with opposite properties and, as it were, balance yourself.

Vata type. Such people are active, overly excitable individuals with a light, slender and agile body. Girls of this type do not tolerate laziness and are constantly inclined to act. They like to change their place of residence and travel, it keeps them on their toes. They have dry skin and hair and hiccup frequently. Tend to seek relationships simply to avoid loneliness. They prefer thick, sour, over-salted.

Personality traits: cold, sour, dry.

To calm this energy, you need to eat the opposite: hot, sweet, fatty (soups, dried fruits, cereals).

Vata-type women are advised to consume more cereals and dried fruits

Pitta type. For the most part, this is fiery energy contained in a person, which is why their body temperature is often higher than normal. The digestive fire in such people is developed to high level, they love to eat, especially spicy, peppery foods. The body type in most cases is average, but they are capable of gaining or losing weight. These are smart, educated leaders who love luxury. They often go bald and this is a consequence of their wild mind. Maximalists prone to criticism. They have oily hair and skin, and fatty foods I often have a headache.

Pitta should drink plenty of fluids and dilute the acidity of the gastric juice.

Anything moist and cool (juice drinks, fruit and vegetable salads) is suitable for balancing.

Pitta-type women need to include more fruit and vegetable salads in their diet

Kapha type. This is a living symbol of fertility (Earth + Water), therefore the physique is dense, large, and excess weight is possible. They are kind and responsive, their movements and way of thinking are calm. They can be compared to noble, majestic elephants with a warm heart; they strive to sow only goodness. They usually live longer than others. Women of this type are natural mothers and devoted spouses. They are leisurely, often lazy, and like to sit in peace and quiet. They have a craving for sweets, and therefore suffer from excess weight. Metabolism is too slow.

Kapha is slowness, moisture and cold.

For wellness It is important for them to eat everything hot and spicy: baked vegetables with spices, ginger tea with lemon or low-fat cereals.

Spices and ginger tea are recommended for kapha women.

Advice: several doshas can coexist in a person in different proportions. Determine your type or combination and try experimenting with all kinds of foods for a month. Write down your observations and decide on your personal menu.

Signs of poor digestion and habits to avoid

You should always listen carefully to your feelings own body. It's especially difficult at first.

This is due to the imposed habits of childhood, the opinions of others, and cultural characteristics.

By the way, a woman’s body always feels what it needs better than a man’s. It's all about an intuitive approach to many things.

You should not feel heaviness or apathy after eating.

A bad sign is drowsiness, irritability or laziness - it means that it does not suit the constitution and is harmful to you.

Although seemingly harmless, these ingredients can cause intoxication, bloating, pain, dizziness and even vomiting.

In this case it is worth urgently consult a doctor and remove them from your diet.

The urge to have a bowel movement ideally occurs the next morning after consumption, if earlier, they are toxic for you.

Another sign poor digestion: halitosis. It would seem that everything is so simple, but many do not always listen to the small clues of their own food reactions.

To improve your condition, avoid the common mistakes listed below.

In Ayurveda, compliance with nutritional rules is very important.

Bad habits that destroy the digestive process:

Eat when you don't feel like it. Is it time for lunch? Who cares! Skip meals if you are not hungry.
Wash down your meals with freshly squeezed juices or eat them with fruit desserts. Yes, they are healthy, but only as a separate portion.
Pathological overeating(everything on the plate) or malnutrition. Moderation is needed in everything.
Drinking ice water. Firstly, you can get sick; secondly, it is not useful. Find your fluid intake rate.
"Seizing" psychological trauma and experiences. It’s better to feel the emotion fully (it’s given for a reason) and let it go.
Incorrect timing of the feast(we'll talk about this a little later).
Consuming incompatible dishes.
Ayurveda against unbalanced snacking with incompatible foods.
If you are constipated, fast. The body must solve this problem itself, do not make it worse.

Tip: Chew your food by example Indian yogis 108 times. To quickly get used to this, learn digestive mudras, this will help occupy a restless mind and hands (“Chadman’s Bowl”, “ Scallop", "Water Mudra").

Try to chew your food as thoroughly as yogis do.

List of products that increase female (lunar) energy. Healing properties of spices

The moon plays a special place in the life of the fair half of humanity.

Her energy is considered the basis of every homemaker; attractiveness depends on it, personal life, inner feeling rest, even physiological cycles.

Certain foods help maximize this amount, which leads to material and spiritual happiness:

Milk. It should be consumed either early in the morning (6:00) or in the evening (18:00), only then will it be beneficial. In the first case, it is better to sweeten it and boil it, eat it hot with honey and spices. In the second - add sugar, fennel, cardamom. With this drink you will rest at night, gain fresh strength and awaken your inner self. hidden forces mind.
Raisin. Will fill you up fresh forces in the morning, suitable for all doshas at the same time.
Banana. Brings satisfaction with life, optimism, joy. Capable of having a strong impact on a person. Use if you lack these qualities.
Pear. Need strong-willed people, leaders, bosses.
Raspberries. Ideal food for Pitta, because it normalizes stomach acidity. It is best eaten fresh or dried in the sun. Otherwise, it will not bring any benefit.
Plums. Normalize work of cardio-vascular system, especially help with pressure surges.
Honey. According to Hindus, he is the personification of love. This is a feminine product that gives tenderness. It is important to choose your variety. It's easy to do - just smell it. The type that suits you will smell fresh rather than sweet.

Vedic cuisine would not be so beneficial without spices carefully selected by generations of healers.

Asafoetida will help relieve headache and normalize nervous system, solve problems with the spine.

Ginger is a powerful blood circulation stimulant that successfully fights colds, anorexia, joint pain, restores the functioning of the thyroid gland.

Turmeric treats ulcers, kidney and liver diseases, relieves fatigue, and removes all kinds of allergic reactions.

Chili pepper - digestive pathologies, bronchial asthma, atherosclerosis and hepatitis.

Cardamom cures bronchitis and ischemia, relieves pain, and has an antispasmodic effect.

Sesame is incredibly beneficial for our bones, and therefore our teeth. If you add a little water to it and lemon juice, they can remove acne on the skin.

A mixture of seeds, cardamom, camphor and cinnamon treats headaches. Spicy curry heals wounds, removes inflammation and cleanses the blood of infection. Cumin relieves microspasms of the skin.

Fennel treats myopia. Celery is good for pleurisy, blockages internal organs(liver, spleen), relieves fever.

Black pepper activates the action nutrients in body. Swallow whole grains like yogis do.

Special meaning in Ayurveda it is given as spices

Advice: Use foreign vegetables and fruits with caution. Ayurveda believes that fruits will only benefit the person in whose region they grew. A Hindu can get poisoned from simple beets, but we can feel sick from chayote or kohlrabi.

Good time to eat food

Breakfast

Many people who are not familiar with the laws of Ayurveda deliberately avoid this meal, because it immediately makes them sleepy.

They say: “I don’t eat breakfast. I have too much to do!”, referring to the drowsiness that inevitably comes from ignorant foods.

Forget once and for all about buns, sandwiches and porridge (everything except light buckwheat) and the morning will be good!

Wake up at six in the morning and try juicy, sweet fruits. Any milk product, according to Hindus, will be good for you.

This also includes milk (we wrote about it earlier). And for goodness sake, eat sweets!

A woman simply needs this to balance her hormonal levels. Dried fruits, chocolate, and raw food candies are allowed.

Even if you're on a diet. Everything will be digested without consequences within 12 hours.

There is only one ban - cakes (because of the layers). Otherwise, you will eventually become an irritable, angry person, take pity on your man.

Dinner

The ideal time for it is from 11:00 to 14:00. During these hours, digestion is most active, fueled by solar energy.

Get into the habit of cooking grains, legumes, fried vegetables in oil.

They will help nourish the mind and improve mental activity, the main thing is to adhere to the time frame and not overeat.

This reduces willpower and the ability to concentrate. Strenuous work should be avoided for the next hour.

Dinner is considered the most important meal of the day

Dinner

Most important technique food. It will depend on it whether putrefactive processes will occur in your stomach or not.

Eat and feed your loved ones stewed vegetables or nuts.

Avoid butter and bread if possible. The fruits will help you relax after working day, take off nervous tension and prepare for a good night's sleep.

Avoid the fire-heavy digestion of potatoes. It is better to focus on above-ground vegetables (cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers, herbs).

The only fermented milk allowed is heated milk with spices.

Indians generally have a particularly warm attitude towards this product. Even down to the rule: if after milk a person feels bad or has a nightmare, you drank too little of it.

You should accustom yourself to it gradually, starting with a teaspoon, slowly increasing the dose.

If it's still bad, avoid it completely, it doesn't suit your needs.

Advice: in summer, eat more fruits. In the fall, switch to cheese, sour cream, ghee, buckwheat porridge with sugar. In winter, continue to eat fats, add sweet spices, but avoid cooling ones (for example, mint). In spring, the use of fennel, cinnamon, and caraway is encouraged.

Do ayurvedic nutrition part of your life doesn't have to be expensive or complex process. People all over the world are becoming more aware of the benefits that the Ayurvedic diet has on their general state health.

This article will tell you which foods are ideal to eat for your specific dosha, which is another name for it. Ayurvedic type bodies.

First, let's figure out what it is dosha According to Ayurveda, every person has his own unique combination three principles of body and mind. This combination helps create unique physical and mental characteristics each person. Doshas are these three principles.

The three doshas are called Kapha, Pitta and Vata. For each dosha, there are a number of foods that can help balance it and foods that can aggravate it.

The key to maintaining good health through Ayurvedic diet is learning which foods to eat and which foods to avoid according to your dosha.

Nutrition that balances Vata dosha

There is a wide range of products for Vata dosha that can be found in most supermarkets. Fruits such as watermelon, prunes, plums, pears, mangoes, figs, berries, apples, raisins, pomegranates, pineapples, melons, grapes, dates and avocados are all good for Vata dosha. Essentially anyone sweet fruit, which you may find will have a balancing effect on Vata dosha. However, you should also know that any sour fruit can aggravate Vata. Therefore, you should avoid unripe and highly astringent fruits, giving preference to sweet and juicy ones.

As for vegetables, Vata can freely indulge himself in zucchini, squash, parsnips, olives, green beans, beets and artichokes, red lentils, tofu , soy and its products. People of the Vata type must remember that they can only eat vegetables in cooked form (stewed, boiled) with the addition of large quantity oils and spices. Raw vegetables should be avoided at all times.

Grains such as wild rice, wheat and oats are very beneficial for Vata. Limit as much as possible consumption of peas, beans, dry oatmeal, dry bread, chips, corn, rye.

As for dairy products, yogurt, cheese and goat milk can be consumed in moderate amount. Any are useful dairy products, kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese. Milk should be consumed warm before.

Sweets are also favorable for Vata, especially honey (in combination with warm milk).

Hot milk with spices, cocoa, warm or hot water with lemon, vegetable broths, juices: papaya, aloe, mango, peach, apricot. Should be excluded black tea, coffee, carbonated and cold drinks, as well as strong alcohol.

Nutrition that balances Pitta dosha

Fruits recommended for balancing Pitta dosha are the same as for Vata. Pitta people should also avoid sour fruits. When it comes to grains, there is a wider variety that is healthy, including cooked oats, White rice, oat granola, millet, buckwheat, brown rice and wheat bran.

Acceptable vegetables include potatoes, leafy greens, zucchini, artichokes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Both bitter and sweet vegetables are considered good for Pitta.

For Pitta, all sweets are good in moderation, especially halva, but it is worth limiting the consumption of honey.

Nutrition balancing Kapha—I'll finish it

Kaphas should avoid eating dates, bananas and other sweet fruits. However, all fruits listed for Vata body types are shown.

There are many nuts and legumes that stabilize Kapha, such as white beans, red lentils, navy beans, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, black-eyed peas, split peas, pinto beans, lima beans, pumpkin, peanuts, coconut, cashew nuts, brazil nuts and almonds.

Dilute yogurt and goat's milk are Kapha-friendly dairy products.

There is a wide range of herbs, spices and herbs that balance Kapha. Thyme, mint, rosemary, peppermint, paprika, mustard seeds, horseradish, dill, cloves, cayenne, black pepper, basil, poppy seeds, parsley, oregano, mint and ginger can be used to enhance the taste of your various Ayurvedic dishes.

– this is the key to understanding health. We live in health and peace when we achieve the balance of the three doshas. Balance depends on seasonal changes, lifestyle, nutrition, emotional state and even the time of day. These are exactly the variables that allow us to ‘get the house in order’, i.e. bring the doshas into balance.

Each of us combines all 3 doshas; this combination is inherent in us at birth in different proportions, determining our individuality (Prakriti). The innate proportion of doshas is the most harmonious. Throughout life, the balance of doshas can be disrupted, which gradually leads to mood swings, loss of strength and illness. The ability to monitor and manage these changes leads to an understanding of how to balance the doshas and achieve a harmonious state of health. Determination requires observation and care. You can start with online test (good tests- this is about 200 questions, please spare time) or consult an Ayurveda doctor for a more accurate understanding of your nature.

Nutrition– one of the important variables for managing your condition. Miscellaneous Products, their origin and quality, the way they are combined and prepared have different effects on the doshas. What, for example, will balance Pitta will unbalance Vata.

Basic rule of Ayurveda: the opposite balances the opposite. This rule applies both when establishing nutrition and when balancing mood, internal state. is balanced wet properties products, oiling fabrics. The raging fire of Pitta is calmed by the cool properties of, for example, cucumbers.

VATA

The qualities of Vata itself are dry, cool, hard, so Vata is balanced by warm, moist and oily. Vata often gets out of control early. Accordingly, to calm Vata out of balance, you need to:

switch to a warm, liquid-rich diet and put aside iced drinks and cold salads. Allow your body to warm up from the inside and avoid wasting extra energy heating food.
saturate the tissues with oils (cook with ghee, add a spoonful of oils to salads, you can massage with sesame or coconut oil)
It is better not to fry cereals and nuts, but to soak them in order to saturate them with moisture and thus allow Vata digestion to calm down
Vata's preferred tastes are salty, sour, and sweet. Pungent, astringent and bitter tastes should be minimized

Be careful: any excess in tastes will aggravate Vata.

Examples of foods suitable for Vata:

Warm pureed soups, stews, thin cereals, avocados, fatty cheeses, eggs, whole milk, natural yogurt, nuts (don’t forget to soak them), berries, melons, zucchini.

PITTA

The properties of Pitta are hot, pungent, intense and sour. Pitta season is summer. We balance raging Pitta with cool, stabilizing and sweet qualities of food (let me remind you that sweets in Ayurveda are not only sugar and honey):

you can afford more fresh salads and vegetables, cold drinks
add more soothing spices (coriander, cardamom, fennel, saffron)
even at the color level, you can make a choice of products: green products and products of desaturated colors are calming
Pitta needs nourishing and grounding foods to balance its 'heat'
it is very important not to forget about a nutritious breakfast
We surround ourselves with things of cool colors: you can pour water into a blue jug and drink from there, wear blue or neutral clothes - all this will work to calm you down
tastes that balance Pitta: sweet, bitter, astringent. Minimize sour, salty and spicy tastes (especially Pitta is unbalanced by the combination of spicy and oily).

I must say that Pitta imbalance is my favorite, because it is calmed down by very tasty and pleasant things - ice cream (cold and sweet), cool smoothies, fresh vegetables and greens (cucumber and cilantro are especially good), calmness and meditation.

Foods that calm Pitta:

- green vegetables and leafy greens

- sweet fruits (in reasonable quantities and separately from other meals)

– grains (wheat, white rice, millet, oats)

- from meat products– turkey, chicken

KAPHA

By nature, Kapha is cold, heavy, oily-mucous, and its season is late winter-spring. Kapha is balanced through the warm, light and dry qualities of foods, as well as warming up the body (massage, sauna, good warm-up workout):

bitter, astringent and pungent tastes are perfect for Kapha: apples, pears, grapefruits, cranberries, apricots
warming spices that awaken Agni: ginger, pepper, mustard, cayenne pepper
A glass will help rekindle weak Agni Kapha in the morning warm water with natural apple cider vinegar and a spoonful of honey
It is very important to include a little sweet taste in the diet (let me remind you, Sweet in Ayurveda is the equivalent of Love, and it is Kaphas who need it most), but the sweet must be chosen carefully: for example, honey with its sweet taste and dry quality is good.

Kapha Balancing Foods:

- meat - chicken, turkey, seafood

- cereals (buckwheat, millet, polenta)

- vegetables (except potatoes)

— it is better to choose sour or tart fruits (apples, grapefruit, cranberries, pears)

- seeds (sunflower and pumpkin, and this is a good place to roast them!)

- warm teas with herbs and spices: fennel, cardamom, ginger

A very good way to kindle Agni in inert Kapha is to chew a small piece of ginger with mineral salt. This will have a beneficial effect on enhancing digestion and will help to favorably assimilate food.

Ayurvedic nutrition is very exciting and effective! You discover in food new world tastes, aromas and colors. You feel the effectiveness of the approach quite quickly. However, you will feel the effect best when integrated approach: properly selected nutrition – adequate activity – harmonization of the internal state. You begin to better understand your nature, monitor imbalances and learn to influence them in simple ways. As a result, not only does your mood improve, but your digestion also responds favorably, which means you feel less heaviness and more positive, creative energy and lightness. This is exactly the approach we use, so in just a week the effect will be noticeable.

Water, fire and air are three forces that determine the state of our body. They are in a fragile state of constant struggle and balance. To get your health in order, you need to nourish the weakened elements and pacify the raging ones. This can be done by adjusting your diet. Ayurveda believes so.

People of the water element often have wide bones and powerful shoulders. Thick and shiny hair, good skin- this is what constitutes the beauty of kapha. According to the ancient Greek classification, the character of people of this type would be called phlegmatic. It was this that Hippocrates associated with the element of water.

It is advisable to limit the amount of food in general. But, first of all, you need to avoid fried, sweet, fatty foods. The temperature of food should be as close as possible to body temperature. This way it is absorbed faster, but going into body fat. Anything that warms up the digestive fire is also good: hot spices, hot drinks, tart fruits.

Among dairy products, it is better for kapha to prefer low-fat ones. Oils should be excluded altogether, especially if they are used for frying (grilling or baking is recommended). Bread should also be limited, and if consumed, then only in dry form - crackers, biscuits.

It should be added that the “pure” type of people is very rare; most often, every person has 2 type of doshas, and sometimes all three.