Has anyone tried an Ayurvedic diet?

I have only recently been introduced to the concept behind Ayurvedic nutrition and am just curious if any Askvillagers follow this type of diet on a regular or semi-regular basis. If you do, how did you find good information on how to go about supporting your dosha type -- and where can you find good recipes that incorporate the balancing foods for your body type? Please -- if you don't know much about this, don't just cut/paste online links because I have already been doing research that way.

I'm looking for more first-hand experience and recommendations for reputable resources. Thanks! Asked by Yuliah 52 months ago Similar questions: Ayurvedic diet Health > Alternative Medicine.

For over 20 years I first became familiar with Ayurveda when I lived in India over 20 years ago and I visit an Ayurvedic centre in Maharashtra (the western part of India) every couple of years to undergo Panchakarma (ayurvedic purification therapy). When the Centre was being built, I lived there and helped run the kitchen - I love to cook so the whole Ayurvedic diet, as well as the Ayurvedic approach to life, was a revelation to me. As you have no doubt realised, Ayurveda is a massive subject so to go into all of the details here, even with cutting and pasting, would take far too much time.

And you have probably started reading a lot about Ayurveda anyway. The first thing you need to do is to determine your Prakruti (consititution) as best you can. To be really sure of your constitution, it would be good to visit a reputable Ayurvedic practitioner, but if that isn’t possible, the charts you find online (such as this one: http://ayurveda-foryou.com/clinical_ayurveda/prakriti6.html) or in Ayurvedic books can help you to at least get an idea.

The next thing is to not get paranoid! We are all combinations of all 3 doshas and, if we learn what traits come with each Dosha, it is not that difficult to understand which one is prominent and what problems come if they are in imbalance. My prakruti is Pitta-Kapha - I am quite "rounded" and have had a weight problem all my life, so on the outside it would be easy to say "Kapha Prakruti" (usually people who are more solidly built).

My predominent dosha however is Pitta- go figure! By which I mean, don’t depend on the the outward characteristics alone. You need to go into a lot more detail (digestive pattern, sleep, mental characteristics etc - all of these determine your individual constitution).

As far as diet is concerned, yes, you can definitely go a long way to balancing the doshas by paying a lot of attention to how you eat. Pitta predominence - avoid too many heating foods (including things like very spicy foods and raw tomatoes); Kapha - stay away from cold foods (goodbye ice-cream! :-0) and oily foods; Vata needs more oil and less raw food.

But those are just superficial recommendations. When I give my cooking courses, I demonstrate a complete meal (usually Indian) and try to incorporate items that are fairly neutral for all Doshas. If my students are aware of their Prakruti, they can eat less of the items that are not good for their constitution; if they are not yet familiar with their body type, they have some culinary references if they want to pursue Ayurveda in more depth.

The great thing about Indian Ayurvedic food is that you have lots of items on the Thali (large plate where everything is served at once); rice, a cup of soup (or dal), vegetables, chopped vegetable salad; flat bread; pickle or chutney (hot condiment), yoghurt and something sweet. The daily inclusion of all 6 tastes (sweet, salty, pungent, sour, bitter and astringent) is very important in Ayurveda and the use of spices is a crucial factor in dosha balancing as well as being a digestive aid. But aside from the diet, ones lifestyle is just as important in balancing the Doshas.

For instance, going to bed too late increases Pitta and can be the cause of a lot of heath problems; sleeping too long is problematic for Kapha predominence and an overly active schedule can increase the "fidgetyness" of Vata. The thing that drew me most to Ayurveda was its understanding that each of us is unique in our physical and mental makeup and that the problems that we face must be treated on an individual level. We both my suffer from Migraine for example, but the root cause of my migraine may be completely different from yours meaning that each will require a different form of treatment.

I also see Ayurveda as an gentle and understanding science which takes our human foibles into consideration as well: we may know that a glass of red wine is going to increase Pitta dosha but we drink it anyway - Ayurveda doesn’t stand there with a raised finger but says "ok, you did something dumb - take steps tomorrow to bring everything back into balance. " A lot of what Ayurveda is about is also common sense! There are a million books about Ayurveda on the market but the ones I am recommending here are books that I have myself or where I know that the author is reputable.

If you have the chance to visit an Ayurvedic practitioner or better still, if you can go to an Ayurveda centre and undergo Panchakarma, please do that. The knowledge you gain from books is a great shoe-in but Ayurveda is definitely a "hands-on" healing system. Youu can start where you are right now, gaining knowledge of yourself and your interaction with your environment as you go along.

Ayurveda really can help - it’s been helping for over 5000 years. I wish you a lot of luck on your quest and if I can help in any way, there is the great Askville PM function..... :-) An article about Atmasantulana Village (my Ayurvedic oasis for the past 25 years) http://www.lifepositive.com/body/ayurveda/tambe.asp Atmasantulana Village website: http://www.ayu.de/ayu-english/index.html My webpage about India & Ayurveda: http://www.mccleary.de/india.html and a page about (not only) Indian cooking with recipes: http://www.mccleary.de/vegArchive.html - click on "The cuisine of India" an interesting introductory lecture to Ayurveda (just over 6 minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y29tqm3RMtQ Irishsoul's Recommendations Textbook of Ayurveda Amazon List Price: $40.00 Used from: $26.65 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 3 reviews) Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing Amazon List Price: $6.653 Used from: $6.653 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 8 reviews) Ayurveda: A Life of Balance Amazon List Price: $26.653 Used from: $6.653 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 7 reviews) Heaven's Banquet: Vegetarian Cooking for Lifelong Health the Ayurveda Way Amazon List Price: $26.653 Used from: $6.653 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 33 reviews) Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution Amazon List Price: $16.653 Used from: $6.653 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 5 reviews) The Ayurvedic Cookbook Amazon List Price: $16.653 Used from: $6.653 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (based on 12 reviews) Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners Amazon List Price: $16.653 Used from: $6.653 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 6 reviews) Video This is more an advertisement for an Ayurvedic cookbook but it is fun to watch! .

1 Yuliah - I have taken up an answer slot and need some time to sit down and write a detailed answer. I have the painters in my flat today so it may take until tomorrow. Just so you're not sitting on coals wondering when "that person" will finally get around to hitting the "submit" button!

:-0 .

Yuliah - I have taken up an answer slot and need some time to sit down and write a detailed answer. I have the painters in my flat today so it may take until tomorrow. Just so you're not sitting on coals wondering when "that person" will finally get around to hitting the "submit" button!

:-0.

2 Oh, that's okay. I've held a few slots myself so I can give a complete answer. No worries -- and thanks for the note.

Oh, that's okay. I've held a few slots myself so I can give a complete answer. No worries -- and thanks for the note.

3 Yulia - I finally got some time after all of my house renovations to sit down and answer your question as best I could. There is so much more to be said about this wonderful subject, but I had to stop somewhere. Hope this helps!

Yulia - I finally got some time after all of my house renovations to sit down and answer your question as best I could. There is so much more to be said about this wonderful subject, but I had to stop somewhere. Hope this helps!

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