Ayurvedic Nutrition & Lifestyle

Ayurveda pays attention to the qualities of the food, Hot or cold, heavy or light, oily or dry, etc. Because qualities make all the difference. If you are frustrated by trying with multiple diet plans and not feeling better, it is time to follow Ayurvedic Diet plan and follow it – It is designed to fit your Mind and Body (Body-Constitution), so your food choices will be your Soul-Foods!

For example, a glass of water has “0” calories, but the quality in the water make all the difference. A glass of ice-cold water may worsen allergies, weaken digestion, hamper circulation and may cause you to lose your voice. On the other hand, a glass of warm water, which has same calories, has exactly the opposite effect – it will reduce congestion, strengthen metabolism, improve circulation and clear the voice. 

Ayurveda uses same philosophy when it comes to create balancing diet plan for you. Every person has different parkirti (body constiutions) If you are Vaata predominant, because you may be thin/slender with dry skin and always feeling cold – warm, moist and heavy foods like soups, stews, oatmeal and warm herbal teas will be ideal for you. If you are well built, with moist skin complaining about weight gain, congestion and swelling then light, warm and dry foods such as toasts, grilled veggies, baked foods and broiled fish will be your soul food. If you are medium built, organised, with warm, ruddy complexion then salads, cooling fruits and a mildly spicy foods are the right choices for you. It is not what but who is eating makes all the difference. Ayurvedic nutrition revolves around the individual.

• Ayurveda keeps a close eye on digestion. “You are what you eat and what you digest”. For example, you may go to a gourmet restaurant, but if your digestion is weak, the gourmet food will be nothing but a poison. So your job is to keep that pilot light around your naval (your digestive enzymes) hot and strong.
• Day in and day out you get up in the morning, get ready, go to work, and follow the same routine without paying much attention. Have you noticed that your energy is high in the morning and starts declining as the day goes by? Have you ever thought about why you change your wardrobe every season? Do you change your food accordingly?
• Ayurveda is all about doing the right thing at the right time. It recommends guidelines – daily and seasonal – that help to make your daily activities more productive and to create peace with the changing seasons to stay balanced, so you can enjoy the enchanting fall colours, breathtaking spring blooms or cool summer hikes. During the day, at certain times, certain Doshas (natural energies) predominate. Accordingly Ayurveda recommends daily guidelines for you to follow and make your days purposeful and productive.
  
  
• Ayurveda is all about doing the right thing at the right time. It recommends guidelines – daily and seasonal – that help to make your daily activities more productive and to create peace with the changing seasons to stay balanced, so you can enjoy the enchanting fall colours, breathtaking spring blooms or cool summer hikes. During the day, at certain times, certain Doshas (natural energies) predominate. Accordingly Ayurveda recommends daily guidelines for you to follow and make your days purposeful and productive.
• Ayurveda is the only science focusing on combining the main six tastes in each meal to make it balanced, tasty, delicious, and medicinal. 

• Sweet taste helps to build tissues in the body, while sour taste restores acid base balance. 
• Salty is responsible for maintaining mineral balance and pungent improves digestion and strengthens digestive enzymes.
• Astringent stops bleeding and gives tone to the body and Bitter works as a natural antibiotic, antiseptic and it purifies the body.
• Adding six tastes into your food is the right way to make food medicinal, delicious and low in calories. The right touches of sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter help to make food Prakriti specific. eq.Vatas should avoid eating bitter greens, because it aggravates Vata, but Pittas thrive on those greens, because it cools down the heat. Ginger, garlic, jalapenos and chilies make Kaphas happy by reducing congestion and helping loose weight, but give Pittas ulcers or irritability. Sweet potatoes will make Vatas feel grounded, but may make Kaphas lethargic. Do you see the difference? The same food makes one person happy and another sad. This is why it’s important to eat according to your Prakriti.

Daily Routine by Ayurveda

• Get up before sunrise. Meditate in the early morning and make a “to do” list.
• Eat a lighter breakfast in the morning.
• Make lunch the main meal.
• Take a nap for 15 minutes after lunch (research shows that people who take a catnap for 15 minutes after lunch, increase their life span by 7 years).
• Exercise in the early morning or evening.
• Bedtime should be around 10:00 p.m.

Here are a few seasonal Diet & Lifestyle guidelines:

• Winter Routine: wakeup early in the morning.
• Do yoga, walk and swimming.
• Massage the whole body with warm sesame oil 2-3 times a week (sesame oil is slightly warming).
• Keep yourself warm and well hydrated.
• Make oatmeal your friend at breakfast and start your lunch with a warm bowl of soup and green salad.
• Keep yourself warm and go to bed around 10 p.m.

• Spring Routine: Take a brisk walk in nature or have a vigorous exercise routine.
• Drink ginger tea in the morning and add more spices in your foods.
• Eat baked, grilled, boiled foods with lot of spices rather than steamed, saucses and bland foods.
• Massage the body with sesame oil treated with ginger or mustard – once a week.

• Summer Routine: Take early morning or moon light walks or swimming for exercise.
• Eat fresh fruits and green veggies to cool the body.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Use coconut oil for massage once or twice a week (coconut oil is cooling).
• Avoid going out in the hot sun.
• Avoid staying up late at night.

Ayurvedic daily and seasonal guidelines have changed people’s lives.
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