Ayurvedic Food and the Doshas
The ayurvedic system of living focuses on overall human health ( mental, physical and spiritual) through emphasis on diet and use of all natural produce. According to ayurveda the food we eat can be divided into 3 categories ( Sattvik, Rajasik and Tamasik ) and our diet must be curated by keeping our body type (dosha) [ vatta, pitta or kapha ] in mind.
Types Of Food
| SATTVIK | RAJASIK | TAMASIK | |
|---|---|---|---|
MEANING | Pure and honest | Passion and movement | Laziness and ignorance |
TYPE OF FOOD | Light food | Rich food | Dull or sluggish food |
DESCRIPTION | It is soul food which nourishes the body and maintains a peaceful state of the mind. | This food stimulates fire within the body and promotes motion. | Food increases the inner darkness and takes a lot of energy to be digested. |
EFFECT ON THE BEING | It calms and purifies the mind and the brain, enabling them to function at their fullest potential | It promotes anger and restlessness and destroys the mind body equilibrium. | It promotes anger and restlessness and destroys the mind body equilibrium. |
PRESCRIPTION | Best diet | Moderate diet | Worse diet |
FOOD ITEMS | Grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, honey and herbal tea | Too much spicy, salty and sour food. Coffee, alcohol, onion, garlic, ginger etc. | Frozen, microwaved, processed or fried food. Meat, fish, eggs, etc. |
TRAITS OF A PERSON WHO FOLLOWS THE DIET | Is usually calm, serene and has a positive attitude. He is full of energy, hope and health and has a balanced personality. | Has a weak digestive system, is always in a hurry and has a rather unbalanced personality. | Is dull, unmotivated and careless. They are unaware and experience illnesses. |
The three doshas govern the physiopathological, psychological and biological functions of body, consciousness and mind. An imbalance in any of the 3 leads to diseases and hence must be countered.
For example, an imbalance in the fire element (gives rise to heat in the body) is controlled by adding water element in the personalized diet of an individual.
Just like the universe, the human body too is made up of 5 elements. These elements can be found in different foods, like –
- Ether / space – wafers, popcorn.
- Air – beans, cookies, cabbage.
- Fire – chillies, spices, ginger.
- Water – soups, watermelon.
- Earth – fried foods, cheese.
When 2 of these elements combine, a dosha is formed. A person can have one dominant dosha or can also have a combination of two or more. The three doshas are-
| VATA | PITTA | KAPHA |
|---|---|---|
Space + air | Fire + water | Earth + water |
It manifests the bodily air principle which regulates breathing, mobility, CNS and the PNS | It regulated the digestion and food assimilation process. | It controls heat regulation and the formation of mucus and saliva. |
By taking a quick quiz you can know your dosha type and make yourself a diet plan that aims at balancing the aspects of your body that are causing you trouble or are missing from your diet.
The Ayurvedic system of diet is all about knowing your body well and taking charge of it to ensure that it is aligned with nature as much as possible.
