CONSTITUTIONAL DIET
Is your body absorbing required nutrients from your diet?
It is important you look at, how your body absorb and assimilate the nutrients, even if you take the healthy organic diet. Some of my clients used to tell me their experience that they don’t feel enough energy even after taking ‘huge’ plate of meal. On the other side, some clients complains that they feel heavy and puffy even if they drink water. They also complaints that they find it hard to lose body weight. Yes, one of our biggest problem is overweight and feeling of heaviness and this can be corrected only by changing to a better diet and lifestyle and unfortunately no other shortcuts.
Here is the importance of Ayurveda practice in daily life. Ayurveda is an ancient natural system of body healing. The word meaning of Ayurveda is knowledge for long life. Ancient teachers of Ayurveda throughout explains in their writings, the long life is depending on health which required proper diet.
What is your life expectancy?
Have you ever thought about why our life is complicated and shortened even though our science and technology developed well enough? It is interesting that the lifespan and health of rural people in several developing states are better than many of ours. When we look into the reasons, we will find out that they are giving primary importance to their own health and everything else is secondary. Sadly we often forget our personal health because we are ‘busy’L.
Ayurveda proclaims that dietary requirements for each person is different. The unique personal constitution, physiological and emotional aspects needs to be considered for defining what nutrients we actually needed. Six dietary nutrients explaining in Ayurveda. They are Sweet like carbs & protein, Acidic like tomato, Alkaline – Salts, Hot– Spices, Bitter– greens and Astringent – teas.
It is very common that clients tell me that they have cravings. Have you ever felt ‘Craving for Sugar’? Have you ever thought that when this is happening and why this is happening? Yes, our mind need ‘heaviness’ of sweet taste when it became overly light and anxious. But this same heaviness can cause overweight if the tendencies are not corrected on time. Learning the characteristics of our own body and each ingredients in our diet helps to identify what our body really need!!
Our body always balance by changing our tendencies to opposites of its own characteristics. In this way we need heavier food when the body is light, cold when we are hot, and oil when we are dry.
Sweet is not only sugar or carbs in Ayurveda, it also includes fats and animal protein too. Sweet taste increases the heaviness and oiliness in our body. This easily reduces the hunger and good source of energy and this is why in all part of the world our bigger portion of meal is sweet.
Sour is acidic, which create the warmth in our body. But over use of savoury, makes our systems hyper acidic which later on causes inflammation. Increased acidity of the blood is one of the reasons for reduced immunity and increases the chances of cancer.
Salts makes you thirsty and include minerals and alkalis. It makes your food tastier and enjoyable. Over use of salts can adversely affect the blood pressure and functions of heart, liver and kidney health.
I love Spices like many of you. They are hot and makes my digestion easy. But over use of spices can create heat within the body and digestive health problems later. So I sauté spices in ghee or in oil and reduce the potency of spices before I use them in my curries!
Vegetables when they are raw, mostly Bitter in taste. Now a days we train our kids to eat more green than anything else which helps to reduce their heaviness and make them more active. But uncooked green vegies makes the process of digestion difficult and this causes the stomach bloated. Due to this reason Ayurveda recommends stir-fries, for lighter Vata constitution
If this is the case what is the best diet for me? Ayurveda doesn’t force us to follow any particular diet but your constitutional diet. Only you know youself better than anyone else. So learn your body type and follow a constitutional diet.
Dr Bosco Paul
Ayurvedic Doctor