Ayurveda is an Indian system of medication and curing of diseases. It is all about intake of food which we will cover today as the breakdown of our daily Ayurvedic foods to have. The setup consists of practices that can help you cure, fight and avert diseases, diet regulation is a crucial part of it. Ayurveda considers the body an outcome of food, it talks about how a being can convalesce by maintaining connection between life, body and food. It holds food accountable for every physical, mental and spiritual aspect of human life. Amongst the many therapeutic approaches of ayurveda is Pathya Vyavastha which understates the pattern, diet and emotional status of the body and mind. Ayurveda states food as the first tripod (food, sleep and brahmacharya) of life. The Pathya Vyavastha treatment focuses on the therapeutic effect of diet, that leads to enhanced metabolism, digestion and assimilation of food.
According to Indian tradition, food has three major categories.
- SATTVIC – the word itself means ‘pure’. Sattvic food, also known as the soul food, is filled with green organic fresh produce. According to ayurveda this type of food nourishes the body and helps achieve and maintain a peaceful state of mind. This food leads to true, long lasting health.
- RAJASIC – the word means ‘passion’ in sanskrit. Food that aggravates anger and makes you restless is rajasic in nature. This food stimulates fire and outward motion. It hampers the mind body equilibrium, making the body uncontrolled and mind restless.
- TAMASIC – the word tamasic is associated with ‘darkness’, hence it is the food that increases inner darkness and confusion. It nubs us down, causes depression and slows us down. It is the most unhealthy category of food and is asked to avoid.
According to ayurveda, the universe is made up of five elements – vayu (air), jal (water), akash (space/ether), prithvi (earth) and teja (fire). These 5 elements interact with each other to form the three doshas, which defines the physiological working of that human being.
- Pitta dosha ( fire + water ) – it controls the thirst, body temperature and hunger
- Vata dosha (air + space) – maintains the electrolyte balance and movement
- Kapha dosha (earth + water) – this promotes joint function.
Ayurvedic food: Concept
Ayurveda focuses a lot on the ‘Ahara’ (diet) and ‘Anna’ (food). It states that no matter the body capacity, the quantity of food consumed must be maintained, as food taken in proper quantity provides strength, fitness and nature.
Ayurveda states that a person’s diet can be plant based or can have non veg in it based on the person’s needs, body constitution (dosha) and digestive power (agnibal). The properties of food such as heavy, light and oily should be given importance.
Based on what your dominant dosha is, ayurveda suggests specific foods for you to maintain a balance in the five elements of your being. It sets the guidelines for how, when and what you are supposed to eat.
The ayurvedic diet puts eating whole foods into the spotlight, this not only improves your overall health, but also helps you maintain weight and keep diseases at bay. The Indian preachings have always promoted healthy living with respect to the mind, body and the soul. A healthy relationship with food is the way to achieving the perfect state of all three aspects of human life