Many doctors agree, better health starts in the digestive tract. Why? Because good digestion turns food into good blood, strengthening your immunity. Poor digestion creates weak blood. Since blood feeds your organs and your mind, poor digestion weakens your entire body and destabilizes your emotions.
Matching your diet to your body type can help you
improve the health of your digestive tract,
overcome digestive problems, disorders and diseases,
select the right digestive aids,
and strengthen your digestive fire.
This free quiz can help you discover signs and symptoms of digestive imbalance.
It includes an assessment of diet, appetite, stomach, small intestine, bowel elimination, and stools.
When you are done you will be taken to a results page where you can view your imbalances.
The results from this test will guide you to healthy food choices and recipes matching your body's unique digestive needs.
This test will take approximately ten minutes to fill.
Page 1: Please choose the symptoms you've experienced on a regular basis, or that were significant in the past.
Check the boxes that best describe your 'Appetite' ? Strong food cravings
Pathological food cravings are often a circulatory problem. When the blood is rich and thick, it circulates poorly, bringing a sense of depression and low energy. Many people associate low energy with hunger.
Learn more about Strong food cravings .
? Strong hunger
In a Kapha person who is 10-20lbs overweight, strong hunger may come from "sweet" thick blood blocking circulation to the extremities and skin. When the circulation to the periphery is blocked, blood circulates strongly in the core. A person will fee...
Learn more about Strong hunger .
? Large portions
A large appetite can come when the body is depleted, the metabolism is very strong, or when Kapha blocks circulation to the extremities, which makes the limbs cold but increases heat in the abdomen.
Learn more about Large portions .
? Quickly full / early satiety
The appetite is often small when there is insufficient acid production in the stomach.
Learn more about Quickly full / early satiety .
? Irregular/small appetite
The appetite is often small when there is Insufficient acid production in the stomach. This may be due to chronic dehydration. In that case, drink a glass of warm water with a pinch of salt and a wedge of lime a half hour before meals to rehydrate yo...
Learn more about Irregular/small appetite .
? Many small meals
Fasting between meals gives the digestive organs a chance to rest, and improves the ability of the body to digest fat, a stable source of energy. Although recommended by western medicine, many small meals causes blood sugar instability and leads to b...
Learn more about Many small meals .
? Anorexia, past or current
Anorexia nervose can create long term deficiencies and degeneration in the digestive organs. Generally, easy to digest foods are recommended. See Healing After Bulemia and Anorexia.
Learn more about Anorexia, past or current .
? Emotional eating
Food has a calming effect on the body as soon as blood sugar levels begin to rise. This feeling of comfort can create an addiction. Everyone has an empty hole inside of them that only God can fill. Deep inside the empty hole and abyss of hopeless, yo...
Learn more about Emotional eating .
? Strong/frequently thirsty
Swelling, edema, and dehydration increase a person's thirst. Consider how your body is releasing the water. If the urine is clear, you may be over hydrated. According to Ayurveda, the urine should be a pale yellow, neither too dark nor too light. If ...
Learn more about Strong/frequently thirsty .
? Rarely Thirsty
It takes a strong digestion to get thirsty. Otherwise, water will feel heavy in the stomach. Excess mucus and insufficient acids can drown healthy thirst.
Learn more about Rarely Thirsty .
? Salty cravings
The body craves salt when it wishes to retain water. Swelling, inflammation, and edema draw fluids out of circulation and can actually increase salt cravings.
Learn more about Salty cravings .
? Craving Crunchy Foods
Kapha people naturally crave crunchy foods because of internal dampness. In nature, most crunchy foods are drying or astringent. Most processed, modern crunchy foods like chips and bread actually provoke more dampness in the body.
Learn more about Craving Crunchy Foods .
? Sweet cravings
Exhaustion, stress, poor circulation and protein deficiencies create sweet cravings. Before ice-cream and other heavy sweets were invented, sweet cravings generally alleviated low energy due to deficiency. In modern times, Kapha people have low energ...
Learn more about Sweet cravings .
Check the boxes that best describe your 'Diet' ? Poor diet
In Ayurveda, beliefs govern behavior. Behavior governs routine. Routine governs diet. Diet rules digestion. Digestion creates the blood. Blood rule the organs.
Learn more about Poor diet .
? Stress under-eater
Prevent stress from attacking the digestive tract with lower abomdinal exercises. This should help keep tension where it belongs - in the pelvic floor.
Learn more about Stress under-eater .
? Stress overeater
The measure of our emotional resiliency is the measure of our ability to experience stress and anxiety directly, without reacting. This practice often demands that we face very subtle forces of shame and/or fear. Often, subconscious shame and fear ca...
Learn more about Stress overeater .
? Iced/cold drinks
Digestion demands alot of blood to function properly. Cold drinks cause blood vessels in the stomach to shrink. A warm drink expands blood vessels in the stomach, much like the cheeks become red and flushed on a hot July afternoon.
Learn more about Iced/cold drinks .
? Canned/frozen food
Canned, frozen food may be nutrient deficient, and lack taste. Taste is important to help the body choose the best foods for the season.
Learn more about Canned/frozen food .
? Fast food
Fast food isn't all that fast in the digestive tract. We've had clients burp up the flavor of a big mac more than 48hrs after consumption. If you have acid reflux, bloating, feel tired, or your thoughts become cloudy after eating, the fast food has o...
Learn more about Fast food .
? Fatty fried food
Fatty, fried food demands alot of bile production from the liver. It could also aggravate gallstones causing pain. If you feel tired or heavy after fatty foods, you should avoid them. It could mean a stagnant gall bladder.
Learn more about Fatty fried food .
? Eats Quickly
Mindless eating causes overeating. Ayurveda suggests that the best diet is the one where you carefully taste each morsel of food. The body's expert knowledge of food is communicated through our cravings and taste buds. Taking the time to taste food h...
Learn more about Eats Quickly .
? Eating while driving/TV/hurrying
The flavor curve of food changes with every bite. When we are distracted, we often forget to taste the food and listen to our body's cues to stop eating. When we are distracted, we may forget to chew food properly.Stress may cause abdominal muscles t...
Learn more about Eating while driving/TV/hurrying .
? Rarely cook
Cooking your own food is the first step towards knowing the relationship between food and your body. Cooking is an essential first step in Ayurveda.
Learn more about Rarely cook .
? Restaurants
Restaurant food is prepare to entice and seduce the consumer. Salt, fat, sugar, and animal proteins are irresistibly employed for your delight. At least 80% home cooked meals are essential to establishing a healthy lifestyle.
Learn more about Restaurants .
? Frequent snacking
Fasting between meals gives the digestive organs a chance to rest, and improves the ability of the body to digest fat, a stable source of energy. Although recommended by western medicine, frequent snacking causes blood sugar instability and leads to ...
Learn more about Frequent snacking .
? Spicy food
Spicy food stimulates digestion, blood flow and sweat. Spicey food liquefies mucus in the digestive tract, lungs, and anywhere mucus is found. Spices can irritate the digestive tract.
Learn more about Spicy food .
? Skipping meals
Some people skip meals because of a lack of routine. It's okay to skip a meal, however, if you aren't hungry. It is normal for Kapha people to skip breakfast, for example. Irregular mealtimes create metabolic instability, magnify food cravings, and l...
Learn more about Skipping meals .
? Irregular meal times
Irregular meal times create unstable blood sugar levels which can lead to binging on junk foods. Skipping meals aggravates Vata as well.
Learn more about Irregular meal times .
? Eating late at night
Eating late at night provokes Kapha. When a person goes to bed with undigested food in the stomach, the food tends to stagnate both in the intestines and the blood, leading to weight gain. Sumo wrestlers in Japan gain weight by eating late at night. ...
Learn more about Eating late at night .
? Staying up late
After 10pm you might notice a 'second wind' of energy that lasts until 1am. Many people use their second wind energy for working late, reading, and otherwise keeping the mind or body active. The second wind is actually for cleansing your organs, and ...
Learn more about Staying up late .
? Water after meals
Water before the meal is nectar. Proper hydration improves digestive function up to 24%. Water during the meal is honey if taken in small sips. Water after meals dilutes the acids in our stomach, and leads to digestive problems.
Learn more about Water after meals .
? Dessert after meals
Consuming food soon after a meal forces the stomach to process partially digested and undigested foods at the same time, disturbing the rhythm of digestion. Desserts especially challenge the stomach due to their heaviness. The stomach produces specia...
Learn more about Dessert after meals .
? Fruits with meals/yogurt
Fruits digest quickly. Other foods, such as yogurt, meat, peanuts and other heavy foods digest more slowly. While the body is trying to digest these other foods, bacteria quickly ferment the fruit, causing gas, bloating & toxic buildup. Fruits should...
Learn more about Fruits with meals/yogurt .
? Currently/recently on a diet
Your diet is the 'religion' of your body. It's what your body believes will help it survive. In many ways, because of deep subconscious patterns, it's easier to change your religion than to change your diet.
Medical studies show that 90% of people...
Learn more about Currently/recently on a diet .
? Trying to lose weight
Ayurveda believes weight gain is a symptom of imbalance and not a root cause. It claims balanced weight will come as a consequence of balanced health. Generally, establishing a good routine is the first step towards weight loss.
Learn more about Trying to lose weight .
? Feel overweight
Circulation
Excess weight blocks circulation from the extremities and surface of the skin, redirecting blood flow to the core. Blood that is rich in sugars, fats and proteins is thicker and harder to circulate. When excess blood circulates in the co...
Learn more about Feel overweight .
? Vegetarian
Vegetarian diets generally benefit Kapha but cause illness in Vata. See more here...
Learn more about Vegetarian .
? Feel underweight
A step by step approach to gaining weight is the most helpful.
Determine if there is any malabsorption
Are you eating enough calories?
Find any sources of energy loss and fix them:
loose bowel movements
excess urination
...
Learn more about Feel underweight .
? Meat every day
Meat is considered a supplement in Ayurveda rather than a daily food. Since our digestive tract is too long, an excess of meat tends to putrify in our gut.
Learn more about Meat every day .
? Red meat
Red meat should be consumed in small quantities only. Red meat is heavy & hot. It can make a person domineering.
Learn more about Red meat .
? Protein Shakes
Many protein shakes are heavy and difficult to digest, causing gas and bloating.
Learn more about Protein Shakes .
? Raw Food / Salads
Raw food offers nutritional benefits but is more difficult to digest, causing gas and bloating. The nutritional benefits are then outweighed by the toxicity of food fermenting in the gut. Indigestible food is considered poison in Ayurveda. For more i...
Learn more about Raw Food / Salads .
? Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage
Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are cruciferous vegetables. They are all difficult to digest in a person with a dry or cold digestive tract.
Learn more about Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage .
? Brown Rice
Whole grains are more difficult to digest than husked, but have more fiber and are nutritionally superior. If your digestion is poor, however, you won't be able to absorb the nutrition benefits of whole grains.
Learn more about Brown Rice .
? Few leafy greens
Our ancestors subsisted on a diet high in leafy greens and nuts. Bitter leaves such as endives stimulate digestion, restore proper food cravings, and cleanse the liver and the blood. Leaves are also high in fiber, minerals and vitamins. Eat at least ...
Learn more about Few leafy greens .
? Refined flours
Refined flours are heavy, gooey and cause congestion. Bread, although it looks crunchy, becomes a bowl of goo after it is chewed.
Learn more about Refined flours .
? Wheat
Wheat is generally difficult to digest, very heavy, gums up the digestive tract, and causes mucus.
Learn more about Wheat .
? Refined sugar
Refined sugar consumption has increased exponentially. The average American consumes over 150x the amount of sugar eaten just 100 years ago. Refined sugar is highly processed, and, like a drug, wreaks havoc with our metabolism, causing a sugar high, ...
Learn more about Refined sugar .
? Soda / corn syrup
Whereas 3-4 sodas with sugar would be nauseating, corn syrup bypasses our natural appetite suppressing hormones leading to weight gain and diabetes.
Learn more about Soda / corn syrup .
? Burgers/Hot Dogs
Burgers and hot dogs combine meat and wheat, two difficult to digest ingredients. These heavy, gooey, difficult to digest ingredients often cause heaviness and stagnation in the stomach, and gas and bloating in the colon.
Learn more about Burgers/Hot Dogs .
? Sandwiches
Sandwiches are generally a bad food combination, dry, heavy and cold. Sandwiches were invented by the earl of sandwich, a british lord who was also a compulsive gambler. He would gamble for many days and nights together without stopping to eat or sle...
Learn more about Sandwiches .
? Burritos
Burritos are a bad food combination. They generally contain rice and wheat (two types of grains), beans and meat (two types of proteins), sour cream and cheese (two types of dairy), nightshades (tomatoes, chilis) and fatty avocados.
Learn more about Burritos .
? Pizza
Pizza is an example of 1+1=3. When we combine difficult to digest foods like wheat and cheese, the result is three times harder to digest. Tomato sauce in pizza adds acidity which has a heating effect and could provoke inflammation and acne.
Learn more about Pizza .
? Beans
Beans are difficult to digest, high in soluble and insoluble fiber, and high in potassium (drying). They feel cold and heavy in the digestive tract. See more...
Learn more about Beans .
? Peanuts
Why do we love nuts? Humans have a long history of eating nuts. Nuts were the primary source of fats and proteins prior to the agricultural revolution. Unfortunately, peanuts aren't nuts; they're beans.
Learn more about Peanuts .
? Tomatoes
Tomatoes aggravate Vata and Pitta. They are difficult to digest and acidic. Like most members of the nightshade plant family, they have a funkiness that irritates the liver.
Learn more about Tomatoes .
? Dairy/milk/cheese/ice-cream
Dairy creates heaviness, cloudy thoughts, bloating and constipation for many. It provokes weight gain, mucus and Kapha dosha. Although adult humans have adapted to milk, it was originally intended for babies. Lactose intolerance may be quite natural.
Learn more about Dairy/milk/cheese/ice-cream .
? Alcohol
Alcohol irritates the lining of the digestive tract. It stimulates the liver and causes it to release bile, exacerbating any condition of deficiency in the liver. Since the liver is responsible for detoxification of the blood, the liver may become ov...
Learn more about Alcohol .
? Coffee
Coffee is like a metabolic credit card. By suppressing exhaustion, coffee prevents you from learning how to build and restore vitality naturally. It enables people to live at a superhuman pace for years, and by stimulating the mind can even prevent e...
Learn more about Coffee .
? Chocolate
Chocolate is difficult to digest and hot. Bitter chocolate is Kapha pacifying. Since chocolate is often mixed with sugar and cream, it aggravates all three doshas. Chocolate stimulates the reproductive organs in women, which explains why chocolate ca...
Learn more about Chocolate .
? Tobacco Cigarette Smoker (Current)
Many people smoke without thinking, leading to addiction. As a first step to quitting, Ayurveda recommends smoking slowly and with full attention.
Learn more about Tobacco Cigarette Smoker (Current) .
? Drink lots of water
Everyone should monitor their water intake. The first sign of dehydration is a dry palate. If the palate is already adequately moistened, additional water could create heaviness and indigestion.
Learn more about Drink lots of water .
Check the boxes that best describe your 'Mouth & Teeth' ? Bad breath
Sweet foods cause bad breath. As blood sugar levels rise, saliva becomes sweet, feeding bacteria in the mouth. Bad breath could also be a sign of toxicity. The body releases toxins through the stool, urine, sweat, and respiratory tract. The first ste...
Learn more about Bad breath .
? Popping/clicking/locking jaw
A popping or clicking jaw is generally related to stress or poor alignment of the neck and spine.
Learn more about Popping/clicking/locking jaw .
? Dental Treatment
Mercury fillings can cause toxicity.
Learn more about Dental Treatment .
? Foul taste on tongue
The body doesn't make foul odors. A foul taste in the mouth implies that bacteria are actively digesting sugars in the mouth, blood, or intestinal tract.
Learn more about Foul taste on tongue .
? Herpes - Mouth / Facial
In Ayurveda, herpes indicates Pitta has overwhelmed the liver. An irregular schedule can aggravate both Vata and Pitta.
Learn more about Herpes - Mouth / Facial .
? Hoarse Voice
A hoarse voice could be a sign of acid reflux, smoking, and upper respiratory infection.
Learn more about Hoarse Voice .
? Sores inside mouth
Sores inside the mouth are often a sign of digestive distress below. Is there any pain on pressure in the abdomen? Excess gas and bloating?
Learn more about Sores inside mouth .
? Gum inflammation
Gum inflammation is often secondary to either toxicity (Vata or Pitta type), or sweet blood (Kapha Type). Sweet blood, or blood high in sugar, is attractive to the organisms that cause tooth decay.
Learn more about Gum inflammation .
? Receding gums
Receding gums is usually due to sweet blood or toxicity in the blood irritating the gum tissue.
Learn more about Receding gums .
? Yellow teeth
Yellow teeth could indicate high levels of bilirubin in the blood, and implies aggravated Pitta in the liver.
Learn more about Yellow teeth .
? Frequent cavities
Bacteria love sweet blood. When the blood is sweet, bacteria proliferate even after brushing the teeth.
Learn more about Frequent cavities .
? Gray teeth
Gray teeth indicates Vata type toxic buildup. The most common cause of Vata ama is constipation, gas and bloating.
Learn more about Gray teeth .
? Tooth Infection
Sweet, thick Kapha blood is very attractive to microbes. Soon after brushing the teeth, these microbes proliferate in the mouth once again. Indigestion creates toxicity that is especially attractive to infectious diseases.
Learn more about Tooth Infection .
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Choose Your Diet
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Ingredients
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