Ayurvedic Diet
Ayurveda is a beautiful art and a logical science of healing created five thousand years ago and perfected over the centuries in the ancient texts. Ayurveda uses yoga, herbs, common spices, diet and lifestyle to bring the energies of the body back to a state of balance from illness.
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Ayurveda Links and Documentation
Joyful Belly Ayurveda Journal
Threads of Cooking
Dosha
Every person has a unique constitution or balance of the three doshas vata, pitta, and kapha. Generally, vata is the energy of movement, pitta of transformation, and kapha growth and reproduction. Every organism needs to eat, digest, and grow and this is accomplished by vata, pitta, and kapha. When there is excess movement and irregularity, vata could create constipation in the colon or dry skin. When there is excess heat, pitta could create inflammation. When there is excess growth, kapha could lead to obesity.
Use diet to pacify the doshas and avoid provoking them. If foods pacify a dosha, it is written with a '-'. Foods that provoke a dosha are written with a '+'. Kale is "Vata+Pitta-Kapha-" meaning that kale provokes vata but pacifies pitta and kapha.
To search for kapha pacifying recipes, enter "Kapha-"
Gunas (Quality)
The ancient masters searched for ways to simplify the vast and complicated world. In ayurveda, opposites create balance. There are ten therapeutic pairs of opposites that help us to maintain good health.
| Heavy / Light | Dense / Liquid |
| Slow / Sharp | Soft / Hard |
| Cool / Hot | Stable / Mobile |
| Oily / Dry | Subtle / Gross |
| Smooth / Rough | Clear / Cloudy,Sticky |
Taste
Ayurvedic food and nutrition is based upon the six tastes. The body is healthiest when these six tastes are included in every meal, but dosage of each taste is according to dosha. Vata favors salty, sour, and sweet. Pitta favors bitter, astringent, and sweet. Kapha favors bitter, astringent, and pungent.
| Bitter | Vata+Pitta-Kapha- |
| Cilantro, Turmeric, Parsley, Broccoli Rabe, Kale, Dandelion, Most dark leafy greens. | |
| Astringent | Vata+Pitta-Kapha- |
| Apples, Cranberry, Pomegranate, Most dark leafy greens | |
| Pungent | |
| Most spices like black pepper, cumin, mint, cilantro. | |
| Salty | Vata-Pitta+Kapha+ |
| Salt (Ayurveda recommends mineral salt), Seaweed | |
| Sour | Vata-Pitta+Kapha+ |
| Lemons, Limes, Pickles, Alcohols, Tomatoes, Vinegar | |
| Sweet | Vata-Pitta-Kapha+ |
| All carbohydrates including bread, rice. Sugar. | |
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"I hope that ayurveda will become a garden and fertile soil within me, and that my clients will experience a flowering of health and wellness. Ayurveda brings incredible beauty into life." - Joseph
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