College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

 

DIET & LIFESTYLE

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How Food Changes Your Personality

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"This is an excellent article. A thought to add about animal products.I stopped eating red meat years ago and recently..."
- Anne Beaverton, OR

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By the miracle of digestion, food that you eat is transformed into your living human body. This profound assimilation of food has the power to change your mood and emotions. The fact is, food becomes blood. Your body feeds this blood to your brain. The brain is highly sensitive to any change in your blood chemistry. As you feed the hormones or phyto-chemicals from your food to your brain, it could mean big changes to your personality.

Every plant and animal you eat is a virtual factory of mood changing chemicals. The familiar adage, "You are what you eat," takes on new meaning as you absorb not only the nutrients, but the "chemical personality" of the food as well.

Some foods heat up your metabolism, others cool it down. Some foods have stronger chemicals and a more dramatic personality, like coffee and alcohol. Others, like the passionate tomato, are more subtle. Their effects build up slowly, over time.

As your blood chemistry changes, so do your emotions and thoughts. Ayurveda believes that personality and emotions are in the blood. Drink coffee every day? Any food you consume on a regular basis can make these personality changes chronic, a kind of food possession. Discovering the personality effects of food is easy. Simply take a few moments each day to notice your feelings, recalling what you've eaten. Once you know the connection between food and your thoughts, you can make a better choice for how you want to live.

The passionate Italian chef will have a new scapegoat. "Honey, it's not my fault, the tomato did it.", will be the latest excuse. Feeling hot under the collar every time you eat chilis? In your home, try to walk away from fights triggered by powerful foods like chili peppers, red meat, wheat, sugar, and dairy. Although they offer a brief moment of pleasure, they can disrupt the entire household mere hours after consumption.

Take the compassionate approach instead and eliminate these foods if they are offensive to your constitution.

FOODS WITH STRONG PERSONALITY
FoodGunaPersonality Imbalancing Effect
AlcoholHot, SharpAggression, Anger, Violence
ChiliSharp, HotAngry, Passionate
CheeseOily, Gooey, HeavyDisgust, Depression, Confused
CoffeeMobile, LightHyperactive, Stressed, Anxious, Ambitious
KaleLight, BitterEmotionless, Disconnected
MarijuanaLight, ClearSpacey, Withdrawal, Powerless
SugarMobile, SharpAggression, Anger, Violence
TobaccoHot, SharpFrustration, Bitterness, Indignation, Pushy
TomatoesSharpPassionate, Lusty, Angry
WheatGooey, HeavyUnderconfident, Overwhelmed, Depression

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About the Author

John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful. John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda, offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.

John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy, & botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University. John, his wife Natalie and their 7 kids live in Asheville, NC

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Anne Beaverton, OR
2014-02-15
“This is an excellent article. A thought to add about animal products.I stopped eating red meat years ago and recently decided to remove poultry from my diet, as well. It is a completely personal decision. Mine was based, in part, in reading I've done about how an animal becomes filled with fear and anger as it does everything in its power to avoid being killed. I'm sorry to be blunt, but perhaps animal products could be another source of food with "strong personality.""
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