School of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion
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Popular Ayurveda ArticlesKapha loves comfort and the good life. They love sweets and satisfying comfort foods like mashed potatoes. Some Kaphas love the creamy texture of pudding and ice cream, others love... Pitta's digestive fire is as intense and their mental one. They have a strong appetite. Pitta people can't wait when they are hungry or they will become angry and upset. Failure to... Vata individuals tend towards lightness and need more nurturing foods rich in sweet taste, oil, and salt. Other body types may be jealous of the delicious food recommended for a... September evenings are full of stillness and the sound of crickets in the dry grass. Vegetation becomes sparse. Garden stems are leggy. Even the midday sun seems a bit darker. Evening coolness reminds us that although we wish summer could last forever,... Clear blue skies in August seem timeless and carefree, yet this month is a critical month to prepare your body for fall. The season seems to change with an August thunderstorm, rain and wind that is fantastic and quick. The storm is abruptly followed by... Ayurveda offers you simple, practical ways to manage your health. It can help you understand your body and how to prevent or minimize disease. Ayurveda helps you experience food, understand its effects on your body, and naturally crave and choose the... What is Kapha? Kapha dosha is characterized by growth of tissue. Hence it is... Autumn is a Vata season characterized by degeneration, the ending of things. By the end of October, there's no turning back - the late summer heat of September gives way to true cold. The cat who lay stretched out on your hardwood floor all summer sneaks... What is Vata? Vata is characterized by using up too much energy or... November brings our hearts back home. The smell of turkey, the comfort of warm mashed potatoes with gravy, and gratitude for the harvest celebrated on Thanksgiving make food the centerpiece of November. Breaking bread, food, and togetherness are... What can you learn about your body from looking in the mirror? What clues to your health can you find on your tongue? Your tongue tells an incredibly detailed story about what's going on inside your body. It acts as a window into each organ of your body,... Sunlight is steadily returning. A warm day or two could leave congestion and upper respiratory conditions in its wake. In the Spring, it's the warm days that make you sick. After fighting the cold all winter long, your body is unprepared for the sudden... Ayurveda seems to exude a certain ease, as if it were second nature. In a complex world, there's something simple and very personal about Ayurveda's approach to healing. You might even wonder where this ease of Ayurveda comes from. The answer is... Vata dosha generally has weak, dry, and cold digestion with a lot of variability. This type of digestion is called vishama agni in Ayurveda. A Vata's gut is the most unpredictable of all the body types. The digestive tract in general is an ever... How exactly does the food you eat nourish your entire body? Ayurveda offers a unique understanding of this process. From the moment you eat a meal, the process of Ayurvedic nutrition takes a full 35 days to complete. At each step in the process a new... Have you caught 'Spring Fever'? By April spring fever is in full swing. You may have been hibernating indoors throughout March to avoid the tumultuous weather, but by the time April rolls around, the great outdoors is calling.... Most people don't feel anything at all after a meal. Or, they have only a vague idea of how food makes them feel after they swallow it. So, they eat on autopilot. But what if you were aware of how your body reacts to food? You would be able... The quiet solitude of January makes it a perfect month for deep thought, rest, and contemplation. The dark, introspective winter seems to bury all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, bringing the previous year to a complete rest. As the earth... Spring - Mid-February - Mid May The spring is a watery season of warming temperatures. Snow melts making the rivers full and muddy. Warm temperatures encourage tender young sprouts and sweet sap to run in the vasculature of maple... Break out the flip flops and tank tops! Summer is officially here. As the weather heats up and the sun shines ever brighter, summer festivities beckon constant fun. Gardens flourish, humidity rises, bugs abound and children are excited to be at play. ... Cooking in the winter is a delight. As you stand by the warm stove, its heat and aromas will fill your house. The winter chill is softened by this warmth. A cozy evening indoors is all the more appealing when Jack Frost nips at your nose. As you cuddle... What is Pitta? Pitta is easily overheated and has the qualities of a metabolic fire.... Pitta people have a high metabolism characterized by heat and sharpness. They are intelligent and effective problem solvers. They are goal-oriented individuals and often successful in their pursuits. However, sometimes Pitta individuals are too... Life comes to full bloom in May just in time for Mother's Day. A tree in flower fills the air with a sweet perfume. Bright yellow and pink flowers seem to capture the very essence of new life. The entire atmosphere of May is buzzing and alive with the... Why Cleanse? The primary goal of an Ayurvedic cleanse is to remove toxins (ama) from the body. Toxins clog your lymphatic system,... February in Your Body As soon as temperatures bottom out and begin to rise in late January, your body shifts its strategy from building insulating fats to releasing them. The body releases fat for the same reason a dog sheds their... Introduction Acid reflux is often regarded as a minor annoyance, with approximately 20-30% of Americans experiencing symptoms... Here are ten habits to improve digestion. Wait for the signs of true hunger. Eat the same time every day. The stomach likes to... Routine is Vata's best lifestyle remedy. The minimum routine for healthy, happy, and successful living is 1) eating your meals at the same time daily and 2) getting into and out of bed at the same time daily. Changes in these two areas disrupt your... Are you interested in Ayurvedic herbs but don't know where to begin? With a few herbs, you can make formulas to address a myriad of symptoms and imbalances. How to Make a Formula Formulas generally consist of 3-5 herbs. When... July is prime summertime. School's out, vacation is on the horizon, the workload lightens - so many reasons to celebrate the freedom that summer invites! You will likely find yourself at more social gatherings this time of year. What better way to come... https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/article/How-to-Cook-Delicious-Soups-for-Healing-Immunity/134 Links to some specific soup recipes on... Kapha's digestion tends to be slow and sluggish, a condition called manda agni in Ayurveda. As a result, Kapha people tend to gain weight easily and store energy well. The dull, gooey nature of Kapha creates excess mucus in the stomach, which... Ayurveda's Secret to Weight Loss Weight loss can seem like a constant fight against your own body. You can't trust your instincts, and may even feel like your own body betrayed you, leading you to weight problems. Fighting your... A Season of Deficiency & Change Autumn is a season of deficiency and change. When the temperature starts to drop, the body scrambles to protect itself from heat loss. Nourishing foods, especially soups, seem all the more enticing... A Season of Transition January is traditionally the coldest month of the year in North America. Ayurvedically, January is a month of transition from Vata to Kapha season. Vata season is characterized by the body scrambling to... It's no surprise that a number of women suffer from gut problems during their menstrual cycle. From heaviness to gas, diarrhea to constipation, pre-PMS to PMS, women walk into our digestive clinic each week, baffled trying to sort out what to eat for... Introduction By the time January rolls around, it starts to feel like the cold will never end. The incessant chill and dark evenings dampen your spirits and leave you longing the warmth of the spring sun. As the weather drives you... Get the complete, free 5 day spring cleanse for each dosha. FOODS FOR YOUR SPRING CLEANSE Although our digestion can get used to some forbidden foods and combinations anything that aggravates doshas without expelling them is considered a bad food combination. Generally Vata has the most difficulty with poor food combining because they do not... April showers bring May flowers. This time of year, a whole host of bright new veggies come into season after a long winter of dull produce. Fresh artichokes, rhubarb, arugula, strawberries, beans, yellow corn, and asparagus all ripen in April and may... Recipes, as tasty as they are, are designed just like herb formulas in Ayurveda. Food is medicine. Ayurvedic practitioners are adept at crafting tasty formulas (recipes) for the benefit of their clients. After tasting one of these delicious creations,... Introduction The seemingly endless summer does, in fact, transition to fall this month. The long, hot days are a little bit shorter in August as the sun sets earlier and earlier each evening. The morning air has an unmistakable... Here at Joyful Belly, we aren't shy about farts. In fact, we don't think... Your face tells a story. What can you learn about... Ayurveda has a unique way of understanding digestion and nutrition. It focuses on your body's reaction to food rather than the nutrients it contains. By focusing on experience rather than content, Ayurveda helps you interpret the medicinal compatibility... Routine meal times are essential for health. The mind loves freedom but the body loves stability. Digestion is demanding on resources. The body schedules blood to make sure enough is available for digestion. Eating off schedule not only... Your Body in Winter Early winter starts in late November and lasts through mid January. As the days grow shorter, they grow colder as well. As your body prepares for the drop in temperatures, you find yourself craving heavier... The Musical Fruit Beans could make your evening impolite. They are known as the "musical fruit" because they cause gas. A properly cooked bean, however, is easy to digest and less gaseous. Beans offer many nutritional... The best weight loss program will improve your relationship with your body and food. When you make choices that cause you to gain weight, your body communicates distress signs. Through Ayurveda, you discover how to listen & respond more mindfully to your... It's the time of year to walk barefoot in the grass and soak in the endless blue skies. June is one of the most anticipated months of the year as schools finish and the summer stretch fills the evenings with light and warmth. The extra heat in the air... Introduction You've recovered from an eating disorder, so why is your digestion still so fragile? Eating disorder recovery is a long path, and it doesn't always end once you've overcome the destructive eating patterns. Even if... Introduction February brings the first days of respite from the long, harsh winter. The mornings are a little bit brighter and temperatures a bit higher, if only slightly, reminding you that spring is near. These subtle changes... Take the Ayurvedic approach this holiday with this 7-step healthy baking protocol that will allow you to indulge in your favorite cookies and desserts without provoking Kapha, bogging down your circulation or causing excessive mucus and weight gain.... Forgiveness remains the first step to healing, even when it comes to the body. Sure, keep your eyes on the lofty goal of perfect health. But remember, the pathway to heaven is filled with mercy and compassion. Forgive your body for its shortcomings. It... Introduction Milk has long been considered an effective home remedy for acid reflux, but does it really work? When the churning... Before ice-cream and other heavy sweets were invented, sweet foods were a natural energy boost between meals. The pick-me-up was a necessary complement to your diet between meals. So, people craved sweets when they were feeling tired. In modern times,... American breakfasts tend to resemble desserts. They are often sweet and rich in carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The romantic ideal of a hearty breakfast has led to popularity of the 'hungry-man breakfast' and 'mile high stack of pancakes.' These... Steeping Herbs Check your package for specific instructions on taking each herb. For most herbs, you will bring 1 cup of hot water to a boil on the stove. Place your herb in the bottom of a tea cup and pour the boiling water over... Break up a string of cold days with a Ginger-Rosemary Foot Soak. As the winter drags on, you may notice that at night when you lie in bed, it takes longer and longer to warm up. Your fingers and toes stay frozen throughout the day. If this sounds... Castor Oil has strong cleansing properties. Ayurveda uses castor oil internally and topically. Internally, it is a strong laxative used for seasonal... Bitters & Digestion Ayurveda suggests that a healthy gut will eliminate food six hours after eating it. The holy grail of six hour elimination exists today in indigenous societies with higher consumption of... If you've recently been sick, you might remember wondering, "What is happening to me?" You know something is off, but can't quite describe it. You wish you could find some relief, but struggle even to find the words to explain how you are feeling.... Belly breathing is an easy and effective way to relax your body, improve your digestion, and detoxify. You've probably heard the term before, but may be wondering - what is belly breathing, and what can it do for you? What is Belly... Rich foods and holiday libations may be difficult to avoid during this festive season, or anytime you gather with friends and loved ones. Food is often the centerpiece of social occasions, and an important part of relationship building. It's important to... |
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