The high convenience factor of protein shakes allows you to nearly skip the eating process altogether. Along the way, you can even forget your body's intimate connection with food - the cravings you were meant to feel and enjoy. Food is supposed to be one of life's most pleasurable experiences. Participating in this pleasure on a daily basis is a grounding reminder that we exist also for the body, not only for the gratification of the mind.

Foods from real life invoke and awaken the parts of your brain that are millions of years old, and designed to help you make healthy choices. Highly processed foods don't ignite the same wonderful desire and God given food cravings the same way as natural foods. Since highly processed foods like protein shakes enable those who consume them to disconnect themselves from nature, Ayurveda is naturally suspicious that long term nutritional deficiencies will be the inevitable result.

The nutritional value of a food drops precipitously after processing. For this reason, processed foods also lack the vitality of living foods. Thicker protein shakes may be harder to digest. If you find that protein shakes give you gas & bloating, try thinning out the shake with more liquid.

HERBS AND PRODUCTS FOR IMBALANCES RELATED TO 'PROTEIN SHAKES'

AGGRAVATES THESE DOSHAS & QUALITIES

Imbalance Accumulates

Improper food and lifestyle causes balances to accumulate. Ayurveda shows you exactly which doshas and qualities are likely to accumulate in your body. Once these doshas and qualities accumulate too much, they will begin to cause imbalance. You can reduce an imbalanced dosha or quality by removing things that aggravate it from your diet and lifestyle.

V = VATA, P = PITTA, K = KAPHA

GUNA	FOODS TO AVOID	DO YOU HAVE THIS IMBALANCE?
DIFFICULT ABOUT DIFFICULT GUNA Difficult refers to anything that is difficult to digest, or takes a long time to digest. LEARN MORE ABOUT DIFFICULT	MODERATE THESE DIFFICULT FOODS IF PROTEIN SHAKES IS CAUSING A PROBLEM	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you need to decrease Difficult to digest foods.
HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY GUNA Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY	MODERATE THESE HEAVY FOODS IF PROTEIN SHAKES IS CAUSING A PROBLEM	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Heavy' guna.
SWEET ABOUT SWEET GUNA Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET	MODERATE THESE SWEET FOODS IF PROTEIN SHAKES IS CAUSING A PROBLEM	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Sweet' taste.

To learn more about the symbols above, click on them.

SEE A DIET WHICH REMOVES THESE QUALITIES

FAVOR DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS WITH THESE MEDICINAL EFFECTS

GUNA	FOODS TO FAVOR	CONDITION IN YOUR BODY
EASY ABOUT EASY GUNA Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly. LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY	EASY INGREDIENTS EASY RECIPES	Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you need to increase Easy to digest foods
LIGHT ABOUT LIGHT GUNA Lightness is identified by reduced weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT	LIGHT INGREDIENTS LIGHT RECIPES	Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Light' guna

To learn more about the symbols above, click on them.

ADDRESS ISSUES IN STAGE OF DISEASE 0

Potential causes increase and disturb your imbalanced doshas and qualities, causing them to accumulate and spiral out of control. For example, if you're overheated and eat a chili pepper, heat may become excessive and cause disease. As a dosha or quality accumulates in your body according to your dietary and lifestyle habits, it is more and more likely to cause disease. You can reduce an imbalanced dosha or quality in two ways, by removing, or lessening the frequency of aggravating causes from your diet and lifestyle, as well as by favoring balancing diet and lifestyle practices. For example, try eating something as cool as a cucumber when you're overheated, instead of a chili pepper.

REDUCE THESE RELATED SYMPTOMS & HABITS

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR UNIQUE BODY?

What aggravates it? What heals it? Then get your Personal Ayurvedic Body Book! This book, written by founder and director of Joyful Belly, John Immel, is individually formatted for your unique body and will help you confidently choose food that restores your healthy glow to get you feeling like your best self. Just $19.99!

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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 exudes a certain ease, which many find enjoyable and insightful. His online course Balance Your Ayurvedic Diet in a Week provides tools for gracefully healing with Ayurveda to thousands. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda , which specializes in digestive tract pathology & Ayurvedic nutrition. John and his wife Natalie recently published Explore Your Hunger: A Guide to Hunger, Appetite & Food.

John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, including his public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.

John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well.

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Comments & Personal Experiences

What are some of the reasons why you include 'protein shakes' in your life? Is there something you'd like to know about 'protein shakes'?

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 reviews, 12 likes

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I am a Pitta-Vata vegan and thought I would like to add a tablespoon or two of a protein powder to a fruit smoothie for breakfast to up my protein intake (my last blood test showed I am low in protein). There are so many kinds to choose from. Could you possibly recommend the best protein powders for the three doshas, unless that is contrary to Ayurvedic philosophy. Thank you.

- Margaret Tlustos, Beaverton , 04-08-17 (Reply)

We don't generally recommend protein shakes for any dosha.

- Kimberly Kubicke, Asbury park, NJ , 04-10-17 (Reply)