Ayurveda

It is ironic how something as obvious as nutrition has become overlooked in the modern health care system, and how in the name of
convenience our fast paced society has given way to fast foods, microwaves, quick fix medicines, and eating on the run.
Fortunately, there is a growing focus in the important role that nutrition plays in maintaining good health. In Ayurveda, India's
ancient science of life, health and longevity, food plays a prominent role in promoting health and is therefore considered medicine.
Dating back over five thousand years, Ayurveda is still a highly respected form of health care in India today. According to this
holistic system, everyone has a unique constitution or prakruti
According to Samkhya, the philosophical foundation of Ayurveda, creation expresses itself through the five elementsdoshas: vata,
pitta and kapha. Everyone has all three of these doshas to varying degrees, although one and sometimes two tend to be predominant
and the other(s) secondary. In balance, the doshas promote the normal functions of the body and maintain overall health. Out of
balance, they create mental, emotional and physical ailments.
Vata is the subtle energy associated with movement and is made up of the air and ether. By nature it has dry, light, mobile and cold
qualities. When aggravated, it can cause flatulence, constipation, tremors, spasms, asthma, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, as well
many neurological problems.
Pitta represents the fire and water elements of the body. It has mainly hot sharp and oily qualities. Pitta disorders include
hyperacidity, ulcers, skin eruptions, chronic fatigue, Crohn's disease, colitis, gout and numerous inflammatory disorders.
Kapha is made up of earth and water, and is associated with heavy, cold, damp and static qualities. Out of balance, kapha can cause
obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, edema, asthma, tumors and a variety of congestive problems.
Aggravation of the doshas can affect the digestion and can create toxins, or ama from poorly digested food. As ama accumulates in
the tissues and channels of the body it slowly but surely affects the flow of prana (vital energy), immunity (ojas) and the cellular
metabolism (tejas), eventually resulting in disease.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, one of the main keys to maintaining optimal health as well as to support the healing process is to
help the body eliminate toxins and to reestablish constitutional balance. To achieve this, Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of
proper nutrition through proper food choices, food combining and cooking methods, as well as herbal nutrition, all based on the
specific needs of the individual and any current imbalance of the doshas.
Ayurvedic nutrition is a vast topic that takes into account the individual constitution, the medicinal value of culinary spices, the
theory of shad rasa (or six tastes, which should all be present for a meal to be balanced), and more. As I mentioned before, in
Ayurveda food is considered medicine. Likewise, herbs are also used for their nutritional and nourishing qualities, or to counteract
any doshic imbalance and toxin formation as a result of poor digestion.
For optimum nutrition, care should be taken to insure that food be organic, fresh and whenever possible locally grown. In Ayurveda
food, drinks, and spices are categorized according to their taste (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent), the energetic
effect they have on the doshas, as well as their post-digestive effect on the tissues. This is why when choosing foods it is important
to understand our original constitution so as to eat foods that have the opposite qualities to those that are already predominant in the
constitution. Furthermore, understanding the current state of the doshas is also crucial for making the right food choices.
Vata types tend to more deficient by nature and have light body frames, variable digestion and often have a tendency towards gas
and constipation. Therefore, they do best eating warm, nourishing, unctuous and primarily cooked foods, and should avoid dried,
cold, frozen and excess intake of raw foods. Also, they should avoid pinto, garbanzo or black beans, which are hard to digest and
tend to increase intestinal gas. Vata is balanced by sweet, sour and salty tasting foods.
Pitta types tend to have strong appetites and good digestion, but have a tendency toward hyperacidity and inflammatory disorders.
So they should avoid eating greasy, hot spicy, salty and fermented foods, as well as sour and acidic fruits. Pitta is balanced by bitter,
sweet and astringent tastes.
Kapha types are large framed with a tendency toward weight gain, obesity, sluggish digestion, lethargy and congestive disorders.
They do best on a light, reducing diet low in carbohydrates and avoiding dairy, cold food and drinks, poor quality oils and sweet
treats. Kapha is decreased with pungent, bitter and astringent tastes.
Before talking about the use of spices in Ayurvedic cooking I should point out that although Ayurvedic food is traditionally Indian
cuisine, it is not by any means limited to it. Also, by the same token, not all Indian food is Ayurvedic. In fact, Indian restaurant food
is often overly spicy and drenched in poor quality cooking oils. What makes food truly Ayurvedic is the fact that it is selected and
cooked according to the specific needs of the individual, or that it is balanced for all doshas (tridosha).
Many of the spices used in Ayurvedic cooking such as turmeric, ginger, cumin, fenugreek, coriander and cardamom, amongst
others, are also medicinal herbs used in Ayurvedic herbology. Cooking daily with those spices can greatly enhance digestion,
absorption and assimilation of food, improve one's appetite and elimination, nourish the internal organs and prevent doshic
imbalance. Spices also provide a harmonious blend of the six tastes. Taste is medicinal and is the first form of nourishment. A meal
containing a balanced blend of the six tastes, aside from being more appealing to the tongue, is also more digestible at a deep
cellular level.
Modern research is now validating the benefits of many of the herbs and spices used in Ayurvedic cooking. Turmeric for instance,
is highly effective in the treatment of type two diabetes, skin diseases, infections and hepatic and inflammatory disorders. Cumin,
coriander, fennel, nutmeg and cardamom are extremely helpful in the treatment of a wide variety of digestive complaints, as is
ginger for the treatment of respiratory congestion, fevers and colds. There are literally thousands of medicinal uses to such spices.
Even today in much of rural India the wisest doctors are often the mothers and grandmothers who know the uses of their “kitchen
pharmacies.”
Another vital aspect of Ayurvedic nutrition is proper food combining. In Ayurveda not all foods are compatible. Certain foods when
eaten or cooked together can disturb the normal function of the digestive fire and promote the accumulation of ama (toxins) in the
body. Various factors, such as the tastes, qualities, and energies of certain foods, as well as how long they take to digest, affect how
well certain foods will combine. Heavy foods such whole grains, dairy, meats and starches don’t combine well with light foods
such as fruit, which digest quicker. Another example, when sour and acidic fruits are combined with milk, which is sweet and
cooling, this causes the milk to curdle and become heavy in the intestines. Ayurveda places great emphasis on the art of food
combining.
Ayurveda encourages us to take responsibility for our health as much as possible by making appropriate changes in diet and
lifestyle. What we eat and how we live on a daily basis can be our strongest allies in restoring and maintaining health. All other
therapeutic measures will be strongly supported by this daily effort.
Along with a balanced diet, incorporating other healthy habits into a daily routine can prevent imbalance at its very root. A lifestyle
that integrates regular eating and sleeping habits will bring discipline and help maintain the harmony of the doshas, thus promoting
overall good health. An Ayurvedic clinician can provide dietary and lifestyle guidelines, as well as herbal nutrition, more specific to
the individual constitution, doshic imbalance and situation of each person.
This article was first published in the New Life Journal web site, October-November 2004.
© 2004 Vishnu Dass. No reproduction allowed in whole or in part without written permission from the author.