Ayurvedic Diet: What Is It?

Ayurvedic nutrition is an element of the Indian healing art Ayurveda, which sees people holistically and starts with the so-called life energies. A distinction is made between different types, each of which should feed differently. You can also listen to our podcast on the topic: Mental Balance & Prevention – How Ayurveda can help us to let go of bad habits.

Ayurvedic diet: what is it?

Ayurvedic nutrition is based on the principles of the Indian healing art of Ayurveda. According to this, everything, i.e. man himself, his environment, and food, is composed of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The composition of these elements in the body determines the form in which the three so-called life energies (Doshas) are present: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Their combination is individual for each person. It can be determined by the composition of the body, character traits, and the tendency to certain complaints.

What does good nutrition look like according to Ayurvedic teaching?

According to Ayurvedic teachings, illness occurs when the distribution of life energies in the human being is no longer what it was intended to be from birth. Since, according to this idea, food also consists of elements, they cause interactions. Accordingly, an Ayurvedic diet can contribute to health.

In Ayurvedic cuisine, there are six tastes sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. In our opinion, astringent means the feeling that everything is contracting. Every taste is said to affect the body. Sweet, for example, is said to calm and strengthen, while spicy food stimulates. The ten most important spices in Ayurvedic cuisine are ginger, cardamom, coriander, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, saffron, and cinnamon.

Overall, all components of the diet, such as products, spices, time of meals, quantity, and so on, are adjusted to how the three life energies are distributed in the respective person.

Is Ayurvedic cuisine healthy?

Grain products, fruits, and vegetables are the most important bases for most recipes of the Ayurvedic diet. However, it is not a vegetarian diet. Meat and fish are present but in small proportions. Other animal products such as dairy products are also used as ingredients in recipes. It is therefore a balanced mixed diet. That is why the Ayurvedic diet is considered very healthy.

The holistic approach of Ayurveda also includes appropriate handling of food and tips for meals. These too are welcomed by nutritionists as they promote healthy eating. Among other things, fresh products should be used whenever possible, without additives. Also, you should only eat when you are hungry and not beyond. Meals should be taken in a calm, relaxed atmosphere. Eating and drinking should be spaced apart. The bottom line is that an Ayurvedic diet is therefore recommended, even without determining the life energy types.