Ayurveda Nutrition

Each recommended lifestyle plan, created according to an individual’s Prakriti, is custom tailored to that individual. Simply said, certain foods can cause certain health problems in certain individuals. This concept that Ayurveda has been advocating for thousands and thousands of years, is one that the past Surgeon General, Dr. Koop endorses, “No disease can be treated unless supplemented by the right diet, but 90%-95% of the diseases can be prevented by the right diet alone.”

Both the physical body and food are made up of the 5 essential elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. Ayurvedic foods create a natural balance between these essential Elements within the body when prepared using the correct proportion of the six tastes: Sweet, Salty, Sour, Pungent, Astringent and Bitter. The unique elemental compositions within each of the Six Tastes possess special healing properties.

• Sweet (Earth and Water elements) nourishes body tissues and enhances the mood
• Salty (Water and Fire elements) assures proper vital mineral balance in the body
• Sour (Earth and Fire elements) improves digestion and cultivates essential acid/base balance
• Pungent (Fire and Air elements) improves metabolism and reduces congestion
• Astringent (Air and Earth elements) tones up the muscles and body
• Bitter (Air and Ether elements) de-toxifies the body and strengthens the immune system

While the correct proportion of tastes varies dependent on Body Constitution, there are certain foods that balance all constitution. These foods are referred to as Tridoshic. AyurFoods Khichadi and AyurFoods Upama are both Tridoshic in nature.

In addition to food composition, a consistent lifestyle and eating schedule is also essential to Ayurvedic philosophy. Eating three meals a day at regular intervals, waking before sunrise, a morning meditation ritual, daily exercise and going to bed before 10 PM are just a few of the general lifestyle recommendations fundamental to Ayurveda.

Delicious Ayurvedic Foods

Rice: Majority of the people around the world eat rice as their staple food. Rice which is a complex carbohydrate is one of the main energy source for the body and vital organs. Additionally rice is a good source of B vitamins, such as thiamine and niacin, and it also provides iron, phosphorus, and magnesium. It is lower in protein than other cereal grains, but its protein quality is good because it contains relatively high levels of the amino acid lysine.

Mung beans: Mung beans are one of the major legumes. Legumes (beans) are among the oldest cultivated plants and contains over 13,000 species. People who rely on vegetarian food rely on mung beans for their protein source. Compared to grains, legumes supply about the same number of total calories, but usually provide two to four times as much protein.

Turmeric: Turmeric is bitter and astringent in taste. In India, turmeric is used everyday in many recipes and is an important aspect of Indian cooking. It is proven to be a natural decongestant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic. It heals the body and protects the liver.

Mustard seeds Mustard seeds are pungent and bitter and help improve digestion. Magnesium in Mustard seeds helps lower blood pressure. Phytochemicals are shown to have anti-cancer effects especially of gastrointestinal tract.

Coriander seeds : Coriander seeds get high ranking as a healing spice. Recent studies show that coriander seeds lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and free radical production.  

Asafoetida (known as Hing): Asafoetida is famous for reducing gas and improving digestion. It is shown to be anti-coagulant, antiseptic and reduces blood pressure.

Cumin Seeds: Cumin Seeds are a good source of Iron. They are shown to stimulate pancreatic enzymes and possess cancer protective effects.

Cloves: Cloves have been used to improve digestion. They also have anti-microbial properties. Dentists use clove oil as an oral antiseptic. Chinese medicine uses it for diarrhea, athlete’s foot, and fungal infections.

Coconut: Lauric acid a major fatty acid in coconut has long been recognized as having anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial functions. Recent study shows that natural coconut fat leads to normalize body fats, protects against alcohol damage to liver and improves the immune system’s anti-aging response.

Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds have a protective effect against heart disease and cancer. They also have anti-aging properties. Since ancient days, sesame seed oil has been used for many Ayurvedic treatments for arthritis, sprains and weakness in muscles.

Delicious, Sattvik Ayurvedic Foods