The Ayurvedic way of eating

This ancient practice advocates a diet that can sustain the balance of the tridosha, as any disequilibrium will lead to diseases, write Sonal Chowdhary & Dr Asghar

There is a famous quote “We are what we eat” but Ayurveda says, “We are not just what we eat, we are what we digest and assimilate.” Ayurveda cooking is a rational way to prepare food keeping in mind the dietary needs of the individual based on their body constitution that is their prakriti.

Prakriti is a unique concept and a core philosophy of Ayurveda, which shows individual combinations of the tridosha in an individual. Prakriti is a set of physical, physiological and psychological attributes that are unique to an individual. It is determined at the time of birth and cannot be changed during a lifetime.

Ayurveda is based on the concept that every physical creation is composed of five basic elements or the Panchmahabhuta — Prithvi (earth), Jal (water), Tej (fire), Vayu (air) and Aakash (space). Everything comes from these elements and everything decomposes into these elements. These five elements are further grouped into varying combinations of each other into three doshas: Vata, combining air and space; Pitta, a combination of water and fire; and Kapha, a combination of earth and water. Each of the three doshas exists in every living being in varying degrees. However, one dosha usually predominates.

A balanced diet balances the tridosha and thus maintains the body homoeostasis. Every food article or food behaviour has either a dosha-aggravating or pacifying or a balancing action on the human body.

Ayurveda advocates a diet that can sustain the balance of the tridosha, as any disequilibrium will lead to diseases. Ayurveda classifies food as satvik, rajasik and tamasic based on their constitution and the effect it can have on the human body and mind.

Ayurveda gives a lot of importance to the processing of food. According to the Charaka Samhita, the processing of a food substance leads to an alteration in the inherent properties of the food; it is known as samskara. For example heating honey, frying potatoes is contraindicated in Ayurveda as it becomes toxic for the system. Ayurveda opines that the cooking of food in an open vessel method makes the food lighter for digestion and metabolism.

Food should be unctuous, that is, it should include healthy fats like ghee,
coconut and nuts and seeds. It improves taste and also helps in the
movement of the food because Vata needs lubrication. In Ayurveda, the
head is considered the root of the body, and we know that fats are an
important fuel for the brain. So, when we nourish the root that is the
brain, we provide strength to the sense organs, which helps the entire body system to flourish.

Food combinations are an integral part of Ayurvedic cooking. It believes unsuitable and incompatible food leads to the build-up of toxic compounds in the body and acts as a slow poison. For example milk with salt, fruits or fish and meat is a Virudha ahar, which means it is not advisable.

Food should include all the six rasas or tastes — namely, sweet, sour, salt, spice, bitterness and astringency — in the daily diet. An excessive intake of one or the other rasas can disrupt the equilibrium, leading to some health problems. For example, an excessive intake of sweet foods can lead to obesity and those of pungent foods to acidity.

The following is a mixture that contains all of the six tastes described in Ayurveda. It is also beneficial to restore loss of taste and increase appetite and helps to relieve morning sickness, migraine and nausea.

One can easily consume half to one teaspoon of it in a day.

Digestive aid

Serving size: 6 tsp
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

Grated fresh ginger: 2 tsp

Carom seeds: 1 tsp

Fresh lemon juice: 1 tsp

Black pepper powder: ¼ tsp

Himalayan pink salt: ¼ tsp

Honey: 1 tsp

Method

Mix the above ingredients and store them in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a month. Take a small amount before each meal.

In the nutrition dynamics of Ayurveda, proper metabolism is the key to good health and digestive fire (Agni). Agni is given prime importance in Ayurveda because no matter how balanced your diet is or how good the quality of food you consume, if you do not have the capacity to digest the food the body does not benefit from any of it. Optimum Agni is mandatory for optimum digestion. Therefore an integral part of maintaining health is undoubtedly in maintaining the Agni. The unique feature of Ayurveda is that along with the treatment of various diseases it also gives equal emphasis on the preventive aspect.

(The authors have just published The Ayurvedic Kitchen: Ancient Wisdom to Balance Body, Mind and Soul with Westland.)