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Ayurveda nutrition is usually translated from Sanskrit as “knowledge of life.” But this is not a completely correct translation. It would be more correct: knowledge of the principles of long life, the science of life.

This is a system of traditional Indian medicine, which is aimed at healing diseases of the body and diseases of the soul, and it is believed that these diseases are related to each other.

That's why correct treatment, and ancient doctors prescribed proper nutrition in accordance with the character and physique of a person. The Ayurvedic system distinguishes three main types of human constitution.

In the Ayurvedic system, as already mentioned, the body and soul are not separated, therefore, for each specific type of build, certain character traits are assigned accordingly.

The combination of character and constitution in the Ayurvedic system is called DOSHA.

There are three main doshas: vata, pita and kafa

Vata means "air"

People of this type are thin, graceful, and always cold. In winter they seem to hibernate, and in the spring they wake up and become prone to change and adventure.

Pita means fire

These are people of strong build, sometimes a little plump, their hands are always hot. They often have many moles. They are sociable and witty, but sometimes they can be stubborn and hot-tempered.

Kafa means "water"

These are strongly built, large, massive people with good skin, strong thick hair and strong teeth.

They are usually calm, peaceful, unpretentious, hardworking, but, unfortunately, they can be indecisive and passive.

Ayurveda nutrition. Depending on the prevailing doshas choose a nutritional system for each specific person.

However, usually a person cannot attribute himself to any specific dosha - it happens that the qualities of two doshas are present.

In order to determine the predominant dosha, there are special tests. They are in all books on Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic nutrition system does not require vegetarianism from its followers, as is often believed. Vegetarian diets are prescribed by Ayurveda only for those who follow the path of spiritual development and enlightenment.

For those who simply want to improve their well-being, strengthen their health, increase their life expectancy and its quality, Ayurveda recommends a diet more familiar to modern people.

Types of nutrition of people according to doshas

For people Vata dosha They recommend rich meat soups, porridges, butter, hot milk, sweet dishes, meat, pies - everything that helps to warm up.

Raw vegetables and sour fruits are not acceptable for people with Vata dosha: they speed up the digestion process, which is already quite fast in people of this type.

For people Pita doshas hot dishes, unsweetened fruits, vegetables, legumes, chicken and fish are good. They should be added to food less salt, eat less red meat and nuts, to muscle mass did not turn into fat.

To people Kafa-dosha Ayurveda recommends crumbly porridges, watery vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers), spicy dishes, and turkey for nutrition.

From It’s better to give up sweets completely and limit the consumption of red meat and rice - these products can make people of this type very fat.

Ayurveda nutrition and preparation

But the right set of products is not everything. There are recommendations for preparing and eating food that are common to all doshas.

1. Food must be fresh. How faster dish hits the table after cooking, the healthier it is. Healthy food one that has not been cooked for too long is also considered.

2. Main eating comes at the right time around noon because at this time food is best absorbed.

3. You can't be distracted from the process of eating. No need to read, watch TV, or talk while eating. It is not good to sit at the table in a bad mood.

4. sit down should come to the table only when when you are hungry.

Don't overeat

No need to eat "I have nothing to do." There is no need to rush while eating; after eating, there is also no need to rush to leave the table; it’s good to sit for a while. You shouldn’t overeat; you can stop eating when you feel like you’re almost full, but only almost!

5. Should not be combined incompatible products. For example, it is advisable to consume milk and melon separately from other foods.

6. When preparing food, you also need to consider climatic conditions: season, weather, as well as the physiological characteristics of a particular person.

The Ayurvedic nutrition system is aimed at harmonizing the human body.

With its help, you can both lose weight and gain weight, but only on the condition that your goal is precisely weight optimization, and not its targeted reduction or increase.

Optimal weight- this is the weight at which you feel good. A person with an optimal weight usually rarely gets sick, he is most often in a good mood.

If you experience significant weight loss or gain, more than is provided by nature, a person may develop all sorts of diseases.

This state of affairs is often observed in those who suddenly gain weight and in those who exhaust themselves with diets.

Therefore, it is important to understand that the best weight for you is not some specific “fashionable” number, but the weight when you feel healthy and vigorous.

Good health and high spirits, shining eyes and a friendly smile are always in fashion!

Accept yourself as you are! Realize how wonderful you are!

And the Ayurvedic nutrition system will help you with this goal.

More and more often, people are thinking about the importance of nutrition in their lives and what the essence of food itself is. Food, like the body, is an instrument of our existence in the material world, however, different people perceive its meaning differently, describing it with different definitions: for some, food is a means of life, for others it is pleasure, or a necessary need, reward, satisfaction, satiety, security, for some - passion, source of pleasure, entertainment, bad habit and even a way of self-expression. Modern man egocentrically builds an attitude towards food based on what it gives him, but to understand its true meaning, you first need to remember what our body is.

The physical body of a living being is called “Sthula Sharira” - a gross body consisting of five Primary Elements (Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth) and with its density and form allows one to be and experience in the material world. The gross body is one of the five sheaths covering the Atma (the eternal and indivisible Soul), which is called “Anna-Maya-Kosha” (literally: “sheath of food”). Atma, upon conception, moving into the future body, revives it, accumulates experience, and at death leaves it, like a worn-out doll, rushing to the next reincarnation, to transformation. Agni, the divine fire, is responsible for the process of transformation in the world order.

It is believed that at the moment of death, an outbreak of Agni occurs, and the lifeless body left behind is also transformed, again disintegrating into the Primary Elements. Agni, as a divine manifestation, sacrifices everything that exists in the universe without exception: they always strive to offer the most valuable thing to the deities, and Atma also presents the most precious thing - her body, the instrument thanks to which she was able to accumulate the experience of her incarnation in this world. Agni exists in many manifestations, both outside and inside us, of which four main ones stand out: the fire we are used to - the flame from the burning of a fire, candle and other substances, heavenly fire - lightning, hidden fire - the internal fire of metals, minerals (the shine of gold ) and bodily fire - present in the human body and ensuring food digestion and metabolism. And just as the moment of death is identified with the sacred yajna, so the consumption of food is our offering to God, the sacred fire glowing inside our gross bodily shell, and how worthy our offering to him, our prasad, will be, so will the return gift, because our body - nothing more than the result of the transformation of food by the power of Agni.

The right food

So, we figured out that digestion is yajna, and food is our offering. The Creator of the Universe supplies all living beings with everything they need, and also with the food that everyone needs. However, man, having gone beyond the boundaries of harmony with nature, has lost the knowledge given to him about what he is supposed to eat in order to maintain the body in balance - a healthy state that allows him to be active and not get sick for the entire period allotted for him. To help find the path to abandoned harmony, a person was given science, which tells about how to live correctly in the physical body, what to do and how to eat.

Nutrition according to Ayurveda. Basic concept

Ayurvedic knowledge is based on “Tridosha” - the concept of the three main components of Sthula-Sharira ( physical body): Vata dosha (wind, air), Pitta dosha (bile, fire) and Kapha dosha (mucus, earth). Created by the five primary elements, the Doshas form human body and provide it physiological processes: Vata is responsible for movement, rhythms, breathing, Pitta is for digestion, temperature and metabolism, and Kapha is for volume, structure and binding the body together. In the bodies of different people, the Doshas have different relationships with each other, and their combinations with the predominance of one, two of them, or the balance of all three give rise to the individual constitutional characteristics of each individual person. Prakriti, the individual constitution, dictates to a person the proper rules of behavior and nutrition to maintain the balance of the Doshas given to him by nature.

At wrong actions, contrary to their nature, harmful to the body and environment, inconsistent with divine law, one or more Doshas in the human body go out of their equilibrium state and cause pathological processes and diseases. In order not to disturb the delicate balance and bring the Doshas to a healthy state, you need to follow certain Ayurvedic prescriptions for a daily routine and food intake suitable for a specific type of constitution.

In total, there are seven main types of Prakriti (individual constitution): one-voiced (Vata, Pitta, Kapha), two-voiced (Vata-Pitta, Vata-Kapha and Pitta-Kapha) and three-voiced, which is much less common than others (Vata-Pitta-Kapha).

People whose Prakriti is dominated by Vata dosha should follow a diet that balances Vata and supports Pitta and Kapha; those with Pitta predominance should follow a diet that balances Pitta and supports Vata and Kapha, and those with Kapha Dosha predominate should follow a diet that balances Kapha and supports Vata and Pitta. Mixed types(Vata-Pitta, Vata-Kapha and Pitta-Kapha) must take into account and balance both dominant Doshas, ​​supporting the one in the minority.

Ayurvedic scriptures share comprehensive knowledge about how, what, when and how much to eat to maintain human health. It is recommended that everyone follow the fundamental Ayurvedic principles, regardless of constitutional affiliation, religion, traditions and established foundations and habits. Food will only be beneficial if it is properly and completely absorbed, which depends not only on the quality and composition of the products, but also on their quantity, time of consumption, weather conditions, environment, mental and emotional state.

Proper meal times

• The main rule of Ayurveda regarding when and at what time you need to eat is: “You need to eat food when you are hungry.”
That is, you don’t need to eat, even if you are used to following a certain routine and the hour of the meal has approached, but there is no hunger. Also, you should not eat in advance (if there is no hunger at breakfast before the working day, that is, it is not recommended) and later than 2 hours before going to bed (the digestion process stops during sleep, and food taken at night will not be absorbed, forming Amu - mucus and toxins, products of incomplete digestion). If hunger occurs in the middle of the night, it is also worth satisfying a small amount food, but after that you should not go to bed immediately. At the same time, it is useful to develop the habit of always eating at approximately the same time, due to which hunger will appear in a timely manner.
• It is also worth drinking water and other liquids not according to the norms and recommendations dictated by various sources, but according to a single criterion - thirst. Any liquid regularly taken in excess leads to imbalances in Pitta and Kapha and also weakens the power of Agni - the digestive fire. Drinking plenty of liquids after meals greatly slows down and complicates digestion, leading to the accumulation of Ama, and is recommended no earlier than one or two muhurtas (48-minute intervals). The Ayurveda shastras state: those who drink before meals will reduce their weight, those who drink during meals will leave their weight unchanged, and those who drink after meals will increase their weight. It is absolutely harmful to suppress the feeling of hunger with water and satisfy your thirst with food. The feeling of hunger indicates the body's need for food, the feeling of thirst indicates the body's need to drink. Reverse actions will lead to imbalances.
• Before eating, it is recommended to wash not only your hands, but also your face and feet to wash away negative energy. It is also beneficial to brush your teeth and tongue, which will not only prevent bacteria from entering the chewed food, but will also enhance the ability to perceive taste buds.
• Eating food before the previous one has been digested or absorbed is very harmful. In view of fast metabolism Vata-type people in a healthy state can experience hunger three or more times a day, Pitta-type people - twice a day, while Kapha-type people can eat once a day.
• You should not start eating if you have the urge to have a bowel movement or Bladder(the presence of urges indicates the activity of apana vayu, and eating food at this moment can cause it to move too quickly through the digestive tract without proper digestion). In this case, you should fulfill your natural needs and only then sit down at the table.
• Fasting, especially long-term fasting, is indicated only in conditions of Mandagni (weakened digestive fire) and accumulation of Ama in the digestive tract and tissues. The fast is maintained until the power of Agni is restored; when a stable fire of digestion has established, fasting should be stopped, otherwise Agni flares up strongly under the influence of Vata (fasting unbalances Vata dosha) and harms the body, destroying tissues. People with a Kapha constitution can fast for up to three to seven days, with a Pitta constitution - one to three days, with a Vata constitution, fasting is not recommended (only in extreme cases, no more than one to two days). Dry fasting greatly increases Vata.
• You can start eating only when calm state mind, with a feeling of lightness in the body, with pleasant thoughts and gratitude to God. Food taken on the go or on the run, in a poor state of mind, with heavy thoughts, in an excited state, in despondency or depression, and even more so in greed and anger, will not only not bring benefit, but will also harm the person. First, you should retire, study the state of your body (the movement of the Doshas should occur in their natural directions; there should be a feeling of hunger and increased Agni, accompanied by clarity and lightness in the body and mind), calm your feelings and thoughts, focus on the intimate process of offering food to the inner Agni and start the meal with good intentions.

What not to do after eating

• Take a bath, shower, swim, swim, visit the sauna and steam room: water procedures dampen the work of Agni and stop digestion. Also, you should not do body oiling or massage after eating.
• Do hard physical and mental work, exercise, sing and talk a lot: during digestion, all the energy flows to the digestive tract, and by taking it away for the work of the muscles or brain, the action of Agni can be weakened, which will lead to incomplete digestion of food or improper digestion assimilation.
• You should not immediately jump up from the table after eating. Having rested for a while, after a meal it is useful to walk a little or do a pleasant activity. According to the Bhavaprakasha Samhita, “lying down after eating will lead to fatness, sitting will lead to laziness, walking will lead to longevity, and for those who run after eating, death itself will follow.”

Proper quantity and quality of food

Food should be: sufficient, clean, fresh, moist or oily, light, pleasant, familiar, balanced and wholesome.

- Food in sufficient quantity

Malnutrition (poor nutrition or hunger) greatly weakens the body, leading to Vata-type diseases; overeating puts all Doshas out of balance, leading to the formation of Ama (incompletely digested food and toxins), which clogs digestive tract and channels and disrupts all subsequent processes of digestion and tissue metabolism, which leads to diseases. Diseases acquired due to malnutrition are easily treated, but diseases acquired due to overeating are difficult to treat.

The optimal amount of solid food is considered to be the volume that fits in two Anjali (one Anjali - two palms folded together in the shape of a bowl). The optimal amount to drink is nothing more than to quench your thirst.

You should not eat until you are full, until you are completely full and feel heavy. The stomach should be filled two quarters with solid food, one quarter with liquid (for wetting and diluting substances), and the remaining quarter should be left empty for the free circulation of Vayu - air, which inflates and supports Agni - the fire of digestion.

- Clean food

Food should be prepared in a clean place, in good location spirit and with pure thoughts, it should consist of the best products that carry beneficial energy. Best Products, from which, according to Ayurvedic scriptures, it is worth building your daily diet: cereals (higher grains - wheat, rice, barley), legumes, milk, ghee, honey, ripe fruits and vegetables growing above the ground - these products provide a lot of positive energy and maintain health.

Cereals are considered the basis of the human diet. The main treatises of Ayurveda say that you should reject food that does not contain higher grains. Rice, wheat and barley are considered higher grains, while lower grains - millet, buckwheat and the like - are not considered a suitable basis for the diet. It is best to eat cereals in the form of porridges made from whole or crushed grains, the worst thing is in the form of flour products, which can be consumed only occasionally, for example, on holidays. Flour products made from white refined flour are unbalanced and clog the bodily channels, preventing the free movement of Vata, thereby causing its imbalances.

Legumes are second in importance after grains: they are a valuable source of proteins. Mung bean (green gram, mung dal) is considered the best of the legumes, since during digestion it produces less gases than other legumes, thereby minimally affecting Vata dosha. The worst of the legumes is urad dal (black mung bean). To prevent gas formation when legumes are digested, they must be cooked, be sure to add cumin (cumin) and asafoetida (ferula stinking gum), and consumed with oil.

Milk should be drunk fresh, immediately after milking: in this case, when correct use, it will bring immeasurable benefits to the body. Milk that has cooled after milking becomes heavy and mucus-forming, and for consumption it should be made “similar to fresh milk” - heated three times and poured from a vessel to another seven times, facilitating its properties, and drunk with suitable spices - cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, saffron, nutmeg and others. Milk that has cooled down after cooking cannot be reheated. Milk drunk cold greatly increases Kapha, leading to accumulation of mucus. Milk should absolutely not be combined with salt (this also applies to salted milk porridges and sauces) and with a sour taste, with fish, meat, mushrooms, with fresh fruits, especially bananas, with any pumpkin (melons, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, watermelons ), as well as with fresh herbs and green leafy vegetables, with any sprouts, with mung bean (green gram, mung dal), with dough products (bread, pastries, etc.), with sesame or flaxseed cake (and with oils of these), with brown sugar (it has a sour taste), with alcohol and with any fermented milk products. Milk drunk immediately before bed, according to Ayurvedic texts, shortens life. Milk that has begun to sour, but has not yet become curdled milk, throws all three Doshas out of balance. Medicines that have a sour taste (for example, Triphala) should also not be taken with milk. Long-term consumption of milk with incompatible products will lead to a cumulative effect, resulting in diseases such as anemia, skin lesions (psoriasis and others), fever and malabsorption.

Also for daily use Takra (buttermilk) may be useful - low-fat sour milk, which improves the functioning of the entire digestive tract.

Fermented milk products (dadhi) - yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, cheese and others - should not be consumed regularly, much less daily, or at night and during the hot summer season, as they have a warming effect. Fermented milk products that have been subjected to heat treatment (including baked goods, cottage cheese obtained by heating, etc.) are not recommended for consumption at all.

Considered the best of oily substances, it improves digestion and metabolism, intelligence, memory and reason, increases life expectancy, prolongs youth, inhibiting aging. Contrary to popular belief, ghee is not hot - it has cooling properties. It is safe to cook with ghee - stew and even fry, however, fried food is not considered healthy in Ayurveda. Ghee should not be consumed in equal proportions with honey, and it should not be stored in copper vessels for a long time.

Fresh fruits should be consumed before meals, or as a separate meal. Melon is an exception: it can only be eaten separately from any other food, including fruit (however, it can be seasoned with black pepper for its absorption). Fresh fruits, as a rule, are healthier than dried ones, with the exception of grapes: raisins are considered more valuable.

Vegetables should not make up the entire diet, but are considered an additive to cereals. They should be consumed mostly cooked, as they are difficult to digest in their raw form.

Excess raw vegetables greatly increases Vata dosha.

Honey has a positive effect on absorption and assimilation nutrients; It is useful to eat it both after meals and on an empty stomach with a glass of slightly warm water (in this case it will promote weight loss). Useful for the winter and spring seasons, honey should absolutely not be consumed in the summer in the heat and in the fall during the “Indian summer”, during fever and temperature, in a bathhouse, steam room, sauna and in case of Pitta imbalances: when heated, aldehydes are formed in honey, which are carcinogens. Ayurvedic texts directly state that heated honey kills a person.

Vegetables growing underground and mushrooms contain less energy. Mushrooms are very difficult food to digest and throw all Doshas out of balance. Mushrooms grown in cow dung are considered acceptable to eat (occasionally), but all others are considered unclean and not recommended for human consumption.

Food containing grass, hair, sand, dust is unclean and not recommended for building a diet; prepared from products that depress the body and mind (eggs, fish, meat), as well as old (if more than two hours have passed since cooking), stale (dried, moldy), sour, fermented, fermented, canned, containing flavor enhancers.

Fish in Ayurveda is considered the most unclean product, as it lives in rivers and oceans, where waters carrying all the dirt of the earth flow. Eating fish and seafood is one of the main causes of allergies and skin diseases.

Meat is also not recommended and is not necessary in the diet. Although Ayurveda as an accurate non-religious medical science describes its nutritional qualities and allows its use without harm to physical health, while she warns that products of violence, such as the flesh of those killed, carry the energy and all the emotions experienced by animals at the time of their death, nourishing and filling the body of the person who consumes them fear, horror, hopelessness, pain and the energy of death, which not only does not contribute, but also stops spiritual development. Eating meat is a violation of Ahimsa, the fundamental principle of non-violence, and can be justified, according to the Manu Samhita, only if there is a question of survival and there is absolutely nothing else to eat.

Eggs are also not necessary in the diet: although they are nutritious and strengthen reproductive system body, their proteins are very difficult to digest, and the yolks put a lot of strain on the liver. Ayurvedic shastras classify eggs as meat food: only unfertilized eggs - those that do not carry the germ of life - can be consumed without sin.

Cheese is also considered a tamasic product, as it undergoes a rotting process, and is not recommended for frequent use(ideally, exclude it from the diet altogether). Cheese and cottage cheese are very heavy foods and are difficult to digest, causing channel obstruction and excess Kapha. Also any dairy products, including curdled milk, kefir, cottage cheese and cheese, when heated, form very difficult-to-digest forms of protein and become very hot in quality, bringing excess Pitta and Kapha, which can aggravate bleeding and cause severe skin diseases.

- Fresh food

Food should be prepared no earlier than two hours before consumption; Warm, but not reheated or too hot.

- Wet or oily foods

Food should be juicy and contain vegetable or butter. Dry food without oils contributes to stagnation, a feeling of heaviness and blockage of the channels. However, too liquid food is also not welcome, as it weakens Agni.

- Light food

The heaviness or lightness of food is the body’s ability to absorb it. A serving of food should not consist only of foods that are difficult to digest (such as cottage cheese, cheese, mushrooms, seeds and nuts, raw food and sprouts). You can eat heavy food only until you feel half full, light food - a little more.

- Nice food

The taste, smell, color and consistency of food should be pleasant and not unpleasant. If the taste of food seems unpleasant, or if you don’t feel completely satisfied after the main portion, then at the very least it will not benefit the body, moreover, it will do harm.

- Habitual food

The usual food on which a person was fed and raised is considered the best for him, even if its composition and combinations are not healthy. Rare, too varied, outlandish, inappropriate food for the season and locality can cause digestive disorders.

- Balanced food

Food at one meal should contain all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent, with a predominance of sweet. Flavors, consisting of different combinations of primary elements, directly affect the Doshas and tissues of the body, affecting their formation and elimination, as well as metabolism, the functioning of organs and the mind.

Fruits and raw food should be consumed at the beginning of the meal. You should start your meal with heavy, fatty, cooling foods with a sweet taste, in the middle of the meal salty and sour tastes are desirable, and at the end - light and warming foods with a pungent, bitter and astringent taste. This sequence is easy to understand using the example of cooking: first, the heaviest, most coarse and requiring a long cooking time is put into the cauldron, and further ingredients are added in order of increasing ease and speed of cooking.

- Healthy food

Food should be suitable for a person, corresponding to his individual constitution (Prakriti), taking into account possible existing deviations and imbalances (Vikriti), diseases, physical and mental condition, the strength of the digestive fire, time of day (for example, sesame and its oil should not be consumed after five o’clock in the evening, fermented milk products - at night, and so on), weather (honey and warming foods cannot be consumed in the heat, cooling foods (ice cream, coconut) - in frost, moisturizing foods (milk) - in rainy periods, and so on), season and time of year (summer sweet, wet food should predominate, in winter - spicy, sour and hot, in early spring - spicy and dry, and so on - in contrast to the qualities of the season), age (for example, in old age, Vata dosha predominates in people, on average - Pitta dosha). dosha, in youth - Kapha dosha, and nutrition should balance them).

Product selection

Products for cooking should be selected according to the criteria described above, taking into account your condition and individual needs. Suitable for different people different products, and there is not a single substance in the world that is beneficial to absolutely everyone or harmful to absolutely everyone. However, Ayurvedic shastras provide a list of products that have the most balanced composition, minimally affect the Doshas and improve health. The following is recommended for daily use:

Brown rice (red rice), wheat, barley, sweet red grapes, green mung beans (moong dal, green gram), ghee (clarified butter), cow's milk, honey, sugar, pomegranate, dried ginger, pink salt (saindhavalavana), haritaki fruits (Terminalia chebula) and amalaki (Emblica officinalis) and other products beneficial to human health.

There is also a list of foods that are the least beneficial and cause Dosha imbalances in both patients and healthy people. Not recommended products:

Curdled milk, kefir, yogurt and similar products, cottage cheese, cheese, products with a pronounced alkaline (for example, soda or barley ash) or acidic (for example, unripe fruits, pickling) reaction, vinegar, fermented products, meat of emaciated animals, dried meat, pork , beef, lamb, goat, fish, urad dal (black mung bean), hyacinth beans, flour products, sprouts, dry vegetables and other foods that are unhealthy for humans.

Cooked without oil or dried leafy vegetables and greens, as well as grain sprouts, are very heavy food, leading to loss of strength, spoiling vision and throwing all Doshas out of balance, and are also not recommended for consumption.

Among different types of foods, the best and worst of their groups are also distinguished, based on their balance and effect on the Doshas in a healthy body.

The best types of products:

• The best grain is red rice.
• The best legume is green mung bean (moong dal, greengram).
• The best water is rainwater collected before it touches the ground.
• The best salt- saindhava - pink Himalayan (Pakistani) salt.
• The best green is Givanti grass (Leptadeniareticulate).
• The best type of ghee (clarified butter) is cow's.
• The best type of milk is cow's milk.
• The best vegetable oil is sesame oil.
• The best rhizome is ginger.
• The best fruit is grapes.
• The best sugar cane product is white refined sugar.

Worst Products:

• The worst grain is wild barley.
• The worst legume is black mung bean (urad dal).
• Worst water- river, collected during the rainy season.
• The worst salt is salt extracted from salt marshes.
• The worst green is mustard greens.
• The worst meat is beef.
• The thinnest type of ghee is that made from sheep's milk.
• The worst milk is sheep's milk.
• The worst vegetable oil is safflower oil.
• The worst fruit is nikucha (Atrocarpusnikucha).
• The worst of the rhizomes is Aluka - “elephant bread” (Amorphophallus campanulatus).
• The worst sugar cane product is molasses.

Harmful combinations

Food substances, when combined with each other, acquire new qualities. Eating incompatible foods, as well as mixing healthy and unhealthy foods, is one of the main nutritional mistakes that leads to imbalances and pathologies, even serious illnesses.

Viruddha - undesirable combinations that should be avoided - are determined by various factors. Products can be incompatible in quality (taste, energy, guna, taste after digestion and others; for example, milk, which has cold energy, with salt, which has hot energy), in action (for example, when one weakens and the other strengthens), in method preparations (dried vegetables, frozen foods, mixing raw and boiled water and so on), in a certain combination (milk with herbs, melon with other foods), in equal proportions (for example, ghee and honey in equal quantities), incompatible in time (sesame after sunset, fermented milk products at night) and incompatible with individual body composition.

The most common combinations that are Viruddha incompatible:

Milk with any sour-tasting products, milk with fresh fruits, milk with radishes and similar vegetables (daikon, radish, etc.), milk and fish or pork, milk with bananas, fermented milk products with bananas and fresh fruits or berries, fermented milk products with Chiken.

An incompatible combination is honey, ghee, oil and water, taken together or all together in equal proportions. Eating dry and cold food in winter and even tasting unusual foods is considered Viruddha.

Regular use incompatible products leads to the formation of harmful substances and toxins during the digestion process, depressing the organs and poisoning the body. However, despite the fact that Viruddha combinations are poisonous for the body, they may not cause harm for quite a long time to those who are young and regularly perform physical exercise who does not have a dry, strong, hardy body and strong Agni - the fire of digestion. Also, incompatible food will not bring significant harm to those who have adapted to it (for example, raised on it since childhood), and to those who consume it in small quantities (occasionally, in private cases).

Ayurveda and nutrition according to Doshas. Rules and exceptions

Just as the human body has its own nature, so do all food products have their own nature. According to the main principle of Ayurveda, “like enhances like,” if you consume foods that are similar in properties to a person’s individual nature, then these qualities will be enhanced in his body, and consumed foods with opposite properties will weaken them. The construction of an optimal diet in Ayurveda is based on this principle, taking into account all the characteristics of each specific person, his Dosha-Prakriti.

If a person eats food in moderation, with properties similar to his Prakriti, his nature strengthens; if in excess, the dominant Doshas become unbalanced, leading to imbalances in the body; if he eats food with opposite properties in moderation, his doshas are equalized among themselves (the state of Samadosha is the equilibrium balance of the Doshas), if in excess, his original nature is greatly weakened, and imbalances and painful conditions. As you know, a Dosha is something that tends to run amok, and since it is the dominant Doshas in the human body that are most prone to increase, it is important to pay the most attention to balancing them.

Most effective method Managing Doshas through nutrition is the influence of tastes. Ayurveda describes six basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. Tastes, like Doshas, ​​also consist of Primary Elements in certain combinations and, depending on the dominant pairs of elements in them, have their own special qualities and a direct effect on the physiology of the body and mind.

• Sweet taste consists primarily of the elements Earth and Water.
• Sour taste is from the elements of Earth and Fire.
• The salty taste is from the elements of Water and Fire.
• The pungent taste comes from the elements of Fire and Air.
• Bitter taste is from the elements Air and Ether.
• Astringent taste - from the elements of Air and Earth.

Description of flavors

Sweet taste (Madhura Rasa, Svadu Rasa)

The sweet taste consists of primary elements with the dominance of Earth and Water and has the following qualities: heaviness, cold, moisture (oilyness). The sweet taste is the most nutritious of all six and has an anabolic effect: it nourishes the body and tissues. On the emotional plane, sweet taste brings the qualities of kindness, love and generosity in Sattva, or greed and greed in Rajas and Tamas.

Sour taste (Amla Rasa)

Sour taste consists of primary elements with dominant Earth and Fire and has the following qualities: lightness, hotness, moisture (oilyness). The sour taste warms the body, moisturizes and also has an anabolic effect, however, less pronounced than the sweet taste due to its destructive effect on reproductive tissues. Promotes tissue metabolism, enhances Agni and the process of burning Ama - polluting products of incomplete digestion. The sour taste carries emotions of envy, but also feelings of gratitude, if envy in a clear mind is transformed into a stimulus for development - the ability to envy not the fruits, but their reason, which brought those fruits.

Salty taste (Lavana Rasa)

The salty taste consists of primary elements with the dominance of Water and Fire and has the following qualities: heaviness, hotness, moisture. Salt has a cleansing property - it removes waste from the body and cleanses the fine channels, improves digestion and also has an anabolic property, slightly less pronounced than that of sweet and sour tastes. Presence salty taste reveals all other tastes. Emotions of salty taste - the desire to satisfy one’s feelings: hedonism, lust, lust, and with the awareness of divine providence - enthusiasm, inspiration, cheerfulness.

Bitter taste (Tikta Rasa)

Bitter taste consists of primary elements with a dominance of Ether and Air and has the following qualities: lightness, dryness and coldness. It has a catabolic effect and reduces tissue, improves Samana Vayu - a type of bodily air responsible for digestion. Bitter taste is the taste of illusions that cause grief, however, the state of dissatisfaction, the opposite of oversaturation, can also give rise to good aspirations. Moreover, in Sattva, bitterness brings logic and cold, impartial knowledge.

Pungent taste (Katu Rasa, Ushna Rasa)

The pungent taste consists of primary elements with a dominant Fire and Air and has the following qualities: hotness, lightness and dryness. Just like bitter taste, it has a catabolic effect on tissue. The pungent taste stimulates metabolism, greatly inflames Agni, promotes the absorption of nutrients, the digestion of Ama and the cleansing of channels - eliminating blockages in them. Acuity directs the psyche outward, giving rise to extroversion, agitation, and impulsiveness. The main emotion of acute taste, in addition to harshness, causticity, hot temper, impatience and irritability, is anger. With a clear vision of one’s goals and one’s path, a person’s anger is transformed into determination.

Astringent taste (Kashaya Rasa)

The astringent taste consists of primary elements with the dominance of Earth and Air and has the following qualities: coldness, dryness and heaviness. The astringent taste has a constricting, constricting effect and, like bitter and pungent, has a catabolic effect. It weakens digestion, causing Mandagni, constipation, urinary retention, and can also block the bodily channels. The astringent taste directs the psyche inward, which causes isolation, uncertainty, anxiety, stiffness and gives rise to fear. At the Sattva level, fear turns into humility, acceptance of circumstances and fate.

What flavors calm or strengthen Doshas?

Any substance has its own taste: there is not a single tasteless substance in the world. The presence of a certain taste in a substance indicates the possession of a corresponding quality: that is, any substance has its own properties and effects. Ayurveda claims that there is not a single substance in the world that could not be used as a medicine - the main thing is to know its purpose and dosage. And just as emotions have a decisive influence on the mind, so tastes affect the state of the body and Doshas.

Kapha dosha is enhanced by tastes: sweet, sour and salty; weaken - bitter, pungent and astringent.

Sweet taste strengthens Kapha most of all, since it is dominated by similar elements, Earth and Water, and similar qualities of heaviness, moisture and cold to Kapha. The best one to reduce Kapha is a pungent taste, which has the opposite properties of it - lightness, dryness and heat.

Pitta dosha is enhanced by tastes: sour, salty and spicy; weaken - sweet, bitter and astringent.

Sour taste increases Pitta more than others, having similar properties with it - lightness, heat and humidity; The best way to calm it down is an astringent taste with opposite qualities.

Vata dosha is enhanced by tastes: bitter, pungent and astringent; weaken - sweet, sour and salty.

Bitter taste increases Vata the most, since it has the same qualities as it - lightness, coldness and dryness. The best reduction for Vata is provided by salty taste in reasonable quantities: salt taken in excess, on the contrary, can increase Vata.

Most of food products and dishes rarely contain only one type of taste, being made up of different combinations. Some products can contain almost all tastes, such as amalaki, in which, of all the tastes, only one is not present - salty. However, based on the predominance of certain tastes, you can group products into groups.

Sweet Tasting Products

Sweet foods include grains, many legumes, sweet fruits, ghee, butter and most vegetable oils, most vegetables, seeds, nuts, sugar and honey, sweet herbs like licorice, and marshmallow.

Sour Taste Products

TO acidic foods include fermented milk products, fermented foods, vinegar, sour or unripe fruits and berries, fermented and fermented foods, herbs like sorrel.

Salty Taste Products

Salty foods include all types of salt, as well as salted plants like seaweed.

Bitter Tasting Products

Bitter foods include some vegetables, such as bitter melon (karela); spices - fenugreek (shambhala), turmeric; herbs - wormwood, brahmi (bacopa monnieri), neem; coffee, chicory and other bitters.

Spicy foods

Spicy foods include vegetables like radishes, radishes, turnips, varieties of hot peppers, many spices - black and long pepper, ginger, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, asafoetida, cumin (cumin), nutmeg, calamus, saffron, as well as onions, garlic and herbs like arugula, wild garlic and others.

Products with astringent taste

Astringent products include berries and fruits such as rowan, bird cherry, cranberry, haritaki, pomegranate, unripe persimmon and bananas; okra, beans; black and green tea, oak bark, bay leaf and other plants.

Foods that best weaken and balance the Doshas

• Honey balances Kapha dosha best.
• Ghee (clarified cow butter) balances Pitta dosha best.
• Sesame oil balances Vata dosha best.

Among products that have certain distinct tastes, there are also exceptions regarding their effect on Doshas.

• Foods of sweet taste tend to increase Kapha, with the exception of old rice, barley, green mung beans, wheat, honey, sugar and meat of desert animals.
• Foods of sour taste, as a rule, increase Pitta, with the exception of amalaki fruits (Emblica officinalis, “Indian gooseberry”) and pomegranates;
• Salty-tasting substances are generally harmful to the eyes and vision, with the exception of pink salt (Saindhava Lavana, Pakistani Himalayan salt);
• Foods with pungent, bitter and astringent tastes tend to increase Vata and are not an aphrodisiac, with the exception of Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Patola (Trichosanthes dioica), dry ginger, black pepper, garlic and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula).

“We are what we eat” is obviously not a completely accurate definition. A person must realize and remember that his essence is not in the physical shell. "I am not this body." But our body, Anna-Maya-Kosha, really is what we eat, and its physiology, like in a mirror, is reflected on our mind, our emotions, and, consequently, on our actions, worldview, aspirations and our whole life . Therefore, it is important to learn to follow and not harm its nature and take care of it, just as a master protects his tool, because high-quality and healthy life The body is a tool - the basis for passing predetermined lessons, gaining experience and passing the main exam in this incarnation, when we present our body to the altar of the Creator and rush to the next stages of the evolution of our soul.

It is based on the time of meal, season, type of digestion of each person.

Peculiarities

According to Ayurveda, nutrition according to the doshas is one of the most important factors, on which moral and physical health person. It is because of the consumption of foods containing toxins and waste that the vast majority of health problems arise.

The predominance of Pitta, Kapha or Vata in the human body determines the lifestyle and recommendations for Ayurvedic nutrition, designed to keep in balance or balance the predominant dosha.

Nutrition according to doshas:

nutrition pittas should contain cool, heavy and dry food, taken three times a day, avoiding late dinner. You should not eat salty, oily, sour foods. Also exclude fried, flour and fatty foods.

kapha You should not eat sweet, salty, cold and spicy foods, as people of this type are prone to excess weight. Optimal option– hot, light and dry, with lots of spices. The heaviest meal is lunch, breakfast and dinner are light.

cold cotton wool Balances well with hot, oily foods and warm drinks. The diet is always at the same time four times a day. Heavy meals - breakfast and lunch, light dinner. Rough and cold foods and carbonated drinks are contraindicated.

According to Ayurveda, the digestive fire of Agni is responsible for digestion. It needs to be constantly supported and strengthened. Only strong Agni promotes proper absorption and digestion. A well-developed meal schedule, the right combination of foods and a reasonable time between meals (4-6 hours) help strengthen Agni.

Rules

Nutrition according to the Ayurvedic system is not a diet in the usual sense of the word, but a certain combination of products and a set of established rules with the help of which you can maintain a healthy balance in the physical and moral appearance of a person.

Food can benefit the body only if it is consumed correctly, and Ayurveda takes into account all the factors that accompany food intake, from the quality of the food to the state of mind at that time.

One of the most important rules is that you should always adhere to a strict diet typical for certain type doshas Despite this, all constitutions are subject to the general rules of Ayurveda.

Sweets and sweet fruits should only be eaten for breakfast and lunch. The heaviest meal is lunch, the lightest is dinner. This rule applies to all types of doshas. Dairy products are recommended to be consumed warm every day, as according to Ayurveda they help cleanse the mind.

You should eat in a calm state, without being distracted by work or watching TV, and wash down your food warm water. You should never snack while running.

The products used for cooking must be natural. Various artificial dyes and preservatives provoke the formation of waste and toxins that are harmful to the body.

You need to get up from the table with a slight feeling of hunger, without overeating.

You should not eat after sunset, as food will not be beneficial at this time.

Milk does not need to be mixed with any other food, it can only be seasoned with honey or spices. Be sure to consume warm. Eating too hot or cold is contraindicated.

The consumption of potatoes and dishes made from them should be very limited, since the starch contained in them is difficult to digest and forms toxins in the body.

You should never heat honey to melt it. It should become liquid naturally.

Fruits and vegetables should be eaten only in proportion to their ripening time, since the body is configured to digest food according to the time of year. It is not recommended to mix them with other products.

Melon is never mixed with other products. It is always used separately.

You need to eat at a time when food can best be digested:

• Breakfast – from 6 to 8 o’clock;

  Lunch – from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.;

  Dinner - from 16 to 18 hours.

Two hours before bedtime, you can drink tea or a glass of warm milk with honey.

Particular attention should be paid to Ayurvedic nutrition for women, which should be based on increasing lunar energy, because the Moon is responsible for female attractiveness, harmonization in personal life and correct level hormones in female body.

To increase lunar energy you need:

Drink warm milk early in the morning or after 6 p.m. Milk can be flavored with honey, sugar or fennel.

include in your diet fruits such as banana (to increase endorphins), plum (help normalize heart function, regulate blood pressure) or pear (awakens leadership qualities);

use honey. A must for every woman, as the most women's product, personifying love and tenderness.

consume sweets before 12 o'clock. Necessary for normalizing and maintaining hormonal levels.

Product combination

The main role in Ayurvedic cooking is given to the combination of products and their division into: tamas, rajas and sattva:

To tamas include products that are chemically treated or grown with the help of fertilizers with various additives and fertilizers: canned products, eggs, meat, fish, alcohol, frozen foods, semi-finished products. It is tamas food that should be excluded from the diet.

products rajas– this is fried, stewed, spicy food, sweets, tea, coffee, alcohol;

sattva products are the most natural and fresh. These are vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy products. Easy to digest, easy to digest, the most suitable food for those who are overweight.

When tamas and rajas products are consumed in large quantities, anxiety, nervousness, increased excitability, and decreased performance will be observed. Therefore, the diet should consist of 75-80% sattva type foods.

By adhering to the rules of Ayurvedic cuisine, you can regulate an unbalanced dosha, correct many health problems and regain peace of mind and balance.

In the frantic pace of life, women manage to do everything and nothing: housework and work are done, the children are fed, dinner is ready, but there is no time left for themselves. The result is fatigue and migraines, aging skin, illness, emotional overload. Katie Silcox, author of Healthy, Happy, Sexy, gives Ayurvedic tips for staying beautiful and healthy.

Ayurveda is a very ancient teaching, but its essence is that it is also suitable for residents of modern megalopolises and noisy cities. She teaches you to lead a healthy, balanced life, not to disdain sensual pleasures - food, sleep and love - to be calmer and, most importantly, happier. Every woman can find harmony, no matter what century she was born in. The advantage of Ayurveda is that it contains hundreds of practical recommendations, and not vague formulations advising who knows what. These are clear and precise instructions for the fair sex.

1. Ayurveda for good digestion

Today we constantly hear that food should not only be tasty, but also healthy. This truth is as old as time. Thousands of years ago, Ayurveda proclaimed food as one of the pillars of health. This is one of the three pillars on which a full, healthy life stands. To feel good and not suffer from digestive disorders and gastrointestinal problems, you just need to choose the right products for your body, eat more seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs and don’t get carried away with fast food. We always snack on the run, in the car, at the computer. Where is the healthy stomach?

Advice: In Ayurveda, there are three types of people, and each has its own nutritional recommendations. For example, if you are naturally hot, meaning you never get cold, you should avoid hot and spicy food. If we constantly eat the wrong foods (not suitable for our constitution or season), the balance is disrupted and we get sick.

2. Ayurveda for beauty and charm

When a woman is healthy and in harmony with herself, she glows from within. Those around you literally feel the radiance. This is the very natural beauty that is inherent in every woman. You just need to wake her up. Ayurveda gives this feeling of inner radiance and vitality (and the confidence that we are beautiful) and teaches that it all depends directly on our relationship with own body. The skin plays a big role, because it reflects the internal state and health (or illness). If you take care of it properly, you can maintain youth and beauty for many years.

Advice: Take care of your skin, go for a massage, use cosmetics with natural extracts and natural products. In jurisprudence, there are several types of constitution, for each of which a different rest is recommended. Golden Rule: Do not apply anything that should not be eaten to the skin, cleanse the skin and rub it with oils.

3. Ayurveda for sound sleep

It seems like we've become a generation walking zombies who always don't get enough sleep. For a woman this is a disaster. Chronic fatigue and weakness, emotional exhaustion, sallow complexion and dark circles under the eyes are not the whole list of the delights of lack of sleep. According to scientists, lack of sleep increases the risk of chronic diseases: hypertension, diabetes, depression, obesity. People who sleep poorly are also more likely to develop cancer and have a reduced quality of life and decreased productivity. Not to mention the fact that many modern ladies do not have time for their favorite activities, friends and, ultimately, self-care.

But sleep is very important! During sleep, the body fights toxins and restores the tissues of the physical body. And most importantly, it processes the emotions of the passing day: that is why we go to bed in a bad mood, and get up in a good one. All negative experiences at night turn into memories that do not carry a negative charge.

Advice: Sleep as much as your body requires. You can arrange a “sleepy week” for yourself: put aside all tasks and meetings that can be postponed, and go to bed at 20-21 hours for a whole week. This is especially convenient to do in autumn and winter, when it gets dark early. Believe me, your body and soul will only thank you.

4. Ayurveda to awaken sensuality

Ayurvedic practitioners believe in controlling sexual energy. At the forefront is the principle called brahmacharya - the rational use of sexual energy. At the right approach it gives us more freshness, vigor and enthusiasm to engage in creative projects, be it our own business, creative self-expression or raising a child. Women Health improves many times over because sexual energy is the same as Vital energy, or rather, its purest form. And the more this energy a woman has, the better she feels and the better her relationship with her partner. But brahmacharya also teaches how to expend sexual energy wisely and at times to abstain from carnal pleasures. The main thing is to act wisely.

Advice: Do not neglect sensual pleasures, but do not waste this energy in vain. Nature has decreed that many pleasant things are useful for female physiology and emotions at the same time. Scientists have proven that touch (whether from a lover or a massage therapist) stimulates the production of hormones that support the immune system. But problems begin when these pleasures become too much. The key to everything is awareness and moderation.

5. Ayurveda for peace and emotional well-being

In Ayurveda great importance devote themselves to meditation. Modern science has proven: meditation is a magic pill for all diseases. According to research, meditation practices are successfully used in treatment high blood pressure, migraines and cardiovascular diseases, anxiety, depression and obsessive thoughts syndrome, increased aggressiveness and irritability. Meditation helps with chronic pain, PMS and painful critical days. Conversely, meditation clears the mind, improves memory and attention, relaxes and lifts the mood, and brings with it emotional well-being.

Advice: To get started, practice meditation for 30-40 minutes a week, or choose one technique that you like best and practice it for 40 days. This way you can feel the results, feel harmony, calmness and the power of positive changes in life.

Using Ayurveda for healing and maintaining beauty, practicing an appropriate lifestyle, any woman will make her life healthy, happy, sexually fulfilling and harmonious.