Healing abilities of Food – According to Ayurveda

The oldest healing science known as Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.”

Join us on Instagram

It is all about one’s constitution & Inner Balance. It focuses on achieving & maintaining good health naturally by bringing out a harmony between body, mind, and consciousness (spirit) through lifestyle changes.

According to Ayurveda, every individual is an entity with a unique constitution or Prakriti; having a set of traits or characteristics. These traits are a combination of physical, psychological & spiritual qualities a person has. These traits or characteristics are decided at the time of birth of an individual &remain more or less the same throughout his life.

What are Doshas?

As per Ayurveda; the characteristics in a person determines his doshas.

‘Doshas’are energies derived from five elements of the world known as air, earth, space, water, and fire. Ayurveda recognizes three Doshas in every human being. A person’s health depends on the equilibrium between these ‘Doshas’:- Vatta, Kapha, Pitta. Each one of us has a unique ratio of these three doshas since birth, where one of the Doshas is dominant &stable &the other two keep fluctuating. It is when this equilibrium gets disturbed; a person tends to get ill as his Prakriti changes. A no. of internal or external factors are responsible for creating this disharmony such as distressed relationships, diseases, stress, unhealthy diet, family issues, work pressure, etc. The need is to identify & rectify these factors so as to restore the Prakriti of the individual.

Role of Doshas in deciding Food

In Ayurveda healing; food is considered to be the best healer. Foods that counteract the characteristics or Prakriti of an individual are identified & recommended to the person to correct the imbalance in doshas.

1. VataDosha or Energy of movement is derived from air and space elements.

Since Vata represents –cool, dry, light and rough qualities, food that is cooked, warm, hydrating, full of healthy fats has to be consumed by Vata people to maintain the balance.

✔ Warm milk, warm soups, stews, hot cereals, herbal teas, freshly-cooked food, raw nuts, and nut butter are good for Vatas. Healthy fats like olive oil, ghee, organic cream are okay. Spices such as Cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, ginger, cloves, and garlic are considered to heal.

✖ Cold foods, raw salads, iced drinks, etc are not advisable as they will increase the vata.

2. The Pitta Dosha or Energy of Digestion & Metabolism is derived from fire and water elements. Since Pitta represents hot, oily, light, and sharp qualities, food that is cool, refreshing, containing healthy fats & mild are ideal.

✔ Naturally, Cooling foods such as peppermint, cucumber, melons& other seasonal fruits & vegetables are advisable. Cold milk, Herbal tea, etc are also good for Pittas.

✖ They should avoid oily, hot, salty, heavy& fried foods.

3. The Kaphadoshaor Energy of Lubrication is derived from earth and water elements. Since Kapha represents heavy, cool, oily, and smooth qualities foods suitable to them are light, warm, baked, grilled, sautéed & air fried.

✔ They can consume hot & spicy foods as well as fiber-rich food such as raw vegetables & fruits.

✖ Since they tend to have sluggish metabolism they should avoid sweets, heavy foods such as deep-fried foods, ghee, butter & milk items. They have the tendency to overeat & gain weight they should replace their food with healthy alternatives such as millets, nut butter & seed oils.

Dr. Anubha Gupta