6 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Ayurvedic Diet

Ayurveda is based on the principle that the body is made up of five elements such as space, air, water, fire, and earth. When all these elements work in congruence they make a healthy person. An imbalance in any of these elements makes a person prone to illness. Through different techniques and Ayurvedic principles, these elements can be brought in balance again to cure a disease.

Ayurvedic diet is given immense importance in any Ayurvedic treatment since it restores the balance in the body and helps a person stay healthy. Here are 6 facts that you probably did not know about Ayurvedic diet:

• Eat Freshly Cooked Food: Ayurvedic diet insists on consuming fresh food. Food that is stale does great harm to your body even if it was prepared only a few hours before consumption. Ayurveda is not only about consuming a lot of herbs and ayurvedic medicines per say but the ayurvedic doctors always insist on eating as much fresh food as you can as it helps in detoxification of your body and gives you a good overall health.

• Give up Processed Food: There is no place for canned, processed, refrigerated or genetically engineered food items in an Ayurvedic diet. They create a barrier between the normal functioning of mind and body and must be avoided at all costs. Using the microwave is also not recommended for cooking or heating since the molecular structure of food items is modified.

• Choose Organic: An important component of the Ayurvedic diet is to minimize the amount of toxins entering the body and maximize the amount of nutrients. Organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides and are higher in antioxidants and phytonutrients as compared to commercially grown fruits and vegetables.

• Eat a Balanced Diet: Ayurveda keeps different food items in six different categories based on their taste such as sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Any given food has a primary, or baseline, taste and may also have a secondary and even a tertiary taste. Ayurvedic diet philosophy believes that all the six tastes at every meal are essential to take for optimal nutrition and to minimize cravings and prevent overeating.

• Use Different Spices and Condiments: Spices and condiments not only add flavour and aroma to the meal but also bring therapeutic and nutritional value. Spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, etc. help boost immunity and digestion so that the body is able to absorb and assimilate the nutrients from the meal. Some spices and condiments that are regularly used in cooking in Ayurveda are cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, asafoetida, etc.

• Say "No" to Caffeine, Alcohol, and Carbonated Drinks: Water is essential for the overall well-being of a person and is an important part of an Ayurvedic lifestyle. Drinking lots of lukewarm water through the day helps to rehydrate the body and flush toxins out of the digestive system. Cold water is also not considered good for the health since, according to Ayurveda, it slows down the digestive fire. Ayurveda is strictly against caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Gurnam Saini and Pooja Saini are certified practitioners and propagators of Ayurvedic medicine and practice. They have been in Australia for medical practice in Ayurveda for over five years. They both strongly recommend Pureherbalayurved.com.au as the preferred destination for natural treatments for your bodily ailments