Maintaining healthy dietary habits seems difficult in today’s bustling life, where dining outside and eating fast food have become preferable. Our bodies thrive on whatever food we provide them as fuel. But with a fast-paced lifestyle, we often forget to nourish our bodies properly. However, turning to the ancient roots of time-tested wisdom Ayurveda— can help us take a holistic approach to maintaining good dietary habits.
Ayurveda, known as ‘the science of life,’ emphasises building harmony between our mind, body, and spirit. The core philosophy of Ayurveda is that food is not just the fuel for life but also the medicine to cure illnesses. Let’s delve into the basics of Ayurveda to build healthy dietary habits.
Understanding Doshas:
According to Ayurveda, our bodies have different constitutions of three main doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each dosha has unique characteristics and represents a combination of five elements of nature. Vata is made of Ether and Air, Pitta is made of Fire and Water, and Kapha is made of Water and Earth. Maintaining a balance between these doshas through the food you eat is the first step towards building good dietary habits.
Seasonal Produce:
Ayurveda advocates changing our dietary habits according to the weather and surroundings around our body. This refers to seasonal eating. With every different season, the available produce also changes. In winter, eating root vegetables can help keep your body warm and resistant to inflammation and infections. While in spring indulging in juicy fresh fruits as well as beans keeps your body nourished and hydrated. India is known for its seasonal habits, which are mainly marked by festivals like Sankranti, Baisakhi, Onma, etc. This habit helps you recognise what your body needs to keep you fit and healthy during different phases of seasons.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating has been deemed necessary in the age of multitasking and enjoying food while watching something on your phone or TV screen. It is important to recognise the need to step away from any other distractions while eating. Observing what food you’re eating, how it tastes and feels, and how it satiates your hunger is called mindful eating. Eating mindfully not only enhances your entire eating experience but also helps our bodies digest and assimilate nutrients better. Food that is eaten with intent always provides the best form of nourishment.
Balanced Nutrition
Ayurveda focuses on the balance of taste in food to build healthy dietary habits. It emphasises the importance of including all six tastes—bitter, sour, sweet, salty, pungent, and astringent. Every taste triggers different digestive juices in our body, which help in proper food absorption. That is why balancing our meals with all six taste palettes is important.
Digestive Fire
Digestive fire in Ayurveda is known as Agni. Agni helps us break down food, absorb nutrients, and convert them into core elements of our body. Agni is responsible for maintaining good health through digestion and nutrient absorption. Imbalance Agni can even cause mood disorders as our gut is considered our second brain. It is crucial to maintain the digestive fire in our bodies healthily.
In conclusion, our bodily processes and functions depend on what we eat, how we eat, and how well our food is digested. Therefore, to maintain good health and immunity, it is important to build and follow good eating habits with ancient Ayurvedic wisdom.
