Ayurveda: What It Is, What Diseases It Treats, The Basics Of Nutrition According To Ayurveda

What is Ayurveda: history of origin

Ayurveda was formed in Vedic times five thousand years ago. Ayurveda is considered to be the most ancient Indian medicine. Its sources are the ancient Vedas. The word Veda means "knowledge". These are sacred, ancient scriptures set forth in the ancient Indian language Sanskrit.

Ancient Indian medicine combines millennia of wisdom, being a huge encyclopedia of the most valuable knowledge. Ayurvedic medicine pays all attention to an integrated approach and studies the mental, spiritual and emotional states at once, which must be completely in harmony with nature. At the same time, according to Ayurveda, each person is considered unique, that is, has his own set of individual characteristics of the body.

Today, ancient Indian medicine has not lost its value and is experiencing a renaissance of knowledge, especially among the Western population. Its appeal is largely due to the fact that it goes beyond the general medical system. Based on the ancient Vedic philosophy, Ayurvedic medicine covers all areas of human life: nutrition, climate, hygiene, daily routine, way of thinking, perception of the world, perception of oneself in this world, relationships and spiritual development.

Even then, at the time of 1500 BC. e., Indian medicine contained extensive knowledge, of which eight areas of its knowledge stood out separately. But two schools acquired special significance at that time - the “School of Doctors” and the “School of Surgeons”. Thanks to these schools, Indian medicine has become accessible to many talented and enthusiastic people who have connected their path with medicine and healing. For most of them, completely new opportunities for development and gaining experience have opened up. New scientific goals and understandings were formed. Ayurveda continued its development and spread throughout the world.

In 400 AD e. Indian medicine and its works began to be translated into other languages. The first translation was made for the Chinese people. And in 700 AD. e. students from China began to come to India to study at the University of Nalanda. In 800 AD e. Ayurvedic medicine became even more popular, and her works were already translated into Arabic.

Later, about a century later, some Ayurvedic healers gained prominence in the West. One of them was Ratsi Serapion and Avicenna. Oriental medicine and its writings were cited by both healers from the Indian language.

Oriental medicine also attracted the attention of Paracelsus, the Father of Western modern medicine. In the 16th century, he began to develop a teaching that was largely based on the provisions of Ayurveda.

Oriental medicine began to attract people from all over the world. India was open to everyone who wanted to get knowledge about Ayurveda and learn its art. The quality of life and health flourished. During that time, Eastern medicine was studied by many peoples, who later took the acquired knowledge to their countries.

Indian medicine developed over long centuries by holy seers (Rishis). Oriental medicine is a system of knowledge gathered through observation, experimentation, discussion and meditation. For many millennia, sacred knowledge was transmitted orally from teacher to student. But only around the V-VI centuries BC. e. appeared detailed Ayurvedic texts in Sanskrit. Ayurveda mainly developed and flourished in India and Southeast Asia.

The golden age of Ayurveda was during the heyday of Buddhism (it was 327 BC - 750 AD). During this period, the Indians accumulated a lot of knowledge about the structure of the human body: 24 nerves, 40 main vessels and 700 of their branches (and this is the most important knowledge for working with blood, air and mucus), 300 bones, 500 muscles, 900 ligaments and 90 tendons, which are divided into flat, round and long, 107 joints, 9 sense organs and 3 substances - Vata, Pitta, Kapha.

The two main masters of Ayurveda whose works are used in practice to this day are Charaka and Sushruta. Their works are called - "Charaka Samhita" and "Sushruta Samhita". Together with an intensive study of botany and biology, these masters were fluent in yoga, which is an integral part of the Ayurvedic healing practice.

Ayurveda was able to reveal the signs of 150 diseases, discover 760 medicinal plants, as well as many products of animal origin, the rules for combining these products with each other and their effect on the human body.

Ayurveda contains the heritage of all mankind. Part of the ancient knowledge was preserved on the territory of Russia and was called "Russian Vedas".

Causes of Ayurveda, basic concepts

Ayurveda is always focused on finding balance, harmony of a person and the world in which he lives.

The main tasks of Ayurveda:

1. Prevention for a healthy body.

2. Recovery for an organism that has lost its balance.

Ayurveda principles:

• Ancient traditions combined with modern naturopathy and medicine.
• Treatment is important, but prevention is more important than cure itself. The goal of Ayurveda in this approach is to achieve health by establishing balance and harmony (balance of doshas), and not by fighting diseases. Therefore, prevention is given a more important role than therapy.
• Holistic approach: the integrity of a person is taken into account as a single system that includes a way of thinking, psyche, body and relationship with the environment.

Each person's body is unique. What is medicine for one may be poison for another. We need an individual approach to everyone. For example, a certain set of products can help a person to be healthy, active, or vice versa - aggravate the disease.

The relationship between nature and man. Man and nature consist of the same elements - ether, air, water, earth and fire (we will talk about them in more detail below, in the topic “Types of constitution of the human body”).

Daily biorhythms. The internal cycles of the human body correspond to the external cycles of nature, which are controlled by sunrise, sunset and have a relationship with the Three Doshas (more on this in the topic “Types of constitution of the human body”).

• Awareness. A person's understanding of why he eats, lives, works, develops. What are its ways and directions to achieve the goals.
• Amplification Principle: “Like increases like.”
• The principle of compensation: "Opposites reduce or balance each other."
• The ability of an organism to self-heal when certain conditions are created.

The key to controlling our body lies in everyone's mind. Ayurveda says that with a systematic, proper use of the body, a person can completely control the functions of his body: at his own will, heal from diseases, restore and maintain good health, and even more successfully than with his usual means. Ayurvedic remedies are only meant to help with this.

4 levels of health:

1. Arogya - the basic level of somatic health “absence of physical suffering”.

2. Sukham is social health.

3. Swastha - mental and emotional well-being, self-sufficiency.

4. Ananda - spiritual well-being.

Ayurveda recommends actively working with stress, which most often occurs due to an unhealthy lifestyle.

In Ayurveda, stress (or "Sahas") is the root cause of a number of diseases. Prolonged stress leads to a loss of the body's immunity, which affects its susceptibility to disease.

The main causes of stress:

• Lack of sleep, lack of sleep, night work.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Emotional stress.
• Industrial food, overeating.
• Bad habits (alcohol, smoking)
• Lack of relaxation methods - hobbies, relaxation, creativity, walking, reading books, communication, meditation, and so on.

An unhealthy lifestyle slowly but inevitably leads to the early onset of various somatic diseases. There is an excess or shortage of something in the body, the balance of the Three Doshas is disturbed. This leads to a malfunction in the sphere of emotions, behavior and in the work of body systems.

Every day a person is exposed to various harmful substances - toxins. Sources of toxins are - the environment (air, land, water), industrial food, water in plastic bottles, household and cosmetic products, furniture and other various equipment.

To remove toxins, Ayurveda recommends:

1. Carry out a complex system of purification - Panchakarma (or "five actions"). The condition for its implementation is the preparation of the body for this system and consultation with a specialist.

2. Remove / notice objects, things containing toxins as much as possible.

In its arsenal, Ayurveda contains various techniques for restoring health:

• Selection of the optimal lifestyle - a combination of an individually selected diet with physical exercises, the correct organization of time, maintaining a balance of work and rest, taking into account the constitution, observing the law of commensurability.
• Naturopathic methods of correction - Ayurvedic herbal medicine, which takes into account both symptomatic and constitutional approaches.
• Massage, oiling - both a way to harmonize the physical body, and a way to deliver medicinal oils and other substances through the skin.
• Taste therapy, aromatherapy, color therapy, music therapy, meditation.
• The use of modern strategies and medicines according to the principle of “desha-kala-patra” - “place-time-circumstances”.

What does Ayurveda treat

Three causes of disease:

1. Violation of the laws of life.

2. Inharmonious use of the senses.

3. Regime neglect.

The reasons for the violation of the state of equilibrium can be external and internal factors. Regardless of the influencing factor, a person becomes ill only if the internal balance is disturbed.

Signs of health according to Ayurveda:

• Good digestion and appetite.
• Feeling hungry at certain times of the day.
• Good sleep, fast sleep.
• Rapid inclusion in life after waking up.
• Proper breathing.
• Healthy sweating.
• Healthy, soft, elastic skin.
• Regular and complete defecation and urination.
• Peace of mind.

Thousands of years ago, mankind did not have such advanced technologies that it has today. There were no such environmental problems. There were more forests, the air was cleaner, chemicals were not used to fertilize the soil, and so on. There was more physical activity, observation and the same physical bodies with their own sets of various diseases.

If a person fell ill, he had to be treated somehow. People explored different techniques, used natural natural plants and formulations.

Based on the application of guidelines from ancient Vedic knowledge and personal practical experience, they gradually came to the conclusion that there are cures for everything in nature. Each plant has its mission, its purpose. Nature created everything for a reason, everything is thought out much deeper than we think and see in reality.

Ayurveda says that the most important cure for all diseases is in ourselves. This “Prana” is our life energy. This is what drives us, allows us to breathe, see, feel, and in general be alive.

Prevention, treatment and restoration of the body is carried out by two methods:

1. Organic or constitutional;

2. Therapeutic.

Let's take a closer look at how Ayurveda can help:

• cleansing the body of toxins (without negative consequences, such as weakness, fatigue, nausea, headache);
• restoration of body resources and elimination of the root causes of various ailments, such as heartburn, reflux, bloating, belching, constipation, etc.;
• restoration of the enzymatic function of the stomach and small intestine;
• full digestion, metabolism, hormonal background (a pleasant consequence will be weight loss, increased physical and mental activity, increased concentration, good, stable mood without drops);
• maximum absorption of nutrients;
• restoration and support of immunity;
• cleansing and restoration of taste buds that affect the feeling of satiety and taste preferences;
• reduction / getting rid of addictions, such as cravings for harmful sweets, starchy foods, late dinners, frequent snacks, night snacks.

And all this is only a small part.

Types of human body construction

There are five main elements. Ayurveda describes them as - air, ether, earth, water and fire.

• Air is the principle of movement in space, sensory and nerve impulses. It is dry, light, clear and mobile.
• Ether is space. It is empty, light, subtle, all-pervading, omnipresent and all-encompassing.
• The earth is a solid structure. It is solid matter or energy packed into matter. Gives the body strength, structure and stamina.
• Water is information, that is, the principle of filling out a form, the principle of interaction. It is the chemical energy and the energy of the body fluid.
• Fire is the principle of transformation, the principle of the release of energy from matter. When the air begins to move, friction occurs, which creates heat or fire. Responsible for digestion, absorption and assimilation.

These five primary elements manifest in the human body as three fundamental principles or attributes known as "Tridosha - VATA, PITTA, KAPHA".

VATA, PITTA, KAPHA are responsible for all biological, psychological and physiopathological (disease-causing) functions of the body, mind and consciousness.

The individual constitution of a person consists of a certain Dosha or Dosha (mixed constitution), which determines a special psychotype of a person, his individual homeostasis and metabolism.

Determining the dominant Dosha is the “base of the foundations” of the entire healing process, according to Ayurveda. The whole process is aimed at balancing all three Doshas, ​​accumulating ojas (vital energy).

Also important are the concepts of "Prakriti" - an innate individual constitution and "Vikriti" - an acquired individual constitution.

In total, a person can be represented by one of seven variations of constitutions. When one Dosha predominates, it is Vata, Pitta or Kapha. When two Doshas predominate in the body, it can be Pitta-Vata, Pitta-Kapha or Kapha-Vata and they are called mixed types of constitutions.

When all three Doshas "Vata-Pitta-Kapha" are in balance, this state is called "Dosha Itself". It is considered the best for the body.

When the balance in one of the Doshas is disturbed, the process of illness begins, various ailments that you should immediately pay attention to and begin to act. The balance of the three Doshas is health, and the disharmony of the three Doshas is a disease.

A person is healthy when the balance of doshas corresponds to the ratio that was given to a person at birth.

Every day, two main cycles of changes occur in the human body, each of which includes the phases of Vata, Pitta, Kapha.

• The first cycle of change occurs between sunrise and sunset.
• The second cycle of change occurs between sunset and sunrise.

The first cycle is Kapha, followed by Pitta and Vata.

The time of sunrise and sunset varies throughout the year, and also, the cycles depend on their geographical location. Therefore, the indicated cycle times are indicative only.

I cycle (day):

• Kapha 6:00-10:00
• Pitta 10:00–14:00
• Vata 14:00–18:00

II cycle (night):

• Kapha 18:00–22:00
• Pitta 22:00–2:00
• Vata 2:00–6:00

Primary elements: ether and air, the most elusive.

Constitutional predisposition to certain diseases:

• From the digestive system: problems with intestinal motility, constipation, gas formation, dry stools, anal fissures, dry mucous membranes.
• On the part of the nervous system: sleep disturbance (waking up at 3-5 in the morning), Vata-type migraines (from wind, weather change to cold or from cold, after a flight), poor memory, overexcitation, anxiety, insecurity, tendency to fear (fear of the dark , heights and closed spaces, etc.), obsessive movements, nervous tics, tremors of the limbs.
• From the musculoskeletal system (musculoskeletal system): crunching in the joints, arthrosis, osteoporosis, malocclusion, caries.
• Respiratory: shortness of breath, dry cough.
• From the side of the cardiovascular system: arrhythmia.

Primary elements: fire and water.

Constitutional predisposition to certain diseases:

• On the part of the digestive system: impaired digestion of food, increased acidity of gastric juice, gastritis, heartburn, sour or acute belching, burning sensation, diseases of the gallbladder and liver, ulcers of the digestive tract, excessive production of bile, gallstones, inflammation, accelerated intestinal motility , intestinal inflammation.
• From the cardiovascular and circulatory systems: blood diseases, high blood pressure, heart attacks.
• From the skin: inflammation and rashes on the skin (acne, dermatitis, rash).
• From the side of the nervous system - anxiety, irritability, weakness of feelings, intoxication, irascibility.
• From the endocrine system - an increase in the thyroid gland, hair loss, migraine, pain in the temporal region.
• On the part of detox: a sharp unpleasant smell of sweat and from the mouth, excessive sweating, impaired alcohol detoxification (alcoholism), pigmentation on the skin (especially cheekbones, cheeks - manifestations of gallbladder dysfunction).

Primary elements: earth and water.

Constitutional predisposition to certain diseases:

• On the part of the digestive system - excess mucus in the stomach, slow digestion, poor bile, mucous or sweet belching, chronic gastrointestinal disorders (due to a decrease in the acidity of gastric juice), parasitosis, slow intestinal motility, congestion, swelling, swelling, tumors.
• On the part of the nervous system - pain in the joints, there are convulsions, arthritis, arthrosis, fluid accumulation in the joints, swelling of the joints, slow perception, lack of desire to move, apathy, excessive sentimentality.
• From the endocrine system - anemia, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, overweight, headaches (especially in the back of the head).
• From the respiratory system: runny nose, sinusitis, sinusitis, adenoiditis.
• From the side of the cardiovascular system: atherosclerosis.

The disease manifests the characteristic properties of the Dosha that caused it.

By characteristic properties, we can determine the nature of the disease in the same way as the type of physical constitution.

The disease can be cured with the help of those means that balance the Dosha that gave rise to it.

Physiological changes in Dosh. There is a category of so-called physiological changes in the quantitative and qualitative ratio of the three Doshas. Their physiological changes occur under the influence of food consumed, as well as the time of day (considered above “Human Biorhythms and Three Doshas”), climatic fluctuations and other factors. All these ongoing changes are not a disease, because they quickly return to normal. Therefore, their rapid normalization is just a consequence of a superficial change that does not violate the internal structure of the body, is not an obstacle to the coordinated work of all organs and tissues of the body.

With the optimal flow of all the events that take place, the Doshas go through a cycle of changes from three stages, which always follow one after another in order. Ayurveda describes them as:

1. Accumulation is when one of the main qualities of the dosha predominates.

2. Excitation is when the accumulated quality of a dosha begins to be influenced by its second quality.

3. Tranquility is when the dosha naturally balances, with good health, strong immunity and proper behavior.

Tasks of an Ayurveda specialist:

• To identify which of the Doshas of the external environment led to an imbalance in the internal balance of the Doshas of a person.
• Determine the path of migration of unbalanced Doshas in the human body.
• To choose compensatory nutrition, lifestyle, therapy, to help improve the quality of human life.

To determine the exact constitution, you can contact an Ayurveda specialist. Also, for familiarization, you can take a test to determine the Dosha, after which you need to verify the reliability of the results together with a specialist.

Features of nutrition according to Ayurveda

Food, from the point of view of Ayurveda, is one of the main forms of medicine. But the effect is of better quality and longer, but not as fast-acting, unlike drugs.

Food can not only nourish, but also heal the body and soul. It is important to remember that there are "wrong food" and "bad habits of nutrition and lifestyle" that can seriously weaken the immune system, undermine the coordinated work of all body systems (digestive, nervous, endocrine, etc.).

If one Dosha dominates in the body, it is necessary to follow the recommendations for it. If two Doshas predominate, you need to select food in accordance with the season, as well as your needs.

Each person reacts to food in his own way, depending on the individual constitution. Therefore, nutrition should be selected according to the individual constitution:

• Vata (wind) - responsible for breathing, movement, rhythms of the body;
• Pitta (bile) - responsible for metabolism, good digestion, body temperature;
• Kapha (mucus) - affects the volume, structure, metabolism.

Ayurveda distinguishes 6 basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, astringent, pungent and bitter.

Each food product (as well as each plant) has a specific taste. When used in the right amounts, flavors balance the body's systems. Taste buds on the tongue form six groups corresponding to six tastes.

If you need to balance Doshas:

• Vata constitution

  Minimize: Ingestion of dry, cold, rough foods.

  Recommended: warm, moist, oily and nutritious food.

• pitta constitution

  Minimize: fatty, light and hot foods.

  Recommended: cool, heavy and dry food.

• Kapha constitution

  Minimize: Fatty, cold and heavy foods.

  Recommended: dry, light, hot and spicy food.

• It is not recommended to eat tasteless food, eat in a hurry.
• Any product contains its own, individual energy.
• Empty your bowels or bladder before eating.
• Products must be compatible with each other. Even the most healthy foods can harm the body and disrupt digestion, so it is important to follow the principle of food compatibility with each other.
• Eat only when there is a feeling of hunger.

• Start eating only after complete digestion of the products from the previous meal.
• You need to learn to listen to your body. If necessary, abandon the usual routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The body, like no one else, knows what it needs at a certain point in time.
• It should be borne in mind that you can’t eat 2-3 hours before bedtime, since at night the process of digesting food stops. Eaten foods will simply spoil in the body until the person wakes up.

• The main meal should be at lunchtime.
• Drinking is also allowed when there is a feeling of thirst. Excessive drinking leads to imbalance and poor digestion. It is not recommended to drink immediately after eating, it slows down the process of digestion of food in the stomach. In Ayurveda, this means the extinction of the digestive fire - agni.
• Before eating, they wash their hands and wash their faces, if possible they wash their feet. This is done in order to remove the accumulated negative energy.
• You need to eat only in a calm, balanced state tuned to positive emotions, without a TV and other gadgets that distract attention.
• If you need to restore the digestive fire, you need: fasting (conditions vary depending on the constitution of the body) or taking ginger juice with lemon juice and salt 20 minutes before meals (proportion 0.5 tsp / 0.5 tsp. /pinch). Before use, read the contraindications and consult a specialist!

   

• Food should be well digested. Therefore, immediately after eating, it is not recommended to engage in physical activity, but you should not lie down either, as this can lead to the formation of excess weight. The most optimal thing is to take a leisurely walk or do a quiet job that gives pleasure.
• Half the stomach must be filled with solid food, the fourth part with liquid. The remaining space is necessary for free air circulation and better digestion.
• You need to leave the meal without a feeling of heaviness.
• Refuse refined sugar, as it disturbs the balance of Dosha. Refined carbohydrates have a bad effect on the pancreas, adrenal glands, depriving the body of energy.
• In Ayurveda, it is recommended to eat food that energizes for the whole day. These are whole grain cereals and other foods rich in fiber (vegetables, greens, fiber, fruits, berries, nuts, seeds). Fiber keeps the digestive tract in good shape.
• Reduce salt intake, do not salt. Salt has a tightening and contracting effect on the body, as a result, blood circulation slows down, fluid stagnation in the body (this can be manifested by swollen eyes, swollen face).

A variety of colors and textures of food that can be felt and seen in one dish - bright, solid, liquid, crispy, dense, airy. All this determines the positive impact, which is why there is a better production of enzymes for the digestion and assimilation of food.

After the substance is swallowed and enters the stomach, immediately (or a little later) there is a sensation of heat or cold. This feeling is called virya.

For example, let's take a lemon and a lime - we can say that they are one and the same. To taste, they can completely replace each other in a particular dish. But, according to their properties, their primary elements differ. The property of lime is to cool, and the property of lemon is to warm.

Поступившая в желудочно-кишечный тракт пища может существенно изменять свои свойства в процессе переваривания. К примеру, рассмотрим сочетание молоко (вкус сладкий) + банан (вкус сладкий). Если съесть банан с молоком одновременно, то в процессе их переваривания будет происходить процесс брожения, это проявляется вздутием и газообразованием. Данный процесс объясняется тем, что банан в кишечнике приобретает новое свойство - кислый вкус, от этого молоко будет закисать. В таких случаях организм вместо того, чтобы усваивать полученные питательные вещества, наоборот, накапливает токсины.

Разные семейства овощей и фруктов по-разному перевариваются и усваиваются.

Например, для расщепления и усвоения семейства тыквенных и паслёновых, необходимы разные химические реакции, протекающие в органах ЖКТ. Для одних – кислотная, для других – щелочная.

Also, different reactions are needed for the digestion of sweet and sour fruits.

When complex combinations enter the body, it spends a lot of energy processing them. Consider the banana and milk example. Our body can digest anything. The only question is the expended energy and the further quality of life and health.

If the body feels constant fatigue, and after eating it pulls into sleep, most likely, the body spends more energy on digesting food than it receives. Experiment, try different combinations of products. For example, try eating a tomato separately from a cucumber, or not adding a banana to oatmeal, or not combining a banana with milk.

Regular intake of incompatible combinations of products can significantly harm health and cause an imbalance of the Three Doshas, ​​the development of autoimmune diseases, overload of the excretory organs, salt deposits in hollow organs and joints.

Ayurveda teaches how to combine and balance each product in a dish in terms of primary elements. For example, Brussels sprouts (cruciferous family) have a dry and light nature, it has a lot of ether and air. Therefore, it can cause swelling. But knowing the subtleties of Ayurveda, the air can be balanced with the help of certain ingredients that have more water and earth, such as creamy sauces or risotto.

Ayurveda describes six seasons - spring, summer, rainy season, autumn, early winter and late winter.

The period from August to January is the time when the body accumulates and strengthens the immune system.

The period from January to July is the time when the body spends the accumulated and lives on the "residual" immunity.

Spring. This season is usually associated with allergies and colds. Therefore, it is necessary to connect exactly opposite products in terms of qualities and potentials in order to balance the body - that is, add drying products with sharp, bitter and astringent tastes.

If in the spring to consume dairy products, which are weighting and watery in their functions, there will be an obese person, then he may develop obesity, edema, atherosclerosis, depressive mood, apathy. It is important to avoid overeating and eating hard to digest, fatty, sour, sweet, cold foods.

In priority, such tastes as: astringent, dry, slightly bitter, spicy.

Spring is the time when berries, herbs, honey should be added to the diet, as they have detoxifying and drying properties.

Summer. The time when the earth dries up, the heat builds up. Tastes such as sour, spicy, spicy, chili pepper, peppery, very fatty and fried are not recommended.

Autumn. Suitable tastes: sweet, astringent, bitter (eg, turmeric, wormwood). Warm water, warm teas. Avoid cold and dry foods.

Winter. Warming spices and ghee (clarified butter) are especially important at this time. It is necessary to add legumes and grains, but in moderation, do not get carried away with them. In winter, the body is more likely to accumulate mucus, so it is worth connecting moderate physical activity.

Regardless of the season, it is recommended to use ripe products, seasonal, local ones are in priority.

Season: autumn and early winter (September - December).

Balanced: warm, moist, oily.

Necessary:

• Change to a warm and fluid-rich diet, limit cold drinks, cold food. It is necessary to warm the body from the inside, while not spending extra energy on heating food.
• Nourish fabrics with oils (cook with ghee or ghee, add oils to salads, you can do oiling the body with coconut or sesame oil)
• Cereals, nuts - soak, do not fry, to saturate with moisture. This will allow Vata's digestion to settle down.
• Tastes - salty, sour, sweet. Pungent, astringent and bitter tastes should be minimized.
• Any excess in flavors will weigh down Vata.
• Warm pastel shades, sunny yellows and greens are recommended.

Examples of products suitable for Vata:

• Vegetables - root vegetables: beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, pumpkins, squash, asparagus, cucumbers, green peas, radishes.
• Fruits - avocados, figs, grapefruit, banana, berries, plums, persimmons, apricots / dried apricots, lemons.
• Legumes (soaked) - mung dal / split peas, red lentils;
• Cereals - quinoa, brown rice, oats, wheat.
• Spices - cumin (zira), fennel, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger, pepper.
• Fats - sesame oil, olive oil, activated nuts/seeds.

Season: late spring and summer (May - August).

Balanced by: Sweet, cool and stabilizing food qualities.

Necessary:

• Increase intake of fresh vegetables, salads, green foods, cool drinks.
• Spices (saffron, coriander, cardamom, fennel).
• Always a nutritious breakfast.
• Cool colors are recommended: for example, a blue or blue decanter of water from which you can drink water and admire it at the same time, you can wear a blue dress or sweater, or neutral clothes. All this will help calm, balance this Dosha.

Foods Suitable for Pitta:

• Vegetables - raw and cooked, bitter herbs and sweet-tasting vegetables.
• Fruits are sweet fruits other than citrus fruits. A combination of sweet and astringent tastes.
• Legumes (soak) - Most legumes are suitable, with the exception of tur dala.
• Grains - barley, rice, oats, wheat, quinoa and other pseudo-grains (gluten-free).
• Spices - fennel, zira, coriander.
• Fats - a small amount of coconut and olive oils, a little sunflower, pumpkin seeds.

Season: late winter and early spring (January-April)

It is balanced by: light, warm, and dry qualities of foods, as well as warming up the body (sauna, massage, a good warm-up workout).

Necessary:

• Tastes are astringent, bitter, and pungent. These are cranberries, apples, pears, grapefruits, apricots. A little sweet taste, such as natural honey.
• Awakening, warming spices: pepper, ginger, mustard, cayenne pepper.
• Bright and bold colors are recommended - red, orange, gold.

Foods Suitable for Kapha:

• Vegetables - greens, anything that grows above the ground or root vegetables that are eaten raw. Asparagus, cucumbers, green peas, radishes, fennel.
• Fruits - lemons, unsweetened apples, grapefruits, cranberries, pears.
• Legumes (soak) - mung dal / split peas, red lentils and other medium-sized legumes.
• Cereals - buckwheat, millet, corn grits, quinoa, amaranth.
• Spices - cumin (zira), dry ginger, cinnamon, fenugreek, turmeric, cardamom, pepper.
• Fats - avocado oil, olive oil, dried nuts, seeds, Ghee (clarified butter).

To enhance Kapha digestion and absorption of nutrients, you can chew a small piece of ginger with mineral salt 20 minutes before eating.

Are there any contraindications for the use of Ayurveda?

With self-medication and lack of knowledge, Ayurveda can be harmful.

Contraindications:

• It is not recommended to use the recommendations of Ayurveda for serious ailments without the advice of experienced professionals. Treatment of diseases in their acute and active phase is also a contraindication.
• Harm often occurs during cleansing practices. First of all, you need to prepare your body, approach this process smoothly, namely, gradually give up bad habits and unsuitable food for the body, establish detoxification processes and prepare ways to remove toxins.

  For example, you do not need to engage in breathing practices (pranayama) while actively continuing to smoke cigarettes. The body will begin to remove old toxins, but will not be able to immediately cope with the influx of new poisons.

• During lactation and pregnancy, in violation of blood clotting, as well as in the first three months after the operation.

Ayurveda must be followed without blind faith, with the right integrated approach. It is important to realize that, applying the knowledge of this science, you need to use it not only as a tool for treatment, but also as a way of life.