Ancient Ayurvedic teachings can bring great wisdom into your life by increasing your self-awareness. Understanding what is your body type and what are its needs will change your life forever!
Your health, intellectual competence as well as emotional intelligence and wellbeing all depend on how well you manage your body.
Discover Your Body Type According to Ayurveda (Know Your Prakriti to Know How to Apply it to Your Ayurvedic Diet)
There are 3 bodily humours (Tridosha – त्रिदोष) made of elements of Nature (Pancha Mahabhutas / पंच महाभूत – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space/Ether / पृथ्वी, जल, अग्नि, वायु, आकाश)) determining your innate body constitution (Prakriti – प्रकृति) according to Ayurveda:
Vata consisting of Air and Space elements
Pitta consisting of Fire and Water elements
Kapha consisting of Earth and Water elements
3 Doshas in Ayurveda (Different Body Types)
People who have one dosha predominant are called as a Vata person, a Pitta person, or a Kapha person.
Most commonly there are people who have 2 doshas strong. Vata-Pitta person has significant presence of both Vata and Pitta doshas, however Vata is a bit more dominant and is put on first place in the name therefore. In this way we have the following additional 6 Prakriti types:
Vata-Pitta person
Vata-Kapha person
Pitta-Vata person
Pitta-Kapha person
Kapha-Vata person
Kapha-Pitta person
We also meet people, although quite rarely, who have all 3 doshas in equal proportion, and in Ayurveda they are called as Tridosha people or Vata-Pitta-Kapha people.
Be Aware How You Use the 6 Tastes to Turn Them into Your Medicine! (Ayurvedic Diet Works as Medicine if You Understand How Sense of Taste Works)
Vata dosha is healed by sweet, sour, and salty tastes, whereas aggravated by pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes.
Pitta dosha is healed by sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes, whereas aggravated by sour, salty and pungent tastes.
Kapha dosha is healed by pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes, whereas aggravated by sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
According to Ayurvedic Diet you need all 6 tastes for proper digestion and you can simply increase proportion of the ones indicated for your predominant dosha/doshas.
Qualities of the 6 Tastes of Foods According to Ayurveda
Each taste (Rasa / रस) has unique properties obtained from the two elements of which it is composed and decreases or increases specific dosha energies:
Sweet (Madhur / मधुर) / Earth + Water (Prithvi + Jal / पृथ्वी + जल)
(grounding-nourishing, cooling)
Decreases Vata and Pitta // Increases Kapha
Sour (Amla / अम्ल) / Earth + Fire (Prithvi + Agni / पृथ्वी + अग्नि)
(grounding, heating)
Decreases Vata // Increases Pitta and Kapha
Salty (Lavana / लवण) / Water + Fire (Jal + Agni / जल + अग्नि)
(heating, hydrating)
Decreases Vata // Increases Pitta and Kapha
Pungent (Katu / कटु) / Fire + Air (Agni + Vayu / अग्नि + वायु)
(stimulating, drying, very heating)
Increases Vata and Pitta // Decreases Kapha
Bitter (Tikta – तिक्त) / Air + Space/Either (Vayu + Akash / वायु + आकाश)
(very cooling, detoxifying, giving lightness, drying)
Increases Vata // Decreases Pitta and Kapha
Astringent (Kashaya – कषाय) / Air + Earth (Vayu + Prithvi / वायु + पृथ्वी)
(drying, cooling)
Increases Vata // Decreases Pitta and Kapha
Natural Occurrence of the 6 Tastes in Foods
Easy Ayurvedic Diet Guidelines for the Three Doshas
Vata dosha is:
Cool
Dry
Hard / Rough
Light
Changing
And it can be neutralised by the opposite qualities that are:
Warming
Warm or hot temperature meals and drinks. Foods, drinks and spices of energetic heating properties. Friendly and pleasant atmosphere while eating.
Moist / Oily
Foods cooked with enough water, more in wet form, soups, with addition of good quality oil or clarified butter. Drinking plenty of warm water / hot teas in the morning and in between meals. A few sips of hot water after a meal and then one hour gap after eating before starting to drink. Avoiding air-full foods like popped grains, for example popcorn, popped rice, crackers etc. and gas producing foods like big beans – if any of these are taken then adding ghee or good quality oil diminishes its Vata aggravating effect. Avoiding carbonated drinks like sodas.
Smoothing / Soft
Soft and mushy texture with less roughage.
Nourishing / Grounding / Filling
But not so heavy like deep-fried foods that would tax the sensitive Vata digestion.
Regulating / Calming
Irregularity in eating habits and hunger aggravate Vata. Fixed hours for meals have calming and strengthening effect, preferably 7:00-8:00 am breakfast, 12:00-1:00 pm lunch, 6:00-7:00 pm dinner. Avoiding exciting/stimulating foods like hot peppers or drinks like coffee. Recommended taking hot herbal teas with calming energetic properties.
Click here to read detailed list of foods for aggravated Vata dosha.
Pitta dosha is:
Hot
Moist / Oily
Sharp
Light
Explosive
And it can be neutralised by the opposite qualities that are:
Cooling
Ambient temperature or warm meals but not hot. Foods, drinks and spices of cooling energetic properties.
Drying
More dry and solid foods rather than too watery or too oily foods.
Mild
Calming spices and drinks. Not stimulating.
Nourishing / Grounding
But not so heavy that it would stimulate production of too much digestive fire.
Stabilising
Skipping meals aggravates Pitta dosha. The regularity of meals calms the mind and keeps the big hunger tendency at bay. Avoiding exciting/stimulating foods like chillies, garlic and drinks like coffee. Pitta has inclination towards heating up and conflicts. Calm and friendly ambient during meals is a must. From one side it helps good digestion. Excitement causes excessive secretion of digestive fire. Eating in a hurry, feeling angry or anxious can cause burning sensation. From the other side the emotions experienced while eating greatly influence our hormone production. Eating mindfully with good and relaxed mood, can help to maintain peaceful feeling for the rest of the day.
Click here to read detailed list of foods for aggravated Pitta dosha.
Kapha dosha is:
Cool
Moist / Oily
Smooth / Soft
Heavy
Steady
And it can be neutralised by the opposite qualities that are:
Warming
Warm or hot temperature meals. Foods, drinks and spices of energetic heating properties. Friendly and inspiring company while eating.
Drying
More dry and solid foods rather than watery or oily foods.
Rough
Salads as they have lots of roughage. Fruits and vegetables with enough fibre. However not exaggerating with raw foods as they have a cooling effect and are harder to digest.
Light
Avoiding too heavy foods to break down, especially fried-foods. Eating moderate quantities of foods and less meals a day. Dry, air-filled foods like popcorn, popped rice, crackers as well as legumes are good for Kapha dosha.
Stimulating
Stimulating spices and drinks.
Click here to read detailed list of foods for aggravated Kapha dosha.
Be Your Best Doctor and Counter Balance Your Symptoms Right Away at Home with Correct Food Type with Ayurvedic Diet
You don’t have to understand all the doshas, what exactly should or shouldn’t be consumed. You can simply observe the qualities appearing in your body, treat them with opposites and still get the right results!
If there is dryness in your body, cracking of skin, breaking of hair or nails, drink more warm water and hot herbal teas, eat wet or soupy foods and add good quality oil or clarified butter generously to it.
If there is bloating in your abdomen due to excess gas, cracking of the joints, spasms or twitching of muscles, decrease air-full and dry foods like popped grains or crackers and gas producing foods like cabbage or beans (especially big ones). If you feel fidgety, anxious or agitated take some grounding and filling meals with good quality oil or clarified butter.
If there is redness, red spots, rashes or pimples on your skin, you suffer from acid reflux, acidity, very strong acid smell of the urine, bad breath, excessive smelly sweating, inflammations in your joints or experience explosive emotions, take some foods and drinks of cooling properties. It may also apply for the hot Summer months if you feel very hot.
If you feel cold take heating drinks and spices. It may also apply for Winter season. If there is excess phlegm in your respiratory tract, your digestive system is overloaded, there is excess food in your body, heaviness, dimmish the quantity and size of meals and occasionally fast for a day or two to feel lighter.
Important Facts About Fasting for Vata, Pitta and Kapha (Considering Ancient Wisdom of Ayurveda)
Vata people have thinner body with very less fat. Cleansing of the body can be made by an occasional intermittent fasting if it is really needed or mono diet for a day or two. It is especially Vata dosha women that should take care to have regular meals as their hormonal system is vulnerable to changes. Eating healthy foods with fixed meal times without overeating will automatically allow the body to keep the digestive system light and clean.
Pitta people have great appetite and need more energy. Their metabolism and digestion are fast and they should maintain regular meals to keep their nerves cool. To cleanse the body, they can adapt alkaline diet of fresh vegetables and fruits and avoid heating or stimulating drinks and spices. Meditation can help Pitta people to feel peaceful and as a result reduce the level of acidity and toxicity in the body.
If Vata or Pitta person decides to do some mild form of fasting then a very restful, calm, meditative time is a must for this occasion. Also, it is best then to stay in solitude. It is very unadvisable for a Vata or Pitta person to try to work physically or mentally while skipping meals.
Fasting can be very healthy for Kapha dosha people to clear the phlegm from chest and head, purify the digestive tract and lighten up the body. Kapha person has more fat, slower metabolic rate and can go without food for longer time comfortably.
Company of a friendly, calm and easy-going person with peaceful vibes is ok while fasting. However, a person abstaining from food should not be looking at someone else eating, feel cooking smells, etc, as it causes secretion of enzymes, gives hunger and interferes with the bodily cleansing process.
Important Final Notes for Safe Diet According to Ayurveda
When you are adjusting your diet remember that no one has only one dosha working in the body. Other two doshas are also there! Very strict one-dosha-diet followed for longer time may put out of order the other two doshas.
One dosha may be the most prominent due to an imbalance or a strong innate one-dosha Prakriti. In the first case you may favour the one-dosha-diet until harmony is re-established. In the second case you can follow a normal diet but simply increase percentage of specific tastes and food types respectively.
Introduce changes slowly, mindfully and sensitively. Observe how you feel after different foods. Keep common sense and moderation in everything you eat and drink. It is more about favouring specific kinds of foods by adjusting their proportions. Completely erasing some foods to replace them with others can be shocking and abrupt for the body.
Doshas are fluctuating in your body according to your life style and seasons of the year. You can easily develop beautiful awareness about any changes in yourself by simply observing how you feel after different foods and remaining sensitive to your needs at each present moment.
