Ayurveda doesn’t say NO to foods, rather it tells you how to enjoy your food and stay in balance.
One of the concerns that people often share is that living an ayurvedic lifestyle will not allow them to enjoy their favorite foods. Nothing could be further from the truth! Ayurveda doesn’t say no, rather it educates us on how to enjoy our favorite foods.
The five elements—earth, water, fire, air, and ether—are found in all foods. We have all five elements in our bodies, too. Each of us has a different relationship to these elements and that is what makes up our “super secret sauce” or constitution, called our dosha Prakruti. Foods have their own elemental nature; some are hot and spicy (jalapeño), others are crunchy and dry (popcorn) while others are gooey and cold (ice cream). This rule is even true for the seasons of the year, stages of our life and hours of the day!
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Here is the inside scoop: it is the combination of when (what season of the year, an hour of the day and to some degree stage of our life) we eat a certain food that indicates the potential digestive impact that food will have on our body, or our specific doshic constitution.
- Eat what is in the season where you live, as nature provides the antidote in her harvest.
- Do not think that Ayurveda is telling you that a food is good or bad, rather think about how to enjoy your food, so it will not build up qualities that could create an imbalance within your constitution.
- Notice what time of day you eat. This makes a big difference in ayurvedic medicine. Having the heavy, sweet foods in the morning (Kapha time of day) in the Spring (Kapha time of year) will not make you feel perky and focused. Rather heavy, sweet foods like, pancakes with maple syrup and butter, will make you feel heavy, sweet, and dull.
- Notice how your stage of life might have shifted your ability to digest certain foods. Many children grow out of certain allergies as they reach their 20s. Likewise, many folks start to have food sensitivities as they age and their nature changes a bit. (https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/details/ayurveda-does-not-say-no-it-says-how/)