What is Ayurvedic Medicine? (Focus on Diet and Digestion)

I was introduced to Ayurveda 6 years ago during a Yoga retreat in Sri Lanka..

I was looking for a holistic solution to improve my digestion. When I heard this weird name, I looked at my friend with astonishment like: what is Ayurvedic Medicine?

Ayurvedic medicine is the oldest health care system in the world. It’s based on the understanding of how our body works and the harmony of body and mind. According to Ayurveda, all things are made up of a certain percentage of the five elements: space, air, water, fire, and earth. This creates three types of individuals, three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Understanding this influence allows one to adapt one’s diet and by extension to improve one’s digestion and health.

Ayurveda has much to teach us about ourselves, our relationship to the outside world, and nature in general.

In this article, we will focus on diet and digestion, the two pillars of Ayurvedic medicine.

Let’s Go!

What are the three doshas in Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is a system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago (about 1500 BC).

It is based on a simple idea: Everything consists of 5 elements, namely: Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.

Every human being has a percentage of these five elements. This gives rise to three types of individuals, three doshas:

Vata: majority of space and air.
Pitta: majority of fire and water.
Kapha: majority of water and earth.

To determine your Ayurvedic constitution, you can enter “the 3 doshas test” on Google and complete an online questionnaire.

Kripalu.org offers a fairly complete questionnaire and you can fill it out in a few minutes. Take the quiz.

Now that you know your dominant dosha, let’s see what characterizes it.

The main characteristics of the 3 doshas

To understand the 3 doshas observe nature. In the meantime, here are a few points of reference:

VATA dosha

Made up of a majority of space and air, Vata-type people are generally thin, light, abnormally large, or small.

The features of the face are long and thin and can be asymmetrical or irregular.

They are creative, sociable, and adaptable people.

They love change, and always have 1,000 ideas in mind. They can get anxious easily.

PITTA dosha

With a majority of water and fire, Pitta-type people are generally medium-sized but are easily muscled.

They have limited hair and facial features tend to be angular.

They are competitive people who like a challenge and need a clear goal. They get angry easily.

KAPHA dosha

With a majority of water and earth, Kapha-type people generally have a good body build, roundness in their squares, or facial features.

They often have a pale or milky complexion. They are stable and gentle people who love their little cocoons.

They are reassured by the things they know and love family and love in general. They can get sad easily.

The idea to stay healthy is to keep our dosha as balanced as possible! And for that, FOOD IS THE KEY.

This leads us to understand first of all how our digestion works.

The principle of digestion in Ayurveda

The digestive system works in 3 steps:

Liquefaction and mixing of food (mouth, stomach)
Transformation and assimilation (stomach, small intestine)
Assimilation and elimination (colon).

It is the digestive fire “Agni” that ensures the proper functioning of our digestive tract.

Agni wakes up between 10 am and 1 pm and is mainly located in our small intestine, it ensures the transformation of the food it receives.

The enzymatic function of our digestive tract allows us to assimilate the right nutrients to create energy and nourish all body tissues.

A good digestive fire is capable of destroying what is not good for us: parasite eggs for example.

A balanced Agni is the basis of health in Ayurveda because it is the origin of all other bodily functions. In other words, your body needs food to live and if your digestive fire is not in balance, the food may be badly digested and therefore your body is malnourished!

Digestion based on your dosha

Healthy Pitta people have better digestion because they have more fire by nature.

Vata people have a rather irregular digestion because of the air present in them (blowing on a fire can extinguish it or on the contrary revive it).

Kapha people certainly have the slowest digestion because they can be easily suffocated by earth and water (imagine mud on a fire).

Ayurvedic eating principles

The Ayurveda diet is of paramount importance since it acts directly on digestion, which is itself the basis of health.

GOOD NUTRITION = GOOD DIGESTION = GOOD HEALTH

The key factors that contribute to the digestion process are :

Mental attitude towards food
The environment in which you eat
The people you eat with
Paying attention to eating
The quality of the food
The type of food
Food preparation
The order of food during the meal
The amount of food
How you eat (TV, discussions, laughing…)

Here are a few simple tips before starting detox, healthy, stress-free, weight-loss diets:

Eat ONLY when you feel hungry.
Do not eat with strong emotions (stress, sadness, anger, …).
Eat at regular times and during the Pitta period, that is to say when your digestive fire is awakened, between 10 am and 1 pm.
Eat consciously (no TV, no computer, no books,…)
Chew the food!! Help your digestive fire, don’t send him your macaroni and cheese as-is!
Try to adopt a diet following your dosha.

Ayurvedic diet: What foods are better for my dosha?

If you have taken the test and determined your dosha, your next step for your health and well-being is to incorporate the right foods into your diet.

In all cases, give preference to light foods (easier to digest) at the beginning of the meal (fruits, green salad, vegetables, and cooked cereals), and heavy foods (hard to digest) at the end of the meal (dairy products, fish, meat).

This way you won’t obstruct the digestion cycle with a badly chewed piece of meat.

Best diet for Vata dosha

VATA prefers warm and cooked food, especially in winter.

I eat root vegetables. I avoid green vegetables which will tend to increase Vata. I must eat at regular times.

Foods to be preferred to balance Vata with nutrition:

Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, bok choy, carrot, celery, garlic, green beans, kale, mustard seeds, onion, radish, spinach, sweet potato…
Fruit: apricot, avocado, banana, blueberry, strawberry, coconut, date, fig, grape, kiwi, lemon, mango, nectarine, peach, pineapple, grape…
Other: brown rice, oats, coral lentils, spicy tofu, almonds, chia seeds, macadamia, pistachio, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, basil, cinnamon, cardamom, fresh coriander, fresh ginger, rosemary, thyme, vanilla, fresh mint, cumin…
Essences and condiments: black olive, miso, cold-pressed olive oil, salt, sesame oil, sunflower oil, green curry, agave syrup, rice syrup, coconut sugar, date, dried fig, maple syrup, raisins

What foods to avoid for Vata dosha?

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, dried fruit, millet, watermelon, white sugar, ice, gluten in moderation, most vinegars, stimulants such as coffee, alcohol, white sugar.

Best diet for Pitta dosha

I prefer a refreshing diet: sweet, bland, and astringent vegetables.

I avoid spicy, acidic, and overly spicy, as well as hot, especially in summer. I use coconut oil and clarified butter.

Best foods to balance Pitta with nutrition:

Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, celery, corn, cucumber, cabbage, kale, lettuce, mushroom, red potato, cauliflower, green bean, spinach, sweet potato…
Fruit: avocado, banana in moderation, blueberry, strawberry, coconut, date, fig, grape, lemon, mango, melon, orange, peach, pear, pineapple, watermelon…
Other: basmati rice, white rice, oats, lentils, tofu, almonds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, fresh basil, cinnamon, cardamom, fresh coriander, parsley, turmeric, vanilla, fresh mint, rose, cumin…
Oils and condiments: avocado oil, coconut oil, coconut vinegar, rice syrup, coconut sugar, maple syrup…

What foods to avoid for Pitta dosha?

Carrot, eggplant, fresh garlic, millet, olive, onion, pecan, sesame oil, quinoa, radish, fried dishes, spicy dishes, salt, peanut butter…

Best diet for Kapha dosha

I prefer a light diet: lots of vegetables.

I help my Agni by adding spices, drinking a glass of hot water, orbiting a piece of ginger at the beginning of the meal. I avoid meat and sugar at all costs

Best foods to balance Kapha with nutrition:

Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, garlic, corn, kale, lettuce, mustard seeds, onions, radishes, green beans, spinach…
Fruit: apricot, strawberry, dried coconut, grape, lemon, mango, pear…
Other: brown rice, corn, millet, quinoa, chickpeas, coral lentils, spicy tofu, almonds, chia seeds in moderation, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, aniseed, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, ginger, hibiscus, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, vanilla, fresh mint, cumin…
Essences and condiments: sunflower oil, coconut oil in moderation, cider vinegar, dried fruit…

What foods to avoid for Kapha dosha?

Avocado, banana, brown rice syrup, figs, very sweet fruits, cold drinks, oats, olive, tomato, white sugar…

Taste in Ayurvedic nutrition

Taste, called rasa in Sanskrit, is the key to understanding Ayurvedic nutrition.

Some foods influence digestion for some people in a positive way, while for other people these same foods will negatively influence digestion.

In terms of importance, taste comes second only to water – the element without which taste would not exist. (If the tongue is dry, it cannot taste).

Rasa is the immediate taste on the tongue, the one that is remembered and experienced immediately.

Taste is made from the same five elements that make up the doshas – ether, air, fire, water, and earth – and Rasa can be sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, or astringent.

Different tastes have a direct influence on Vata, pitta, and Kapha.

Rasa is also translated as “emotion”, the taste of the tongue is an emotion for the mind.

For example, we often feel very happy when we consume something sweet, but this does not mean that it should be abused.

The important thing is to find the right balance.

Did you know that every taste has a direct energetic effect on digestion?

Taste can create either a warm or a cooling sensation.

This action on the digestive system, called virya, can be felt immediately after tasting food or afterward during digestion.

Every taste has a long-term effect on our metabolism after the digestive process is complete.

This effect is known as vipak and can be either sweet, sour, or pungent:

Sweet vipak is deeply nutritious
Sour vipak improves the digestive fire
And hot vipak promotes higher excretion

These qualities will be better understood through personal experience.

By becoming aware of your sensations during and after digestion you will discover which foods are suitable for your dosha.

It should be noted here that there are rare and inexplicable exceptions to these Ayurvedic rules.

One is that certain foods create an action on the body that is contradictory to its taste.

For example, lemon is sour and should therefore have a warming virya, but instead, it cools the body.

Turmeric, which is bitter and should therefore have a cooling virya warms the body.

But, what are the six tastes of Ayurveda?

Ayurvedic tastes and elements: The 6 rasas (tastes) in detail

Learn more about the 6 tastes (rasas) and their influence on your body according to your dosha or refer directly to the flavor chart below.

1. Sweet (Madhura)

It decreases Vata and Pitta as it increases Kapha.

Consumed in moderation, for Vata and Pitta, the sweet taste promotes longevity and strength.

Its heavy, fatty, and moist properties tend to slow down digestion, so it is often suggested in Ayurveda to eat the dessert first.

The sweet taste abounds in foods such as wheat, rice, maple syrup, agave, dates, just to name a few…

2. Salty (Lavana)

It decreases Vata and increases Pitta and Kapha.

Salt is associated with the earth which makes it ideal for Vata.

Its warmth and smoothness help Vata stay anchored and hydrated, but its heat can aggravate Pitta.

Kapha tends to be attracted to the warmth of salty flavors, but this flavor generally promotes more weight gain and water retention for Kapha.

Salt stimulates digestion and has a slightly laxative effect when taken in moderation.

3. Sour (Amla)

It decreases Vata and increases Pitta and Kapha.

The sour taste stimulates appetite, saliva, digestion, and elimination.

But it should be taken in moderation especially for Pitta and Kapha.

The sour taste can be found in foods such as lemons, plums, vinegar…

4. The spice (Katu)

It increases Vata and Pitta, decreases Kapha.

Air and fire give birth to the hottest of all rasas, the spicy taste.

It improves appetite, stimulates blood circulation, and develops the senses.

The pungent has a hot virya from beginning to end, which benefits Kapha more than Vata.

The pungent taste, with its light and dry qualities, on the other hand, will quickly aggravate Pitta.

This spicy taste is found in fresh ginger, chilies, onions, garlic, mustard, and hot spices.

5. Bitter (Tikta)

It increases Vata, decreases Pitta, and Kapha.

Of the six tastes, bitter is the freshest and lightest, making it better for Pitta and less effective for Vata, especially when poorly combined with other tastes.

Turmeric and dark leafy vegetables are great sources of bitterness.

Be careful to avoid excessive bitterness, as it is known to create an immediate coldness that can cause negative energies (grief, depression…).

Bitter rasa should be consumed regularly but in small quantities.

It improves the flavor of other foods and helps to gently purify and cleanse the body.

6. The astringent (Kasaya)

It increases Vata, decreases Pitta, and Kapha.

Beans and legumes are astringent by nature, as are broccoli and cauliflower, which are known to create gas and thus aggravate Vata dosha.

Pitta will benefit from the astringent freshness of the taste, while its dry and light side helps to balance Kapha.

The astringent taste is found in green grapes, unripe bananas, cranberries, and green beans for example.

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