Personalised Ayurvedic Nutrition — Know Your Prakriti

Ayurveda is a medical science that emphasises diet and lifestyle to prevent disease. Nutrition is termed Aahaar or Pathya, and dietary control forms the basis of many Ayurvedic treatments.

The Tridosha

The fundamentals of Ayurveda rest on three Doshas — Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Your Prakriti, or body type, reflects the dominance of these Doshas, and keeping them in balance is the key to good health.

Diet is individual

Ancient texts described food attributes, preparation methods and their effects, with guidance on food safety and compatibility by taste, metabolism, dosage, time and place. Ayurveda prescribes eating schedules by time of day, season, age, Prakriti and your place of origin.

The six tastes and food’s effect on mood

Ayurveda recognises six tastes — sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent — each with a physiological action. Food also influences mind through the three Gunas: Satva (calm, patience, intelligence), Raja (anxiety, aggression, anger) and Tama (sorrow, lethargy). Regularly eating very spicy food, for example, increases Raja and can lead to anxiety and a short temper.

Food and time

Your digestive power peaks at midday, symbolised by the sun — so prefer a heavier lunch and a lighter dinner. For each meal, fill a third of your stomach with food, a third with water, and leave a third empty for digestion, keeping at least three hours between meals.