Harmonize your health with Ayurvedic nutrition; how can you eat a truly balanced diet? Tovia Safford has the answer
The American culture offers such diversity and innumerable choices of food that it seems we have forgotten the simple truth: food is medicine. Literally, you are what you eat. Actually, you are what you digest and assimilate, and you become diseased by the foods that your body does not digest. Americans are plagued with many illnesses, primarily due to unhealthy dietary choices. Even those who have an interest in eating well are overwhelmed by the myriad of temporary popular views; these must be juggled with eating habits deeply ingrained in us from childhood. Ayurveda provides some basic eating guidelines which have been tested and proved over thousands of years.
Here is some of the wisdom that Ayurveda teaches us to try to cultivate in our eating habits:
--Do not eat unless you feel hungry.
--Do not drink unless thirsty or drink instead of eat when hungry. It dilutes digestive gastric enzymes.
--Try to eat at the same approximate times every day.
--Don't eat after 8 p.m. or an hour before going to sleep.
--Sit down when eating and eat in a peaceful environment (that means no TV, reading, heated discussions, etc.).
--Don't eat when emotionally upset.
--Don't eat more food than what you can hold in two cupped hands. Overeating stretches the stomach so you'll need more to feel satisfied and creates toxins in the digestive tract.
--Never drink fruit juice or ice water with a meal. It puts out the digestive fire.
--Fill one-third of your stomach with food, one-third with water and one-third empty.
--As much as possible, eat fresh foods, the best quality you can afford. Prepare the food with love on your mind and peace in your heart.
--Learn more about your Ayurvedic constitution (vata.pitta, kapha) and eat foods that nourish your personal balance.
--Choose foods according to the season and daily weather, this does require some more knowledge of Ayurveda too.
--Never eat cooked honey. When honey is heated above boiling point or baked, it molecularly changes to indigestible glue-like substance, which clogs the subtle channels of the body.
--Learn and follow healthy food combining principles.
--Always eat slowly and chew food well.
These guidelines will be big changes and should be incorporated gradually and gently. Americans often do things in extremes. We haven't really been taught the importance of being gentle with ourselves. I suggest you pick a few of your unhealthy eating habits, and give yourself a month to work on breaking those habits. Then you can work on others. Sometimes it can take years to break a lifetime of patterns and establish new ones. If you follow these guidelines you will experience bountiful health benefits.
Ayurvedic knowledge empowers us to learn how to balance our internal environment with the constant changes of the external environment. When the two are out of balance, we become susceptible to disease. Dietary choices are an important starting place in understanding, regaining, and maintaining this balance.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Chart Logo Personalized Nutrition Guide
Chart Logo Personalized Nutrition Guide
One of the most important factors for enjoying good health is the food you eat. That's right! Food not only nourishes your body and replenishes your tissues, but proper nutrition helps you stay balanced and healthy. Improper nutrition can cause imbalance in your system and eventually lead to disease. Nutrition and exercise are two of the most important factors for enjoying great health and longevity.
Hippocrates was an early observer of the importance of food to your health and equated food to medicine. Yes, if you follow the right nutrition guidelines tailored specifically for your constitution and needs, food becomes medicine to heal you! But if you do not have this knowledge, some foods can be toxic to your body, slowly poisoning you even though you may not be aware of what is happening!
Tailored Specifically For YOU!
Typical nutritional guidelines often lump everyone together, recommending the same thing for all people, all of the time. However, the fact is - people are different! There is profound truth in the quote, "One man's meat is another man's poison." Don't be misled by one-size-fits-all guidelines.
The time-tested wisdom of Ayurveda provides clear and concise recommendations for people based on their unique constitutions, state of balance and seasonal factors. This wonderful knowledge has been validated and has withstood the test of time since the tenets of Ayurveda were first laid down.
The wonderful thing about following the unique recommendations that are right for you, is that the recommendations also automatically regulate your body weight, eliminating the need for starvation diets or unnatural diets to keep you at the weight that is right for you. If you are overweight, you will find that following the recommendations will cause you to lose weight. It will happen effortlessly and you will be surprised at the simplicity of it.
Now you can find the nutrition recommendations that are right for you, on-line, with this unique holistic web application. It is inexpensive and easy to use. You don't have to download anything and it can be run from any system you are using to view this website. This online nutrition software helps you to understand what foods are best for you and which tend to imbalance you. Proper balance is the key to a long and healthy life filled with vitality. This analysis also tells you what signs you should watch out for that indicate that you should take steps to restore balance and prevent disease.
One of the most important factors for enjoying good health is the food you eat. That's right! Food not only nourishes your body and replenishes your tissues, but proper nutrition helps you stay balanced and healthy. Improper nutrition can cause imbalance in your system and eventually lead to disease. Nutrition and exercise are two of the most important factors for enjoying great health and longevity.
Hippocrates was an early observer of the importance of food to your health and equated food to medicine. Yes, if you follow the right nutrition guidelines tailored specifically for your constitution and needs, food becomes medicine to heal you! But if you do not have this knowledge, some foods can be toxic to your body, slowly poisoning you even though you may not be aware of what is happening!
Tailored Specifically For YOU!
Typical nutritional guidelines often lump everyone together, recommending the same thing for all people, all of the time. However, the fact is - people are different! There is profound truth in the quote, "One man's meat is another man's poison." Don't be misled by one-size-fits-all guidelines.
The time-tested wisdom of Ayurveda provides clear and concise recommendations for people based on their unique constitutions, state of balance and seasonal factors. This wonderful knowledge has been validated and has withstood the test of time since the tenets of Ayurveda were first laid down.
The wonderful thing about following the unique recommendations that are right for you, is that the recommendations also automatically regulate your body weight, eliminating the need for starvation diets or unnatural diets to keep you at the weight that is right for you. If you are overweight, you will find that following the recommendations will cause you to lose weight. It will happen effortlessly and you will be surprised at the simplicity of it.
Now you can find the nutrition recommendations that are right for you, on-line, with this unique holistic web application. It is inexpensive and easy to use. You don't have to download anything and it can be run from any system you are using to view this website. This online nutrition software helps you to understand what foods are best for you and which tend to imbalance you. Proper balance is the key to a long and healthy life filled with vitality. This analysis also tells you what signs you should watch out for that indicate that you should take steps to restore balance and prevent disease.
What is Ayurvedic Nutrition?
What is Ayurvedic Nutrition?
Ayurveda, the 5000-year-old medical system of India, states that poor nutrition is the main cause of disease. This system uses food to heal and prevent illness.
The primary problem with other nutritional approaches is that they are not orientated towards the individual using them. Modern nutrition uses and ‘one size fits all’ approach to people of all different sizes, shapes and cultures. Modern biochemical research from as early as the 1950’s has shown that each person’s metabolism functions differently. Every person digests and assimilates food differently. Unfortunately, modern nutrition has no methodology to structure an individualized diet for the person in question. In other words modern nutritional science is in conflict with its own clinical conclusions.
Unlike modern nutritional systems Ayurveda has always had an individualized approach to nutrition. However, this ancient system needs to be adapted to the modern lifestyle the cultures using it. Ayurvedic nutrition is not an endless repetition of curry dishes. In fact, there is no such thing as an "Ayurvedic food" there is only a methodology of structuring diets according to your individual metabolic functions.
There is a strong interest in an individualized dietary program today. Some programs are starting to appear now with the individual in mind. This is a very positive step towards good health. However, these other systems lack the time tested methodology and natural science of 5000 years of clinical observation. Science is nothing more than recording observations and is not dominated by the modern biochemical approach. Ayurveda still has the largest compilation of medical literature in the world. It also boasts the largest pharmacopoeia of medicines in the world – more than 3 times the size of modern medicine. This is natural due to its great age.
Ayurveda is also called the ‘science of longevity’ because it offers a complete system to live a long healthy life without medication. It offers programs to rejuvenate the body through diet and nutrition. It offers treatment methods to cure many common diseases such as food allergies, which have few modern treatments.
However, one should be aware that Ayurvedic nutrition is not a ‘magic bullet’ system and requires the full participation of the patient to succeed. It is an interactive system that is user-friendly and educational. It teaches the patient to become responsible and self empowered. Ayurveda is not a nutritional system for those seeking an escape or excuse to further abuse their body or mind. It is a system for empowerment, a system of freedom and long life.
The book "Perfect Balance" is the first clear presentation of Ayurvedic nutrition from a Westerner with over 10 years of Ayurvedic clinical nutritional experience.
Ayurveda, the 5000-year-old medical system of India, states that poor nutrition is the main cause of disease. This system uses food to heal and prevent illness.
The primary problem with other nutritional approaches is that they are not orientated towards the individual using them. Modern nutrition uses and ‘one size fits all’ approach to people of all different sizes, shapes and cultures. Modern biochemical research from as early as the 1950’s has shown that each person’s metabolism functions differently. Every person digests and assimilates food differently. Unfortunately, modern nutrition has no methodology to structure an individualized diet for the person in question. In other words modern nutritional science is in conflict with its own clinical conclusions.
Unlike modern nutritional systems Ayurveda has always had an individualized approach to nutrition. However, this ancient system needs to be adapted to the modern lifestyle the cultures using it. Ayurvedic nutrition is not an endless repetition of curry dishes. In fact, there is no such thing as an "Ayurvedic food" there is only a methodology of structuring diets according to your individual metabolic functions.
There is a strong interest in an individualized dietary program today. Some programs are starting to appear now with the individual in mind. This is a very positive step towards good health. However, these other systems lack the time tested methodology and natural science of 5000 years of clinical observation. Science is nothing more than recording observations and is not dominated by the modern biochemical approach. Ayurveda still has the largest compilation of medical literature in the world. It also boasts the largest pharmacopoeia of medicines in the world – more than 3 times the size of modern medicine. This is natural due to its great age.
Ayurveda is also called the ‘science of longevity’ because it offers a complete system to live a long healthy life without medication. It offers programs to rejuvenate the body through diet and nutrition. It offers treatment methods to cure many common diseases such as food allergies, which have few modern treatments.
However, one should be aware that Ayurvedic nutrition is not a ‘magic bullet’ system and requires the full participation of the patient to succeed. It is an interactive system that is user-friendly and educational. It teaches the patient to become responsible and self empowered. Ayurveda is not a nutritional system for those seeking an escape or excuse to further abuse their body or mind. It is a system for empowerment, a system of freedom and long life.
The book "Perfect Balance" is the first clear presentation of Ayurvedic nutrition from a Westerner with over 10 years of Ayurvedic clinical nutritional experience.
Simple Ayurvedic Food Tips for Each Dosha
Simple Ayurvedic Food Tips for Each Dosha
| Vata | Pitta | Kapha | |
| Best Foods | Cooked grains, butter, dairy, nuts, cooked vegetables | Raw Salads, cooked grains, milk, seeds | Salads, cooked vegetables, spicy foods, quinoa, millet, corn flour and buckwheat |
| Worst Foods | Raw salads, fruits, beans | Hot, Spicy foods, sour foods, deep fried foods, fermented foods such as yogurt and vinegar. | Dairy, meat, cheese, nuts, wheat and rice |
Ayurvedic Nutrition
Ayurveda is based on the belief that nothing is right for everyone and everything is right for someone. This belief comes from an understanding that each of us is unique. Simply put, each of us is biochemicaly different with different hormonal, enzyme levels and neurotransmitter levels. Each person reacts to the world in different ways. If we are all different, why would we even consider the idea that there must be one program of nutrition that is best for everyone? Where did the idea come from?
The United States Department of Agriculture publishes daily recommended allowances of vitamins and minerals. For decades people have taken these guidelines as the “bible” and carefully read food labels to understand how much of each nutrient they are getting. The American Heart Association also publishes recommendations for the amount of fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy people should consume. People routinely use these guidelines to see how they measure up. These guidelines are based upon statistical models of the “average American” and research based in “current science.”
The problem with statistical models is that the average American is a myth found only in statistical research papers. In real life, individual needs can vary significantly. Meanwhile, current science is simply the best conclusion that can be made given available data. The problem with “current science” is that it is quickly outdated and never complete as new information is constantly being gathered. What is accepted as the truth today is often found to be wrong tomorrow. A good case in point is the intake of cholesterol. While America has become obsessed with lowering cholesterol intake, studies published over the last couple of years in the prestigious British Medical Journal reveal that low cholesterol numbers, while protecting against cardiovascular disease, seem to increase the risk of certain cancers. In addition, supplements and herbs once thought to be “quackery” are now observed to have complex biochemical interactions beneficial in a wide variety of conditions.
What should a person do? There are many ideas on the bookshelves about how to eat and stay healthy. There are diets named after the people who wrote the books, diets named after the foods eaten, diets named after blood types and diets that promise to keep you in the “zone”. New books and ideas are published every month. Ayurveda is a 5000 year old science that aims to help a person understand what is right for them as a unique individual. By evaluating how a person’s digestive system, nervous system and other systems of the body function and by evaluating a person’s body structure, a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist designs a diet specific to clients needs.
Ayurvedic Medicine teaches that people who have a “vata” nature, or those people who are thin, dry and often feel cold, need more grains, oils, salt and a little spice in their diet.
# Vata
# Pitta
# Kapha
Those who do not receive enough are prone to anxiety, constipation and sleeplessness among many other conditions. They need nourishing foods and often have difficulty maintaining a vegetarian diet. People of vata nature should avoid too many salads and fruits as well as beans and take in more grains, dairy and nuts.
The United States Department of Agriculture publishes daily recommended allowances of vitamins and minerals. For decades people have taken these guidelines as the “bible” and carefully read food labels to understand how much of each nutrient they are getting. The American Heart Association also publishes recommendations for the amount of fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy people should consume. People routinely use these guidelines to see how they measure up. These guidelines are based upon statistical models of the “average American” and research based in “current science.”
The problem with statistical models is that the average American is a myth found only in statistical research papers. In real life, individual needs can vary significantly. Meanwhile, current science is simply the best conclusion that can be made given available data. The problem with “current science” is that it is quickly outdated and never complete as new information is constantly being gathered. What is accepted as the truth today is often found to be wrong tomorrow. A good case in point is the intake of cholesterol. While America has become obsessed with lowering cholesterol intake, studies published over the last couple of years in the prestigious British Medical Journal reveal that low cholesterol numbers, while protecting against cardiovascular disease, seem to increase the risk of certain cancers. In addition, supplements and herbs once thought to be “quackery” are now observed to have complex biochemical interactions beneficial in a wide variety of conditions.
What should a person do? There are many ideas on the bookshelves about how to eat and stay healthy. There are diets named after the people who wrote the books, diets named after the foods eaten, diets named after blood types and diets that promise to keep you in the “zone”. New books and ideas are published every month. Ayurveda is a 5000 year old science that aims to help a person understand what is right for them as a unique individual. By evaluating how a person’s digestive system, nervous system and other systems of the body function and by evaluating a person’s body structure, a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist designs a diet specific to clients needs.
Ayurvedic Medicine teaches that people who have a “vata” nature, or those people who are thin, dry and often feel cold, need more grains, oils, salt and a little spice in their diet.
# Vata
# Pitta
# Kapha
Those who do not receive enough are prone to anxiety, constipation and sleeplessness among many other conditions. They need nourishing foods and often have difficulty maintaining a vegetarian diet. People of vata nature should avoid too many salads and fruits as well as beans and take in more grains, dairy and nuts.
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