SWITCHING TO AN AYURVEDIC DIET: RULES OF BREAKFAST, LUNCH, GRAINS AND SHERBETS
According to Charaka, Life or Ayu is the samyog or combination of the body, the senses, the mind and the soul and Ayurveda is the most sacred science to achieve benefits in this world and the world beyond. The Ayurveda diet is a healthy eating pattern that positively affects your body and mind simultaneously. Blended with magnificent gifts of mother nature, Ayurveda is a fundamental approach towards life. This article sheds light upon Breakfast, Lunch rules, Grain and Sherbat as parts of the Ayurvedic diet.
According to Ayurveda, five elements make up the universe — Vayu (air), Jala (water), Akash (space), Teja (fire), and Prithvi (earth). They form three different doshas or constitutions, which are considered to be some types of energy in your body. Each dosha controls specific physiological functions. For example, hunger, thirst, and body temperature are governed by the pitta dosha. Practised for thousands of years, the Ayurvedic diet is an essential component of Ayurveda. It’s based on determining what your dominant dosha is and according to that, deciding the food that will keep balance among all three doshas.
The Three Doshas
● Pitta (fire + water)
This dosha usually has a medium physical build, short temper, and people with this as dominant dosha may suffer from conditions like indigestion, heart disease, or high blood pressure. This dosha focuses on energising foods which have a cooling effect.
● Vata (air + space)
People with this dosha are generally thin with a light frame and may struggle with digestive issues, fatigue, or anxiety when out of balance. This dosha favours warm and moist food.
● Kapha (earth + water)
People with a Kapha dosha often have a sturdier frame and may have issues with weight gain, asthma, depression, or diabetes. Limiting fatty foods like nuts, seeds, and oil, this dosha favours fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
What is a proper Ayurvedic Breakfast?
Our body’s need for food demands a variety of dietary inputs from the rising of the sun to the setting of it. Breakfast is the very first meal of the day, which means to break the nightlong fast. Apart from keeping us energetic, breakfast serves as a good source of nutrients which are necessary for the overall well-being of our body. So, kick-start your day with a proper Ayurvedic breakfast!
The first and most important thing that we should keep in mind is NOT TO SKIP BREAKFAST EVER! Fasting is not recommended in an Ayurvedic breakfast since it disturbs all of the three doshas. Skipping breakfast directly attacks one’s temper and results in irritability and unsettled emotions. An excellent way to stop the habit of skipping breakfast is to start the day with fresh fruit or vegetable juices.
Another ideal drink for starting the day is cowmilk (not the milk of buffalo) as it helps one to rejuvenate skin and makes one full of energy. The milk should not be mixed with salt and should not be combined with your first course of breakfast but must be consumed separately, after waking up. The ideal main course should include rice-based food (not basmati rice) because that helps to maintain body weight and keeps your digestive system healthy.
Ayurveda also says that fruit in the morning is very beneficial. This is the best time of day to get the maximum nourishment from fruits and vegetables. Cooked apples, eaten first thing in the morning, help to create Ojas which is the final and most refined by-product of digestion.
What are proper Ayurvedic Lunch-rules?
As mentioned earlier, according to Ayurveda, our body-clock is highly dependent on the movement of the sun. During the time between 10 am to 2 pm, pitta dosha stays at its peak. Hence, Ayurveda says that lunch should be one’s most important meal of the day, and it should be fresh, not left-over. An ideal meal should contain six modes of taste, ranging from bitterness to sweetness. Balance the liquid portion of your diet with the substantial portion. If you are not vegan, you can eat fish or organic chicken as a part of your meal but make sure to avoid red meat. Drink water according to your dosha along with your lunch and once your meal is finished, try not to drink water for an hour. It would help if you equipped your stomach with layers of six tastes and enough liquid. Always include fresh vegetables in your lunch, varying in colour, like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and so forth. Avoid consuming raw salad and try to saute them a bit before taking them. According to your dosha eat fresh berries, banana (sauteed with some butter) or mango lassi after lunch as dessert.
Another important etiquette that we must include in our lunch as per Ayurveda is decoration. Try to make your surrounding harmonious with the food you are taking.
Grains and Sherbet in an Ayurvedic diet
Grains are one of the essential parts of an Ayurvedic diet. As the modern analysis goes, grains are said to provide carbohydrates, protein, iron, calcium, potassium, and essential B vitamins necessary for a balanced diet. According to Ayurveda, grains help in building bone tissues and muscle cells and make our bodies healthy and enduring. On a vegetarian diet, adequate quantities of grains are specifically crucial for growing children.
Ayurveda advises having grains at each meal (if you are vegetarian) to provide adequate energy for your body. There are varieties of grains, and each of them has a different influence on the doshas of your body. People with Vata and Pitta as their dominant constitution can consume high quantities of grains, while Kapha types should have smaller amounts of grain because they tend to gain weight quickly. Wheat products are suitable for balancing Vata, and Burley products are beneficial for both Kapha and Pitta.
Another widely renowned beverage is Sherbet or Juice. Sherbet is explained as Sharakoradaka in classical Ayurvedic texts. Sherbet is primarily used for three purposes — increasing sexual vigour, which is also known as Shukrala, as tonic or Balya and appetiser or Ruchya. They can be of different qualities such as sweet (Madhura), cold (Sheetala) or motile (Sara). These drinks help to keep a balance between Vata and Pitta dosha. For example, the ayurvedic Sherbet called Sherkarodakam is prepared by simply dissolving sugar in cold water and adding pinches of cardamom, camphor and pepper and a few cloves. This is a simple, soothing ayurvedic beverage helps in semen production and digestion, is purgative and increases bodily strength.
When you are following a specific and healthy diet, your health will show the sparks of excellent physical and mental strength. Our body is our temple and Ayurveda is the proper way to worship the idol in that temple, that is our health. Ayurveda is an ancient science and the most sacred one, as Charaka had described it. Our mother, nature, has a healing effect on us. Switching to Ayurveda is to embrace life and to understand ourselves in every sphere possible, in and beyond the material world.