Today I would like to dive in into some basic principles of Ayurveda when it comes to gut health. This post is a follow-up to this earlier one All disease begins in the gut when I focused on Traditional Chinese Medicine, so make sure you check it out.

Ayurveda is a traditional Hindu system of medicine, philosophy, and “science of life” (which is what Ayur-veda literally translates to). Mind and body are considered as one and, thus, emotions and thoughts are believed to influence what happens in the body. Agni, aka digestive fire, plays a central role in Ayurveda. The imbalance in agni can be casued by too much ama – toxins, negative emotions, mental/spiritual troubles.

Ayurveda is based on a system of 3 doshas, a type of personal constitution. These are VATA (air+ether), PITA (fire+water) and KAPHA (water+earth). Each one of us has a bit of each dosha but there is probably one or two that are dominant and determine our personal constitution. To know which dosha(s) represent you, you can take this online questionnaire.

Before going into specific recommendations for each dosha, there are some general Ayurvedic rules when it comes to digestive health.

These are:

• Drinking warm liquids during the day

• Regular intermittent fasting (at least 12h in between dinner and breakfast)

• Lunch (around mid-day) should be the biggest meal

• Regular/seasonal cleansing to get rid of toxins

• Cooking with spices that help digestion (black pepper, ginger, nutmeg)

And now, some specific recommendations for your dosha type:

• VATA:

  • Eat regular, hearty meals o Incorporate cooked vegetables and fats

  • Avoid cold, raw foods o Complement with hot spices

  • Goal: combat dryness

• PITA:

  • Characterised by strong digestive fire, needs cooling foods and lighter protein

  • Can benefit from more alkaline diet (i.e. non-starchy vegetables)

  • Goal: cool down

• KAPHA:

  • Should follow a light, low-carb diet, providing lots of fiber

  • Crowd out heavy foods ( dairy, refined grains, sweets)

  • Goal: lightness

Have you taken the dosha test? Have the results surprised you or rather confirmed what you have observed? Try to implement 1-2 recommendations for your dosa type and observe the impact. Please share in comments to this blog or on my social media.

Hello! I am Magda and I work with people that are ready to transform their health and wellbeing. What are your health goals that you have not been able to reach? Read more about me and my services.

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