Nutrition through an Ayurvedic lens is quite different from the conventional view. The conventional view is we eat for personal preference, by habit, for body image and because of emotions. Calories are taken into consideration along with different food groups. The saying 'You are what you eat' comes to mind. Through the Ayurvedic lens we view food as life sustaining, with focus on the panca mahabutas (the five elements) and how the body processes what we eat, or agni (digestion). It's based on our individual constitution (prakriti) and the sadrasatmaka ahara (the six tastes). Food is considered Ahara, or anything we take in to nourish our body and mind. This includes food, water, breath and perceptions/senses/emotions. The saying is 'You are what you digest'. No food is bad, but it depends on the context and the need to understand yourself and your digestion. Ayurveda's interesting approach to include the mind, senses and breath is like nothing we've seen in the western world, but it stresses again the importance of taking care of the whole body.
Recently, more emphasis has been put on digestion/gut health in the western world which is a huge improvement.
Ayurveda doesn't recommend changing everything at once, but rather to make gradual changes to improve your nutrition so it becomes incorporated into your life. Meeting each person where they are. This is the philosophy with everything! Because most guidelines are so person specific, there are only a few that are great for everyone:
Eat three meals a day. Ideally breakfast should be around 7 or 730am, lunch between 11-1pm and dinner around 6-730pm. This gives time for the previous meal to be digested before you consume more, about three to four hours. A good rule of thumb when eating is to fill half your stomach with food, a quarter for liquids or water, and a quarter of empty space so your food has room to digest. So how do you know the ratio? You shouldn't feel stuffed. Think of making a smoothie in a blender. You add your solids, a little liquid and leave space so it can be broken down. Bringing awareness to how you feel while eating is key. Depending on the person, no to minimal snacking is suggested.
Our food should be warm and contain all the six tastes. Warm or cooked food helps our digestive process. It can be tricky with how busy our days can be. But making a few adjustments to have warm, fresh and seasonal foods can help. The six tastes are sweet (not sugar & candy), sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. Consulting with an Ayurvedic counselor can be extremely helpful with this.
70% of our body is made up of water. It's important we have enough, but there are some stipulations on when and how. We shouldn't drink a lot directly before or after a meal, instead sip a little throughout. Avoiding ice is the biggest roadblock to most, but it makes a lot of sense. Drinking a lot before the meal dilutes and weakens your digestion. Drinking a lot after can also slow it down, causing weight gain. If you think of your agni as a campfire, you don't want excessive water or coldness to put it out. You want it to burn steadily and work properly.
I'm excited to help people figure out food and their digestion! I'm compiling recipes, learning to create better combinations of foods for meals that people love, trying home remedies, finding ways to balance each person's digestion, and how to reduce and clear ama (improperly digested food absorbed to the system, which creates stagnation, blockages and metabolic sluggishness).
This was a huge topic to cover but as always, it's been very interesting! Try to incorporate some of these tips into your day. I've personally noticed a big difference in my digestion from cutting out ice alone, and sipping during meals instead of drowning my campfire.
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