The Ayurveda Experience Blog
Basic rules for Ayurvedic Meals:
- Eat seasonally. Favor fresh foods that are in season, and keep in mind the weather to stay in balance. For example: Eat more soups and warming foods during Vata season (Fall/Winter) and more salads and cooling foods during Pitta season (summer).
- Include all six tastes in each meal to feel more satisfied: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.
- Favor tastes for your particular dosha in each meal. Vata: sweet, sour, salty. Pitta: sweet, bitter, astringent. Kapha: Bitter, pungent, astringent.
- Eat only until ½ to ¾ of your stomach’s capacity. Don’t stuff yourself. Allow some room for maximum digestive power.
- Watch your food combinations.
- Vegetarian meals are preferred.
When you’ve got a family with different doshas, you can personalize each meal for each person with a few minor adjustments. Here are some examples:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Vata: Add brown sugar or maple syrup, warm soy or almond milk, sliced almonds.
Slice of warm sourdough bread with ghee. Vata tea, or ginger tea.
Pitta: Add coconut milk, cardamom, sunflower seeds.
Slice of whole wheat toast with ghee. Pitta tea, or rose tea.
Kapha: Add rice milk, cinnamon, a few pepitas or pumpkin seeds.
Slice of rye toast. Kapha tea, cinnamon tea or ginger tea.
Lunch: Pasta with seasonal sautéed vegetables
Vata: Season with Vata Churna (spice blend), add cooked onion.
Pitta: Season with Pitta Churna, add fresh cilantro or/or alfalfa sprouts.
Kapha: Season with Kapha Churna, add fresh cooked broccoli.
Dinner: Mung Bean Dahl
Vata: Add Vata Churna to the Dahl, serve with sweet potatoes, and zucchini.
Pitta: Add Pitta Churna to the Dahl, serve with brown rice and a small salad.
Kapha: Add Kapha Churna to the Dahl, serve with barley, and chard.
