Diet Advice For Your Ayurveda Prakrti
“Despite the fact that it changes continuously, your body should match your constitution or prakrti you have been endowed with, by birth”
According to Ayurveda, the human temperament is genetic in origin and the formation of prakrti or constitution, is a result that occurs inside the womb itself, when the sperm unites with the ovum. Hence, in Ayurveda, your physical and mental condition is represented by your prakrti.
Your Body And The Environment
An episode of disease is nothing but the occurrence of a deviation from your normal physical and mental constitution; it is necessary for you to have constant interaction with the environment you live in, as it can affect your constitution at any time.
Your body maintains an equilibrium with the environment surrounding itand the diet you take in the form of food. So, despite the fact that it changes continuously, your body should match your constitution or prakrti you have been endowed with, by birth.
Your Unique Prakrti
Your physical and mental traits are decided at the time of fertilization and it is done by the predominance of three doshas, three gunas and five elements. The combination of these doshas and gunas are varied for every individual and thus it makes each one’s prakrti unique.
Once the prakrti is formed, it remains constant throughout your life. The combinations of these doshas are unique for each one and the treatment for any disease by an Ayur-vedic physician is based on your prakrti.
The Three Doshas
- Mono types (vata, pitta and kapha predominant)
- Equal types (vata, pitta and kapha in equal proportions)
- Dual types (vata-pitta, pitta-kapha and kapha-vata)
Prakriti And Your Diet
Every individual has a unique combination of these three doshas. If you understand your constitution and its relationship to the qualities of various foods, then it is possible to select a proper diet. You need to take into account the taste of the food (sweet sour, salty, pungent, bitter or astringent) and also whether it is heavy or light, hot or cold, oily or dry, liquid or solid.
Food intake should also be determined by the condition of the digestive fire existing in your body known as agni. Additionally, it is advised to avoid eating or drinking when you are not hungry or thirsty. The seasons of the year must also be considered while choosing your diet.
Dinacharya and Ritucharya
With the help of an Ayurvedic physician, determine your prakrtito plan an ideal diet. Dinacharya is the continued process of eating and a regular routine, whereas Ritucharya is a change in that routine or continuous daily process. Here are some general instructions to be followed while adhering to the principles of Dinacharya and Ritucharya. However, make sure the foods mentioned for each prakriti is partaken, only after consultation with a physician.
Foods For Vata Prakriti
| To Be Partaken | To Be Avoided |
| Fruits like banana, coconut, date, mango, sweet grapes, sweet melon, orange, papaya, pineapple, soaked raisins and groundnut | Apples in excess, pears, pomegranates, watermelon |
| Cooked vegetables, cooked onion, fenugreek green, sprouted seeds, carrot, cucumber, radish, garlic, pumpkin | Dried vegetables, raw vegetables, cauliflower, raw onions, peas, capsicum, tomatoes |
| Cooked cereals and all kinds of rice and wheat | Raw cereals, barley. maize,millets |
| Pulses – Moong bean | Kidneybeans, blacklentils, soyabeans |
| Dairy products like all kinds of milk, ghee, butter, buttermilk, cottage cheese, ice cream. curd | Dried milk powder, goat milk |
| Beverages like all kind of fruit juice, milk shakes | All aerated / carbonated drinks, pear juice, pomegranate juice, strong tea, coffee |
| Non vegetarian food like chicken, fish, crab, prawns etc. | Mutton, rabbit |
Foods For Pitia Prakriti
| To Be Partaken | To Be Avoided |
| Fruits like sweet apple, coconut, dates, sweet mango, sweet grapes, sweet melon, sweet orange, pears, pomegranate, raisins, and watermelon | Sour apples, sour grapes, sour oranges, lemons and all dry fruits |
| Vegetables like sweet, bitter vegetables, cabbage, cucumber, germinated seeds, ladies linger, peas, capsicum, potatoes, sweet potato. | Sour vegetables, fenugreek greens, garlic, mustard, radish, tomatoes |
| Cereals like barley, rice, wheat | Millets, brown rice |
| Pulses like moong, kidney beans, soya beans | Black lentils |
| Dairy products like milk, ghee, and butter | Sour buttermilk, cheese, curd |
| Beverages like all sweet fruits, milk shakes | Alcohol, banana shake, all carbonated drinks, coffee |
| Non vegetarian food like chicken, fish, crab, prawns etc. | Yellow portion of eggs, duck, sheep, others |
Foods For Kapha Prakriti
| To Be Partaken | To Be Avoided |
| Fruits like apple, pears and raisins | Sweet fruits, sour fruits, banana, coconut, dates, fresh figs, lemon, melons, orange, pineapples, watermelons |
| Raw vegetables, pungent bitter vegetables, cabbage, carrots, salad vegetables, garlic, green beans, chilies, ladies finger, peas, onion, radishes, spinach, sprouted seeds | Sweet and fleshy vegetables |
| Cereal like wheat bran, barley, maize, millet. | Brown rice, wheat |
| Dairy products like milk, goat’s milk, buttermilk without fat content | All kinds of milk, cheese, curd, butter, cheese |
| Beverages like tea containing less milk, carrot juice, juice of ginger, carbonated drinks. | Coconut milk, date shake, milk shake |
| Non vegetarian food like chicken, eggs, hare etc. | Fish, goat, prawns etc. |