We touched on Ayurveda in our blog post "What are the 3 pillars of movement in Ayurvedic teaching?", but there we mainly looked at the movement types. In this post, we turn to the Ayurvedic diet and how you can put it into practice in everyday life.
What is the Ayurvedic diet?
The Ayurvedic diet comes from a 5,000-year-old system of traditional medicine that originated in India. The idea is that your diet is adapted to your mental and physical constitution. Just like with Ayurvedic movement, different types are defined for this. The meal plan is also built around these principles, to cover your body's needs and to support prevention and inner harmony.
The nice thing about the Ayurvedic diet: it isn't meant for any particular group of people and it isn't especially strict. That means it can easily be adapted to your own taste and personal preferences. On top of that, the Ayurvedic diet is eco-friendly: there's a particular focus on eating little meat! Alongside that, the emphasis is on choosing regional and seasonal food.
Which diet types are there in the Ayurvedic diet?
The names for the doshas, or types, are the same as in Ayurvedic movement:
Vata, Pitta and Kapha. "Dosha" means "fault" and stands for a group of characteristics that are said to apply to members of that dosha. Here's a quick overview of the 3 doshas:
Vata
Vata stands for the elements air and space, and so for the personal traits of alertness, dynamism and clarity. The aim with the Vata type is to ease loss of appetite, sleep problems and nervousness. There is a whole list of foods that are suitable and unsuitable for this type. The suitable ones include above all tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple and oranges. Beans of any kind, on the other hand, should be avoided by people of this dosha type.
Pitta
The Pitta type is linked to the element of fire. With this diet, the digestive system and metabolism are particularly activated. Pitta types also often suffer from irritability in general. The Pitta meal plan features mostly sweet fruits such as figs, melon, avocado and mango. Dried fruit, however, is generally to be avoided. The Pitta type should also stay away from animal products.
Kapha
The Kapha food list is based on bitter and spicy vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, celery and aubergine. For oils, corn and walnut oil are preferred. Since the element of the Kapha type is earth, strength and calm should be especially encouraged. The diet is therefore tailored to counter sluggishness and excess weight in particular.
Every dosha type is different.
5 rules of the Ayurvedic diet
In the Ayurvedic diet, it's not just the individual foods and their quality that matter, but also the way you eat your meals!
- Don't drink while eating
To support digestion rather than disturb it, the Ayurvedic diet recommends not drinking anything for 1.5 hours before and after a meal. The exceptions are a warm glass of water during the meal and digestion-friendly teas before and after.
- Eat in peace and in a pleasant atmosphere
Don't see your meal as a daily duty just to stop your hunger. Eat in a calm, pleasant atmosphere without your phone, Netflix and co. Bet you'll enjoy your food much more and notice the taste much more intensely? Your body also directs its concentration and attention to the digestive process.
- Be your own cook
Make sure you cook and prepare your own food. For one thing, heated, warm meals are important because they're easy to digest and so are easier on the stomach than raw food straight from the fridge. Warm food should be on the table twice a day. When you prepare your meals yourself, you can also be sure that all your ingredients are natural, fresh and high quality. Ready-made products are a no-go in the Ayurvedic diet.
- Eat regularly
Make sure you don't have in-between meals or snacks during your day. Three set meals are prescribed in the Ayurvedic way of eating. The rule of thumb is that breakfast and lunch should be digested before dinner, and dinner by the next morning.
- The dose makes the poison
Imagine dividing your stomach into 4 parts. You should fill two quarters with food and one quarter with liquid. It doesn't matter whether that's a hearty soup or a room-temperature drink. What matters is that the last quarter stays free so the digestive process can finish completely.
Rules for preparing Ayurvedic food.
Ayurveda is more than just rules
Even if Ayurveda looks very strict at first glance, it has lots of positive aspects! Simply by engaging with your meals and original, unprocessed foods, you become more aware of nature, the environment and your own actions. You could almost say you come into greater harmony with nature. It's also quite possible that your well-being and contentment increase. For everyday eating, the Ayurvedic diet gives you a framework and rules to hold on to, so you have less to think about. That gives you a concrete plan and saves you a good amount of time when planning meals.
This way of eating is also said to ease individual stress and strain. Anyone who looks into eating the Ayurvedic way and applies it automatically eats healthier. It's not a diet and not a special cleanse, it's a long-term way of eating. If you used to eat lots of unprocessed food, the Ayurvedic way of eating may also make it easier to lose weight. Can you imagine that many people with mental health struggles choose an Ayurvedic diet? Depression, burnout, anxiety, nervousness,....you name it. Beyond that, the Ayurvedic diet may also support people with skin conditions and digestive issues, since anti-inflammatory foods take centre stage. Nutrition and its effects on the body are very individual, so it's worth trying out!
frank juice and Ayurveda: do they go together?
Our cleanses and products aren't specifically tailored to Ayurvedic nutrition. Still, you can use a juice cleanse as a start into the Ayurvedic diet and make a change in your eating habits after your cleanse. You can also fit our products into an Ayurvedic diet really well! That includes our shots, whose main ingredients ginger and turmeric are highly praised in Ayurvedic nutrition. Our M*lks and of course our cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices are Ayurveda-friendly too. Just make sure you don't drink them ice-cold from the fridge, but let them stand out for a short while first.
We've already touched on Ayurveda in our blog article "What are the 3 pillars of movement in Ayurvedic teaching?", but there we mainly dealt with the movement types. In this post, we focus on Ayurvedic nutrition and how you can put it into practice in everyday life.
What is Ayurvedic nutrition?
Ayurvedic nutrition is part of a 5,000-year-old system of medicine that comes from India. The idea is to adapt your diet to your mental and physical constitution. Just like with movement in Ayurveda, different types are defined for this. The meal plan is also built around these principles, to cover your physical needs and to support your well-being, prevention and inner harmony.
The nice thing about Ayurvedic nutrition: it isn't meant for a particular group of people and it isn't especially strict. That means it can easily be adapted to your own taste and personal preferences. On top of that, Ayurvedic nutrition is eco-friendly: particular care is taken to eat little meat! Regional and seasonal foods are also chosen.
Which nutrition types exist in Ayurvedic nutrition?
The names for the doshas, or types, are the same as in Ayurvedic movement:
Vata, Pitta and Kapha. "Dosha" means "fault" here and stands for a group of characteristics that are said to apply to members of the respective dosha. Here's a quick overview of the 3 doshas:
Vata
Vata stands for the elements air and space, and therefore for the personal qualities of alertness, dynamism and clarity. The aim with the Vata type is to ease loss of appetite, sleep problems and nervousness. There is a whole list of foods that are suitable and unsuitable for this type. The suitable ones include above all tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple and oranges. Any kind of beans, on the other hand, should be avoided by people of this dosha type.
Pitta
The Pitta type is linked to the element of fire. With this way of eating, the digestive system and metabolism are particularly activated. Pitta types often also suffer from irritability in general. The Pitta nutrition plan mainly features sweet fruits such as figs, melon, avocado and mango. Dried fruits, however, are generally to be avoided. The Pitta type should also stay away from animal products.
Kapha
The Kapha food list is based on bitter and spicy vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, celery and aubergine. Among oils, corn and walnut oil should be preferred. Since the element of the Kapha type is earth, it should be given particular strength and calm. The diet is therefore tailored to counteract sluggishness and excess weight in particular.
Every dosha type is different.
5 rules of Ayurvedic nutrition
In Ayurvedic nutrition, it's not just the individual products and their quality that matter, but also the way you eat your meals!
- Don't drink while eating
To support digestion rather than disturb it, Ayurvedic nutrition recommends not drinking anything for 1.5 hours before and after eating. The exceptions are a warm glass of water during the meal and digestion-supporting teas before and after.
- Eat in peace and a pleasant atmosphere
Don't see your meal as a daily obligation just to stop your hunger. Eat in a calm and pleasant atmosphere without your phone, Netflix and co. Bet you'll enjoy your food much more and notice the taste much more intensely? In fact, your body then also directs its concentration and attention to the digestive process.
- Be your own cook
Make sure you cook and prepare your food yourself. For one thing, heated, warm meals are important, as they are easy to digest and so easier on the stomach than raw food straight from the fridge. Warm food should be on the table twice a day. If you prepare your meals yourself, you can also be sure that all your ingredients are natural, fresh and high-quality. Ready-made products are therefore a no-go in Ayurvedic nutrition.
- Eat regularly
Make sure you have no in-between meals or snacks during your day. Ayurvedic nutrition prescribes three set meals. The rule of thumb is that breakfast and lunch should be digested before dinner, and dinner by the next morning.
- The dose makes the poison
Imagine dividing your stomach into 4 parts. You should fill two quarters with food and one quarter with liquid. It doesn't matter whether you have a hearty soup or a room-temperature drink. What matters is that the last quarter stays free, so the digestive process can finish completely.
Rules for preparing Ayurvedic food.
Ayurveda is more than just rules
Even if Ayurveda seems very strict and severe at first glance, it has many positive aspects! Simply by engaging with your meals and original, unprocessed foods, you become more aware of nature, the environment and your own actions. You could almost say that you come more into harmony with nature. It's also quite possible that your well-being and satisfaction increase. . Within everyday eating, Ayurvedic nutrition gives you a framework and rules to hold on to, so you have to worry less. That way you have a concrete plan and save yourself quite a bit of time when planning meals.
On top of that, this way of eating is meant to ease individual strain and stress factors. Anyone who engages with nutrition the Ayurvedic way and applies it automatically eats healthier. It isn't a diet and not a special cleanse either, it's a long-term way of eating. If you previously ate a lot of unprocessed food, it may also be easier for you to lose weight with Ayurvedic nutrition. Can you imagine that a great many people with mental health complaints opt for Ayurvedic nutrition? Depression, burnout, anxiety, nervousness,....you name it. In addition, Ayurvedic nutrition may also support people with skin conditions and digestive issues, as anti-inflammatory foods are particularly front and centre. Nutrition and its effects on the body are very individual - it's worth trying out!
Frank juice and Ayurveda - do they go together?
Our cleanses and products are not specifically tailored to Ayurvedic nutrition. Still, you can use a juice cleanse as a start into Ayurvedic nutrition and make a change to your diet after your cleanse. Beyond that, you can integrate our products wonderfully into an Ayurvedic diet! That includes our shots, whose main ingredients ginger and turmeric are highly praised in Ayurvedic nutrition. Our M*lks and of course our cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices are also Ayurveda-friendly. Just make sure you don't drink them ice-cold from the fridge, but let them stand outside for a short while first.
