update on the ayurvedic diet

So it has been just a little over two weeks since I started the ayurvedic diet and guess what? The weight is coming off so easily. Really, I couldn’t believe it. I never get hungry in between meals like I used too. I also have more energy and feel better. I no longer suffer from nightly congestion. Before I started this diet my nose would close up every time my head hit the pillow and stay that way all night. There was nothing I could do about it and was told to have surgery even though they couldn’t see any reason for it to be happening. I knew that surgery would be hard on my body and I also knew others whom had it done and it did nothing for them.

Now I don’t have to take my nightly Sudafed to try to open up. It never really worked anyways. I am still in shock that I would be impacted this way already. I am just in awe. Now I have heard from some of you out there that you wanted the list of foods to eat. Well before you can even look at what you should be eaten you need to know what Dosha you are. I suggest you going to one of my earlier posts and take the quiz from Dr. Oz and make sure about your Dosha.

I am a Kapha with Pitta falling behind. In reality I am a Kapha all the way. I suffer from everything they speak of and since I started living this lifestyle my body is becoming happier. Seriously, it is functioning better and I know it has to be because of this program. I know it might look restrictive by site but I am going to tell you that I am a terrible dieter. I get bored too quickly and my cravings would drive me crazy.

Well I don’t have any cravings and get this. I went to eat some chocolate yesterday and it tasted terrible. I pushed it away and don’t want it anymore. Now those of you who know me know very well that I am a chocoholic and must have my weekly fix. Not anymore. I love that this transition is happening for me.

When I went to my doctor’s office the other day he was stunned at my progress. He was quite pleased that I was working on the weight so that my body could heal from the injuries I have received.

Now many of you are probably wondering. Is she exercising to get this weight off? Nope I am very limited and restricted in my activity level with my current injuries. I can’t do the exercises like I used to be able to do before. I can do the ones that I shared on one of my earlier posts. Really those are good for toning and strengthening your muscles. I do them to help me to get stronger.

If I had access to a pool that would do well but I don’t. However, for those of you restricted like me a pool at the local gym might be an answer to your exercise questions. I can walk in the pool and swim and it doesn’t hurt me because of the buoyancy and the unloading weight off joints.

Also I wouldn’t feel any direct pain right afterwards it actually made me feel relaxed and good for a couple of hours afterwards. Currently, I don’t have transportation to the gym reasons why I don’t go.

Now I had to kick up the spice in my diet, which wasn’t something I normally ate on a regular basis. I am now getting quite used to eating turmeric and peppers and ginger into my days. I didn’t like any of that when I first started this so don’t fear if it is not your thing. Just slowly immerse yourself into it if you happen to be a kapha too.

There is no rush so take it slow. I jumped right in because that works better for me. The hardest thing for me to get used to is the taste of ginger and I drink ginger tea all day long now. I know it is the reason I am not congested like I used to be. I even got a cold and it isn’t as bad as how it would be before.

I still have a long way to go but I am headed into the right direction and that is all that matters to me. I don’t really miss the other foods that I am not supposed to eat. I love it. This has been the easiest weight loss diet I have ever done. I don’t feel deprived and I feel satisfied and full all the time. There is no calorie counting or fat counting either it is just eating the foods on my list and being creative in how to cook them up.

 this information taken off http://www.ayurveda-holistic-medicine.com/10-best-foods-to-eat.html

10 Best Foods to Eat for Vata

Vata benefits from heavy, oily, and warm food (these qualities are SUPER important, more than the individual food items).

1) Clarified butter or butter (you can add it to anything you eat)
2) Fresh ginger (best pungent spice; I know not exactly a 'food', but it's really one of my tops for Vata; can be added to food or made into fresh ginger tea)
3) Warm milk (preferably with a pinch of powdered ginger and cardamom)
4) Cream of rice or wheat (with some ghee, ginger and cardamom; are you starting to see the point ;-)
5) Warm soups and long-cooked stews (preferably with some root vegetables, such as beets and carrots)
6) Almonds (the best would be rinsed with boiling water to remove the skin & slightly roasted in ghee)
7) Sweet fruit, like dates, figs, and red grapes (try to eat any fruit room temperature; if the fruit is dried, soak it first)
8) Root vegetables, like carrots, red beets, and sweet potatoes (cooked and spiced)
9) Kichari (also with ghee, fresh ginger and root veggies)
10) Chicken broth

10 Best Foods to Eat for Pitta

Pitta benefits from heavy, cold, and dry food.

1) Clarified butter (clarified butter has a special quality - even though it's oily it decreases Pitta)
2) Milk (with a pinch of cardamom)
3) Sunflower seeds
4) Steamed broccoli
5) Lassi (½ cup plain good quality yogurt + ½ cup water with a pinch of cumin)
6) Cucumber
7) Salads and other leafy greens
8) Cold cereal, such as oats
9) Kichari (with cumin, coriander and fresh cilantro)
10) Lentils and other legumes

10 Best Foods to Eat for Kapha

Kapha benefits from dry, light, and hot food.

1) Hot water with fresh ginger, honey, and lemon (I know it's not food, but Kapha in general does better with less food and this drink can be used as food substitute)
2) Warm buckwheat, rye or millet
3) Kichari (make it quite spicy; with fresh ginger, pepper, and chili)
4) Astringent fruit, such as pomegranate, apricot or persimmon
5) Leafy greens, such as dandelion, kale and beet greens
6) Artichoke, cauliflower and green beans
7) Sprouts
8) Soy milk
9) Lentils and other legumes
10) Steamed brussel sprouts

Notice any repetition? Yes, Kichari! Kichari is a wonderful tridoshic healthy recipe that you can eat anytime regardless of which Body Type you are. Which brings me to the last list . . . 

read this article in the Washington Post

 http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2007/05/do_you_eat_for_your_dosha.html

http://ayurvedaplace.com/category/dosha/

Follow this site that has a short article on the foods for each Dosha
http://www.halepule.com/sites/default/files/PDF/Foods_by_dosha.pdf

http://www.ayurveda-treatment-guide.com/ayurvedic-cooking.html

Ayurvedic cooking to balance doshas for Kapha Types

Your kapha dosha is aggravated you are overweight,feel lethargic,and get depression easy. also if you have mucus every morning or a feeling of mucus in your throat.

Your diet should consist primarily of foods and beverages that stabilize kapha ayurveda herbs and are stimulating: choose foods that are light, dry, and warm and that taste primarily pungent (spicy), bitter, or astringent. Avoid overeating and foods and beverages that aggravate kapha, such as those that are oily, cold, or predominantly sweet, sour, or salty.

VEGETABLES

Emphasize asparagus, cilantro, mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, mustard greens, chard, turnips, watercress, radishes, beets, carrots, pumpkin, celery, peas, green beans, chilies, lentils, lima and soybeans. Eat moderate amounts of parsley, cauliflower, spinach, okra, squash, corn, seaweeds, chickpeas, split peas, tofu, and kidney and mung beans. Avoid cucumbers, avocado, and sweet potatoes.

FRUITS

Emphasize apples, cranberries, and dried fruits. Eat grapefruits, pomegranates, prunes, lemons, limes, and papayas in moderation. Avoid grapes, bananas, pineapples, oranges, pears, melons, plums, cherries, strawberries, mangoes, dates, and figs.GRAINS

Emphasize quinoa and barley; eat moderate amounts of corn, millet, buckwheat, rye, and basmati rice. Avoid couscous, oats, brown or white rice, and wheat.

NUTS, SEEDS, AND OILS

Emphasize safflower, sunflower, and mustard oils; eat small quantities of coconut, and pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds, ghee, and corn, peanut, and soy oils. Avoid walnuts, cashews, almonds, pine nuts, filberts, pecans, Brazil nuts and their oils, as well as butter, sesame, olive, and avocado oils.

HEALING AYURVEDIC FOODS, HERBS, AND SPICES ANIMAL FOODS (NONVEGETARIANS)

Use moderate amounts of buttermilk, goat milk, and kefir, and turkey and chicken; avoid all other animal and daily products.SWEETENERS

Use only honey, fruit-juice concentrates, and Sucanat in moderation.

Vata diet

They need to avoid becoming overstimulated; to include periods of rest, relaxation, and reflection (even if it's only fifteen minutes twice a day), particularly in the afternoon, when you tends to become scattered; and to eat regular meals. use this spice to feed your nerves everyday as part of your daily meal.

Be mindful of moving too much, doing too many things at one time, and thinking too much and too fast.

Your the type that usually gets the least amount of sleep but need the most in order to rest their wound-up, overworked nervous systems. They are natural night owls.

Do daily oil massageRevitalizes and moisturizes for soft, young-looking skin. Increases energy, stamina and resistance to stress; improves circulation/enhances sleep. Prepared with a blend of Ayurvedic herbs and pure essential oils. No animal ingredients. Not tested on animals. No articficial fragrances. especially if you are :a mild insominac who likes to go to bed at 2 a.m.

To compensate for the irregular circadian sleep cycle that becomes a life time habit follow strict discipline of daily oil massages.

They should get a solid seven to eight hours of sleep and can sleep a little later than other doshas; they should go to bed early and rise at the same time every morning—even on the weekends.

SeasonFall is the season when dryness is most prevalent,(just look at the dry leaves all around) so you should be aware that this is when most imbalances occur—and be prepared. You don't do well in hot dry indian summer that leads into in rainy, damp, or windy weather, so you should stay out of the cold and avoid these conditions.

Food Emphasize sweet, bitter, sour, heavy, oily, hot, stabilizing foods and herbs, especially during fall and winter, the autumn moivng into winter time of year. They should drink warm teas and fluids, and avoid caffeine and alcohol. VATA Dosha: DAILY LIFESTYLE REGIMEN

BASIC

Early morning

Arise by sunrise, without alarm clock

Drink warm water Urinate and have bowelmovement

Brush teeth and scrape tongue

MeditateDo sesame oil massage Do yoga Sun Salutation

Do calming exercises such as tai chi or yoga, between six and ten A.M. or six and ten P.M.

Bathe/shower with warm water

Eat breakfast by eight A.M. Take short walk

Midmorning Do active work; best time for meetings, communicating with others, doing chores and errands

Afternoon Eat lunch between twelve and one P.M.

Take short walk

Low-key work: thinking, contemplation, reflect on the day

Vata tea break at four P.M. break at four P.M.

Pitta diet

What does pitta dosha mean? Pitta dosha means the aspect of the body that refers to the digestion of the body. Pitta means heat and is referring to the enzymes of the body, the HCL of the body,and how the body prepares the food into the chemical nutrient that builds the tissue. It also refers to the ayurveda body type that is predominant in heat,prone to hyperacidity aka acid reflux.

One of the most fundamental concepts in Ayurveda is that of pitta is enzymes power. A metaphor is that Pitta is the "fire in the belly." So folks with a lot of " fire in their belly" are Pitta types.

Enzymes are the digestive and metabolic "fire" produced by the doshas that grabs the essence of nourishment from food, feelings, and thoughts and transforms it into a form your body can use.

Through the heat of enzymes various tissues of the body produce secretions, metabolic reactions, and other processes needed to create energy and maintain and repair the body. Agni is also part of the immune system since its heat destroys harmful organisms and toxins.

The activity of stomach acid varies throughout the day and, maintaining the strength and natural ebb and flow of your digestive juices is needed for good digestion, good immune function, and resistance to disease. Enzymes are needed to form healthy juices that the body chemistry stews in . Anytime anything is put in the mouth, the stomach secretes hydrochloric acid.

If the substance is not food, the hydrochloric acid has nothing to work with. So, gum chewing is not a good thing to do because it causes excess acid secretion with nothing to work on.

Enzymes and stomach acid are examples of pitta dosha. 

http://www.holistic-online.com/ayurveda/ayv-Pitta-food-plan.htm go here for lists of foods for each dosha


I hope this is useful information for all of you. I will continue posting every so often about my progress and if anyone dares to join me and wants to do this diet let me know. I would love to add your information here too to help others out there.