How To Follow An Ayurvedic Diet For Weight Loss

Are you eager to follow an ayurvedic diet to shed your excess weight? If yes, you have come to the right article, as we will tell you how to follow an ayurvedic diet for weight loss.

Following an Ayurvedic diet will let you primarily eat whole or minimally processed foods and practice mindful eating that will further boost your health, prevent disease, and maintain your overall health.

The Ayurvedic diet is actually based on Ayurvedic wellness systems that date back to five thousand years.

What Is An Ayurvedic Diet?

Ayurveda is a wellness practice that originated in India and dates back to 5000 years. The term 'Ayurveda' is a Sanskrit word; Ayur means life and Veda means science. So, it means the science of life.

Ayurveda has another branch which includes Ayurvedic medicine. It seeks to build a healthy and strong body through a series of diet, lifestyle and exercise.

These are the benefits you can get if you follow an Ayurvedic diet:

1. Improves functionality by decreasing inflammation
2. Boosts fertility and sexual health
3. Improves health of the gut
4. Promotes digestion and metabolic processes
5. Aids in weight management
6. Enhances detoxification
7. Calms your body

In Ayurveda, the three doshas vata, kapha and pitta make up the body constitution. These doshas communicate to different tendencies, body types, nutritional needs and personality traits. Each dosha consists of five basic elements - ether, air, water, fire and earth. Each person has a unique combination of the three doshas that determines their physical and psychological characteristics.

Let's explain each dosha in detail here:

• Vata - A person with vata body type tends to be thin, have smaller bones, struggles with digestion and doesn't put on weight easily.
• Kapha - Those with kapha body type tend to struggle with weight gain and have a bigger build-up of the body.
• Pitta - One with a pitta body type has an athletic body and is versatile in putting on weight or muscles.

Weight Gain Due To Dosha Imbalances

1. Vata-related Weight Imbalance

If you are vata type by nature, you are normally thin and strong. But, this doesn't mean that you won't be gaining weight at all. More often, vata type people are thin all their lives and due to a sudden metabolism change, they put on weight.

These people are susceptible more to mental stress, and due to this, they forget to eat regularly, which in turn disturbs their digestion process and thus accumulating toxins in the body.

The foremost thing for a vata person is to reduce mental stress by creating a healthy routine i.e., by going to bed early at night and rising early in the morning. The best medicine for vata imbalance is getting adequate sleep.

It is also important to eat a balanced diet by maintaining a tridoshic diet, this will balance all the three doshas. Avoid eating foods that are too hot and spicy, ice cream, iced beverages and heavy desserts. Also avoid foods that are too light and dry and heavy foods like cheese and meat products.

Consume whole foods that are fresh and organic and eat three warm, cooked meals regularly.

2. Pitta-related Weight Imbalance

Most people who belong to this body type are overweight, mainly because they aren't eating regularly and as a result, digestive impurities have accumulated in their system. Eventually the metabolism starts slowing down resulting in weight gain.

In addition, this can cause acidity, so people with high pitta should consume three meals a day. Start your breakfast with boiled milk with a pinch of liquorice powder or an oatmeal. Eat vegetables like white radish and squashes, and spices like fennel powder, cumin powder and turmeric should be added to your dishes for lunch and dinner.

Avoid having spices which are pungent like cayenne, chillies and black mustard seeds.

3. Kapha-related Weight Imbalance

A person who belongs to the kapha body type has a slow metabolism. The person's body structure will generally be on the heavier side.

So, it's important to fasten your metabolism by adding spices like black pepper, turmeric, fresh ginger in your dishes. It will promote digestion, metabolize fat, and reduce cholesterol.

Tips For Eating The Ayurvedic Way

• Eat mindfully and with concentration - Avoid any kind of distractions and concentrate on your meal.
• Intake of six rasas and taste - In your meal, include foods that are salty, sour, sweet, bitter, astringent, and pungent. Begin your meal with foods that have a sweet taste like a fruit, then eat foods that are salty and then sour and finally, finish your meal with foods that are spicy and bitter.
• Eat your food when it's warm and eat slowly to savour the taste of the food.
• Eat a good amount of food.
• Eat your next meal when your previous meal has been digested.

Before you start eating an Ayurvedic diet, here are the foods for your doshas:

• Vata foods to eat are sweet fruits such as cooked apples or cherries, cooked vegetables like asparagus and beetroot, rice, lentils, fish, black pepper, beef, dairy products, sesame oil, ghee, etc.
• Vata foods to avoid are raw apples, watermelon, potatoes, chickpeas, barley, corn, yogurt, chocolate and red wine.
• Pitta foods to eat are raisins, watermelon, dry cereal, unsalted butter, broccoli or cauliflower, egg whites, chicken, and coconut.
• Pitta foods to avoid are avocados, apricots, spinach, soy sauce, sour cream, beef, chilli, and chocolate.
• Kapha foods to eat are fruits like apple sauce or prunes, celery or carrots, lima beans, granola, buttermilk, shrimp, turkey, cottage cheese, red wine or white wine.
• Kapha foods to avoid are grapefruits, cucumber or zucchini, oats, pasta, pancakes, fish, chocolate and kidney beans.

Your goal shouldn't be only ayurvedic diet for losing weight faster, but instead to live in a way that promotes balance and harmony between body and mind.

The food choices might be limited, however you should understand the benefits of each type of food. Following an ayurvedic diet, will encourage your weight loss or maintain a healthy weight if you start eating foods according to your dosha.

Note: Speak to your ayurvedic doctor to know which is your body type and dosha imbalance.

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