An ancient perspective on our relationship with food!

"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food" Hippocrates

Ayurveda is a word that at first I simply could not pronounce the same way twice. I was unsure of whether or not I should be saying it with an accent or certain inflection and upon reference to many dictionaries I was no clearer, it seemed that the word itself was as exotic as the modality it constitutes. And I could not rely on how I heard the word being said by friends because they each had their own unique way of pronouncing it also, so that part I will leave up to you to find out. I have settled on ‘I-your-vay-da’.

The word Ayurveda itself comes from the Sanskrit language and literally translates to -‘veda: knowledge’ and ‘ayur: of life’ – knowledge of life. Ayurveda is known to be the oldest and most comprehensive form of medical science in the world, with many records claiming that Ayurveda dates back 6000 years, and has its roots in the ancient Hindu tradition. Because Ayurveda was born before the advent of writing or a time when humans could document their history, the teachings and wisdom of Ayurveda have been preserved by spiritual leaders, or Yogis. The knowledge, methodology and practice of Ayurveda are composed of the doctrines of the spiritual tradition of the ‘Universal Religion’ or Vedic religion.

Ayurveda operates on the holistic principle of the science of life encompassing the mind, the body and the spirit to prevent illness in order to attain longevity. One aspect of Ayurvedic medicine considers the food we eat and the way we live our lives (emotionally, physically and spiritually) as being directly linked to our overall health and wellbeing. This philosophy operates on the premise that one area of our existence cannot be isolated from the others as they all relate to create our present state of being. So in a nutshell this ancient form of healing looks at body and spirit as being one (or the mind/body relationship). Ayurveda medicine then goes on to treat every individual as just that, an individual who is unique, having their own unique constitution and therefore the treatment that they receive should be tailored to their uniqueness.

In Ayurvedic medicine there is no "all for one and one for all" approach to treating a person’s health. Recommendations for treatment are made based on observation, inquiry, direct examination and knowledge of the individual’s diet and lifestyle. Ayurveda is made up of eight branches or areas of medicine, the branch of Ayurveda that deals with ‘nutrition’ is termed – Kaya Chikitsa or Internal Medicine. The principle of Ayurvedic nutrition starts with an individual’s constitution or dosha. There are three tri-doshas, or simply put, body types that we all fit into. These doshas are; vata, pitta and kapha and each of these constitutions or body types have specific foods that they should eat and avoid in order to maintain or create balance for optimum health.

A dosha has been described by Deepak Chopra, M.D as being a "metabolic principle that connects the mind and body".

Ayurvedic nutrition does not analyse food based on it’s chemical content, rather it classifies foods based on their effect on the body and mind. There are three classifications of ‘mental type’ that relate to the three doshas or body types that need to be considered as well when determining what are the best foods for you to be eating.

These ‘mental types’ are called Gunas and are as follows;

• Sattva: Containing the quality of love, light and life. Sattvic types tend to be thinkers, are pure of heart, curious and fair.

Sattvic foods promote clarity and calmness of mind and are favourable for spiritual growth. Such foods include most fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, whole grains, honey, pure water and milk (taking into consideration that the way commercial milk is processed today it may no be entirely sattvic). An important point to consider is that only organic products qualify as Sattvic, tinned and frozen foods are not Sattvic either.

• Raja/Rajsic: People that are Rajsic possess the quality of activity, dominance, passion, and can often lack stability.

Rajsic food feeds the body while promoting activity, it also induces restlessness of mind. Rajsic foods include most spicey foods, stimulants such as coffee and tea, eggs, garlic, onion, meat, fish and chocolate as well as most processed food. Eating practices also come under these three effects of food, for example eating fast or with a disturbed mind is considered as being rajsic.

• Tamasic: These types of people are usually unmotivated to learn and find it hard to grasp or understand serious situations.

Tamasic foods induce heaviness of the body and create a dullness of the mind. These foods include alcohol, food that is overripe and food that is stale. The act of overeating is also considered to be tamasic and therefore should be avoided.

A general rule that accompanies Ayurvedic nutrition is to fill the stomach half with food, one quarter with water leaving the last quarter of the stomach empty. This promotes a more efficient and better working digestive system than one that is constantly being filled or overfilled with food and spending vital energy trying to breakdown and eliminate the body’s contents.

The practices surrounding how we eat food in Ayurvedic nutrition is just as important as what foods are being eaten. It is important to know how to prepare foods, in particular, knowing compatible food combinations as well as knowing when to eat. In Ayurvedic nutrition it is stated that one should not eat too late at night as there should be a 3-4 hour gap between eating and sleeping. Another rule is that food should be prepared fresh, eaten fresh and prepared with a positive, respectful state of mind and when eating the food that has been prepared to do so with attention and gratitude.

"Food which is hated, not served properly, burnt (overcooked), heavy, dry, cold, unclean, or taken with excess water is not digested (so also) is food which is consumed by a person tormented by grief, anger, hunger, (is not digested)." Vagbhata (India, 7th Century CE)

Ayurvedic nutrition classifies foods by six tastes that balance your dosha or body type. These tastes are called rasas and are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent and astringent. A balanced diet will contain all six rasas with emphasis put on one or more of the six tastes if a person’s dosha is not balanced. Because we are composed of one predominant dosha or a combination of the three it is important to eat the right combination and amount of foods that contain the appropriate tastes for your specific body type. In Ayurveda it is believed that once food is ingested the tastes do not disappear from the food upon digestion but continues to influence the physical and emotional balance of the individual.

The six tastes should be eaten in order for them to be assimilated with the most efficiency and in harmony with the body, first sweet, then salty, sour, pungent and finally bitter and astringent. As with everything in life it goes without saying that "moderation is the key to health and wellbeing". With each of the six tastes, if you eat them in moderation without excess your food will work best for you.

Every food also has it’s own virya or heating/cooling energy and vipaka or post-digestive effect. The relationship and balance of the rasa (taste), virya (heating/cooling quality) and vipaka (post-digestive effect) is important so as not to create an imbalance or overloading the enzyme system which results in the production of toxins. Therefore the six tastes, the foods that they represent and the order that they are eaten brings me to the Ayurvedic concept of food combining. Just as you would find in Western dietetics and nutrition, food combinations are important and meals should be prepared with this in consideration. After all our food is our medicine that keeps our body and mind healthy.

Food combining or Samyoga is of great importance because it impacts upon the digestive system and affects the amount of time taken by the body to breakdown and assimilate the nutrients of the food eaten. This comes down to eating the correct foods for your constitution and eating fruits, starches, proteins and fats separately at different times of the day. Improper food combinations can cause the body to react by producing gas, fermentation, indigestion among other ailments which could then lead to greater health risks. It makes sense then that the better we digest and assimilate our foods the less likely we are to suffer from toxic substances, accumulate excess fat and crave unhealthy foods.

Knowing that Ayurveda is a holistic medicine and deals with all elements of life when treating the individual, it then makes perfect sense to understand why in terms of nutrition it differs from the conventional view of what makes a balanced diet and why it is important that as individuals we each have our own dietary needs. According to Ayurvedic wisdom factors such as age, sex, race, climate, digestive capacity, stress, immune status, strength, illness, emotional state, and adaptability account for everything when it comes to the food that we should be eating in order to have a healthy, well balanced life.

Here is a basic outline of some of the benefits from eating according to the ancient teachings of Ayurveda.
• better health, youthfulness and better memory
• more energy, endurance and strength
• a gradual decrease in existing imbalances
• prevention of imbalances
• greater ability to handle stress and anxiety
• saves you money in the long run
• improved sleep and concentration
• better digestion, metabolism and elimination
• healthier skin, complexion and slowed down aging
• healthier progeny
• stronger immune system
• weight loss or gain and better sense control