A few years back, I had the honor of presenting Ayurveda to a group of yoga teacher trainees on Vashon Island. We spent 6 1/2 hours together learning about the origin and underlying philosophies that support Ayurveda and about our unique constitution and how to care for it. Right away folks wanted to know what to eat for their type.
Diet is one of the three pillars of health in Ayurveda, and like everything ayurvedic, it is customized to the individual, and shifts as the seasons change, and at different stages of our life.
So the answer to a simple question like "what should I eat?" is, “It depends….”
Even before Ayurveda describes what to eat, it describes how and when to eat:
Eat 2 or 3 meals a day at regular times with your largest meal mid day
Eat only after the previous meal is digested (no snacking).
Eat slowly and mindfully with reverence for your food.
Eat until satisfied but not overly full.
The basics of what to eat, without getting into specifics based on body-type are:
Eat a whole foods diet: ditch frozen, canned and processed food and favor whole grains, fresh meats, fresh fruits and vegetables (always local and in season when possible) and understand the dirty dozen and clean 15—those few foods that the have the most and least chemical residues on them, so you know where to invest your dollars on organic, and where it’s safe to eat conventionally grown food. Fresh and local trumps organic in my book, with the exception of the dirty dozen.
Eat freshly prepared food as much as possible: The fresher the food, the easier it will be to digest (experiment and see for yourself) and the more nutrition and prana will be in that food. How to begin; ways to make that easier: If you’re used to cooking in bulk and freezing—try to cook twice a week. Purchase a food thermos and bring your leftover warm soup/stews with you to eat at work; Make use of Natural Markets’ delis: in Seattle, PCC has freshly prepared soups and other items, so on the days you can’t cook for yourself or your family, you can make use of their freshly prepared foods, (and you can factor that $ into your weekly food bill in advance).
Which of these tips on how or what to eat feels relevant to your body now?
How could you put that into practice?
Need some help? Schedule a complimentary 15 minute coaching session with me. Know you want to do some work together? schedule a complimentary discovery session with me and together we'll figure out your next step.
Here’s to better digestion/immunity/energy/enthusiasm this season.
With love, Shannon