Ayurveda Tips

The world of Ayurveda

(an ancient system of healing in India) is a lot about food. It's something we eat several times a day and what we put into our bodies can be compared to fuel.
I hope you will find the following Ayurveda tips useful.

• Make sure you do some exercise every day as this helps to get your digestion and your metabolism 'moving'.
• Take time at least once a day to get into meditation - you can also do some yoga exercies as well as this also helps to keep you calm, become more supple and even stop those awful food cravings we all get sometimes.
• Get up early and be in bed, ready for sleep by around 10 each night.
• Prepare your meals fresh every day and don't eat leftovers as they are lower in energy.
• Make lunch your biggest meal with a light, easily digestible meal in the evening.
• To help the digestive process, add cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, black pepper and fresh ginger to your meals.
• Drink hot water throughout the day instead of cold water
  

Here are some more Ayurvedic tips to assist you in certain circumstances

• Hot, spicy foods are not your friends if you are feeling irritable or even angry.
• Don't eat salads or raw foods if you are feeling anxious or nervous.
• Dairy products or sweets are a no-no if you are suffering from a cold as they can slow down recovery because they are mucus forming.
  

Although the above are general Ayurveda tips that we can all benefit from, if you delve further into this amazing healing system or visit a Ayurvedic doctor, you will find that our bodies are classified into three types, called doshas:

1. Vata
2. Pitta
3. Kapha
   

This means that we are either one of the above types or possibly a combination. Vata types, for example, are usually slender with a light bone structure and they typically have cold hand and feet which means they love it when it's warm. They are a restless type, walking fast and also quick thinking. They also love more fatty food, mushy soups and loves sweet tastes as well as sour and salty food.

On the other hand, Pitta represents the principle of fire and so this means that digestion and assimilation of food is important. Therefore they tend to enjoy their food, their appetite is good and the temperature of their body is often higher so they like cool things. They have a good digestive system, an excellent memory and ask a lot of questions. They may be sensitive to fried food. They tend to urinate a lot as well as sweat profusely.

Kapha represents the energy of structure and lubrication and such people tend to be a bit overweight with heavy bones and a large compact frame. They have a steady appetite but their digestion is often slow and they walk and talk slowly. These types can easily spend their day sleeping or relaxing at home and they usually need the stimulus of caffeine to get their metabolism going in the mornings.

So you can see that what is good for a Vata type (they crave warmth, for example) is no good for Pitta types who tend to be overheated.
However, it should be clear from the above that Ayurveda is based on firm principles and is a great system for good health. I hope the Ayurveda tips are of use to you.