L'ayurveda, che in Sanskrit it means "science of life", teaches you not only to regain well-being by respecting the rhythms of nature, but also to eat better (and to gain a healthy weight), discovering what are the most suitable foods for you.
'According to traditional Indian medicine in each person there are 3 different doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha), or 3 different metabolic principles from which the constitution of each individual results ", explains the doctor Laura Muscarella, psychologist and Ayurvedic practitioner in Palermo. "It is on their balance that our state of health depends, but we must also consider that normally one of the 3 doshas is dominant and knowing which one it is is essential to get started follow a diet more in line with our constitution and the needs of our body and mind ». With the advantage not only of making peace with the scales, but also of solve a whole series of ailments related to a wrong diet, starting with the digestive ones.
At the bottom of the article you will find a description (mainly physical, but also psychological) of each dosha for be able to identify what characterizes you. Below, we see the main characteristics of each dosha and what are the foods to pay more attention to avoid negative excesses of one rather than the other.
VATA DOES NOT LOVE COLD AND DRY FOODS
"Vata governa sensory and mental balance and movement. Its main seat is the colon and, when this dosha is in balance, eliminate toxins as best you can, breathe well, your senses are particularly “awake”, thoughts fast, creative and driven to knowledge », explains Doctor Muscarella. "An excess of Vata, due for example to an exaggerated consumption of cold, dry and too sweet foods, instead causes constipation, insomnia, confusion and nervousness».
PITTA SHOULD AVOID SALTY DISHES
“This dosha influences visual perception, thirst, hunger, courage. It is based in the liver: when it is in equilibrium, digest well and you are able to better manage complex situations ”, says the expert. "However, if it is present to an excessive extent (because you have eaten too salty or acidic foods, such as tomatoes, kiwis and citrus fruits), it causes an exaggerated sensation of heat and burning, intense hunger and thirst and difficulty sleeping, as well as inducing intestinal fermentations, inflammation and excessive sweating».
NO FRIED OR SWEETS FOR KAPHA
«Kapha has the power of unite and nurture. Its main seat is the immune system. When it is in balance, you have a deep and peaceful sleep, you are focused and you remember things better », reveals Doctor Muscarella. «An excess (perhaps due to a binge of fried foods, desserts and cold dishes) provokes instead lethargy, a sense of heaviness, chills, limb weakness, cough, difficulty breathing. Furthermore, you gain weight and accumulate water and fatbecoming weak ».
GENERAL INDICATIONS
You may have already noticed this by reading the lines above: although to a different extent, according to Ayurveda bringing cold food to the table is counterproductive for all doshas. It is no coincidence that the menus you find on the next pages make you focus on hot, lukewarm or soupy ones, rarely offering raw vegetables as well, which are the masters in summer diets.
In the hot season it is better to limit (or completely eliminate) fried food and meat, in particular the red one and the sausages. Yes instead to fresh dairy products and small fish, just as they are promoted cereals, especially basmati rice. Small doses, on the other hand, for buckwheat, because it is very heating.
PLENTY OF WATER
«In the hot season it is necessary then drink, drink and drink again»Urges the Ayurvedic practitioner. «As we know, water is the key element to face the summer heat and according to Ayurveda it is necessary to take 2 liters per day (strictly at room temperature) to counteract the loss of fluids caused by increased sweating. Furthermore, the water should be sipped little by little throughout the day, in order to be able to "digest it better", also avoiding having to run to the bathroom all the time ».
OTHER DRINKS OK
There are carbonated drinks and packaged juices are to be avoided, often with added sugars and sweeteners.
«Ok instead a coconut or almond milk or aloe vera juice, sweetened with honey if necessary. Herbal teas prepared with mixtures of herbs and spices such as mint, fennel or coriander»Suggests Laura Muscarella. «It is also excellent a infusion of karkadè in the morning as soon as you wake up, prepared with boiled water for at least 10 minutes: it helps you feel less hot during the day and also contributes to the correct purification of the body. Finally, it is advisable walk at least 30 minutes early in the morning or when the sun goes down: to rebalance the energies and counteract the accumulation of weight ».
WHAT IS YOUR DOMINANT DOSHA?
Thanks to these descriptions, identify the one in which you recognize yourself the most. Then browse the gallery and follow the corresponding diet.
- Vata
The person in whom this dosha prevails has a thin physique, dry skin, small brown or black eyes. Tends to have cold hands and feet. He is quick to eat and walk, as well as at work, although he gets tired easily. She is anxious, often spendthrift, and tends to worry for no reason or on the contrary to have excessive enthusiasm. He can't bear great responsibilities and too low temperatures.
- Pitta
In this case the build is average. Hair is blonde or auburn and tends to thin out soon. The skin is delicate, with moles or freckles. He usually sweats a lot and has a very good appetite. He can speak in public, is precise, sharp and loves to surround himself with beautiful things. But he is also a person at risk of stress.
- Kapha
With this predominant element, the build is robust, the skin is oily, the eyes are light and the hair is dark. Who is Kapha, then resists fatigue well and prefers hot and dry foods. It boasts a stable character and a strong sexual drive, but also a tendency to be sedentary.
KIND YOU ARE, MENU YOU FOLLOW
In the gallery below, here it is the "ad hoc" diet for each type of dosha according to the principles of Ayurveda and under the supervision of the doctor Diana Scatozza, nutritionist.
«As soon as you wake up in the morning also drink a cup of water that you have boiled for at least 10 minutes: it increases the digestive fire and cleanses the internal organs of toxins », advises Laura Muscarella.
To prepare the there: dilute 1 125g jar of plain yogurt in 3 parts of water (you can use the same jar as a measuring cup). Then add the spices indicated in the diet.
VADA
Go for sweet, sour or salty foods. Ok also for oily foods (seeds and nuts), hot and well cooked, moist (like creams) and seasoned with oil. Avoid those with an astringent taste (sour fruit, pomegranate, artichokes, legumes, products rich in tannin such as tea), pungent (with chilli, onion, pepper) and bitter.
Monday
↘ Breakfast: vegetable milk + 1 slice of wholemeal flour tart with jam.
↘Lunch: Basmati rice with boiled seasonal vegetables and cashews.
↘Dinner: vegetable soup.
Tuesday
↘ Breakfast: up there with 1 fruit and 1 handful of peeled almonds.
↘Lunch: mix of red quinoa and black beans.
↘Dinner: stuffed squid + potatoes in salad.
Wednesday
↘Breakfast: yogurt with muesli.
↘Lunch: vegetable couscous.
↘Dinner: salad of green beans, carrots and onions (all cooked).
Thursday
↘ Breakfast: oat cream.
↘Lunch: bulgur balls and potatoes.
↘Dinner: grilled tofu and boiled vegetables.
Friday
↘Breakfast: up there with spices (cinnamon).
↘Lunch: eggplant parmigiana with 2 triangles of chapati (bread from India).
↘Dinner: 2 fried eggs + beets.
Saturday
↘Breakfast: oat milk with muesli.
↘Lunch: grilled seitan with trio of grilled vegetables (courgettes, aubergines and radicchio).
↘Dinner: Venere rice with sautéed zucchini and mint.
Sunday
↘Breakfast: 1 slice of homemade cake (just be careful not to combine carbohydrates and citrus fruits).
↘Lunch: Bean burger with guacamole (avocado cream).
↘Dinner: baked potatoes and carrots flavored with sesame seeds.
TO AVOID: raw foods.
CONDIMENTS: olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil.
PITTA
Focus on foods with a sweet, bitter and astringent taste. Vegetables (vegetables, fruit, cereals) and dishes at a lukewarm temperature are also recommended. Instead, stay away from sour, salty and pungent foods (except ginger, which is considered refreshing for the digestive system) and meat.
Monday
↘ Breakfast: up there with 2 mint leaves + 1 kiwi or any other sweet seasonal fruit (such as pineapple, blueberries, grapes; however, no to banana, which is sweet but becomes sour during digestion) + 1 slice of tart with jam .
↘Lunch: Basmati rice with seasonal vegetables, flavored with 1 pinch of turmeric or barley and pea soup + raw seasonal vegetables (excluding tomato and radish, too acidic for Pitta).
↘Dinner: fresh vegetable meatballs cooked in the oven and browned in ghee (clarified butter) + avocado sauce or seasonal vegetables sautéed in coconut milk with spices such as cumin and coriander + chapati (the typical bread of India).
Tuesday
↘ Breakfast: carrot, apple and celery centrifuged.
↘Lunch: millet meatballs with asparagus cream.
↘Dinner: azuki bean and lettuce salad.
Wednesday
↘Breakfast: there and strawberry mousse.
↘Lunch: fresh lettuce, cucumber and spinach salad accompanied by chapati (traditional Indian bread).
↘Dinner: red lentils and spinach cream.
Thursday
↘Breakfast: wholemeal brioche with ice cream of your choice.
↘Lunch: soy spaghetti with zucchini, carrot and sprouts sauce.
↘Dinner: feta cheese on a bed of rocket and songino.
Friday
↘ Breakfast: slice of cheesecake.
↘Lunch: boiled oats, topped with zucchini and chia seeds.
↘Dinner: cooked vegetables (asparagus, peas and spinach).
Saturday
↘Breakfast: oat milk with 2 wholemeal biscuits.
↘Lunch: vegetable tabbouleh (radicchio, zucchini, asparagus) and diced feta.
↘Dinner: spelled with vegetables and legumes (for example, chickpeas or azuki beans).
Sunday
↘Breakfast: barley milk with muesli.
↘Lunch: pasta with zucchini and pine nuts pesto.
↘Dinner: grilled turkey breast with songino and radicchio salad.
TO AVOID: chilli and pepper, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, red meat and sausages, buckwheat, cinnamon.
CONDIMENTS: preferably ghee (clarified butter).
KAPHA
Bring to the table foods with a bitter, pungent and astringent taste and that are also dry and hot. On the other hand, sweet, sour and salty foods are not recommended, as well as cold dishes, those that are too soupy and fried. And if you're craving a fresh salad, eat it for lunch instead of dinner to digest it better.
Monday
↘Breakfast: green tea with ginger and turmeric + 1 apple.
↘Lunch: fresh rocket and beetroot salad.
↘Dinner: grilled seasonal fish with a side of grilled vegetables.
Tuesday
↘Breakfast: there (see recipe on the other page) with ginger.
↘Lunch: millet flan with grilled vegetables.
↘Dinner: turkey breast with vegetables.
Wednesday
↘Breakfast: wild berries centrifuged.
↘Lunch: mixed salad of lettuce, radishes, radicchio.
↘Dinner: fresh fish + salad.
Thursday
↘Breakfast: barley coffee with wholemeal bread and honey.
↘Lunch: raw vegetable salad and baked apple.
↘Dinner: barley soup with vegetables.
Friday
↘Breakfast: barley semolina.
↘Lunch: brown rice with cooked green vegetables.
↘Dinner: shelled mung beans, spinach cream.
Saturday
↘Breakfast: apples and cashews.
↘Lunch: marinara brown rice.
↘Dinner: grilled fish with grilled vegetables.
Sunday
↘ Breakfast: papaya pudding.
↘Lunch: mix of rice, lettuce, chopped apple, walnuts, asparagus + lentil cream.
↘Dinner: grilled sea bream with grilled zucchini.
TO AVOID (OR LIMIT): ice cream, pizza, refined flours.
CONDIMENTS: olive oil, corn oil.
