Cooked foods are generally easier on the digestive
system, and therefore easier to digest, absorb, and assimilate
Lighten heavy foods with spices. This aids digestion, absorption and assimilation. Example: cook oatmeal with fresh ginger root and serve with 1/4-teaspoon ground cardamom
Moisten dry foods to increase absorption and reduce gas and bloating. Example: soak raw seeds in water for a couple hours before adding them to a meal. Or, use hot soup as a
salad dressing
Warm up cold foods to promote nourishment and minimize ama. Warmth typically lightens food, making
it easier to digest. Example: warm raw milk (dairy or plant-based), gently heat it and add spices to it - such as ginger root, cardamom, coriander or saffron. Or, use hot soup as a salad dressing
Raw foods digest heavy because they are cooling in
nature. Example: combine some cooked food with some raw –
like a bowl of steaming grains served underneath or on top of a big salad
Fruit is always best eaten alone. Even combining
different fruits (as in a fruit salad) is best avoided when possible.
Example: a bowl of sliced pineapple OR a bowl of sliced mango
Avoid combining concentrated protein sources like meat or fish with dairy, or beans with nuts. Example: Meat is most digestible in a broth with lots of greens.
Combine partial plant-based proteins to create
complete proteins • Combine grains with dairy, seeds or nuts • Combine dairy with grains, seeds or nuts
• Combine seeds and nuts with grains or dairy • Complete plant-based proteins include Spirulina and
Tips for Enhancing Daily Nourishment and Digestion
• Chew every bite at least 20 times before swallowing
it. Let it become liquid in your mouth before swallowing • Eat with mindfulness. Chew each mouthful
completely before adding another. Put your fork down between bites. This will help you eat until you are only
3/4 full
• Join your two hands together and form a bowl with them – this is called an “anjali” in Ayurveda. The
amount of food you can fit into your hands is the exact amount of food your stomach can digest with ease at one sitting. Use a bowl or plate that matches the size of your two hands together - to help you portion size appropriately at every meal
• Make your food look good, smell good, and taste
good
• Sit down to eat. Make eating a sacred ritual. Take a
moment before and after you eat to give thanks for your life
• Choose only foods that you know are nourishing
for you
• Add fresh orange peel to tea, over cooked rice or in
flavor and increase protein assimilation. Try coriander and dill on fish. Cumin, tumeric and cardamom on red
meats. Italian spices, coriander and lemon on chicken or turkey
• Add coriander seed to your black pepper grinder. Coriander is a sweet, cooling, neutralizing digestive
regulator. When combined with black pepper, coriander
serves as a gentle ama detox at every meal • Never cook black pepper. Black pepper becomes
carcinogenic when cooked
• Add fresh lemon, lime, or apple cider vinegar to
water at least once a day to gently stimulate digestive fire
• Drink ginger tea (hot or at room temperature)
throughout the day to stimulate sluggish digestion, reduce gas and increase vitality
• Use spices like rosemary, turmeric and cumin seed to change high cholesterol. Spices are mineralizing, activating, carminative enzymes. They relieve stress and help toxins release through the blood
Vata = air and ether / dry, cold, light, thin, subtle
General Vata Best Practices:
• Make your meals so wet that you must eat them out of
a bowl • Focus on cooked stews, broths, soups, warm and wet
foods
• Eat fresh, rich, cooked foods with oils and spices • Focus on the tastes of sweet, sour, and salty
• Drink plenty of warm water every day • Take daily probiotics • Add healthy fat to your foods every day • Drink demulcent, nutritive, relaxing, laxative, blood
building, sweet, and pungent herbal teas
• Eat three meals/day – sitting down for each meal without distractions
• Create a daily mindfulness practice that keeps you
grounded and in your body • Trust Yourself/Trust Your Destiny/Develop Positive
Pitta = fire and water / hot, oily, sharp, spreading
General Pitta Best Practices:
• 3 meals/day is ideal. However, eat more frequently
when you need to. Make sure you meet your hunger and fast metabolism
• Eat 50 to 70% cooked foods and 30 to 50% raw foods – you can enjoy more raw foods in warmer months
• Enjoy a cool, hydrating diet rich in fresh juicy fruits, vegetables, and cooling spices
• Focus on foods that are wet, alkaline (the opposite of acidic), unprocessed, and anti-inflammatory
• Focus on the tastes of sweet, bitter, and astringent
• Drink plenty of water with electrolytes every day • Drink aloe vera juice when your fire runs too hot • Add bitter fats to your foods every day – like hempseed
oil and olive oil • Do at least one daily mindfulness practice that helps
you cool down, chill out, relax, and calm your mind • Take days off • Replenish your spirit and energy with play • Get regular exercise
• Take control of and responsibility for your health
• Pasteurized Dairy and Table Salt • Roasted Nuts and Seeds
• Nightshades – tomato, eggplant, peanuts, paprika, white/gold/brown potatoes, peppers, goji berries (especially if you have joint pain or any chronic inflammation)
• Red meat, bacon, chilies, and raw garlic
• Hot and pungent teas
YES Vegetables:
• Alfalfa Sprouts, Artichoke, Jerusalem Artichoke, Arugula, Asparagus, Avocado, Green Beans, Mung Bean
