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Improving Gut Health with the Ayurvedic Diet
While modern medicine has just recently started to explore the significance of the mind-body connection, the ancient science of Ayurveda has based its approach to wellness on this concept for thousands of years.
Rooted in the idea that the mind and body are inextricably linked, Ayurvedic principles hold that any disease is the result of some sort of imbalance in the body. This includes maintaining proper digestive health, which requires a diverse microbiome with plenty of good bacteria.
To improve your gut health and ensure a healthy gut microbiome, following the Ayurvedic diet can be beneficial and allow you to achieve a healthy gut. We’ll explore exactly what Ayurveda is, what the ayurvedic diet entails, and how to embody the ayurvedic lifestyle for good gut health.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of medicine that dates back to around 6,000 BCE. In Sanskrit, ayur means “life” and veda means “science” – Ayurveda is “the science of life.” It is based on the idea that true health is achieved through balancing our bodily systems and living in harmony with our environments.
According to Ayurvedic medicine, everything consists of the qualities of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and ether. These five elements then make up three doshas, which are essentially the Ayurvedic mind-body types. The three doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vata is associated with air and ether, Pitta with fire and water, and Kapha with earth and water. Each person has varying levels of these three doshas, with one dominant dosha. Though one dosha is often more dominant, doshas are dynamic and the balance can continually change based on internal and external factors.
Each dosha also correlates with certain functions of the body: The Vata dosha governs the nervous system and circulation. The Kapha dosha governs immunity, structure, and the lubrication of joints. And the Pitta dosha, the only dosha associated with the element fire, governs all things digestion.
The Ayurvedic Diet
Eating according to your dosha, especially your dominant dosha, will help create more balance in the body and not only improve gut health, but overall health and wellbeing.
The Ayurvedic Institute provides this super comprehensive guide outlining foods to avoid and foods to eat according to your dosha, but here’s a brief overview:
Vata: Foods to Avoid
Most dried fruits
Raw vegetables, such as raw leafy greens and cruciferous veggies
Most grains/cereals
Most beans/legumes
Alcohol and caffeinated beverages
White sugar
Vata: Foods to Eat
Most sweet fruits, including fresh fruits that would otherwise be avoided if dried
Cooked vegetables, such as leafy greens in moderation and sweet potatoes
Grains, such as rice (all kinds); oats (if cooked); quinoa
Beans/legumes, such as lentils (red); tofu in moderation; mung beans
Most dairy, such as butter, cheese, cow’s and goat’s milk
Most meat and fish, such as beef, buffalo, chicken, eggs and salmon
All nuts, in moderation
Pitta: Foods to Avoid
Most sour fruits, such as apples and citrus fruits; bananas
Most pungent vegetables, such as raw and cooked leafy greens; raw beets; olives; raw onions
Breads with yeast; corn
Soy sauce and miso
Butter; buttermilk; hard cheeses
Most meat and fish, such as beef; dark-meat chicken; lamb; pork; salmon; canned tuna; egg yolks
Most condiments
Most nuts
Alcohol and caffeinated beverages
White sugar and molasses
Pitta: Foods to Eat
Most sweet fruits
Most sweet and bitter vegetables, such as artichoke; asparagus; cruciferous veggies; sweet potatoes
Most grains, such as dry cereals; oats (cooked); pasta; quinoa
Most beans/legumes
Dairy such as soft cheeses; ghee; fresh yogurt
Meat and fish, such as white-meat chicken; egg whites; freshwater fish; shrimp in moderation
Healthy fats and oils, such as sunflower and olive oil
Sweeteners, such as maple syrup; rice syrup; fruit juice concentrates
Kapha: Foods to Avoid
Most sweet and sour fruits; avocado; coconut
Most sweet and juicy vegetables, such as cucumber; tomatoes (raw); zucchini; summer squash
Grains, such as rice; breads with yeast; pasta
Beans/legumes, such as soy; tofu; kidney beans
Dairy such as butter; hard and soft cheeses; yogurt; chocolate
Most meat and fish, such as beef; buffalo; chicken; lamb; pork; salmon
Most nuts
Oils such as olive oil and walnut oil
Salt
Most sweeteners
Kapha: Foods to Eat
Most astringent fruits, such as apples; berries; pomegranates
Most pungent and bitter vegetables, such as artichoke; cruciferous veggies; corn; radishes
Most grains
Most beans and legumes
Dairy, such as cottage cheese; goat’s cheese and skim milk
Meat and fish, such as white-meat chicken; eggs; shrimp; venison
Healthy fats, such as ghee and sunflower oil
Ayurveda and Digestion
According to Ayurveda, the key to good health - and good gut health - begins with digestion. Good health is a reflection of our ability to digest anything – whether nutritional, emotional, or sensory.
There are two key terms related to Ayurvedic digestion. Agni, or digestive fire, helps us digest everything that we take in. Ama, or toxic accumulation, can create “dis-ease” in the system and ultimately contribute to disease. When our digestive fire is strong, we’re able to effectively break down the food we eat, absorb nutrients, and eliminate toxins. If agni is weak, it can lead to a buildup of ama.
Ayurvedic Tools for Gut Health
No matter your dominant dosha, there are a few universal things you can do to improve your gut health and stoke that digestive fire.
An Ayurvedic Dish to Support Gut Health
Because good digestion is the foundation of good health in Ayurveda, making the digestive process as easy on your body as possible is the key to living well. Kitchari, a popular Ayurvedic dish, is a perfect example of a meal that is both nourishing and easy to digest. The combination of rice and mung beans provides all the amino acids needed to form a complete protein. Mung beans naturally have an astringent quality, which helps loosen any toxic buildup in the intestinal lining. Both the basmati rice and the mung beans are relatively easy to digest, so your digestive system doesn't have to work quite as hard. Kitchari balances all three doshas, and the combination of spices helps stoke the digestive fire.
Try the following recipe and remember to take time to really enjoy the entire process, including preparing the dish and sitting down for a relaxing meal.
Kitchari Recipe
(Serves 4)
The word kitchari means “mixture,” usually of two grains. Feel free to use any variation of grains. For example, you can swap the basmati rice with quinoa, depending on your preferences and dietary needs.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
How Health Coaches Can Use Ayurveda to Help Clients
The role of a Health Coach is to help clients implement healthy habits that will lead to sustainable positive change. Many of Ayurveda’s key principles for healthy digestion have nothing to do with what you eat but instead focus on how you eat. These Ayurvedic practices for gut health can be applied in any setting, and best of all, you don’t have to give up your favorite foods!
Want to learn even more about Ayurveda? Check out our FREE Ayurvedic Guide.
Interested in diving even deeper into gut health? We created the Gut Health Course specifically for Integrative Nutrition students and graduates. Click here to learn more and join our next class!
Learn more about IIN’s rigorous curriculum that integrates 90+ of the world’s leading experts in health and wellness, blending the scientific and the spiritual to create an immersive, holistic health education.