Seasonality

One of the biggest tenets of an Ayurvedic diet is its emphasis on seasonality. Food must be cooked fresh and with seasonal ingredients because these are what the body needs in each season to counter the disturbance of the doshas and aid digestion. Foods with a hot nature (pungent and sweet) must thus be consumed during the cold season to promote digestion. Those that are deemed to be cooling are good for the summers. During the rains, sweet, sour and salty foods are preferred to aid a weakened digestion. Ghee that is a heating food is also recommended because this is when the digestive fire weakens.

Personalisation

Diets need to be personalised also to take into account individual body types. The three humours are present in different proportions in each body. And a physical and emotional examination can determine whether the vatta, pitta or kapha is higher. Foods with the opposite properties need to be eaten to balance these doshas. So, people with more kapha/water, who are lethargic and heavy may do well with more pungent or bitter food, to increase the fire element in their bodies and counter the water.

Some basic principlesThese include eating food that is freshly cooked, in a balanced quantity, and to suit one's constitution and temperament. Food also needs to be eaten mindfully with proper attention to its taste.

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