FAQ’S

Guidelines for a Healthy Ayurvedic Diet
☺ Foods to avoid☺
Wheat, meat (esp. red meat) and refined sugar:
These foods severely decrease the digestive fire (agni) and produce muscus and
toxins (aam). Deep fried foods are also heavy to digest and highly vata increasing.
Sour foods such as tomatoes, all sour fruits (oranges, pineapples, lemons etc.)
vinegars and hot spices like chillies.
These foods increase pitta and heat in the body and also reduce the digestive
power (esp. tomatoes).
Fermented or fermentation increasing foods such as yogurt, alcohol, cheese
(esp. old and hard ones) and yeast containing foods such as Soya sauce and beer.
All fermented foods are sour in nature and therefore have pitta increasing qualities
whenever there is too much pitta and heat in the intestines, fermentation is
multiplied, thus resulting in gas and decreased digestive capacity.
Ice cold foods and drinks are immediate killers’ for the digestive fire. They are
best avoided totally, but if taken then not directly before, after or together with
meals.
Avoid ready made, tinned and micro waved foods!
They are devoid of real nutritional value, deplete the digestive fire and produce
toxins in the body.

☺ Foods to enjoy☺

Cooked vegetables such as pumpkin, squashes, marrow, spinach, french beans,
sweet corn, onions, carrots, beetroot, celery & Bitter melon
Pulses like mung and split mung beans and red lentits are easy to digest,
balancing and nourishing to the body.
Grains including rice, oat, whole wheat, millet, Nachni, basically everything other
than wheat. Flours made from the above grains and Bread (wheat free!) should
only be eaten when toasted as the dry heat stops further fermentation.
Porridge made without milk, but with cinnamon and cardamom, coconut flakes
soaked raisins or stewed fruit is an ideal breakfast: easy to digest, highly nutritious,
Warming and energizing.
All sweet fruits such as apples, pears, melons, apricots, grapes, cherries, plums,
sweet berries, fresh figs, dates and also pomegranate.

Occasionally
However, Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, broad beans and potatoes
should only be taken occasionally. Raw vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, celery,
peppers etc.) should be avoided but lettuce and all salad leaves can be taken at
lunch time, preceding the meal and served with oil.
Chickpeas, chana dal, black-eyes and kidney beans should only be taken very
occasionally and must be thoroughly soaked and well cooked. To get the full value
from pulses they should be eaten together with grains (esp. rice.)
Seeds and nuts such as pumpkin, sesame, poppy and sunflower seeds, pine nuts
almonds (without skin), walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios and brazil nuts should only
be eaten in very small amounts (max. 10 daily!) as they are heavy to digest and
Vata increasing. They are best soaked and made into a paste or milk. Peanuts and
cashew nuts should be avoided. The fresh milk, cream and flakes of coconuts can
be used liberally.
Tips for Good Health
Of all dairy products ghee (clarified butter) is the best – it is like a medicine (highly
pitta reducing) and can be cooled with and added to practically everything. Normal
butter is also good and definitely better then margarines and other such processed
spreads! Milk should only be taken warm and preferable, spiced with ginger,
cardamom, cinnamon or turmeric. Fresh cheeses such as quark, mozzarella, feta and ricotta are easier to
digest then hard, old ones and are also less mucus producing. They are best
enjoyed with some black pepper to stimulate agni.
If meat is eaten at all one should stick to white meat only, i.e. chicken and turkey.
Fish is very hot and pitta increasing in nature and therefore best avoided. If eated
one should choose fresh water rather then sea fish.
Sweeteners: refined sugar should be replaced by jaggery (solidified sugar cane
juice), raw cane sugar, date sugar, molasses or honey. Honey is not heat stable
and becomes poisonous for the body when heated, cooked or baked.
Drinks: Black tea and coffee can be taken but herbal teas and decaffeinated
coffee is better. Ginger tea made from fresh roots is warming agni increasing
removes mucus and toxins and is the number one remedy for coughs and colds.
However, if drunk regularly it would be too pitta increasing.
Most essential is the use of spices; Cumin, coriander; fennel and saffron are the
best for balancing all doshas, increasing agni and should be used liberally. Black
peeper, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, mustard seeds, nutmeg, all fresh
herbs (particularly fresh coriander) and onions, garlic and ginger should also be
used. Asafoetida reduces vata and should be added when cooking pulses,
cabbage and beans to reduce their gas producing properties.
Generally:
• Cooked is better than raw!
• Warm, sloppy, soupy meals are better than heavy, dry, solid foods.
• Never mix milk with fruit, honey, meat or fish!
• Eat when hungry when the last meal has been digested (after 3-4 hours).
• To avoid diluting the digestive juices (agni) preferably drink 10 minutes before
or half an hour after a meal.
• Try to eat at regular times in the day.
• Don’t eat too late at night and leave 1-2 hours before going to sleep,Chew the supplements (herbs) if you can for better absorption