Ayurveda diet

[Alvin Chan]

Hi all,

My first Ayurveda book has not arrived yet. I just wonder whether there are any simple ways to see whether a certain type of food is suitable for Vata/Pitta/Kapha person.

I am asking, because many of the foods (mainly in the vegetables category) here in Asia (Hong Kong) cannot be found in the usual guideline of Ayurveda diet. In other words, the diet guideline is not very helpful for me when it comes to vegetables. (kiwi is what I have chance to eat very often. I think kiwi is available in US, but it's not in the guideline.)

I am curious, since Ayurveda is from india. So if there are some western foods in the guidelines which are not common in india, then there must be some ways to determine the "type" of that food even if it's not mentioned in the traditional texts. Is this true?

BTW, a number of links in the AYP Ayurveda Resources is not working.

Alvin

[yogani]

Hi Alvin:

Those broken links were to the Transcendental Meditation (TM) organization's free Ayurveda site -- a great resource, now apparently shut down. I'll update the AYP Ayurveda Resources page one of these days.

As for Hong Kong and China ayurvedic diets, maybe best to find a local or regional Ayurveda resource which could address that. If you find one, let us know. Or if anyone reading here knows, kindly speak up.

The guru is in you.

[Victor]

If you want a general rule I would look at the taste and attributes of the food. Foods that are dry, bitter or astringent will generally increase vata. Foods that are moist, sweet, and hevy will increase Kapha, while foods that are spicy, salty will increase pitta. Dairy products (which are no common in chinese food) increase kapha as do heavy meats like pork.
 To relieve Vta eats foods that are sweet, sour or salty.a slightly heavier diet will relieve kapha
 To releive Pitta eat foods that are sweet, bitter, or astringent but bitter is better for pitta
 To relieve kapha eat foods that are light, astringent or spicy, especially spicy for kapha