Video: A short introduction to Ayurveda
In this video I go further into Ayurveda with the concepts of Ama (undigested food accumulation in the body), the 20 qualities, the 5 elements, the Doshas, Prakriti (your body type) and Vikruti (your current imbalance).
My ayurvedic diagnosis was: low agni, high Vata and high Pitta. (Please watch the following videos for explanation of these concepts 🙂 ). My body type was also recognized as a Pitta body type.
For Pittas it is recommended to focus on sweet (melons, avocado, sweet potato, grains etc), bitter (kale, turmeric, arugula etc) and astringent (lentils, beans, pomegranate etc) tastes and reduce pungent (spices except cumin, coriander, fennel and turmeric), sour (vinegar, sodas, fizzy drinks etc) and salty (table salt) tastes.
Looking back, I realize that the heat I felt during my health collapse were because because of the Pitta imbalance. This included acid reflux, nausea, hot flashes, skin problems, loose stools etc. Now being recovered, I can still get the hot flashes back if I eat or drink Pitta aggravating stuff, like alcohol, vinegar, spicy or oily food.
For Vata body types they should focus on sweet, sour and salty tastes (Himalaya salt, seaweed etc., not table salt) and reduce pungent, bitter and astringent tastes. I still struggle with my Vata (which is easily aggravated by stress), but I feel like every week I am a little more in balance (I am still healing from complex PTSD).
For Kapha types, a diet of bitter, astringent and pungent taste is recommended while sweet, sour and salty tastes are reduced. The seasons are also taken into account, in the fall and winter we all need to balance Vata, while in the spring we balance kapha to reduce runny nose and colds, and in the summer we all need to cool down the Pitta.
Liz: What is the Ayurvedic view around supplements?
Vera: [This is not medical advice.] I’ve learned to take them when I was HUNGRY. Think about it, when we are hungry we actually have the required stomach acid to break down the food/supplements. If they weren’t broken down to mush correctly in the first step (the stomach), then it’s likely nothing good will happen to them further down the digestive line.
(If they aren’t, then you’ll probably see them whole or partly digested in the toilet bowl, lol!)
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