Ayurveda believes that poor nutrition is the root cause of diseases. Ayurveda heals and prevents diseases through regulations in food. The main difference between Ayurveda and other nutritional approaches is that, the latter adopts a “one size fits all” attitude to all individuals, irrespective of their size, or body type. They are not individual-oriented. Bio-chemical researches have long established that every individual’s body metabolism is different.  Every individual has his own way of assimilating and digesting food.

Unlike the modern nutritional approach, Ayurveda always advises an individualized approach to nutrition, which needs to be adapted to modern cultures and lifestyles. Ayurvedic nutrition does not include a long repetition of curry dishes.

Ayurvedic nutrition is just the way of structuring diets to suit individual metabolic functions. It involves eating based on the “body type” and the “season”. The body type is determined based on the doshas; Vata, Pitta or Kapha. The seasons and the doshas are inter-linked, in the sense that, every two months or seasons corresponds to a dosha. For instance, the month’’s from mid-March to mid-July (summer) corresponds to Pitta dosha, while the winter and autumn is the season of Kapha and Vata is considered to aggravate during winter or the fall. Based on the body type, individuals are advised to avoid foods that aggravate the corresponding doshas during each season.

According to Ayurvedic theories, the actual energy-boosters are vegetables, spices, whole grains and fruits. The foods are considered to have natural healing and nurturing substances to such an extent, that when one is completely on such a diet, the fatigue-causing toxins will not accumulate in the body.

However, it will also be good to realize that Ayurvedic nutrition should not be considered a “magic weapon” to ward off diseases. It requires complete co-operation from the patient’s end also for success. Ayurvedic nutrition requires the patient to be self-empowered and responsible and is a way of freedom and long life.

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