Ayurveda is not a diet! Ayurveda is a philosophy, a medical science, a way of life. It holds the ancient and perennial wisdom of how things work in nature, and if we understand that, we can decode how they can work for us through modifications in lifestyle, diet, and sleep hygiene.

It is a myth that all Indian foods are healthy and Ayurvedic. Ayurvedic diet is not equal to Indian food from Indian restaurants. I am not saying it is not tasty or desirable, I am just saying let us not be in the illusion that because we are having creamy, heavy lentils with white flour baked bread with a side of mango lassi, it is healthy.

|| Enjoy with caution and choose with awareness ||

Ayurvedic food is not any specific food: cooked or uncooked, meals or snack, beverages and sides, with turmeric, curry powder or chai masala in it. Ayurvedic food is neither necessarily spicy nor necessarily vegetarian. We must strive to understand the heart of Ayurveda instead of putting it in boxes of dosha, cuisine, and detox culture.

Ayurvedic food is based on three main principles:

1. Food is Prana: The quality of food is not measured by the amount of protein, fat, fiber or carbohydrates in Ayurveda. Or by the idea of it being vegan, vegetarian, or raw. The quality of food depends upon the idea of prana. If one is able to digest food easily, assimilate it as energy for activity and rest, support peace of mind, and satiation to the emotions—that food has prana and that prana alone, matters. Freshly cooked meals, seasonally available ingredients, and ethically sourced are three examples of foods with high prana.
2. Compatibility Index of Food: We randomly combine ingredients which are trending as superfoods or quick to prepare without the thought of compatibility index. In Ayurveda, one very important principle is called “Viruddha Ahara” which means quantitatively or qualitatively incompatible food.This principle also supports the prana principle. Eating food in odd combinations in the short term leads to weakened digestion, flatulence, constipation, irregular bowels, fermentation, and putrefaction. In the long term, it leads to toxemia, allergies, food sensitivities, mood instability, and low immunity to name few.Some examples of viruddha abara are melons combined with other fruits, smoothies, iced and/or aerated beverages with meals, honey in baking, roasting or boiling water or consuming food when one is sad, overexcited, or multitasking.The list goes on. This leads to the third principle.
3. Food is Emotion: Yes, both the points I shared above matter, but this one might matter the most. Think about it for a moment: Do we pay attention to what else we are doing while having meals? Maybe an in-person business meeting, a Zoom session, a walk, driving, watching a movie, reading a book, talking to a friend, framing an e-mail, scrolling through social media…you get the idea.Now combine this with the thought of what is your emotional state along with the activity: sad, angry, irritated, scared, worried, over excited ….."What we eat we become/We are what we eat" is a common saying. I would say that how we eat is what we become.We may be eating the most healthy food, but when that is combined with an upset mood or emotional disequilibrium, the entire quality of the food changes to the very emotional state we are in.Food feeds our prana, emotions, and mind. In Ayurveda, it is suggested to recite mantras before meals or eat in silence/peace with focus on food, and food alone. This not only brings satiation but also supports portion control and discourages emotional eating.

1. Chew your food well to extract prana from it. Ideally until it becomes liquid or a bolus.
2. Switch from iced water to cool, or even better, warm water to clear the congested tissue channels due to known or unknown incompatible food combinations.
3. Establish diaphragmatic breath before having meals. A smooth, calm, even breath is a precursor to a calm peaceful mind.

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