If you’ve seen my resent posts, I’ve not only begun this year by trying to bring my mind and spirit closer to my true self, but I have also embarked on learning about how Ayurveda can help balance our eating habits and get us closer to reaching our ideal weight, which I learned about in January’s Chopra Center Newsletter.
In reading through the article, I took the Chopra Center’s Dosha Quiz. What is dosha you ask? Well, according to the article, “Your dosha reflects your innate tendencies, including your temperament, metabolism, energy level, learning style, and many other aspects of your body, mind, and emotions”. Intriguing, I thought, so I took the quiz and the truth came out, I’m Kapha.
In a nutshell:
- when I indulge too much, I end up with “…weight gain, fluid retention, and allergies.” Check, check, check.
- I am “…(resistant) to change…(stubborn and)…tend to hold on to things, jobs, and relationships long after they are no longer nourishing or necessary.” Hello, have you seen my posts regarding my Ex (which I’m still trying to figure out by the way 😉 )? Geez, what more evidence do I need?
Thankfully however, along with the truth, the article goes on to provide some “Dosha Balancing Guidelines,” along with ways to use our taste buds to help.
“From the Ayurvedic perspective, a balanced diet isn’t just about getting the right amounts of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins – it is also about another extremely important quality: taste. Ayurveda recognizes six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Including all six tastes in every meal not only ensures that all major food groups and nutrients are represented, but it also provides us with the feeling of satisfaction in eating. When we finish a meal feeling satisfied, we are much less likely to find ourselves raiding the cupboards or refrigerator two hours later.”
Interesting. I had read about bringing your full awareness with you when eating, allowing your five senses to experience the meal in it’s entirety, but had never heard of breaking down the sense of taste even further. It will be challenging to see how I can incorporate all six tastes into every meal, but I’m up for the challenge.
I also liked their perspective on “Fresh Foods.”
“There are foods that accelerate aging and entropy and others that renew and revitalize the body. In general, “dead” foods contribute to degeneration and decay, while fresh foods enhance regeneration and vitality. For most foods, the closer to the time it is harvested you are able to eat it, the more energy and intelligence it provides. This means minimizing canned, frozen, and packaged foods to the extent possible. Ayurveda also discourages eating leftovers or microwaved meals”.
Not eating leftovers and staying away from the microwave will definitely be a challenge, especially since I don’t want to eat out and my work lunch room doesn’t have a stove, but I will try to see if I can make this a practice for the meals I am at home for. 😉
Again, I know this is a lot of new information to take in – trust me. If you’re like me, while I like the way it sounds, I know that realistically I can’t make a total shift today or in every meal or everything I do, but knowing what to do and how to keep awareness with me, will bring me one step closer. 🙂
What is your dosha? What do you think about using Ayurveda to reach your ideal weight?
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I can totally relate to the last paragraph you wrote. Our reality is sometimes far apart from where we would like to be. Sometimes we can only change one thing at a time.
Thanks Lucy. Change is our only constant and baby steps are sometimes the only way to make sure the change takes, at least for me 😉
That’s great, Ayurvedic medicine and diet are very cool, I wish you all the best with it! Another book that you might like is called “The Only Diet There Is”. I know at least two people who’s life changed after reading it and putting into practice it’s exercises.
The main thing with diet is to enjoy whatever you are doing, don’t make it a struggle 🙂
Rohan.
Totally agree and thanks for the book tip. I’m going to look into it. Have a good one!