Ayurvedic nutrition is an extremely complex health system that takes a differentiated look at each individual person in relation to their metabolism and their choice and quality of daily food. Everything that is conducive to the personal constitution and sustainable energy production is "healthy".
The Ayurvedic dietary rules thus represent a diverse selection of suggestions for improvement that help us to optimize our digestive and metabolic processes in order to achieve a better quality of life and health. The right diet also plays an important role in Ayurvedic medicine and plays a decisive role in the healing success of holistic Ayurvedic therapy.
Ayurvedic dietary rules are primarily based on the functions of the metabolism and the digestive organs. Our digestive fire (Agni) works according to an overriding principle, but is individually different: depending on the individual constitution, the digestive fire burns with different qualities and all physical and psychological disorders inevitably lead to a weakening of the digestive, absorption and renewal functions of the metabolism.
Thus, one of the important criteria of Ayurvedic nutrition is the easy digestibility of food. Whenever food is too heavy, it cannot be fully digested and metabolic waste products and toxic substances (ama) are produced. If you know the quality and effect of the individual foods, you know how to prepare the different foods so that good digestion is guaranteed, which cannot disturb the organism and ensures the conductivity of the body channels (srotas). This also eliminates the cause of many ailments (e.g. skin diseases, allergies, rheumatism).
In order to strengthen the metabolism and avoid toxic digestive residues, Ayurveda pays attention to the right combination of foods and preparation with digestion-promoting spices. These two aspects represent the basic rules of Ayurvedic nutrition. The right combination of foods supports the digestive system in the complete breakdown of all nutrients. This is because not all foods can be utilized equally well together. When classifying foods, Ayurveda is not based on the biochemical composition of the food, but prioritizes the utilization of the food. The ancient Ayurvedic scriptures expressly emphasize that the greatest danger of a unhealthy diet lies in the wrong combination of foods.
Non-vegetarians are most easily in danger of burdening the body with indigestible combinations, as all animal proteins such as meat, fish, eggs or milk must not be eaten together under any circumstances, otherwise toxic metabolic waste products (ama) will inevitably be produced, which significantly burden the body. Fresh cow's milk, for example, is one of the most important therapeutic agents in Ayurvedic Rasayana therapies as an extremely valuable and sattvic food with its restorative quality. However, if milk is consumed in combination with fish or meat, this results in the immediate formation of ama. Similarly, the combination of milk with fruit (especially acidic berries, citrus fruits and bananas) is not recommended, especially for people with high Pitta levels and skin complaints. In practice, this means that we have to say goodbye to strawberry milkshakes, tomorrow's sausage sandwich with breakfast cocoa and the milk cappuccio at the Italian restaurant after grilled fish.
Pulses such as mung beans, lentils or chickpeas are the only protein sources with a sweet taste after digestion and can therefore be digested together with milk. In the tissue-building Rasayana diet, milk may be eaten together with alkaline and sweet foods such as rice, semolina or dried fruit in order to compensate for emaciation, underweight and energy loss.
The second most common combination error is the wrong approach to fresh fruit: Although fruit is a very easily digestible food, it can lead to severe fermentation and putrefaction processes in the digestive tract if prepared in the wrong way. For this reason, all raw fruit should only be consumed on its own and should not be combined with milk, cereals or other solid foods. Sour fruits in combination with yoghurt, curd or other dairy products lead to a massive disruption of rakta-dhatu, which often manifests itself in skin irritation and inflammation. Due to its high water content, melon has a special position even among fruits and should only be combined with other melons.
If the Agni is naturally rather sluggish and weak, as is often the case with a Kapha constitution (mandhagni), for example, the well-known rule of "separate protein and carbohydrates" is also used in Ayurveda as an effective measure for weight and tissue reduction. If we separate sweet and fortifying foods (such as grains and oils) from acid-digested foods (such as all dairy products and animal proteins), we relieve Agni and gain lightness and vitality.
Protein in the form of meat, fish, eggs or dairy products are now mainly combined with vegetables and salad. Similarly, all sweet foods such as cereals, pasta, potatoes and fats are best combined with vegetables and salad. Rice is an exception as it is a very easily digestible grain and can be combined with all dishes. With this in mind, typical dishes such as fried fish with potatoes, spaghetti bolognese or cheese bread with an apple are not recommended. Instead, from an Ayurvedic point of view, we would recommend fish with rice and vegetables, spaghetti with pesto and bread with a vegetarian spread and raw vegetables.
The combinations in vegetarian Ayurvedic cuisine are far more varied. If we leave out meat, fish and eggs and mainly use pulses as a source of protein, all possible combinations are allowed. We can now put together great Ayurvedic menus with all kinds of vegetables, grains, pulses, fats, nuts, dried fruits and salads and desserts.
