How to lose weight with Ayurveda?
How to lose weight with ayurveda? How to lose weight with ayurveda?
Ayu-what? Ayurveda .
Ayurveda is a traditional medicine originating in India that has been around for several millennia. Well practiced, it allows you to lose weight effectively . Here are the main principles in this article.
The first thing to know about Ayurveda is that it is a holistic medical approach . This means that she values the whole rather than the part. We are one whole with the Cosmos.
Health is the state of equilibrium between the universal creative energies that drive us and the five primordial elements :
- Space (or Ether): Akasha
- Air: Vayu
- Fire: Agni
- Water: Jala
- Earth: Prithvi
Every human being has a unique constitution called Prakriti. It determines physical appearance, feelings, thoughts and behavior.
The three doshas in Ayurveda: our vital forces
In our body, the five elements combine in twos to form the three doshas, that is, our complementary vital forces:
- Vāta (Space and Wind): movement
- Pitta (Fire and Water): transformation
- Kapha (Water and Earth): stability
In some people, one of the doshas is very dominant. But, generally, we are influenced by two or all three doshas.
At the beginning of the article, I referred to Agni, the element of Fire. It’s our digestive fire. When this drops, it leads to imbalances and deteriorates health.
The reason? The accumulation of physical and mental deposits (known as Ama). In order to reduce Ama, food plays an essential role.
If you are overweight, it means that Kapha (Water + Earth) is taking up too much space. Your body is weakened by a poor diet , leading to constipation, phlegm, colds and breathing problems, among other things
The principles of Ayurvedic nutrition (Ayurveda)
In the Ayurvedic diet, the six flavors (sweet, salty, sour, tangy, bitter and harsh) are associated with the five elements.
- The Earth is sweet and sour
- The water is salty and sweet
- The Fire is tangy, sour and salty
- The Wind is bitter, sharp and harsh
- Space is bitter
Kapha possesses the qualities of Water and Earth being sweet, salty and sour. You remember what I said before: Too much kapha is the cause of overweight .
It is therefore sufficient to favor the flavors which correspond to Vāta (bitter, harsh and spicy) and Pitta (acid, and salty) .
Here is an overview of foods by dominant flavor:
- Sweet : bread, pasta, cereals, sugars, butter, milk, sweet fruits and all foods rich in carbohydrates
- Salty : ready meals, cold cuts, preserves, cheese, bread, etc.
- Acid : lemons, berries
- Relevé : spices including chilli, pepper, ginger, cloves, asa foetida, etc.
- Bitter : vegetables, arugula, rhubarb, aloe vera, barberry, galangal, herbs, etc.
- Raw : pulses, spinach, cabbage, asparagus, sage, St. John’s wort, blueberries, nettles, etc.
To reduce Kapha, the idea is not to eliminate all predominantly sweet foods but to focus on complex sugars , which contain minerals and fibers without overloading the metabolism.
Ayurveda applied to everyday life
Concretely, if you want to continue consuming sweet without the inconveniences, you can from time to time consume products like wholemeal bread , basmati rice or even ripe fruit and dried vegetables .
The idea is to avoid sweeteners and sucrose (refined white sugar) and to favor whole cane sugar , maple syrup , cold-extracted honey and apple or pear concentrate .
You know that eating salt makes you thirsty and fixes water in your body . It is therefore recommended to preferably use sea salt , which is rich in minerals.
The acidic flavor activates digestion and increases appetite. Many foods are already broken down in the body into acidic substances. This is the case with meat, cereals, dairy products, carbohydrates, which promote hyperacidity and fouling the body. To be consumed sparingly, therefore.
The spicy flavor stimulates the fire of digestion and metabolism, helps in the destruction of fat. However, it can be aggressive on the stomach. Its use should therefore be adjusted according to your feelings.
A great ally to lose weight faster: the bitter flavor , which is found in many salads and herbs. Bitter causes the stomach and liver to produce more digestive juices and bile. In addition, its drying effect reduces salivation and therefore appetite.
Finally, the harsh flavor also dries up and reduces any water stocks present in the body. So eat cabbages, apples, berries, certain pulses or plants with tannins, mulberry and raspberry leaves, yarrow, oak bark, etc.
If you want to lose weight with Ayurveda, stop counting your calories. What matters is rebalancing your doshas by boosting your digestion and metabolism. Because that’s what will help you eliminate the accumulation of fats, deposits and toxins due to the imbalance of Kapha.
Cook simple dishes yourself , easy to digest, with fresh, seasonal ingredients that are as natural as possible, without chemical treatment. Dare to use colors on your plate!
In terms of meal times, lunch should be taken between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and dinner before 7 p.m.
Prefer vegetables cooked in the evening . When Kapha is dominant, the digestive system is often not strong enough to digest raw food. It is better to eat less in the evening than at noon.
Cook and Eat Mindful , savoring the colors, smells, consistency and taste of food. This will make you eat more slowly and chew better, in a calm manner.
To slim down, sharp, spicy and bitter flavors are to be favored. But the six flavors should be represented in your dishes every day in order to satisfy the five elements. If your meals are balanced , cravings and cravings for snacking should gradually disappear.
It is also recommended to do hot water cures for two weeks to help the body to purify itself and eliminate:
- In the morning : a cup with a teaspoon of honey and the juice of a half -citron
- During the day : with a teaspoon of small sticks of infused ginger rhizome for 15 minutes
- At bedtime : with a pinch of turmeric, to absorb toxins from the intestine
This water treatment will restart digestion and elimination. You can also support this relaunch by:
- Beet juice
- A diet richer in fiber
- 1 tablespoon of castor oil in the morning, before drinking lemon water
- Less coffee which dries up the gut
Avoid frozen, iced or fermented products such as vinegar, cheese or alcohol.
Dairy products promote congestion due to phlegm. Prefer goat’s or sheep’s milk yogurts.
Food is an essential lever to rebalance your body and lose weight.
But reducing the intensity of Kapha is also giving more space to Vāta and Pitta on the physical, psychic and spiritual level. It’s all about harmony to lose weight with Ayurveda.
Practice yoga and regular physical activity , quality sleep , sauna sessions, Ayurvedic massages and general well-being also have an impact on your weight.