SIMPLE & SOPHISTICATED

By Justine Heald

Ayurvedic medicine has its roots in ancient India, and quite simply involves the adaptation of food, spices, and herbs in accordance with your body type and the ailments that accompany it.

The time-honoured science has been making waves in contemporary understanding of health and wellness, inspiring a return to elemental truths and acknowledging holism as a healing system. As the modern world rediscovers herbs like brahmi and ashwagandha (used to assist focus and anxiety respectively), more and more health-seekers are looking to ancient wisdom for guidance.

Have you noticed how some people might be more hyperactive than others? Some flowy and ‘airy’ in their movements and behaviour, whilst others appear more grounded and anchored? These characteristics are what Ayurvedic practitioners call doshas - specific physiological and psychological ‘types’. The three doshas are vata (elements of space and air), pitta (elements of fire and water) and kapha (elements of water and earth). By taking a simple quiz online, you can discover your dosha type and consider adapting your nutrition accordingly, so that what you eat enriches your system instead of aggravating it.

My own exploration of Ayurveda began with a humble beetroot. On a European adventure in 2018, a surprising and insatiable craving for the ruby-coloured root vegetable awoke within me. As it turns out, I am a blend of the pitta and kapha doshas, which means that I am prone to ‘hot’ disorders like inflammation and heartburn. Eating cooling foods and root vegetables (like beetroot!) helps me to keep the imbalances to which I am vulnerable in check.

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the wide range of health, diet and supplement advice and options on offer. Or to get stuck in continuously taking medicine to mask symptoms and side effects rather than examining their root cause. It’s important to get back to basics and consider what our bodies are telling us. Ayurvedic medicine helps us to do just that by acknowledging our unique constitutions, cravings and nutritional needs in order to align us both physically and psychologically.

The great news is that your body already ‘desires’ the ingredients that suit your dosha – you simply need to listen to these cravings, do a bit of research on what they may be suggesting, and work towards greater balance from there.

Once you know your dosha and the core ingredients that can assist in healing your constitution, explore some exciting recipes with your partner, friends, or loved ones, blending ingredients that are best suited to each other’s constitutions. This method is guaranteed to take you back to holistic basics and aid in simplifying and supporting your wellness.

Choose the Best Foods for Your Dosha

VATA

• Warm or hot fluids like soups or stews • Healthy fats like avocado, coconut, olives, and nuts • Berries, melons, grapes, oranges, and pineapples • Vegetables (particularly zucchini and squash), well-cooked in coconut oil or ghee • Eggs, whole milk, buttermilk, yoghurt and cheese

PITTA

• Watermelon, apples, and figs • Celery, cilantro and kale • Artichoke, asparagus, beets, and brussels sprouts • Butter, cottage cheese, goat’s milk, and ghee • Grains like barley, couscous, oats, quinoa, granola, wheat, tapioca, and amaranth

KAPHA

• Asparagus, cucumber, celery, okra, lettuce, green beans, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini • Grapes, mango, pomegranate, pineapple, oranges, melon, cherries, and plums • Avocado and coconut • Soothing spices like coriander, cardamom, saffron and fennel seeds • Grains like wheat, white rice, barley, and oats