
Eating for vitality, immunity and radiance!
In the ancient medical system of India known as Ayurveda, we find a vast wealth of knowledge on how to eat and what to eat to best support our well being. The word Ahara describes that which we take in to nourish ourselves and can refer to food, drink, & sensory inputs. For now, let’s talk about basic food and drink practices to support our health.

Eat cooked, warm foods
Warm cooked foods are easiest for our body’s to digest, so we are getting a nourishment boost even before we put the food in our mouth. In our belly, we have a digestive fire, agni. We put food on that fire and digestion begins. When we put in cooked foods, our fire can more easily digest the food for nourishment. Think of putting cold or raw foods as similar to putting wet or dense logs on a small campfire, those logs may not burn completely and may even douse our fire.

Eat at regular meal times
In Ayurveda, it is suggested that we eat 3 meals a day and avoid snacking. The timing of the meals is important and can vary from individual to individual. Eating meals with time in between them, allows our digestive system to follow its natural process; food digests in the stomach and then moves to the intestine. While the intestine does its thing, our stomach gets to rest and reset before the next meal. Roughly, meal times should be:
- Breakfast 8-9AM
- Lunch 12-1PM
- Dinner 5-7PM

How much to eat at a meal?
Our sense of how much to eat can be affected by many things. We eat very little when trying to lose weight. We eat massive amounts of protein when we want to gain muscle. We gorge when we are celebrating. So what’s the guidance from Ayurveda? Two cupped hands worth of food is the correct amount for a meal. Those are your hands, not someone else’s!

Eat with a calm mind
We’ve probably all eaten a meal or snacks while angry, sad, arguing, or whatnot. We also probably know that doing so leads to a less than stellar dining experience. So, take a minute or two before you eat to find some calmness and clarity. Perhaps feel some gratitude for the food you are about to receive?

Signs that you’re on the right track
One way to tell if we are eating in a healthful manner is to notice how we feel after we eat. Ideally you will feel:
- Energized not lethargic
- Light not heavy
- Clarity of mind
- Hungry before your next meal time
- Able to comfortably take a walk
- Easy & satisfying bowel movements

After a meal, take a walk
Walking after a meal is next level self care. In Ayurveda there is a recommendation to take at least 100 steps after eating, but if you can make that into a 10+ minute walk, so much the better. Walking aids digestion, stokes the digestive fire, and calms the mind. Walk with a companion or walk alone, either way it’s fabulous.
Know your dosha

In Ayurveda, the concept of doshas is central to understanding your own constitution and health.
There are three doshas which are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and they represent different combinations of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) in the body. Each person has a unique balance of these doshas, which determines their physical and mental characteristics as well as their predispositions to certain health conditions
If you want to discover your dosha, you have a couple of options – one on one consultation or online dosha quiz. Interested in connecting with a practitioner? Try Mount Madonna’s Ayurveda Clinic!
If you prefer, you can do an online dosh quiz. This will entail answering a fair number of questions and the result is based on your self reported information. You may want to try more than one online quiz just to see if the results are the same or quite different. Try the Banyan Botanicals Dosha Quiz and perhaps the Chopra Dosha Quiz.
Personalize your nourishment

For you, inspired and creative Vata, you will want foods that ground your airy ways which also bring moisture to your dry winds.
Yes!
Please eat foods which are
- Sweet like milk, honey & dates
- Salty like seaweed, celery & rock salt
- Sour like lemon, pickles & fermented foods
Recommended foods just for you:
Apples (cooked) • Applesauce • Apricots • Bananas (ripe) • Berries • Cherries • Coconut • Dates • Asparagus • Avocado • Beets • Pumpkin • Squash • Oatmeal • Lentils • Butter • Milk • Ghee • Cashews • Pine Nuts • Seafood • Chicken (dark meat) • Buffalo
No!
Please DO NOT eat foods which are
- Pungent like peppers, onions & hot spices
- Bitter like bitter melon, coffee & cranberries
- Astringent like black tea, parsley & rye bread
Foods to avoid:
Artichokes • Beet Greens • Bell Peppers • Bitter Melon • Broccoli • Brussels Sprouts • Burdock Root • Cabbage • Carrots, Raw • Cauliflower • Mushrooms • Onions • Hot Peppers • Radishes • Corn • Crackers • Rice Cakes • Rye • Black Eyed Peas • Navy Beans • Tempeh • Frozen Yogurt • Popcorn • Lamb • Pork
Consider preparing your food in ways that are warm, moist and somewhat heavy. Moist heat cooking, like steaming and simmering should be common in your kitchen. Soups, stews and cooked grains are perfect for vata. Stewed apples over oatmeal make a great breakfast or a yummy pumpkin soup for lunch.

Just for you, focused and driven Pitta, look for foods which moderate your fire and keep you cool
Yes!
Please eat foods which are
- Sweet like milk, honey & dates
- Astringent like black tea, parsley & rye bread
- Bitter like bitter melon, coffee & cranberries
Recommended foods just for you:
Apples (sweet) • Applesauce • Apricots (sweet) • Berries (sweet) • Dates • Figs • Grapes (red, purple, black) • Limes • Mangos (ripe) • Melons • Avocado • Artichoke • Asparagus • Beets (cooked) • Bell Peppers • Bitter Melon • Broccoli • Brussels Sprouts • Leafy Greens • Leeks (cooked) • Lettuce • Squash, Summer • Squash, Winter • Spinach (raw) • Sweet Potatoes • Watercress • Wheat Grass • Zucchini • Couscous • Crackers • Durham Flour • Granola • Oat Bran • Oats • Cheese (soft, unsalted, not aged) • Cottage Cheese • Cow’s Milk • Ghee • Goat’s Milk • Ice Cream • Chicken (white) • Eggs (white only) • Fish (freshwater) • Rabbit • Shrimp
No!
Please DO NOT eat foods which taste:
- Pungent like peppers, onions & hot spices
- Salty like seaweed, celery & rock salt
- Sour like lemon, pickles & fermented foods
Foods to avoid:
Apples (sour) • Apricots (sour) • Bananas • Berries (sour) • Cherries (sour) • Cranberries • Grapefruit • Grapes (green) • Kiwi • Lemons • Beet Greens • Beets (raw) • Corn (fresh) • Daikon Radish • Eggplant • Garlic • Green Chilies • Horseradish • Kohlrabi • Leeks (raw) • Millet • Muesli • Polenta • Rice (brown) • Miso • Buttermilk • Cheese (hard) • Frozen Yogurt • Sour Cream
Consider preparing your food by cooking it first then letting it cool to warm or even slightly cool. Moist is good for your fire, so how about a brothy soup with leafy greens? If your pitta is strong, you can even go for some raw foods like a salad. Try out this yummy Tahini Noodle recipe for lunch sometime.


Grounded and compassionate Kapha, you will want foods to warm you and lift you up with dry light qualities
Yes!
Please eat foods which are
- Pungent like peppers, onions & hot spices
- Bitter like bitter melon, coffee & cranberries
- Astringent like black tea, parsley & rye bread
Recommended foods for you:
Artichokes • Beet Greens • Bell Peppers • Bitter Melon • Broccoli • Brussels Sprouts • Burdock Root • Cabbage • Carrots, Raw • Cauliflower • Chilies • Cilantro • Eggplant • Onions • Peas • Hot Peppers • Raspberries • Mango • Radishes • Corn • Crackers • Rice Cakes • Rye • Black Eyed Peas • Navy Beans • Tempeh • Popcorn • Chicken (white) • Venison • Pippali • Nutmeg
No!
Please DO NOT eat foods which are
- Sweet like milk, honey & dates
- Salty like seaweed, celery & rock salt
- Sour like lemon, pickles & fermented foods
Foods to avoid:
Apples (cooked) • Applesauce • Apricots • Bananas (ripe) • Berries • Cherries • Coconut • Dates • Asparagus • Avocado • Beets • Pumpkin • Squash • Oatmeal • Lentils • Butter • Milk • Ghee • Cashews • Pine Nuts • Seafood • Chicken (dark meat) • Buffalo • Salt • Honey • Maple Syrup • Pistachios • Pine Nuts • Ice Cream • Frozen Yogrut • Cow’s Milk
Consider preparing your foodwith dry heat like oven roasting and grilling. Avoid frying or any method that relies on a lot of oil. Try some Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup with Fennel & Ginger in the spring or some Kale Quinoa Salad with Zesty Vinaigrette in the summer