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Guidelines to Diet Tarik Dervish May 2015

Introduction

Diet is an important part of your treatment and indeed your life. What you put inside your body literally becomes who and what you are. This guide should help you make better choices about what you put in your supermarket trolley and on your dinner plate. Reference will be made to the three doshas- Vata, Pitta and Kapha. An excess of Vata qualities will increase gases and dryness in the body. An excess of Pitta qualities will increase heat and acidity and an excess of Kapha will increase mucous and phlegm. The overall result is that AGNI or digestive fire that drives our metabolism is disturbed or reduced resulting in a build up of Aama or toxicity in the tissues. It’s not what you occasionally eat that damages your health but what you habitually eat. The occasional burger or pizza or can of coke won’t do you any lasting damage. However, eating this kind of food too often will put a great strain on your body and reduce its ability to protect and regenerate itself. Most disease comes about as a result of two major factors: A lack of nutrients to maintain the body’s metabolic functions and toxicity from a variety of sources. The end result is inflammation and the systemic failure. Our diet and lifestyle habits and can strongly influence the overall state of our health and how well we can stave off old age.

Food for your Constitution.

We are all made up of the three Doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) though most of us mainly veer towards one or two doshas only. We usually develop an understanding of our constitution by examining our physical, mental and physiological characteristics but equally through the types of illnesses we are more prone to. Vata is more prone to painful and or nervous disorders. Pitta towards inflammation and or heat and Kapha towards phlegm and or chest and head related disorders.

One important way of balancing the doshas in our bodies, is knowing which foods will generally increase or decrease the doshas. If you are generally healthy, I believe you can eat anything in moderation so long as you include the six tastes in your diet (Sweet, Sour, Salty, Pungent, Bitter, and Astringent)

Vata is the most sensitive to disturbance. It increases with dry, hard, astringent, excessively salty or sweet (though a small amount can reduce it) heavy, cold, hard, gassy and difficult to digest foods. Therefore, the following foods should be minimised. Dry fruit, hard cheese, frozen, raw or dried vegetables, refined sugar, too many pulses, chilli, carbonated drinks, (gas) ice cold drinks, too much tea or coffee and pop corn

Pitta increases when food is spicy, fermented, fried, acidic, salty, sour and pungent. Therefore, the following should be avoided as examples: Sour fruit (Citrus fruits- except grapefruit and lemons)

Salty food, very hot vegetables like radishes or peppers or garlic, too much meat and fish, (particularly salt water fish) eggs, pickles, vinegar, mustard, peanuts and cashews, alcohol (wine is okay in moderation)

Kapha increases when food is heavy, oily, doughy, sweet and salty. Therefore. the following should be minimised: Chocolate, refined sugar, biscuits, fried food, red meat, bread, dairy food (milk, cheese, yoghurt) chips and pizza.

General Rules according to Ayurveda

• Lightly cooked is better than raw. Food should not be cooked over 120 degrees as this will destroy its nutrients. Raw food contains lectins and phytates which can contribute to bodily inflammation if your liver is not able to sufficiently handle them.

• Warm food is better than cold. Your Agni is better able to break this down and assimilate it.

• Eat only when you’re hungry. Emotional or habitual eating will weaken your agni and you will gain fat.

• Eat your food without distractions. Mindful eating helps the body to digest the food better.

• Stop eating when you are full. Slow and mindful eating will help you sense this full feeling more easily.

• Leave 2 hours between your last meal and going to bed

• Don’t combine fish with milk or milk with fruit. Bad combinations will cause indigestion.

• Include all 6 tastes in your diet- sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.

• Your heaviest meal should be earlier in the day not in the evening.

• Avoid the routine use of junk or processed food.

• Variety is the spice of life but consider your Ayurvedic Constitution first!

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1. Fried Foods

Foods that have been fried will excessively increase the oiliness in the body and hence increase Pitta and Kapha doshas. This leads to reduced or disturbed Agni (digestive fire) which leads to Aama or toxicity and you will gain weight. If you want to fry your food, you should avoid using vegetable oils which when heated become denatured and increase in free radicals, which damage the body’s immunity power and cardiovascular system. The best oils for frying are oils saturated oils, like Ghee and Coconut which should be used in small amounts. Heating does not change the molecular structure of these oils so they are healthier and better assimilated. Ghee is considered to be highly digestible and improves AGNI. (digestive fire). Olive oil is the least damaging of vegetable oils when heated and takes longer to go rancid. Stir frying is far less damaging and can be used more frequently.

2. Processed Foods.

There are various problems associated with processed foods. Processed food is food that is no longer in its natural state and therefore no longer retains its goodness. (There are exceptions. Processing does not denature some foods). Therefore it loses its natural goodness so you are getting less from the food nutritionally. Even cooking destroys many nutrients and processed food takes it a step further. Processed foods have usually been through factory machinery where traces of solvents and chemicals and lubricants will end up in it- albeit in small amounts- enough to be damaging.

Undesirable ingredients are often added to the food during processing such as preservatives, colouring dyes, stabilisers and flavouring which also end up in our bodies and have to be eliminated again. Processed foods are usually so refined that not only have they lost their nutritional value but become hazardous to the body by stripping it of its nutrients. There is usually added sugar in processed foods that come from corn syrup. Corn syrup can only be broken down in the liver and does not produce an insulin response which means there is no signal to tell you body that it is full. This is a major contributor to the global obesity crisis.

3. Microwave Food

Some researchers have found that microwaving denatures food. It may look and taste the same but it is not. All cooking to some extent denatures food and the evidence against microwaves is inconclusive. Microwave ovens do however emit small amounts of radiation which though not proven, I believe may contribute to the damage of cells in the body. So cumulatively, though I recognise this is a personal preference, I consider it best to use conventional cooking.

4. Fermented Food

Cheese, Beer and Wine are the worst examples of fermented food that proliferates in the gut causing gas and fungal related problems like the overgrowth of Candida Albicans, skin problems and Athletes Foot. Fermented foods are Kapha/Pitta foods, which produce the ideal environment for fungal infections: Damp/ Heat. Not all fermented foods are bad. Apple Cider vinegar for example is a probiotic and will increase the friendly flora in the gut that helps to break down food. Excessive sugar and alcohol and courses of antibiotics are the main causes of the overgrowth of Candida Albicans. Fermented food is particularly bad for Pitta types.

5. Spices and Spicy Food

Excessively spicy food creates an excess of heat and acidity (Pitta) in the body and irritates the gut. This may cause gastritis or diarrhoea. Chilli pepper used as an herb can be very useful when working with low circulation or high Kapha dosha but aggravates the body when used in excess with food. Those with Pitta constitution should avoid too much spicy food. Herbs and Spices to use in food are Cumin, Coriander, Fennel, Turmeric, Basil, Mint, Cardamon, Cinnamon and Parsley. They are mild and beneficial for everybody.

Spices can really help to boost poor Agni (digestive fire) as well as cleanse the digestive tract and remove toxins. You can also use: Onions, garlic (in moderation for Pitta types) ginger, small amounts of black or white pepper, rock salt (Ayurveda considers rock salt to have the best properties) mustard seeds, curry leaves, cloves, nutmeg, ajwain, fenugreek seeds and poppy seeds. A pinch of Asafoetida should be added when cooking pulses, beans and cabbage to reduce gas.

6. Grains: The following grains are best: Rice (red, brown or basmati ) oats, rye, maize, millet, amaranth, quinoa, kamut, spelt, polenta, bulgur, buckwheat are all good grains. Generally, avoid food made from conventional wheat flour. Rye, millet and buckwheat are dry and light and wheat is heavy and moist. Therefore, Kapha types should avoid all types of wheat but vata./ pitta types can have mixed grain.

Wheat based food and refined floor

Today’s wheat contains many toxic constituents like phytates, which can damage nerve cells and build up toxicity in the body. Wheat products should be cut down especially bread and pasta made from wheat. Whole wheat is more digestible than refined wheat, which is found in most processed foods. White flour is particularly damaging because it adheres to the colon preventing proper absorption and elimination. Indeed any food made from refined flour can have this effect but modern (as opposed to traditional wheat now known as Spelt) is the worst. Many nutritionists also believe that is it better to eat whole grains rather than grains that have been ground and concentrated into flour. Whole grains will have more fibre, higher levels of nutrients and lower concentrated carbohydrates which means you are less likely to gain weight.

7. Animal proteins

Meat, fish dairy, cheese and poultry are all examples of proteins derived from animal sources. Ayurveda prescribes the use of meat and fish for therapeutic purposes but ones daily diet should mainly consist of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. In general, meat takes a long time to digest in the human body and can end up rotting and fermenting in the digestive tract before the body can finish digesting it. Some people can digest it better than others. Peter D’Adamo argues that those people with Blood type O are better equipped genetically to break down meat because of the higher acid content in the stomach. If digestive enzymes are insufficient, then the meat will not be fully digested. This can produce huge amounts of Aama or toxicity. Animal proteins can also strip the body of vital calcium because the body uses calcium to neutralise the acidity created by large amounts of animal protein. In this respect, eating too many animal proteins can contribute to conditions like osteoporosis. It is best to avoid meat during a detox programme however if meat is part of your every day diet then it is important to eat lots of fresh green vegetables to ensure that you have enough nutrients to process the food.

8. Meat and Fish: If eaten at all, white meat is considered better than red because it has less saturated fat. However, even too much white meat like chicken and turkey overload the body with concentrated protein which strips the body of calcium, clogs and hardens the arteries which leads to generalised inflammation- the main cause of cardiovascular disease . It is also important to be aware of the risks of heavy metal poisoning from fish. The general recommendation is to eat smaller fish rather than larger ones which are higher up the food chain. Usually, the bigger the fish the more toxicity it carries. Another view is that eating fresh water fish like salmon and trout is less heating that sea water fish like Tuna.

9. Seafood like prawns and other shellfish is usually quite toxic in today’s environment. Shellfish are scavengers and carry many parasites and toxic waste material. Best avoided during your detox.

10. Cooked vegetables: Most vegetables are fine though nightshades should only be eaten occasionally. Common nightshades are Potato, aubergine, red and green peppers and contain solanine, which is a subtle poison that can create inflammation in the joints. Best avoided during your detox and minimised in your diet if you are a vata type or prone to arthritis. Other vegetables to enjoy are: Pumpkin, squash, marrow, courgette, spinach, asparagus, fennel, swede, sweet corn, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower

11. Salads: Ayurveda does not recommend eating raw food habitually. It argues that hot, freshly cooked food is easier to break down and quicker to assimilate. On the other hand, it has been proven that raw foods contain more natural enzymes that help to break it down and over cooking food dramatically reduces them. So some raw food is important. However, Ayurveda considers more than just the nutritional value of food. It also considers whether it has a hot or cold potency and its flavour. Too much cold food impairs the digestive fire. Therefore salads should be taken in moderation for those with low Agni or high Vata. Salads to enjoy are Lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, rocket, watercress, spinach, radish (in moderation for pitta types) celery, Chinese leaf. Those with strong Agni are usually Pitta types who do better on raw food.

12. Fruit: Fruits are generally considered to be very easy to break down because they are light in quality and contain their own enzymes however there are some considerations. Fruit should always be eaten on its own. Mixing fruit with other foods makes it harder to break it down and digest it because it uses its own enzymes. If you have a Vata disorder, it is best to avoid raw apples. You can stew them a little with some cloves or ginger instead. If you have a Pitta disorder, it is best to avoid citrus fruits as the citric acid usually makes things worse. If you have a Kapha disorder, best to avoid bananas as they are very heavy and sticky and can make Kapha problems worse. For a more comprehensive list of fruit and veg please refer to the separate diet sheets.

13. Nuts can be quite difficult to digest so no more than a handful should be eaten each day. Almonds are best taken after being soaked overnight and peeled. The skin is not only hard to digest but will also have mould spores on it. Other nuts to enjoy are Walnut, Hazelnut, Brazil nut and coconut. Nuts to avoid during your detox or if you have weak digestion are peanuts (technically a legume) and cashews which are very acidic. Soaking nuts overnight deactivates enzyme inhibitors which prevent the nut from germinating. Therefore soaking is important to prevent enzyme inhibitors from suppressing your own digestive juices.

14. Pulses: Mung beans (whole, green or split) and red lentils are the easiest to digest and very nourishing. Other pulses produce lots of gas and are hard to digest. Hummus is a good compromise for Chick peas as it has already been broken down.

15. Sprouts: Sprouted Mung beans and sesame seeds are particularly good, though other beans and seeds can be used for sprouting.

16. Dairy: Cows milk is viewed favourably in Ayurveda especially for the weak and elderly. If you are detoxing however, I recommend you minimise the use of dairy products which can produce a lot of mucous. Today’s dairy products are contaminated with hormones and antibiotics. Best avoided.

a) Ghee (clarified butter) is the best for cooking with. It effectively reduces pitta. It can be used for anything including frying and toasting. Butter is also okay but fattier so only to be used in moderation. Margarines should be strictly avoided. They are made from Trans fats/hydrogenated fats or at the very least processed oils, even if they are not trans-fats which the body can’t break down or assimilate.

b) Milk should be organic and boiled for about 10 seconds before consuming to remove salmonella and shingella. It should be taken warm not fridge cold. It is most easy to digest when taken with a digestive spice like cardamon, ginger, cinnamon or turmeric. Alternative to cows milk are goats milk, rice milk, oat milk and almond milk. Soya milk is fine but some people have developed allergies to Soya so use your discrimination.

c) Cheese is best taken fresh. Cheeses like cottage cheese, feta or ricotta are easier to digest. Hard cheeses or old cheese should only be taken occasionally.

17. Sweeteners: Avoid refined sugar. This includes white and brown sugar, which is basically white sugar coloured with caramel. True Demerara sugar is less refined therefore a bit better for you (relatively) but still a concentrated sugar. Also, avoid using honey in temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. Honey is not heat stable and becomes denatured at high temperatures. If adding honey to a drink, wait until it has cooled right down first. The best sweeteners are date syrup, jaggery, (solidified sugar cane juice) raw unrefined sugar, rice syrup, stevia (a sweet herb that can be found in some countries). Bottom line however is that sugars are best taken in natural food like fruit.

18. Meat substitutes: Usually processed so best taken in moderation but definitely avoided if you are detoxing.

a) Tofu is okay in moderation though it can produce a lot of gas so high vata types should avoid it.

b) Eggs- Though a highly nutritious food, eggs should be taken in moderation because very hot in potency as well as heavy on the stomach so high Pitta and Kapha types should be careful with them. Moreover they should be well cooked to destroy salmonella and shingella.

c) Soya mince is okay in moderation but is highly processed and toxic in excess (causes allergies) so should not be taken routinely.

d) Quorn is a highly processed fungus protein and should only be taken occasionally.

e) Tempeh and Miso can be used in moderation.

13. Super-foods: Foods that are exceptionally high in nutritional value are commonly known as super-foods. In Ayurveda they are known as Rasayanas many herbs fit into this category too. Some common examples of high nutrient foods are: Alfalfa, Blue green algae, Spirulina, Wheat grass, Barley grass and Rose hips. They are an excellent way of regenerating the body and mind nutritionally.

14. Drinks: Warm drinks are better than cold. Ice cold drinks should be avoided. They dramatically reduce the digestive fire.

a) Tea and Coffee will not only strip the body of vital nutrients but also create stones in the kidneys from the build up of oxalic acid. They should therefore not be taken routinely. Green tea is better. Good alternatives are Chicory, Caro, Barley Cup, Dandelion coffee, ginger tea and other spiced herbs teas, which will stimulate the digestive fire and help remove mucus.

b) Water: Not everyone needs the same amount of water according to Ayurveda. It depends on your constitution. I.e. High Pitta types need more and Kapha types need less. As a general rule of thumb however, research by the renowned Dr Batman who wrote Your body’s many cries for Water shows that we generally don’t drink enough water. A good habit to develop is to drink 2 cups of water 30 minutes before each main meal and 2 cups a couple of hours after a meal. Water should only be sipped during meals.

c) Juices- carton juices are best avoided as they have already started to ferment and contain high concentrations of sugar. (albeit fruit sugar) They also contain chemicals and preservatives. Also, they may contain mould from the fruit used to make them. Moulds are very toxic and it takes your body a long time to get rid of them. Homemade juices are fine if drunk immediately. (i.e. don’t leave in the fridge!) Vegetable juices can be particularly nourishing. Getting a juicer is a very helpful tool in your Detox kit.

15. Oils: There are some nice blends of omega oils on the market these days. Omega 3 and 6 are the main essential fatty acids your body needs to function. Its easy to get Omega 6 in your diet so you only need to consider Omega 3 oils. In Ayurvedic thinking, they are good Kapha foods that will serve to lubricate and oleate the body properly without producing waste. Olive oil has a good reputation for being a versatile oil that will retain its nutrients even when used in cooking. All oils however should be used in moderation as oil, like sugar, should not really be used in concentrated form. It is much better to get our essential fats through the food that we eat like nuts and seeds. We usually get enough Omega 6 in our diet but need to supplement with food that is rich in Omega 3. Flax seed oil and Cod Liver Oil is considered to be one of the best sources.

In a nutshell your diet should mainly include Vegetables, Fruit, Whole grains, Legumes, Nuts and Seeds and that’s it. Everything else should be in moderation or avoided completely if you re very unwell.

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