Food lists. Every introductory book on Ayurveda has one. You, like me, may have started out your practice giving your client a cumbersome list of foods that are “good” to eat and those that they should avoid.

Oftentimes, the next office visit would be focused on a review of these lists and, if your client was exceptionally Pitta, a detailed accounting of the how, why, and wherefore of each foods placement on the list, accompanied by bargaining for circumstances in which they could sneak a forbidden food into the acceptable category.

Do you think that thousands of years ago, the earliest Ayurvedic practitioners were using lists of foods to direct their clients in their dietary choices?

In the first chapter of the Charaka Samhita, the eight factors affecting food’s utility are detailed¹. This, to me, is much more useful than a food list, primarily because the food list is only concerned with one of these eight factors, the Prakruti, or nature of the food.

By educating our clients about these eight factors affecting the usefulness of the food to the body, they are empowered to make appropriate food choices in every moment, even if they have left their food list at home.

Prakruti: the nature of the food

This is the rasa, virya, vipaka of the food. Food lists are primarily concerned with the food’s prakruti. It is most important to consider this when a client has an active vikruti that needs to be addressed with a restricted diet.

Karana: processing

We often think processing always impairs the nutritional value of food, but processing may be either harmful or beneficial. Processing is everything that has happened to the food before it reached your plate. The question to ask is, “Has the processing enhanced the digestibility (usefulness) of the food or has it hindered it?”

Sometimes processing is necessary to make a food more digestible, such as cooking beans or potatoes. Sometimes processing will fundamentally change the nature of a food, such as culturing milk to create yogurt or cheese. Even removing a peel from a banana or slicing an apple could be called processing.

We are bombarded by processed, packaged, adulterated foods in our grocery stores; this type of processing is to be avoided. To limit chemically processed foods, I advise my clients to read the ingredient list on any package. If the contents of the foodstuff have names that an eight year old would struggle with pronouncing or the ingredients would not be found in a kitchen, then it is better left on the shelf.

Samyoga: food combining

Few things in Ayurveda generate more confusion than food combining. In the Charak, it is mentioned to avoid taking ghee and honey in equal quantities (by weight: 1 tsp honey= 3 tsp ghee) and fish with milk is also cautioned against. Many authors and lecturers have expanded that list significantly².

The key with food combining is to pay attention to the strength of the agni. If agni is strong, poor food combinations in small amounts may be tolerated, but if the ill-advised food combination continues, it will weaken the Agni, form ama, and create disease.

I ask my clients to observe their digestion. If they are experiencing digestive symptoms, they may want to switch to a simpler diet with foods that don’t battle each other in the belly.

Rasi: Quantity of food Portion size!

If a food is nutrient dense, take a small portion. These foods tend to be heavy and they may suppress agni if taken in too great a quantity. Typically, protein-rich foods, fats, and grains or starchy vegetables fall into this category.

If a food is nutrient rich and low calorie, take a large portion. This would be true of vegetables and greens that are high in fiber, mineral, and vitamin content but low in caloric value.

If a food is nutrient poor and high in calories, avoid it entirely or take small quantities only. This is the case with dessert treats and snack foods.

Desa: habitat, climate, location Shop local!

We are a product of our environment. When the habitat is heavy, dense, and moist, we want to cultivate the opposite qualities in our foods. When our climate is hot, light, and sharp, we want to cultivate the opposite qualities in our foods.

By taking in foods that are seasonally available in our locale, we will typically have access to foods that will antidote the environmental qualities.

Kala: Time Timing of meals and Seasonal Foods!

Ayurveda advises that the main meal is taken at midday when agni is its strongest. In addition to this, it is best to have completely digested the previous meal before eating. Timing our meals allows us to have the strongest digestive fire possible.

As the seasons change, the dosha move through their cycles. In springtime, greens are abundant and they provide spring-cleaning for our bodies. In the summer, fruits and vegetables are abundant and they provide the energy we need for the longer days. In fall, the nutrient dense foods, like root vegetables and winter squash, and grains or legumes that may easily be stored are available; these provide the sustenance for the long winter ahead.

By taking foods as they are seasonally available, we will naturally pacify the dosha.

Upayoga samstha: Guidelines for Healthy Eating Dine Consciously!

There are many rules in Ayurveda to assure conscious dining³ and they begin at the grocery store with making the best choices for our food quality. They continue as we bring awareness to all phases of dining: considering the quality of the food you will be taking before you eat, paying attention to the food’s effect on your body while you eat, and taking care that the food you eat is well digested after you eat.

By remaining consciously present with our food, we will recognize problematic foods or food combinations before they have the opportunity to negatively impact us.

These food habits also stabilize the nervous system supporting full and healthy digestion.

Upayokta: Self-awareness and self-responsibility

For me, this means that if a food is not necessarily good for you, you may still choose to eat it and take the responsibility to minimize its negative impact. For example, if you plan to eat some ice cream, you may choose to do it in the middle of the day when agni is its strongest, you may take only a small portion or support your agni after the treat to assure that it stays strong.

At the end of the day you, and only you, are responsible for what you put into your body. By exercising your self-awareness, you choose, in the moment, the best foods for you right now. Self-responsibility is the notion that you behave in a way that is in alignment with your best intentions for your health and wellbeing.

What I like best about these eight factors affecting the usefulness of the foods we take is that everyone can apply these in the moment. If a food is on our doshic “avoid” list, it may still be taken if some of these eight factors support its use. This puts the power of decision-making where it belongs, in the consumer’ s hands, and breaks the attachment to a list based only on the food’s rasa, virya, and vipaka.

Your Free Gift: Check out the resources page for a client handout on these Eight Factors!

1. https://easyayurveda.com/2018/01/25/ahara-vidhi-vishesha-ayatana/
2. https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/diet/ayurvedic-food-combining/
3. http://iamj.in/posts/images/upload/966_969_1.pdf