Ayurvedic Diet Chart & Plan For Weight Loss in 2022

Ayurveda, which has originated in India over 5000 years ago, provides wisdom on the natural healing system of the body. The name Ayurveda is translated as “the knowledge of life”.

Ayurveda medicine is practiced globally today and has influenced the lives of several individuals worldwide. One of the extensions of this practice is the Ayurvedic Diet.

This diet plan works according to the constitution of each individual’s body and provides solutions for several health issues such as excessive weight gain, diabetes, and a lot more. The objective of an Ayurveda diet is to improve the self-healing abilities of our body.

The Principles of the Ayurveda Diet Plan

The goal of every Ayurveda diet plan is to achieve a sense of equilibrium. The diet plan seeks to balance the self and the environment to provide results in the most holistic and natural way possible. There are a few principles that help you achieve this:

The diet should include the six tastes or rasas.

The six tastes are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent. They should be included in the following order in each meal:

Sweet- Fruits are a great option
Salty- Meat or seafood
Sour- Citrus fruits
Pungent- pepper, garlic or onions
Astringent- tea
Bitter- green leafy vegetables

Avoid distractions and eat your food with the concentration in order to appreciate it.
Savor your food by eating slowly.
Make sure you eat your food before it gets cold
Wait to eat till you feel hungry and stop eating when you begin to feel full.

How does the Ayurveda Diet Plan Work

The foods that are included in the Ayurveda diet plan for weight loss initiate the innate intelligence of the body. Each diet plan is based on each individual’s body type, which is also known as a dosha. Three body types have been identified in Ayurveda, namely:

Vata (combination of Air + Ether elements)
Pitta ( combination of Fire and water elements)
Khapa (combination of Earth + Water)

In general, Ayurveda addresses the whole being. This includes your body, mind, and spirit. This means that along with the diet, you have to try out the methods to manage stress, get sufficient sleep and the use of herbal supplements is also recommended to keep you in the best shape possible.

One thing to remember with an Ayurvedic diet is that it follows the several rhythmic changes that you see in nature. This includes the different stages of life, the various seasons and even the rhythm of the sun each day. This means that the diet may change and fluctuate through your lifetime.

If you are looking at a holistic way of losing weight, this article will take you through the three doshas that correspond with the personality traits, the tendencies, and the nutritional requirements of each body type.

The concept of the body type is derived from the five basic elements that each individual is made of- air, fire, earth, water, and ether. Every person possesses a unique combination of these different doshas or body types that determine your physical characteristics.

An imbalance of the doshas will lead to health issues and is essentially caused by poor lifestyle, less physical activity, unhealthy diet, extreme stress, and exposure to toxins.

Below is a breakdown of each type of dosha and a suitable diet chart to lose weight and stay in shape. If you do not know which body type you fall under, it is best to consult a good Ayurvedic expert and based on their suggestion, look at the appropriate diet plan.

Check out – Indian diet chart after c section

Here are different ayurvedic diet chart for weight loss

Ayurvedic Diet Plan For Vata Dosha

Those with a Vata dosha tend to be quite small in their structure and thin. They tend to struggle to digest food. In terms of personality, these individuals are creative, energetic, and curious.

However, they also get stressed very easily. They are normally susceptible to disorders like insomnia, heart disease, and arthritis and tend to have the mental obstacles of grief and fear quite commonly.

Although they are small in their build, they are vulnerable to weight gain because of stress along with sudden changes in their metabolism.

Diet Tips For Vata Dosha

Those who have a Vata imbalance should typically eat three meals a day. The meals should be warm and well cooked. Eating that the same time each day is essential for this body type.
To avoid aggravating the Vata dosha, it is recommended that they only eat foods that are made with moist cooking methods like steaming, boiling, and sautéing. Eating fried, roasted or baked foods can lead to several health issues.
It is recommended that they use coconut oil while preparing their foods.
Drinking warm drinks instead of cold ones is recommended.
They must choose whole foods that have a combination of sourness, sweetness, slight spice and a slight oiliness.

Vata is balanced by Sweet, followed by sour and salty tastes

Vata is aggravated by Pungent, Bitter, Astringent tastes

Foods that you should eat for Vata Dosha

Spices like terragon, oregano, cumin, basil, ginger, and fennel. Sweet foods like dairy, nuts, seeds, whole grains, squash, and oils. Salty and Sour foods like meat, seafood, vegetables, pickles, and yogurt.

Foods that you should avoid for Vata Dosha

They must avoid foods that are packed, frozen or canned. They must also avoid foods that are dry and raw, including raw vegetables. Stay away from sprouts, beans, cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, flaxseed chili, ice cream, chocolate, sugar, ginger, peppers, green leafy vegetables, turmeric, black tea, and coffee.

Sample Diet Chart for Vata Dosha for Weight Loss

Meal	Foods to Include
Breakfast	Creamy and hot cereal such as wheat flakes with skimmed milk with fruits/ 1 thick shake with bananas, figs, apricots, and grapes.
Lunch	30% fresh vegetables including warming veggies like carrots, asparagus, beet, onions, and sweet potato- you can make a curry or a boiled salad. 20% of light proteins, like chicken or seafood- boiled or cooked to make a curry. 50% cooked grains including brown rice and whole-wheat pasta.
Afternoon snack	A stew made with vegetables like carrot along with a cup of herbal tea OR a handful of raw or roasted nuts along with a cup of fresh curd.
Dinner	Whole grain bread or chapatis along with a bowl of vegetable soup. It is a good idea to drink a cup of warm milk along with some honey and ginger to get better rest. Alternatively, you may have a glass of buttermilk.

You may like to read – Diet chart for weight loss in 7 days

Ayurvedic Diet Plan for Pitta Dosha

Those with pitta dosha usually have a very athletic body. They can easily put on weight as well as muscle. People with this dosha are very hardworking, ambitious, smart, and aggressively competitive.

One of the biggest issues with pitta dosha is that individuals tend to overeat when under stress. They also have a strong craving for foods that are cooling such as ice cream, sweets and other foods that are heavy. These individuals are also quite prone to health issues such as hypertension overexertion, infectious diseases, heart diseases, and even digestive disorders.

Diet tips for individuals with Pitta Dosha

It is important that you never skip a meal because even the slightest imbalance in your routine can greatly impact your metabolism and digestion.
Try to avoid foods rich in salt, spice, and sourness as much as possible.
When you feel the urge to eat when you are under any emotional stress, delay it.
Make sure that you drink lots of water that is at room temperature through the day. You can also boil spices like jeera in water, bring down the temperature, and then consume it.

Pitta is balanced by Sweet, bitter, astringent tastes

Pitta is aggravated by Sour, Salty and Pungent

Foods that you should eat for Pitta Dosha

The diet of those with a pitta dosha should include foods that are warm, dry and slightly heavy in their texture such as milk, fully ripened fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, celery, cabbage, zucchini, green beans, and broccoli.
Good fats like olive oil and flaxseed oil can be used for cooking to aid weight loss.
Other foods to include are green leafy vegetables, dried beans, lentils, root vegetables, nuts and seeds, dairy, coconut, lime, peppermint, cilantro, aloe vera, and fennel.

Foods that you should avoid for Pitta Dosha

People with pitta dosha should avoid foods that are fried and also food that is steaming hot.
Hot spices like cayenne, mustard, ginger, clove, and garlic should be avoided.
You should also stay away from any protein supplements, all nuts except almond and warming foods like corn, red meat, brown rice, onion, eggplant, spinach, beets, and carrots.
They should not consume any processed foods and fast foods as they increase the imbalance and because they contain bad fats that are extremely harmful.

Sample Diet Chart for Pitta Dosha for Weight Loss

Meal	Foods to Include
Breakfast	2 slices of toast with a glass of warm milk/ a bowl of stewed fruits including apples, prunes and pears/ 1 cup of any cold cereal such as oats.
Lunch	This should be the heaviest meal of the day and should include the following: 20% cooked grains such as oats, barley, rice or quinoa. 30% of proteins like beans, chicken, turkey, boiled or prepared in the form of a curry to go with the grains. 50% sautéed and steamed vegetables with a dash of turmeric, coriander, cumin, and fennel.
Afternoon snack	It is best to consume any fruit that is juicy and sweet to keep cravings at bay. This includes several options such as mangoes, apples, cherries, plums, melons, and grapes.
Dinner	Dinner should be light and you must make sure that you do not eat after 7 pm. Eat a bowl of steamed vegetables including mushrooms, green beans, asparagus and broccoli with a bowl of yogurt that is low in fat. You may include a baked or stewed fruit as dessert. Have a glass of warm milk mixed with some shredded coconut just before going to bed. This will help calm you down and will also help you get a good night’s rest. You can also use orange zest in the milk if you do not have shredded coconut.

Tip To Balance Pitta Dosha: To balance Pitta dosha, you can make mint tea, green tea or a tea with fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds and sip it through the day.

Ayurvedic Diet Plan for Kapha Dosha

People with Kapha dosha tend to be overweight. They also are usually less active and sluggish by nature. These individuals tend to be supportive, forgiving, and loving but also have emotional issues such as insecurity and jealousy. They are likely to have health issues such as fluid retention, obesity, and diabetes.

People with Kapha dosha put on weight easily even though they eat very little. This is because they have a relatively slow metabolism. The elements of earth and water dominate this body type, making them very sluggish.

Diet tips for Kapha dosha

People with this dosha should eat their heavier meals when metabolism is higher. For instance, the heaviest meal of the day, which is the lunch should be consumed at noon when metabolism tends to be at its highest.
Foods that are rich in fats should be avoided.
Drinking hot teas and warm drinks is a great idea.

Kapha is balanced by Astringent, Bitter and Pungent

Kapha is aggravated by Sour, Salty, and Sweet

Foods that you should eat for Kapha Dosha

Spices such as ginger, cumin, chili, turmeric, sesame and fenugreek should be used in abundance in your diet food.
The foods that you include in your diet should be light, dry and warm with a pungent or bitter taste including cabbage, broccoli, beats eggplants, green leafy vegetables, peas, dried beans, pomegranates, apples, digestive herbs, lentils and mushrooms.

Foods that you should avoid for Kapha Dosha

You should avoid foods that are fully raw.
Also avoid foods that are very sweet including some fruits like grapes, dates, bananas, melons, oranges and pineapples.
Avoid cold, salty, fatty and fried foods in your diet completely.
Other foods to avoid are seafood, dairy, grains, nuts and seeds.

Diet chart for Kapha Dosha for Weight Loss

Meal	Foods to Include
Breakfast	Those with Kapha dosha can skip breakfast. In fact, it is best that they have a glass of warm water and honey or a cup of green tea. The best option for breakfast include a bowl of stewed fruits
Lunch	This is the largest meal of the day and should consist of 50% non-starchy vegetables like peas, mushrooms, lettuce, kale, and spinach- sautéed or steamed. 30% cooked grains like quinoa and basmati rice. 20% of proteins including beans, chicken, seafood, and eggs- made into a curry or a salad.
Afternoon snack	Dried fruit such as figs, apricots, and raisins along with pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
Dinner	1 bowl of vegetable soup with a dash of ginger, pepper, turmeric, and cumin. It is also a good idea to have a glass of warm milk along with some saffron or ginger to balance this dosha and get ample rest.

Conclusion:

These diet charts are sample diet plans, which help you lose weight as well as provide several health benefits like improved metabolism, quick detoxification, improved fertility, better body functions, higher absorption of nutrients and better digestion.

These diet plans also bring you to a state of balance emotionally and mentally, allowing you to get rid of issues like anxiety and actually experience inner calm completely. These diet plans are wholesome and holistic in every sense.