KNOW YOUR PRAKRITI

VATA
• thin build,
• Demonstrates great enthusiasm, imagination, and vivaciousness.
• Grasp new concepts quickly, but forget things easily.
• have bursts of mental and physical energy, love & excitement
• Display dramatic mood swings. Tend to have irregular eating and sleeping patterns.
• When out of balance, they experience dry or rough skin, , tension headaches, cold hands and feet, anxiety and worry, fatigue, poor and irregular appetite, insomnias, and difficulty maintaining their ideal body weight
• Vata disorders include flatulence, constipation, tremors, spasms, asthma, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, as well many neurological problems.

PITTA
• ambitious,
• Self-disciplined, enterprising, articulate, intelligent, and outspoken.
• warm and loving;
• They can be demanding, sarcastic, critical, argumentative, or jealous.
• experience intense hunger and cannot skip meals.
• When out of balance they experience rashes, inflammatory skin diseases, heartburn, peptic ulcers, visual problems, irritability, premature graying or baldness, and tend towards compulsive behavior (e.g. alcoholism, eating disorders, etc.
• Pitta disorders include hyperacidity, ulcers, skin eruptions, chronic fatigue, Crohn’s disease, colitis, gout and numerous inflammatory disorders

KAPHA
• relaxed,
• affectionate, serene, slow to anger, forgiving, happy with the status quo,
• Respectful of the feelings of others.
• Tend to require lots of sleep, have slow digestion, and moderate hunger, though they find comfort in eating.
• enjoy good health, but tend to become obese more often than Vata or Pitta types.
• When out of balance, they may experience colds and flu, allergies, sinus congestion, depression, lethargy, asthma, and joint problems
• kapha disorders include obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, edema, asthma, tumors and a variety of congestive problem

LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO BE MADE BY THE OVERWEIGHTS AS PER AYURVEDIC NORMS

VATA
• Should drink plenty of warm fluids (e.g. herbal tea)
• They should minimize raw food, including salad, though salads should not be eliminated completely as they provide valuable nutrients & fiber which is necessary for obese people so they should ground the salad with a dressing made from olive oil, peanut butter and vinegar,
• Vata types should go for sweet and moist fruit, like nectarines, coconut, fresh figs, peaches, and strawberries.
• they should include warming spices, including ginger and cloves, anise, cinnamon, garlic, horseradish, caraway, mint, mustard seeds, parsley, cooked onion, paprika, rose water, vanilla,.

PITTA
• They benefit tremendously from consumption of fruits and raw vegetables but these should be better avoided as obese people should stick to low carb and high protein diet,
• cold beverages. Bitter green vegetables like watercress, parsley, and most greens suit pitta.
• Fruits include sweet berries, sweet apples and apricots, coconut, figs, sweet oranges and pineapples, plums, watermelon, pomegranates, and prunes.
• milk, cottage cheese, soft cheeses, etc. dairy is also a good alternative for obese people as it is high in protein
• Grains include barley, basmati rice, and wheat
• Spices include coriander, cumin, mint, parsley, dill and fennel. Garlic should be avoided though as it is too heating.

KAPHA
• Kapha types tend to gain weight easily and have difficulty shedding unwanted pounds, regular exercise is crucial for weight management.
• Should eat only when hungry and should consider doing a 24-hour liquid fast as often as one time per week.
• Should avoid ice cream, butter, milk, rich and sugary desserts, meat, and fried foods.
• Should consume large amounts of raw vegetables, peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, corn cobs, peas, beets, and celery & fruits,
• Should improve their digestion by drinking hot ginger tea.
• Are not suited to a high protein diet like the Atkins diet. Beans, with the exception of soy and soy products, are allowed. Soy milk is preferable to dairy. Barley is also excellent. Not only should they avoid too much fat, but also, excessive heavy protein.
• Asian and Latin American style meals are great for kapha. They are spicy and light, free of dairy, and have plenty of vegetables in them.

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