FOOD

AYURVEDIC DIET AND FOOD PREPARATION GUIDELINES

“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; when diet is correct, medicine is of no need"

• Avoid eating when not hungry and do not delay eating when hungry.

• Eat at approximately the same time every day.

• Don't eat too quickly or too slowly. 


• Do not overeat. Eat to about 3/4 capacity. Do not leave the table hungry or too full.

• Allow 3 to 6 hours between meals. Do not eat before the previous meal is properly 
digested.

• Eat sitting down and in a settled environment. Do not read, watch TV or drive while 
eating.

• Avoid eatIng leftovers out of the refrigerator as they are hard to digest.

• Milk should be taken alone or with other sweet tastes.

• Milk should not be taken with 
vegetables, meat, fish, sour foods, salt or eggs. 

• Honey should not be heated in any way such as by cooking, baking or by adding it to hot 
beverages. Ayurvedic theory says that when heated honey is ingested it creates a toxic effect in the body. It can be added to tea or hot milk once the beverage has cooled down to body temperature. 



• Eat a balanced meal with all six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, astringent).

• Eat fresh food, freshly prepared. 


• Eat a wide variety of wholesome foods. 

• Avoid frozen, processed foods. 


• Use organic food as much as possible.

• Avoid genetically engineered food. 


• Use ripe foods and avoid unripe fruits.

• Do not use a microwave.

• Avoid artificial foods, colouring and preservatives. 


• Sip warm or room temperature liquids during the meal. This enlivens digestion and helps 
the food be better dissolved and absorbed. Do not take ice cold liquids and foods with a 
meal as they suppress digestion. 


• Sit comfortably for five to ten minutes after finishing the meal. This allows the digestive 
process to get well underway. If you immediately jump up from the meal, digestion will 
be disrupted and the food will be improperly processed. 


• Chew the food well. Digestion starts in the mouth.

• Fresh fruit and vegetables (juices) are recommended as part of your daily diet. 


• Ayurveda recommends a vegetarian diet as ideal but if you have been eating meat for 
many years the transition should be made gradually with great attention placed on having 
a balanced diet and enough dairy products to get the proper amount of vitamin B12. 


• Avoid snacks containing refined sugar. Have sweet juicy fruits, dried fruits, hot milk alone or with spices, dates, nuts and other wholesome foods instead. 


Read more on how to follow a Ayurveda Yoga diet for peace, contentment and clarity in my blog post.