Digestive Health with Ayurveda Siva Mohan, MD MPH - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Digestive Health with Ayurveda

Siva Mohan, MD MPH www.svasthahealth.com

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Session 1:Ayurvedic Diet

agenda

 Quick ayurveda review  What is ayurvedic diet?  Assessing the energetics of your diet  The 6 tastes, and the 3 doshas  How your digestive system is communicating with you (poop, appetite, and digestive symptoms)  Q&A

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Ayurvedic review

• Everything in the universe is energy
• This energy can be categorized, or witnessed in

patterned ways

• Ayurveda presents the universe and its patterns in the

form of 3 primal energies (doshas): vata, pitta, kapha

• Doshas are flowing through everything in the universe

including ourselves and our food

• We are unique manifestations of the doshas
• How we interface with the universe is in part

determined by our energetic make-up, and in part by

• ur current state of affairs
• There are patterned ways we experience this

interaction with the universe, and we can see this in

• ur digestive systems & health
• FREE INTRO VIDEO

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Learning Objectives

 To begin to see how you can balance with your food  To understand that ayurveda is applied dynamically, not a rigid system of rules  To begin to understand how your digestive system is communicating with you

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Q:What is ayurvedic diet?

A: Choosing and preparing your food based on your energetic (doshic) needs

• 1. Based on vikruti
• 2. Based on constitution
• 3. Bring in the opposite qualities of

what you are experiencing to balance with food

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Assessing the energetics of your food

What does it taste like? What does it feel like in your mouth, or gut? How does it make you feel after eating it?

 Food is energy.  Untrain your mind from judging food as “good” “bad”  Untrain your mind from labeling food as carbs, fats, anti-oxidants,etc.  Just pay attention to the qualities.

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Assessing the energetics of your food

VATA PITTA KAPHA Dry Crunchy Raw Flaky Bitter Hard Spicy-hot Sour Tart Acidic Smelly Fried Oily Heavy Grounding Sweet Slimy Moist Ripe Soft

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Tastes reveal the energetics of food.

Taste E.g. Qualities Doshic Effect Overall Effects Effect on Body In Excess* Sweet Earth Water rice, sugar, milk, wheat, agave Oily Cooling Heavy V- P- K+ Increases ojas; Promotes growth of all tissues; Strength; Longevity; Stability Supports senses; Healthy skin, hair; Good voice; Relieves burning Congestion; Cough; Heaviness; Loss of appetite; Laziness; Obesity; Lymphatic Congestion; Tumors; Swelling; Diabetes; Fibrocystic changes Sour Earth Fire citrus, yogurt, vinegar, cheese, pickles Liquid Light Heating Oily V- P+ K- Stimuting; Energizing; Nourish heart; Enlighten the mind Stimulate appetite; Improve salivation and digestion; Increase energy Excessive thirst; Hyperacidity; Ulcers; Sensitive teeth; Skin conditions; Urinary tract conditions Salty Water Fire sea salt, rock salt, kelp Heating Heavy Oily V- P+ K+ Lessens spasm; Pain relief; Promotes Growth; Electrolyte balance; Stimulate salivation and digestion; Improves absorption of food and elimination of waste Hypertension, Hot flashes, Wrinkles; Hair loss; Swelling; Skin conditions; Hyperacidity Pungent Fire Air cayenne, mustard,

• nion,

garlic, ginger Light, Drying, Heating V+ P++ K- Clarity; Perception; Extroversion Improves digestion, eliminations; Clears congestion; Stimulates circulation; Kills pathogens Infertility; Diarrhea; Heartburn; Nausea; Colitis; Fainting; Tremors; Insomnia; Pain; Asthma; Skin conditions Bitter Air Ether coffee, aloe, squash Cooling Light Dry V+ P- K- Clears toxins; Desire to change; Grieving Kills pathogens; Reduces fat, bone marrow and wastes Depletion; Infertility; Dryness; Fainting Astringt Air Earth Sprouts, unripe banana Cooling Dry Heavy V+ P- K+ Clarity; Introversion Heals ulcers; Promotes clotting Xerostomia; Speech disorders; Neuromuscular disorders; Constipation; Arrhythmia

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My digestive system is talking to me?

Yes, it is!  Appetite  Digestive symptoms  Stool

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How your digestive system is communicating with you

Excess Vata Pitta Kapha

Appetite

Low; variable;full quickly Strong; excessive; hungry soon after eating Low in am; most active late night

Symptoms Gas; bloating; cramping;

pain Heartburn; heat; pungent gas; inflammation Sluggish digestion; food coma; heaviness; bloating long term; weight gain

Stool

Constipation; hard; dry; nuggets; lots of gas at night; darker color; least smelly Loose to diarrhea; yellow- red-green; feels hot coming out; ribbony; pungent odor; urgency Easy movement; mucous; postprandial; smell of decay