Ayurveda is an ancient Indian holistic healing system (1) that helps people achieve and maintain optimal health by understanding their individual body types. There are three Ayurveda body types - Vata, Pitta, and Kapha - each with its own unique characteristics and needs. (2) Learning about your Ayurveda body type can help you to better understand your physical and emotional tendencies and make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to improve your overall health.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda, or Ayurvedic medicine, is a holistic system of medicine that originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda is based on the belief that optimal health and vitality are achieved by balancing your body.
There are three body types which are known as doshas. Each Ayurveda body type has its own unique characteristics and needs, so learning about your Ayurveda type is a key step in achieving optimal health.
What are the Ayurveda body types?
Ayurveda recognizes three different body types, each with its own qualities and requirements for balance. The three Ayurveda body types are:
- Vata: This Ayurveda type is characterized by air and ether elements and is associated with creativity, being active, and flexibility. Vatas need to exercise regularly and should eat grounding foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
- Pitta: Pittas are characterized by the fire element and are associated with qualities such as being intense, passionate, and ambitious. Pittas need plenty of healthy fats and should avoid spicy foods.
- Kapha: This Ayurveda type is characterized by the water and earth elements and is associated with calmness, stability, and forgiveness. Kaphas need regular exercise and should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Vata individuals are thin and have delicate features, while Pitta individuals are medium-build with an average weight. Pittas are intense, passionate, and ambitious. Kapha individuals are usually large-boned and have a heavy build.
Once you know your Ayurveda body type, you can begin to make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to improve your overall health.
Balancing Ayurveda body types
Balancing your Ayurveda body type is the best way to achieve optimal health. Ayurveda can help you to better understand your physical and emotional tendencies so that you can make the necessary changes to improve your overall health.
Each Ayurveda body type has its own unique needs, so it is important to understand your type before making any changes. If you try to create balance without knowing your starting point, it would be easy to accidentally create an imbalance.
The modern scientific community defines Ayurvedic medicine as a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). (3) However, the theory behind balancing your Ayurveda body type actually does have truth behind it.
We all know that to live a long and healthy life, we need to eat a healthy diet and live the best way possible. Using a multivitamin to maintain our health or taking a supplement to boost our immune system is a no-brainer, so what else should be considered?
Everyone is prone to certain tendencies. Some like spicy food, some like vegetables, some prefer meat, and so on. Many people enjoy exercise, while others prefer to sit on the couch.
The optimum level of health is when your body is ready for anything - any challenge, any illness, any situation. (4) If you are constantly sitting on the couch watching TV, you're unlikely to be prepared to run a 5k. Similarly, if you only ever run from here to there, you're unlikely to be able to sit down and relax for a period.
The Ayurveda body types take these tendencies into consideration, and by following the guidelines to balance your body type, you'll become a balanced and well-rounded person.
The Vata body type will always be moving, active, ready for anything. When this reaches through every aspect of your life, everything will always be moving. You won't rest, your mind may get out of control, and you'll experience anxiety.
How do you fix this? Do something to bring balance. Slow down. Practice meditation. Taking the time to sit and meditate doesn't prevent you from being active at other times but gives your body and mind the opportunity to rest.
With a Vata body type, the target is to eat grounding foods, like vegetables and fruits, as they provide the necessary stability for a healthy life. (5) Vata represents the air, and there is a need to be grounded before the Vata person metaphysically floats away.
The Pitta body type is in the middle. They are strong, have good digestion, and can focus. Associated with fire, they can become aggressive and angry if that fire burns out of control.
They need plenty of water and cooling foods like cucumbers and melons, but nothing so cold as to quench their fire. (6) Ayurveda also recommends eating sweet fruits to help balance Pitta.
Pittas need exercise, but it should be challenging enough that they break a sweat. Yoga is an excellent choice for Pittas, as it combines physical activity with breathwork and meditation. Calming and exhilarating simultaneously, it keeps the fire aspect of their personality in check.
The Kapha body type is the largest and most grounded of the three Ayurveda body types. They are loving, nurturing, and have a great memory. Kapha is slow and steady associated with the earth, but can also become overweight if they don't watch their diet.
They need to take plenty of physical exercise and use warming and drying spices. Ayurveda recommends avoiding sweet and cold foods, as well as dairy products. (7)
Kaphas should eat light (to counterbalance their own earthiness), easily digestible foods, like vegetables and fruits. They should also drink plenty of warm water to help keep their metabolism going.
Balance for all Ayurveda body types
As we've already seen, every human body needs to meet a recommended daily value for vitamins and nutrients, no matter the body type. (8) With the dietary recommendations for different Ayurveda body types, this isn't necessarily as easy as it could be.
The simplest way to ensure you get the best out of every day is to use Healthycell Bioactive Multi or Healthycell Vegan Essentials. Balance is everything, and taking excessively high levels of vitamins won't provide any extra benefit (it could actually be harmful), which is why these multivitamins are scientifically designed to provide the optimum level of nutrients.
When a multivitamin is supplied as a tablet or pill, your body can have a hard time absorbing the nutrients. Other ingredients can make it difficult to digest or interfere with the absorption process, limiting the supplement's effectiveness. However, Healthycell supplements are supplied in individual gel packs filled with our next-generation delivery system, MICROGEL™.
MICROGEL™ is easy to swallow directly from the pack or can be mixed with water or smoothies. Because the nutrients are pre-solubilized, your body will absorb them easily, no matter your Ayurveda body type.
To keep your immune system in balance, you can also try Healthycell Immune Super Boost. It is supercharged by a blend of phytonutrients, including echinacea and elderberry, plus vitamins and minerals that support white blood cell count, activate immune cells, and support immune regulation.
White blood cells are critical for your immune system, responsible for attacking and destroying invading organisms. With a balanced, activated immune system, you can enjoy good health no matter your Ayurveda body type.
Zinc and dark cherry juice work to support the effectiveness of Healthycell Immune Super Boost. Zinc is a mineral essential for a healthy immune system, while dark cherry juice has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body. (9, 10)
Beta-glucan and citrus pectin are also included in Healthycell Immune Super Boost as they have been shown to activate macrophages. (11, 12) Macrophages are immune cells that engulf and digest bacteria, viruses, and other foreign bodies.
Healthycell supplements give you the perfect way to begin if you want to balance your Ayurveda body type.
Build a strong foundation for all Ayurveda body types
Living a balanced life is essential to good health, and Ayurveda can help you do just that. By understanding your Ayurveda body type, you can make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to get the best out of your body and mind.
The strongest foundation for every Ayurveda body type is to get all the vitamins and nutrients needed to keep your body healthy and look after your immune system. Healthycell supplements are perfect for every Ayurveda body type, with vegetarian and vegan options.
