Seasonal flavours
Ayurveda has defined correct diet and lifestyle in detail, not only according to the individual body constitution but also according to the relationship between seasonal changes and a person's constitution. Winter Elements: Shishir, cold, dry (early) wet (later) Influences: Sweet, sour and salty. During the early part of the season, elements which go up are vataj and towards the end of winter, they are kapaj. Vataj predominant people feel very cold in the beginning of the season, along with body aches, though the digestion is good compared to autumn. They should take plenty of hot soups, use ajwain and hing to ward off gas problems and eat frequent small meals.
Towards the end of the winter, when it rains and is very cold, vataj people should eat all foods which they are unable to eat otherwise in other seasons due to low digestive fire, as this is the best time of the year for vataj people as far as the digestion is concerned.
Pittaj people feel best in winter as this is the most comfortable part of the year as far as health and digestion of the piitaj person is concerned. The reason is that the cold season balances the hot constitution of the pittaj person which is high in summer.
The only thing which a pittaj must guard against is overeating, as in this season people tend to go overboard with dried foods and nuts.
For kaphaj people, winter is the toughest season as during this season people of this constitution tend to get problems with sinuses and respiratory problems for which they must not eat heavy foods. They should eat more of hot soups along with a dash of garlic, ginger and also consume hot spices like cinnamon. Spring or vasant Elements: Astringent cool, dry windy. Influences: This is the season when the vataj element gets aggravated and most vataj people tend to have a lot of joint pains, and stomach pains. This is the right season to eat well-cooked mucoid foods like oat porridge or wheat porridge and also do light exercises. For piitaj people, this is the best season to detoxify and do heavy exercises as the weather is good and conducive for exercises. For a kaphaj person, this is the best season to eat very light and detoxify the body to let the kaph element drain out of the body.
The spring season is good for new grains and a light fruit diet along with abhayanga (body massages). Spices like tulsi, ginger, aamla and herbal chutneys are good for this season.
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