Ayurvedic Approaches for Weight Loss By Lindsay Jones, ND
yourself still seeking an answer? I have personally been on this roller coaster and have found Ayurvedic medicine to be an all encompassing and healthy answer to weight loss. This multi-factorial approach goes beyond “dieting” and is really about changing your lifestyle and making a daily decision to put you and your body as a top priority, even in the fast-paced and busy world in which we live. Ayurveda is a system of traditional
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medicine native to India that was es- tablished over 5,000 years ago and is still used today in all parts of the world. Ayurveda translated from Sanskrit literally means the science of life. The three funda- mental concepts in Ayurveda are that food is medicine, disease can be prevented and eradicated through daily habits, and life- style recommendations are based on an individual’s physical, emotional, and mental makeup.
re you among one of the many who have struggled with weight loss; been on yo-yo diets and find
According to Ayurveda, we are all born with a particular dosha or body type (vata, pitta and kapha) in which one or more of the three is dominant. Each dosha reacts differently to weight gain:
Vata: have sudden and fluctuating weight, either over, under or normal. Hunger is variable and they eat sugar to calm their nerves, eat for a feeling of security, or eat during hormonal changes.
Pitta: the main cause for overeating is due to a strong appetite. They may have an addiction to sugar and red meat. Weight develops from muscle and flabbiness.
Kapha: most common dosha that devel- ops obesity, slow metabolism, easy weight gain, eating addiction, hormonal condi- tions that cause retention of weight (water and fat), low energy, flabbiness, pallor, excess phlegm or saliva and subcutaneous fat deposits. Ayurveda identifies that there are
seven different tissues in the body-referred to as dhatus-which are very similar to the major tissues identified by modern sci- ence. When food is fully digested, the building of these tissues be- gins. The process begins in a sequential manner and each layer builds
upon one another. An imbalance in any of the tissues will affect the rest of the system. The food we eat nourishes our entire deep and complex structures, so proper nutrition and digestion are the most effective ways to ensure that proper tissue renewal occurs.
The Seven Dhatus: 1. Secretions (Rasa) 2. Blood (Rakta) 3. Muscles (Mamsa) 4. Fats (Meda) 5. Bones (Asthi) 6. Bone Marrow (Majja) 7. Hormones (Shukra)
The meda dhatu or fat tissue, in
Ayurveda, is made up of predominantly the elements water & earth. In teachings of Ayurveda, they say that food is for the body and love is the food of the soul and consciousness. But food can become a substitute for love and cause obesity. Disorders in meda are brought on by ex- cess sugar, salt, dairy products, sedentary lifestyles and unresolved emotional issues. The kapha body type is made up of the elements water & earth, giving this dosha its definitive qualities. Kapha comprises all of our cells, tissues and organs. The water & earth elements give the qualities of heavy, slow, hard and dense to create a strong and large body frame. Kapha people usually have a hard time losing weight and tend toward slower digestion, metabolism and water reten- tion. Sometimes people who are not constitutionally a kapha may have what we call a “kapha wrap.” They may look and behave like a kapha, but the original body type may be hidden under the kapha layers, typically due to sexual, mental and/or emotional abuse.
According to a 2010 article in JAMA, almost 80% of US adults may be carrying excess body fat, which may predispose them to chronic health problems. Extreme obesity is particularly important, given the association with increased mortality that
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