Ayurveda is a holistic system of health & healing based in nature’s wisdom. It works to bring each individual – body, mind, and spirit back into a state of true, vibrant health in alignment with nature.
One of the most simple and beautiful ways we can align ourselves with nature’s rhythms is by honouring the change of season. We’ve reached spring here in the southern hemisphere and Ayurveda views the season as a time dominated by kapha dosha which holds an earthy, heavy, and slow quality.
As all of nature comes out of hibernation, it’s normal to feel a little sluggish as we shake off the stagnancy of winter. You may be experiencing symptoms of kapha accumulated during winter including slow digestion, excess congestion or mucus, low immunity, heaviness in the body or generally feeling a little low and unmotivated.
To shift into the season, we can adopt changes in our ahar (diet) to balance kapha dosha. The foundation of Ayurvedic practice is ‘like increases like and opposites balance’ so to balance kapha dosha we must invite the opposite qualities of warmth, energy, and stimulation into our diet. We want to be moving away from the grounding, comforting foods of winter and towards a more fresh and vibrant diet in Spring.
Supportive Ahar for Spring
Tastes - favour tastes in your food a this time of year are bitter, astringent, and pungent such as leafy greens, sprouts and ginger. Avoid foods that are overly sweet, salty and sour in such as high sugar fruits, excess salt or citrus.
Qualities of food – we want to embrace foods that are warm, light, and energising for the body. We can also consider foods that have a more extractive or cleansing quality on the body to release excess water and heaviness accumulated over winter.
Vegetables that have a light quality, such leafy greens kale, spinach, rocket and lettuce, beetroot, fennel, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, onion (cooked, in moderation), garlic (cooked, in moderation) celery, carrot, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, zucchini, radishes, fresh ginger and sprouts. Avoid vegetables that are overly heavy and sweet such as potatoes, pumpkin, and mushrooms.
Fruits such as apples, pears, oranges, lemon, lime, peaches, berries, pomegranate, and raisins. Avoid fruits that are overly heavy and sweet such as dates, bananas, and mangoes. Citrus can be had in small amounts but, excess sour taste will aggravate kapha.
Grains that have a warm and drying quality such as buckwheat, barley, millet, quinoa, spelt, rye, amaranth brown, and white basmati rice. Avoid having heavy grains such as oats, wheat, and rice in moderation. Generally bread is best avoided ~ try some homemade chapati bread instead!
Spices that have a warming quality or are supportive for digestion such as ginger (fresh and dried), cinnamon, clove, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, mustard seeds, saffron, black pepper, asafoetida, ajwain, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Generally, most spices are supportive when balancing kapha dosha.
Legumes such as split or whole mung, red lentils, chickpeas, adzuki beans, black beans, or cannelloni beans. It can also be wonderful to sprout your legumes at this time of year.
Nuts and seeds are generally best avoided as they are heavy and oily however, light seeds can be had in moderation such as sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, or flax seeds. Ground flaxseed can also be supportive for elimination if digestion is feeling sluggish.
Oils including ghee, olive oil for cooking and flaxseed or sunflower oil for dressing are supportive for kapha dosha in moderation. Be mindful about not using excess oil as you want to maintain a dry, light quality to your food.
Dairy is best avoided or had in moderation at this time of year as it is heavy and can cause excess mucus and congestion. If having cow’s milk always make sure to have it warmed and with a little spice, you can also consider watering the milk down 50/50 with fresh water. Generally, cheese and yoghurt are best avoided however, a small amount of white cheese or takra (digestive lassi) can be had in moderation.
Sweeteners are best had in moderation however, a small amount of honey can be supportive. Avoid having sugary foods such as dried fruit, chocolate, or cakes etc.
We can start to incorporate these types of foods into our meals by simply trying new seasonal vegetables, switching up our spice mix and changing our grain or legume choices. For example adding a little more ginger or ajwain to our dahl, switching our morning oat porridge to millet or buckwheat and favouring zucchini and leafy greens over pumpkin and sweet potato.
Remember, the foundational principle of Ayurveda is balance and whilst this may be the most supportive ahar for the season, we don’t want to treat these as rules. When our agni is strong and we have no symptoms of imbalance, we can enjoy everything in moderation. Let this guide act as inspiration and try out a new spice, vegetable or recipe you haven’t made before!
In Ayurvedic wisdom, we understand that there is subtlety in nature and that the seasons aren’t bound to dates on a calendar. Ayurveda holds the perspective that there is actually six seasons instead of four with winter being split into two subtle transitions.
Early winter is a time when vata dosha is naturally more predominant and there is a more light, dry and unstable quality as we settle into the seasonal change. During this time, you may find that you need more grounding, slowing down and softness.
Whereas in late winter, once we have grounded into the season there can be a greater sense of heaviness and stagnation as kapha dosha becomes more predominant. In the depths of winter, our body and mind naturally start calling for more stimulation, movement and heat to shake off the stagnancy.