Start your day the Ayurveda way and keep toastie this Autumn with the gift of gorgeous, grounding grains and healthy, heating herbs and spices
Embrace the richness of Autumn with a full belly and abundant energy
As we move into October Autumn is in full swing. Harsh, cold winds blow through baring trees causing a plummet in our internal body temperatures and, if were not careful, mood and energy levels too. In Ayurveda, Autumn is the season of Vata dosha (also known as the air and space element) and, as our environmental qualities gradually become colder, rougher, lighter, often drier and more irregular, our
Autumn climate can cause an increase (and aggravation) of our internal wind; something known in Ayurveda as Vata dosha.
Vata dosha, being light, quick moving and subtle is the driver of our nervous system, bowel function and the flow of our mind, mood and emotion. When Vata increases in the mind and body, it can cause insomnia, pain, stress, anxiety, gas, bloating, space-iness, constipation & headaches, amongst others.
This is where Ayurveda's amazing gifts come in. You see, the 'Ayurvedic Autumn Diet' is specifically designed to ensure that Vata dosha stays in balance. It does so by incorporating foods, drinks and herbal remedies which possess opposite qualities to Vata into the diet - i.e those which are sweet, sour and salty, warming, slightly heavier, grounding, digestive and mildly laxative. If you haven't already guessed, this is why earthy root veg soups (yummm, pumpkin soup anyone?) sweet and oily dairy produce, stewed meats and, of
course, hearty grain-based dishes such as porridge (all enjoyed with a pinch of warming spices) are all Autumnal favs, it's our mind and body calling out for balance!
In fact, it's no coincidence that just as the season becomes lighter (as opposed to becoming heavy in nature which happens in Winter-Spring) we naturally harvest foods from the earth which have opposite qualities. It's a wise and wonderful thing that all seasonal diets, cleverly guided by mother nature's changing seasonal foods, include just what we need to self-regulate our internal bodily elements and keep us feeling healthy, balanced and energised. Simple yet amazing!
Soothing Vata with warming, grounding, wholesome food But where to start? Well, the best way to start implementing Autumnal seasonal eating and Ayurvedic wisdom for managing Vata dosha into your diet, for immediate benefits, is to begin with breakfast! Start your day the Ayurveda way with our doshic porridge template which includes the best grains, milk, spices, herbs, fruits, vegetables and sweeteners to make a truly delicious bowl of hot goodness that will give you energy right through to lunch, no snacks required! And if it all seems too much, don't worry we have given you several tried and tested combos you can play with!
Making porridge exciting - Choose your ingredients
More often than not, when we say porridge it can conjure up the image of the plain, white, bland gruel we we served at school as children - not the most appetising thought. But porridge can be so much more! It doesn't have to have oats, it doesn't have to be sweet, it can be whatever you like if you are bold enough! Just so long as it's warm and lightly spiced and made with ingredients good for your own constitution and the season - you are golden! In this article, we have broken down each suggestion, not only by ingredient but also by constitutional types (you can work yours our here) so you can really start to build something that's uniquely delicious and healthy for you.
Choose your grain/grain-like seed (30 - 50g per person)
Vata types in Autumn - Sweet and grounding
Grains Rice, Bulgur wheat, Couscous, Semolina Spelt, Wheat
Grain-like seeds for Vata
Chia, Quinoa and Buckwheat
Pitta types in Autumn - sweet and dry
Grains
Barley, Couscous, Rice, Semolina, Tapioca, Wheat, Wheat bran
Grain-like seeds
Amaranth, Quinoa and Chia
Kapha types in Autumn - Hot, slightly drier
Grains
Barley, Buckwheat, Corn, Millet, Brown Rce, Tapioca, Wheat bran
Grain-like seeds for Kapha
Quinoa, Amaranth and Buckwheat
Choose your milk (approx 200ml per person)
Best milk for Vata types in Autumn
Organic cow's milk, oat milk, rice milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk, cashew milk.
Best milk for Pitta types in Autumn
Organic cow's milk, oat milk, rice milk, pea milk
Best milk for Kapha types in Autumn
Soy milk, pea milk, oat milk (in smaller amounts) - better yet, skip the milk and have miso or vegetable broth, this is much better for kapha!
Choose your sweetener
Sweetners for Vata types in Autumn
Barley malt, fructose, jaggary, agave, molasses, rice syrup, coconut sugar, maple syrup.
Sweetners for Pitta types in Autumn
Barley malt, maple syrup, agave, rice syrup.
Dressings for Kapha types in Autumn
Honey, molasses.
Dried fruits
Although Ayurvedic food combining rules say that uncooked or raw fruit should not be added to other foods, when cooked together qualities of the foods themselves change and become more compatible and digestible. This is specifically true for dried fruits (which are suitable for dosha) which are cooked with the oats. Agni must always be considered though and if digestion is weak, it is best to leave out the fruit.
Dried fruits for Vata
Dates, raisins, currants, apples, and ripe bananas
Dried fruits for Pitta
Apples, dates, raisins, mango and figs
Dried fruits for Kapha
Apples, apricots, cranberries, and raisins
Now - time to get wild, bold and flavourful with spices, veggies and other toppings
Most important from an Ayurvedic perspective - adding agni-boosting, warming spices
Herbs and spices for Vata types in Autumn
Ajwain, allspice, anise, asafoetida (hing), basil, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, marjoram, mint, mustard seeds, nutmeg, orange peel, oregano, paprika, parsley, peppermint, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, salt, spearmint, tarragon, thyme, turmeric.
Herbs and spices for pitta - not too hot
Basil (fresh), caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, ginger (fresh), mint, parsley, saffron, spearmint, tarragon, turmeric, vanilla.
Herbs and spices for vata for kapha - slightly spicier and hot
Ajwain, allspice, anise, asafoetida (hing), bay leaf, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cumin,coriander, dill, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, mace, marjoram, mint, mustard seeds, nutmeg, orange peel, oregano, paprika, parsley, peppermint, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, salt, spearmint, tarragon, thyme, turmeric, .
Get more than 5 a day and add some colourful, seasonal vegetables!
Vegetables for Vata types in Autumn
Cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, courgette, fennel, green beans, leafy greens, leeks, okra, onions, pumpkin, peas (cooked), sweet potato, spinach, squash.
Fruits and Vegetables for Pitta types in Autumn
Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, coriander leaves, fennel, green beans, kale, leafy greens, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, olives (black), peas, potatoes (sweet), pumpkin, radishes, sprouts, watercress.
Fruits and Vegetables for Kapha types in Autumn
Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, corn, fennel, green beans, green chillies, horseradish Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leafy greens, leeks, mustard greens, onions, peas, peppers, potato (white), radish, spinach, swedes, squash, tomatoes , turnip greens, turnips.
Add a little breakfast protein
Proteins for vata - sweet and oily
Tofu, cheese, eggs, fish such as salmon, sardines, and tuna. Almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts, coconut, hazel nuts, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts. Whey protein powder, bone broth powder, collagen.
Proteins for Pitta - sweet and astringent
Chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, tofu, soft cheese, egg whites. Almonds (soaked and peeled), coconut, flax seed, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds. Pea protein, whey protein, hemp protein.
Proteins for Kapha - light and astringent
Chick peas, black beans, black-eyed peas, tofu. Cottage cheese (from skimmed goat milk) goat's cheese (unsalted and not aged), goat's milk (skimmed), yoghurt (diluted). All nuts and seeds are to be avoided, except flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Soy and pea protein.
So there you have it! An unlimited number of recipes all in one blog! Why not try mixing and matching and see what you come up with?
Feeling stuck? Here's a few tried an tested examples to get you started:
Delicious porridge recipes by dosha
Sweet porridge ideas for Vata types in Autumn
Sweet oatmeal with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger topped with ghee, mixed nuts and golden syrup (cook grains and milk with 1/4tsp of each spice and top with 1/2 tsp ghee, nuts and syrup)
Date and dried orange oatmeal with cinnamon, clove and ghee (cook grains and milk with dried and dried orange and 2 cloves, top with cinnamon and a teaspoon of ghee)
Ginger-spiced porridge with almond butter and berry jam (cook grains and milk with a little ginger powder and then top with AB+BJ)
Cinnamon and pumpkin porridge with molasses (pre-roast the pumpkin and stir in mashed vegetable with cinnamon and sweetener)
Savoury porridge ideas for Vata types in Autumn
Scrambled egg/tofu with rice, sesame oil, sesame seed, ginger, garlic and vegetables
Poha with sesame or ghee fried mustard seed, cumin seed, ginger, asafoetida, turmeric and coriander, peas and peanuts
Steamed salmon with ginger, garlic and lime bulgur wheat porridge
Savoury oats topped with poached egg, avocado, paprika and garlic powder
Sweet porridge ideas for Pitta types in Autumn
Rice porridge with cardamom, cinnamon and ginger, peeled almonds and maple syrup (cook grains and milk with 1/4tsp of each spice and top with nuts and syrup)
Overnight chia and oat porridge with milled mixed seeds, raisins, cinnamon and date syrup
Fresh ginger, flaked coconut and lime porridge
Cinnamon and pumpkin porridge with maple syrup (pre-roast the pumpkin and stir in mashed vegetable with cinnamon and sweetener)
Turmeric and cardamom barley porridge with dried mango and honey
Savoury porridge ideas for Pitta types in Autumn
Rice, mushroom, garlic and greens porridge topped with scramble egg whites or cottage cheese
Roasted coriander and paprika chick peas with vegetable quinoa/bulgur wheat
Coriander, garlic and paprika black beans with rice and avocado
Rice poha with coriander, turmeric, ginger, fresh coriander, peas and lime
Sweet porridge ideas for Kapha types in Autumn
Oatmeal with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, with sunflower/pumpkin seeds and honey (cook grains and milk with 1/4tsp of each spice and top with seed and syrup)
Soy buckwheat porridge topped dried apple, honey and cinnamon
Quinoa porridge with yoghurt, pomegranate and coriander
Savoury porridge ideas for Kapha types in Autumn
Savoury grains (bulgur works great) topped with miso or vegetable stock, garlic, cider vinegar, steamed green, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
Spicy upma (semolina) or poha with mustard seed, cumin seed, asafoetida, black pepper and garlic
Scramble tofu with sesame oil and greens
Mmmm now that's what I can breakfast!
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Loving this and want to learn more?
EATING Ayurveda: 🎃Need inspiration on what to cook in Autumn? Check out our Autumn Recipes here
Not sure where to start with organic? Check out the amazing, incredible RIVERFORD FARM - they stole my heart many years ago for being a beautiful, authentic, ethical, democratically-run business with the best interest of the planet and farming at heart.
Living Ayurveda: 🎃Do you want to know how to stay healthy and well this Autumn? Check out our Autumn Lifestyle tips here
LEARNING Ayurveda: ✅ Do you want to learn more about Ayurveda? Want to know about your mind body type and imbalances, your Agni (digestive fire) type, your mind type, how to detox and the best daily and seasonal routines for you? Join our next Introduction to Ayurveda for Self-Healing Course.
GROWING with Ayurveda: 🤝 Do you want a whole unique meal-plan created just for you with foods specific to you, your Agni and your dosha? Or, could you really do with some 1-2-1 support on diet or a health related issue? - Contact Faith at contact@ayurlife.co.uk
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