Want To Improve Your Digestion? Ayurvedic Wisdom Says To Avoid These Foods

My favorite part of Ayurveda is that there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach. Even when it comes to foods to avoid for a healthy gut, there's not a set list for everyone. To learn about the foods you might want to remove from your grocery list, you'll need to start by first understanding your dosha, or mind-body type.

The doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha—are the foundation of Ayurveda. They're the energies that govern our mind and body. Ayurveda sees the basis of all life as derived from the five elements of nature: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Each dosha is predominantly composed of two elements, and they determine the dosha's characteristics.

Vata is a combination of space and air, and it represents movement. People with a predominant vata dosha are small-framed, thin, and light. Their skin tends to be dry and rough, and they are physically very active. Vata-dominant people are less tolerant of cooler weather and frequently experience cold hands and feet. Audrey Hepburn and Emma Stone are good examples of a vata-dominant dosha.

Pitta is a combination of fire and water and represents digestion and metabolism. People who have dominant pitta doshas tend to run hot, both literally and metaphorically.

Physically, people with this dosha are of average build with a medium, muscular frame and are naturally athletic. They are high achieving, ambitious, driven, and passionate and tend to have extremely strong mental concentration. Pitta doshas typically experience strong digestion, steady energy, and good circulation. Madonna and Steve Jobs are both pittas.

Too much pitta energy can cause anger, jealousy, impatience, and irritability. Pitta-dominant people can become controlling in all areas of their life, especially at work and with personal relationships.

Kapha is a combination of water and earth and represents structure and lubrication. People with kapha-dominant doshas are typically big-boned and sturdy and tend to have the most difficulty keeping weight off.

Kapha doshas have smooth, luminous skin, glossy dark hair, lovely singing voices, good long-term memory, and very strong immunity. Kapha is the relaxed, mellow, chill dosha and has a let-it-be approach to life. When in balance they are very affectionate, generous, and loyal. Oprah Winfrey and Melissa McCarthy are wonderful examples of kapha doshas.