How Ayurveda and a Plant-Based Diet Can Work Together

Although the Ayurvedic diet is not strictly vegan or vegetarian, it does encourage us to adopt a more vegetarian diet.

However traditionally many Ayurvedic recipes include ghee (clarified butter) and dairy milk. Ghee is also used for many Ayurvedic treatments and healing.

Like most traditions and teachings there are certain elements that change over time and adapt to current day situations. The ways we now produce milk in our modern world is very different to 5,000 years ago when Ayurveda was first practiced.

Ayurveda is about living in harmony with nature and not exploiting it. It encourages you to live sustainably by eating seasonally and either locally produced, fresh or home grown.

So this tends to lead us towards a plant focused diet.

And from a Yoga perspective, we are practicing ‘Ahimsa’ – which is often translated as non-harming or non-violence, one of the ‘Yamas’ from the Eight Fold Path (Ashtanga) in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, by switching to a plant-based lifestyle.

I recommend reading this blog if you want to learn more about how Yoga & Ayurveda can help you lead a more sustainable life, .

Over the last few years I have been gradually reducing my meat consumption and I have never really been a dairy fan.

Being Japanese, seafood is my weakness, but in September 2020 we switched to a fully plant-based diet. We were a bit concerned about getting a balanced diet so had a couple of sessions with a lovely plant based nutritionist to get some handy pointers, recipes and reassurance.

For me this has been easier than I thought it would have been. That may be because of lockdown – without having to walk past tempting sushi restaurants!

There are many good reasons to either start reducing the amount of animal products in your diet or cutting them out completely and to start increasing your plant and vegetable consumption – you can save money for a start!

Here are my top three.

#1 It’s good for your health.

Eating a plant based diet is good for your health. Meat and dairy tend to have higher levels of unhealthy fats and plants contain all the nutrients we need for a healthy life. Many of us don’t get enough fibre or consume too much fat – plants based diets can help address this and there is evidence to suggest that plant based diets can help combat diseases such as diabetes and some forms of cancer. Anyone with specific health issues should take additional advice, but most of us can greatly reduce or completely cut out animal products from our diet without an issue.

#2 It’s good for the environment.

Part of this is simple maths. The production of animal and meat products is inefficient and a field that is used to grow corn to feed animals, could be used to feed us directly in a much more efficient way. This means our burden on the environment is greatly reduced. A lot of the deforestation in places like the Amazon is caused by people looking to grow plants that are then fed to animals.

Animals and their waste products if mismanaged can also cause lots of damage to the environment – from the methane produced by cows (adding to global warming) through to effluent from farms getting into rivers and causing damage to local ecosystems.

#3 It’s good for your soul.

If you need a bit of extra help to make up your mind then use Youtube to do it for you. Films like ‘Earthlings’ show the shocking side of animal treatment that most of us are well insulated from and we never see, but by using animal products we are condoning, supporting and perpetuating. (I didn’t make it all the way through, but saw enough to change my mind forever – not one to watch with young children).

Even the most ethical animal focused companies rely in some part on exploiting animals and this really isn’t necessary – so feed your soul and eat more plants!

Where are you in your plant-based journey? Let me know via DM on Instagram!

P.S. If you are curious to discover what food and lifestyle choices and Yoga style to practice for your specific mind-body type, the first step is to take my Dosha quiz and discover your Ayurvedic Dosha – your mind-body type!

You will then receive some practical tips & recommendation on which foods, lifestyle habits and Yoga style are best for your specific Dosha.