Diet and Lifestyle for Every Season

 

  “It’s not about perfect It’s about effort and when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where TRANSFORMATION happens. “ -Anonymous

ü    If our diet and lifestyle not in sync with nature , it is likely to impact on our health.

ü    Eating and living in accordance with seasons doesn’t just make you feel good in the moment, but it is a powerful preventive health measure, too.

ü    Luckily Ayurveda lays out a set of seasonal regimen known as “RITUCHARYA”, here RITU means SEASON and CHARYA means REGIMEN and these serves as prescriptions for diet and lifestyle changes throughout the year.

❆  Seasons as per Ayurveda 

                (Seasons of the Year)

According  to ayurveda year is divided into two periods ;  

 1. Uttarayana              

 2. Dakshinayana each formed of  three seasons which gives six season in a year.

1.     Uttarayan ( 14 January – 14 July )

a.      Shishir Ritu ( winter )  Mid January  - Mid March

b.     Vasant Ritu  ( Spring)  Mid March – Mid May

c.      Grishma Ritu ( Summer ) Mid May - Mid July

2.     Dakshinayan ( 14 July – 14 January )

d.     Varsha Ritu ( Monsoon ) Mid July – Mid September

e.       Sharad Ritu ( Autumn / Fall ) Mid September – Mid November

f.        Hemant Ritu ( Late Autumn / Early Winter )  Mid November – Mid  January

 

A.   Shishir Ritu ( Winter )    :-

 ( Healthy winter 🥶)

            

☞  Diet :-

ü Take the food having sour (Amla) , Salty (Lavana ), Sweet ( Madhur ), Hot ( Usna ) in properties.

ü Cereals , pulses , wheat / Gram flour items, new rice , Dry fruits , sugar -Cane items , Milk and Milk products And others are suggested.

ü Ginger , Garlic , Pippali ( product of piper longum ) , Haritaki ( fruit if Terminalia Chebula ) and Amla ( Indian goseberry  ).

ü Avoid Food having Pungent ( Katu) , Bitter (Tikta), Astringent ( Kashaya),   in properties.

☞  Lifestyle :-

ü Exposure to sunlight and do exercise.

ü Wear warm cloths , take warm bath and steam bath.

ü Massage your body with oil or powder paste.

 

B.   Vasant Ritu ( Spring ) :-

                      (Gorgeous spring)

       ☞  Diet :-

ü Increase the intake of Bitter (Tikta) , Pungent ( Katu) , Astringent  (Kashaya ) properties food.

ü Old barley , Honey , coriander Cumin, Turmeric , Fennel, Pulses , Lentil, Garlic, Ginger, and others are suggested.

ü Avoid cold (Shita) , Heavy (Guru) , Sour (Amla), Sweet (Madhur) and Unctuous (Snigdh) properties food .

ü High calories diet and deep fried food should be avoided.

☞  Lifestyle :-

ü Do exercise and Massage your body with powder.

ü During this season Emesis (Vaman) therapy is prescribed to expel vitiated dosha.

ü Avoid Day sleep.  

 

C.   Grishma Ritu ( Summer) :-

                   ( Hot 🔥 summer)

☞  Diet :-

ü Take the food having Unctuous (Snigdh) , Sweet (Madhur) , Cold (Shita) properties.

ü Rice , Lentils ,Cucumber , Celery , Leafy greens are suggested.

ü Drink lot of water and different fluids , Cold water , Fruit juices , Mango juice , Stirred Curd with papper are suggested.

ü At bed time drink milk with sugar.

ü Avoid Oily and Fried food items , Pungent (Katu) , Salty (Lavan) , and Usna (Hot) properties food.

☞  Lifestyle :-

ü Apply Sandal wood and other aromatic paste over body .

ü Avoid extreme exercise and hard work and one should abstain from sexual intercourse.

ü Wearing light dress and Day sleep are useful.

ü Enjoy the coolness of Gardens , Flowers and  Cold water.

ü Sleep in cool shelter and during night sleep in airy Roof or Terrace of the house.

 

D.   Varsha Ritu ( Monsoon ):-

                 (Mind blowing monsoon)

☞ Diet :-

ü Eat the food having Unctous (snigdh) , Salty (Lavan) and oily in properties.

ü Ginger and Lemon are best for helping our digestion.

ü One should generally use  Honey in preparing Diets , Drinks and others.

ü Eat freshly cooked food and Avoid Uncooked food.

ü Old Barley , Rice , Wheat etc. are suggested.

ü Drinking river water , excessive fluid and Wine are to be evaded.

☞  Lifestyle :-

ü For bathing used boiled water and massage your body with oil.

ü Exposure to sun, Day sleep and  Heavy exercise should be avoided.

ü Medicated Enema (Basti) is prescribed as to expel vitiated Doshas.

 

E.   Sharad Ritu (Autumn / Fall ) :-

                   (Outstanding autumn)

☞  Diet :-

ü For eating use food having Sweet (Madhur) , Bitter (Tikta) , Astringent (Kashaya) properties.  

ü Rice, Green gram , Wheat , Indian Berry, Honey and others easily digestable  food.

ü The food products of Oils, Fat and Curd etc should be excluded from the diet.

ü Habit of eating food just when there is feeling of hunger is advised.

ü Take water sanitized by beams of Sun in day and beams of Moon in night.

☞  Lifestyle :-

ü Apply paste of Sandalwood (Chandan) on the body.

ü Suggested to wear flower garlands.

ü Purgation (Virechan) ,  Blood letting or Phlebotomy (Raktamokshana) therapy are helpful to expel the vitiated Dosha.

ü Day sleep, Exposure to Sunlight and excessive eating should be avoid.

 

F.    Hemant Ritu ( Late Autumn / Early Winter ) :-

☞  Diet :-

ü Eat Unctuous (Snigdh) , Sweet (Madhur) , Salty (Lavana) properties food.

ü New Rice , Flour items ,Green gram, Black gram and others are suggested.

ü Fats , Milk , Milk items , Sugar cane items Fragmented preparations etc are  to be advised.

ü Avoid Light (Laghu) , Cold (Shita) , Dry (Ruksha) properties food and drinks.

☞  Lifestyle :-

ü One should wear heavy and warm clothes.

ü Exercise , Sun bath (Aatap Sevana) , Sexual liberality with one accomplice and living in warm places is suggested.

ü Day sleep and exposure to strong and cold wind should be avoided.

 

  Note:-

     The season and months may vary in every region but you can follow the regimen according to the corresponding season in your zone.