"I eat much healthier now! I have reduced my meat consumption and eat fruit every day!" is the typical statement of someone who notices that something is wrong with their diet and draws consequences from it. But whether our food is healthy or not depends not only on the type of food we eat. The quality of the food is very important. But the food can only develop its full effect in the body if it is used in conjunction with many other criteria. Let us keep these criteria in mind.

In order to become clear to ourselves what criteria we should use to judge food, its preparation and use, we can ask 7 questions, the honest answers to which will quickly bring us closer to the ideal diet.

1.     who eats?

Constitution type, age, current condition and balance or disturbance of the doshas is the first important criterion. Simplified, one can say that the dosha state of the eater is decisive for which foods and which preparation are useful. "The blacksmith's food tears the tailor apart", says an old proverb. What is healthy and nutritious for one person may be too heavy and indigestible for another. In classical Ayurveda there are many "lists" with long enumerations of foods that are suitable for Vata, Pitta or Kapha. Even if you know these lists by heart, they only give clues to the right foods. To be able to choose the right list, you need information about which of the three doshas is dominant. You can find more information about your current dominant dosha in the dosha test.

The doshas also change with the time of day, season and age.

In addition to the composition of the doshas, the state of the digestive fire Agni is also crucial. If the digestive fire is weak or irregular, the diet must be lighter accordingly. If the digestive fire is overheated, strong warming and hot foods and spices should be avoided.

2.     what is eaten?

The type of food, its preparation and also its origin are the second most important criteria for nutrition after the characteristics of the eater. The preparation should be gentle, food should always be used as fresh as possible. From an Ayurvedic point of view, it should be self-evident that one uses exclusively or at least predominantly food from regional origin and from organic farming.

The properties and flavours of the food should be matched with the predominant dosha of the eater.

In general, one can say:

• Good for Vata dominance is food with the qualities heavy, oily and warm; and the flavours sweet, sour and salty. Important components of a Vata-balancing diet are grains, fruits and healthy oils.

• For Pitta dominance, you should prefer the flavours sweet, bitter and tart; and the qualities cool, oily and heavy. To achieve a cooling effect with Pitta dominance, the use of cooling spices such as coriander, cardamom, sage and other bitter herbs is also particularly beneficial.

• For kapha dominance, you should prefer foods with the flavours pungent, bitter and tart and the qualities light, dry and warm. Weighty ingredients in the Kapha-balancing diet are all alkaline vegetables.

3.     how to eat?

The healthiest food cannot be digested properly if the eating behaviour is inappropriate. Digestion starts in the mouth, so good chewing, slow eating and mindfulness while eating are crucial for the effect of food in the body. All this can only succeed if we eat calmly and while sitting down. A grateful posture in preparation for eating gives the mind and body the right starting position to absorb the food well. Such an attitude can be achieved, for example, through silent table prayer. Eating in a stressed or agitated mood is not optimal. It is also noticeable that the feeling of hunger decreases during strong emotional stress.

Practising correct eating behaviour is of utmost importance for health!

4.     when to eat?

The digestive system works best when you follow a natural eating rhythm. The law of rest and activity is very important here. The breaks between meals are essential for the food to be broken down well in the digestive tract. Only the finest food components can diffuse into the body in a healthy digestive tract.

The breaks between meals should be at least 4-6 hours. There should be at least 13-14 hours between the last meal of the day and the first meal of the next day. This millennia-old Ayurvedic recommendation is currently spreading worldwide as the "interval diet". A good eating rhythm can be, for example: Breakfast 7:00, Lunch 12:00, Dinner 17:00. This rhythm can also shift an hour or two earlier or later.

Please also note that the time interval without food intake between dinner and sleep should be about 3 hours.

So-called "healthy snacks" such as fruit, vegetables or muesli bars should also be avoided as snacks between meals. Only drink water or tea between meals!