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Pitta skin tends to be reddish,
warm and extremely sensitive, prone to breakouts and easily affected
by the foods you eat, heat and sun.
Kapha skin tends to be lustrous,
oily, and thick in texture. It is prone to clogged pores, breakouts
and toxic buildup.
Once you've determined the predominant
ayurvedic category your skin falls into, you can try some of
these suggestions for feeding your skin right:
Individuals with Vata skin may
need to include judicious amounts of healthy fats in their diets
to restore natural luster to the skin. Ayurveda suggests Ghee
(clarified butter), or you can use olive oil or sesame oil.
Green leafy vegetables should
be eaten daily by all skin types. Rather than eat them raw, try
steaming them lightly. Carrots are also nourishing for all skin
types.
People with Pitta skin should
stay away from hot, spicy foods to avoid skin irritation.
Kapha skin types can enhance
the digestive fire by taking a bit of fresh ginger mixed with
a little limejuice before meals.
Juicy fresh fruits are excellent
for all skin types; they act as cleansers and re-hydrate the
skin from within.
Roses are considered cooling.
People with Pitta skin can eat rose petal jam on its own or mixed
into warm milk.
Spices recommended for each
skin type should be incorporated into the daily diet. In addition
to having therapeutic properties of their own, some spices act
as "carriers" of the benefits of other foods, especially
when sautéed in a small amount of Ghee. Cumin and coriander
are considered good for all skin types; they enhance digestion
and cumin is also effective as a toxin hunter.
Generally, people with Vata
skin can add moderate amounts of black pepper, ginger and turmeric.
Pitta skin benefits from cooling spices such as fennel and licorice,
and Kapha skin from pungent spices such as pepper, ginger, cloves
and turmeric. Spices should be cooked, not eaten raw. Herbal
teas that incorporate spices are a quick, simple way of including
them in your diet.
In general, weight your diet
with fresh, light, nutritious foods - vegetables, grains, lentils
and legumes - and go easy on heavy, deep-fried foods. For more
detailed information on eating for personal balance, visit http://www.mapi.com
and click on the links for Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Water is considered a life-giving
force in ayurveda, very important in maintaining skin health
as well as overall health. Says Mishra, "It's not always
enough to just drink eight glasses of water everyday. For the
body, and the skin, to realize fully the life-giving properties
of water, people with different types of skin need to consume
it differently."
Ayurveda is very firm on one
aspect of drinking water, and, indeed, all beverages. Ice-cold
drinks are not recommended because they inhibit the digestive
fire and lead to imperfect digestion of food, which can show
up on the skin. One internal water therapy recommended by Mishra
is drinking 6-8 glasses of boiled water everyday. Use pure drinking
water, and boil it for five minutes. People with Vata type skin
should drink the water warm, Kapha skin types can sip it hot,
and Pitta skin types should cool it to room temperature before
drinking. The water should be boiled fresh each day, and should
not be ingested on a completely empty stomach. This therapy helps
the water flush toxins from the body and moisturize the skin
from within, keeping it hydrated and lustrous.
Combining boiled water with
herbs suitable for the skin type enhances the benefits. Mishra
suggests the following procedure -
Boil one liter of water for
five minutes, then pour it into a thermos or other type of heat-retentive
container. Add the recommended herbs and spices and steep. Keep
the container closed. Strain and use the spice-infused water
as needed. Drink at the temperature recommended above for each
skin type.
Basic combination of recommended
herbs and spices:
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 pinches of ground licorice root
Vata skin types can add 1/4
teaspoon cardamom seeds, Pitta skin types 1/2 teaspoon fennel
seeds and Kapha skin types a one-inch slice of peeled fresh ginger
root.
Note - Information presented
in this article is solely for the purpose of imparting education
on Ayurveda and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or mitigate
any disease. If you have a medical condition, please consult
a qualified health professional. |
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