Bread is not Bad
WHAT IS MEDICINE FOR ONE PERSON CAN BE POISON FOR ANOTHER
In an era where mixed messaging is a common thing, and every "influencer" is telling you what you should and shouldn't be eating, it's pretty easy to fall into the trap of following whatever the latest social media trend is telling you to eat. One of the reasons that I fell in love with Ayurveda, is that it doesn't approach health with a one size fits all idea. This ancient science recognizes that every individual is different, and therefore requires different foods to maintain a healthy digestion, body, and mind. In recent years, bread has been cast as the villian of foods. And yes, the overly processed bread with 50 plus ingredients isn't good for anyone. But the actual wheat kernel, which real bread is made from, isn't necessarily bad for us. A real loaf of bread should have no more than 5 or 6 ingredients in it. Whole unbleached flour, water, salt, and yeast should really be the only ingredients in a loaf of bread.
Ayurveda looks at food in 6 different tastes, or rasas. These include sweet, sour, salt, spice, bitter, and astringent. For certain doshas, body and energy types, sweet is the preferred taste. A person with a vata dosha who is suffering from vata symptoms, especially in the digestion, would benefit greatly from eating bread. Bread is considered a sweet. Foods such as bread are sweet and grounding. If you are experiencing constipation, gas, bloating, or painful swelling in your abdomen, you may have a vata vitiation.
The easiest way to bring the digestion back into its natural balance is with food. For a vata person who is suffering from vata digestive issues, bread is actually very helpful. Here is a link to an interesting article explaining the benefits of eating bread.
When working with my clients, I don't believe in eliminating entire food groups. Nor do I believe in vilifying certain foods. Each individual requires specific needs for his or her body, and lifestyle. If you think that you may be a vata body type, if you're experiencing some of the digestive symptoms I described above, contact me. We can schedule a free consultation to determine whether or not you should be eating bread.
If you already know that you are a vata type, try this quick easy recipe.
Warm your favorite bread. Spread plain greek yogurt on it. Sprinkle it with pumpkin seeds, and drizzle it with honey. This makes for a good pre workout snack, or a breakfast.
As always, much love and namaste friends. If you have any questions or comments about bread or ayurveda, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Sabrina
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