Pillar #1: Nourishing Your Body with Ayurvedic Food Wisdom
At Portland Healing Space, we believe that real healing begins long before you step onto the treatment table — it starts in the kitchen. This week, our Ayurvedic Health Counselor Emilie Berger shares ancient wisdom about food that can transform the way you eat, digest, and feel every day
▶ Watch the video: Ayurvedic Health Pillar #1 — Food Tips
You Are What You Digest
In Ayurveda, the first and most foundational pillar of health is Ahara — everything we ingest that nourishes (or harms) the body. Most of us have heard the phrase "you are what you eat," but Ayurveda takes this one step further: you are what you digest. A food can be nutritious on paper, but if your digestive fire — called Agni — is weak, your body simply won't absorb or use it properly.
This is why Ayurveda places so much emphasis on digestive health. Think of your digestive system as a fire in a pot hanging over an open flame: it needs just the right amount of fuel, the right heat, enough liquid to keep things moving, and enough space to do its work. Eating too much, too often, or at the wrong times can dampen that fire — and over time, create the imbalances that lead to low energy, inflammation, and chronic health issues.
Eating for Your Constitution
One of the most powerful insights in Ayurvedic nutrition is that there is no single "healthy diet" that works for everyone. Each of us has a unique personal constitution (Prakriti) made up of the five elements — ether, air, fire, water, and earth — in different proportions. What nourishes one person may actually aggravate another.
Ayurveda uses the framework of six tastes — sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent — to ensure all elements are represented on your plate. These tastes come not just from the foods themselves but also from spices, herbs, and condiments. The ideal proportion of each taste shifts depending on your constitution, the season, your age, and your current state of balance.
Practical Tips to Support Your Agni
Eat your largest, most nourishing meal at lunch, when digestive fire is at its peak (around noon).
Keep dinner light and eat early — ideally around 6pm — so digestion is mostly complete before sleep.
Eat sitting down, without multitasking, and chew thoroughly to activate digestive enzymes from the start.
Sip warm water throughout the day, but avoid large amounts of cold water with meals, which dampens Agni.
Avoid snacking between meals to give your digestive system time to fully process each meal.
Avoid eating when you are emotionally upset — strong emotions inhibit the digestive process.
Ready to go deeper? Emilie offers personalized Ayurvedic consultations at Portland Healing Space to help you identify your unique constitution and create a nourishment plan tailored just for you.