5-Day Ayurveda & Food Training Course

A Practical Guide to Nourishment

Discover the art of Ayurveda and learn how to cultivate balance and holistic well-being through ancient wisdom, lifestyle guidance, and natural healing practices.

Detailed Course Structure:

Day 1: Foundations of Ayurveda & Food Wisdom

1.1. Food as a Foundation of Life and Health

● Food shaped human evolution, health, and consciousness

● Dietary habits evolved regionally with seasons and climate

● The realization: Food is Medicine → birth of Ayurveda

1.2. Ayurveda – Origin, Philosophy & Relevance

● Brief history and origin of Ayurveda

● Relevance in modern times – scientific validation

● Concepts of health, balance, and disease in Ayurveda

● Food, routine, and self-awareness as pillars of health

1.3. Balanced Diet and Purposeful Nutrition

● Components: Carbohydrates, Fiber, Protein, Calcium, Alkalinity

● Diet types: Wellness, Athletes, Astronauts, Illness recovery

● Importance of meal timing, physical activity, consistency (60–90 days)

● Effects on hormonal health, digestion, and sexuality

1.4. Understanding Ayurveda Through Food

● Role of food in recovery from diseases

● Ayurveda’s respect for vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets

● Mindful preparation, consumption, and digestion

Day 2: Agni & Fasting – Mastering the Digestive Fire

2.1. Agni – The Fire of Life

● Concept of Agni: physical, mental, emotional digestion

● Four states of Agni: Sama, Manda, Vishama, Tikshna

● Digestion > Food quality | You are what you digest

● Signs of imbalanced Agni: bloating, cravings, fogginess, lethargy

● Role of stress, routine, and environment on digestion

● Self-reflection: Find your current state of Agni

2.2. Processed, Packaged & Refrigerated Foods

● What are processed foods? Why are they convenient?

● Risks of long-term use: toxicity, burden on detox systems

● How refrigeration impacts digestion and food vitality

2.3. The Science and Practice of Fasting

● What is fasting in Ayurveda?

● Benefits: digestion, clarity, healing

● Types of fasting and their applications

● When fasting becomes harmful

Day 3: Rhythms of Eating – Time, Season, and Taste

3.1. Dinacharya – Aligning Meals with the Body Clock

● Importance of daily rhythm and meal timing

● Ideal meal times and digestive efficiency

3.2. Ritucharya – Seasonal Eating Wisdom

● How to eat with the seasons (examples and context)

● Adapting meals to weather and environment

3.3. Shadrasa – The Six Tastes in Ayurveda

● Effects of each taste on body and emotions

● Balancing the six tastes in daily meals

3.4. Cooking as Art, Science, and Ritual

● Cooking as a chemical reaction influencing health

● Traditional spice use vs. modern misuse

● South Indian meals as a model of balance

3.5. Personalizing Food with Doshas

● How to cook for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha

● Influence of food on Sattva, Rajas, Tamas

● Energetic value of food throughout the day

Day 4: Food as Medicine – Spices, Tradition, and Home Remedies

4.1. Spices and Their Medicinal Value

● What are spices?

● Beyond taste: therapeutic benefits of ginger, cumin, ajwain, tulsi

● Importance of dosage and seasonal relevance

4.2. Traditional vs. Modern Foods

● Who defines what is “traditional”?

● Evolution of food habits across regions and cultures

4.3. Local, Seasonal, and Environmental Harmony

● Eating seasonal food

● Eating locally grown food

● Maintaining harmony with the environment

4.4. Ayurvedic Use of Home Herbs & Remedies

● Herbs for immunity, digestion, and healing

● Quantity and preparation: when food heals or clogs

● Home remedies: cold, cough, gas, acidity, low appetite

4.5. Listening to Food's Effect on Body and Mind

● Mood, clarity, and energy after meals

● Journaling and body signal tracking

Day 5: Myths, Misconceptions & Conscious Cooking

5.1. Food Beliefs – Contextual Notions Across India

● Dairy, digestion, and seasonal suitability

● Ghee as medicine

● Digestion issues with dairy for some

5.2. Proteins, Culture, and Modern Misconceptions

● Traditional protein sources vs. protein powders

● Long-term risks of artificial supplementation

● Region, religion, and food as identity

5.3. Food as Devotion, Lifestyle, and Service

● Cooking as expression and offering

● Cultural roots of food preparation

5.4. Overcoming Food Myths – A Rational View

● Common beliefs (briefly explored):

○ “Fruit after meals”

○ “Bananas cause cold”

○ “Raw food is healthier”

○ “Garlic/onion are bad” — reframed as stimulating herbs

○ “Ghee is fattening”, “Honey + Ghee is toxic”, etc.

5.5. Coffee – The Ayurvedic Perspective

● Coffee as a stimulant

● Benefits: focus, metabolism

● Risks: insomnia, anxiety, addiction

● Dosha-sensitive consumption of coffee

5.6. Animal Milk and Fermented Foods – Contextual Use

● Is milk good for all? Who should avoid and when?

● Why curd is avoided at night (exceptions)

● Fermented foods: when helpful, when harmful

● Reheated/refrigerated food in Ayurveda

5.7. Teaching with Food Examples – Cooking Mindfully

● One Food, Many Effects case study:

○ Paneer: light or heavy depending on prep, body type

○ Khichdi: digestive or dulling depending on context

● Adapting food to your dosha constitution

● Creating sustainable rituals: from fear to wisdom