Originating in India more than 5,000 years ago, Ayurveda is the oldest system of healing. At the heart of Ayurveda is the intimate connection between our individual body constitution, our doshas, and the five essential elements of mother nature ether, air, fire, water, and earth; maintaining a balance among these elements is the key to our physical and spiritual well-being. Because Ayurveda considers food an integral part of its healing process, some of the oldest and most time-tested principles of healthy eating originated in it. It divides food into six essential tastes and explains how these influence our doshas, our constitution. To help balance your unique constitution with food, each of the 150 recipes is tagged to indicate whether it increases or pacifies a particular dosha. The result is a harmony in constitution and a sense of holistic health. Most recipes use whole grains and fresh foods rather than processed foods, which are considered toxic, or tamasic. And while all recipes are created according to the traditional Ayurvedic principles they feature easy-to-find ingredients and modern-day cooking methods appropriate for busy lifestyles. The book also introduces you to eating differently according to the season. A simple twelve-day detox menu to cleanse the body of toxins and improve the absorption of nutrients is also included. Determine your primary and secondary doshas. Test questionnaire included.