Vata Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Indecisive Vata Traits Keeping You Stuck

Indecisive Vata is one way to describe how Vatas act often. This could be new news to you. It was new to me too up ’til 2008 when I learned about Ayurveda.

Indecisive Vata often is confronted with this or that path choices that can create anxiety. — Indecisive – which path will you take?

…That’s when it clicked and made sense as to why I had indecisive and other Vata tendencies.

You can read my back story here about when I went to go get help for my immediate Pitta mind-body symptoms. And I also came out with knowledge and awareness on why certain Vata ways were natural to me. I’m naturally a Vata with some dominant Pitta mind, but like all of us… sometimes tired Kapha kicks up.

…And whether you tend toward uneasy, annoyed, or listlessness it all ties back to your balance.

If you’re wondering if you have Vata traits, this article shares more and how you can benefit from knowing.

Growing up, I always felt hesitant about small decisions. Do I want an orange or crackers? Do I want pink or blue to wear? This could easily be chalked up to the fact that most of us like more than one food or color. …or I’m a female, so being indecisive is typical.

But in reality it’s not about the color, food, or gender. Or even about how you were raised.

It’s about our natural makeup, that’s unisex. We have Ayurvedic orientations called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha inside us. Or wind, fire, and earth if that’s easier to remember. 💨🔥🌎

Earth, Wind, and Fire is already taken. 🥁🎹🎺

And we’re more dominant in one or two of those names in body. And same goes for the mind. Putting those two parts together, you get the mind-body connection that affects so much of our lives and behaviors.

Indecisiveness is one way that’s mostly a mind situation that you can easily pinpoint from an Ayurvedic lens.

When you can do that, you can restore the healthy balance back in awareness to your calm and confident decision-making.

Being decisive all around not only saves time, but leads to better decisions and outcomes.

How Being Vata Indecisive Can Hurt

At the heart, indecision is second guessing your first decision that comes from gut instinct and clear minded processing. So in a way, being Vata indecisive is being confronted with a brain fog moment.

Indecision can lead to worry that Vatas lean into already. And that state of mind can lead to staying stuck in a cycle of unproductive thoughts playing as an undercurrent in the back of your mind. 🌊That’s added stress that doesn’t need to be there.

Feeling anxiety also can cause indecision as body symptoms make it more difficult to clearly process thoughts.

Vice versa, indecision can lead to anxiety (that’s another common Vata trait).

Depending on the body symptom severity, anxious feelings lead to poor decisions and outcomes.

It numbs awareness of what is real.

And making matters worse, that pause can linger and keep you frozen from making a decision or in “fight or flight” that can cost.

For small things like daily preferences, that’s not such a big deal… but if it’s deciding on taking a right or left or making a quick life threatening decision, that can be concern- elevated.

Vata indecisive traits can compound into feeling uncertain about other areas in your day when those moments could be better spent enjoying yourself or even better… being in the moment in peace and mindfulness.

That’s when stress melts away for whatever is in your life eating at you. Those anxious feelings are traded in for feeling calm and joyful.

That’s the ticket for your healthy and happy life. 🎟️

And that can be your norm or new norm! I know because my life did a 180-turn from stress to peace when I got rid of the triggers. I became self-employed.

And I became more clear-headed… more like a human and less walking around like a busy Bot. There are too many of those already roaming our internet spaces.

How to Get Back To Your Vata Mind Balance

And in learning from my balanced seasons where I could disconnect and detox, I’m more decisive.

I’m my balanced Vata (the way that is naturally greater and my optimal best) 🧘🏻‍♀️

I don’t teeter back and forth. I can catch myself in the act of hemming and hawing and doing what I know to do to restore any Vata imbalance that tries to creep back in.

It’s not difficult or unnatural. It’s simply being intentional daily doing the specific balanced steps that turn the tide around for a better life. 👣

No one is doomed to the “I’m just indecisive” label. That’s putting a stamp of acceptance that’s not the way it has to be or stay.

And you can start by doing these two balanced healthy steps:

1) Get self-awareness in the moment so you can be next step-intentional.

2) Then, breathe the calm back into your mind-body as soon as you can so you can feel the calm pause in the next moments.

Finding ways to have a calmer life, I believe is underrated. And not what Western culture aims for although we’ve wised up post-2020.

As mentioned, calm allows for clearer, confident decisions.

Calm is also better for your healthy outcomes.

But if you don’t have that life now because of situational triggers you can’t avoid, then restoring daily when you can with what you do have as calming resources will be the next best way.

Use your surroundings: calming activities and scents, music, yoga, and a nature walk.

Do this daily and often.

They’re not time wasters. It’s like taking care of your teeth. It’s always minutes well spent investing in your daily smile. 😁

If you feel you’re daily Vata indecisive for what to do (such as jumping from task to task), get back to your breathing awareness.

We often forget, yet another Vata common trait. Not picking on Vatas as we’re a creative, enthusiastic bunch… but in your remembering moment (or in the slight gap pause), recall there is calm balance and no anxiety.

Let the weight of the world you live in go by letting all that out in deep inhale and exhale breaths. That’s an activity you can do anywhere, anytime… and wise to do all the time.

Set a reminder if that helps. ⌚️

And when you do your breathing exercise, you’re able to work your way out slowly in the gap or one moment at a time.

And this date recipe that you can make for your daily self 😊 can help restore your Vata especially if you add the orange and cinnamon tastes.

Print Recipe

Date Cookies

You can make these ahead of time and in any oven including an apartment oven. And enjoy.

Ingredients

coconut flour and plain flour combined
a few pats of butter (or coconut oil)
chopped dates
water as needed
orange zest and cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

Prepare and chop dates filling. Tip: since dates are sticky, it's easier to use a serated chopping knife with edges. Add cinnamon and orange zest if you'd like more Vata sweetness.
Mix cookie ingredients: flour, butter or oil, and water as needed to make a cohesive cookie dough disc. You can make this in advance and freeze the dough if you like.
When dough is slightly cooler than room temperature is the ideal temperature to work with this dough. Roll out cookie dough to about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick (doesn't have to be too thin).
Add date filling to center of dough.
Roll up and cut into small, even pieces.
Bake on 350°F for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

5 Best Vata Season Tips to Love This Autumn

Pandan Whoopie Pies

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 Egg whites
1/4 cup fine almond flour
Pandan
Pistachios (optional)
monkfruit sugar or white sugar
Greek yogurt (for filling)

Instructions

Whip up meringues with egg whites and add monkfruit sugar or sugar, almond flour, and Pandan.
Bake on 300°F for 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Tip: flip tops over to bottom if edges begin to brown and use top shelf of oven.
Let cool. Make top and bottom sandwiches with Greek yogurt and decorate with pistachios (optional).

transitioning into vata season with pandan yogurt cakey whoopie pies. — These healthy frog green Pandan Whoopie Pies are decadent sandwiched with Greek yogurt, white chocolate, almond flour and pistachios and in celebration of Cake Week of The Great British Baking Show. I’ve added a healthy (but tasty) vertical cake to my list of baking projects! 🍥 Proof that pandan has grown into the modern, Western baking world. 😊

And below, I have some tips on how you can evolve and make the most of your Vata season with autumn mind-body balance tips.

We know we’ve hit a naturally changing season when daylight savings time hits and we fall back in time (and then give back an hour in spring forward).

But before these time clock changes, our healthy bodies naturally start to transition into the upcoming season. And our daily preferences change much sooner. Mostly because the stores and media around us have started their promotions on the first weekend before the new season starts.

And when we are ready, we get ourselves ready for a new season…

We change up our home candles, spices, and teas. And we opt for warm drinks over cold drinks. We also like burnt, spicier shades of browns, reds, and oranges compared to the bright whites and colors of summer.

We subtly shift from light caramel lattes to pumpkin spices. And we feel it in the sea air in the last days of summer.

And for Vata bodies (maybe that’s your dominant dosha), the mind-body can feel most balanced during the Vata season. And for any of us we want to lean into this season. And there are easy changes to help our Vata balance.

Vata Season – Surroundings Change

We lean into Vata season with a change in home décor that can cost nothing like bringing in pine cones or adding a splash of color inspired by the changing of the trees and leaves outside.

I like to pull out different cornucopia color coffee table books or magazines (…remember those?) that have the colors I’m looking for.

So it doesn’t have to cost much of anything except bringing out your creativity and the resources around you. That can help you get closer to your inner child when in those days that’s how everyday was when you wanted to do more.

And maybe that includes rearranging books and decor on bookshelves, and creating new table centerpieces. Some people like to change up their bedroom or wall colors too.

And maybe you have a second getaway place you call home like a cabin retreat, that can be very nourishing as you move away from the summer beachy vibes.

You can look at your new surroundings and inspiration, and feel warm and cozy inside, like you get from a crackling lit fireplace, but it’s still too warm outside for that!

5 Vata Season Body Shifts

1. Warm

In Vata season, we start preferring the warm drinks, but not the hot ones. We prefer warm drinks to start the day, and that gives our soul a small boost to enter the day with optimism.

In the shower, we may feel very relaxed with the therapeutic water pitter patter comfort of warmer water drops, but your skin could still be screaming for cooler jet streams because it’s still hot outside (and you’re part Pitta!).

2.Dry

Vata bodies also shift into their natural dry, wind-like features. Maybe your lips, lizard dry feet, or another part of your body feels the transitioning effects. Even though you may have felt the dry effects during the heated summer that’s another cause.

And Vata season, all around us we see proof as nature is withering into the season.

3. Tastes and smells

And we have certain flavors that we go to that give us seasonal joy. A good reminder for us is when we already know our preferences in food, tea, drinks, and spices. Because we can reach for those with little extra decision effort and maybe they’re on hand already.

But for a Vata who prefers variety and the preferences change daily, cinnamon and ginger does not. And those are good to lean into during Vata season.

Also, orange scented candles as in orange fruits, but could be orange color too. There are so many options in candles these days that I have to specify. 😊 Because pure orange citrus calms the nerves and that helps with Vatas who are feeling naturally anxious in their body when triggered, unlike Pittas and Kaphas who don’t understand.

4. Colors

The changing fall leaves help to inspire fall colors. Out in California where I have family and friends, to me it never feels like fall because the lack of deciduous trees with shedding leaves.

And I always feel “off” like something inside is missing even if I’m only there for a short visit and seeing the lovely evergreen palm trees and coastal vibes.

And my body calls for the changing landscapes of parks and cooler temperature vineyards.

5. Activities

Fall is a great transitional period to start a physical routine again like hiking, pickleball, or YOGA. That’s my favorite.

I’m back in classes and I’m gonna share with you my lessons old and new in the coming few weeks! It’s an anniversary for me as I started going to Hatha yoga classes regularly in the Vata season after I had my Ayurvedic epiphany. 🧘🏻‍♀️

And even if you’ve just left the happy-go-lucky and vacation summer days, and headed back to busy fall, find time to get your alone time in yoga or meditation wherever suits you best.

That will help you ease into the season, and ground and round out the rest of the year. And gear up for holiday time and a new year that’s getting closer.

And finally…

Get An Vata Season Empowered Reset

The change in season gives us a reason to reset.

We don’t really need a reason because every day is a new start, but a new season like Vata season is a good reminder.

So we can a start new project, have new goals, and a way to remember the same season last year.

Our body cells don’t forget. I learned this experientially in a yoga class when years ago I took a break and my muscles remembered.

And you can consciously activate your brain cells by going down memory lane.

What were you doing this same time last year? I’m sure there are areas that were 180 degrees in another direction when you check.

Maybe you moved or something in your work or relationship changed. You’ve made great strides, so you should pat yourself on the back for all your soft and recognized accomplishments.

You empower yourself with healthy thoughts.

Photos, journal entries, and other personal external things can conjure up happy memories and thoughts that bring nostalgia and joy as you go through the transition of the season.

Make some new routines. Maybe some end-of-year goals. Now is a good time so you can make impact on this year’s progress. Just a thought. 💭

Hyper-Vata Mind Imbalance (vs. Balance)

Poached eggs are a great way to start the morning… like this spiced-up egg 🍳

For a natural Vata, it’s typical for the mind to be darting from task to task instead of laser focus, as a symptom diagnosis in the mind-body connection. But when your mind causes unfocus or worry-anxiety, that’s when you want to restore your hyper-Vata mind imbalance.

That’s completely in your healthy power. As is, the choice to make healthy meals.

…Or In a healthy way, multi-task. But when it’s distracting, unproductive, and leaning toward unfocused, that’s when the restoring balance is called for.

And if that’s tricky to pinpoint, you can make a tally sheet of how many times you switched tasks when your brain prompted you to in the moment (from what you had already planned to do in advance).

Sometimes you can observe the impulsive nature that the subconscious mind feeds.

Let that moment pass and help to give peace to the mind by writing down the thoughts or creating a list.

Or if it makes sense as a 5-minute task, just take care of it quickly, but don’t re-route your day over the impulses if you want to live a consistent calming life that you’re in charge of. …Because there’s enough chaos in the world that’ll shake off that piece and peace ✌️soon enough.

When we were kids, we didn’t have wisdom. Our moody feelings fed us and drove us to what we wanted to do. And while there’s still a time and place for that, as adults, you don’t want your emotions to steer and get the better of you.

You want to drive the bus.

If you feel strong feelings, they serve a purpose to bring joy or cleanse sadness. Or… to show you something bigger about your life where you can make a change — but you don’t want the feelings to turn into daily, unproductive moody symptoms such as anxiety, anger, and lethargy that each represent a dominant dosha.

Another form of Vata-hyper mind symptom is when it’s difficult to make decisions.

Because at the root of decision-making are your thoughts that drive what you do.

You don’t have control over your thoughts from entering, but you do have control over what you do with your thoughts.

The usual, natural Pitta and Kapha profile doesn’t have this symptom description UNLESS they have a Vata imbalance which can happen in any of us.

We all possess the 3 doshas to varying degrees even if it’s just a crumb.

For any of us, our imbalance is our Achilles Heel. Restoring our imbalances is in our power and sometimes is an easy fix.

Pittas have more hard-charging personalities like the hare on a competitive mission. Kaphas are more the slow and steady turtles that finish the race. But when you’re overrun with Vata, you can miss the goal entirely in distractions.

So something you can do if you’re hyper-Vata is to nail down a daily routine, so you can get back to being grounded and focused.

At least one or two healthy time slots that are non-negotiable, e.g. yoga or office hours during certain hours. You have boundaries with people about these non-negotiables.

I watch people on the sidelines who don’t have this in place. They schedule anything, anytime that seems urgent without consistency. And then wonder where the time went OR why they’re not happy.

And if you’re a hyper-Vata by nature with those emotions, this only makes your life more chaotic like the wind, where you get tossed to-and-from.

And not just Vatas or hyper-Vatas, most of us people-please too much when all we needed were the proper kind words to say. And this can be to our families and bosses that put the most pressure on us.

And they’re the ones you need to strike boundaries with the most to balance the relationships so you don’t burn out or feel guilt.

But that starts with knowing in advance what your non-negotiables are and what you will say if someone wants to encroach on those areas.

Often, this comes from those who live in chaos and impose their unstructured life on you. And when you’re with routine, they can’t spill over onto you.

And when you can learn the right skill, then you can actually spend more time in this short-lived life doing the things that really matter to you!

You can be in your sweet spot boost of daily energy, and stick with your ideas. And find a routine that you stay competitive with as things in life change. That will help tone down worry with purpose. And help wipe away the anxious bits that hyper-Vata often feel.

And when you’ve grounded your Vata with routine, you don’t have to stick to only boring routines.

I know how that can be, having worked over a couple decades in-and-out of corporate environments where it’s all about routine tasks, maintenance, performance, and people management.

And if you think about it, none of those areas have anything to do with expressing creativity in case that’s an area you want to explore and develop…

Vatas are naturally energetic and eager. Having an idea and then having to wait for management to approve if ever, is anything but encouraging. And then having people and all the chaos along the way change the dynamics. Well… all that can zap creativity.

And if you’re in flow or with daily creativity, then you’re in alignment with yourself.

And that means toward your life purpose and your authentic identity.

And if you want to get to (or closer to) your creative self, sign-up to get your personalized recipe based on a simple 5-10 minute online assessment revealing your intuitive mind-body wants.

If you’re a hyper-Vata, there’s definitely hope to change your unfocused or indecisive nature. It’s not a life sentence or identity you have to stick with.

The solution is finding calm and daily joy. Then, you’ll be on top of your moods and emotions.

If you’re curious about what your imbalances are in this season, take the free Body Balance Quiz.

4 Improve Consistent Ways for The Inconsistent Vata

Oat Pear Crumble dish with Vata happy balancing cinnamon and oranges!

If you’re a Vata, your middle name is “irregular.” The balancing remedy is consistent action.

And, today I share some better ways to get consistent so you’re in mind-body alignment. And if you’re in a season where you’re not in alignment (or have never been), you’ll have a hard time with the “A” word because you’re not there yet. But you can make that a mantra to get aligned!

And being in balance helps us get there …This time I’m focusing on Vatas, where every month looks different, like moon periods…

And every day of the month is inconsistent in some way… on top of the world around us is changing. The good news for all of us is, like plants, we’re growing just a bit daily. 🌱

And Vata patterns change more often than Pittas and Kaphas, even though those could be secondary dials that can ratcheted up.

For a Vata looking closely at her life, you’ll see how this affects your sleep, food, and play minute-by-minute… even what you reviewed in your productive time last time looks different.

And even though nothing about the work has changed. Because your last name is “change.”

Like the wind, Vatas by nature is changing all-the-time. Vata bodies don’t withstand temperature swings well… more like orchids than enduring palm trees.

So to balance and restore, doing the opposite helps. You want to be consistent and stay on task instead of letting the mind run you by sending a list of things you need to do this minute that aren’t urgent.

If you look at a tipping scale, the way to balance it is to add some weight to the opposite side. …makes sense, right? ⚖️

And if you’re feeling like you can’t sit still, or are going from task to task more than usual, you could be heavy on the Vata. And some daily tweaks could help you restore back to your usual ways pretty quickly.

For any of us, it doesn’t take much to get off balance in our Vata, Pitta, or Kapha.

For Vata, these are the balancing tricks you can help to tip the scales back to equilibrium:

1.Consistent sleep – just like you’ve been told is a good idea, keep the same schedule as much as possible. Even if you go to bed late, try to get up at the same AM time you normally do. You want to take advantage of circadian rhythms.

If you sleep in because your body has been tired for a season, you’ll be even more tired once your body gets a sleep dose. It’s part of the process of our bodies trying to restore balance.

Our one-and-only bodies send obvious signs and blaring warnings that we can still miss in our busy modern lives full of external noise. Alarms and coffee only go so far to help us awaken.

And while 8 hours of sleep is healthy and on average what most of us need, if you’ve had enough sleep, that’s all you need.

Worrying the Vata head is worse than not getting enough sleep in the mind-body connection, because then you add silent stress to your body. With a lack of sleep, your body will let you know by your tiredness, and other new symptoms over time.

Your body knows what it needs to reset and we’re not in charge of that. And if it’s running efficiently and you’ve been good to it by not overdoing yourself, then you may only need a few hours of sleep one night to be recharged.

The recommended 8 hours is just an average and works neatly for 1/3 of our 24-hour day.

But even if you have a perfect sleep record streak from measuring your sleep… at the end of the day, that just says you’re off to a good start with your daily health. It doesn’t indicate much else.

It’s more what you don’t do in sleep that shouldn’t be ignored. Any daily health telltale signs show up on the body and should be attended to quickly so they don’t become a new normal.

And getting the right dosage of sleep amount is individual as we all have different symptoms and bodies.

So… In short balance, the goal for each of us in sleep is getting enough. 💤

2.Consistent eating – and having regular eating patterns is good. I shared how time-restricted eating (or Intermittent Fasting) could help set a discipline, like it does with me for snacking and late-night eating.

And one thing I would steer more into the Vata ways is variety and diversity in healthy foods. Pittas and Kaphas tend to stick more to the same foods.

Different healthy foods offer different nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and amounts. It’s also good to have macros: lean protein, healthy carbs, and healthy fats in the diet.

Muscle gradually declines as we age so we need more protein. Healthy carbs give us bursts of energy and keep us full enough while junk carbs rob us. And healthy fats help the body absorb foods and fat-soluble vitamins better this way.

3.Consistent Practices and Activities – keep you calm as you do your daily routines you enjoy.

That can include exercise, your craft, quiet time, reading, etc.

When you’re tired, try to plow through those moods and do at least a little bit of your routine or practice. This will teach you to keep at it, which helps with balancing inconsistency. And you’ll be working on a skill you can use the rest of your life.

And if you need ideas, you can find outlets like this one here that gives life advice on pillows:

LIFE IS GOOD…

And keeping it good is part of the balance. Because we all run into situations we’d rather not at some point. It can’t be all sunshine and roses (as part of the balance). 🥀

4.Consistent Behaviors with Other Influences

It’s important to stay consistent even when we don’t live in a bubble. We interact with people and society.

And you do this in work and life where you can get tested.

I’ve had many experiences starting something new with new people involved that can be a bit stressful… and sometimes throw the balance off. I’m sure you can relate.

And to make those times easier, what I do is I stick to my gut thoughts, feelings, and boundaries. It’s smart not to react as the air shifts around you and in you.

I know not everyone has offenders in their lives (living in a bubble, haha!)…

But kidding aside, in daily life, some people have no idea how they come across to others (in lack of self-awareness). And sadly, others knowing better let their bad sides run, trying to work (play) the systems. You just happen to be someone muddled in their system.

That’s just how it is in this imperfect life where we only control and manage ourselves.

…And that should be enough to keep us all busy!

We all come from different backgrounds. Sticking to our own values and not compromising is going to do you and the world a world of good (say that 10 tongue twister 10 times 😊).

You teach people how to treat you and how to behave toward others.

I know it’s not easy.

But always remember: your life is not a dress rehearsal. You will never get this year or today back.

And you don’t want to live in your own regrets if you need a motivator.

Usually, the people who want to test your buttons are the ones who aren’t doing the right things to begin with… and they’re not the ones that you want to follow anyway.

So with the troublemakers who aren’t considerate and are annoyingly kicking up your Pitta, initially it could seem like a good idea to follow along their ways or at least not create waves. But wise not to fall into this temptation.

…But the innocent often fall and don’t follow the good rules. They cave into the squeaky grease and play along on their blind path game that leads to nowhere.

And innocently that’s ’cause they don’t want to cause friction with themselves or other people. But you teach people how to treat you today and in the future.

If you let others step on you, then expect more of that when you allow it once. That’s how it is with children, and some adults haven’t grown up yet or figured out their ego sides.

And last tip on that note: never, never ever reward bad behavior unless you want more of the same behavior.

To be a productive leader, you want to create and forge your own path. Be considerate but stop caring so much. And think for yourself. You’ll be glad you did at the end of whatever you’re facing.

And be consistent where you tell your heavy anxious Vata mind to stop worrying about what will or won’t happen.

Because what will happen is you’ll get respected by the people you respect, and get to do more of what you want (and work with the people you want to work with).

And you’ll get to build the consistent, work-life balance that you really want!

Next time I’ll follow up with the 2^nd part of the self-awareness series I started a few weeks ago that you won’t want to miss! 🧡

Intuitive Eating Vata + RD Recommends

When your body is running healthy good, intuitive eating can be a sustainable non-diet approach. As daily eating routines, you listen to what your body wants and needs.

That includes a balance of proteins, healthy fats, and good carbs. Below, I share some valuable nuggets from a Vata (body) perspective… along with some RD thought weigh ins.

For most, as we age, we need more proteins that help build muscle. If you’re a natural Vata especially, you need more filling foods that give you the most energy like proteins.

Intuitive eating refocuses our attention on what our bodies are telling us, rather than hard food “rules” that are imposed on us from diet culture and other external forces.

Vatas tend to get hungry easily (and can lose weight even faster), and we’re more likely to get close to the 23 servings per day Food Pyramid diet than the other body types, just to feel full.

Food is fuel and I realized I wasn’t getting enough proteins… because I wanted to tone muscles and despite the same exercises I did, I couldn’t make a dent.

So the change I made is trying to get 50 grams of protein in per day. I work in the yogurt, seafood, legumes, nuts… and eggs that have a smidgeon of protein. Like an appetizer plate of shrimp doesn’t hurt 🍤

Many of us Vata bodies are lean (or have a small frame) and need to eat more, not less… and more often.

And it’s easiest to get daily satisfied-full with proteins. Vatas can easily gravitate toward comfort carbs, instead of veggies that don’t do the job to keep away the hunger pains.

We can also get a skinny fat build if we eat too many sweets (another natural Vata trait), and if we don’t work on moving and exercising like everyone else.

And while this is the profile of a typical Vata, whatever body type you have, you want to figure out what works for you.

Protein and plant-based are a good combination for most people. With most healthy eating habits, healthy intuitive eating is about getting enough good healthy foods in the diet.

While I do follow some food rules, the RDs I collaborate with who promote intuitive eating, describe it as a way to make peace with food and prioritize your physical and mental wellbeing.

“It’s a way to get back in tune with your body and refocus your mind away from “food rules” that can be good for certain people.”

Intuitive eating deprioritizes weight as a primary measure of health, while inviting you to eat the foods you want when you’re hungry—and stop eating when you feel full.

Eating intuitively means being curious about what and why you want to eat something, and then enjoying it without judgment.

It’s about trusting your body’s wisdom without external influences. When you have a healthy body, it’s a reliable way to see what’s missing in a diet.

These were the original 10 Intuitive Eating principles that Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (practicing registered dieticians) came up with decades ago:

Reject The Diet Mentality

Ditch diets that give the false hope of losing weight quickly, easily, and permanently. You are not a failure for every time a diet stopped working and you gained the weight back. Until you break free from the hope that there’s a new diet around the corner, you cannot fully embrace intuitive eating.

Honor your hunger

Your body needs adequate energy and nutrition. Keep yourself fed to prevent excessive hunger. By honoring the first signal of hunger you can start rebuilding trust in yourself and food.

Make peace with food

Stop fighting with food and give yourself unconditional permission to eat. Stop fostering intense feelings of deprivation by denying yourself a particular food, as these can lead to cravings and bingeing. You don’t want your “giving in” to lead to overwhelming guilt.

Challenge the food police

Confront the thoughts that you as a person are “good” or “bad” based on what and how much you eat. Diet culture has created unreasonable rules. The food police are the negative, hopeless, or guilty thoughts you can chase away.

Discover the satisfaction factor

Pleasure and satisfaction are some of the basic gifts of existence. By allowing yourself to feel these when you eat, you can enjoy feeling content and fulfilled. When you do this, you will be able to identify the feeling of “enoughness.”

Feel your fullness

Trust that you will give yourself the foods you desire. Pause in the middle of eating and ask how the food tastes. Listen for the signals that you’re not hungry anymore. Respect when you become comfortably full.

Cope with your emotions with kindness

Restricting food can trigger a loss of control and feel like emotional eating. Be kind to yourself. Comfort and nurture yourself. Everyone feels anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and anger. Food won’t fix these feelings—it’s just a short-term distraction. Ultimately, you have to deal with the uncomfortable emotions.

Respect your body

Everyone is genetically unique, whether it’s shoe size or body size. Respecting your body will help you feel better about who you are. Being unrealistic or overly critical of your shape or size makes it hard to reject the diet mentality.

Movement—feel the difference

Feel the difference activity makes. Not militant or calorie-burning exercise, but simply moving your body. Focus on how energized it makes you feel.

Honor your health—gentle nutrition

Choose foods that honor your tastebuds and health. Don’t focus on eating perfectly. One snack, meal, or day of eating won’t suddenly make you unhealthy or deficient in nutrients. Look at how you eat over time. Choose progress, not perfection.

The science behind intuitive eating

Studies show that people who eat intuitively tend to also have lower body-mass indices (BMIs) and higher levels of body appreciation and mental health. They are also associated with lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation.

A review of eight studies compared “health, not weight loss” eating styles with conventional weight-loss diets. While they found no significant differences in heart disease risk factors between the two types of diets, they did find that body satisfaction and eating behavior improved more for people in the “health, not weight loss” groups.

Another review of 24 studies of female college students showed that those who eat intuitively experience less disordered eating, have a more positive body image, and greater emotional functioning.

Overall, there is a growing amount of research that shows the benefits of intuitive eating on both physical and mental health.

The non-diet approach of intuitive eating fits within the concept that there can be health at every size.

It’s good to come up with your own sustainable healthy habits so you’ll stick with them, finding the foods that satisfy you and your body.

It’s about removing the labels of “good” or “bad” food and ditching the guilt or pride about eating a certain way. It’s about taking care of our bodies and embracing what we enjoy eating.

Next time, I’ll share thoughts about eating for the Kapha body and healthy metabolism.