In Ayurvedic Nutrition an important distinction is made according to one's "constitution"; a distinction is traditionally made into three "Dosha's", influencing the body:

The Vata Dosha comprises the elements of Ether and Air. It takes care of movement. One may think here of the blood-circulation, nerve-activity (thinking), muscular movement, the movement of the contents of the intestins etcetera.

The Pitta Dosha comprises mainly the element of Fire, to a lesser degree also Water. Pitta takes care of transformation: digestion, the production of heat, transforming of what you see into images and thoughts in the brain.

 The Kapha Dosha comprises the elements of Water and Earth. Kapha takes care of structure and solidity. The formation of bone, cartilage, and slime too, is a function of Kapha.

For each of those three types of constitution there is a special mixture of Ayurvedic Herbs, to bring this specific Dosha in a state of balance. Preparing those mixtures fresh is worthwhile, but rather involved, like with the ayurvedic way of preparing food, plus it takes quite some time.Fortunately, there are several Vedically oriented movements, who can help out here. For instance: cooking lessons are being given by the Hare Krishna Movement (Van Hillegaerstraat 17, 1072 JX Amsterdam, Tel.: 020 - 6751404) and it is also  possible to order ready-made herbal mixtures and many other (Ayur -) Vedic products via Internet, (see also our Links-Page) from the Maharishi Ayur-Veda shop of the Maharishi Mahesh - Yogi Movement.