Following an Ayurvedic diet is easiest if you see an Ayurvedic doctor and get a professional diagnosis and diet prescribed accordingly. However, if you have an idea of what your dosha balance or imbalance is, you can create your own Ayurvedic diet consisting of dosha-balancing teas, supplements and lifestyle choices.

To discover which of your three doshas is the dominant dosha, you will need to learn about the three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha—and read up on the different foods and Ayurvedic products that will help you maintain your balance. For example, someone who has aggravated kapha will want to drink hot and spicy teas, eat foods with plenty of spices and avoid heavy foods or cooling foods and drinks. Someone who has aggravated pitta will want to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, drink cool drinks and avoid the sun. Likewise, someone who has aggravated vata should eat cooked, nourishing, heavy stews, soups and puddings so he or she can pacify this dosha, bringing it into balance.

Once you understand the premises behind the aggravation and pacification of each dosha, you will be able to intuitively choose which foods should be included in your diet and which should be eliminated. You will also see a difference in how you feel as you experiment with the different foods, keeping in mind the importance of both digestion and the balancing of the doshas.

All Ayurvedic diets have a few simple things in common, all of which have to do with aiding the digestion and elimination process, since Ayurvedic medicine believes much of your overall health is tied to excellent digestion and elimination. All Ayurvedic diets suggest you not overeat, that you sit down to enjoy meals undisturbed, allow yourself plenty of time to concentrate on the eating process without anxiety-producing distractions, precede every meal with a glass of room temperature water with lemon and chew fennel seeds or another similar digestive aid after meals.