Safe, sustainable plant-based alternatives to dairy products are essential to practicing Ayurveda healthfully in our modern world. This is true from a health standpoint, an environmental standpoint, an animal rights standpoint, and a personal choice standpoint.

As an Ayurvedic physician with extensive background in both Western and Eastern medicine, I'm often asked about the benefits of a plant-based diet. In this special post, I share my thoughts on how Ayurveda and plant-based living can work together in constructing a powerful, personalized approach to health and wellness.

In the Ayurvedic tradition, behavioral health is considered central and paramount to overall well-being.

The most regularly used Sanskrit term for this is dinacharya (pronounced “din-acharyaa”) - literally, something like “daily conduct” or “daily movement.” The term refers to wholesome habits for daily living that support health. Dinacharya works by bringing balance in simple ways where there might be imbalance, but even more importantly, via prevention.

What we eat, how much we sleep, how we stay active, the ways we practice hygiene, and so much more must be flexible and change with the time of day, the phase of the moon, and the season.