Notes on Ayurveda from Nidhi Pandya

Nidhi Bhanshali Pandya is an incredible Ayurvedic doctor and author of Your Body Already Knows, who happens to be part of the Laroot World family.

We’re excited to share some of Nidhi’s favorite Ayurvedic principles—timeless wisdom that can reshape your relationship with food, digestion, and overall health.

ONE: Taste is Nourishment

"In Ayurveda, Rasa means both taste and nourishment. This is not a coincidence. The experience of taste is the body's first signal that food is arriving, and when we enjoy the taste, our whole system relaxes. Salivary enzymes flow, digestive juices are secreted, the gut is primed to receive.

This means nourishment doesn't begin in your intestines—it begins on your tongue, and even in your anticipation of food. If you eat something just because it's 'good for you' but don't enjoy it, your body may stay in a stressed state, resisting rather than receiving.

This is why Ayurveda doesn't fear the natural sweetness of foods like dates and rice—or even healthy fats. It embraces the full sensory experience of food. Because when you enjoy your food, your body can actually use it."

TWO: Nutrition is Not Just Nutrients

"Modern nutrition often emphasizes nutrient density, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But Ayurveda reminds us that nourishment is different from just nutrient input.

Take rice or sweet potatoes, often dismissed today as too starchy or carb-heavy. In Ayurveda, these are deeply building foods. They provide the raw material your body needs for cell regeneration, energy storage, hormone production, and tissue repair.

Now add in leafy greens and spices—rich in micronutrients and functional compounds—and you get foods that support both structure and function. Ayurveda always aimed for this dual nourishment: grounding foods to build and sustain, and potent ingredients like ginger, cumin, turmeric, and fenugreek to stimulate, cleanse, and protect.

Every Ayurvedic plate includes all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. This doesn’t just ensure variety—it ensures your brain and gut receive the full spectrum of signals needed for satiety and proper assimilation."

THREE: Warmth Transforms

"Digestion is a warm process—it requires heat, both literally and energetically. Cold foods like raw salads, smoothies, iced drinks, or straight-from-the-fridge leftovers may seem refreshing, but they dampen the very fire needed to metabolize them.

That's why Ayurveda emphasizes warm, cooked foods. Cooking is a form of pre-digestion—it breaks down complex molecules and makes nutrients more bioavailable.

Fermentation, too, was traditionally used to support gut health and enhance digestion.

If the gut is a fire, then feeding it ice—or uncooked, hard-to-break-down materials—douses that flame. Over time, this leads to accumulation, stagnation, and the buildup of ama, or metabolic waste."

FOUR: Spices and Fats are Functional Medicine

"Spices are not just flavor agents—they are powerful medicine. In fact, they're some of the most antioxidant-rich substances on Earth.

Spices like cumin, coriander, fennel, turmeric, ginger, and black pepper do three things at once:

• Stimulate digestion

• Detoxify the system

• Prevent the accumulation of toxins

Now, pair these with healthy fats—ghee, sesame oil, coconut oil—and you have a delivery system. Fats carry the active components of spices deep into the tissues. They fuel the digestive fire, lubricate the intestines, and help build ojas, your body's essence of immunity and resilience.

In Ayurveda, food is not just sustenance; it is a delivery vehicle for transformation. This wisdom is not just about what you eat—it's about how you live. It's about listening to your body, cooking with intention, eating with joy, and aligning your choices with nature's rhythms.

It's not a set of rigid rules—it’s a deeply intuitive, time-tested system that invites you back to health and vitality."