By eating fresh, homemade meals, maintaining a good routine, enjoying moderate exercise, and creating a calm, alert mind and a rested, balanced physiology through Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Technique, teenagers can enjoy their adolescent years and provide their whole life with the foundation for happiness and health.

How to enjoy healthy teenage years
by Global Good News staff writer based on a Maharishi Ayurveda Newsletter
5 August 2011

Adolescence, a time of major physical, intellectual, and emotional growth, lays the foundation for adulthood. Yet, because change during the teen years is so rapid, both parents and children may feel challenged; and knowledge to go through this time of transition smoothly would be most welcome.

Ayurveda, the original science of health which is as old as the human race, has been revived in this generation by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation Programme. Maharishi and three of India's top Ayurvedic experts revived the ancient knowledge of health as Maharishi Ayurveda. They formed a medical council that created authentic herbal formulas according to the Ayurvedic texts and established an international network of doctors, clinics, and schools that are dedicated to eliminating disease and offering perfect health to the people of every nation.

The wisdom of Maharishi Ayurveda happily includes knowledge of how to create a comfortable ride from childhood to adulthood.

Using adolescence to your advantage

The key to happy teen years is to both understand and take advantage of the characteristics of this time of life.

Maharishi Ayurveda explains that there are three organizing principles, or doshas, in the physiology called vata, pitta and kapha. We will focus on pitta dosha, as it governs adolescence, and see how it can be used to advantage for all aspects of adolescent growth.

Pitta is associated with transformation, heat, and metabolism. To utilize this transforming power and balance pitta, Maharishi Ayurveda offers simple dietary recommendations with the intention of building healthy tissues based on the consumption of nourishing or ‘intelligent’ food and the avoidance of ‘unintelligent’ food. Intelligent food is fresh, organically grown, prepared with loving attention and contains prana, or life; while ‘unintelligent food’— including junk food, fast food, canned, packaged and frozen foods, as well as leftovers—does not have desirable effects.

By staying away from ‘unintelligent’ intake, which quickly transforms into toxins, teenagers avoid sowing the seeds that give rise to future health problems. Not eating foods containing artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives—which not only load the liver with toxins, but may weaken the immune system, lead to food allergies, or contribute to health problems such as attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity—is wise.

For balancing pitta, a cooling and nourishing diet is recommended. This includes lots of fresh vegetables, especially squashes, sweet juicy seasonal fruits. soaked nuts and seeds, raisins and dates, milk, lassi and homemade cheese such as paneer. Rotating grains, vegetables and fruits will offer variety making the diet attractive. Eating a stewed apple in the morning balances the digestive fire and creates ojas, the substance within us that maintains life and promotes bliss.

Four meals a day are recommended for teenagers, with the main meal at noon when the digestive fire is greatest. This is important to prevent undigested food, which can create ama, toxins that will aggravate pitta. Likewise, for ama prevention, it is good to not overeat.

Drinking plenty of water—clear, purified drinking water (as opposed to sweetened, flavored and carbonated soft drinks)—during the day is a good habit to start at this early time in life. Water cools and balances pitta and detoxifies the body.

More nourishment for body and mind

Moving beyond diet, Maharishi Ayurveda also recommends moderate exercise. In addition to boosting circulation and metabolism, exercise enhances immunity and endurance. Yoga postures are particularly valuable because they not only tone the muscles but they also stimulate the functioning of internal organs.

Teenagers can greatly benefit from practising Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Technique, which increases IQ, enhances learning ability, increases mental clarity and calms the mind and body.

A closer look at pitta dosha

Pitta dosha is understood to have five sub-units called subdoshas. Each represents a particular aspect of pitta and needs special attention during the teen years.

Each of the five pitta subdoshas is briefly presented below with simple recommendations for keeping it in balance.

Alochaka pitta is located in the eyes and is best balanced by consuming a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables.

Bhrajaka pitta is located in the skin and is sensitive during adolescence. Since this age is a time of fast transformation, chemicals from skin care products and cosmetics absorb easily into the skin and can disturb pitta, creating rashes and acne. It is therefore important to use products made with natural ingredients, which nourish the skin without irritating it.

As expressed earlier, the same principle of purity applies to diet. Fresh, natural food, without preservatives and additives, provide internal nourishment for the skin. It is advisable to avoid consuming pitta aggravating foods, such as spicy and salty fast food, or pizza with tomatoes and cheese, as they can irritate the skin, especially on hot sunny days. It is wise to keep in mind that when pitta is aggravated, the skin becomes less resistant to sun damage and even a mild sunburn can turn into more serious symptoms later.

Sadhaka Pitta is seated in the heart and governs emotion, contentment, memory and intelligence. This subdosha is highly sensitive in teenagers but can be kept in balance by following a few simple guidelines.

For example, a regular routine, including going to bed early—before 10 pm—and eating regular meals, is very stabilizing. To avoid aggravating Sadhaka pitta, which leads to negative emotions, it is important not to skip meals or watch violent movies. Sweet juicy fruits, such as pears, watermelon, and stewed apples are very comforting to Sadhaka pitta. Raisins, milk-date shakes, milk-mango shakes, and rice pudding are delicious, satisfying, and also pacify this subdosha.

Pachaka pitta governs the stomach and small intestines and is responsible for digestion and assimilation of nutrients. To keep Pachaka pitta in balance, one should eat cooling and nurturing meals made with squashes, mung beans and lassi. One can also take advantage of the following spice mix which is cooling and can be added to every meal: Mix one part turmeric, one part cumin, two parts coriander and six parts fennel. Saute the powder mix in ghee and olive oil and add it to vegetables, dahl, or grains.

Ranjaka pitta is located in the liver, spleen, duodenum, and red blood cells. As toxins from environmental pollutants and food are particularly aggravating to this subdosha and can lead to skin and blood disorders, it is particularly important to avoid pollutants of all kinds in order to keep ranjaka pitta in balance.  Foods that support the liver, including white daikon radish, loki, and rose petal preserve with milk, are nourishing to this subdosha. In addition, the spice turmeric, which helps the functioning and detoxification of the liver, is valuable for balancing this aspect of the physiology.

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