Dr. Somesh Kaushik, an Ayurvedic physician, will continue his free, monthly, online lecture series in 2025. In a similar vein as this year’s “Food as Medicine,” this next series, “Eating in Harmony with Nature: Healing the Body and the Environment,” will explore how Ayurvedic principles guide us in aligning our diets with the natural world to benefit both our health and the planet.

Ayurveda, the world’s oldest healing system, practiced in India for over 5,000 years, has always recognized the body’s alignment with nature and the Earth’s elements. According to Kaushik, “Ayurveda defines health as a balance of body, mind, and spirit in harmony with these elements.” In Ayurveda, the body consists of five universal elements—space, air, water, fire and earth—in combinations called doshas: Vata is space/air; Pitta is fire/water; Kapha is earth/water. “We all have elements of these three doshas in our unique profile,” Kaushik explains. “Keeping them in balance is key and diet is critical.”

Foods with the correct elemental properties ensure dosha balancing: warming foods for Vata (air), cooling foods for Pitta (fire) and light foods for Kapha (earth). Choosing foods with intent will boost health and vitality. Kaushik recommends fresh, local, seasonal and organic foods which support bodily healing and the environment. 

Each session of the lecture series will focus on a particular body system. Kaushik will cover appropriate foods, herbs and natural supplements to keep that system healthy and balanced throughout the year. Meditation, yoga practices and lifestyle modifications will be highlighted as well.