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SAWASTHYA SWASTH RAKSANAM ATURASAYA VICAR PAKRANAMAM CHA

Extracted from SUSHURATA SAHINTA- the oldest book on Ayurveda.

"To maintain health of a healthy person and to help a sick person to regain health" is the motto of Ayurveda set by our ayurvedic masters."

Ayurveda deals with this motto logically and scientifically through healthy diets, life-style and medicines.

THE DIETIC REGIME:

It must be made clear that there is no standard diet that is ideal for every individual (for all people in general). How we eat is as important as what to eat. How we cook is as important as what we cook, what kitchen equipments are used, with what feelings food is prepared -all affect us as human beings.

One simple way to begin to reconnect with the earth is to give thanks before we eat by imaging the food in our bowls as it once was, growing from the earth. In this giving thanks we begin to acknowledge our inter connectedness with nature on a level far deeper than the intellectual one. Our body is a mystery with millions of cell working in perfect co-ordination. There is no agent on this planet that can turn bread into blood as the human body constantly does.

Various factors need to be kept in mind while working out the ideal diet for each person based on his/her specific constitutional characteristics. Selection and preparation of ingredients which balance the body and mind play an important role. Utensils for cooking need not be fancy and expansive. Stainless steel pots, pans and serving ware, in sizes you need, are more than adequate. Heatproof glass enamel or ironware can also be used. Aluminum ware of any kind, light, heavy or alloyed, is not recommended. Whenever possible, let your uncovered pot simmer out excess vata or air, into the air around it. Slow cooking helps excess vata escape from foods. It is also supports digestion with less excess "wind" for all types. At the same time, tastes have a greater chance to mingle and integrate as they simmer. When pressure cooking, leave the pressure cap off until the first burst of steam comes through. Then put the cap on. This will also help disperse excess vata. Slower cooking methods calm the air more.

• The main meal should be eaten lunchtime or as an early dinner. The quantity of food ingested should be no more than two cups together.

• The other two meals should be small.

• Fruits should be eaten alone, about one hour before or after meal, because fruits tend to ferment in the digestive tract.

• Fruits should not be eaten with milk or other dairy products, because the acidity of the fruit in the stomach curdles the milk in the stomach.

• Sweet and sour tastes are a disharmonious combination. One counteracts the other and irritates digestion, so that the digestive fires become sluggish.

• Avoid complex food combinations, especially when dairy are involved, such as tacos or lasagna; also any combination of bread, cheese, and fruits.

• Drink ½ cup of warm water before each meal to activate Agni, the digestive fire. Avoid drinking water or other fluids with the meal. The liquid douses the digestive fire and makes the process sluggish. Taking water or fluids directly after the meal has the same counterproductive effects and promotes lethargy and weight gain.

• Chew the meal thoroughly and joyfully to aid proper assimilation of nutrients and digestion, so that the vital tissues are well nourished, the body's hunger is fed, and emotional cravings are satisfied.

• Practice eating your meals in a spirit of harmony and gratitude to conserve the bodily juices for the massive task of digestion. When we attend to digestion, we attend to our health.

Some food and drinks are beneficial to our health while some food and drinks create diseases. Diet, along with daily habits, is crucial to the health of an individual. The fact that there is no standard ideal diet that can not be emphasized enough. Various factors are considered while working out the ideal diet for each person, which will be distinctly different based on the person's specific constitutional characteristics. When planning a diet it is important to know which food is best consumes or avoided based on the personal doshic constitution or imbalance of the individual. It is as important to realise that each food's unique combination of attributes will influence its taste and the action it causes in the body. Ayurveda clearly describes the characteristics of each of the six tastes and problems that might be experienced from the habitual over-consumption of certain foods and tastes.

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