What does Ayurveda say about Nutrition ?
Diet plays a very important role in the doshas. Through an adequate diet it is possible to decrease the aggravated doshas and also to increase the diminished doshas. In other words, it is possible to increase and keep the health in ourselves through what we eat.
Let us imagine that we are going to build our ever dreamt house right now... Naturally we would like a nice a solid house that allows us to keep us nice and warm or nice and cool, depending on where you live. Therefore materials come immediately to our mind, we are going to need good quality and long-lasting materials, a good foundation and why not a beautiful appearance. Now let us imagine that we are going to build our own body, but what kind of materials are we going to use?
Our food, with its qualities and its elements in a determined proportion, is the raw material through which we build up every day our body. So, how do you think is our body going to look like if we use low quality materials? If processed food, genetically modified food, old food or reheated food are part of our daily diet, our inner system will be working with those low quality materials to create and regenerate all our body. How is it going to look like? Now we are able to understand why and how diet has such a big impact in our bodies. Eating fresh food, free from pesticides, and eating an adequate amount are very important factors.
Diet plays a very important role in the doshas. Through an adequate diet it is possible to decrease the aggravated doshas and also to increase the diminished doshas. In other words, it is possible to increase and keep the health in ourselves through what we eat.
Let us imagine that we are going to build our ever dreamt house right now... Naturally we would like a nice a solid house that allows us to keep us nice and warm or nice and cool, depending on where you live. Therefore materials come immediately to our mind, we are going to need good quality and long-lasting materials, a good foundation and why not a beautiful appearance. Now let us imagine that we are going to build our own body, but what kind of materials are we going to use?
Our food, with its qualities and its elements in a determined proportion, is the raw material through which we build up every day our body. So, how do you think is our body going to look like if we use low quality materials? If processed food, genetically modified food, old food or reheated food are part of our daily diet, our inner system will be working with those low quality materials to create and regenerate all our body. How is it going to look like? Now we are able to understand why and how diet has such a big impact in our bodies. Eating fresh food, free from pesticides, and eating an adequate amount are very important factors.
Now, how do you think our house is going to look like if we ask to the workers to keep on working and building for a week, non stop 24/7?
Our stomach has a capacity to digest too. If we demand our stomach to go on and keep digesting vast amounts of food, how do you think our body is going to be? After you finish your meal, check how tired you are: If you are too tired after eating, it means that you ate too much. The feeling after eating, does not matter when (even in weddings), should be very light and we should be able to stand up from our chairs without the help of anybody.
In order to keep a healthy body we should respect our digestion and give the best food we can have at that moment. And the best food does not mean the one that comes in expensive plastic wrappers, but the one that comes directly from the soil. In general terms to eat 3 or maximum 4 times a day, without snacking, keeps a body healthy.
The golden advice
There is an interesting concept in Ayurveda about how much we should eat and the golden advice is “Eat only if you are hungry” (this is the way the body has to tell us that it is ready to work).
Our stomach has a capacity to digest too. If we demand our stomach to go on and keep digesting vast amounts of food, how do you think our body is going to be? After you finish your meal, check how tired you are: If you are too tired after eating, it means that you ate too much. The feeling after eating, does not matter when (even in weddings), should be very light and we should be able to stand up from our chairs without the help of anybody.
In order to keep a healthy body we should respect our digestion and give the best food we can have at that moment. And the best food does not mean the one that comes in expensive plastic wrappers, but the one that comes directly from the soil. In general terms to eat 3 or maximum 4 times a day, without snacking, keeps a body healthy.
The golden advice
There is an interesting concept in Ayurveda about how much we should eat and the golden advice is “Eat only if you are hungry” (this is the way the body has to tell us that it is ready to work).
The golden advice:
Eat only if you are hungry. And keep checking if you are tired after eating, it you do, it means that you ate too much.
You may also be interested in:
General bibliography for the following sections:
- Ashtanga Hrdayam, by Vagbhata
- Ayurveda the Yoga of Healing, by Uma
- Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-healing, by Usha and Vasant Lad
- What is Ayurveda ?
- Basic concepts in Ayurveda
- Prakrti: Your original constitution
- Vikrti: Your current aggravations
- Six tastes
- Diet for each dosha
- Healthy eating
- Tridoshic guidance
- Incompatible food
- Lifestyle consultation
- Treatments
General bibliography for the following sections:
- Ashtanga Hrdayam, by Vagbhata
- Ayurveda the Yoga of Healing, by Uma
- Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-healing, by Usha and Vasant Lad