Diet and mind: Diet plays an important role in keeping our mind healthy. Considering the effect of food on mind following 3 classifications have been made:
1. Satvik diet – Ideal diet containing vegetarian, non-oily, nonspicy articles which are congenial to the body
2. Rajasik diet – Too spicy, hot, sour, salty that excites the mind
3. Tamasik diet – Too oily, heavy food that leads to lethargic mind
Four forms of food: Basically Ayurveda describes four forms of food preparations
1. Ashitam – Eatables
2. Khaditam – Masticable Food
3. Peetam – Drinks, Beverages
4. Leedham – Licking Form
Principles of diet:
- Food should be consumed in appropriate quantities, which are hot, unctuous, and not contradictory in potency, and only after the digestion of the previous meal. Food should be taken in a proper place without talking or laughing, with concentration of mind, and with self-respect. The quantity of food to be consumed depends on the individual’s digestive power and metabolism. The right amount is that which is digested and metabolized without disturbing the equilibrium in a proper time frame.
- If the food is heavy, only three-fourths or half of the stomach capacity should be filled.
- Shushruta recommends the consumption of easily digestible, energetic, soft, and warm food in proper quantities only when one is hungry.
Incompatible Diet (Viruddha Ahara): Consuming food with incompatible or contradictory qualities can have a poisonous effect on the body, leading to aggravation of Tridoshas and various disorders such as lumps, fever, allergic dermatitis, eczema, abscesses, and other skin diseases. It also diminishes strength, vigor, memory, immunity, etc. Some incompatible combinations include:
- Fish or its soup with milk.
- Radish consumed with milk.
- Lotus stem with honey, etc.
- Equal quantities of honey with ghee.
SEASONAL DIETETICS
Ayurveda prescribes specific diets for different seasons: Spring Season – Bitter, hot, and astringent foods are advised, while salty, sour, and sweet foods should be avoided. Wheat, barley, honey syrup, fruits like mango, jackfruit, etc., and meat from forest animals are recommended.
Summer Season – Pitta aggravation occurs due to the hot climate. Therefore, a pitta-pacifying diet that is cold, liquid, sweet, and oily is recommended. Excessive hot, spicy, sour, and salty foods should be avoided. Rice, milk, ghee, sugar, grapes, coconut water, and meat from forest animals are advised.
Rainy Season – Vata aggravation occurs due to the cold climate during this season. Hence, a vata-soothing diet that is sweet, sour, and salty, along with hot, dry, fatty, and easily digestible foods, is preferred. Preserved rice, wheat, barley, and mutton soups are recommended.
Winter Season – Vata dosha increases due to the cold, dry, and chilly atmosphere during this season. Therefore, a vata-reducing, pitta-increasing diet is recommended. Hot, sweet, sour, and salty foods, along with milk, sugarcane, rice, oils, and fats, are advised.
Autumn Season – Pitta dosha aggravation occurs during this season. Thus, ghee processed with bitter drugs, along with purgation, bloodletting, cooling, and light diets, are recommended. Bitter, sweet, and pungent-dominant diets are advised.
Rules of eating Do’s :
• The food should be tasty, warm, qualitative, unctuous, and easily digestible.
• It should be eaten neither too fast nor too slow.
• The food should be eaten only when hungry, after the last meal has been digested.
• Should include all the tastes namely sweet, salt, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent in daily diet.
• Should eat food which is nourishing and suitable to particular constitution, mental and emotional temperament.
• It is best to focus on food while eating.
• One should eat in comfortably sitting posture.
• Food should be eaten in pleasant surroundings with utensils and preparation of individual’s choice.
Don’ts :
• The food should not be contrary to each other in action. e.g. – fish and milk together, radish and milk together, honey and ghee in equal quantity.
• Eating should not be in a hurry.
• It should not be very slow either.
• Should not eat when emotionally upset.
• Too much use of any of 6 tastes namely sweet, salt, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent is not conducive for health.
• Should not consume alcohol.
DISEASE SPESIFIC DIET
Diabetes Mellitus (Madhumeha)
• Seeds of barley, wheat, beans like green gram, fenugreek, horse -gram etc.
• Fruits of bitter gourd and other varieties of gourd, green leafy vegetables like fenugreek, coriander.
• Black berry, amla (Indian goose berry) and other sour fruits. Use of triphala is useful. Rheumatoid Arthritis (Amavata)
1. Red variety of rice, barley, horse & green gram
2. Garlic, ginger, leave of ladyfinger, black pepper
3. Leaf and fruit of patola (a variety of cucumbar)
4. Warm water and light diet are beneficial in this condition
Jaundice (Kamala)
1. Red variety of rice, wheat, barley, green gram, beans
2. Banana, pomegranate, black berry, garlic
3. Sugarcane juice, buttermilk, radish, Indian goose berry
Cardiac Disorders and Obesity (Hridroga & Sthoulya)
1. Lekhanadravyas (trimming articles) like barley, red variety of rice, green gram, puffed corn
2. Fruits like banana, white gourd, mango, pomegranate, raisin, citrus fruits
3. Garlic, onion, dry ginger
4. Butter milk, honey, jaggery, meat soup etc.
Acid Peptic Diseases (Amla Pitta)
1. Milk diet.
2. Indian goose berry, Pomegranate, resin, papaya etc.
3. Cereals like red variety of old rice, wheat, barley, green gram etc.
4. Small and frequent meals are preferable.
DIET FOR ELDERLY
The nutritional needs of the elderly are very different from those of young adults. As one grows older, the body’s metabolic rate shows down and the activity levels decrease. Therefore, the elderly require less energy and correspondingly smaller quantities of food. However, even though the elderly need less energy, they need the same amount of or even more of vitamins and minerals than they needed as adults. With ageing the pleasure of eating diminishes. This occurs because of a decrease in the sensitivity of the taste buds. The taste of food appears bland. Older persons often tend to add additional salt or sugar to their food as they are not able to perceive tastes like sweet or salty as younger persons. As people age, there also tends to be an increase in the presence and number of chronic conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and dementia. These further compromise the quality of life in old age. Thus, a nutritious, well planned diet will help to delay the age related decline in body functions as well as the onset on chronic degenerative disease like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension and help to maintain good health in old age.
Dietary Guidelines for elderly: Include three food groups in every meal. All foods can be classified into three groups depending on their major functions i.e. energy providing food, body building food and protective foods. To ensure a nutritious diet, include one or more foods from each of the three food groups in every meal.
• Energy giving foods are mainly food containing carbohydrates and fats. Complex carbohydrates found in whole cereals, whole pulses, starchy vegetables and fruits like sweet potato, banana should be preferred to simple carbohydrate sources like sugar and honey .Sources of fat include vegetable oils, ghee and butter, While a moderate consumption of fat or oil is desirable, avoid excessive use in food preparations.
• Body building foods are protein rich foods like pulses, animal foods (eggs, chicken and fish), milk and milk products. They are the building blocks of muscles, organs and tissues and also help to repair worn out tissues. They help to prevent frailty and strengthen our immunity and therefore continue to be needed in old age too.
• Protective foods are rich in minerals and vitamin .They protects the body from infections and strengthens the immune system. These foods help to prevent deficiencies lie anemia and prevent/delay the onset of chronic degenerative disease. Generally fruits and vegetables are rich in such protective nutrients and antioxidants. While planning meals include one or more foods from every food group in every meal. To do so, however, it is not necessary to prepare elaborate meals with several dishes. Even a single dish may contain foods from the three food groups e.g. vegetable Khichri, vegetable Uthappam and Missi roti
Discussion and Conclusion
Human body requires food to provide energy for all life process, growth, repair and maintenance. A balanced diet contains different types of foods in such quantities and proportions that the need of the body is adequately met. Eating a well-balanced diet on a regular basis and staying at ideal weight are critical factors in maintaining emotional and physical well-being. In Ayurveda, diet forms the important component of life as it is included in the Tri-Upastambha (three pillars of life). Each food article either has Dosha aggravating action or pacifying or balancing action on human body. To keep the homoeostasis of Doshas (health), Ayurveda has described specific diet. Proper planning and indulging of the diet can maintains our body. In Ayurveda, many holistic and scientific approaches have been described about planning of the diet. The fundamental principles like Tridosha, Prakriti, the tastes, processing of food, the quality, quantity, and the rules regarding eating food if considered while incorporating the diet, one can keep away from many diseases of body and mind. As it is said in Vaidyajeevanam that, there is no need of medication if the person is in proper diet
