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When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct medicine is of no need.

Ayurvedic proverb

Ayurveda is a very vast and ancient Indian medical healing science. There are many diseases for which there are no cures in modern science. The approach of modern medicines is to suppress the symptoms of disease by number of drugs. The disease remains in the body, which result into continuous attack on immune system of the body resulting in many dreadful diseases. Realizing this fact, more and more people in the world are switching over to alternative system of healing which includes massage, panchakarma, herbal and diet regimens, and change in lifestyle. We are capable of taking charge our own healing. Ailment like rheumatic pain, backache, and stiff neck, are relieved for a long period by appropriate Panchakarma therapy. Western medicines prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, pain killers, and antibiotics etc. which are manmade (synthetic) and majority with very serious side effects. Allopathy system of medicine is a symptom based medicine branch which addesses only symptoms, actual disease remains in the body. Migraine, which has no effective solution in modern medicines, is relieved for a sustained period by shirodhara technique. Western medicines have no answer for illness affecting metabolism, psychosomatic diseases, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, scabies, psoriasis, neurological diseases, auto immune diseases etc. Ayurveda is the science of how to live in harmony with our bodies and our planet. How to eat is considered major therapeutic tool, one of the most important things you can do to help yourself in Ayurvedic perceptive.

A. Ayurvedic Diet

Ayurveda is the highly accurate and personalized method of treatment. Before commencing the actual treatment, it analyzes one’s constitution and type of illness. Accordingly, it prescribes gentle, natural and effective therapies includes system of medicines that focuses on preventing illness, panchakarma, Rasayana therapy etc. Unlike other medical sciences, Ayurveda instead of focusing on treatment of any particular disease, it focuses more on the healthy living and well being. For healthy living, it focuses on consuming right kind of healthy and nutritious diet. Depending upon disease, Ayurvedic doctor puts several restriction on diet.

In Ayurveda, food is considered not only as source of the basic ingredients like proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins but something which serves as a source of energy for mind and soul. At present people are careless about their food. Our eating habit has changed drastically over a period of time. Rather than taking food at home, we prefer to eat food outside in reastaurant seeing only its presentation and taste. Food prepared at home perhaps may not match in appearance and taste but one thing is certain that it is nutritious and hygienic and sattvic and will provide energy not only to your body but will also to your mind and soul.

You are what you eat. What you eat affects your health. When you do not watch your diet, your health faces problems. Right diet is the principal factor in the treatment of the physical body that is built up by food. Without changing the diet, it is next to impossible to make fundamental change in our body. By correcting the diet, we may eliminate causes of the diseases. Ayurveda emphasizes the correct diet for each individual on the basis of health.

Food is fuel that makes us function, that gives energy, builds body and repairs it. In order to remain healthy we should go for ayurvdic diet. An ayurvedic diet makes generous use of full spectrum of fresh vege tables, fruits, grains, legumes and milk. It plays with herbs and spices, often kitchen items like fresh ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, coriander, clove, fennel, ajwain etc. are used to support agni, the digestive fire within us. An Ayurvedic food not only affect our body but also is considered to affect mind as well as body. By understanding how to prepare food best suited to our mind and bodies, we can utilize nutrition as deeper source of healing. Our diets are largely under own control, no one else can eat for us.

Once the concepts of cooking fresh light vegetarian meals in an Ayurvedic way are grasped practically speed with which you can heal and balance can be tremendously encouraging. But Ayurvedic cuisine can encompass a wide variety of all sort of vegetarian dishes so long as they remain fresh, easy to digest, not fermented and prepared with loving care. It is important to understand that Ayurveda is a healing science.

Ayurvedic Diet and Nutrition

The Ayurveda has a different vision of diet and nutrition. The primary concern of Ayurveda is your ability to digest the food. The second is to eat foods befitting to your constitution. Ayurveda does not distinguish between food and medicine, Ayureda gives equal weightage to both. It is believed that wrong food, the absence of nutritive food or diet are responsible for causing disease in the body. This can only be corrected with appropriate food. Here food becomes the medicine to heal the body of its ailment.

Ayurvedic diet is assimilated into the body and contributes to its nourishment for body and mind. This transformation of ‘food’ into nutrition is mediated by ‘jathragni’ or fire, which forms the edifice upon which the Ayurvedic system is built.

Ayurveda says that most of the common ailments are a result of poor nutrition. Ayurvedic nutrition is concerned importantly with the dietary requirements of individuals. Any anomaly in the body is thought to originate in the digestive system, and therefore it become crucial not to ignore even minor digestive complaints, as it could be indicative of a disease. Remember the more we depart from nature in our living habits the more we may suffer in long run. Most diseases are due to our incorrect diet. The cure for such wrong eating is not in better drug.

Spices and herbs form an integral part of Ayurvedic healing, mainly because of its power to be easily absorbed in the body. On the one hand, it boosts the digestive capacity of the body and on the other, it flush out toxins from the body, ensuring the cells in the body to obtain right nutrition from the diet.

Harmful Foods That Hasten Aging

In order to increase life span it is essential to know the foods that hasten aging. If we eat food such as bread, cereals and sugar in the refined state as white bread, white sugar and polished rice, they produce more acids in the body, which in turn change the pH of the body. This will result into development of disease. If we consume in the natural state as natural brown sugar, as whole wheat bread and as natural brown rice they are safe.

1. Wheat

Wheat is principal source of energy and nutrition, and used through out the world for making bread. Wheat is grind to flour before use as food. Until recently, wheat grains were crushed between two large horizontal stones. This method preserve all parts of karnel and the product was called whole wheat. If it is finely ground, it is called whole wheat flour. Still in town and villeges you will find this technique of crushing wheat. The value of stone grinding is that however grain is grind slowly, the advantages that it remains unheated, nutrients are preserved, and a whole food is obtained. Currently, steel roller mills have superseded stone grinding, same is true for domestic flour mill. The technology has changed. The good thing is that this mill grind grain at much faster rate but they remove the precious wheatgerm the flour, resulting colossal loss of vitamins and minerals in the refining process. By doing so we unknowningly remove the very life of the wheat because locked in the wheat germ is an oil, which is man’s greatest food. Wheat germ oil contains important essential vitamin E, lack of this vitamin also led to heart attack. For vegetarian people wheat is the principal source of vitamin E. unfortunately in modern grinding valuable vitamin E is destroyed.

2. Cane Sugar

Sugar is the most common carbohydrate used all over the world. Among diffferent types of carbohydrates, sucrose or cane sugar, fructose or grape sugar, levulose or fruit sugar and lactose of milk sugar are used considerably in our diet. Cane sugar also called white sugar is produced in large quantaties. It is derived commercially from sugarcane and beat root. Cane sugar because of its low cost and easy availability, widely consumed by the public. This cane sugar once enter in our body, it slowly converted into levulose and dextrose, so that it can be utilized by our body. Like starch, it must undergo a digestive process. In case of starch digestion begin in mouth, but it is delayed until sugar reaches the intestine.

Now a days with changes in food habit, consumption of sugar has increased at alarming rate, all over the world, which has resulted into increase in incidence of several diseases. Medical science have undoughtably proved that white sugar is extremely injurious to our health and it is doing more harm than good. The heat and chemical process employed in sugar refinery kills vitamin and separates mineral elements, protein etc from sap leaving nothing but pure sugar crystals. Excess sugar can cause hypoglycemia and diabetes.

3. Common Salt

Salt is needed for working of nerves and muscles of our body. It can prevent catarrh, assists in production of hydrochloric acid in the stomch. Thus a certain amount of salt is essential for life. Our body require salt in very small amounts. Our requirement of salt ranging from 10-15 g daily depending upon climate and occupation of the person. However many people use excess of salt. Consumption of extra salt puts extra burden on kidney and in many cases this may result into high blood pressure, swelling of the legs and ankles, create artificial thrist. So a person drinks enormous quantities of water which will be deoposited in the body leads to obesity in due course. Extra salt is injurious to health, may develop stomach ulcer, stomach cancer, hardening of arteries and heart disease.

Food rich in common salt includes pickles, papads, meat, fish, salted nuts, biscuits, chicken, eggs, cheese, dried fruits, carrot and radish should be avoided. However there is no harm in taking low sodium foods like cereals, sugar, honey, fresh fruits, cabbage, brinjal, cauliflower, potato, tomato, peas etc.

4. Hot Beverages

In recent times consumption of hot beverages viz; tea and coffee increased at alarming rate all over the world. Tea contains caffeine (2.5-5.0%), tannin (7-14%), coffee contains more caffeine than tea. During boiling, caffeine comes out quickly followed by tannin. Because of high contents of caffeine and tannin, tea and coffee are taken for their stimulating effect, they remove feeling of tiredness and provide freshness after drinking. In long run this will culminate into habit. Tea can not be given status of food. It slows down digestion. Consumption of tea and coffee both are detrimental to health. Aggressive marketing by the companies compel us to drnk tea/coffee.

Types of Food

Diet is considered to be vital for a human body as it provides the basic nutrients. These are necessary to carry out the fundamental activities of digestion and metabolism. Ayurveda has categorized food into three types based on its basic quality viz; Sattvik, Rajasic and Tamasic.

Trigun or three guns sattva, rajas and tamas are the three main components of the mind. The mental powers exist parallel to tridoshas (vata, pitta and kapha). These three gunas determines one’s nature, belief and perception on the basis of his psychology and body constitution.

Table4.1 Relationship of Diet and Individual’s Characters

Type of diet

Individual’s Characters

A Sattvic Diet

• Sattvic diet, purest diet, nourishes the body, calms and purifies the mind,
• Sattvic food includes cereals, whole wheat bread, fresh fruits, vegetables, pure fresh juices, milk, butter, cheese, legumes, nuts, sprouted seeds & whole grains, spices, natural sweeteners, herbal teas and oils. Sattvic food includes balance of all six tastes.

1. Sattvic Person

Pure, Conciousness; Very intelligent; Sharp memory; Promote knowledge by reasonable means; Polite; Unselfish; Control over mind and speech; Cheerful; Calm, and Quite; Full faith in God; Reacts to Pain and Pleasure properly; Alert; Strong Will Power

B Rajasic diet

• Rajasic diet hot, bitter, sour, dry or salty, not palatable; destroy the mind-body equilibrium, over stimulate the body and making the mind restless and uncontrollable.
• Rajsic foods include hot substances, such as sharp spices or strong herbs, stimulants such as coffee and teas, fish, eggs, salt and chocolate etc. They include most of fermented foods including yoghurt, garlic, pepper of all kind, eggs, cheese, white sugar, most sweetners, beans, avocado, radishes, citrus, peanut etc.

2. Rajasic Person

Acquire knowledge by any way; Average intelligent; Average memory ;Over ambitious; Strong desire for status and wealth; Selfish, Dynamic; Questions God; Sometimes Rude and Angry; Brave; Cruel and Greedy, Follow Health Advise if convinced, Over reacts to Pain and Pleasure; Hyper active, Fluctuating Will Power

C Tamasic Diet

• Tamasic diet benefits neither the mind nor the body. Prana (life force) or energy is withdrawn, powers of reasoning become clouded and a sense of inertia sets in.. The body’s resistance to disease is destroyed and the mind gets filled with dark emotions, such as anger and greed.
• Tamasic food includes most fast food, fried food, frozen food, microwaved food, processed food, leftover night food, meat, drugs, chemicals, mushrooms, lard, poultry, alcohol, tobacco, onions, garlic, fermented foods such as vinegar, over ripe substances.

3. Tamasic Person

Ignorant about Knowledge; Non Intelligent, Poor memory; Lethargic; Selfish, No desire for Anything; No control in Body; Depressed; Fearfull, Believes in Untruth, Ignorant about Health; Does not follow Medical Advice; Fail to react Pain and Pleasure, Lazy; No Interest, Limited Will Power.

As per our ancient science, these three qualities of sattva (purity), rajas (activity, passion, the process of change) and tamas (darkness) exist together in equilibrium. In the manifestation of any project, we need sattva to design the plan, rajas to reorganize and initiate its physical manifestation and tamas to complete it. The strength of each of these qualities differs from person to person. By managing our intake of foods that induce these qualities in us, we can modify, regulate and control our actions, thoughts and even our expressions to some extent. Just like by choosing the unadulterated gas we can improve and lengthen the life of our car, by using our understanding in choosing our food we can improve the quality of our lives. It is the state of mind which is responsive for the onset of any disease.

The first step in commencing Ayurvedic diet is to eat a primarily sattvic diet avoiding rajasic and tamsic diet. In other word you begin to eat food which are fresher and pure. This means foods free from additives, preservatives, and pesticides as much as possible. In another words organic food should be our preference. Once you are getting used to it, you can begin to consider some of the subtler points of Ayurvedic food dynemics. A food taste (rasa) is important. Each of these six tastes has different effects on the body. A food has varying impacts on the body, from the time you first taste it(rasa) to the time it enters your stomach (virya), to the time it has been absorbed (vipak).

Properties of Food

Like all herbs and medicinal plants, all food is composed of three basic factors. These are 1. five great elements i.e. panchamahabhutas 2. six tastes and 3. twenty attributes.

Table 4.2 Properties of Food.

Five Elements	Akash, Air, Fire, Water and Earth,
Six Tastes	Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent Astringent
Twenty Attributes	Heavy, Slow, Cold, Wet, Sticky, Dance Soft, Firm, Subtle, and clear and their opposite.

Food which we consumed is made up of panchamahabhutas. Different combination of these panchamahabhutas confers different qualities to foods. One of the most important of such qualities is that of rasa which may be one of the following six tastes i.e. sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent or a mixture of these. The predominance of water results into sweet taste; a higher concentration of earth and fire leads to sour taste ; the predominance of air and akash provide a bitter taste; excess of air and fire lead to pungent taste; and air and earth render as astringent taste to food. All the important nutrients that we need for life, such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins etc. are contained in meal that consists six tastes. Relation of panchmahabhutas with taste, constitution i.e. vata, pitta and kapha, and senses are depicted in Table 4.3.

Table 4.3 Relation of Panchamahabhutas Taste, Constitution and Senses

Elements	Taste	Constitution	Senses
Eather(Akash)	Bitter	Vata	Hearing
Air	Bitter Astringent Pungent	Vata	Touch
Fire (Tejas)	Pungent Sour Salty	Pitta	Sight
Wate(Jala)	Salty Sweet	Kapha Pitta	Taste
Earth	Sweet Sour Astringent	Kapha	Smell

Digestive Power (Agnis or Enzymes)

According to Ayurveda proper diet and digestion are one of the principal pillars of health. An improper diet and inadequate digestive capacity results in undigested material in the body, leading to the production of ama, a toxic material that blocks the channels of the body and initiates disease processes. The digestive power or jatharagni of individual is dependent upon balance of doshas in body. Any imbalance in doshas leads to disorder of digestion and metabolism in the body. Good digestion nourishes the body. The food contain agni is called jatharagni. But without prana nothing can happen. Our food contains solar energy which can only be utilized in the body through digestion. Eating the proper foods will make a big difference in your wellbeing. There are two aspects to the food and nutrition. One is the physical food you eat, digest, and assimilate. In this process, the organs of your digestive system have a big role. The second aspect of it is what you consume through your mind-body. What you see, hear, taste, smell, feel, and think are all important for your wellbeing and impact your health considerably. For example, stress plays a key role in the health. Charak had recognized the importance of the environment in the total health. Remember, everything in your environment is composed of doshas that interact with your own doshas. You are affected by everything else which goes on in this universe as you are part and parcel of this cosmos.

Agni helps various tissues of the body to produce secretions, metabolic reactions, and other processes needed to create energy and maintain and repair the body. Agni is also part of the immune system since its heat destroys harmful organisms and toxins. The activity of agni varies throughout the day and maintaining the strength and natural flow of your digestive fires is needed for good digestion, good immune function, and resistance to disease. Agni is needed to form ojas. Many diseases are due to poor digestion.

Tips for healthy living

If you want to remain healthy and active for a long time, here are some very important recommendations, which are if followed, will keep you hale and hearty and you will enjoy long disease free life.

1. As per, vitiated saptadhatus, abnormal doshas, and malas, obstruction or blockage of different channels, weakened jatharagni and presence of ama are the five possible causes of all diseases.
2. You should select food items that suit your prakruti and benefit your health. Remember everybody is unique in constitution so what suits someone else may not suit you. You will have to find out what suits you and stick to it.
3. Food should contain oily or fatty contents in proper proportions. Fatty content will make the food tasty and delicious, promotes secretion of digestive juices, and assist in proper digestion of food. Use only olive oil or rice bran oil in kitchen.
4. Take the food according to the place, timing, climate, own constitution and temperament.
5. Decide the appropriate quantity of food based upon your constitution, weight, strength of your jatharagni and current season.
6. Keep off too much dry food like packaged, caned and junk food.
7. One should not consume, iced water or ice-cream after meals, as it slows Agni and digestion; therefore ice cold water is poison and hot water is nectar.
8. Avoid white wheat flour, white sugar and salt.
9. Avoid food containing preservative, artificial sweetener, flavour, colour, taste enhancer etc.
10. Eat less, chew more. Skip high caloric deserts. Opt for more fresh fruits and vegetables..

B. Lifestyle

Today modern science has given us everything. The most ignored concept of modern science is health and lifestyle. Today with the introduction of vaccination, development of new generation of antibiotics and synthetic drugs; better medical facilities and awareness about health and hygiene, we has almost eliminated the threat from most infectious diseases viz; typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis etc. As a result death due to these diseases is considerably reduced. But a new type of diseases of modern age called lifestyle diseases are the primary causes of today’s concern. They include hyper tension, heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes, diseases associated with smoking, and alcohol, drug abuse, tobacco induced cancer, autoimmune diseases, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and premature mortality. It is true that nobody in this world is immortal. Everybody has to die of something at some time, but lifestyle diseases take people at relatively early age. Heart attack and cardiac arrest, stroke and cancer have become routine phenomenon in our society.

Today we find little time for entertainment, social life, exercise, regular eating and adequate sleeping. Everybody is in mad race for money. Personnel priorities are given least importance, while corporate interests and personal ambitions are center of activity.

They are mainly caused due to sedentary lifestyle, workaholism, irregular sleep pattern, craze for wealth, consumption-based happiness, absence of regular sleep, leisure, socializing, taking of junk food, extended working hours, mental stress, reduced physical activity, smoking and consumption of alcohol etc. Since factors like heredity, sex, surrounding atmosphere, age etc. cannot be avoided but definitely we can manage our own lifestyle to avoid the entry of these dreadful diseases. Lifestyle diseases are potentially preventable, and can be lowered with changes in diet, lifestyle, and environment.

External factors like change in weather and internal factors via; wrong diet, emotions can trigger these imbalances. Rather than analyze and name millions of body parts and diseases Charak Samhita holds that it is happiness and unhappiness that result in health and disease.

Ayurvedic theory states that all imbalances and disease in the body begin with stress in awareness or consciousness of the individual. unhealthy lifestyles, which promote ill health.

Our health is greatly influenced by our Lifestyle. As per our routine plays an important role on our health. A natural life is a life regulated according to the individual constitution. Ayurveda is the life science, which tells us about all details of our Lifestyle and dietary habits. According to proper diet and daily routine balance our body doshas and we can live long healthy life without being affected by disease or illness. In today’s life it is really hard to follow the instructions and switch to natural healthy diet because from childhood we are used to those tastes which we are using, We need to make up our mind for healthy routine: drink more fluids during the summer, avoid foods that are pungent, acidic or salty, wear light clothes and avoid strenuous exercise.

One should give preference to health in life. Maintenance of good health is in your hand. Also you cannot purchase it. There is no substitute for our right living. As long as you are not living life in harmony with nature, no system of medicine can help you.

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing freely delivers enough oxygen to each and every cell of the body tissues. But with sallow breathing, enough oxygen is not available; due to lack of pran energy will result into stiffness, depression, congestion. We need to open our respiratory channels through deep breathing.

We should know that it is our expectations, our arrogance, and our inflexibility, which are the primary causes of sorrow in our day to day life. Remember, the fundamental cause of grief does not lie in outer world, but it lies within oneself.

Anxiety

Our anxiety is often vague and misdirected. Remember it is not always possible for us to change or to avoid the situations of life and therefore we should accept them gracefully without grievances or complaints. More often than not, we allow external situations to affect us. Anxious people imagine worst end result and spend most of time dreading things that may never happen.

Whatever we can do by ourselves to improve our health is effective and beneficial in long run than other person can do for us. Only when we have failed in our attempts, clinical facility should be availed. Remember maintenance of health is our responsibility and our hope that something miraculous will happen or third person will restore your health, then you are mistaken. It is proved that stress is the root cause of many diseases, which need to be addressed to remain healthy.

Ojas

Qualities of the mind and emotions, such as less anger, inner calm, more positive thoughts, and more feelings of love and compassion are described in the Charak Samhita as qualities that uphold ojas and lessen the risk of heart disease and all illnesses.

Thus the quality of your inner emotions directly determines the quality of your heart health. Be vigilant to prevent negative emotions and thinking from creeping into your inner life. When you make the choice to be positive in emotions and healthy in behavior, a multitude of health benefits will naturally be yours. Ours thoughts can be one of the main causes of our aging process.” As we think so shall we become” our thoughts create our reality. By beginning to change our thinking, we can age gracefully.

Life or Pran

Pran is a term which is used as a very useful step in descriptions of life. The conjuction of body with vital pran is known as life. It is the primary life force the subtle energy of air. It is the master force behind all mind body functions. It is the subtlest form of the breath that pervades the entire human body. It is more than the normal breath and the essence of life. It keeps every tissue of the human body alive and flows throughout the body. Whenever there is obstruction anywhere in the free flow of pran, there is pain. Pain is mainly a manifestation of the obstruction in the free flow of the Pran. This obstruction is caused by bad food habits, abnormal Lifestyles and defective postures. Pran therapy tackles these obstructions and set the flow of pran in the right direction.

Ayurveda believes that health is a state of positive attitude. Negative thinking produces stress, shame, anger and fear. These emotions disturb our digestion, metabolism and immune function and age us. Negative thoughts and the feelings are the primordial cause of disease, toxin, deficiencies etc. Autoimmune disease is making us sick today. Our bodies are attacking themselves. Arthritis, cancer, heart disease, MS are caused by defect in immune system. Meditation is a Ayurvedic practice of letting go of world’s thoughts and merging with universal mind. Hence by following Ayurvedic way of life, we remain in harmony with nature and when we do that nature always give health, happiness and harmony of body, mind and soul. Take control of your health, read books, get second opinion and don’t trust some one just because they have a degree. Remember you know better yourself than somebody else.