Eat Rightly: The Ayurveda Way
Digestion is the most important part of our health; it should work properly with the appropriate metabolism for good overall health. Well, this is very clearly stated by Ayurveda, the 5000+ year old practice of ancient Indian Sciences. Reason to state this is according to various studies, more than 8 out of 10 Americans have some or the other digestion related problem like stomach pain, gas, constipation, bloating, heartburn, fatigue after eating etc.
Ayurveda considers food as equally powerful as medicine; in fact, when consumed properly, food is medicine itself. With some simple, easy to follow principles, dos & don’ts of Ayurveda, you can tremendously change your overall well-being.
Eating foods that are entirely suited to our physiology, following a satvik (life supporting) habit will enhance and make our digestion perfect, which in turn will fill us with true vitality forever. Eating is something which is akin to life-giving. Hence you should give utmost importance to it, because what, when, where and how you eat may well define your long-term health.
When you eat, you should give full attention to it, use all your 5 senses, focus on your food, its color, smell, texture etc. Eating and using mobiles, watching TV etc. is a strict no-no. Always try to follow naturally prescribed times to eat. According to the Ayurveda, Lunch should be the strongest meal of the day as around noon time our digestive system works the best.
On the other hand, dinner should be light and should be taken much before sleeping. Ayurveda recommends at least 2 hours of gap between dinner and sleeping so that digestion wouldn’t disturb your sleep. Sleeping should be early too, say around 10 pm. The late you have your dinner and lessen the gap between your dinner and sleep, the more the chances that you will wake up tired. Ideally, you should wake up fresh and clear, provided you also get enough sleep of around 7 hours.
Try to eat as naturally intelligent foods as you can. The genetically modified ingredients, synthetic additives, chemicals and pesticides in the processed and packaged foods are harmful to our overall health in the long run. Select a lot of organically grown fruits and vegetables in your diet. Eat cooked foods rather than eating them raw as digestion will be easier.
As much as possible, try to eat in the sitting position and not while standing. Because our stomach is in the relaxed posture while sitting; on the other hand we tend to disrupt the balance of foods in the body while standing. Don’t gobble up your food quickly, it is important to eat slow, chew it completely as the process of digestion begins from your chewing habit.
Begin your day with a glass of warm water; it helps in weight loss by speeding up the metabolism. Eat foods as per the season, says Ayurveda. For e.g. foods that are warm in nature like jaggery and ghee etc. should be eaten in winter, while those that are cool like curd, watermelon etc. must be eaten in the summer.
Only when you follow the natural cycles and regularity that you will fully reap the benefits of what you eat; hence it is essential to have your meals at the same time of the day every day. A little fluctuation is okay, but not too long. You also can’t eat every food combination as some of them will upset your stomach. Remember, as you sow, so shall you reap. To avoid succumbing to any diseases and be in full health throughout your life, always eat right foods at right times and in right ways.
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