. . . continued from previous issue
Food should be consumed in a relaxed atmosphere and relished slowly. Breakfast should be light as it is the first meal after the body has fasted for a few hours. Lunch should be the main meal as the best time to digest food is at noon. The stomach agni is at its prime then and hence it is easier to digest food better. Dinner should be light.
The one diet fits all does not work in Ayurveda. People come in different shapes and sizes and have different personalities. Their tastes in food also are different.
One man’s food is another man’s poison is very true from an Ayurvedic perspective. If the person is kapha dominant then he should not be indulging in a lot of sweets as this would aggravate kapha but it would pacify pitta and vata so it could be eaten in moderation by pitta and vata dominant people. Similarly a pitta dominant person should not be consuming too much of spicy food and a vata dominant person should not indulge in cold and dry food.
The way food is cooked is also of great importance. The best way to cook vegetables is by sautéing them with spices, like turmeric and cumin, and ghee. The spices need to be first sautéed in ghee. By doing this the volatile oils of the spices are drawn out into the ghee. This is of therapeutic value and helps with digestion and assimilation. These spices not only make the food tasty but are nutritive as well.
Steaming food is good for it makes the food moist and enhances the flavour. Stir fry adds heat and vitality but can aggravate pitta.
Remember these facts about food:
1. Food needs to be eaten warm.
2. It needs to be tasty and easy to digest.
3. It needs to be eaten in the proper quantity.
4. Food has to be eaten when the previous food has been digested and a person is feeling hungry.
5. Foods need to work together and should not contradict each other, eg, milk and fish should not be consumed together. This is because the end products of digestion of these two are incompatible.
All the 6 tastes should be included in every meal.
Ayurveda believes that every food substance can be good, bad or neutral to the body. This depends on the innate properties of the food, individual body constitution and local conditions of climate and habitat.
The body is made up of what we digest and assimilate. Disease comes when food is not properly digested. Without a proper diet medicines are of no use and with a proper diet medicines are unnecessary.
Mrs. Mira Swami, Department of Ayurveda