Ayurveda and Food
Food is the drug
Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food on.
Hippocrates
"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are," says vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor). And I will tell you also what and why you suffer. Food is the elements of our body tissues and organs, it provides energy and vitality to the body and spirit, and thereby supports the process of evolution. Ayur-Veda has the power as the foundation of health and the basis of all therapy: "If the patient has an unbalanced diet, drugs are useless, and if the patient has a proper diet, drugs are useless! ".
Factors to consider in terms of diet:
• The type of food.
• Preparing meals.
• The food combinations.
• The quantity.
• The location.
• Time.
• Tips for eating well.
• The effect of food on the individual.
Note: For definitions of Sanskrit terms, refer to the book of Peter Baierle, and article "The breath of life"
The nature of food
Each substance has its own nature or prakriti, characterized by four qualities or specific values:
• the gunas - sattva, rajas and tamas - which predominates in it and it will therefore stimulate and strengthen in the individual who absorbs it;
• dosha - vata, pitta and Kapha - it influences by doing either increase or decrease;
• rasa or taste of its own - sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent or astringent;
• Quality - a food can be heavy, light, oily, dry, hot or cold.
Sattva
A sattvic food enriches life and strengthens the mind, it makes a man happy, develops the qualities of heart and prolongs life. The three products are the most sattvic cow's milk, honey and ghee (clarified butter) and fresh fruit, soft food, lassi (homogeneous mixture of yoghurt and water), and any fresh food and slight.
Rajas
Rajasic is all that is strong, pungent, spicy, salty and dry, such as cheese, starches and legumes. This is an exciting food, which is good not to abuse.
Tamas
When it decomposes, becomes tamasic food, and when exposed to flies or other dirt. Tamas in nature: the remains of a meal, a dish that has been cooked several hours earlier and that has cooled, and also certain foods such as onions, garlic, meat, fish, wine and liqueurs. They weigh down the spirit, stimulate the baser instincts and incite depression.
Vata
Examples of foods that increase vata: drinks and cold dishes, everything is dry and light, taste bitter, pungent and astringent. Corn, millet, rye, apples, pears, dried fruit, potatoes, cabbage, greens, raw vegetables, dried peas and beans, beef.
Some examples of foods that pacify the vata: drinks and hot foods, everything is smooth, sweet, sour and salty. Dairy products, honey, oil, rice and wheat, grapes, peaches, melons, avocados, coconut, carrots, asparagus, cucumbers, black pepper, cumin, ginger, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, chicken, fish and seafood
Pitta
Examples of foods that increase pitta: food and hot drinks, spicy taste of foods, sour and salty, yogurt, cheese, honey, almonds and sesame, maize, millet, rye , brown rice, grapefruit, papayas, mangoes, olives, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, salt, pepper, cayenne, cloves, fish and seafood, eggs .
Some examples of foods that pacify pitta: food and cold drinks, sweet, bitter and astringent, milk, butter and ghee, sugar, sunflower oil, wheat, white rice, oats, grapes, cherries, coconut, sweet oranges, asparagus, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, green vegetables, soybeans, cinnamon, cardamom (small amounts), poultry meat.
Kapha
Examples of foods that increase Kapha: abundant food, creamy and rich, sweet, sour and salty, cream, butter, whole milk (large amounts), sugar, molasses, oils, rice, wheat, oats, avocados, dates, bananas, melons, figs, coconut, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, soy, salt , walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, pork and beef, fish and seafood
Some examples of foods that pacify the Kapha: a light food, dry, hot, pungent, bitter and astringent, skim milk, honey, corn, millet, rye, apples, pears , pomegranates, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, peas and beans, chicken and turkey.
The six tastes (rasa) and a few examples:
• sweet: sugar, milk, butter, rice, bread;
• Acid: yogurt, lemons, cheese;
• Salt: salt;
• spice: black pepper, cayenne, ginger;
• bitter spinach and green vegetables;
• astringent: starches, legumes.
The six qualities and some examples
• heavy: cheese, yogurt, bread;
• Lightweight: corn, apples, spinach;
• Smooth: oils, fats and dairy products;
• Dry: barley, corn, potatoes, starches;
• hot: food and hot drinks;
• cold foods and cold drinks.
Meal preparation
The kitchen is an important place where food is prepared and with it the strength, health and vitality of the entire household. An ideal kitchen is spacious, well lit and ventilated, kept clean, pleasant and enjoyable, well equipped too. The containers are stainless steel, glass, wood or clay, and the sharp knives, utensils clean and tidy. This is a room where silence and good humor. We avoid talking to them about working there or quarrel; one can play music or Vedic recitations, singing ....
The person must be made to eat a sattvic person, naturally calm, happy and healthy.
The food itself is always fresh and premium, if possible from the region where you are, the ideal being able to eat the produce of his own garden.
A complete meal includes the six tastes. Food must be cooked, spicy depending on the season and everyone's needs and must be appetizing to look at, pleasant to smell and taste delicious.
Food combinations
Ayur-Veda teaches the fundamentals of the combination of foods together to make food more digestible and healthy always. It gives a detailed list of useful combinations, those that aid digestion and which to avoid. Certain food combinations are creating real poisons in the system.
For example, it is important not to drink milk while eating and do not mix milk and fruit acids, this combination is totally indigestible and will turn into ama and toxins in the body. However mangoes go very well with the milk that makes them softer and easier to assimilate (a hit with mango is also a real treat!) But it is one of the only fruit that is good to mix with milk, with banana, well, bread and rice are the only foods that go well with milk. Salt and milk do not mix. As for the milk itself, it is good to drink it hot, fasting in the morning or late afternoon. A glass of warm milk mixture in which one teaspoon of ghee and one or two teaspoons of sugar gives a very nutritious drink which, taken at night before going to bed, pacifies the pitta, helps sleep and relieves constipation. The milk is cooked, boiled for 4-5 minutes, ideally 15 minutes. We must understand the milk as a food, not as a drink.
One could give other examples of combination foods and dietary advice, as to avoid eating hot and cold at the same time or one after another (after drinking a hot coffee ice cream for example, is a combination not very happy that shocks and may even damage the digestive tissues), but it is not our purpose to give a course of dietetics in a full article.
The amount
It's good to eat in moderation, leaving a little space in the stomach to allow digestion of a good start; third food, one third water and one third space is the ideal proportions. Drink a glass of warm water in small sips while eating is the best digestive stimulant, but you should avoid drinking too much before or after meals because it dilutes the Agni and therefore weakens digestion. The frozen drinks are totally discouraged, both during meals in general.
Overeating overload the body, ama accumulates in the digestive tract and causes many disorders. Always be expected to have fully digested the previous meal before eating again. It is an obvious and simple rule: eat when hungry and drink when thirsty. In case of indigestion, a fast of twenty-four hours when one uses only hot water will clean the system, to reactivate the Agni and eliminate toxins.
The place
The place where you eat is also very important, it should be kept clean, airy and comfortable, quiet and cozy, well decorated, with flowers on the table. Avoid eating in a noisy place or excited, in a crowd or in the presence of hostile people.
"He must be crazy to eat standing up! "Says a proverb of Ayur-Veda.
Ideally, it is best not to eat rather than eating in unpleasant conditions.
Time
The best time to eat breakfast, it was between seven and eight hours before the Kapha is increasing in the atmosphere. The main meal should ideally be taken between eleven and thirteen hours, at the time of day when agni is strongest. In the evening he is to eat light and if possible before nightfall, before the time of kapha where Agni is at rest.
The diet is also adapted to the different seasons, weather, and of course the prakriti, or nature of each.
Some tips for eating well
It is good to wash hands and face before sitting down to eat, wear clean clothes and relax for a few minutes before you start eating. "Sit like a king," says Ayur-Veda, and avoid reading, working or watching television while eating. Best to eat in silence or in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere. It is worth taking time to chew and think about what you are doing. A glass of hot water, sip drank, is an excellent digestive.
In general, it is good to follow his desires and eat what is attractive, what feels good and is known to be good for us, but we must also be aware that some desires can be result of bad habits. Then we refer to his judgment and intellectual knowledge that allows to discriminate what is right and appropriate, and what is not.
The effect of food
An individual whose agni is strong and who eats what he needs at different times of day and year gets the best effect of food. It feels good, light and energized after eating, his health is excellent and lives naturally in the well-being and joy.
Knowledge of Ayur-Veda is the art of living in harmony with nature. Our intuition would lead us to a balanced feed spontaneously. Knowledge is of course essential, and all other dietary advice and we've seen so far show how this one is complete and detailed
A few tips:
• A pinch of grated fresh ginger with a little salt, taken a few minutes before meals, stimulates the appetite and digestion.
• Cook vegetables with ginger (preferably fresh) makes the meal lighter and more digestible.
• Ginger tea, prepared by boiling for a few moments of fresh ginger, crushed, or shredded, is excellent to prevent or cure colds. You can also add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Taken with food, this is an excellent digestive tea which stimulates agni and helps eliminate toxins.
• Cheese is a food heavy and difficult to digest, why one should avoid eating at night. To better digest it well sprinkle with black pepper.
• The ghee (clarified butter) is a very sattvic food that nourishes and lubricates the system. It is much more digestible than butter and much less rich in cholesterol. One or two teaspoons of ghee on bread, rice or other cereals provide an excellent taste, stimulate agni and hence improve digestion. This helps to create ojas in the system and to balance all dosha.
• Sucking a few cardamom seeds after eating chocolate or ice cream for easy digestion.
• It is good to drink a lot, at least seven to eight large glasses of water daily to ensure hydration and cleansing the body. We drink preferably in the morning fasting, afternoon and evening, but not just before or just after meals.
• A vegetarian diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products is the most natural and most conducive to maintaining health and promoting longevity. There are now a mass of scientific data showing a positive relationship between a vegetarian diet and prevention of disorders such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, tooth decay, etc.. A study there are already more than twenty years at Yale University, United States, shows that non-vegetarian athletes have a physical endurance significantly lower than that of vegetarian athletes.
If you eat meat regularly and if you wish to adopt a vegetarian diet, you should do it gradually, and without forcing you into a period of calm and relaxation. Try replacing red meat with chicken or fish, then stagger more meals with no meat to make it more than a week or two. Take time to eat well and discover the wealth of vegetarian cooking. Have fun preparing food, simple or exotic, but rich and varied, with paneer (fresh cheese) or tofu (soy meat), and rice with almonds and raisins, lentil soups, or dhal, vegetables sautéed in ghee or baked au gratin with cheese, vegetable lasagna, pizza with tomato, mozzarella and olives. So go and make some good meals in restaurants that offer vegetarian dishes for your pleasure and to give you some menu ideas to do at home. The experience of people who practice yoga and meditation is that their tastes are changing and becoming more sophisticated very spontaneously and gradually. They go to a food healthier and more balanced, where the meat is less and less space.
