An area I have been reflecting on lately is food! I know, its been that time of the year where most of us are probably sick of eating food. So I started to think about how much food I eat and how much do I really need to eat to survive and thrive. And it turns out, I dont need as much as I thought. So I set the intention and suddenly, I discovered that I am eating a lot lesser than I did and still feeling fresh and full and energetic. 😊
In this blog, I share with you "The Healing Power of Food"
A Healthy Diet
As a wise person once said "let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food", Ayurveda too adopts a similar philosophy. A healthy diet is one that is wholesome, well-balanced and leads to a sense of happiness in the body and the mind.
Understanding your doshas or biological constitution and eating a diet that is in alignment with your dosha as well as avoiding foods that are processed, fried or refined are ways to use food as a way to bring balance and healing. As a general rule, when we eat a meal, our stomach should consist of 50% food, 25% liquid and the remaining 25% should be empty so that it leaves enough room for the digestion process and release of gases. When we over eat, we feel bloated and lethargic because of not following this general principle.
7 Tips on Eating Healthy according to Ayurveda
1. Origin: Know where your food comes from. Stay local as much as you can, your biology plays a role on the food you can and cannot digest.
2. Combination: The body's ability to digest is affected by how different foods are combined. e.g. avoid milk with fruit, hot with cold foods, ghee with honey or cold foods in winter.
3: Preparation: You are not what you eat, but what you digest. Food should be prepared in a way that it is intended to, ideally heated or cooked is easier to digest and absorb.
4. Your Surroundings: The atmosphere you cook and eat in, the state of your kitchen and where you eat play an important role.
5. Your consciousness: Food is like blotting paper, it absorbs the consciousness of the cook and the environment. The healthiest food can become poison if eaten in a hurried, stressed or bad mood.
6. Quantity: Don't eat too much or too little, if unsure, eat less rather than more.
7. Quality: This matters a lot. Organic, fresh foods, selected for their taste and heating or cooling quality, digestibility and effect on the doshas are healthier than just eating to fill the stomach.
"If you strive for bliss, your diet should be such that new disease cannot manifest and existing disease is alleviated" - Charaka
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