The
Diet
The common misunderstanding about diet is
what to eat daily and how much? The body
is made in such a way that it can digest any edible food if taken in proper
proportions is another theory which is misleading. The fact is it is not how much it is not what
you eat and it is not when and how much you eat that matters. It is how eat
that matters most. Actually most of us do not know how to eat food. Only after
we know how to eat we can concentrate on what to eat and then how much to eat
and then when to eat.
The first and foremost requirement is
emotionally how comfortable you are during food intake, what is your posture, what
is your company. The body is more receptive to anything we take in only when
you are emotionally fit and comfortable. We need to be in a pleasant state of
mind, happy and never in a hurry while taking food. We must know how to enjoy
food to the fullest. Take food with absolute acceptance and high regard. Even
the most satvic food turns tamasic if eaten with bad temper or disturbed mind and
vice versa. Finally as the common saying goes, the food that we have taken is
what we are!
And the next most important physical
requirement is proper chewing of the food. The most part of digestion happens
while chewing… thereby reducing the burden on the stomach. Postural comfort is
also of utmost importance to enable the stomach, intestines and other digestive
organs to function normally. Quantity of water along with food also plays a
crucial part in proper digestive process. Excess or too little water will not
help good digestion. Optimum water intake should be ensured so that body does
not feel uncomfortable in any way. Keep the body well hydrated and even water
should not be taken in excess as anything in excess is a burden to the organs.
Then comes quantity. As per the popular
Ayurvedic prescription 1/4th
of the stomach should be empty. But how to measure it? The simple rule is if
you feel energetic after food the quantity taken is not in excess and is
optimum. The excess food taken requires stomach to function more vigorously
which calls for excessive amounts of blood supply to stomach and reducing
sufficient blood supply to some other organ in the body. The whole process of
improper blood supply begins here and all the organs in the body are not kept
nourished as required. Stomach has a very strong acid in it which can digest
anything taken into it provided the food taken is not in excess which
drastically reduces its efficiency.
With regards to what we have to eat: Now the
recommendations come into picture. If all the above requirements are met with
then we have time to bother about selection of food. Eat anything that you like
genuinely and make practice of eating all kinds of food particularly
vegetarian. But the simple rule again is moderation. Do not take anything in
excess. Spices, salty, bland, acrid, sweet, fat anything can be digested if
taken in moderate quantities and yoga practised regularly.
Shekhar TV
Vibronic Healer
