Health through Diet, an Ayurvedic Perspective

1
Health through Diet, an Ayurvedic Perspective

• Dr. Pratibha Shah
• MD (Ayu.)

2
The Spectrum
Diet
Rat Race Lifestyle
Fast Pace Meditation

STRESS
DISEASE
HEALTH
3
Introduction

• Three pillars of Health
• Aahaar (Diet)
• Nidra (Sleep)
• Brahmacharya (Controlled celibacy)
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 11/35)

4
Importance of Aahaar

• Of the three pillars of health, aahaar or diet is
  the most important, and that is why it is
  mentioned first
• Of all the factors that are responsible for the
  growth and development of the human body, diet is
  the most important.
• 
  
• 
  (Ch. Sh. 6/12)

5
Definition of Aahaar

• That which is swallowed through the throat
• That which is swallowed and nourishes various
  body tissues
• That which is swallowed and has a conducive
  effect on the body

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Types of Aahaar

• Based on source
• Sthaavar (plant based)
• Jaangam (animal based)
• Based on effect on body
• Beneficial/conducive
• Harmful/non-conducive
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 25/36)

7
Types of Aahaar contd

• Based on usage
• Ashit (food that is put into the mouth, e.g.
  Rice)
• Peet (food that is drunk, e.g. fruit juice)
• Leedh (food that is licked, e.g. pickle)
• Khadit (food that is bitten to eat, e.g. meat,
  corn, bread)
• 
  
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 25/36)

8
Types of Aahaar contd

• Based on rasa (taste)
• Madhur (sweet)
• Amla (sour)
• Lavan (salty)
• Katu (spicy)
• Tikta (bitter)
• Kashaya (astringent)
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 25/36)

9
Types of Aahaar contd

• Based on properties
• Guru-laghu (heavy, light), Mridu-kathin (soft,
  hard)
• Sheet-ushn (cold, hot), Vishad-picchil (clear,
  unctuous)
• Snigdh-Rooksh (oily, dry), Sthir-sar (firm,
  moving)
• Shlakshan-khar (smooth, rough),
• Mand-teekshn (slow, piercing),
• Sookshm-sthool (micro, macro)
• Sandra-Drav (Viscous, liquid)
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 25/36)

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Hitaahaar (Beneficial or conducive diet)

• Hitaahaar
• Is panchbhautik, because every individual is
  panchbhautik (made up of 5 components Earth,
  Water, Fire, Air, Space)
• Has shadras, or has all or most of the 6 rasas or
  has rasas according to prakruti (body type)
• Is liked by the one eating
• Is clean and pure
• Not very hot
• Has been freshly prepared (Ch. Soo. 25/33)(Su.
  Soo. 46/465)

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Importance of hitaahaar (conducive diet)

• It is only hitaahaar that is solely responsible
  for shareer vriddhi (growth and development of
  the body) and maintenance of health. On the
  contrary, ahitaahaar (inconducive diet)is
  responsible for disease development.
• Although there are other factors in the
  development of the body, aahaar is the most
  important
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 25/33)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar

• Food should be prepared and served by well
  wishing people or aids.
• The kitchen/cooking area should be clean and not
  congested
• For kings, testing for poisoning should be done
  before food is served.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/451-453)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar (contd)

• Rules for vessels or containers
• Ghee should be served in cast iron bowls
• Drinks like water to be served in silver
  containers, clay glasses, glasses made up of alum
  or glass or boiled and cooled water can be
  stored and served in brass containers.
• Drinks like alcohol or cold drinks should be
  served in containers made up of clay, glass or
  alum.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/454-455)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar (contd)

• Fruit juices, soups and liquid food should be
  served in silver containers.
• Dry accompaniments to the food, and food
  processed with yogurt should be served in
  containers made of gold.
• Food and fruits to be served on clean leaves of
  banana, palash (Butea monosperma), etc.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/456)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar (contd)

• Rules for serving
• The one being served should be seated on even,
  clean ground.
• The serving area should be pleasant, not a
  thorough fare, and should be fragrance, flowers
  and other things that are pleasant to the senses,
  around him.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/457)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar (contd)

• Fruits, solids and other dry edibles like paapad
  (cracker), etc. should be placed on the right
  side of the plate.
• All liquids like water, fruit juice, soup,
  alcohol, etc. should be placed on the left side
  of the plate.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/458)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar (contd)

• Sweets and jaggery preparations should be placed
  towards the front portion of the plate.
• After having placed all these accompaniments, the
  server should carefully and respectfully serve
  the main dishes in the center of the plate.
• Dishes should be served in order of liking,
  starting with the least favorite dish and ending
  with the most favorite.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/459)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Rules for the one eating
• Should be hungry
• Should sit straight on a slightly elevated seat
• Should eat in silence focusing on the food
• Should eat not too fast, nor too slow, chewing
  many times before swallowing
• Should rinse mouth when changing rasa
• Should drink sips of water in between meals
• Should floss with herb twig or silver/brass wire,
  after meals

(Su. Soo. 46/471, 489)
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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Rules for the one eating Do not eat
• Before or after meal time
• Less or more
• Contaminated, uncovered, spoilt, burnt food.
• Left over food
• Food that you do not like, or that which tastes
  and smells bad
• Food that has not been cooked properly
• Food that has been reheated, was cooked long time
  back or is very cold.

(Su. Soo. 46/477-481)
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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Rule for order of rasas while eating
• Madhur rasa should be consumed first
• Amla and lavan rasas should be consumed in the
  middle
• Katu, Tikta and Kashaya rasas should be taken at
  the end.
• 
  
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/466)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Rule for optimum serving
• According to ones agni (digestive fire)
• Conducive to ones doshic prakruti (body type
  according to dosha)
• That which gets digested in time
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 5/1-4)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Qualitative assessment
• Assessing the gurutva/laghutva of the diet
• - One must evaluate whether the food is guru
  (heavy) (milk products like curd, cream, etc.,
  red meat, meat of animals of marshy or wetlands,
  sesame seeds, etc.) in terms of digestion,
• - Or laghu (light) moong daal (green gram),
  red rice, bird meat, deer meat, etc.
• Assessing the rasas of the diet
• - A shadras diet is highly advocated.
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 5/5-6)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Quantitative assessment
• Fill the first 1/2 of stomach with solid diet,
  guru diet taken first, followed by laghu diet
  but if diet is very heavy, fill only 1/3rd of the
  stomach with solids
• Fill the next quarter or third with anupaan
  (adjuvant).
• Leave the rest quarter or one third space for
  action of different doshas
• (Ch.
  Soo. 5/7)(Ch. Vi. 2/4)(As. Hr. Soo. 8/46)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Other Rules
• Eat solids first
• Eat the highly beneficial amalaki (gooseberries)
  in the beginning, middle and end of meal
• Eat salad in the beginning of the meal
• Meals should be taken in a timely manner or when
  hungry.
• Meals should be taken in the right amount,
  neither too much nor too less.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/468-470)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• One should take into account the characteristics
  of the season, ones body type, time of the day
  and other factors, before selecting their diet.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/468-470)

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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• After Meals Regimen
• Sit straight for 5-10 minutes, waiting for food
  to settle down
• At this time, smoke herbal cigars or hookah
  and/or chew beetle leaf or other mouth fresheners
• After that, take a stroll (about 100 steps)
• After dinner, do the above and then lie down on
  your left side.
• Surround oneself with pleasantness

(Su. Soo. 46/493-494)
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Fundamentals and rules of Aahaar contd

• Avoid after meals
• Sleep or sit for a long time
• Laugh or talk excessively
• Avoid unpleasant sensory exposure
• Consume large amount of fluids
• Excessive physical activity like swimming, horse
  riding, etc.
• 
  (Su. Soo. 46/495-496)

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Anupaan (Adjutant)

• Anu means that which follows.
• Paan means a drink
• Therefore Anupaan means a drink that follows or
  in the
• context of, a drink that follows meals or is
  taken along
• with it.
• Anupaan that is opposite in properties to the
  meal that
• has been taken, but is not contrary to it, is the
  best.
• (Ch. Soo. 27/320-330)(As. Hr. Soo.
  8/47-51)(Su. Soo. 46/424-436)

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Benefits of Anupaan

• A well selected Anupaan confers the following
  benefits
• Softening of food
• Good digestion and absorption
• Satiation
• Energy
• Nourishment
• (Ch. Soo. 27/320-330)(As. Hr. Soo.
  8/47-51)(Su. Soo. 46/424-436)

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A few common Anupaan

• Water This is a universal Anupaan can be taken
  
• with any type of food.
• Milk This is considered the best Anupaan,
  especially
• for the weak, tired, infants and
  aged, people
• who have fasted, traveled or done
  excess
• physical labor, or have undergone
  excess of
• any kind.
• Honey Water For the obese
• (Ch. Soo. 27/320-330)(As. Hr. Soo.
  8/47-51)(Su. Soo. 46/424-436)

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A few common Anupaan

• Herbal alcohols for the lean, insomnia, fear,
  etc.
• Meat soups for the emaciated
• Warm water after any oily preparation
• Kanji (a type of vinegar) after a
  particularly
• or buttermilk heavy
  meal
• For the diseased, the Anupaan should be opposite
  to
• properties of the dosha involved.
• (Ch. Soo. 27/320-330)(As. Hr. Soo.
  8/47-51)(Su. Soo. 46/424-436)

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Benefits of disciplined eating

• Strength
• Stamina
• Good complexion
• Good health
• Happiness
• Long life
• Vitality
• It is rightly said that the jathraagni or the
  digestive fire,
• needs fuel in the form of diet, to sustain
  itself.
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 5/8)(Ch. Soo. 27/342)

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Benefits of Individual factors of a good diet

• Hot food increases taste perception
• - kindles digestive fire
• - easily digested
• - is carminative
• - dissolves excess kapha
• Well oliated food
• - all the above except
  dissolving kapha
• - acts as a building block of
  the body
• - increases strength and is good
  for
• complexion
  (Ch. Vi. 1/24)

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Benefits of Individual factors of a good diet

• Optimum quantity - easily digested and absorbed
• - does not cause
  dosha imbalance
• - conducive to long
  life
• Proper time
• Proper combination Increase longevity of
  life
• Proper place
• Eating not too fast
• Eating silently
• 
  (Ch. Vi. 1/25)

• - Choking does not occur
• Stays for designated time in
• the food pipe

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Benefits of Individual factors of a good diet

• Eating not too slow - results in satisfaction
• - does not become
  cold
• - does not become
  uninteresting
• - does not cause
  indigestion
• Eating according to Atma Shakti
• (means eating with knowledge of what is good
  and beneficial to one self)
• - health and
  longevity
• 
  (Ch. Vi.
  1/25)

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Diet recommended for frequent use

• Shashtik rice(ripens in 60 days), shali rice
• Moong daal (Green Gram)
• Saindhav lavan (rock salt)
• Amalaki (Gooseberry)
• Millet flour
• Cow milk
• Lean meat
• Honey
• Aakaash jal (rain water collected at strategic
  high points)
  (Ch. Soo. 5/12)

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Diet recommended for infrequent use

• Dried flesh
• Dried plants
• Lotus stem
• Pippali (long pepper), Kshaar (alkalies), Lavan
  (salt)
• Meat of pig, cow, buffalo fish
• Curd
• Bengal gram
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 5/10-11)

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Diet to be always avoided

• Vairodhik aahaar (diet which is harmful due to
• processing, combination or other factors)
• - Heated honey
• - Milk with sour things
• - Milk with fish
• - Curd taken at night
• - Ghee and honey mixed in equal amounts
• 
  (Ch. Soo. 26/80-111)

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Facts to remember

• Properties of diet are dependant on 8 factors
  (ashtvidh aahaar ayatan) namely
• - Prakruti (Natural Qualities)
• - Karan (Preparation)
• - Sanyog (Combination)
• - Raashi (Quantity)
• - Desh (Habitat)
• - Kaal (Time)
• - Upyog sanstha (Rules of use)
• - Upyokta (User)
  (Ch. Vi. 1/21-22)

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• Thank You