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Ayurveda and Diet

Writtern by Dr. Akhil B.A.M.S

When we consider today scenarios regarding food we seem to be really fortunate. Now a days we can get different varieties of food from different parts of the world easily. We are even aware of vitamins, minerals and  what not of the food. Still we tend to be sick, this begs the question WHY?? The answer is, Even though we believe we have found a way to know what we eat we still ignore the most important aspect, that is- “How to eat??”.Ayurveda addresses this issue . When we think about food we only remember nutrients inside them, we  forget that, there is a complex biochemical reactions taking place inside the body, DIGESTION. We always forget that even if you eat all the greatest foods in the world, it will not be able to give you anything until and unless it is digested and absorbed. The Ayurvedic principles addresses this great vision of understanding, of one’s own body, to know what is going to work for you and what won’t. More than the food you take should know how you are taking it.  This does not mean it’s just about having something which the world says is  healthy, but it is about what the body considers as healthy. Thus Ayurvedic aspects of food is basically understood based on its relationship with that of the Jataragni (digestive fire) . The digestive fire is that energy or process inside the body which helps in the transformation of food to give you Ojas, that is the energy that sustains life and which can also be attribute to immunity. Thus when we consider the descriptions offered in Ayurveda we will see two words are always used they are GURU and LAGHU. The word Laghu in Ayurveda refers to those foods which are easy to digest or light to digest. The Guru foods are difficult to digest or heavy to digest. It means if you’re taking the same amount of heavy or Guru food and same amount of Laghu or light food, light food will be digested faster compared to heavy food. If we describe the food just based on the amount we are eating, food light in nature will not be enough to provide you with your required amount of energy and the food which is heavy might be too difficult to digest by the body. This heavy  food can cause digestive problems which in turn triggers metabolic disturbances. Which can lead to multitude of disorders even the most treacherous of them, Cancer. In this present era it is not just important to know what you eat but how to eat. By understanding this essence of Ayurveda our present or modern society will be able to reach our true potential by overcoming the biggest hurdle that is a unhealthy  Body  and Mind.